Adam McFadden
Appearances
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
You have to do what most people consider crazy to be successful in entrepreneurship.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
sale I did when I got into marketing. But then again, you progress so much that now your sales team are selling those same deals and you're like working on other stuff or on a plane or filming here or out working out of the gym. And that's, again, it's just that evolution. It's that evolution.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
It's almost, you know, we have fun with it with my sales team. It's almost like going to war. You know, there's a battle each and every day, but you know, we don't put pressure on ourselves, but we have fun with it.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
And those interactions and that ability to network and meet people and build those relationships, whether it's over the phone or in person at various networking events, that's what business is all about. And that's why I work as much as I do. When you build those relationships and you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
Yeah. Totally, totally. So talking, you know, shifting now more into the legacy part, we talked a lot about current business and the mindset behind being successful. Where's the future lie for you and the business?
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
I think the future can be anything that I want it to be based on my mindset. I mean, really, there's so many opportunities out there, trends and changing technologies that the brand Firehouse Training can assist in many different areas, whether it's first response, health and safety, mental health.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
way that the world's constantly transitioning on a day-to-day basis i feel that my business can also do the same and having that flexibility and adaptability and having a good team around me with a good support system will allow me to handle the ebbs and flows of the industries but also
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
hello and welcome back to another episode of legacy makers podcast today joining me is adam from firehouse training epic epic story we've got today we're diving into how he does his day job still helping fight fires but then also educates thousands of people in his industry he's one of the leading educators an author an investor and yeah a ton more to dive into adam welcome to the show
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
move forward with the changing trends and not only build a business that gives me that sense of fulfillment each and every day, but can also help my bank account as well, right? At the end of the day, when you offer a good service and a good product, I feel that the financial gain and compensation will just naturally come with that. The more effort that you put into it.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
Totally. And say there's someone watching now that maybe in your industry or in a similar industry, or maybe they're not, but they're inspired by everything they're hearing, right? And how you've transitioned and created this great business and now an investor and an author and all those things. And they're sat there wanting to do the same, but they haven't started yet.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
What's one or two tips you'd give them?
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
You have to have a plan, whether you're making notes on a piece of paper or sending emails to yourself about ideas you had. The one thing I've learned is that it's one thing to have an idea, but you have to have a plan to put it into action.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
And today, with many of the individuals I find in today's society, we are seeing less action and maybe some of the, you know, whether it's in the workforce or the younger generation, I just feel that if you find something that you're passionate about and gives you that personal why or that motivation, that will give you the energy you need to take action on those ideas.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
And it's easier than ever, I feel, with the internet. I agree. I only started maybe 16 years ago, but I was like, now you can take courses, hundreds of YouTube videos. I was reading books. It's all about learning. Yeah. Yeah, it is. Yeah. Easier than ever. But it is like you said, it's like you've got to have the mindset, you've got to be disciplined and you've got to you've got to go get it.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
So, you know, let's talk a little about legacy. Obviously, there's a lot of that in your episode and your story and then kind of where where you see that leading to. But what does legacy mean to you?
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
Legacy for me means taking that brand and making it bigger than myself. A brand that can not only change the game in the training industry, but also in other areas of mentorship or where, you know, the community is looking for help or, you know, situations that weaken.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
can further provide education, experience, and perspective to not just make our industry and the fire service better, but anywhere else that this brand of firehouse can take us. Love it. And I think being able to look at the big picture and understand that as we develop as a person, as a business owner, as an investor, an entrepreneur,
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
That brand that you build or even that personal brand, you can take it anywhere you want.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
And that's part of the fun, right? Yeah, well, the personal brand to me is like your foundation, right? So you can move from, you know, the firehouse training to the real estate. And then who knows where your passion is?
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
Because in life, you know, I always, I remember when I was a young kid in my first relationship, someone much older said, Rudy, you'll probably never end up with the person you're dating now. I mean, business is much the same. You're right. Now, often you get so absorbed on that first thing. But really, it's like just keep improving yourself because then the new opportunities come. Right.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
And you also change in passion and interest. And I think it comes with seasons.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
If this is the season I'm in right now to work hundreds of hours a week and travel across the country, learning and engaging and building this business. then that's it. If the next season is starting a family or building other relationships, then that may be a different season.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
But I know that my brand will be able to withstand those changes and continue to grow no matter the season that I am in personally.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
Love it. Love it. So last question, what do you want to be remembered for?
