From Small Town to Real Estate Success: Cody Sechelski’s Inspiring Journey

Dylan Silver (00:01.084)
Hey folks, welcome back to the show. I’m your host, Dylan Silver. And today on the show, it’s my honor to have builder, entrepreneur, pastor, residential, multifamily, and commercial developer, Cody Sechelski. Cody, welcome to the show.

Cody Sechelski (00:19.414)
Yes sir, how are you doing? Welcome. Thank you so much, Dylan. And I’m so glad to be here and say hello to all the people and all the people that are going to be watching. Look forward to going on this journey with you.

Dylan Silver (00:30.854)
Absolutely, it’s a pleasure to have you on the show here. We chatted a bit before hopping on. I always like to start off at the top of these shows, Cody, by asking my guests how they got into the real estate space.

Cody Sechelski (00:44.94)
Yeah, so I mean, I like to describe it like this. Like, I don’t think I, when I was young, like I didn’t have this big vision or this, you know, aha idea that one day I was going to be involved in real estate and construction, you know? I grew up in a small town, Navasota, Texas, lived on like,

15 acres and thought that I was gonna be, you know, I don’t really know what I thought when I was young, man. I was involved in so many different things. mean, I did work for my grandpa’s water well company. I rode horses, trained horses. I…

I got involved with with, you know, working on the farm, helping my uncle do different things. So never really like had a, I guess, streamlined focused on any one particular thing, right? Just kind of a country boy grew up that way. But I was very versatile. So Navasota is a small community, but this royal. there’s also, you know, we have a little small community within Navasota that’s that’s city or town based, right? So I had a taste of both to where

I think that in the future gave me a vision of, you got country real estate and you got city real estate. I just got to a place to where I like both, man. I really do. And I’ve been able to adapt in both worlds. So, you know, to conclude with that question, with my answer on that, growing up, I didn’t have anything like…

Dylan Silver (02:02.93)
That’s exactly right.

Cody Sechelski (02:22.668)
that just gave me that aha. But, you know, I’ve been on a journey of my life, got, went to prison a couple times, and then went, got, when I got out of prison at the age of basically 29, I made the decision that I was gonna be successful, right? And when I made that decision, I got a part of a church, and lo and behold, I started working for a contractor there.

And when I started working for a contractor there, that is what really opened my mind to real estate, construction, and like, wow, this is an opportunity. And then, you know that I’ll have that pastor piece to me too as well, that, you know.

Dylan Silver (03:00.979)
Huge.

Cody Sechelski (03:06.946)
The scripture says, take possession of the land. There’s always gonna be a land flowing with milk and honey. So taking possession of the land to me is like being a good steward of the earth that God has given us. So how better can you do that than real estate? mean.

Dylan Silver (03:25.958)
It’s you can’t. mean, I tell people, just like you mentioned, that real estate is this huge opportunity for people from every walk of life imaginable. It’s why when I have guests on this show and when I’m talking to investors, there’s not one demographic. There’s not one area of the country. There’s not even one area of the world. It’s every background imaginable. It’s every area. It’s every age group. I’ve had people on the show, you know, who are

in their early eighties talking about how they got started in real estate in their late fifties, early sixties. And then I had people who told me that they got started when they were 16 years old working for a title company. And so the huge variance in between, and I mean, you talking about your background where you saw real estate late twenties and said, hey, this is an opportunity for me working for a contractor. I didn’t have.

the same experience but similar. You I was working for a Nissan dealership, just seeing the price of my rent go up and up and up. I’ve told this story before. You know the deal. It’s like, man, if I can’t beat him, join him. I had a nice apartment in San Antonio. I remember like it was yesterday because I had two pools and two gyms and a nice car. But I just saw everything going up and up and up and up in price. And I said, man, how am I ever going to buy a house? You know, it’s like they’re doing a blood sample to get you qualified for home.

Cody Sechelski (04:27.028)
No.

Cody Sechelski (04:47.662)
Yeah

Dylan Silver (04:49.022)
What can young people do? I remember I told my buddies and they kind of clowned me, especially at the dealership. They’re like, yeah, what do you know about real estate investing and how are you going to buy homes? You know, what do you what are you going to do? Like what what what what are you possibly going to do? So then I started working for a company similar to you. I kind of saw behind the curtain and I said, man, I can do this. So pivoting back here, Cody, so you’re working for that that company as a contractor.

You also had an opportunity to get more involved in the church. And so what was it first that stuck out to you? Was it, hey, I’m going to dive in and be a pastor? Was this kind of what caught your eye first? Or was it real estate that said, you know, this is going to be my passion here? Or was it both simultaneously?

