Dragon's Gold: The Magic of Mindset

The Power of the Pivot: Manish Pushye on Reinvention, Resilience, and ROI

• Justin Mills • Season 1 • Episode 17

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Episode Summary:

From sleeping in his Jeep while managing 28 cell phone kiosks to buying up entire shopping plazas—Manish Pushye’s story is proof that relentless reinvention pays off.

In this episode of Dragon’s Gold: The Magic of Mindset, Manish opens up about immigration struggles, massive setbacks, and the mindset shifts that helped him rise—again and again.

Key Themes:

  • The hidden emotional toll of immigration and starting over

  • How Manish turned failures into foundations for future wins

  • The power of pivoting with purpose—not boredom

  • Why he’s building a business empire and still dreams of feeding the homeless

  • How he defines legacy (and why it’s not about the money)

What You’ll Learn:

  • How Manish used practical experience over books to build wealth

  • Why he avoids “shiny object syndrome” and only pivots with intention

  • The story behind Awesome ROI and his real estate + business hybrid model

  • The mindset that helped him survive immigration stress, lawsuits, and burnout

  • How joy, team loyalty, and faith fuel his business


Tools & Weapons

Joel Osteen on XM – Manish’s go-to mindset fuel when things get tough
Family Support – Wife & daughters at the core of his resilience
Faith-Based Leadership – Business as service, rooted in gratitude
“Do Your Best” – Mantra passed down from his father
Practical Experience – Real-world learning over theory


Send us a text

About Gold Dragon Investments:
At Gold Dragon Investments, our mission is to bring joy to others by helping them win the game of investing — helping every client become the hero of their financial journey. We believe that wealth is a tool, but joy is the ultimate outcome.
Through meaningful partnerships, we strive to empower our investors to create freedom, and build lasting legacies of purpose, fulfillment, and wealth.

Join Us on the Adventure:

