Meet John Sarkisyan, a man who allowed nothing to stop him from working 600 hours writing graffiti with a sharpie on this BMW M3. We originally reached out to him to talk about his amazing artwork and the dedication it took to complete such a project, but in exchange realized that there was so much more behind the car than meets the eye. John is the perfect definition of the American dream and is the greatest example of why you should never give up no matter how difficult the road ahead looks.

Here is his story…

John moved to the US at the early age of 10 and came from an average family, one that worked hard to make ends meet but never had much more than just comfort. At a very early age John always knew what he wanted, he wanted to be wealthy and he knew that his love for cars and art would be his driver to getting there. Early on his workdays John started working for Harbor Motorsport, a car customization shop located in the heart of Orange County, CA. After working there a few years, John decided to take over the shop and buy the owner out as he felt the true potential of the shop wasn’t quite there and he envisioned something much greater for the shop and there was born HMS, one of the US’s most reputable Euro Tuners.

What is HMS? Tell us more about what you guys exactly do?

HMS is primarily a Mercedes tuning shop, we do everything to higher end Mercedes cars, from interior to exterior, we have the capacity to turn your car into the unique 6 figure car it should have been. We do Euro cars as well but are well known in the industry for our Mercedes AMG work. Since we are primarily a project shop, meaning clients want us to do everything to their cars, clients just drop off their cars and allow me to do my thing with them. Those are really the projects we strive for as I am very independent and take every project we receive as my own, and therefore create art through the cars.

That’s right you said you were an artist?

That’s my ultimate passion; I love art, and currently have a loft on the second floor of the HMS tuning facility that I use as my art gallery. I hope to have an exhibition soon and start selling some of my art more publicly. Right now, its more a hobby with some elements incorporated into the car lifestyle, as you may have seen the sharpie car I did…

About that Sharpie car… What was that all about? Tell us all about the reason behind it? Are you the one that did the Gallardo from Miami?

No, actually that car belongs to the owner of Lamborghini of Miami, and he had someone else do that car, then I saw the work complete and thought to myself that I can do much better than that Gallardo. A friend of mine at the time shared the facility with us and primarily tuned BMW race cars, he offered his best project car as my guinea pig and next thing you know I was in way above my head. It took 8 months to complete the project and over 600 work hours. You have to understand that a project of that magnitude really messes with your head. There would be days when I would work on the car for 10 hours straight and only to realize that I had only one panel done, its mind boggling the amount of work that took. There were times when I got so upset that I wanted to run the car in a wall or even burn the car, but in the tend with the support of a few friends that helped me complete the last 5% of the car I was able to survive the challenge. The entire car is done with a sharpie pen using tribal graffiti techniques and all the images are a reflection of most of the elements in my life, mostly women , cars and other achievements or accomplishments I’ve experience. The car itself is probably my greatest achievement; it showcases my commitment to never giving up and being able to push through the hardest challenges.

Did you ever do any other sharpie cars?

I’ve been wanting to but due to the amount of time and effort it takes, I haven’t been able to find the right client, a few close calls but nothing concrete yet, I would like to do this with my own rules as it takes a chunk out of my life for doing it and so I can’t just do it for cheap. I have been wanting to do a GTR really badly.

Talking of challenges, what were your hardest ones?

Other than the Sharpie car, creating HMS and really pushing it forward as a brand was a real challenge, I like to work alone, and so even though my father and brother help me out, its still my shop and I am very picky about my work. Being picky is good but also has its downfalls as it takes time for your clients to just trust you and drop off their cars as they do now. It took time and hard work getting HMS to where it is today but it was all worth it.

Did you always work with cars? You said you used to work there first, was that you first job?

No, I’ve always had jobs in the car industry. I used to sell wheels or just do a car there and there until it made sense to start working at a shop and then eventually made sense to take a risk but move forward and take ownership.

We’ve heard you are pretty well known on the West Coast?

I have been featured in many magazines, from INK, which was a personal favorite as its really hard to get in to Heavy Hitters which has had my work in there a few times. I’ve also been featured in a series of tuner and BMW magazine for my work on the M3.

Do you have any personal cars you work on? Tell us about your toys?

