Val Schrock talks about growing up Mennonite in Kalamazoo Michigan, wanting to be a professional athlete, navigating gender fluidity, seeking adrenaline and competition, and eventually meeting Matt in a Master’s Degree program for International Peace and Conflict Resolution. Val and Matt share stories from their friendship that began in the 90s, including the time when Matt gave Val a Samurai sword for her birthday and she used it to confront a home intruder! They also talk about their long history of activist work together, global adventures, real estate investing and eventually co-founding Maverick Investor Group as business partners. They share stories about taking international observer groups to monitor human rights abuses in the north of Ireland, doing Palestinian solidarity work in the U.S. and organizing elaborate street theater actions, working in the non-profit space in Washington DC., and eventually deciding to start investing in real estate. Val and Matt then talk about the founding of Maverick Investor Group and reflect on conceptions of “risk’, the keys to successful business partner selection, and their personal synergies. They talk about the 4 Pillars of Purpose on which Maverick was founded, and discuss how and why Maverick commits a fixed % of net revenue to donate to causes that affect positive change in the world. Val also talks about her travel experiences, how international travel impacted her as a kid, and how, as an adult, she was able to form a deeper connection with her mother through annual mother-daughter trips. She shares stories about riding the world’s fastest roller coaster in Abu Dhabi and going dune-boarding in Swakopmund, Namibia. Finally, she shares her most profound life and business lessons she learned from MacGyver. FULL SHOW NOTES AVAILABLE AT: www.TheMaverickShow.com
Episode #102: Val Schrock on Co-Founding Maverick Investor Group, Business Lessons from MacGyver, and Confronting a Home Intruder with a Samurai Sword
Episode Summary
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About the Guest
Val Schrock
Val Schrock co-founded Maverick Investor Group in 2007 to help individual real estate investors buy performing rental property in the best U.S. real estate markets, regardless of where they live. Maverick has been featured in major national media and was named one of the “Top 50 Real Estate Opinion Makers and Market Leaders”. Val and her co-founders at Maverick have helped individual real estate investors buy over $100 million in residential investment property across 15 U.S. States. Val has built her business with a location-independent infrastructure so she can run it from anywhere in the world (that allows cats), and she has spent time in over 30 countries. She also has interest in: Cardboard Engineering and Puppet-Making, Multimedia Design, chalk-doodling, Animation, General Geekdom, Escaping the Mundane, Playing games, Learning How Things Are Made, Adrenaline, Playing the Trumpet Extremely Loudly, Lock-Picking, and Internet Pirating.
What You'll Learn
- 2 Decades of Stories About Matt and Val’s Friendship, Activism and Business Partnership
- Business Lessons from MacGyver that Drive Val’s Entrepreneurship
- How to Build a Business with 4 Pillars of Purpose and Design an Epic Lifestyle
Links From the Episode
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VAL’S SPECIAL OFFER: GET A FREE REPORT AND A FREE VIDEO CONSULTATION WITH MAVERICK INVESTOR GROUP ABOUT BUYING CASH-FLOWING RENTAL PROPERTIES IN THE U.S.