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome once again to another episode of Dragon's Gold, the magic of mindset. Today we have the pleasure of having Manish Pusha with us, founder of Awesome ROI. Manish, welcome to the show. Hey, it's a pleasure talking to you, Justin. Thank you, my friend. Welcome. Well, let's dive right in. Tell us the origin story. Where did it all begin for Manish? Oh, well, I came to United States in the year 2000, you know, as a software developer. And it was a year when Y2K was very much in, you know, everyone was looking forward to Y2K, like what's going to happen to year 2000 and all that. So I came as a Java developer and for some reason, with the 2000, 2001 crash, you know, the dot com. there was not much going on. So I was trying to find jobs in IT or related to Java related. But for some reason it was not there or I was getting paid like it was a short project. So I realized now it's not gonna do any good because if I'm working three months and not working two months, all your expenses are It's not sustainable. Yeah, so that was the case. So I realized I have to do something that's consistent and that's gonna keep me alive, you know, and I'm not gonna be looking. And when you come on this software visa or software developer, you are never fixed at one place. have to, I mean, one project is over, then you are in the West Coast and the next week you're in the East Coast. So there's no consistency and there's no stability. And I was like, now it's not gonna be doing any good. And then I started working for a friend of mine who owns a cell phone business in one of the mall. And I started working with him and I learned from him and I started doing good. At one point I started my own and I had 28, carts of my own in different malls in United States. I was living in Dallas at that time and my businesses were in New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Arizona. yeah, one point I was living in my Jeep because I had so many stores and I was... just going from one store or open a new store, then train my employee there and make him a manager and explain to him how the store works and all that, how he has to close the report at the end of the day and all that. And then take a rest for a few weeks and open another store. So likewise, I had 28 stores at one point. And that's how I started my journey in America. That's amazing. Thank you for sharing that and that perspective to coming in intending to do one thing with the software engineer, right? Having to pivot and having the opportunity to be able to to make that business right and then also having the drive right? Because that can't have been easy right all over the country and the amount of time and effort you had to put in for travel. the cost associated with trying to open the business with no guarantee for success. You're taking a massive risk. What made you willing to take that risk? What gave you the drive to push forward and do that? So just in Amazon was not existing. I'm talking year 2000, 2001, 2003, know, Amazon was maybe they started, but they started in the books section. You know, they were not all in consumer goods and we were selling cell phone, cell phone accessories. And at one point I started importing car chargers and those face plates. know, Nokia was the phone I remember at that time. We used to change the face of the phone. And we were getting those for like 20, 30, 50 cents and we were selling it for 15, 20 bucks in the mall. And when you are running one or two such stores in the malls and they are doing promising numbers, then the risk is very calculative and limited, right? You know, if they are doing, if those concepts did good in the previous malls will do good in other malls. The challenge was to reach or to have a lease in that mall or exclusive lease in those malls before someone else shown up, know, or some competition is come there or open their cart. So that was the challenge. That was the reason we were, I was trying to open as many stores as possible so that I outpaced my competition. But, you know, as far as the, the, you know, whether it will be a success or failure, you knew from your previous malls and the cards that you did good. So it will be okay with the new ones as well. I love that. So the idea being first putting in that trial, seeing what vetting that process, understanding that it, that it's a good business model, that it's fruitful and economically sound. And then the speed is the currency of business, right? So getting out there, beating the competition through and just making sure that you get your foot in right before someone else beat you to the opportunity. Yeah, rinse and repeat. Yeah, that what I did with the new with other malls and it did good. I was doing really great. But the concept in in the United States, you get bored or you get burned out with when you are working hard. So, you know, that what happened. I was I started running very fast, but I went down. I was like, you know, and and also At one point when you are doing some business, now you want to go up to the next level. You cannot travel every day or you cannot be in the road all the time. There were times my employees were not, they were not taking my call or something or the other happened and I have to immediately leave for that state out of nowhere. I'm taking showers in the truck stop and. you know, staying in my Jeep and doing my laundry in the truck stops. so what I'm saying is you cannot do you cannot live that kind of life for long, but that