Always Be Building

Always Be Building podcast. Host @max_gagliardi

[Always Be Building @Always_Building]

“Never trust someone who hasn’t built anything”

-Alex Karp

[Max Gagliardi @max_gagliardi]

The Field Notes #2: Oil & Gas Market Chat https://t.co/EgNrriNUER

[Max Gagliardi @max_gagliardi]

There is no guide, only field notes

TFN podcast first episode is out!

YT link in the replies

[Max Gagliardi @max_gagliardi]

The Field Notes: Episode 1 https://t.co/mmd0LQcawE

[Max Gagliardi @max_gagliardi]

Episode #224: The Sweaty Start Up featuring Nick Huber is live!

We cover all his hot takes, his journey from launching small service companies to scaling major real estate ventures, his candid views on China, tariffs, and the realities of entrepreneurship in the digital age, plus his take on AI, innovation, and why entrepreneurship isn’t for everyone.

I was able to get an early copy of Nick's book "The Sweaty Start Up" and it is a great read. I highly recommended it for new and seasoned entrepreneurs alike.

Episode links in the replies:

[Max Gagliardi @max_gagliardi]

Episode #223: AI and the Future of Media is live with guest Kaz Bycko!

Kaz is a fellow OKC entrepreneur that I have known and worked with over the years in the Bitcoin space

Kaz and his team recently launched Bubbl, a new podcasting platform that uses AI to reinvent how we discover and consume audio content

I’ve been using the Bubbl app myself to catch highlights from my favorite podcasts and find new shows through bite-sized, scrollable clips — think social media meets podcast discovery

If you love podcasts but don’t always have time to sit through full episodes, definitely check out Bubbl

Episode links in the replies!

[Max Gagliardi @max_gagliardi]

You never truly know what it’s like to work with someone until things go wrong

[Max Gagliardi @max_gagliardi]

Episode #222: with guest .@seanfrank is live!

Sean is the CEO of Ridge Wallet, the brand that redefined men’s wallets with its sleek, rugged, RFID-blocking design

Men’s fashion rarely prioritizes accessories, and wallets are something most guys replace once a decade—yet Ridge built a thriving business in a space where success seemed unlikely

We dive into the Ridge Wallet story, the state of e-commerce, the challenges of manufacturing in America, and why the Amazon seller model is crumbling

Sean drops a ton of knowledge in this one

Hope you enjoy the show!

Episode links in the replies:

[Max Gagliardi @max_gagliardi]

Episode #221: Building Luxury Cabins in the Woods - with my business partner Jeff Burns is live!

This episode we talk about the journey to building our real estate firm, talk about lessons learned and challenges faced.

Episode links in the replies:

[Max Gagliardi @max_gagliardi]

Is ESG Dead?

[Max Gagliardi @max_gagliardi]

Episode #219: "Born to Build" is live with guest .@rossiadam

From teaching himself to code, to building an industry leading cybersecurity firm, to manufacturing blast shields, to e-commerce, to building an off grid river cabin, Adam is a nunchuck spinning entrepreneurial bad ass

He's had a lifetime of interesting pursuits and a ton of wisdom that he's learned along the way

I enjoyed this one immensely, episode links in the replies

[Max Gagliardi @max_gagliardi]

Episode #218: "2025 Oil & Gas Market Outlook" is live with guest .@pickeringenergy!

Great to have Dan back on the show to give his take on what is in store for the energy markets going into 2025

We also talk about Dan's career as an Entrepreneur and what has driven him to build the companies he's founded

This one was a great way to cap off the year, go check it out!

Episode links in the replies:

[Max Gagliardi @max_gagliardi]

Episode #217: "Luminus Capital" is live with guest .@Karl_Luminus

Karl is a fellow Oklahoman, a thriving entrepreneur and a dad of 6! He's the co-founder and principal at Luminus Capital, an investment firm specializing in self-storage and industrial real estate.

This episode we discuss Karl's journey from a geologist in the oil and gas industry to building a thriving real estate business.

We talk about his strategies for identifying value-added opportunities and his data-driven investment approach.

Episode links in the replies!

[Max Gagliardi @max_gagliardi]

Episode #216: "Car Market Madness" is live with guest John Ross from the popular YouTube channel WatchJRGO (400k subs!)

We talk about the car market, the car flipping business, some of his craziest projects, EV trends, Tesla and its brutal pricing changes that have left thousands of people underwater on their car loans.

John shares stories about the highs and the lows of being a full time content creator and where his future passions might take him.

I always enjoy talking to creators that have made a business out of their content and John is one of the best out there.

Hope you enjoy the show! Episode links in the replies

[Max Gagliardi @max_gagliardi]

Episode #215: "$10 Billion in Transactions: A Masterclass in Building a Brokerage" is live with guest Chris Atherton.

Chris is the CEO of EnergyNet, a leading online platform for oil and gas asset transactions. The company has brokered over $10 billion in deals since it was founded in 1999. 

This year EnergyNet has also launched separate marketplaces for real estate, alternative energy, and other real assets under the Efficient Markets platform. 

In this episode, Chris shares his 25+ years of experience in the energy industry, discusses trends shaping the future of oil and gas, and dives deep into the role of technology in asset acquisition and divestiture. 

We cover the current oil and gas M&A market and the trends that Chris is seeing in 2024. We then pivot to discuss the rebrand to "Efficient Markets" and the new opportunities the company is chasing. 

Whether you're an energy professional or run a brokerage business in another industry, this episode gives some incredible insight into what it takes to get deals done at scale. 

Hope you enjoy the show!

Episode links in the replies:

[Max Gagliardi @max_gagliardi]

Episode #214: "The Changing World Order" with Doomberg is live!

-OPEC's influence is fading
-ESG has peaked
-Natural gas is depressing oil demand
-Democracy is a threat to globalism
-Gold, Bitcoin and hard assets outperform
-Government debt is piling up

Episode links in the replies:

[Max Gagliardi @max_gagliardi]

This clip is a great framework for how to analyze what your competitive advantage is when entering a new business segment

On this week’s episode .@CoFoundersNik breaks it down into 5 criteria

Time

Capital

Expertise

Distribution

Operations

Episode link in the replies:

[Max Gagliardi @max_gagliardi]

Have you ever been fired or let go from a job?

It's a terrible feeling, but most of the time you are better off because of it.

That was Nik's story in this week's episode #213: "From Getting Fired to Building Multiple Companies."

Nik Hulewsky, is the co-founder of multiple 7 figure businesses that he has successfully built and flipped.

Nik started on the corporate career path and ultimately got fired from his job.

Rather than going back to the corporate world he used an SMB loan to buy his first business, a medical payments company.

After a few years he grew the revenue of that business and exited. Since then he has gone on to co-found multiple companies and is currently partnered with Chris Koerner (a previous guest on the pod).

This episode we discuss the different business pursuits Nik has chased, and talk about his successes and failures.

We get into some of the specific business challenges that the medical industry faces and how technology is changing that space.

Lastly, we talk about what Nik is planning for the future and how his past ventures have shaped the way he views new opportunities.

Hope you enjoy the show!

Episode links in the replies:

[Max Gagliardi @max_gagliardi]

I had zero background in technology or software, yet we built a successful software company

Here is how we did it, and why it worked🧵

[Max Gagliardi @max_gagliardi]

For the new followers, I have a content catalog of 900+ videos over on YT

212 podcast episodes, live streams, solo casts and hundreds of clips and shorts

Check it out!

Link in my bio