Podcasts about just start real estate

Today's Guests: Rob Badhorn & Ernie Vargas In this episode, I get the chance to interview fellow 7 Figure Flippers Rob Badhorn and Ernie Vargas. Rob lives in Arizona, but performs flips and owns rentals in Ohio. He worked in corporate America for 23+ years, handing $1.5B in revenue for Sales Teams Across USA. He is constantly building multiple streams of income, especially during these challenging times, as he considers himself a serial entrepreneur. Rob's rental portfolio includes the flips and/or wholesale of 100+ homes utilizing the marketing strategies of Direct Mail, Bandit Signs, Cold Calling, RVM's/Voice broadcast, FB Custom Audiences, and Texting. He also owns a software company specializing in Lead Generation and Skip Tracing. Highlights From The Show: Ernie Vargas purchased his first house in 1994 and continued doing real estate while working full-time, but he didn't hit the success he felt he was capable of. In 1999, after an accident that left him in a coma, he realized that life was short, so he quit his job and went into investing full-time. Eventually, probate hit his radar and started him on a quest to learn all he could about this niche that no one had answers for. After many years of specializing in probate, Ernie has become a true probate expert, often helping attorneys and their clients in the probate process. His ability to think outside the box coupled with his expertise in negotiating and marketing has allowed him to help several hundreds of investors, agents, and sellers get deals closed. Now Ernie not only has more time to spend with his wife and four kids, but he gets to do what he truly loves doing - helping everyday people create wealth and personal freedom. The guys first began by giving us their backgrounds and what lead them to real estate investing. Ernie described the moment that really changed things for him when he was working as a freezer stocker at a warehouse store that would eventually become Costco. His boss said something to him that made him realize that he wanted much more from life. He changed jobs and on his way to his first day of training, ended up getting into a terrible car accident that left him in a coma. This experience, coupled with a seminar he went to, completely changed his thinking. Rob said his journey was similar to a lot of other investors - he read Rich Dad, Poor Dad, and went to a few seminars, but he said he has always had the bug to get the passive income stream going. He was in the corporate world but purchased a couple of rentals in order to make up his salary so that he could invest full-time. Joining the 7 Figure Flipping mastermind group really changed everything for him. Rob talked about his rental portfolio and how he manages the properties himself while employing one handyman to do the work. I asked how much of the work he actually does himself as far as background checks, collecting rent, etc. and Rob said he thought the thing that changed the most in the past several years was the software available for property management. Even though he has a large rental portfolio, Rob felt the need to expand into other forms of real estate investing to develop multiple income streams, which is why he and Ernie partnered up. I wanted to dig deep into the details of their partnership because so many people struggle with making this work. Ernie said they both have different areas of expertise; Rob is really strong in the area of technology related to real estate and Ernie has become a probate specialist. They had met at a 7 Figure Flipping event and Ernie called Rob concerning skip tracing and the rest is history. We also discussed the issues with probate investing which have been intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic situation. There is so much talk about this type of investing being deceitful that I wanted the guys to explain how they actually help people with integrity. Ernie talked about how many investors shy away from this type of work, but that the demand for people-loving investors is so high because there is a real need to help those who are grieving through the process. These two investors bring so much to the proverbial table and share so much information with you in this episode of Just Start Real Estate. Don't miss my conversation with Rob Badhorn and Ernie Vargas! Notable Quotes: “We get lessons out of anything we experience in life if we allow them to change us.” Ernie Vargas “I was bitten by the idea of opportunity and change.” Ernie Vargas “Have a goal, give that goal a deadline, write it down, and go out and take action.” Ernie Vargas “You do what you can with what you have.” Ernie Vargas “You have to be ready when opportunities come.” Ernie Vargas “The NBA did not work out for me.” Rob Badhorn “It's like bringing a puppy to the park if you are looking for a date.” Mike Simmons “When it can bring value not only to myself but to other people, that's what really gets me excited.” Rob Badhorn “There is a lot more value than just buying the leads themselves.” Rob Badhorn “The ultimate motivated seller is probate.” Ernie Vargas “You have to have a passion for people in this probate business.” Ernie Vargas “Keep moving forward.” Ernie Vargas Thank You for Listening! Connect with Mike on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Linkedin, Facebook Help Out the Show: Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help, and I read each one. Subscribe on iTunes. Resources and Links From Today's Show: Rich Dad, Poor Dad 7 Figure Flipping Buildium LeadFuzion Ernie's Website More Resources From Mike: Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months WINNING DIRECT MAIL - How to CRUSH IT with direct mail! 7 Figure Investor Video Course - Scale your business to 7 figures. I'll show you how!

