Entrepreneurial Success Through Community and Faith w/ Ken Joslin

The ability to be able to coach and pastor and care for people and try to bring people together in community. I think it's just been something that's always been in my team to faith in Christ. What happened was I started putting other people's needs before my own. I started doing things right. The first time I started doing things without being asked. I started doing things with a very high level of excellence. I started having the desire to build community. It's pretty easy to get to recognize when you get somebody that really has an authentic faith and loves God, because they're there to serve you. You heard me say this in Connecticut Great leaders want something for people, not from people.

The journey to wealth is a long walk and some may walk quicker than others, but what good is sprinting to the finish line if you pass out when you cross it? On Walk to Wealth, we enlighten and empower young adults to build wealthy, abundant lives. They say the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step and your first step starts right now. This is Walk to Wealth with your host, John Mendez.

Hey everyone, welcome to the Walk to Wealth podcast. If you're tuning in on YouTube or any of the podcast directories, make sure to do yourself a favor and give us a follow, because you don't want to miss any of the amazing guests I'm bringing on this year And I don't plan on missing any time soon. So we're going to get right into this one, ken. For anyone who has the opportunity to get to know you, to get to meet you, man, tell us your elevator pitch. Who are you and what do you do, man?

dude. I love to serve families and love to serve people. I get to do that in two different ways. Number one I own a team with EXP. I've got about 45 to 50 agents under me in EXP. We serve Tennessee, alabama, georgia, south Carolina and Florida. Love real estate. I'm not involved. I'm really hands off on the real estate side now. So what I do really is my GSD, which is my Grosstide Drive podcast, as Leader Grows Podcast, my book that I publish, my Create Conference, which you see behind me, our next one's in July, brenda Bruchard, myself, my best friend, master Jeff, Randy Garn, gary Brecca, catherine Gordon, andrew Lago just an unbelievable lineup. We do that twice a year. Our online community that we do at GSD and World GSD Elite Mastermind, which is man do some phenomenal, phenomenal human beings and some of the top business leaders and business owners in the country.

That's amazing, and take us back in the time machine a little bit. What was little Ken growing up for you? The typical entrepreneur paper route selling candy bars, lemonade stand, or was it something that you kind of picked up along the way? Take us back.

Yeah, it's a great question, The number. The one thing that I did do all the way growing up. I lived about half my life in Pontiac, michigan. The other half of growing up, until I graduated high school was the end of Georgia area. I was always the kid in the neighborhood. They got all the other kids together to play baseball or basketball or football. Whatever we were doing in the neighborhood, i was the guy that got everybody together And so I didn't really realize that's exactly what I was doing at the time. But man, i was. I was pastoring and coaching people when I was in elementary school. Like I was the guy that went door to or called people in their phone, because I back then it was no cell phones Like you're so, you're so young. Like we had phones that had chords that were like 49 and a half long. We'd go from one side to the other And your sister's yelling and hollering because I chanced me on the charge for five minutes. But I was the guy that put all the. I was the guy that put them all together. I was the guy that orchestrated and organized, like all the different things we did inside the community, and I still do that today. So, but as far as leadership wise goes and as far as understanding what core values are, b-hags, big area, all nations, gold and missing statements, that was. That would have been sometime around 1997, 98. After I had given my life to Christ, i was in youth ministry. I went to this huge event called the choir of the fire, ron Luce. That was Ron's events. He would do events 10, 15,000 all the way up to 70,000 students and leaders around the country And I met Ron there and he's the one that taught me about about how to dream big, how to write vision down, how to create core values, how to live your life according to those core values. In that one leadership session, the first time I learned got getting my mission statement from my youth ministry immediately. all of our core values in three years of vision that I wrote down and out of the three years of vision, everything but one came to pass in three years. That was the beginning of kind of my entrepreneurial journey. I had at the time, i don't know, maybe a dozen students coming to my youth ministry And two years later we had 4,500 coming on a Wednesday night. It was absolutely an amazing, amazing season and my life to learn about entrepreneurship and growth and vision and passion and all those things that have gotten me where I'm at today.

Yeah, that's amazing. It's crazy how the world works and usually that person that we are as a kid is usually the person that we're called to be and as life progressed, we tend to have that kid swept into the rug and it takes a while for a lot of people to pick it back up. So it's amazing to hear how your journey came full circle And I wanted to ask you because what are the topics? I know you talk about a lot and I was first introduced to listening to you back at Guillory's event in December of 2022, when you were in the car on the FaceTime and speaking to us and you talked about your community, your circle and your corner, And I knew from a pretty early age that networking, man, that's a gift And if you can leverage that gift, that you can go places. So how did networking come into play? And you're like I mean, I know early on you were gathering people, but like I mean, think about it.

