The 90-day challenge of the Discovery Channel reality show Undercover Billionaire was completed in the latest two episodes, and with it a successful evaluation for Louis Curtis, aka Grant Cardone.
With one day left before the evaluation, Curtis and partner Matt Smith are hoping to sign one more client in hope of achieving a million-dollar evaluation on their business, Wake Up Pueblo.
In a confessional, Curtis says that if that goal is not reached it will not only damage his reputation, but the 10X brand that is associated with the Cardone name.
Smith and Curtis are successful in signing their fifth client, Cornerstone Roofing, and the building they bought for the Wake Up office space is complete.
Now the biggest obstacle Curtis faces is maintaining his persona until after the evaluator comes to take a look at the startup company.
MORE: Matt Smith discusses Undercover Billionaire Episode 10 and its return to the Discovery Channel
The evaluator, Jim Marty, has no idea who Louis Curtis truly is because that could influence the evaluation. He comes in only to look at the list of clients, annual revenue already scored, how much money the business will put in pocket — after taxes, market value and income stream.
With the addition of Cornerstone, Curtis and Smith have successfully brought in $490,000 worth of contracts from Advantage Home Mortgage, First Oak Bank, Corsentino Construction and Ringside Barbershop.
Curtis also convinced Smith to pay Wake Up to market for his other two local businesses, SNAP Fitness and Snooze Mattress Co.
Curtis is sure that with these clients and the goal of signing two more clients each month for the rest of the year, he will have surpassed the million-dollar mark and predicts the company can be valued at $5.7 million. But Marty isn’t as convinced.
“Right now, they are fresh out of the gate only a month since they have had their first revenue,” Marty said in the episode. “So, being familiar with this industry, as a customer, I am a little concerned that they are a little ambitious adding two customers a month.”
Curtis leaves the meeting seemingly defeated, awaiting Marty’s official evaluation. In the meantime, he has set up a meeting with the team at Wake Up and is ready to let them know who he really is.
After talking about bringing his family to Pueblo for three months, Curtis finally reunites with his wife and two daughters.
The family of four arrives at Wake Up’s office, and Curtis stands in front of Smith, his wife Jenny, and the team.
He tells them he isn’t who he said he was, noting that his father’s name was Curtis Louis which inspired his alter ego, but he is actually Grant Cardone.
Stunned, the team doesn’t say much when they hear the news, but Smith ultimately breaks the silence and said he knew from the get-go that Curtis was something special.
“It was always obvious with all these camera crews and people,” Smith said. “I think the whole team’s jaws dropped a little bit, and we were like, ‘OK who is Grant Cardone?’
“Then when he explained who he was and all that he’s done and it was like, ‘OK this guy is something special.’ When it was all said and done, there was more to this story than meets the eye.”
While Smith knew there was more to Curtis’ story, he said despite people asking Curtis if he was Grant Cardone, he never thought twice about it — trusting his newest business partner.
“There were a couple (times) we were in different areas and people would be like, ‘Are you Grant Cardone?’” Smith said. “He would be like, ‘I wish!’ We just chopped it up to a look alike, but as far as inclination about who he was — I was just enjoying everything going on.
“I never thought he was lying. I knew there was nothing vindictive going on, it was more of I had to put trust in the unknowing going on.”
After the initial shock wore off, Curtis brought out his family to meet the team and begins to tell Smith what the experience did for him.
Curtis makes note of the mindset he came in with, only looking to be successful in the challenge and aggressively pushing to hit the numbers he thought he would need. But in hindsight, he said he recognized that in a town like Pueblo, he realizes that Smith is successful because of his positive mindset and willingness to create personal relationships with those he is working with.
“He told me a couple times, ‘Man if I had your positive attitude, what I could do with this world,’” Smith said. “So, when it was all said and done, it was an honor. That meant a lot to me. It definitely brought some tears to my own eyes.”
While Smith said it was an honor that Curtis would like to be more like him, he said it meant more to him that Curtis and Discovery accurately portrayed his love for the Pueblo community.
“That was my intention from day one,” Smith said. “To help this community.”
Curtis meets with Marty again to go over the final evaluation and is ecstatic when Marty projects the company to be worth $5.5 million.
Smith said he’s still trying to process the events that took place, going from the day Cardone first walked in to SNAP Fitness to then opening a business with the undercover billionaire.
“The aftermath it’s come with, it’s been a blessing for my family,” Smith said. “The highlight of the journey is that I learned a lot more about myself, became a lot closer to our community and the generational change it will have on our community.
“I’m a huge fan of Pueblo, and I love to tell stories through Wake Up about our community through the eyes of the camera.”
Smith said there have been thousands of people coming to the city to see Wake Up since Undercover Billionaire has aired and predicts it will bring in tourism along with many who want to live in the Steel City.
“I think it’s a movement,” Smith said. “I’ll never actually see the generational changes this will impact. It’s a darn TV show, but how special is this? From the Discovery Channel to inspiring and influencing kids and changing the direction and helping our community. That to me, was the ultimate outcome and it’s only just begun.”
Undercover Billionaire will return to the Discovery Channel beginning with Episode 1 the week of April 26. It will feature after the hit show World’s Deadliest Catch.
MORE: Connections make all the difference in ‘Undercover Billionaire’ Episode 8
Chieftain and Pueblo West View reporter Alexis Smith can be reached by email at asmith@chieftain.com or on Twitter @smith_alexis27.
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