Mike Simmons will give you the confidence to scale your business in today's episode as he shares his expert advice on doing deals as a new investor, plus investing tips on thriving during shifting markets. Stay tuned to hear his absurd story on making novice mistakes with contractors and how they led to a contractor's lien.   Key takeaways to listen for Factors that affect real estate property values and prices Do's and don'ts when doing deals with contractors The importance of defining your roles in a partnership Strategies for growing a successful business in volatile markets Common mistakes investors make and how to fix them   Resources mentioned in this episode Google Maps Craigslist Amazon books: Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson | Audiobook Who Not How by Dan Sullivan | Audible Audiobook Want to learn the exact strategies Mike used to succeed in the real estate space? Sign up for his free course at https://www.mikesimmons.com/winningdirectmail and discover how you can earn seven figures yearly!   About Mike Simmons Mike started investing in real estate in 2008. He has flipped houses, bought rentals, and wholesaled hundreds of deals. He is the owner of a successful real estate investing company, a lending company, and a partner in one of the country's largest real estate mentorship/masterminds companies.  He is the producer and host of Just Start Real Estate and has conducted over 350 interviews with entrepreneurs who run 6, 7, and 8-figure businesses. He specializes in helping entrepreneurs create systems, processes, and automation that allow them to work on their businesses.   Connect with Mike Website: Mike Simmons Podcast: Just Start Real Estate with Mike Simmons LinkedIn: Mike Simmons Twitter: @MikeSSimmons Instagram: @mikessimmons Facebook: Mike Simmons YouTube: Mike Simmons Email: Mike@MikeSimmons.com   Connect with Leigh Please subscribe to this podcast on iTunes or the Podcasts App on your phone, and never miss a beat from Leigh by visiting https://leighbrown.com. DM Leigh Brown on Instagram @ LeighThomasBrown. Subscribe to Leigh's other podcast Real Estate From The Rooftops   Sponsors Follow Up Boss Start your free, all-access trial today. There's no credit card required. For a limited time, Follow Up Boss is doubling the free trial for CSIRE listeners—that's a full 30 days to see how Follow Up Boss helps you close more deals. LINK: Followupboss.com/crazy Instagram: @followupboss Facebook Page: Follow Up Boss Website: https://www.fubcon.com/ #followupboss Leigh Brown University – New On-Demand TrainingHow to Dominate During This Recession! Enroll Now to get ahead of the curve and learn how to manage changing markets, the action steps for what to do, and most importantly, what to say so that you can secure listings, assist more buyers, and grow your business no matter what the market is doing. Link: http://dominatethisrecession.com

Highlights From The Show: Welcome to this version of the Just Start Real Estate Podcast! I am excited to bring you another replay of my Live Question and Answer sessions. For those people that are unable to join us live, this will provide an opportunity to hear the awesome questions I am fielding about business, taking risks, real estate, and so much more! This presentation is the live Q&A that I did the week of September 7th and each Thursday we will offer you another chance to take advantage of listening to the answers to our guests' fabulous and compelling questions! Don't miss this new episode of the Just Start Real Estate Podcast! Notable Quotes: “With my Winning Direct Mail program, there is a million dollars of learning I am giving you for free!” “You can use my wheel and not reinvent your own.” “There are a lot of variables to consider when comp-ing a house.” “Considering price per square foot is another way to get an accurate comp.” “You could definitely get more for your house six months ago than you can right now.” “I would have to dislike money and success to stop spending money on marketing if I was getting $3.56 back from every $1 I spent.” “Most people throttle back their marketing when their returns begin diminishing.” “In the analogy I gave you, I did in fact invent the wheel.” “I will keep up that good work if you keep coming back and asking questions.” “When I find a company that does great work with a lot of integrity, I don't move. The only skip tracing company I use is LeadFuzion.” “I started my podcast, Just Start Real Estate, because I know the biggest hurdle to overcome in any endeavor is just getting started.” Thank You for Listening! Connect with Mike on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Linkedin, Facebook Help Out the Show: Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one. Subscribe on iTunes. More Resources From Mike: Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months WINNING DIRECT MAIL - How to CRUSH IT with direct mail! 7 Figure Investor Video Course - Scale your business to 7 figures. I'll show you how!