I mean the network. I mean if I wanted to play ball or I wanted to do something and you're at summertime or you're wanting to get guys together and you're wanting to kiss, listen, when I grew up we didn't have all the stuff in the house. There wasn't, you know, a flat screen TVs, macbooks, iphones, ipads, nintendo's or PlayStation 18's or whatever you guys have got now. We didn't have all those things And we just did. We had a tarry with one little toggles, with the football game, dudes, like all moved at the same time and Pac-Man, like we didn't have those things. So if we were gonna do something, and you know, get out and play ball and do the things that we did and you know the communities that grew up in Pontiac and in Gainesville, georgia, i was the guy that put those things together. I was still the guy that puts them together. You know, at 50, somebody years old, all my guys texted me yesterday from Atlanta. All my guys that I, that I hooked with, they were texting me yesterday. We were kind of communicating and talking back and forth yesterday, but I've always got to put it together. So I think that leadership component and the ability to be able to coach and pastor and cheer for people and try to bring people together in community. I think it's just been something that's always been in it.

And let me ask you because a lot of times entrepreneurship faith kind of gets swept under the rug because it's like a touchy topic that people don't like to cover. And I love how bold you are with your faith and me as a follower of Christ myself. but what is that that? I feel like every pastor, every person has like a Bible verse that they just kind of orient their life around. Like what is that for you? Like for me it's Colossians 317, but what is like that, your core, if you have one like Bible verse that you kind of lived your life around?

Mine's gonna be set in Corinthians 517. If any man's in Christ, he's a new creation. Old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new. I was 25 years old when I gave my life to Christ. dude, i didn't know anything about scripture. I didn't. I couldn't tell you. You said, turn to the book of John. I couldn't tell you where it was at. I was the guy slowly thumbing through my Bible, acting like I knew where it was at, so people in church wouldn't look at me and go. This guy's know, i didn't know what he's doing. I had no idea And which is usually the best, because I didn't have all of this stuff from back in the day, all of the religious things and the to-do lists and all the things. When I met Jesus in August of 1993, it was an unbelievable encounter. So if I had one scripture verse, that would be that, because that became real to me in August of 1993.

That's amazing And so, like, how did that play a role into your success, both personally and professionally? Like, how did that play into effect, cause a lot of people they say you know you don't need to pay attention or whatever, yada, yada, yada, but it's like it changed your being, essentially, your core and who you were. So how did that shift into, like your professional and your personal? globalized but to just-.

Yeah, but it changed who I was as a man number one. It made me. When my oldest daughter's 27, she graduates she just graduated her master's degree last weekend from University of Alabama Birmingham And when she was five I owed my own mortgage company. I used to drop my kids, take them to and pick them up from school every day. When it's a private Christian schools, i used to drop. Every time I dropped my kids off in school, i'd ask them this question What are the three characteristics of a servant leader? And my daughter's name from the I mean literally Holly was five, she was little. She's five foot nine, five foot 10. My 14 year old is five foot 10, for goodness sake, you know. They'd look at me and they say, daddy, servant leaders put other people's needs before their own. Do things right the first time and do things without being asked. And then, every day, when I picked them up from school, what they would do, bro, is they would ask me, or I would ask them Tell me how you were servant leader, or they would get in the car. They would already have an example of how they were a servant leader ready for me. And so you know, when I came to faith in Christ. What happened was I started putting other people's needs before my own. I started doing things right the first time. I started doing things without being asked. I started doing things with a very high level of excellence. I started having a desire to build community. I started having a desire to be relational and not transactional, even when I was doing. When I started doing mortgages in 2001, i was the top guy and my best friend's mortgage shop. I mean literally from the from the get-go. The first year I got done I made like 146 grand. I was his number one, lo, out of eight or nine guys that worked in the office and ladies, i was number one. Why? because I've been pastoring for so long and caring for people that it wasn't hey, let me sell you a mortgage. Hey, let me finance this, let me take care of this so I can get a check It was. How can I serve you in your family? How can I help you and your family, you know, get this home, not have to worry about the mortgage and all the language and the stuff You're not gonna understand. Let me serve you and your family and make this process seamless, or you're not having to worry about it, and I think you know that's probably the number one thing. You know we talked about mixing faith in business. It's pretty easy to get to. You recognize when you get somebody that really has an authentic faith and loves God because they're there to serve you. You heard me say this in Connecticut great leaders want something for people, not from people. Bro, you can tell the difference. You get around guys who want something for you and not from you. You can tell the difference when you get in and somebody is like they're having an Interaction with you and her encounter or a conversation with you and all the while the back of their mind, their mind, is their will to spend it. How much money kind of give them that guy? What can I sell this guy? How can I get him in my program? How can I sell him this? How can I get him to do this? How can I coach him to do this? They're thinking about that. When I connect and I meet people, the first thing I'm doing is like, okay, who's this guy need to know, who's this girl need, though? Who do I have what? who do I have a relationship with that this individual needs to know to help them Become the best for his himself, or help grow or scale whatever business that it is that they're in.