gives you a perspective that if you keep working hard, you keep doing your best, you know, you can do things. And once I was out of that business, I thought, I don't know why God put me into that particular set of or that kind of business. But now I later like 20 years on the road, I can relate why things happen and things happen for a reason. And I'll tell you how that episode of turning 28 different cars, different malls in different states is helping me now navigate the kind of things I'm doing. I love it. And I do want to hear that. want to share with the listeners the idea being the experiences that you've had while they can be painful, difficult, the trials, tribulations that you run through, oftentimes are what paved the way, the road. They build the foundation for what creates your success down the line. And it gives you, as you say, the perspective to understand and appreciate what it takes to get there. When we talk about trials and tribulations, I call it the gauntlet. Those are, those are moments that you go through that you, that you have to overcome to achieve any type of success. I'm curious, would you mind sharing some of the trials, some of the gauntlet that you had to run through and experience? Yeah, so I've been through, I have done a lot of businesses, Justin, from the one I just described, doing business in the shopping malls to having a trucking business and shipping scrap metal from North America to Asia, you know, buying from scrap yards and shipping it overseas to e-commerce, to real estate investments, to having liquor stores. So one thing you just mentioned in the beginning, looks like you believe in pivoting and pivoting, know, pivot at the right time or when it's needed. And I sincerely believe in that. You know, I tell my wife as well, it's good to pivot if it's needed. You know, one should not be ashamed or, you know, one should not be shy of doing that. You know, figure out if the time tells you to pivot, go ahead. And there shouldn't be any embarrassment of, know, like when people tell me, man, you have done all kinds of businesses, why can't you stick to one? I'm like, I would like to stick to some time, work or the business, what you are doing tells you we are done. And if the relationship is done, there is no point in dragging it to the point. Where you're gonna burn or or you're gonna be destroyed. What's the point, right? So for example I got into e-commerce business because there was some massive action You know lawsuit happened with me, you know and in the scrap metal industry and I started doing e-commerce and I realized the this lawsuit is gonna be very painful, very hurtful, you know, and it's going to be a place where I cannot do that business any longer because they will be, I mean, I was going to deposition all these repositions and they were asking me and I realized this business is not serving me any good. So I started doing e-commerce and you won't believe Justin, it started out of nowhere and it became my, it became a gold mine for me. So When you are least expecting out of something, you get the most. And that's what I have experienced in my life. And when you expect a done, that's a time when you have a setback, you're like, what the heck, man? You have done all your research, all your surveys were good. You have done everything practically. Everything was taken care. How can it be a flop show? So least expected. Maximum returns is what I have seen and That what happened with e-commerce, you know, I saw I was like mid high seven mid to high seven figure I was doing and We were doing so good every month. I was buying a real estate With the money I was making in the e-commerce and I was wholesaling to others to other sellers who can sell online so And then COVID happened, supply chain took a hit, logistics took a hit. And again, I have to pivot. I started doing liquor stores. I started doing business which were local. And I realized I have to do something which is 24-7 open. And if COVID 2.0 comes, should not affect me. I should not be relying on international production or logistics. So I'm good. I believe in pivoting and pivoting on the at the right time and but it should not be at the expense of your principles. What I'm saying is it should not be like, okay, you're bored and you're pivoting. No, it has to make sense. It has to be circumstantial. It has to be. Really, I mean, you can justify to your family why you are pivoting, why you are moving to a different business or why you are expanding to something else. Like if they can buy it and they can tell you, yes, it makes sense, then it's justified. Go for it. But it's not like you are bored, you need to do something else. But if it's circumstantial, it's not a bad idea. You know, hearing you say that, I can't help but think about the fact that I think there are times where people need to pivot, in some cases because of an emotional reason. Now, let me clarify what I mean. I think that absolutely situational circumstantial, you have to pivot in order to, to be strategic in how you're going to be able to move forward. Sometimes passion creates a fire when you're excited about what you do. And you mentioned earlier, not compromising your principles, making sure that you're true to yourself, right? And the idea of being true to yourself and recognizing that and to you, your family, or whoever you hold yourself accountable to. The idea being, too, you have to be true to yourself. And if you do find that whatever you're doing isn't lighting your fire, it's OK, like you