I was pretty famous for my CLS63 which was one of the most modified and publicized AMG’s on the planet. It was a real special car and had quite a bit done to it. We redid the entire interior  in alcantra as well as the engine and exterior full redone. I sold it a few years back.

I still have my BUG and it has quite a bit of work in it, close to 100k to be exact!

I also have a CLK55 which I drive around for now, and just purchased another project which I am trying to complete for SEMA this year. Its going to be one of a kind I have a secret name for it (Secret Entourage: We know how to keep a secret)

All these accomplishments, where do you see it all go in 5 years? And what motivates you to keep going.?

My art work is my ultimate final accomplishment, I would like it if more people were aware of it and I was able to open a gallery, I am highly motivated by money so hard work comes naturally, since the age of 14, I have always been pushing for the lifestyle I want and not the one I was born into.

Any tips for our readers?

“NEVER GIVE UP”

Well thank you John for taking the time to talk to us at Secret Entourage, we wish you the very best for years to come and will make sure to visit HMS next time we are on the west coast.

For more info on HMS motorsport, visit HMS Motorsports

Make sure to also visit john’s personal blog and check out his cool artwork  Slang 500

Perception is everything and in today’s world the perception of money is often associated with cars, but is it always true? There are many ways to create the perception of money in this country using no more than a simple average dollar car, you just have to know which one to pick. The phrase “you have to pay to play” is true but you don’t always have to pay up front to get the car that will make all your friends drool and ask you “What do you do?”. Secret Entourage takes you to our top 5 picks for most baller cars without a baller price.

#5 – (2004-2006) Audi A8 – The Audi A8 is the flagship of Audi and carried a price tag of $100,000 when new, it features state of the art electronics and gadgets and has one of the best looking interiors you will ever sit in. The car also sports a nice V8, with a very nice set of modern 19″ wheels if you get the sports model as you should. The Audi A8 has not been redesigned yet and isnt expected to appear in its new shape till 2011, which gives you till 2012 for the current body to look outdated and lose its ultra luxury feel. Just keep in mind that 2004 and 2005 models had electronics issue but were all resolved, so please make sure that you are clearly checking the warranty history of the Audi A8 you select.

#4 – (2004-2006) BMW 745LI – The flagship of BMW needs no introduction and comes in two wonderful models, the 745i and the 745li, both of which were selling again close to $100,000 when new. The 2004 and up models had the most improved I-Drive system and can be found for mid $20,000 all day long. Finding one with a warranty will not be easy but still worth a shot. This car’s appeal will stop crowds everywhere and simply say “I am successful” if maintained properly. The new 750i model was releases by BMW last year but is still too new and pricey to be seen on the street everywhere just yet. I predict that you still have 12 months of baller left out of their car and then you’ll have to cough up some real cash on a newer one.

#3 – (2005-2006) Range Rover HSE – Everyone knows Range Rovers, and its simply the rich man’s Hummer but it is very good looking, luxurious and commands presence when driven on the streets. Besides just being a good looking SUV, the Range Rover Sport and Range Rover HSE full size are very useful during snow storms. The beauty here is to find a nice 2005 Pearl White HSE and put a set of 24″ D2Forged Wheels on it. You have the perfect recipe for a unique luxury perspective. The new Rover HSE starts at $75,000 and well optioned can go upwards of a $105,000. The 2010 is by far much more striking to the car connoisseur but is not out there as much and doesn’t look that different when side by side, meaning that this mode should have another 2-3 years of awesomeness left.

#2 – (2004-2006) Mercedes E55 – Not quite the size of a full luxury sedan, but none the less a mid size that sports a real AMG badge, a V8 with 520lb ft of torque, massaging seats and Brembo brakes. The E55 is our #2 choice as it will forever remain a classic and in the hearts of all car enthusiast. The car new sold for $98,000 well loaded and is simply a car you don’t mess with. The body despite being now outdated by the new and innovative new 2011 E Class design, will never die as it is the last to sport the 5.4L motor that was loved by so many and abandoned by Mercedes for the new efficient 6.2L. This car is and forever will remain the classic “beast” and therefore still screams “baller”.