Mike Simmons, a real estate investor, and author of the book Level Jumping, has shared the stage with some of the greats like Gary V. Has made over $1 million in profits in 12 months! He knew he wanted to invest in 2003, and bought his first flip in 2008....why did it take so long? Like a lot of people starting out Mike was afraid to tell his spouse because of the difficult conversation. It wasn't until he finally decided he was tired of allowing fear to be his excuse that he dove in.   [00:01 – 08:36] Opening Segment Mike Simmons was born in a solid blue-collar kind of an environment He shares how he found his way into real estate Mike interviewed Gino Wickman, author of Traction, on his podcast   [08:37 – 25:35] Why Flippers Fail to Scale and How to Fix It How to Turn Flipping into a Business and Not Just a Second Job Get a mentor and learn from people whose point you'd want to be in Know your numbers and understand future cash flows Hire people to increase your productivity The Reality of Company Culture   [25:36 – 29:26] Rapid-Fire Tips for Flippers Why You Shouldn't Just Jump into Business The cost of creating a company culture is zero Mike summarizes how to keep scaling your flipping business   [29:27 – 35:11] Closing Segment Quick break for our sponsors The first step to growing your wealth is tracking your wealth, income spending and everything else about your finances, you can start tracking your wealth for free and get six free months of wealth advisor.  Learn more about Personal Capital at escapingwallstreet.com What is the best investment you've ever made other than your education? His first deal Mike's worst investment A property under contract where he lost six figures What is the most important lesson you've learned in business and investing? Extreme Ownership   Connect with Mike Simmons on Just Start Real Estate podcast or https://www.mikesimmons.com.   Invest passively in multiple commercial real estate assets such as apartments, self storage, medical facilities, hotels and more through https://www.passivewealthstrategy.com/crowdstreet/ Participate directly in real estate investment loans on a fractional basis. Go to www.passivewealthstrategy.com/groundfloor/ and get ready to invest on your own terms. Join our Passive Investor Club for access to passive commercial real estate investment opportunities. LEAVE A REVIEW + help someone who wants to explode their business growth by sharing this episode or click here to listen to our previous episodes                      Tweetable Quotes: “Sometimes you could be born an entrepreneur, but because the proverbial piano has never been put in front of you, as a prodigy, you didn't know you could play.” – Mike Simmons “The vast majority who are house flippers are not doing a great job of creating a business. They create very, very, big scale jobs for themselves.” – Mike Simmons “The minute you start hiring and bringing on people, company culture means a lot, a whole lot.” – Mike Simmons  

There comes the point where fear would inevitably control you from hitting your future goals, and we got the episode today that will let you manage and combat your fears. This conversation with Mike Simmons will help you navigate your full potential as a leader, the mindset you must have, and how to build a strong team for your real estate business. Stay tuned for more impactful episodes!   Key Takeaways From This Episode The one thing that holds most investors back from achieving success Why leadership requires the ability to take ownership and responsibility How mastermind groups can motivate you to effectively grow a business and team Essential components of a solid business The power of adjusting your business model and strategies in a constantly changing market Impactful insights on building a healthy relationship with your team   References/Links Mentioned Brandon Turner Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin | Kindle and Hardcover Gary Vaynerchuk Traction by Gino Wickman | Paperback and Hardcover Mel Robbins   About Mike Simmons Mike Simmons is an entrepreneur, 7 figure real estate investor, and partner in one of the country's largest real estate mentorship/mastermind companies. As the master of taking strategic risks, he coaches others to do the same to allow them to become unstoppable with his 7 Figure Investor system. Mike has personally worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs to take strategic risks that have paid off.  Mike has shared the stage with Gary Vaynerchuck, Ryan Serhant, and Russell Brunson among others. He's been featured in Business Insider Magazine and produces and hosts the podcast “Just Start Real Estate” where he interviews successful entrepreneurs. Mike is also the author of Level Jumping, his book about generating $1 million in his first year of business.   Connect with Mike Website: Mike Simmons Podcast: Just Start Real Estate with Mike Simmons   Neil J. Timmins is on a mission to make a deep personal impact in the lives of his team members and business partners through his work as a real estate investor and mentor. He started as a traditional real estate agent where his team was recognized by the Wall Street Journal as a Top 100 team. Eventually, he made the transition from Realtor to full time investor.  Over the course of his career, Neil has been involved in over $300,000,000 in real estate transactions. Neil's portfolio depth includes assets ranging from houses to industrial properties. Recently, Neil and his team launched the Legacy Impact Partner Program where they partner with fix and flip investors from around the country. Neil's team brings capital to fund and fix rehabs, operational expertise, and years of experience catapulting their partner's business to new heights. Want to partner? You can learn more and book a call with Neil at www.LegacyImpactPartners.com.   If you're a real estate investor looking to take your business to the next level, join the 5-Day 20x Profit Challenge for FREE by visiting https://www.20xprofitchallenge.com/realgrit.   Connect with Neil Website: Real Grit LinkedIn: Neil J. Timmins Facebook: Neil Timmins