say, to pivot, to change, to reposition. Because not everything is about the economic aspect. And of course we have to make money. mean, but wealth is a tool. And ultimately, as I envision it, is the ultimate outcome. And so how do you need to bring joy to yourself? How can you enjoy the journey, right? Ultimately going on whatever mission you are, whatever business you're doing, whether you're selling phones, whether you're helping to distribute scrap metal or you're doing recycling or whatever that may be, whether you're opening a liquor store. In theory, A, you are passionate about whatever whatever business you're doing. But also a benefit in many cases is that in service and many of the jobs that we do, we're actually providing a value for other people as well. And so when you find passion in what you do and you're excited about whatever product that you're bringing to market for these other people as well to enjoy, it can be exciting. And if you find yourself being bored with it you're no longer passionate about that, that translates over, that bleeds over. When you're just doing it, by the numbers and just walking through without really enjoying the experience, it doesn't feed your fire. What do you find in what you do now that brings you passion or excitement in how you operate? I'm very passionate. I think I was born as an entrepreneur and I always wanted to do my own. Whenever I tried to work for someone else, I never felt good. I never felt full. I never felt satisfied. I always, and whenever I did, even though I have done mistakes, you know, my own businesses, at least I learned and I added value to myself by learning and by not repeating those mistakes. You know what saying? But if you work for someone, first of all, the idea of working for someone is making him rich at your expense, you know, and that idea itself never resonate with me. I mean, I cannot. not comprehend the idea that somebody else is multiplying his or he's becoming wealthy at my, you know, and I am adding value to him instead of, you know, I mean, and nothing against people who are working for others. mean, I, and I'm the kind of a person, I have 70 plus employees, Justin. And when I say that I am what I am mostly it's Mainly because of them, you know, and they are working hard if you're gonna ask me, what's your why that's my why my employees Are my biggest why I mean they make me going they there are times when I want to give up But when I see them when I talk to them I'm like when they are so charged up and when they are ready to do whatever is needed to be done Why I'm on different? mindset and why I'm talking about giving up. So I really respect my people working for me and they are going not only an extra mile, they're going 100 miles, you know, just to make things happen. So they're always inspiring me. They are keeping me motivated. They are keeping me going day in, day out. And I love them. And if somebody has to leave, I go, I try my best to see if that person stay with us, but if they have a genuine reason and I have to, but that's the day when somebody of the, any of my employees and especially who are close to me, who are like family to me, they leave, feel that day, I really feel negative. I'm like, wow. If this person has left, there's something we are not doing right or something can be improved. Otherwise, my employees, stay there being my oldest employee has been working with me for six years now. And then, you know, and he never he has seen good and bad, but he never told me even once that I'm I'm quitting or I'm I'm done working. And so I appreciate what they are doing and what they have done so far. All my employees, I love them to death. think that's incredible to be able to find joy and passion in helping others oftentimes with the products that we produce or supply for them, but in tie inside the team, right, it's the it's the people inside any company that really make it right. Leaders can have vision and, and see the big picture, but it takes the action to get there. on their behalf, but also on all of the people that are associated with it, because none of this is done alone. Right. And, and in that regard, so on a, on a higher level, I think of it as the fellowship, right? It's, it's, the mentors that have helped us and inspire us along the way. It's the allies that we bring along with us on that journey. Who would you say has been instrumental in your journey and your fellowship? Well, there are plenty of people, but I consider my father being my inspiration. I have never seen him depressed in business, no business, decline, upsets. He's always in cheerful mood and he sincerely keeps me. you know, whenever I'm little down when it comes to business, he tells me, hey, I mean, you should take it as a as a play as a game, you know, some games you're going to lose some games you're going to make it and that should be the spirit. Don't take it to the point where it affects your health, your mind, your mental, you know, no, otherwise it's ruling you rather than you ruling your business or your things. Things should not rule you. Things are not meant to rule you, you know, and those are the things when I hear I always it reminds me, you know, I don't have to lose my calm or cool. I just it's it was just another day, you know, and a new day will come tomorrow and it will be a new game. I love the reference and I'm a little biased because I'm a big fan of board games. You may be able to see some behind me, but, uh, I own over a thousand board games. It's, my passion and