Mark B. Murphy is the CEO of Northeast Private Client Group, a national financial planning and wealth management firm serving entrepreneurs and business owners. He specializes in strategic financial planning and helping clients build multi-generational wealth. In 2025, Forbes ranked Mark #1 among Best-in-State Financial Security Professionals in New Jersey, #10 on its Best-in-State Wealth Advisors list, and #15 nationally among Top Financial Security Professionals.

Mark is also a bestselling author and speaker whose book, The Ultimate Investment: A Roadmap to Grow Your Business and Build Multigenerational Wealth, reached #1 on Amazon. He holds a B.S. in Finance from Indiana University and the CLU®, ChFC®, and NFLPA Registered Player Financial Advisor designations. He serves on several corporate boards and is a past president of the Association for Advanced Life Underwriting.

Insights from Mark Murphy on Entrepreneurial Growth and Wealth Creation

When Mark Murphy started in financial services, he was told that networking was the way to build a client base. He decided to take a different approach. Rather than attending events looking for his next client, he focused on making connections and adding value for others, sometimes for years before seeing anything in return. He calls it "net weaving," an approach built around giving first and letting relationships develop over time.

More than 35 years ago, Mark decided he wanted to focus on serving entrepreneurs. He began collaborating with others who shared that goal, building a network where each relationship could contribute to a broader client experience. That model became a way to expand the business beyond what Mark could deliver on his own, and he credits it with helping Northeast Private Client Group grow geometrically rather than arithmetically.

In this episode of The Dealmakers’ Edge, Aaron Strauss and Mark Murphy discuss how Mark developed his approach to networking and collaboration over decades. They also explore the discipline behind entrepreneurial growth, how he evaluates business investments, and why maintaining liquidity matters when building multi-generational wealth.

1:23 - Mark's early background and the foundation of Northeast Private Client Group

2:23 - Choosing net weaving over networking

3:19 - Building collaboration networks around serving entrepreneurs

7:05 - Focusing on unique ability and investing in yourself

9:12 - Northeast Private Client Group and Mark's approach to work-life fulfillment

11:24 - Four questions Mark uses to evaluate new opportunities

12:20 - Learning from failure and recognizing opportunities in setbacks

14:51 - Emotional intelligence, social intelligence, and adversity quotient

16:50 - Why long-term relationships matter in business

20:08 - Using EOS to hire, develop talent, and build company culture

24:55 - Managing wealth through tax strategy and fact-based decisions

29:14 - Overcoming worry and building confidence in yourself and others

Mentioned In The Entrepreneurial Advantage: Building Businesses and Multi-Generational Wealth with Mark Murphy

Northeast Private Client Group | LinkedIn

Mark B. Murphy on LinkedIn

Traction by Gino Wickman

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Aaron Kurlansky is a co-founder and Principal of Sheridan Capital, where he oversees portfolio decision-making, asset acquisition and management, and the firm’s commercial loan origination business. He currently manages more than $750 million in assets and has originated more than $10 billion in commercial loans over the course of his career.

Aaron began his real estate career in property management at Crescent Heights of America in 2000 before moving into mortgage lending with First Meridian Mortgage, where he later became Senior Vice President. After the financial crisis, he and his partners spent nearly a decade acquiring distressed debt across commercial real estate before shifting their focus to senior bridge lending in 2019.

Insights from Aaron Kurlansky on Bridge Lending and Sponsor Selection

When rates move and a loan no longer pencils the way it did a few days earlier, Aaron Kurlansky pays close attention to what happens next. Sheridan Capital may have to resize the loan or change the structure, and the sponsor’s response tells Aaron something he cannot get from a model. Some understand that the market changed and start working through the problem. Others push back as if nothing has moved.

That distinction matters because Sheridan is not originating loans and handing them off. The firm holds and services what it lends, which means Aaron and his team have to think beyond getting a deal to the closing table. Their background in distressed debt also means they have seen what happens when business plans break down, sponsors stop executing, or a loan becomes a workout. That experience still shapes how they look at credit today.

In this episode of The Dealmakers’ Edge, Aaron Strauss and Aaron Kurlansky discuss how Sheridan evaluates sponsors, how the firm responds as lending conditions change, and where AI can improve analysis without replacing the judgment that comes from having worked through deals when things go wrong.