Highlights From The Show: Welcome to this version of the Just Start Real Estate Podcast! I am excited to bring you another replay of my Live Question and Answer sessions. For those people that are unable to join us live, this will provide an opportunity to hear the awesome questions I am fielding about business, taking risks, real estate, and so much more! This presentation is the live Q&A that I did the week of July 27th and each Thursday we will offer you another chance to take advantage of listening to the answers to our guests' fabulous and compelling questions! Don't miss this new episode of the Just Start Real Estate Podcast! Notable Quotes: “The kind of housing crash we are headed toward will do some damage, to be sure, if you are not prepared.” “Back in 2008, we were going 100 miles an hour and hit a wall. That was a crash.” “People in my world are calling it a dip or correction, not a crash.” “If anyone tells you that they know what is going to happen with the market, stop listening to them.” “Whether you wholesale a property or fix and flip it is a business decision that is unique to you.” “What is your goal? It is all about that.” “If you need big chunks of cash, you are probably going to fix and flip houses.” “Over the years, my decision-making process was driven more by the market and the cash-flow needs of my business than anything else.” “It is all about your business model and what you want to accomplish.” “I started the podcast and called it Just Start Real Estate because one of the biggest hurdles in life is just getting started.” Thank You for Listening! Connect with Mike on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Linkedin, Facebook Help Out the Show: Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one. Subscribe on iTunes. More Resources From Mike: Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months WINNING DIRECT MAIL - How to CRUSH IT with direct mail! 7 Figure Investor Video Course - Scale your business to 7 figures. I'll show you how!

Multifamily syndication can seal you million dollars if done right. In this #Highlights episode, we look back at our conversations with successful real estate entrepreneurs and authors Kenny Wolfe and Mike Simmons. Kenny is the author of Investing In The Dream and the President of Wolfe Investments, and Mike is the producer and host of Just Start Real Estate, one of the top real estate podcasts in the world, and the author of Level Jumping: How I grew my business to over $1 million in profits in 12 months.Kenny speaks on how he closed a deal in El Paso worth $13 million to $14 million, sharing the business plan for this specific deal and how long it took to execute, hold, and market the property. Meanwhile, Mike shares a bit about his background and his personal story, how he got started, and how he took his business to where it is today. Enjoy the show!

Millions of corporate workers dream of investing but never take the first step out of fear. Before Mike Simmons became the successful seven-figure investor he is today, he procrastinated for 5 years and missed out on $3 million dollars.    So many people have a ton of excuses for not taking action - no money, time or a fear of what other people would think, but procrastination isn't a victimless crime.    How do you get started right now and find the resources you need? What is the secret to rapid exponential growth?    In this episode, Mike shares his story, from sitting on the sidelines of the real estate game to accelerating his business growth path.  Three Things You'll Learn In This Episode    Why Mike became an investor  How did Mike escape his 9-5 and build a business around his perfect day?   How to use someone else's hindsight as your foresight  Do we have to know absolutely everything about real estate to start and succeed?    The one thing that holds investors back  Is the funding and experience of the first deal worth giving up a bigger portion of the profits?      Guest Bio   Mike Simmons is an entrepreneur, 7 figure real estate investor, and partner in one of the country's largest real estate mentorship/mastermind companies. Mike has personally worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs to take strategic risks that have paid off, both in and out of the real estate industry. He coaches others to do the same to allow them to become unstoppable with his program, 7 Figure Investor.   Mike has shared the stage with Gary Vaynerchuck, Ryan Serhant, and Russell Brunson among others. He's been featured in Business Insider Magazine and produces and hosts the podcast “Just Start Real Estate” where he interviews successful entrepreneurs. Mike is also the author of Level Jumping, his book about generating $1 million in his first year of business.   For more information and to find out about Mike's program 7 Figure Investor, visit https://mikesimmons.com.    You can also buy Mike's book “Level Jumping” on Amazon.  