my hobby. When, when you say that though, and thinking about the perspective of thinking of it as a game, I oftentimes think that when we play a game together, we all win. It doesn't matter who necessarily walks away with the W the fact that we're all in it together is the experience. Right. And so I think about that oftentimes in the journey. When you talk about that, sounds like your father really knows how to find joy in the journey, right? Regardless of what that destination is, he's always enjoying and I love how you say he always has a kind word or always has a positive attitude, right? And it helps to inspire you too, right? Is there anyone else that you would think of that you might reference or? You know, I have a lot of people I am thankful to, and especially, you know, there are, I'm a big fan of Joel Osteen. I don't know if you know him, he's a pastor from Lakewood Church in Houston. And I listen to him all the time. And, you know, his preachings or his teachings or his speech keeps me really alive. You know, whenever I'm down, I just simply go to his XM channel, listen to him next five minutes. I'm alive. I'm good to go. I'm I'm kicking in and that's it. You know, so he's like coffee to me, you know, or whatever. He's he's one of those drugs to me. If I listen to him for five, ten minutes, I'm good. I'm I'm back in picture. Isn't it amazing in a situation like that, how emotionally we can become charged simply by the energy that is shared with us, whether it be through speech or that vibration that comes through and it's uplifting. It resonates with you and suddenly you find this reserve of fuel and fire that you didn't even know was there a moment before. Exactly, exactly. So I I listen to him every now and then and he keeps yeah Some days I feel like he's talking to me You know, he's not talking to them, you know other people history and that's how it is and you know, I mean So yeah and my family I I give big Thumbs up to my wife, my kiddos. I have two girls, 18 and 14 year old. 18 is about to go to UCSD or UCLA. She is debating between those two for her medicine, that what she wants to do. Congratulations to you and your wife both. Correct. And Justin, if you have a, you know, to me, family is the foundation. If they are supporting you, they are with you. Sooner later, you will see your success. And if they are not for you and they are not, you know, behind you, you don't feel motivated. You don't feel, you feel there is a void. And that's why my wife, she was a teacher and she realized I need help in my businesses. I'm running multiple businesses. So she quit her teaching job and she's helping me. And that's the definition of family. When you realize that, you know, your own business is bigger than what you are doing, even though she is passionate about teaching, she loved teaching, but she realized it's I need her and I need emotional support from her. So she just, and she's happy what she's doing and she's helping me to the best of her ability. And I appreciate that. That's, mean, teamwork makes the dream work, my friend. Right. So, and coming together and, when you mentioned it's not, it's, it's the business is bigger. I think about it, right. It's not just about us. It's bigger than us. And the idea of thinking about 70 plus employees, right. And not just those employees, but the, families, right. Their wives and children and husbands and the people that rely on them. And so, especially when you're a business owner, entrepreneur, and you're providing for all of these people. It is a massive responsibility when you think so far down the chain and how many lives that you're impacting. So big responsibility. I told you if you're gonna ask me the question you have the answer already my employees are my biggest why they keep me going every day Yeah, I love that. So you touched on this a bit. I would love to go a little deeper on this if you would. And I call this the darkest hour, a moment where you were fed up or just felt perhaps beaten and want to throw in the towel. How did you come back from that? What was the mindset that allowed you to do that? And how did you feel? Justin, I don't know how much you know about immigration situation in this country. know, when we come, we are immigrants, right? We come at one point and we have to go through our papers or that process is not easy at all. And there are so many lawyers you have to come and you have to go through so many, it's a process. It's a process when people say go back to the line, there's no such line, first of all. And they, this process for us took like years, years and years. And you won't believe when at some point you are like, you know, it's not good. It's okay. Let's go back. And, but the human tendency is not to give up. I mean, and I salute a lot of immigrants and legal immigrants who come legally and they fight day in, day out because it's not easy. There are so many times you can't get proper loans or SBA loans or anything just because of your immigration status and stuff like that. And there are times when you can't do certain things. just because of your immigration status. So it's not an easy battle for immigrants. But the good thing is this country is very rewarding. mean, if you playing, you know, keep going by the rule and keep playing by the rule, the day comes when you get reward. And even though it's it's late, what happens when you start your journey? Like I said, I came 25 years ago when I was 22, 23 years old. Now I'm 48. So I came when I was almost half of what I am, like