In this episode of The Bulldogs Podcast, host James Danley sits down with entrepreneur Sargam Patel — the founder behind Agent18, one of the earliest and most successful mobile accessory companies in the Apple ecosystem.

From a chance elevator ride with Steve Jobs to securing a game-changing PO from Apple, Sargam's journey is packed with hustle, guts, and game-time decisions. He opens up about immigrant grit, his biggest wins, and how he overcame a crushing public failure — and now, how he’s building AI solutions for the next wave of business innovation.

This is a must-listen for builders, creators, and future-focused entrepreneurs.

In this episode, I sit down with Northern Michigan's real estate phenom, Austen Lobenherz — a top-producing luxury agent, developer, and adventurer who’s helped shape one of the fastest-growing luxury markets in the country. We talk about how he turned summer Zillow leads into $10M lakefront listings, his journey through COVID and stem cell recovery, and what it means to design a life around freedom. We also dig into market trends, development ethics, and his global travels from Aspen to Japan.

Matt Adler is one of the top-performing mortgage loan officers in the nation — with over $2 billion in closed loans. But his path wasn't a straight line. In this episode, Matt opens up about the defining moments that shaped his career — from childhood adversity to building a thriving practice by serving first-time homebuyers, even through the 2008 financial collapse. We also explore how music, mentorship, and mindset played a pivotal role in his journey — and what young professionals can take away from his story.

🔔 Don’t forget to subscribe for more interviews with top performers across real estate, lending, and entrepreneurship. ⏱️

Timecodes

00:00 – Why Matt is excited about the mortgage industry today

01:00 – Introduction: Matt Adler’s career highlights and passions

03:30 – How Matt balances high performance with a full life

05:00 – Matt’s early life and the traumatic event that changed everything

08:30 – Growing up in a family business — lessons from his father

10:40 – The influence of early exposure to entrepreneurship

13:00 – How a music degree shaped his work ethic and discipline

15:30 – The decision to pivot into the mortgage world

18:20 – Surviving and thriving through the 2008 crash

20:10 – Why first-time homebuyers became Matt’s focus

23:15 – Transitioning from broker to bank: what changed

25:30 – Construction lending and developing new niches

27:45 – The power of mentorship and ongoing collaboration

29:30 – Advice for young loan officers entering the field

31:00 – Why annual reviews are a must after closing

33:00 – Building long-term relationships, not just closing loans ---

🎧 Available on Apple, Spotify, and everywhere you get your podcasts. 📲 Connect with Matt Adler: 🎙️ Hosted by James Danley | The Bulldogs Podcast #MortgageAdvice #MattAdler #BulldogsPodcast #RealEstate #LendingTips #MortgageBroker #CareerGrowth