And I love that, and so let me play devil's advocate a little bit, because I agree with you 100%. But for people that grow up inner city, like myself, people that grow up in a project, people that grew up not having a, they're just so hard-wired for scarcity, right. We're just so hard-wired that people are out to get you and that we see big You know business moguls saying you know businesses war and you know You have to fight and kill off and be competitive and be at each other's notes. It's like we hear all these other things that said, i agree with you. It was like there's so many other people out there and other influences that are just telling us the complete opposite of what you're saying right now. It's like how do we start to rewire this mindset? I was just being growing up in this scarce environment where we have to fend for ourselves and we have to survive and not thrive. How do we begin to even unpack that?

well, i'll tell you this I grew up in Pawnee in Michigan. You grew up in, i grew up in a very blue collar hood area. I mean, i lived, i lived in Pontiac. I mean, do this? it's not, it's not nice. My dad worked in General Motors. All my friends, like One of my best friends, brothers, got shot when I was in the eighth grade and got killed. He was 17, 18 years old. That was like in 1984, 1983, 1984 that was when, like, gang violence first started. It was just now Coming on the scene at the level to where it was getting. You know NWA They were writing, you know doing movies about it. You had, you know all the, some of the rappers just back in the day when you had, you know, run DMC and Houdini, grandmaster Flass and furious five. Those, those first concert ever went to was run DMC, houdini, grandmaster Flass and the fat boys in Kobo in downtown Detroit in 1985. I was a junior in high school was my first concert, first time I ever saw somebody get shot. So no, my parents got divorced. When I was a I moved to Georgia with my mom. I was in second grade. From my sixth grade year to my senior year I moved to my dad six different times 12 different schools and six different high schools. So I grew up with all the stuff I'll never forget. When I was in the eighth grade I was living my dad, michigan. My mom called me on the phone. She had cosine. My mom had 11 acres 8 to 11 acres on the lake in Northeast Georgia, on Lake Lanier. That now would have been worth millions, couple million bucks, two or three million dollars out in 1978. Now I never forget I was the eighth grade. She called me and she goes hey, we're getting foreclosed on, i'm gonna lose. She had cosine for another paralegal that worked in her office. She sold her some land and put a double-wide trailer on that property and my mom lost it all. I was in the eighth grade. So you went talking about scarcity, son. I grew up in it. I grew up with the scarcity mindset. I'd never forget we were sitting. We were sitting in out burger with Jeff and his family. My best friend hit my fiance and his wife were driving down to San Diego. He lives in Calabasas, an unbelievable home in an unbelievable neighborhood. Cardiocins live in here, donald Trump's ex-wife out here in tune and play NBA forever, two doors down. I mean, we're driving and we stopped at an out burger. I've been sitting there eating this, this in and out burger, protein style, with no bun right, and I'm having this protein burger and all of a sudden I remember I was a kid how much of a believe this was. Like we didn't get the if we went to McDonald's. It was a big deal, like it was a like. It was almost like Christmas dude, when we went to, when we got to go to McDonald's or do something like that It was. It was a very different experience. I mean I grew up in the ninth grade. I worked all summer between my eighth and ninth grade to buy my school clothes. I'll never forget I had $410. And I went to, we went to Kmart and one other store when I was in the ninth grade to go get school clothes. I paid for my school clothes. Nobody paid for myself. We didn't have any money. My mom was on food stamps. So I mean I grew up in that same environment. So I'd say number one to anybody that grew up in that same environment I did and you did. Don't let that be your excuse. Do not let that be the reason you say I can't do. It Absolutely drives me crazy, especially in politics, and politicians play on. When the politicians play, i'm like, dude, do you know where I grew up at? You know I got beat up in the ninth grade. I'll be between my eighth and ninth grade year walking home from Pontiac Northern High School because we had a pool. It cost 50 cents to go to go swim. I had a couple of bucks on me And there was a gang of about six or seven dudes that came up like give me your money. I'm like fuck you, the kids are all 70. Go home, go home. Eyes, black mouse, all busted up. I got my ass beat that day. Went home and told my best friend had an older brother. We knew who the guys were. You know what he did? He went and found them and beat their ass. You know like I grew up in a very rough environment. Even though you grow up in an environment like that, you don't have to. You don't have to carry that scarcity, that fear, that lack, that poverty mentality. You don't have to carry that stuff with you. And here's how you get out of that. And, dude, it's written right here, it's written in my planner right here. I've got a quote right there that says get in rooms of people who think bigger than you. You've got to surround yourself. That's where community circle and corner. That's where those things come in. You've got to find a community of people who think bigger than you. You've got to find a circle 10 or 12 people that you hang around with. I said this in the business conference, entrepreneur conference I spoke at in Connecticut. Listen, if you don't know the 10 or 12 people, if you don't know their financial situation, if you're not spending, if you're not 10 or 12, if you're not the very bottom third dude I'm in the bottom bottom my 10 or 12. My 10 or 12 guys are like they're all billionaire, multi-multi-million or some of them worth over 100 billion And listen, i go in, i add value to their life. When I first went in and started building relationships with some of these guys, i'm like listen, i want to invest my time, talent and treasure into you. I'm not asking you for excuse me for anything. I want something for you, not from you. Well, but I say to dudes who grew up like I did and like you did they're okay, good, guess what, your story's gonna sound better when you go, when you break through and you do something. Your story's gonna sound better than somebody who didn't have to go through what we went through. We'll tell you this. The one thing Grant Cardone said this to me one time on a Zoom. I spoke for Grant three times down at 10 X headquarters over the past three years to his entire team, spoke to all the licensees for Grant a couple of years ago as well. And I'm gonna Zoom call. It's the weekly what do you call it? mentorship group? Well, 1400 people in this call and he gave us homework. this is what he said. He said here's your homework. I want you to find five people to describe you in one sentence or less. Your homework. I take your hand, i take Jared and I said hey, i got a question. Grant goes, he calls me preacher, right, he goes, preacher. What you got? I said hey, gee, this dude named Grant Cardone gave me a home this week. I was supposed to ask five people to describe me in one sentence or less. Since you and Elena are sitting there together, would you guys meet my first two people? And Grant laughed and laughed and laughed and thought about it for a couple minutes. He said. He said can you always show up Every time I look up? I see you on social media. Every time I look up, i see you at my events. Every time I look up, you're hosting your own event. Every time I look up, i see your name. You know how I do that? Because I grew up the way we grew up. Because here's the deal Like we don't quit, like there's no quit in me. I don't have quit in me. I'm not the best looking dude, i'm not the sharpest guy, i'm not the smartest guy. I didn't. I did, was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth, like I just wasn't going to tell you what. Being able to make it through Pontiac Northern neighborhood, being able to make it through a mom who was married three different times, i had two or three different stepdads in and out of my house, abusive all the stuff, bro. All six different high schools in four years, 12 different schools in 12 years If the first thing that hits you is I grew up in this environment, therefore I've got a scarcity mindset, you're screwed already. So what, i grew up in this environment, i made it out of there and I'm alive. Know what? There's nothing. There's nothing can stop me. Absolutely nothing can stop me to do or to accomplish what God's put him on And I love that, man, and I'll make this quick right.