Cody Sechelski (05:36.386)
Yeah, was kind of both simultaneously to be straightforward because when I got plugged into that church, I immediately started getting involved in any type of ministry activities that I could. I started volunteering. There was a thing there that we did called life groups. I got in part of a life group that really

know, tap me into meeting different people in the church and meeting different, you know, just meeting different people more or less. And then I ended up starting teaching and leading the men’s group there at the church. So what that experience did was just put me in tune or in touch with different people and it just all kind of…

interwoven together. You know, I was teaching and leading ministry. Through that, I met other business people, met other contractors, met other people in the construction space, other people in the real estate space, just other business people in general. And it just, mean, you know, your mindset is everything, man. It’s everything. mean, mindset, everything, everything.

Even real estate is affected by mindset. Real estate doesn’t change until people’s mind change.

Dylan Silver (06:56.638)
100%.

Dylan Silver (07:01.65)
Have you heard of Earl Nightingale?

Cody Sechelski (07:04.318)
yeah. You’ve become what you think about, brother.

Dylan Silver (07:06.482)
You familiar?

So he had he has Yeah, he has this thing. It’s like a note card where you write basically a goal on the back of the note card and then the the back of the note card is effectively a Iteration of a Bible verse. It’s like asking you shall receive seeking you shall find knocking it shall be open. Yep, and so that that’s right. And so It’s interesting because if you’ve never done

Cody Sechelski (07:11.564)
The strangest secret, ain’t it?

Cody Sechelski (07:28.342)
Matthew 7, Matthew 7.

Dylan Silver (07:38.814)
written goals before you can have a goal in your head, right? But then putting it down on paper and then specifically what they tied it in with as well was no worrying. You’re not allowed to worry. So if you worry for like a set, let’s call it 30 minutes during a 30 day period, you then have to start the cycle over again. And it’s hard to talk about, you know, mindset, Cody. I remember the first time that I did this note card was in 2021, 2020 or 2021. And my life

you know, look completely different to what it looks like today. And now to your point, to your point, like I’m a I’m the biggest believer in in in written goals. I’m the biggest believer in mindset. I truly like curate the people around me because I’m like, look, if I hang around five people, I’m going to become them, whether I try to or not. It’s just reality. So mindset is everything for me as well. Cody, pivoting a bit here, you know, you’re involved in so many.

verticals within the real estate space. talked about commercial, residential, multifamily, government contracts, Apartments. This is such a broad spectrum here, you know. I think about where I started. I started out as a real estate wholesaler working W-2 for a big box dispositions and acquisitions wholesale company. Along your journey, what was the progression like? Did you start out with single family homes or was it a different vertical?

How did you get to where you are today in the construction space?

Cody Sechelski (09:09.294)
Yes, was definitely, started a journey for sure. And mine’s probably a very humorous journey, so I’ll add the humor with it as well. You know, I did probably close to eight years in prison over three different terms. So I got out of prison at the age of 28, almost 29 years old, April 2014. And when I got out,

I made the decision I was going to be successful. Okay. When I made that decision, that’s when I got plugged into that church. That’s when I met that contractor. When I met that contractor, he did a little bit of both residential and commercial. At the time, I didn’t even know the difference. I mean, they just looked like two different buildings to me. I mean, so I didn’t know the term like different, right? So when I started my own journey, I really

I think one of the first jobs that I got was building fence on a residential home out in the country. And so that led me to doing more residential work. And then when the flood came back, I think.

2016 I think Harvey when Harvey came That it flooded the whole area called the woodlands right outside of Houston or basically another part of Houston and That opera that I say opportunity that that flood created an opportunity in the marketplace I mean you’re talking about houses had six to twelve foot of water in them just flooded so through that opportunity there was so much work out there I

and I was so adventurous and wanting to learn and grow and be successful, I got into had opportunities that were residential and commercial. So like I said, at that time, they just looked like different buildings to me. But I ended up learning residentialist where, you know, and homeowner lives commercial is for someone’s business. So then I’m like, OK, like to me that may be very.

Cody Sechelski (11:14.76)
easy and natural and common to somebody but me I just didn’t know bro like I had been in so much

Dylan Silver (11:19.046)
Yo, this is first step. Yeah.