half of the time I spent in India and half in America. So I'm more American than being Indian because I was 23 when I left the country and now I'm 48. So I spent 25 years in America and 23 in India. So, but, and if I have to go back to India, I don't know. I have never done even a single business or a, you know, much. haven't spent much time there. I don't think I have a bank account existing in that country any longer. So I have seen this country and I have experienced America more, but there were times when this immigration process of getting you green card or being a citizen takes like forever. You get the you are in those darkest moments. You're like, you know, it doesn't make sense. Let's go back, you know, and those process that those days really take a big toll on you. Thank you for sharing Manish. I think that many people, especially people that are born in this country and have so much opportunity handed to them or available to them, perhaps I should say, at such a young age, the reality is that they don't realize how much they have. I tell my daughter the same thing. You have no idea. And my wife keeps telling them every now and then. You have no idea what you got. You got this opportunity where you American citizen. You were born here. You can do so much. I mean, we have to wait for our residency or citizenship to be where you can do it from the day one. You don't need any and you are, yeah, yeah. And accent, know, just in we got accent, we got so and it's like forever. mean, even though we try our best, I mean, that basic accent will not go away. You know, it will stay and that's OK. I mean, this is my identity. But I never try those things. Take a toll on me or or give me an excuse or I give myself an excuse that I cannot do better than others or. than natives. No, I mean, I'm equally good and I can do better things. I agree completely. I think absolutely that belief, that immediate belief in you and yourself and knowing that you won't give up or that if you, yeah, you may fall down and frankly we do, we all fall, right? The reality is, do you get back up again and, and do you keep pushing forward? Do you learn from the mistakes and do you, do you achieve your goals, your success, right? And, and, and whatever success means to you, right? Because it's different for everybody. And, and you talk about the aspect of, of like accent. I think about, One of the major benefits I believe about living in this country, and perhaps it's because I have the benefit of living in the Bay area, there's a massive amount of diversity and I'm very accepting of all colors, creeds, races, right? Like people, like genders, the idea being that being open-minded and recognizing that we're all in the spinning rock together. And no matter what, what, or where you come from, if you have a good heart and you're truly kind and you work hard, and you're good to others and you give that's that's that's the goal, right? That's it. That's that's there's no there's no massive secret behind it. Just be good. The the the the bevy of religions that are available for people to practice or appreciate. And for clarity sake, this is not I don't advocate any one more than the other. What I say is that I think that each one is rooted in the same similar values. Be kind, do kind. Right. And, if everybody operated from that same aspect, that same mindset, this whole world would be in a much more wonderful place. And while we can't control what everyone else does, what we can control is how we act and how we treat others. Right. And, and allow those ripples to work their way through. And so one of the things I think about in that is, the, the success I call it the dragon's gold. So in the experiences that we, that you have had, are there any specific points, achievements or accolades or mindsets that you have acquired in your journeys that you feel are powerful for you and that you'd share with the listeners? Yeah, what I've realized is during tough times, you basically see who you are. mean, you know, otherwise good times, everybody is you can you'll be you'll be doing your prayers on time and all that. But in the tough times, what happens to your behavior is what, you know, I have seen. really matters and you know, I have been through a lot of ups and downs and there were times when I started I started behaving like a kid and stop blaming myself and there were times when I'm like what the heck, know if I was successful and if I'm if I'm failed, you know, it's the same person. I it's me and if the success. was me, then failure is also mine, you know, and accept it and learn from it and just don't repeat it, you know, or if you want to repeat it, don't do it at the massive way what you just did, you know, I mean, just limit it, you know, and suppress it to the best you can. Yeah, but Justin, I have experienced times when, when I mean, I have achieved really a lot. you know, more than I can deserve or I can ask for. And honestly, if I start taking all the, you know, accolades or if I start taking all the responsibility of what I have achieved, that's not just, you know, honestly, I have a lot of people around me, you know, my family, they have done so much for me, my parents, my friends. You know, I mean, I have during COVID times, as I said, you know, my business was really, my e-commerce business was really struggling and it didn't do good. And they were at a point, you know, I could not even meet my expenses, my household expenses. My best friend, he was taking care of me. We did engineering