#1 – (2003-2006) S500 and Cl500 – Nothing screams ” I have money” more than a big body Benz and the last generation S and CL were no exception and still are looked at as expensive by the general public. The classic lines of the old benzes will forever live on as new Benzes look nothing like their old predecessors, meaning that to the common eye the new S and CL have not grown to be the flagship of Mercedes just yet, partially due to the fact that these cars sell well in the mid $100,000 and are very futuristic looking. Get your old Cl500 or S500 while you can but make sure to opt for one with the AMG body styling package as they simply look cheap without them. You should have a good 2 years left before the new S Class drops in the low 30K range making this last generation look cheap.

This concludes our top 5 pick for most baller cars under $30,000 but keep in mind that with all these cars, we strongly recommended buying them with some sort of warranty or certified program as repairs have not gotten cheaper just cause the car has, and make sure that you are not spending the money you are saving on repairs. Taking proper care of your car and having it look always new is one of the main factors that draw crowds to a car, so please keep them clean out there.

SR Auto Group does it again with this very unique Gallardo. We are biased to the Gallardo since we have our own little project going on here but when we heard that SR was doing a project called Monaco, we immediately wondered what that meant as they now combined our favorite vacation spot with one of our favorite cars.  The result was nothing less than this flawless execution of another dime from SR Auto Group’s collection of exotics.

SR Auto’s Project Monaco is fitted with a Hamann Kit and vinyl wrapped in Monaco Blue, which is simply striking to see. From one angle, looks flat blue, and another looks baby blue but none the less striking. It is actually a unique color mixture of mid-tone slate grey and a hint of ‘air force blue’

Wheels

Agetro 20” F100, Matte Black Face/Gloss Black Lip

Exterior

Monaco Slate Grey Exterior Body Wrap

Hamann Front Lip

Hamann Side Skirts

Hamann Rear Apron

Euro Side Markers

Once again SR Auto Group has outdone themselves with this stunning and very original version of the Gallardo. We wouldn’t have expected any less from these guys. Check out their site for more insane projects at SR Auto Group.

Over the weekend we had the chance to go on one of the runs set up by the folks at L4P. Usually their runs are long distance cruises that last at least an hour. This time it was kept to a simple 20 minute cruise within Orange County, CA. I’m assuming they kept this one short to prepare for the next one coming up that is from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara. Being that it was our first attendance, we didn’t know what to expect. But all in all it was a good time with good people. Enjoy our photographic timeline of the L4P cruise.

Most of the guys here had met up at Cars and Coffee in Irvine, CA first. But since Cars and Coffee empties out by 9am, the actually meeting point for the cruise was at a Starbucks a few miles away. Stay tuned for Cars and Coffee coverage too!

Randy’s daily driven Gallardo Superleggera. All self wrenched and sporting the first Super Trofeo front bumper. Only in SoCal you’d see someone daily drive a Lamborghini.

A pair of new BMW M3’s and Steve’s matte black F430 at the Starbucks. If we tried running non state tags back home we’d get thrown in jail!

This fella claimed he had a  “2100 LB” Ferrari F430 Scuderia. Lighter than a Miata? Sure…. but hey anything’s possible right? You be the judge…

A pair of Rossion Q1’s. Rumor has it that one of these was packing 525 wheel horsepower.With a weight of less than 2500 lbs, this is pure power to weight. I believe he said they’ve done 0-60 in 2.9 sec!

A meet in California is never complete without Lamborghini’s. The owner also has a F430 too. There’s some footage of this LP640 launching at a stoplight somewhere….

A red Murcielago driven by a young guy. It had Raging Bull Performance banner on the windshield. Nice color that you don’t see often.

At around 10:30am everyone started to head on out. The route was relatively simple with a mix of highway and country roads to ultimately end up in Newport Beach.

Naturally Aspirated V10 or Twin Turbo V6? Take your pick. You know I’d take the Gallardo!

The sole Ferrari 360 Modena on the cruise.

You can never get tired of looking at the rear end of a Murcielago. Unfortunately he left the cruise half way into it.

Once we got off the highway onto some side roads, the run was pretty slow paced due to traffic. This is a traffic jam I wouldn’t mind being a part of!

If there’s one picture to sum up why we love Southern California from the cruise then this is it. From the exotic cars, to the amazing scenery, Southern California is a must visit for those who have never been.