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
Appreciate it, Rudy. Thanks for having me. So look, if people don't know who you are, I know you've got a whole story and your episodes diving into it all and you're doing a lot on the business side, obviously in your day job, the investing side. Do you mind just giving a quick intro to everyone about yourself?
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
All in all, I just want to be remembered for someone who puts in effort, is a hard worker, but also someone that's easy to get along with and wants the best for others. As a first responder, there's specific personal characteristics that come with this career.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
And if I can adapt and take a lot of those characteristics and apply that into my real estate investments, into my entrepreneurial or business life, I think that my brands, my personal growth, We'll just continue to move forward in a positive way. And that's all I ask.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
Love it. And just to summarize, if people are inspired by this podcast, they're going to go watch the full episode. But if they want to check out the book or your website or socials, just let them know where they can find that.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
Definitely. Yeah. Check us out on Instagram at Firehouse Trading, TikTok as well. And of course, X, LinkedIn, you know, all the major channels. And the book. And the book, of course. Yeah. So we did have the opportunity during the challenges.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
in the pandemic when the government forced us to stay home there for a couple of years you got right in yeah we got right i got to work and the one advantage of um having that time that we otherwise didn't have to be productive and and and have the discipline to put together content that i've been using all these years to help aspiring firefighters get hired in our industry we put together an amazing document here it's an amazon bestseller
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
and the ability to help others gain the career of their dreams, right? So learning from my own personal challenges and the many years that it took for me to get hired as a first responder, I can now pass along through this book to those that are looking for their own career and have their own goals.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
Love it. Well, there you go, guys. Another episode in the wraps. Of course, go and check out his full episode with his story, his legacy and everything he's learned in the process. And make sure you check out the book, social media and all that stuff, too. Thanks for tuning in and I'll see you next time. Keep building a legacy. Take care.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
My name's Adam. I'm with Firehouse Training. We're one of Canada's largest fire service and workplace safety training companies. We've had the opportunity over the last many years to train thousands and thousands of aspiring firefighters, current firefighters and other workplaces, both online in our virtual format and in our in-class sessions as well.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
So again, having the chance to train and teach and do what I absolutely love to do, I can basically say I'm living the dream every single day, Rudy.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
Well, that's the great thing about entrepreneurship, right? Most of us build businesses based on what we're passionate about, right? And it's really
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
rewarding to be able to do so and then the legacy part is being able to change lives in the process so i know you're obviously doing that through the education system and you know this is you've got even more planned with that so what what for someone that uh is watching doesn't maybe know the business side uh and maybe assumes that everyone's just trained to fight fires like what what do you do you know how does that work
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
I think right now we see in the industry that there's some amazing standardized training that's out there, but firefighters and workplaces are always looking for more. We know the technology changes, the risks and the hazards change. So whether it's dealing with electric vehicles, hazardous materials, or fires that are happening in the vertical cities, such as high rises.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
We see these different challenges and the specialty training that goes along with it, and we're able to fill a lot of those gaps with some of the experience that I bring and some of the fantastic instructors that I have within my company to help share their perspective, experience, education, and knowledge with our students across the country, in Canada, and even in the U.S.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
through various conferences that we speak at as well.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
Well, and that's a great example, because, yeah, I guess, you know, when you become a firefighter, you learn a certain way. But 10 years later, now there's Teslas blowing up around, you know, on the roads. And you have to approach that differently because the mechanics versus a regular car. For sure.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
I'm a big proponent of continuous learning and professional development and to constantly hone your skills. I have the ability through my company to. constantly be around people that want to learn and are engaged and passionate about the job.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
And not only, like they say, your network is your net worth, but the ability to learn from others and educate and then pass that along to the students that take our courses across North America. It's a treat. I absolutely love it. And we see not only positive engagement from the students, but the feedback we get, the reviews.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
It's something that motivates me each and every day to continue to do what I'm doing and grow this business as big as I can.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
Yeah. But and within that sector and I think the kind of public health sector, you're a rarity because a lot of people aren't entrepreneurial. Right. Like I know a lot of nurses or police and and they're very passionate about helping people, great people. But from a financial marketing business standpoint, they they're kind of stuck in their ways. Right.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
So what made you do all this and kind of separate yourself?
