From Foster Homes to a $40 Million Private Lending Business

Abraham Gray grew up moving from foster family to foster family before he found martial arts and business. Today he buys around 15 properties a month in Atlanta and has 40 million dollars out in private loans. What we cover: - How he built a martial arts empire, four gyms and hundreds of classes a week - Why sixty five to seventy percent of his deals come from wholesalers and how he gets on their lists without talking to them - His loan-to-own philosophy: he underwrites the asset, not the borrower, assuming any loan might never get repaid - How lending to a few close friends in the late 1990s grew into a business with 40 million dollars out at all times - Building Gator lending with Pace Morby and funding SubTo entry fees through Deal or No Deal - What building something this size actually costs and how he made other people millionaires alongside him Abraham has bought properties from sellers since 1998 and has run dozens of businesses, from baseball cards to jewelry to martial arts gyms, before building his current lending business in Atlanta. ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 Preview 01:03 From Martial Arts to Becoming the Bank 01:53 Growing Up Fast and Getting Into Business 03:05 What Martial Arts Taught Abraham 04:55 Turning a Gym Passion Into a Business 06:38 Buying Houses Directly From Sellers 08:13 Why Nasty Houses Can Be the Best Deals 09:34 Buying 15 Properties a Month in Atlanta 11:01 Getting Deals From Wholesalers 12:11 Underwriting Fast and Knowing Your Market 14:47 Becoming a Private Lender 16:37 Growing to $40M in Loans 18:20 Selling Deals vs. Fixing and Flipping 20:13 Buy-and-Holds, Subto and Owner Finance 20:55 Abraham's ARV Formula in Atlanta 21:56 Lending to Friends and Early Borrowers 24:09 How Abraham Sizes Up a Borrower 25:06 The Loan-to-Own Model 25:43 When a Borrower Dies During a Deal 27:00 Minimum Returns and Lending Terms 28:01 Running 150+ Loans With One Person 29:17 Building Gator Lending With Pace Morby 31:50 Deal or No Deal and Funding Entry Fees 33:19 How Abraham Met Pace 36:45 Vetting Partners and Protecting Reputation 39:41 Managers and Running Multiple Businesses 40:29 Learning to Spot Good Operators 41:39 The First Hire That Freed His Time 43:20 Why Systems Make Delegation Possible 44:18 Learning From People Ahead of You 45:42 Taking Smart Risks 46:20 From Foster Homes to Financial Freedom 48:23 Staying Focused Before Expanding 49:00 Helping Students Become Millionaires 54:06 The Sacrifices Behind Success 56:25 Teaching the Next Generation 56:51 Advice for People Who Feel Stuck 57:53 Lending Against a Lamborghini 59:40 Who Abraham Wants to Work With 1:00:20 Where to Connect With Abraham 1:01:08 Martial Arts, Jiu-Jitsu and Final Thoughts 🤝 Connect with Abraham Gray 📧 Email: [email protected] 👉 Don't forget to 👍like, 💬comment, 🔔subscribe, and share. 🔧 Tools & Resources Mentioned 🔧 Some of the links below may be affiliate partnerships. We only share tools we personally trust and use. 💸💸 Need funding for your next deal? Get approved fast here: 👉 app.dealfunding360.com/?ref=EdgarSalgado 💤 Sleep better, dream bigger! — Eight Sleep 👉 https://refer.eight.sl/edgardsalgado 💵 Prime Corporate Services (LLC setup + business credit) 👉 https://primepartner.info/edgardsa 💵 Foundational Funding, EMD, Transactional Lending, Double Close 👉 https://foundationallending.com/funding-wl?ref_name=Josh+Smith&[email protected] ► Join the SubTo Community and learn creative finance from Pace Morby 👉 https://join.nre.ai/mQ9T9vZ ► Learn to make money on other people's deals with the Gator Method 👉 https://join.nre.ai/mQBDJK5 ► Tools I use for productivity 👉 https://linktr.ee/EdgartheConnector 🔌 PLUG IN & SUBSCRIBE 🔌 Instagram: @edgartheconnector TikTok: @edgarsrei 🚧 DISCLAIMER 🚧 We are not a CPA, attorney, insurance, contractor, lender, or financial advisor. Content is for entertainment purposes only; verify all information yourself.