The end destination was at Javier’s Mexican restaurant in Crystal Cove. This shopping center is actually where the original Cars and Coffee was held until it was shut down.

30 or so cars came on the cruise from all makes ranging from Nissan GTR’s to Mustang’s.

Diverse cars & diverse crowd. You don’t need a fancy car to attend these. What’s great is that anyone can come as long as you’re an enthusiast.

Steve’s matte black F430 with another matte black Mercedes CL65 AMG. You’ll see a lot of flat black cars in California.

It was nice to put names to faces but overall it was a good time although we wish the route was a little bit longer. Driving down the Pacific Coast Highway in a pack of exotics is just something else. From the cars, to the scenery, to the multimillion dollar mansions up on the hills, this is motivation at it’s finest. Stay tuned as we plan to attend more of the L4P events.

Are we really incompetent? Are we a lost cause?

After viewing a recent report on Fox5 news in Washington DC, I decided to give my own take on this very relevant subject that is very aligned to the Secret Entourage mindset. Before I tell you my take on the future of Generation Y, I want you to understand more about why Generation Y is perceived as reckless and incompetent to some…

There are a few things that do need to change about Generation Y in order for this generation to be the one to change the world rather than help it go down in flames. Generation Y currently is faced with three major issues, issues that could potentially harm all of our futures if not addressed and fixed quickly.Keep in mind that not all of these apply to everyone, however they do apply to most that are part of this Generation. I, myself, am part of Gen Y but simply don’t fall into this category.

1. We expect instant gratification: This is our greatest flaw. Most Gen Y’s expect reward without real work. Known for their weaknesses in falling for pyramid schemes / MLM programs simply due to the fact that making lots of money without work seems to be their growth model. This is both a positive and a negative, as much time can be wasted pursuing something that doesn’t exist like an empty dream of making millions and doing very little work for it.

2. We are industry experts or pretend to be: Just because we hear something on the news or read something on a blog and it clicks with us, we become industry experts and push that opinion on others. In other words, we preach something we just learned and speak of it as an opinion despite it never having been our own and we don’t back it up factually cause it would take too much work.

3. We don’t value history enough, therefore don’t plan ahead: There are so many financial events that repeat themselves and yet it seems like we are never prepared for them, its simply because most of us live day by day, and not such much for the past, present and future which creates problems as we transform from people with growth potential to survivors that simply eat, play and sleep never increasing their game to the next level.

4. We spend and don’t save. This is by far one of the worst qualities found in most Gen Y’s. We love to wastefully spend and simply have no value for money or its importance. Many of us have backing through families that worked hard to accumulate wealth so this cushion exists for some of us that makes it feel like savings is unnecessary as long as we get what we want when we want it.

But WHO are we…

I always have this analogy that I talk to my car friends about our Generation to put this in perspective for them… 10 years ago, we liked cars and started driving them and owning them. We used to hang out at local fast food joints and everyone used to roll their Honda and Acuras, others with muscle cars and then started the craziness of tuning and its mainstream street appeal… Then, suddenly you don’t see any more Hondas and Acuras tuned on the streets, especially none of the new generations as they were in the past and many of those tuning shops went out of business, others evolved to tune other things that are not Japanese… Then suddenly comes this craze 3 years later that is all high end European BMW and Mercedes and the tuning continued but evolved to more precise and expensive levels…. But now this has not ended unlike the Japanese market, instead it has taken two shapes. One that continues to tune high end European and the other that evolved into the Exotic car market. All these changes are not new generations interested in the same tuning parts, these are all Generation Y’s evolution through the car markets as we evolved in the job market.

Here is how I see it…

Like it or not there are two sides to Generation Y, those that get it and those that will get it late BUT all will get it at some point.

Those that fail to get it are those that always put a negative twist on everything, pretend to have money, talk a big game when they have nothing, and dream so large without a real plan. Their plan is to follow anothers footsteps into success but the problem is that because they are industry experts after reading two lines, they believe all they read so they don’t question things as they want to believe in this business of getting rich quick. These are the exact people that should be on Secret Entourage daily, so they get educated and change their perspective on life and growth and not so much follow a guy that works at Primerica and earns nothing but yet tells people he makes 30K a month and drives a 97 Maxima.