0:50 - Aaron’s path from property management to distressed debt and bridge lending

3:43 - Focusing on middle-market bridge loans from $10 million to 30–40 million

4:54 - Lending across South Florida, New York, the Midwest, Sunbelt, and West Coast expansion

6:16 - Growing Sheridan’s team and using AI in analysis and asset management

8:45 - Where AI helps and where sponsor judgment still matters

12:04 - Backing experienced sponsors and the difference between syndicators and family capital

13:52 - Adjusting credit decisions as rates and market conditions change

16:38 - Avoiding the race to the bottom and expanding beyond multifamily

18:43 - Why today’s basis is starting to make sense again for equity investors

21:16 - Managing chaos, lender expectations, and complex bridge transactions

26:02 - What real estate professionals need to know about AI, modeling, and markets

Mentioned In Bridge Lending in a Changing Market: Sponsor Selection and Credit Discipline with Aaron Kurlansky

Sheridan Capital Partners | LinkedIn

Aaron Kurlansky on LinkedIn

Enjoy the show? Have a guest in mind? Email us at podcast@aystrauss.com to let us know your feedback and who you want to hear on the next episode.

Connect with Aaron and the A.Y. Strauss team:

• Our website (www.AYStrauss.com)
• Aaron's website bio page (Aaron's bio page)
• Aaron's LinkedIn account (LinkedIn)
• Our Twitter account (@AYStrauss)

Sebastian Post, CFA, is Managing Partner and Co-Head of Investments at Lionheart Strategic Management, where he is responsible for sourcing new investments, capital raising, and managing operations. He also serves on the firm’s Investment Committee. Lionheart invests across real estate credit and equity strategies throughout the United States.

Sebastian joined Fisher Brothers in 2011 and was involved in the creation of Lionheart Strategic Management, which launched its third-party fund management business in 2017. Over his tenure, he has worked across the origination and execution of real estate equity and credit investments, helping grow the platform to more than $1 billion in assets under management.

Insights from Sebastian Post on Real Estate Credit and Deal Flow

There is still strong appetite for real estate credit, but finding the right deals has become the bigger challenge. Sebastian Post sees roughly 1,000 opportunities come across Lionheart Strategic Management’s desk each year, and the firm ultimately closes only about 15 to 20 of them.

That selectivity shapes how Sebastian approaches deal flow and underwriting. Lionheart would rather spend another month or two sourcing than force capital into a transaction that does not fit its thesis. The team leans on direct relationships, banks, and brokers to find opportunities, then looks for situations where its development and operating experience can help navigate more complicated transactions without stretching for the last dollar of leverage.

In this episode of The Dealmakers’ Edge, Aaron Strauss and Sebastian Post discuss what makes a credit opportunity worth pursuing, why deal flow has become a bigger constraint than capital, how Lionheart approaches complicated construction and transitional loans, and where Sebastian is seeing opportunity in the current market.

1:22 - Joining Fisher Brothers and helping build Lionheart Strategic Management

3:02 - How Lionheart’s deal activity has shifted across market cycles

4:04 - More competition in credit and the move toward whole loan executions

5:26 - Lionheart’s deal size sweet spot and senior banking relationships

7:24 - Why credit capital remains available while equity fundraising stays difficult

10:01 - Where Lionheart’s best deal flow comes from

11:02 - Filtering roughly 1,000 deals down to the opportunities worth pursuing

13:35 - Managing the mental side of dealmaking and delivering bad news fast

15:49 - The Gotham deal and navigating a major construction setback

18:49 - Why Sebastian expects rates to stay higher for longer

22:53 - Revisiting Southern markets and renewed opportunity in California and Chicago

24:47 - Why relationships with your peers compound over a career

Mentioned In Real Estate Credit & Deal Flow: Finding the Right Opportunities with Sebastian Post

Lionheart Strategic Management | LinkedIn

Sebastian Post on LinkedIn

Enjoy the show? Have a guest in mind? Email us at podcast@aystrauss.com to let us know your feedback and who you want to hear on the next episode.

Connect with Aaron and the A.Y. Strauss team:

• Our website (www.AYStrauss.com)
• Aaron's website bio page (Aaron's bio page)
• Aaron's LinkedIn account (LinkedIn)
• Our Twitter account (@AYStrauss)