I said this one time, another podcast that was happening as a guesting. I talked about, you know, being silver spoon fed And it's like the material of the spoon doesn't determine the size of the appetite, it doesn't matter what you're eating with. If you want to eat, you're going to eat regardless of what you get fed with, right, and I just love your story. And so where can we connect with you? Where can we find you at If we want to hear more about what it is that you got going on and just follow your journey, man.

Yeah, at Ken Jocelyn on Instagram. super easy, kenjoslif Verified I got about 29,000 followers or something like that. Check me out there and there's links to everything on there for what I did.

All right. And then the lightning round. Make this quick, a sentence or less. Five questions right. Question number one what is the most impactful lesson you've learned in life? Jesus loves me. What is the most admirable trait a person can have? What the Character and integrity. If you had to change someone's life for one book, which book would you recommend?

Be the Bible.

What is the legacy that you're?

trying to leave behind. I want my $4 to be proud of what their fathers learned.

For anyone that wants to embark on their walk to wealth today. This is the first step you recommend they take.

Get in rooms where people can think bigger than you do.

You've now finished taking the first step. Now let us help you take the next one. Subscribe to our newsletter at walktowealthcom. That's walk, the number two wealthcom, so we can keep you moving on your journey. We'll see you on the next episode of Walk to Wealth with John Mendes.