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
Yeah, it's interesting. You know, growing up, I had a grandfather that had a flourishing business in the fragrance industry and watching him and his entrepreneurial spirit and building a business and working for himself was something that I always thought I wanted to do and follow in.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
Firefighters and workplaces are always looking for more. We know the technology changes, the risks and the hazards change, and we're able to fill a lot of those gaps.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
You know, there's a certain lifestyle that came with that, that I always thought in the back of my mind, I would like to have for myself.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
But even with that, having the ability to transition into a sales and marketing career that many people don't know I had prior to becoming a first responder allowed me to learn how to pitch a product, going to networking events and meetings, organizing emails and traveling across Canada with that company really gave me the skill sets to become a budding entrepreneur.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
In my early 20s, I also started investing in real estate, which, as you know, when you're dealing with tenants and banks and mortgage brokers, there certainly is a lot to learn that way. But after being a real estate investor for 20 years, seeing the highs and even the lows has allowed me to establish a mindset as an entrepreneur that, in my opinion, allows me to be unbeatable.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
Yeah, yeah. And I think, you know, hopefully this message and your story and your episode and everything you do is inspiring for people in the public sector, first responders like my, you know, my dad came from that and you don't get paid much, right? Like, sadly, for all the amazing work you do.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
So hopefully, you know, it's also inspiration for the people watching if they're in that sector or any nine to five that... you can go on and create that generational wealth or at least that financial freedom, even while working, I think is a really important point too, because I think a lot of people think, oh, I don't have time. I'm working, right?
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
I think a lot of people think, oh, I don't have time. I'm working, right? But we know as entrepreneurs, you have to create the time and maybe give up the Netflix for two hours a night to work on the business. How do you juggle both and advice for people like that?
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
But we know as entrepreneurs, you have to create the time and maybe give up the Netflix for two hours and work on the business. How would you juggle, how'd you juggle both an advice for people like that?
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
For myself, we see many make excuses. They don't have the time. Maybe they don't have the finances to start their own business. But the only advice I can say is you just have to start. You have to put pen to paper. You have to start writing down those ideas. Document your thoughts and look to find a way to push those ideas and those processes forward each and every day.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
And I feel that I'm able to do that as an entrepreneur and business owner. But by doing that, it's maintaining consistency and discipline, right? I am always working and many people do see that, but I wouldn't have it any other way because I love what I do.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
I embrace the challenges. It's such a mindset shift. Every time there's a challenge or a problem, I look at it as a reason to learn and get better at my craft, whether it's as a property manager or landlord, or as a business owner.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
And I think the discipline shouldn't be underestimated because, you know, especially first responders and public sector, you know, nurses and stuff, you often come back and you're exhausted from your shift, right? So it's very easy to say, I'm going to crash out on the couch for a few hours. Right. And I think part of it's discipline and also looking after your health. Right. Definitely.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
If you're looking after your health, working out, eating well, sleeping well, then plus discipline, you can go the extra mile after a shift and get some work done in the business.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
And that's an important part for me, ensuring that you're eating well, still trying to get as much sleep as you can, although a lot less than most people for the last few years, especially since the pandemic, getting up each and every day at 5 a.m. and maybe going to bed as late as midnight, but having the discipline to...
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
answer those phone calls, return those emails consistently, get quotes done on time, preparing training programs, and just trying to provide the best customer service you can, but also putting out the best and most polished product. And that all takes time, right?
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
So the one thing I've really worked hard on is delegating during some of the challenges that I've had recently following the pandemic with some of my real estate investments. really had my back against the wall, right? When you have tenants that don't pay and mortgages that are skyrocketing due to inflation. Well, the banks still want their money. Of course they do. The tenants don't pay, right?
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
We see many make excuses. They don't have the time. You know, maybe they don't have the finances to start their own business. But the only advice I could say is. It spans the globe like a super high school internet Elvis Presley.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
But my ability to double down on my business I hired a few more sales reps. I put some more money into marketing and to see what I was able to do by upping the ante on the capabilities that I have as a business owner and even more time that I could put in and the effort needed to grow this business. has proved remarkable.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
Yeah, and I think that's the constant theme that I've been in this industry 10, 15 years, that every successful entrepreneur, it's not a straight line to success. There's a lot of failures, but when it gets tough and there's problems, you just make it happen, right? You get efforts. 5 a.m. and get the emails going.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
You know, when maybe real estate, your real estate stuff suffering yourself, you're now funding it from the other business. They have to directly go down on the other business. Right. And I, you know, I own seven businesses. So we I wish all seven just crushed it all the time. But it's kind of like you're juggling, you know, you're over here. It would be nice.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
So let's talk about the real estate more. How did you get into that? And, you know, what are some of the lessons and struggles you've had from that?
