Why Capital Positioning Changed How I Allocate

Hey [First Name],

This week, I was officially voted onto the Board of Directors of the Arizona Private Lender Association (APLA).

APLA is a licensed 501(c)(3) industry organization representing private money lenders in Arizona. Its mission is to promote responsible private capital in real estate and hold lenders to a high standard of conduct. Every member is licensed and regulated by the Arizona Department of Financial Institutions, and the board includes attorneys and long-tenured operators who have built in this space for decades.

I’m the newest member.

But the title isn’t the point.

The Lesson That Changed My Allocation Strategy

When I was playing in the NFL, I was focused on building something that would outlast football.

I bought properties. I invested passively. I followed the typical path.

But the longer I stayed around deals, the more I noticed something I couldn’t ignore:

The lender was often in a structurally stronger position than the equity investor.

Better collateral protection.More predictable outcomes.Less exposure to execution risk — the kind that quietly turns a “great deal” into a long, painful hold.

That doesn’t make equity wrong. I still believe in it.

It means where you sit in the capital stack matters more than most people admit.

How I Pressure-Tested the Model

In 2020, while I was still playing, I started deploying my own capital as a private lender.

No company.No license yet.No team.

Just real reps.

I wanted to see whether the model worked the way I believed it did.

It did.

I obtained my Arizona Mortgage Banker license. In 2023, I founded 42 Solutions to formalize and scale what I had already been doing.

Since then, we’ve funded 60+ loans totaling more than $20M in volume, with no principal loss to our capital partners to date.

This board seat wasn’t earned through marketing. It was earned through operating consistently, conservatively, and transparently.

What This Really Means

Serving on the APLA board places me in conversations around regulatory direction, best practices, and the evolving standards of private lending in Arizona.

For me, it represents:

• Accountability

• Sharper perspective

• Closer visibility into where the industry is headed

Private lending has matured quickly.

Borrowers are more sophisticated.Capital is more educated.Standards are rising.

That’s a positive shift.

Operators who built with discipline from the beginning are positioned to thrive as the environment tightens. Those who relied on shortcuts are finding it harder to sustain.

It reminds me of football. When the game speeds up, preparation and discipline matter more than anything.

That’s how I’ve approached lending from day one:

• Conservative underwriting

• Transparent reporting

• A credit box designed to protect capital, not chase volume

Closing Thought

Titles come and go.

What lasts is structure, discipline, and consistency.

If you’re someone who allocates into private deals and want to better understand how we think about capital stack positioning, underwriting standards, and long-term durability in lending, reply to this email and we can continue the conversation.

Always happy to talk strategy.