GREATEST SPORTS TEAM IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD, MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
#1 BOOK THAT VAL RECOMMENDS
#1 PODCAST THAT VAL RECOMMENDS
#1 PERSON WITH WHOM VAL WANTS TO HAVE DINNER
TOP 3 FAVORITE TRAVEL DESTINATIONS
TOP 3 BUCKET LIST DESTINATIONS
LOCATION WHERE THE INTERVIEW TOOK PLACE
OTHER PLACES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
- Michigan
- California
- Vietnam
- Ireland
- Egypt
- Israel
- Dominican Republic
- Britain
- Europe
- New York
- Boston
- Abu Dhabi
- Las Vegas
- Italy
- Argentina
- Costa Rica
- Switzerland
- Namibia
- Cape Town
PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
UNIVERSITIES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
TV SHOWS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
VARIETY SHOW MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
CONTACT VAL
Time Stamped Show Notes
[4:33] Growing up in Kalamazoo, Michigan
[7:29] Matt and Val Football Memories
- First day of grad school
- Long-snapping a football down an escalator at 1:30am
[10:48 ] Being an “Athlete” as Her Primary Identity
- What sports have meant to Val and how they shaped her identity
- Realizing her gender fluidity in 4th grade
- Getting kicked out of Miss Toenail’s Class
- Prioritizing sports all through middle school, high-school and college
[21:20] Growing up as a Mennonite
- Growing up in the Mennonite Peace Church
- Family Gatherings and Food in the Mennonite Community
- Learning about being a “Conscientious Objector”
- Going to a Mennonite College and minoring in Peace Studies
- Deciding to do a Master’s Degree in “International Peace and Conflict Resolution”
[25:17] How Matt’s Social and Political Consciousness Was Raised
- Discovering Politically Conscious Hip Hop Music
- Majoring in Sociology in College
- Studying Comparative Settler-Colonial Processes
- Studying Abroad in Ireland
- Deciding to do a Master’s Degree in “International Peace and Conflict Resolution”
- Meeting Val on the first day of class
[29:43] Val’s experience working in the field of Psychology
- Working in a Psychiatric hospital
- Being a supervisor at a Youth Shelter
- Deciding to do a Master’s Degree in International Peace and Conflict Resolution
[29:32] Val’s Lessons and Reflections from Studying Abroad in the Dominican Republic
[30:56] Matt and Val’s Political Activist Work Together
[32:12] Matt and Val’s Palestinian Solidarity Work
- Co-Founding SUSTAIN
- Doing Popular Education around Palestinian Human Rights
- Organizing Elaborate Street Theater Actions in Washington, DC
[39:06] Taking International Observers to the North of Ireland
- Building Trust in High-Risk Environments
- Organizing International Observers for “The Parade Season” in the North of Ireland
- Meeting other International Activists
- Learning from local activists and political ex-prisoners
[45:15] How Matt and Val Met In Grad School
- Matt’s walk out of the grad school orientation
- Val finding Matt to team up on a project
[47:04] Matt and Val’s Trip to a Peace Activist Conference in Minnesota
[49:50] Val’s Reflections on Her Travel Experiences as a Kid
[53:48] Val’s Annual Trips with her Mother
- Re-connecting with her mom as an adult through epic adventures
- Traveling to Abu Dhabi and Riding the World’s Fastest Roller Coaster Together
[1:00:20] Matt and Val’s Action-Adventure Dynamic
[1:04:21] The Maverick Company Retreats Around the Globe
- Skiing the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise in Zermatt
- Executive Leadership Meetings on the Train Going Through the Alps
- The Maverick Retreat in a Costa Rican Rainforest
[1:08:59] How Matt and Val Started Investing in Real Estate
- Buying primary homes and house hacking
- Working as Union Organizers
- Working in the Non-profit space
- Starting to buy Out of State Rental Properties
- Deciding Between Real Estate Investing and Professional Black Jack
- Choosing to invest in Out of State Rental Properties
[1:18:00] Confronting a Home Intruder with a Samurai Sword
- Matt buying Val a Samurai Sword for Her Birthday
- Valerie using the sword to confront a burglar
[1:21:56] Founding Maverick Investor Group
- Matt getting fired from his job
- Val and Matt deciding to become business partners
- Conceptions of “risk” and synergies between Matt and Val
- Reflections on successful business partner selection
- Selecting a partner with complimentary skills
- Establish trust prior in high risk situations prior to becoming business partners
[1:31:37] 4 Pillars of Purpose: Building Maverick as a Socially Conscious Company
- Transitioning from the non-profit space to entrepreneurship to real estate investing
- Designing our own dream lifestyles
- Empowering our staff to design their dream lifestyles
- Helping our clients build wealth and create financial freedom for themselves
- Donating a percentage of revenue to charitable causes
[1:40:10] Val’s Lifestyle Design and World Travel
- Choosing to have travel adventures while maintaining a permanent base
- Dune-boarding in Swakopmund, Namibia.
- Working remotely from South Africa
[1:45:14] Business Lessons from MacGyver
- Believing that there is always a way
- Rigging a TV to secretly watch Miami Vice at age 8
- Life lessons from MacGyver and applying them to entrepreneurship
- Being the MacGyver of Maverick
[1:52:44] The Lightning Round
- #1 Book Val Recommends
- #1 Podcast Val Recommends
- #1 Person with whom Val would most like to have dinner
- Val’s Top 3 Favorite Travel Destinations
- Val’s Top 3 Bucket List Destinations
[1:56:21] Contact Val and Get a Free Consultation with Maverick Investor Group
