From Police Academy Reject to Building a Credit Card Processing Business ft. Mark Masa
Episode of The Level Up Podcast w/ Paul Alex · August 5, 2025 · 1 h 15 min
Host Paul Alex talks with police officer Mark Masa about his rejections, law enforcement career, Christian faith, and starting a credit card processing business.
Summary
Paul Alex, a former police officer turned entrepreneur, interviewed Mark Masa, a California law enforcement officer with about 11 years of service. Masa described growing up poor in an immigrant military family, crediting his father, a former Army Ranger sniper, with teaching him to never forget where he came from and to "dominate humbly." He recounted preaching his first sermon at 15, a high school counselor dismissing his 3.85 GPA, earning a biotechnology degree, and being told he was not a good fit by the Orange County Sheriff's Department before being hired elsewhere.
The two discussed law enforcement careers, including advice for applicants (Masa stressed running and fitness; Alex warned about social media and associations during background checks), Masa's assignments in defensive tactics instruction, drug recognition, drone operation and recruiting, and the media's portrayal of police. Alex argued police work builds leadership skills valuable for business and described working 80 to 100 hour weeks to earn high pay.
Masa explained he joined Alex's Cash Swipe credit card processing program after feeling "house broke," initially suspecting Alex's Instagram ad was a scam. He said he had five merchant accounts using the cash discount program, aimed for 30 by the end of 2025, and planned to focus on Filipino business owners with help from a Tagalog-speaking virtual assistant. Both emphasized the importance of environment and personal ownership.
In closing, Masa discussed his faith, the recent death of his pastor John MacArthur of Grace Community Church, and the parable of the talents as a model for investing, and urged listeners who feel average to "find your why."
Chapters
Linked moment · 0:52Skip to 0:52 using a listen link in the info box.
0:52Introduction
Paul Alex shares podcast rankings and introduces Mark Masa as a police officer, preacher, and credit card processing entrepreneur.
- 2:36
Military upbringing and poverty
Masa describes his Ranger father's lessons and his family's struggles as poor immigrants in North Carolina.
- 6:25
Preaching at 15 and overcoming fear
Masa explains how early preaching taught him to deliver value, and the pair discuss fear as the root of analysis paralysis.
- 12:54
The college counselor's no
Masa recounts a counselor belittling his 3.85 GPA and how he pressed on to earn a biotechnology degree.
- 20:57
Getting into law enforcement
Both men describe being rejected by police agencies and how Masa was later hired and recognized by the agency that turned him down.
- 28:10
Advice for applicants and career growth
Masa and Alex give tips for police applicants, and Masa outlines his first years and specialized assignments.
- 34:16
Police and social media
They discuss how negative media coverage portrays police and how agencies can use social media to show daily realities.
- 37:34
Entering credit card processing
Alex introduces Cash Swipe and Masa explains being house broke and doubting Alex's Instagram ad as a scam.
- 48:24
Environment and mindset
The pair discuss crab mentality, coworkers' skepticism, and why environment determines growth.
- 52:08
Accounts, goals, and future plans
Masa explains the cash discount program, his five accounts, his 30-account goal, and plans to serve Filipino business owners.
- 1:02:31
Faith and business
Masa discusses his pastor John MacArthur and applies the parable of the talents to entrepreneurship.
- 1:06:42
Find your why and closing
Masa urges average people to find their purpose, and Alex closes with contact information and podcast stats.
Key points
What was said, by whom, with the exact words. Timestamps jump to the moment.
- Mark Masa
Masa says his father taught him never to forget where he came from, warning that forgetting is when one begins to fall.
“Never forget where you came from because that's when you begin to fall”
- Paul Alex
Alex says many officers do not realize they have PTSD until they are unable to sleep at home.
“you don't know that you have PTSD until you're at home, not being able to sleep”
- Mark Masa
Masa argues that fear of the unknown in business diminishes once a person realizes their mission is helping people.
“So that fear gets diminished when you realize that the mission is actually helping people”
- Mark Masa
Masa believes he was rejected by a sheriff's department panel because interviewers judged his youthful appearance.
“But that was people just immediately judging me for what I looked like”
- Mark Masa
Masa advises police applicants to prioritize running and fitness, saying officers forfeit the right to be unfit.
“Once you go into law enforcement, you give up the right to be unfit”
- Mark Masa
Masa argues police are disadvantaged in the media because they cannot disclose details of open cases.
“is fighting with their hands tied behind their backs in the media space”
- Paul Alex
Alex recommends that aspiring entrepreneurs spend a few years in policing to build leadership and people skills.
“if you want to get into business, you want to be a multimillionaire, go into policing for a couple of years”
Listen from 37:10 · Law enforcement careers in the United States
- Paul Alex
Alex says he earned about $250,000 a year as a police officer only by working 80 to 100 hour weeks.
