{"podcast":{"title":"Burning The Ships","slug":"burning-the-ships-6706781","podcast_index_feed_id":6706781,"rss_url":"https://media.rss.com/608bcapital/feed.xml","website_url":"https://608bcapital.com/","image_url":"https://media.rss.com/608bcapital/20240724_010728_59bf09be08e27a643f51fa1b30129a36.png","author":"The Boat Crew","episode_count":226,"summary":"Burning the Ships is more than just a podcast—it’s a battle cry for those who refuse to settle. Brought to you by 608B Capital hosted by Jason Seward , we dive deep into the journeys of relentless entrepreneurs, high-performers, and risk-takers who have gone all in—leaving behind safety nets, doubts, and excuses to forge their own path. Each episode unpacks the mindset, strategies, and raw determination it takes to break free from the ordinary and build something extraordinary. Whether it’s leaving a comfortable career, pushing physical and mental limits, or overcoming impossible odds, our guests prove that greatness comes to those who commit fully . If you’re ready to burn the ships and bet on yourself, you’re in the right place. Let’s get after it.","last_synced_at":"2026-06-14T20:17:12.590380+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/burning-the-ships-6706781"},"episode":{"title":"Tom Dunkel: Building Your Life Plan Before You Build Your Business Plan","slug":"tom-dunkel-building-your-life-plan-before-you-build-your-business-plan","published_at":"2026-04-12T20:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/burning-the-ships-6706781/tom-dunkel-building-your-life-plan-before-you-build-your-business-plan","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/burning-the-ships-6706781","url":"https://rss.com/podcasts/608bcapital/2721326","audio_url":"https://content.rss.com/episodes/239464/2721326/608bcapital/2026_04_10_16_41_23_e225bc1b-1e95-4af7-ab76-3cc1c45f0d5f.mp3","summary":"In this episode of Burning the Ships, I sit down with Tom Dunkel — managing principal of Eagle Capital Investments, co-founder of U.S. Mortgage Resolution, self-storage investor, and a guy who spent ten years in corporate mergers and acquisitions before getting fired in 2006 and never looking back. Tom walks us through a career that started with aerospace deals and Harvard MBAs in DC, ran through a firing that turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to him, and evolved into a 20-year entrepreneurial journey that has generated close to $70 million in revenue. From wholesaling to distressed mortgage debt to a $55 million self-storage portfolio, Tom and his business partner Joe have built and rebuilt multiple times — and learned hard lessons each time about niching down, building teams, and creating a business that works without you. Key Talking Points of the Episode 00:00 Why niching down is the difference between businesses that succeed and ones that fail 01:41 Tom's background — William and Mary, corporate M&A, and the aerospace industry 03:21 Building financial models and raising capital alongside Harvard and Wharton MBAs 04:27 Getting fired in 2006 and why his ships were probably burned before that anyway 05:07 Having a wife and two young kids at home when the decision was made for him 05:53 Getting his face bashed in through the Great Recession as a brand new entrepreneur 06:20 Building U.S. Mortgage Resolution into a business that generated nearly $70 million 13:22 Walking out of a dream job interview because a voice in his head said don't do it 23:42 Discovering discounted mortgage notes and how his finance background made it click 34:37 Discovering self-storage through Scott Myers and doing the work before buying anything 35:52 Buying their first s…","meta_description":"In this episode of Burning the Ships, I sit down with Tom Dunkel — managing principal of Eagle Capital Investments, co-founder of U.S. Mortgage Resolution…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3454,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/burning-the-ships-6706781/episodes/tom-dunkel-building-your-life-plan-before-you-build-your-business-plan/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/burning-the-ships-6706781/tom-dunkel-building-your-life-plan-before-you-build-your-business-plan.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}