together in India and he was, if I was asking him for 50 grand, he was wiring. immediately 50 grand. No questions asked. He kept doing that for three, four, five months. You know, so when you are in this and I cannot be and I'm so appreciative of him, you know, whenever I need him, he's there. And sometimes I think God put me put him in my life for days like this, you know, because I'm always. asking him and he's always there and I always try to give him back but somehow I always felt short and but he knows my intent. He knows where I'm coming from. He knows my intent is to help him equally the way he helps me and but he's he's been helping me more than I could you know return the favor to him and the day will come when I'll be able to do something for him as well. And that really keeps me a little upset about myself. I take from with this guy, I have taken more than I could give him back. And hopefully the day will come when I'll be balanced with him or balance our accounts. Manish, one thing I think about with what you said there too, is I don't know, and I love that you want to reciprocate that. think in situations like that, it's not always a return. What I mean, you were gifted and given this friend, this brother, this person in your life that was able to help you when you needed it. And maybe it's not for you just to return to him. Maybe it's meant for you to pay it forward. to give it to someone else, to help someone else in need when they are. And whenever that comes about, at whatever point in life in your journey, when that's needed, perhaps you'll realize that that's the moment that it was. And when you've been preparing and doing all these other things and experiencing your life and enjoying your journey and helping these other families, your employees' families, and at one point in your life, or more than one, you may find yourself in a situation where you have the ability to help someone that needs it. And I think that that in and of itself is a beautiful thing to realize that it doesn't always have to go back. Sometimes it goes forward. Yeah, you're right. Yeah, but I know he's in software industry, he's been a project manager for many years. He wanted an exit too and you know, I always tell him, you know, come join me, but he see me, he's like from e commerce to real estate and now all these liquor stores. For those guys who are consistently working as a software engineer, it's not easy for them to digest like you are doing so many things and how you are doing it and then one day you are high, one day you are low. You know, the business is like a roller coaster ride and some people, don't appreciate that. You know, they want it right. They don't want roller. I would argue to be an entrepreneur, like you're different, right? Like I feel that everybody that wants, and not just anybody that wants to create something oftentimes is unique or different. They have their own passion, right? And it's the road is not straight, right? There are many twists and turns that we go down, but that's part of the fun. We talk about passing the torch. I call it the Hall of Heroes. And the idea is ultimately, if when you're gone from this world, and if someone was to go through a hall of statues and there was a plaque that had something that shared a moment or something that you wanted them to know about you, Manish, what would that plaque say? Well, I just want to be remembered, you know, simply for doing my best. And I tell my kids, you know, I want to pass on the legacy to you that I just I work day in, day out, and I enjoyed and did my best. And that's what I want to you to remember me as. You know, I was like, I did my fair share of hard work in this country. And now if I give you my wealth or if I pass on my whatever wealth we have accumulated to you, you should not take that as a point of, you know, like that was basically meant for you. No, you know, you have to earn your wealth and you have to do your part, your fair share. So. Simply I want people to remember me as a person who came to this country and who did his best and he lived his. I always wanted to help the less fortunate people, know, always. And I tell my family, I really want to do something for homeless people or less fortunate people. Now I'm at the point where I wanted to do that. But it always take a backseat because there's so much going on in your life. So I really wanted to open. I'm sitting in one of the warehouses. I own the whole plaza. So one of the warehouses is empty, been empty for months now. I wanted to run that place as a homeless, not a shelter, but where we can prepare the meals for them and serve them hot, know, like a good meal on daily basis. That's the plan, you know, and if you do that, good things happen to you as well, right? I mean, when you do good, good, and that's going to be my... my legacy, I I want to give more than what I take. And I hopefully, I'm hoping one of these days, if we are gonna talk, we will have a conversation again. I will tell you, I have started that particular project of feeding homeless people. I love that Manish. love that. Thank you for sharing. So Manish, what is next? What is the next quest for Manish and Awesome ROI? Yeah, so we own a lot of retail plazas, you know, and now another retail plaza. And the good thing and the unique thing about our investment is we own retail plazas and we try to put our own businesses like liquor stores, laundromat, restaurants, you name it. So what happens when you own a real estate, you're not just... that your investors