Those that get it, will use their negatives to turn them into positives… We may not want to work hard the rest of our lives in Corporate America to make average money, but we are not going to sit back and wish for a miracle, we are going to do something about it and create or build something that we can use to leverage our dreams. We are the creators of Facebook, MySpace and many other online resources, all of which may be looked at entertainment by some but are really unbelievable innovations that have shaken and redefined the world of business and how it is perceived. We may not like to save but we will spend openly on things that matter to our growth instead of clubs and drinks, and by being willing to spend, we take risk which can be turned into profit. Despite not really being industry experts we will take time to research things that interest us on a deeper level, and then will really become industry experts, unlike our counterparts that read one line, we will read the entire book… We are that rare breed that drives exotic cars at a young age, that same breed that gets looked at by every old person as arrogant, and misbehaved because we know how to enjoy and celebrate our success, this is the Gen Y that will lead this economy into innovation and change.

There is a lot of real potential that can and will come from Gen Y, some of it already has but the only way we can drive our economy forward is if more of us wake up and stop wasting time but instead become leaders and drive our own lives everyday.

Our Friends at D2forged have been hard at work building this very beautiful and sexy Aston Martin Vantage. We are partial to the Aston Vantage as we have our own very unique, one of a kind Vantage that also sports D2 Forged wheels; but this is none the less another incredible display of why Aston Martin once again has created a true competitor to the Porsche 911. This particular car is also the true flagship of D2 Forged as they do dominate the Aston Martin crowd with some of the finest wheels found for that marquee.

From D2 Forged: When we picked up a Aston Martin Vantage V8 as a D2FORGED Wheels shop car, we added a set of VS1’s, lowered it and made history when we posted pics. For stage two, we wanted to do some aero mods, so we reached out to sponsor RSC tuning for their Carbon Fiber Front Splitter and Rear Diffuser. We took it a step further with a custom matte finish for the front spoiler. We also added lowering springs, custom exhaust bypass, K-40 jammers, and tint.

D2FORGED CV2 with X-Lip Package
20×9.5 – 3.0” lip
20×11 – 4.5” lip
BBC Finish w/ Chrome Lip

This car is truly striking in color as well as modifications and does a great job at taking a rather dark color and creating a fun outcome without losing the luxury appeal that the car is meant to have. Another job well done and an alternative to the VS1 Wheels found on our Aston Martin “Heaven” Project.

For more information on D2 Wheels or to place your own order contact Derrick at info@d2forged.com or visit them at D2 Forged Wheels.

As the race for wheel domination continues in the world, ADV1 is ready to position itself for the ultimate expansion. The critics continue to rave that ADV1 keeps growing while maintaining high quality standards, and that their popularity has surpassed the competition by a mile, but how can one contain such growth and continue to grow properly with such demand and such little time. One of the biggest drawbacks of fast growth is the expectation you set for your clients, which constantly want improvement and makes it difficult sometimes to outdo the competition, especially when the competition is “YOU”.  We sit down with Jordan Swerdloff to hear more about his business strategy and what he has in store for ADV1 Wheels as major change is rumored to be on the way.

When we last spoke you introduced us to the partnership that ADV1 created with German tuner ATT Tec. You are now expanding the brand across Russia, China and Japan? Can you explain the strategic reason behind the Asian expansion? How do you plan on competing with such a new wheel in such a saturated market like Japan?

We’ve actually seen a high demand for ADV.1 since it’s inception all over Asia which was surprising to me since as you mentioned it is a saturated market. As explained previously, the reason for the International expansion is really simply due to International demand. Customers find ADV.1 and ask their local retailers if they can get it, eventually we build relationships with multiple dealers in a particular region and we’re able to weed out the good from the bad and typically this results in an Exclusivity agreement between us. It’s in our best interest to have a solid, reputable dealer as our Exclusive distributor for every major region. This eliminates price wars and helps build more of a demand for the product, especially if the company is well routed and capable of marketing the product properly. This is what we look for in an Exclusive Dealer, the ability to create awareness of the product, market it correctly and most importantly conduct good, reliable business with us. We really don’t base the agreement on who’s placing the largest buy in, instead it’s based on who we work best with, and who we feel we’ll have a good long term relationship with.

