On this episode of the On The Rise Podcast, host Jeremy sits down with Jon Ostenson — founder and CEO of FranBridge Consulting, top 1% franchise consultant, and author of the bestseller Non-Food Franchising. Drawing on his own corporate exit and years leading the Shelf Genie franchise system, Jon dispels the myth that franchising means food and fitness, and unpacks the booming world of home and property service brands. He covers how franchising mitigates startup risk, what separates successful owners from strugglers, financing options like SBA loans and the ROBS program, and why so many real estate investors are diversifying into franchises. A practical conversation for anyone weighing business ownership.

00:00 Introduction 01:08 Jon's Path Into Franchising 02:32 Why Franchising Attracts High Earners 05:50 Debunking the Non-Food Myth 07:52 Franchise vs. Starting From Scratch 11:00 Who Should (and Shouldn't) Buy a Franchise 13:55 Side Hustle to Full-Time Owner 15:57 Why Real Estate Investors Are Diversifying 20:27 Surprising Franchise Success Stories 25:58 Financing: SBA Loans and the ROBS Program 27:29 The Future of Franchising

On this episode of the On The Rise Podcast, host Nick Stromwall sits down with Bill Haley — Phoenix real estate professional, former headmaster, and father of ten — for the Faith Driven Leaders series. Bill shares how a sudden demotion forced him to anchor his identity in God rather than his job, why he pivoted from education into real estate, and how he and his wife Maureen lead a thriving household of twelve. He speaks candidly about walking with a son through a decade of addiction, the daily rhythms that keep his marriage first, and the legacy his father left behind. A grounded conversation on faith, family, and leading with character.

In this episode of the On The Rise Podcast, the tables are turned as Maria Zondervon — a seasoned passive real estate investor who has worked with multiple operators and asset classes — sits down with Rise48 Equity VP of Capital Formation Jeremy Dyer to ask him the question investors really want answered: why did you stop investing across dozens of operators and go all in with one? Jeremy shares the framework he developed after 70-plus deals across multiple asset classes, the three risk factors every investor should evaluate, why the heart of the operator matters more than the pitch deck, and how Rise48's vertical integration and supply chain strategy have protected investors through COVID, tariff scares, and a historic market downturn. A candid, investor-to-investor conversation that pulls back the curtain on how sophisticated passive investors actually make decisions.

In this episode of the On The Rise Podcast's Faith-Driven Leaders Series, host Nick Stromwall sits down with his friend and hero Erik Olson — entrepreneur, CEO of Dignity Made, and former humanitarian worker who spent a decade serving the poor in Iraq, Yemen, Greece, and the Philippines. Erik shares how a painting business in college led to a fork-in-the-road moment in 2003 Iraq, how nine years of humanitarian work revealed that economics — not just charity — is the root solution to poverty and trafficking, and how a question he asked a coconut farmer in a bamboo hut in the Philippines became the catalyst for building a business that is transforming an entire rural community. It is a story about faith, sacrifice, proximity to the problem, and what it looks like to build something that serves people made in the image of God.

In this episode of the On The Rise Podcast, host Jeremy Dyer sits down with Kelsey Dineen, Director at Equity Trust Company, to walk through one of the most powerful and least understood tools available to real estate investors — the self-directed IRA. Kelsey unpacks exactly how investors can move old 401k and IRA dollars out of Wall Street and into passive real estate investments like those offered through Rise48 Equity, without triggering taxes or penalties. She covers the IRS rules that allow it, the common mistakes that destroy the tax shelter, how the process works step by step, and answers the most frequently asked questions investors have when they first discover this strategy. A practical, information-dense episode for any investor who has money sitting in a retirement account and wants to put it to work in real estate.

In this episode of the On The Rise Podcast, host Jeremy Dyer sits down with Adam Link, founder of Fireweed Capital — a comprehensive wealth management firm based in Northern Minnesota that takes a deliberately active approach to navigating market cycles. Adam breaks down why he disagrees with the "set it and forget it" investing philosophy, how active risk management protects investors from the behavioral mistakes that cost them the most, and how to think about portfolio construction across different time horizons. He also shares his perspective on AI's impact on the economy, how to calculate escape velocity from inflation, and why knowing what you want your money to do is the foundation of every good investing decision. A candid, practical, and intellectually honest conversation for any investor looking to think more clearly about wealth.

In this episode of the On The Rise Podcast's Faith-Driven Leaders Series, host Nick Stromwall reconnects with one of his most significant mentors — Paul Poteat, Midwest Network Director for Campus Outreach, 27-year campus ministry veteran, and the person Nick has called when navigating his toughest decisions. Paul unpacks a practical triangle framework for making wise decisions, shares how a triplex purchase near the University of Minnesota became an unexpected real estate investing journey, and delivers one of the most grounded and actionable frameworks for understanding and managing leadership anxiety. He also speaks to the danger of an external world that outgrows an internal world — and what leaders need to protect their integrity when the pressure to compromise is real. A rich, deeply human conversation for any leader who wants to grow in wisdom, steward anxiety well, and live with genuine integrity.

In this episode of the On The Rise Podcast, host Jeremy Dyer sits down with Tom St. John — a real estate investor who spent nearly two decades grinding from single family homes to multifamily, made a major exit at the peak of the COVID-era market, and then lost a significant amount of money on his very first LP investment by failing to vet the operator properly. That painful experience became the foundation of his current work as a fund manager — traveling the country, meeting operators face to face, stress testing their deals, and only placing capital in investments he personally participates in. Tom and Jeremy cover operator vetting, stress testing underwriting assumptions, why alternative investments are often overlooked, and why the next five to ten years may be the decade of operational excellence in commercial real estate.