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
Years ago in my early 20s, when I had my first sales job, I had the ability to travel across Canada as a regional sales rep. And I remember getting on the airplane and making it a point not to watch movies. I would read books. So whether there was business books, sales, I learned as much as I could about the game of business.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
And I knew right then when it came to having a specific lifestyle that I was looking for, you certainly weren't going to do that from a nine to five job on a salary. So I knew I needed to understand investments. So buying my first rental property, multi-unit property at 22 years old, getting the keys and opening that door and not having a clue what I was doing.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
I knew that it was something I had to do in a position I had to put myself in to have the lifestyle that I wanted to have in the future.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
Yeah, I actually, so I was 21 when I bought my first parasol. Well, I actually bought one 50-50 with my mom when I was 18, but my first 100%, I was 20-21. And I actually, I have a bunch of student properties in England that I rent out. And it was the same thing, you know, with students. It's always a crapshoot on how it's going to work out. But everyone thought I was crazy.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
You know, I was a student at the time and rented to my best friend. And then I bought more and more and rented to other students. And in one year, about like half of my class was renting my houses, which was great. But you have to be, you know, you have to think outside the box and you have to do what most people consider crazy to be successful in entrepreneurship.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
I embrace the challenges. It's such a mindset shift. Every time there's a challenge or a problem, I look at it as a reason to learn and get better at my craft, whether it's as a property manager or landlord or as a business owner. And I found that once I had that mindset shift, I haven't had a bad day in years. Yeah.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
See, when you take the feelings out of your day to day process and you just get up and do the job that you need to do to grow a business, to maintain your rental properties, you know, to continue to be the best first responder firefighter that I can be. It just simplifies your entire life. And you understand that any problem or challenge that comes, you need to find a solution for it.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
And that's exactly what we do each and every day on the fire ground as a firefighter. So incorporating everything together and having that mindset shift, especially after going what I've been through as a real estate investor in the trying times following the pandemic.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
Has allowed me to not only take the real estate, you know, education and perspective that I have, but tie that directly into firehouse trading.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
Yeah. Well, and I want to highlight two things there because I mean, it's a lot of it's all perception, right? Like the perception is your reality. Reality. Yeah. And so it's like a great example of this is most people would freak out if the part of their house was on fire. To you, that's everyday job. It's a good point. It's a lot of people like that. It's your perception.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
In business, when you've been in it long enough, getting an employee letting you down, something failing, someone stealing from you, someone backing out of a deal, a tenant not paying rent, eventually in business, it becomes like the fire for you. It's like, oh, there's another fire. There's someone that forgot to turn their candles off. I went out. Okay, let's figure it out and you'll be okay.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
So really, you have to train that as a skill. And I think anyone can train that if they've got the right mind.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
It is a skill. And whether it's a negative comment online about your business or a challenge with a tenant or not meeting the expectations of a client, you learn from each and every one of those. And with my mindset and the position I'm in, I know that I'm going to grow and get better at business and overall make me a better entrepreneur. And this is how that mindset shift has transformed my life.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
And again, meeting individuals like yourself and having these opportunities, not just in our country, but across the US and even the world, I know that the sky's the limit. And once you know what the bottom feels like, Really, once you know what the bottom feels like, you become unstoppable.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
Yeah, and you just got to start, right? You just got to start somewhere. And like, I'm sure when you had your first hater online, it was like scarier than it was before, right? But now it's normal, you know? So it's true. Everyone has to start and everyone starts the same and everyone, it's scary when you start, but then you keep going, keep going and go through it.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
And the only, I always say the only difference between ultra successful or not is that person kept going and the rest of them quit along the way.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
And I am motivated by that. Again, someone once said, I've never had a hater doing better than me. And, you know, that perspective of that mindset, you know, you have to just keep pushing forward. And like you said, you have to start. And those fears that first happen when you start a business or you make those first few phone calls or ask for the sale.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
I remember many years ago when I was working my first sales and marketing job, providing the client everything they needed to make a decision to buy that building construction product. And I remember sitting there across from the table, I flew halfway across Canada, and I asked that customer for the sale. I said, are you ready to buy? I've given you everything you need.
The Living Your Legacy Podcast
The Firefighter’s Guide to Business With Adam McFadden
and he looked at me across the table and he said are you asking for the sale and i said yes sir i am and he said all right let's do it and uh and and i always remember that and i carry that with me each and every day through my business yeah i think the amazing part like i still remember the first like