As for competing with other brands, I honestly don’t plan ADV.1 around competing with others, I feel that this intent would influence the design and image of the company, since you’re designing to do better than someone else, as opposed to designing what I really want to see. This is something I’ve always stayed away from, I try not to even look at other trends or companies for that reason. So to answer your question, I don’t plan on competing : ) I have already won !

There seems to have been new wheel designs released by ADV1, what is the deep concave Flowspec program? How does it differ from an existing concave?

Flowspec is something we’ve been working on since last September. It’s our cast program, which is a lower priced, higher volume version of our 1 piece forged wheels. The cast models are excellent quality, but cost much less to make as they’re made in substantial volume runs of the same exact wheel and use a high pressure casting system as opposed to individual machining and engineering. The downside is the wheels are not customizable as far as offset, pcd, or center bores so they’re only available for the vehicles that they’re designed for as our forged wheels are machined and engineered individually for each vehicle, and to the customers specific fitment taste and style. We’ve designed several molds for some of our popular applications and we’ll continue to develop more as we progress. They offer a great looking alternative at a much lower price, as long as your vehicle is one we’ve developed the Flowspec line for such as a BMW M3, or Mercedes SL. They’re not as light or strong as our forged wheels, but for normal street use and / or weekend club racing they’re excellent. We’ve based the price point to be in the sub $3k range, so it’s a great alternative if a forged wheel at $5-6k+ is out of the budget. So far we’ve sold out of all initial inventory, so it looks like it’s going to be great.

We haven’t noticed a lot of new pics from ADV1 this past month? Any super hot projects cars for this month you guys have outdone yourselves on?

With the new site about to launch, I’ve kept everything under wraps for the past couple months to add to the epicness : )

I will say that there’s some pretty insane stuff I’m hiding! Maybe not too many super exotics like the Reventon we did, but some absolutely sick setups and ET’s on some “Normal” cars like our project Murcielago, a pair of TT LP640’s we did with SP, maybe a little deep concave SLR somewhere in their, some deep concave step lip setups on M3’s, CLS, and Z06’s, a little matte black E63 on deep concave’s, maybe some 22″ Deep concave step lip action on the Bentley GT SS…Should I go on?

We hear you are relaunching your site? its already one of the hottest out there…what can one expect from ADV1wheels.com after September 1st? A rumor has it that secret will be on there?

The new ADV1wheels.com is launching 9.1.10, and let’s just say I got kinda bored of the old one…

I’ve redesigned the new site to be not only a complete up to date catalog of ADV.1, but also as an online database of epicness. A site anyone can go to and spend hours reading and looking at this small community of modified exotic vehicles that for most people are unimaginable. Kind of like a constantly changing, daily updating news and image gallery that can be used as a reference tool for what’s setting the pace for the industry. We’ve put alot of time into it, and it involves constant upkeep but the end result will be incredible. Aside from all that fun stuff we’re also integrating a private client only forum where members can check the daily progress of their orders, get inside information and see the latest projects and behind the scenes action before anyone else. Overall, the International source for the newest exotic modifications by ADV.1 and our partners, including Secret Entourage obviously!  “This is what Secret Calls innovation, always thinking ahead and leading instead of following”

In a very short period of time, you seem to have grown larger and better than ever before, but many know that growing quickly is something that you are no stranger to. What steps are you taking to sustain growth and not be overwhelmed by it?

Good question. Really everything about ADV.1 and it’s initial setup was designed to be properly prepared for exactly that. Every flaw previously experienced was analyzed and taken into consideration during the setup and planning period to ensure that WHEN it takes off we would be prepared for it. Obviously it’s been bumpy at times and we’ve had to make changes along the way in order to keep up, but overall we’ve handled it well and I would say that as of right now we’re prepared for even more additional volume. We’ve increased staff in Miami and California and our production manager Terrence in Garden Grove has absolutely taken the companies internal production to another level. We’re currently running on an average lead time of 37 days, which isn’t as fast I would like but I’m very happy with it right now and I know it’s getting better. We’ve grown about 300% since January organically without any major effort to increase sales, instead I’ve made it a point to let it grow on it’s own while we focus on production efficiency and organization so that when I say it’s time to push it we’re all prepared. You’re about to see that happen very soon : )

Any plans of expansion in terms of manufacturing facility?