“what I had to do to get to that number, which was 80 to 100 hour work weeks”
Listen from 42:21 · Law enforcement careers in the United States
- Paul Alex
Alex says he committed fully to entrepreneurship by selling his house and moving away, which brought his biggest growth.
“when I decided I was going to go full-time entrepreneur, I was burning the boats”
- Mark Masa
Masa argues a negative environment makes it easy to be pulled down, comparing it to standing on a table.
“When you have an environment that drags you down, it's a lot easier”
- Mark Masa
Masa describes his business as moving card processing fees onto consumers through the cash discount program, which he calls the only legal way to do so.
“we go through the only legal way to transfer that fee onto the consumer called the cash discount program”
- Paul Alex
Alex claims traditional processors charge small businesses tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in fees.
“the banks and the large credit card processing companies are charging them tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars a year”
- Mark Masa
Masa says lead acquisition is the hardest part of his processing business and plans to use a virtual assistant to address it.
“The hardest part that I'm running into right now is lead acquisition”
- Mark MasaPrediction · being checked
Masa states his goal is to reach 30 merchant accounts by December 2025, up from five.
“So I want to get to 30. 30 accounts”
- Paul Alex
Alex says merchant accounts typically pay $300 to $1,000 in monthly residual income, with rare outliers far higher.
“On average, you guys can make in residual income $300 to about $1,000, okay?”
- Mark Masa
Masa says he hired a virtual assistant in the Philippines for affordability and Tagalog fluency to build trust with Filipino business owners.
“the reason why I hired my VA out of the Philippines, one, it's affordable. But two is they can speak Tagalog”
- Paul Alex
Alex argues that people who claim to lack time are actually choosing not to make time.
“It's not that you don't have time. It's you choose not to have time”
- Mark Masa
Masa says his late pastor's church stayed open during COVID and was sued by Gavin Newsom.
“He was sued by Gavin Newsom. Our church was one of the only churches open during COVID”
- Mark Masa
Masa draws from the parable of the talents that investors should focus on multiplying what they have.
“So for us that are investors, we're looking to see not how much we have but how much we can multiply that”
- Mark Masa
Masa argues that God created humans to work, citing the Garden of Eden.
“God created us to work. Purpose. The Garden of Eden was created for Adam and Eve to work in”
- Mark Masa
Masa urges listeners to vote for Chad Bianco, saying it would help change California.
“And vote for Bianco. That's going to help change California”
- Mark Masa
Masa advises people who feel too average to succeed to find their purpose, their why.
“Finding your why gets you off the tracks and gets you to where you want to go”
People
In the conversation
- Paul AlexFormer Oakland police officer turned entrepreneur, founder of Cash Swipe and host of The Level Up Podcast
- Mark MasaCalifornia law enforcement officer, former youth preacher, and credit card processing entrepreneur (@pinoy.payments)
Discussed
- John MacArthurAmerican pastor and author, described as deceased
- Gavin NewsomGovernor of California, cited for his 2018 primary strategy
- Jocko WillinkNavy SEAL task unit commander in Ramadi
- Chad BiancoRiverside County sheriff and Republican candidate for governor of California
Topics
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From the publisher
🚨 From Police Academy Reject to Building a Credit Card Processing Business! 💳 In this episode of The Level Up Podcast w/ Paul Alex, you’ll hear the powerful story of Mark Masa, a man who turned rejection into redirection. After being told he wasn’t a “good fit” by the police academy, Mark didn’t give up—he doubled down on faith, discipline, and grit. He eventually became a full-time law enforcement officer while preaching and serving his community. But after years of working 70+ hour weeks and feeling “house broke,” Mark knew something had to change. That’s when he discovered the world of credit card processing—and everything shifted. Today, Mark (@pinoy.payments) helps small business owners save thousands on fees while building his own passive income portfolio through Cash Swipe. 🎙️ In this episode, we dive into: How Mark bounced back after academy rejection The spiritual and leadership lessons he gained from preaching at 15 What burnout in law enforcement really looks like How he started his credit card processing business from scratch His vision for mentoring others and serving business owners across the U.S. Mark’s story is a blueprint for anyone stuck in a system that doesn’t value them—and a reminder that your next level often comes after your biggest "no." Your Network is your NETWORTH! Make sure to add me on all SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS: Instagram: https://jo.my/paulalex2024 Facebook: https://jo.my/fbpaulalex2024 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGhDAD1JyGGzSQUPD9lc9HQ LinkedIn: https://jo.my/inpaulalex2024 Looking for a secondary source of income or want to become an entrepreneur? Check out one of my companies below to see if we can help you:www.CashSwipe.com 🎁 FREE Copy of my book “Blue to Digital Gold - The New American Dream”www.officialPaulAlex.com
Summary, chapters and key points were generated from the episode transcript on October 22, 2026. Quotes are checked word for word against the transcript.