For the podcast today, I interviewed nationally recognized speaker, author, and podcast host, Chris Naugle. Over the last 20 years, Chris has worn a wide variety of business hats. He was a former pro snowboarder, owning several snowboard and skateboard shops. He's invested in real estate with his wife, doing flips, wholesales, and a lot of private lending. They even had a pilot on HGTV in 2018. The main hat he wears is that of a money mentor, because what is taught in schools about money is absolute trash. He has spoken to and taught over ten thousand Americans delivering the financial knowledge that fuels lasting freedom. We begin, like we usually do, by talking about Chris' background and how he got started as an entrepreneur. Chris talked about his upbringing and how he learned a lot from growing up in a lower middle-class household. He talked about his early work experience and how it shaped his life and attitude about money. Chris talks about starting in entrepreneurship by selling apparel he designed with his high school art teacher when he was sixteen years old and how his mother mortgaged her house to help him open a snow and skate board shop. He opened Phatman Boardshop in November of 1994 and ran it until he sold it in 2010. Chris talks about how economic circumstances taught him how to pivot in his business model. His business suffered because of the dotcom recession and he found the only companies that were interested in hiring him were Wall Street firms. He didn't understand it, but found that because he was a successful entrepreneur and willing to learn, they wanted him to work for them. He spent sixteen years as an advisor for the firm that hired him until he saw some things going on he didn't want to be involved in. He then started investing in real estate, which led him to teach others about money and achieving financial freedom. We then talk about Chris' current passion, which is teaching people about wealth building and management. Chris says that he does not manage other people's money anymore, but rather, teaches people how to be great stewards of their own money. He contends we have all been lied to concerning money and convinced the best thing to do is to give up the control of it. He came to the conclusions that he holds about wealth from studying the wealthiest families in the world - the Rothchilds, the Rockefellers, and many others. He talks about how these families do the same thing we do - trade our time for money, but then handle it differently once they have it. Chris then introduces us to the concept of infinite banking and how we can always make our money work for us. Chris points out that infinite banking is a process rather than a product. I described the Just Start Real Estate audience and asked him if this process was available to everyone on the investing spectrum. Chris said that he believes that the process is available to everyone who has, at a minimum, started following the first law of wealth, which is saving at least 10% of your gross earnings. We also spent some time discussing how current events, such as the recent invasion of Ukraine by Russia, affects our money. Don't miss this exciting new episode of the Just Start Real Estate Podcast! My guest, Chris Naugle, teaches us all about the fundamentals of wealth-building and the process of infinite banking!! Notable Quotes: “I grew up in a house like many where there was scarcity.” Chris Naugle “Every time my mother needed something, she was a very good saver, and I learned to save money from her.” Chris Naugle “I quit trading hours for dollars.” Chris Naugle “Entrepreneurship took on a new meaning for me when it was no longer a hobby and my mom's house was on the line.” Chris Naugle “Running Phatman Boardshop was one of the greatest experiences of my life.” Chris Naugle “When things happen, we make pivots in our life.” Chris Naugle “What does Wall Street want to do with a punk snowboarding kid who has never put a suit on in his life?” Chris Naugle “We have all been taught the big lie - to give up control of our own money.” Chris Naugle “I teach one thing and that is to take back control of your money.” Chris Naugle “If you are not saving money today, the infinite banking concept will not work for you.” Chris Naugle “Inflation is a hidden tax.” Chris Naugle Links: Phatman BoardShop Mapping Out the Millionaire Mystery Chris' Website Chris' Resource Page Chris on Instagram Chris on YouTube Chris on LinkedIN Chris on Facebook Chris on Twitter 7 Figure Investor Just Start Real Estate JSRE on Facebook Mike on Facebook Mike on Instagram Mike on LinkedIn Mike on Twitter Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months