I wouldn’t say expansion as far as size or equipment, but we have made a lot of improvements in that department. We have a great relationship with our partners at MHT who machine our wheels and work with us on a lot of manufacturing aspects. Originally we started as more of a “private label” of theirs but we’ve grown to be much more than that with our own ADV.1 staff, CNC machines, assembly, inventory, engineering, finishing, etc which we’ve set up in Garden Grove. We’ve built a great relationship and they’ve really been a big part of ADV.1 since day one, so I’m glad that we’re returning the favor and keeping them busy. As far as future plans, as of right now we’ve just completed some major improvement projects so we’re pretty well set up for a substantial growth, however I’m sure as we progress we’ll continue to do whatever we need to do in order to keep up.

Well guys, that’s all we bring you this month on where ADV1 stands as a small preview of whats to come next month as we unveil and deep dive the in the world of ADV1 with the launch of their newest website, newest projects and perhaps something else unique that will have to be seen to be believed but we’ll leave that to next time…

Check out ADV1 full wheel lineup at ADV1 Wheels

You should know that by being a racing driver, you are under risk all the time. and if you no longer go for a gap that exists, you no longer a racing driver because we are competing, we are competing to win, and the main motivation to all of us is to compete for victory, its not to come 3rd, 4th, 5th or 6th, I race to Win, as long as I feel its possible – Ayrton Senna

I recently watched a video that truly inspired me. The video you are about to watch is about 7 different perspectives and their emotions around the Acura NSX. Despite being a car video, I have realized through people’s reaction that it is simply a work of art and has very little to do with the car itself.

The lines shared above are from that video and bring up a very good perspective on winning. We discussed the importance of learning from our mistakes and more importantly valuing the experience more than the victory but can we ever give up on winning? Isn’t the ultimate goal in life to win in everything we do, in every venture we take on or any new job we start?

One of my main motivations in life has always been cars, and the luxury lifestyle I possess today, but it yet very far from over. As I never want to lose, no matter how many races I’ve won or how many times I’ve come up ahead. I highly encourage you to rethink you perspective on giving up or settling in life through this video.

Have their been times when you have settled thinking you couldn’t do better, yet never tried to? Has their been times when you went out with someone that you felt was as good looking as you could see, but yet never asked the real girl you desired? These behaviors in your day-to-day life are no different than you attitude towards your business. If you choose to settle for an average life, average business and the average family, then this is exactly what you will get. Starting a business can be frustrating, can take time to succeed and can also be the reason you sacrifice everything but yet you would be willing to settle at just making your business the 3rd best?

Mindset is simply something no one can help you with but yourself and thinking about your own situation is the main key here. Analyze your life today and ask yourself, how many components of my life have I settled on? Did I really give up? Or did I simply loose faith in myself? Then fix them and settle for nothing less than the victory you want.

So remember we learn from our mistakes and the experiences that enabled us to become who we are but ultimately we do so to win next time, not become 3rd,4th,5th or 6th but to win as long as its possible.

A common problem these days is the adjustments that ARM loans are going through causing homeowners everywhere to pay down more and more of their debt in order to level their home’s value and not be down under  their ARM loan once its ready to adjust. From paying an additional $100 per month to paying as much as double their payments, homeowners everywhere think that paying down their debt earlier is the key to a successful refinance. The problem does remain that increasing your monthly obligation usually means lowering your savings account balance or choosing to not spend as you were used to.

Having had many conversations with folks regarding this bizarre trend, I offer a different perspective…

There are really two main problems you face when you choose to pay down your loan in order to save yourself from being upside down on your home.

Banks are more eager for you to default: That’s right, when you have positive equity, the bank doesn’t really have to help you in anyway. They can just choose to not help refinance you, meaning you get a nice rate hike and you can’t afford to pay your loan, which gives them your home and a profit. If you owe $800,000 on a $750,000 property, the bank will be willing and more than helpful negotiating new terms, rates and just about anything you want. This keeps you from losing your home or getting a rate and payment hike as the bank would lose a significant amount on your home. If you owe $800,000 on a $1.25 Million home, the bank is simply waiting for you to fail making your payments.