Cody Sechelski (11:20.724)
I had exactly like I didn’t know and then I got into introduced to like the management side of it right to where all the paperwork is different for commercial than it is from residential working with the residential owner in a commercial owner brother it’s all psychological man when you’re you know working in somebody’s wife’s bathroom to a business owner’s office space this woman is about

give me, know, make sure all the details are right, everything, I mean, she’s, you know, very specific about things. She’s very, you know, wants to be involved in everything. This business guy’s like, how much money is it gonna cost? How fast can you do it? I need to be in this building as fast as possible so I can start making money, right? So it’s just two different personalities that you’re dealing with. And I learned all these things, man. I mean, it’s just like, I’m like, wow, dealing with his wife is way different than his business.

guy right so it’s kind of my journey and juggle of learning residential and commercial and once I figured it all out and started putting all the pieces together I just started attracting you know we’re talking about mindset I just started attracting different people to me you know some of them within my family some of them some of my friends that had a different

Dylan Silver (12:17.182)
Yeah.

Cody Sechelski (12:41.666)
You know, like for example, one lady in my company, my mom more or less, she really likes custom homes. So her and I work together in the custom home department. My brother and another site supervisor, they really like commercial stuff.

So I work with them on commercial stuff. They’re they basically project manage and supervise and I’m the deal maker man. I’m the deal maker and I understand both spaces because I spent probably three or four years basically from 2016 to 2020 figuring all this psychological stuff out about people and how they how they operate and how they think and what they’re looking for. And so, you know, once I figured all that out and put all the pieces together by

I mean, I just started growing my businesses to where any type of construction opportunity that comes across my table, we can maximize on it. And the way I look at it is like I’m a community developer, man.

I mean, I’m like somebody that can come up with a master plan for commercial and residential to where you can really start making a difference in the world. And I believe that’s why I’m on this planet, is to be a father of nations.

Dylan Silver (13:59.975)
at some other.

Dylan Silver (14:03.984)
Swiss Army knife of building over here. That’s what I’m hearing. You you’re talking about multiple different verticals and these are both niches which can be challenging for someone on the outside looking in to break into, right? Being a builder in a single family, multi-family, know, duplexes, fourplexes, and then, you know, commercial space. These are different niches, different verticals, and you’re able to transact and do deals in all of these spaces.

Cody Sechelski (14:05.964)
Yes. Yes.

Cody Sechelski (14:15.726)
you

Dylan Silver (14:33.55)
I’m curious because I’m also involved in multiple different things. go to school. have this podcast. I’m a real estate agent. do wholesale. I work a lot with investors. How do you manage your time? Like on a granular level, how are you keeping track of where your time, attention and focus is going to? How do you prevent yourself from, you know, being double and triple booked and from missing things you’re involved in so much? How does that work?

Cody Sechelski (15:01.302)
Okay, I’m gonna answer this in a couple different ways and then I’m just gonna speak the truth and keep it as real as possible.

Dylan Silver (15:10.483)
Yeah, let’s go.

Cody Sechelski (15:12.448)
Number one, being a very busy and successful entrepreneur is work. It’s commitment. It’s painful. It’s transformative.

Take note of the last thing. Very rewarding.

Cody Sechelski (15:37.026)
But don’t forget that the reward comes with all this other stuff. Okay, you gotta remember that. So now I’m gonna connect that with time.

The way that you grow and scale as an entrepreneur is you work, work, you work, you work, you work, you work. You get your plate so full, right, with opportunities that it becomes, until the point where you almost become overwhelmed because you have so much. And when you get to that place, that’s where you delegate. You delegate, you delegate, and then you fill your plate up again.

And then you delegate. And then you delegate. And that’s how you build teams. And so the way that I manage my time is I take opportunities that excite me, that turn me on, whether that’s three of them, three big ones, whether that’s five.

you know, opportunities, whether that’s 10, I just build, build, build, build, build, build, build, build, build. And like I said, that could be three big opportunities that have multiple moving parts with them, whether I’m acquiring a company, whether I’m working on a land development, right? Or it could be, you know, 10 things that are adding to all this, right? Or 10 different opportunities. Like right now, I think I’ve got seven opportunities that I’m working on in the pre-construction phase.

to get them permitted, right? And then I’ve got three companies I’m looking to acquire and to be straightforward, my plate is almost so full that I’m really ready to delegate, right? Like it took everything I got to get on this podcast with you because I’m that busy, you know? But, but.

Cody Sechelski (17:28.602)
So that’s how I manage my time is I take all these opportunities and I let it build up to the point that I can barely take care of it or it gets to the point to where I can’t take care of it and then I go find someone to delegate this to. Whether that’s someone in the office, whether that’s a project manager, whether that’s somebody in finance, you know, and so that’s really how I manage my time and then.

You’ve also got to be very in tune back to mindset. You’ve got to have that, that whatever you want to call it, discernment, gut feeling, knowing in your spirit. Okay, it’s time for me to delegate this. It’s time for me to do something new. It’s you got, you got to, you got to, it’s kind of like, you got to know the, you got to get in the rhythm, right? You got to get in the rhythm and you got to know when you can’t move like this, that means you need to make a tweak somewhere.

