May 7, 2020
Adam Blake is a real estate and technology entrepreneur that has
started, scaled, and exited multiple ventures and private
equity-backed companies. He and Chris met early in their studies at
Texas Christian University as they developed their own real estate
careers.
Adam has played a huge role in Chris's life as he served as the
inspiration and provided the mentorship that led Chris to make his
first real estate purchase during his freshman year at TCU.
They have since held a close relationship over the last 16
years. On this pod, they talk about Adam building his first
real estate company in college, his first million dollar deal,
pivoting into Solar software, the process of exiting multiple
companies, and his thoughts on a future with COVID-19.
Enjoy!
To learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.FortCapitalLP.com
Follow Chris on Twitter! @FortWorthChris
02:05 — Adam’s Story and What Lead Him to Be an Entrepreneur
06:32 — Adam’s Father and The Impact His Death Had on Him
07:38 — How did your first real estate company come together while
you were at TCU?
11:08 — When was the first time you did a deal that made you a
significant amount of money?
12:34 — How did you raise the money for that deal at only 18 years
old?
13:34 — Adam’s Experience Winning The Global Student Entrepreneur
of the Year Award & Meeting Chris Powers
15:41 — Adam’s First Million Dollar Deal
17:18 — Adam’s Journey Through The '08 Recession and His Success
Through a Dallas Condo Deal
21:31 — Moving to Kansas City and Pivoting Away From Real Estate
and Into the Solar industry
23:51 — What did you like about the solar industry and what was
your experience like growing & exiting this company?
28:50 — You started building software at Brightergy yet how does a
non-technically oriented leader create a software culture?
32:32 — Why did you exit the solar industry? What mistakes were
made during this process that you’ll never forget?
37:23 — Is there anything you would’ve done differently in the
selling process?
39:16 — How did you get the inspiration for your next company,
Zego?
42:10 — What made you decide to sell Zego at an early stage?
46:05 — Should more people take the route you did in selling
Zego?
47:57 — What is it about Vista that makes them such a great PE
company?
49:17 — How do you develop an "awesome" product?
50:52 — How has your perspective changed over time with a wife, 4
children, and a son with Autism?
53:58 — Adam’s Son
56:17 — Adam’s Core Values in His Weekly Rundown and How He Came Up
With This Concept
58:36 — What are you thinking, seeing, and feeling right now as it
relates to the COVID-19 situation?
1:01:49 — What do you see happening for yourself in the next
year?
1:06:05 — Does this give you a different perspective as to what
your next career move will be?
The FORT is produced by Straight Up Podcasts