For the podcast today, I interviewed nationally recognized speaker, author, and podcast host, Chris Naugle. Over the last 20 years, Chris has worn a wide variety of business hats. He was a former pro snowboarder, owning several snowboard and skateboard shops. He's invested in real estate with his wife, doing flips, wholesales, and a lot of private lending. They even had a pilot on HGTV in 2018. The main hat he wears is that of a money mentor, because what is taught in schools about money is absolute trash. He has spoken to and taught over ten thousand Americans delivering the financial knowledge that fuels lasting freedom.   We begin, like we usually do, by talking about Chris' background and how he got started as an entrepreneur. Chris talked about his upbringing and how he learned a lot from growing up in a lower middle-class household. He talked about his early work experience and how it shaped his life and attitude about money. Chris talks about starting in entrepreneurship by selling apparel he designed with his high school art teacher when he was sixteen years old and how his mother mortgaged her house to help him open a snow and skate board shop. He opened Phatman Boardshop in November of 1994 and ran it until he sold it in 2010.   Chris talks about how economic circumstances taught him how to pivot in his business model. His business suffered because of the dotcom recession and he found the only companies that were interested in hiring him were Wall Street firms. He didn't understand it, but found that because he was a successful entrepreneur and willing to learn, they wanted him to work for them. He spent sixteen years as an advisor for the firm that hired him until he saw some things going on he didn't want to be involved in. He then started investing in real estate, which led him to teach others about money and achieving financial freedom.   We then talk about Chris' current passion, which is teaching people about wealth building and management. Chris says that he does not manage other people's money anymore, but rather, teaches people how to be great stewards of their own money. He contends we have all been lied to concerning money and convinced the best thing to do is to give up the control of it. He came to the conclusions that he holds about wealth from studying the wealthiest families in the world - the Rothchilds, the Rockefellers, and many others. He talks about how these families do the same thing we do - trade our time for money, but then handle it differently once they have it. Chris then introduces us to the concept of infinite banking and how we can always make our money work for us.   Chris points out that infinite banking is a process rather than a product. I described the Just Start Real Estate audience and asked him if this process was available to everyone on the investing spectrum. Chris said that he believes that the process is available to everyone who has, at a minimum, started following the first law of wealth, which is saving at least 10% of your gross earnings. We also spent some time discussing how current events, such as the recent invasion of Ukraine by Russia, affects our money.   Don't miss this exciting new episode of the Just Start Real Estate Podcast! My guest, Chris Naugle, teaches us all about the fundamentals of wealth-building and the process of infinite banking!! Notable Quotes:   “I grew up in a house like many where there was scarcity.” Chris Naugle   “Every time my mother needed something, she was a very good saver, and I learned to save money from her.” Chris Naugle   “I quit trading hours for dollars.” Chris Naugle   “Entrepreneurship took on a new meaning for me when it was no longer a hobby and my mom's house was on the line.” Chris Naugle   “Running Phatman Boardshop was one of the greatest experiences of my life.” Chris Naugle   “When things happen, we make pivots in our life.” Chris Naugle   “What does Wall Street want to do with a punk snowboarding kid who has never put a suit on in his life?” Chris Naugle   “We have all been taught the big lie - to give up control of our own money.” Chris Naugle   “I teach one thing and that is to take back control of your money.” Chris Naugle   “If you are not saving money today, the infinite banking concept will not work for you.” Chris Naugle   “Inflation is a hidden tax.” Chris Naugle Links: Phatman BoardShop Mapping Out the Millionaire Mystery Chris' Website Chris' Resource Page Chris on Instagram Chris on YouTube Chris on LinkedIN Chris on Facebook Chris on Twitter 7 Figure Investor Just Start Real Estate JSRE on Facebook Mike on Facebook Mike on Instagram Mike on LinkedIn Mike on Twitter Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months  

