# 39. Once I Figured Out This Formula, I Built 9 Businesses (That Run Themselves) w/Brian Tran Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/aj-osborne-podcast-1040049/39-once-i-figured-out-this-formula-i-built-9-businesses-that-run-themselves-w-brian-tran Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/aj-osborne-podcast-1040049/39-once-i-figured-out-this-formula-i-built-9-businesses-that-run-themselves-w-brian-tran.md Podcast: [AJ Osborne Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/aj-osborne-podcast-1040049) Published: 2026-02-19T14:00:00+00:00 Episode link: https://www.ajosborne.com/podcasts/aj-osborne-podcast/episodes/2149167836 Audio file: https://app.kajabi.com/podcasts/medias/2149167836.mp3 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/aj-osborne-podcast-1040049/episodes/39-once-i-figured-out-this-formula-i-built-9-businesses-that-run-themselves-w-brian-tran Duration seconds: 3861 ## Resource Could you escape one of America’s toughest neighborhoods to become a self-made millionaire , with the cards stacked against you? Today’s guest is a second-generation American, raised in the streets of Oakland, California—at the time, one of the country’s most dangerous cities. After the traumatic loss of his father, Brian Tran fulfilled his dad’s wish by finishing college, but struggling on a W-2 salary wasn’t in the cards. Fast forward over a decade, Brian owns nine successful businesses and a sizable real estate portfolio , making him a millionaire in the process. This wasn’t supposed to happen—especially not to Brian. But, unlike most people who buy a rental property or two and struggle to reach true financial freedom , Brian did something different. Today, he’s detailing the exact mental map every real estate investor (or business owner) needs to follow before scaling a real estate business . Brian had it put to the test, spending a month in the hospital, all while his businesses paid him out like clockwork. Think you can’t get ahead with today’s interest rates? Think AI will take your job? Feel like your circle is thinking too small? This episode will get you on the path to becoming a self-made millionaire if you follow Brian’s formula.  Insights from today’s episode:  If you can do this for five years , you could be wealthy for the rest of your life The “cheat code” for investing that Brian uses before buying a new business  Why you must run your business (even your rental properties) like a business from the start  Yearly goals? Why Brian says they won’t work and what to try that’s even better  Why you’re so stressed , and the only way you can make it stop affecting your day The # 1 actual barrier to success that most Americans are too a… ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/aj-osborne-podcast-1040049/episodes/39-once-i-figured-out-this-formula-i-built-9-businesses-that-run-themselves-w-brian-tran/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/aj-osborne-podcast-1040049/39-once-i-figured-out-this-formula-i-built-9-businesses-that-run-themselves-w-brian-tran.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.