are not enjoying just the real estate component of it. They enjoy the revenue from your businesses as well. So it really helps them from both sides. If tomorrow real estate takes a hit, they are still being taken care by the business revenue. That's why our returns are very, very lucrative. I tell my investors that If they check my underwriting performer, they'll see 14, 15, 20 % 20X kind of return. But we tell them in our BPM, it's two to three X return, you know, because under promising and over delivering is always a good scenario. We don't want to be in a position where we tell them 15X and pay them not even one X or two X. You know, that's not a good strategy. But our businesses are really good because we don't own just the real estate. We own businesses. And as I said, we have been doing so many businesses. I have a lot of like regional managers and shift managers or store managers. We have everything lined up accordingly. So that's a plan. Just keep growing and keep buying more plazas. And we don't go outside Arizona. yet, I mean, there was no need. There's so much potential in Phoenix and around Phoenix. So we are just buying more retail plazas and adding more businesses to those plazas and adding more workforce, more revenue. Manish, I'd like to ask, we call this tools and weapons. Are there any resources, any books, anything that you've enjoyed using in your journey that you feel might help our listeners? Well, I'm not a big on books. know, like Justin, end up people when they ask me, I'm like, yeah, I'm not much into reading, to be honest. I go by practical experiences more than, you know, learning or reading and go from there. I mean, don't get me wrong. I mean, I listened to all these podcasts and, you know, all the you know, you get all those snippets from Facebook or LinkedIn. I mean, I go through all that, but I never had a favorite book or never go through any like and when I hear others talking about or they have books, they recommend books for businesses or for the mindset or whatever. I always give it a try. But for some reason, I'm not much into, I'm not a reading guy. Five pages pass, I'm done. I'm like, no. So, I don't know, my mind either is so much, you know, is so used to doing practical things and, you know, rather go look out for a deal on Craxi or Loopnet than actually, you know, give it. or telling my mind to rest and do some reading. Yeah, so my wife, she's a good reader. She keeps telling me, why don't you read anything? I'm like, you know, it is what it is. I mean, I've never done much of a reading ever. I listened to, as I said, Austin or other motivational speakers, but that's it. I think that's a really good point to just share that ultimately everybody learns differently, right? There's no right or wrong way. It's, it's your way and the way that works for you. And if in the process you find something's working, you do more of it. And if something's not working, then, then you move past it. You discard that and then you continue for. You know, I've seen my kids, the more I tell them, the more they're like, dad, you don't know. And then I realized, and then I realized it's good. They are going to learn from their mistakes rather they don't want to learn from my experiences. And that's okay. And that's okay. Let them go that route. You know, maybe I was one of those people too, you know, where I don't want to listen to others. I want to do my own experiences. I want to go through my own mistakes. and learn from there or grow out from there, you know? Menisha, I mean, it's an affliction of teenagers, my friend. I have two teenagers and then my youngest daughter. 18, 16, and nine. So we understand. Hats off to you. 18 and seven, 16 you said? Yeah, 18, 16, and then my nine-year-old little girl, which she's the most sassy of the bunch, I'll tell you. We're keeping this kind of composure, hats off to you Thank you, my friend. I appreciate it. So Manish, if anyone wanted to get a hold of you, how would they reach out to you? So they can reach me on LinkedIn, Manish Pushay, LinkedIn, and they can send us a email, deals at awesomeROI.com or .us. We own both the domains. Or Awesome ROI is the easy name to remember. If they put that, Google it, you'll reach out to us. So yeah, Awesome ROI is the... think that's awesome. So Manisha, I have one last question for you. It's absolutely my favorite to ask. If you could be any mythical creature, what would you be and why? You know, I live in Phoenix Arizona. I would like to be Phoenix, you know, like, you know, someone who come out of ashes and, you know, restart or get a rebirth, know, and yeah, that will be a great figure I would like to be, you know, what do you think? I love it. mean, I think that if I think that absolutely is an appropriate answer for dog on it, every entrepreneur, right? Because we do, we work so hard, right? Oftentimes things don't work out the way we expect. And you have to rise from the ashes and come back stronger. Manish, thank you for taking the time with us today on this podcast. I greatly appreciate you and your time. Thank you so much. appreciate My friends, thank you for joining us once again on our quest to inspire, educate and empower you to turn your dreams into reality. One mindset shift at a time. We'll see you next time.

People on this episode

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Justin Mills

Host
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Aaron Iler

Producer
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Manish Pushye

Guest