You need to make a tweak somewhere, right? When you’re almost, you know how when you get really stressful, you get edgy. Like you’re irritable real easy and things that typically don’t bother you, they bother you. Stink things like that are a sign that you need to make a move. Because if you’re not, if you can’t move, if you can’t move, you need to make a tweak.

Dylan Silver (18:27.004)
Yeah, 100%.

Dylan Silver (18:35.934)
I

Dylan Silver (18:44.766)
100%.

Dylan Silver (18:50.192)
feel exactly what you’re saying. I was actually looking at my schedule the last two weeks, month, and I was saying like, number one, I got to eat. basic things like I was working through my lunch break, I’m like, I got to really prioritize eating because then my afternoon hours, like I’m just less productive. And if I’ve only got x amount of hours to do real estate, I’m going to school in the evenings, how am going to maximize my real estate time? And then on top of that, I was also seeing man, my general, like,

quick-wittedness, would say general focus and attention. It just felt like it was declining. I was like, what’s going on? Is it my diet? Is it this? Is it that? And I just discovered within myself personally that I’m someone who needs more like six to eight hours of sleep and I can’t function on like four to six. God bless those people who can survive on like very limited sleep. I’m jealous of y’all. But for me, it was I really had to prioritize this. So now it’s like during the week, I’ve really got to keep my schedule dialed in. I’ve got to make sure that

Cody Sechelski (19:40.131)
Yeah.

Dylan Silver (19:48.382)
Monday through Friday, I’m doing what I need to do to stay healthy and do what I need to do stay well rested. That way I’m capitalizing on literally every hour. your point, Cody, like, and I think a lot of people can relate to this. If I don’t have a time plan, a plan for my time, my plan will have no time. my time will have no plan. There will be no structure. There’ll be no order to it. you know, I think it’s super impressive what you’re doing. All those different verticals again, residential.

multifamily, know, duplexes, fourplexes, apartment buildings, government, you know, there’s a whole other podcast where we could dive into all those subjects. But we are coming up on on time here, Cody. Where can folks go to learn more about you, your business and get in touch with you?

Cody Sechelski (20:35.98)
Yeah, so I’m on all the platforms, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, I’m on TikTok. My team has me on all these different platforms and we’re making different, you know.

Content material for all these different platforms, but I think my page is Cody Sechelski . Just look up Cody Sechelski I’m on all those different platforms That’s my personal brand then we are a fresh vision enterprises is my company We are in the process of transforming that because I mean I’m literally just now coming into and I know this is

gonna be humorous again, but it’s okay, you I’m just now coming into having a website and getting digital and things of that nature. I mean, I’ve had websites over time, but like actually utilizing them to make money and to make yourself known and to build a brand. I’m really just coming into that, so.

Fresh Vision Enterprises is my main parent company in construction and we are building that out because we’re actually, like I said, acquiring more construction companies in the construction space and we’re basically going to create a holding company with a construction portfolio to where we’re going to be a one-stop shop to service

all construction needs, you know? I mean, we want to be a community, a community, community, somebody that, we want to be a one-stop construction space that somebody can come to us and we can truly impact someone’s community. That’s the way I see us, you know, like.

Cody Sechelski (22:25.654)
I know it’s kind of broad, I mean, think that’s the way we’re supposed to think, right? We’re supposed to think big, man. Think big, think big. If you’re not thinking, what are you doing?

Dylan Silver (22:30.109)
Yeah.

Dylan Silver (22:35.058)
You’re not doing anything at all. Cody, know, to your point, you know, gotta think big. You gotta have these plans. I love the idea for the holding company. You know, I think it’s just a tremendous opportunity for people. And then if you’re raising capital, you’ve got the ability for people to participate in real estate without swinging a hammer. you know, I think it’s just a tremendous opportunity. Cody, it’s a pleasure having you on the show today. Congratulations, really, on all the success.

Cody Sechelski (22:44.812)
Yep.

Dylan Silver (23:02.928)
and to your continued success. was a pleasure and a privilege having you on the show here today.

Cody Sechelski (23:07.106)
Yeah, absolutely. Thank you. And what I’ll do, Dylan, is get my team to give you all of our links or whatever it is to all of our platforms so that people can reach out to us. also, I’m going to make sure that you get me all your information. That way, you can tap into our network as well.

Dylan Silver (23:31.72)
Absolutely, Cody, thanks for coming on here today.

Cody Sechelski (23:34.954)
Absolutely, you too brother, take care.