You have less freedom: The opportunity cost can sometimes be hurtful. In this economy, there is just too much insecurity to jeopardize your savings, no matter how good your situation is today. Remember that cash is king in a hurt financial climate and with credit guidelines being tougher, it is not a good idea to give up a piece of your cash in order to pay down a loan. You may not be able to move on a major purchase or simply not have enough for unexpected events.

The other perspective: Paying down your loan is not a good idea but being prepared to do so is an excellent idea. My solution is to simply open a different savings account and put the amount of extra cash you were going to pay down your loan with in there each and every month. This would allow you access to this major sum of money that you might be able to take to the table upon refinancing if needed or will act as savings in case of emergencies that may warrant a need larger than your existing savings. If your problem is solved without this money being touched, then think of it as an additional savings that you can add to your original savings account or leave aside for some really rainy days.

Hope this small tip helped.

It seems these days that everyone who meets someone else more successful wants an immediate mentor. There is a misconception out there as to what mentors do and what good advice can do for you. One common rule to follow in order to not make a fool of yourself is to understand that real money isn’t made overnight, its made with hard work and dedication. Asking a successful person “What do you do?” with the hopes of hearing that they work for some MLM pyramid scheme like Primerica or 5linx is very unlikely but instead expect a very vague answer as most wealthy people have their hands into many things and typically won’t tell you how they made their money but rather something they are working on, even though it may not have made them any money yet.

It becomes highly difficult to find the right people to help you, guide you and offer you sound advice but what if you do fall on a few of these people in your lifetime?

Here are 5 basic rules to follow when finally meeting the one that will take a moment and talk to you:

1. DO NOT sell your ideas

One common mistake made by many dreamers is that they often wish they would meet the one rich guy that will take an idea they have and help them launch it. Often they will bring up their idea in the first conversation and give away all their plans while indirectly asking the person if they would interested in helping launch it. There two main problems here, the first one being that the person you’re pitching doesn’t know you nor care about your idea, as you have nothing more than an idea and nothing keeps that person from taking your idea and simply going forward on their own. The second problem is that successful wealthy people don’t do business with random people they meet on the street and definitely don’t do business on day one with someone that has nothing to show for themselves yet. Even if you idea is good, it will most likely end on death ears. Value the person’s time too, as they are most likely very busy and therefore are being generous with their time.

2. DO NOT Contradict.

When asking for advice, please remember that you asked a question and now will get an answer, therefore you must listen and not argue. If you knew it all to begin with, then why did you ask the question. Many people often have a too much self confidence and therefore start to question everything they hear and state their opinion as to hearing otherwise by others. You asked for an answer, we gave you one. We didn’t give you the answer, we gave you one answer and really don’t care about what you have heard previously. You can ask us to expand on that if you need clarification.

3 ASK relevant questions only

Ask questions that are relevant to what you have been told. Asking a lawyer if he knows the path to medical school is simply stupid. Ask questions that the mentor would be able to answer. A good example would be that you are trying to launch a website design company and yet meet a very successful business owner, so perhaps relevant questions regarding his use of web designs and the role they play in his everyday business.

4. DO NOT get to nosy.

Asking questions like ” How much do you make?” or asking very dumb questions like ” How much do you pay a month for your Ferrari?” are simply arrogant and ignorant, without mentioning a huge turn off for your mentor. Do not ask details that are personal as they will most likely never be shared. Remember that real wealthy people don’t brag about things, they simply go about their day in an ordinary fashion.

5. Ball is in your court.

Once you receive ALL of this wonderful information and all the advice you can handle, the ball is now in your court and therefore requires you to run with it and act upon it. Do not expect anyone to hold your hand, it is your success and it is in your hands but keep in mind that there was no point in speaking to the person you spoke to if you don’t act upon the new information you have learned. Also keep in mind that if the second time you meet this person you are asking all the same things and really haven’t acted upon anything, they might cut their losses and assume you are a waste of their time.

Those are the TOP 5 things to NOT do when you meet the right person that is going to take time and help you..