Meet Buddy Rushing | Marine Veteran, President & CEO

We had the good fortune of connecting with Buddy Rushing and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Buddy, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
It started just as an idea. My wife and I were both passionate about Real Estate even before we got married, so we decided to make it official with a name. She loved the idea of beautiful, angelic white feathers and I knew that White Feather was the nickname given to the deadliest sniper in Marine Corps history: Carlos Hathcock. He received this nickname for the white feather he carried in his boonie cover to taunt the enemy as he stalked them, I thought that was badass so I agreed to the name! White Feather was really just a tiny operation, just the two of us flipping houses, wholesaling, Trust Deed lending, doing BRRR deals, buying in our IRA and so on. It didn’t really take off until about three years ago when we decided to do a 1031 Exchange into some properties in Memphis, and that’s when we met someone who would help us change the trajectory of White Feather forever.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
White Feather started simply, but has since grown to become something much more profound, with a greater purpose than I could have ever anticipated when it started. It is now about a singular purpose: To help our nation’s heroes achieve Financial Freedom. So many of our military dedicate themselves fully to their mission, sacrificing eye-watering amounts of themselves, their family, and their overall development at the same time. Unfortunately when they separate from the service their sense of structure, purpose, camaraderie, and financial security all disappear…and all they are left with is a set of skills that don’t translate very well to the civilian world. It’s no secret that the homelessness rate, drug use, suicide and depression rate among veterans is much higher than their civilian counterparts, but it doesn’t have to be that way! White Feather has become a community that allows us to work toward financial freedom, helping each other out along the way, which gives us back that sense of purpose, community, camaraderie and trust…while building toward a future that can change the financial landscape of generations.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Southern California is the greatest place I’ve ever lived, and I’ve been fortunate enough to explore much of the world while in the military. We LOVE Lake Arrowhead, which is this gorgeous private lake up in the mountains north of Palm Springs. We of course love driving the coast from Carlsbad where we live down to San Diego, literally just driving the Pacific Coast Highway is amazing. My wife and I are both crazy about Mexican Cantinas, especially when it’s football season so we would definitely hit Miguel’s or Las Olas and crush some chips and guac while watching the game. And life would not be complete without cruising down to the Oceanside Pier and just walking around, taking in the SoCal sun and vibe, it’s surreal. I’ve never been to a place where you can literally just sit down on the grass and feel like you are exactly where you should be.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Absolutely! The southern California Real Estate Investor Associations were critical to our education and networking. North San Diego Real Estate Investors Association (NSDREI), San Diego Creative Investors Association (SDCIA) and Orange County Real Estate Investors Association (OCREIA). The people there are super inviting and generous with their time and expertise, and they’ve become some of our dearest friends along the way. Mathew Owens of Owens Consulting Group (OCG) is our primary business partner and he’s been a tremendous contributor to our success over the years, even if he is a terrible basketball player. And I have to say that the spark that started it all was when I read Rich Dad Poor Dad in Afghanistan. The book is simply written and short to read, but the concepts inside blew my mind, and convinced me that just because I grew up poor didn’t mean I had to stay that way, and Real Estate could help me change the trajectory of my family forever…which it has done.

Website: www.whitefeatherinvestments.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/edward.rushing.69/