In celebration of the Invest2FI 100th Episode releasing tomorrow we thought it would be fun to sit down with the guy who cohosts every week, Craig Curelop, the founder of The FI Team and @thefiguy himself!
On the podcast Craig usually gets to ask the questions, but it was fun turning the tables to hear from him and digging into the WHY of the Invest2FI podcast. We even got to catch him off guard by asking him to answer “The Final Four!”
Julie: Craig, so fun to sit down with you and chat about the Invest2FI podcast! How’s does it feel to look back and realize you’ve done 100 of these???
Craig: It’s pretty exciting to hit this milestone. Wild to think we’ve come this far and fun to see what a great journey it’s been. We’ve talked to so many awesome every day people making the path to FI work, it’s super inspiring.
Julie: Why did you start the podcast, what was your goal?
Craig: The original goal was to inspire people to house hack and invest in Denver. That was the purpose and in doing so, we were hoping to provide enough value to everyone that they would see the value of having The FI Team help them in their journey.
Julie: How has the podcast grown and evolved?
Craig: It has since evolved into a nationwide endeavor where Z and I talk through the guests’ stories of how they achieved financial independence. We interview mostly newer folks and dive into their first few deals and the problems that have arisen.
Julie: What advice do you have for other podcasters?
Craig: Podcasting is a slow growing business. Consistency is key. Keep showing up and doing them and over time, it will grow. Don’t do it for the followers or for the money, do it because you genuinely want to get to know people and their stories. That is how you sustainably have a podcast for a long time.
Julie: This might be hard, but who was your favorite guest and why?
Craig: This is tough. Josh Dorkin (100th episode) is a big one. Mainly because he is the founder of BiggerPockets and it was fun to hear his story. Jabbar (recently recorded, future episode #102!) also has so much energy so that was lots of fun. Those are the two that are sticking out the most… because it was the most famous person and the most recent lol.
Julie: You end your podcast with “The Final Four”, so now it’s our turn to ask you your final four!
Craig: Haha! You caught me off guard here.
Julie: What are you reading?
Craig: I just finished “Breath” by James Nester. Reading “Dichotomy of Leadership” next. Though, I’ve taken a one-month hiatus from reading as I’ve just been studying for the Idaho real estate exam.
Julie: What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Craig: I’ve received lots of good advice. The one that is most relevant to me right now is “stay in your lane.” There are a lot of shiny objects, but it’s best to stick to what you know and grow it quickly!
Julie: What is you why?
Craig: The easy answer is that I truly do love to be an inspiration to people and be a big part of their journey towards financial independence. When I get those messages, it really does make my day. The reason that prompted me to get into financial independence, before I knew I’d be an inspiration to others, is that I wanted to be 100% present for my family as we start to have kids, etc. I want to do what I want, when I want, with who I want. I’d like to be able to travel to different places and not have to worry about “not affording” things.
Julie: What would you want your groundhog day to look like?
Craig: Ahh! This is a great question. I guess it would be waking up between 6am and 7am and doing the Miracle Morning which consists of Bible reading/prayer, journaling, reading, affirmations, visualization, and then hitting the gym. I come back around 10am to make myself a protein shake and chill out on the back deck for an hour as I do a crossword puzzle. Crank out an hour or two of work, then eat lunch with my wife. After lunch, take a few calls and work until about 3-4pm. Then come home and spend time with my wife, do random things around the house, etc. until dinner is ready. Then eat dinner with my wife. Relax for a few hours and then go to bed between 9 and 10pm.
Invest2FI drops new episodes weekly on Wednesdays. Tune in to hear Craig Curelop and Zeona McIntyre talk with real-life house hackers, real estate (and other!) investors and real people on a mission to become financially independent.
Listen here: https://invest2fi.com/