We are just so excited to bring you another episode that will help us all build great apartment communities! For today, we are grace by Mike Simmons! Mike Simmons has been in the business since 2013 and has helped several entrepreneurs start, build and scale their business to 7 figures. He is as well a speaker, a podcaster and an author. This is indeed a must-listen to episode so get ready to take notes and begin your journey to creating a 7-figure business! Episode Highlights: Mike talks about his book Level Jumping Acknowledging the value of positioning ourselves for growth Using the language of possibility Seeking people out who are much more experienced that you are Mike talks about “Collapsing Time” and the things that allowed him to do it What to look for in an ideal “Core Team” Listen as Mike breaks dow his proven marketing strategies Systems Mike use to distribute his marketing campaign Golden Nugget: You can use peoples' hindsight as your foresight Connect with Mike LinkedIn  Facebook - Just Start Real Estate    About Our Guest As the owner of a successful real estate investing company, lending company, and also a partner in one of the country's largest real estate mentorship/mastermind companies, Mike Simmons specialize in helping entrepreneurs create systems, processes, and automations that allow them to work on their business and not be a slave to it. He is also the producer and host of my own online show, Just Start Real Estate, and have conducted over 350 interviews with entrepreneurs who run 6, 7, and 8 figure businesses. Additionally, I have a new book that is now available on Amazon: Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in 12 Months.   --- Did you enjoy today's episode? Please click here to leave a review for The We Build Great Apartment Communities. Be sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast app to get notified when a new episode comes out! Do you know someone who might enjoy this episode? Share this episode to inspire and empower! Connect with John Brackett and We Build Great Apartment Communities Instagram @webuildgreatcommunities Facebook @buildingreatcommunities LinkedIn @brackettjohn Website www.fidelitybps.com Subscribe to The We Build Great Apartment Communities Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts Do you think you would be a great fit for the show? Apply to be a guest by clicking . Fidelity Business Partners, Inc. 6965 El Camino Real Suite 105-190 Carlsbad, CA 92009 D: 760-301-5311 F: 760-987-6065

My guest today is Mike DeHaan. Mike is an electrical engineer-turned-real estate investor. He is the Founder of INW Properties LL and owns 34 doors and has completed over 50 deals in 3 years of investing. Mike now generates more passive rental income than he used to make with his 9-to-5 which was a 6-figure salary job. He has been featured on the Real Dealz Podcast, Real Estate Investing 365, and several Ryan Dossey YouTube videos. We begin the episode with Mike sharing his background story and how he got started in real estate. Mike started his career as an engineer by degree, but after five years of doing that, he decided to change his career path. With no real plan, he started dabbling in real estate while also trying to get into the tech world. The tech world turned out to be too difficult, especially with where he was located, so he started getting more and more into real estate. In 2018 he bought three rentals and in 2019, he started flipping some houses by himself, working with realtors to find stuff on the market and buying from wholesalers. Soon, it was getting hard to find deals so he decided to join forces with his, now business partner, who was also his best friend from college and start their business. They started officially in the beginning of 2020 and now they own 34 units and they've done about 50 transactions in the last year. We then talk about where Mike found the funding for his deals. He shares that he bought his first three rentals using money from his W-2 job, but when it came to flipping he acquired the money through different partnerships. As soon as he started getting involved with real estate, Mike really got involved in the local investor community and that's how he's been able to grow very quickly. He is a big believer that your network is your net worth, so when he started flipping houses, he met somebody who had the cash but didn't have the time. Mike, on the other hand, had the time and he had the hustle, so he facilitated the projects and they would just split the profits 50-50. A big lesson here is to always show up and talk about what you do because, at the end of the day, real estate is a people business. Next, we talk about Mike's transition from his W-2 job to entrepreneurship. Even though he was married at the time he left his W-2 job, Mike shares that the toughest conversation was the one with his parents. Coming from an academic background, it was hard for him to explain to his parents that he will no longer have a job that requires his engineering degree. Luckily, his parents didn't try to discourage him. Mike also shares that his W-2 at that point was making him miserable and depressed and that entrepreneurship has elevated his life in ways he couldn't even imagine. We also talk about the best way to find deals. Mike shares that they focus on direct mail and they mix in some cold calling there as well. But the biggest thing is just being persistent. They also really push a local brand very heavily, showing that we are actually true local people who are connected to the local community. This may sound simple, but it works and it has been a cornerstone in their business the entire time Next, we talk about landlording. Mike and his partner have been able to accumulate a sizable rental portfolio in a relatively short amount of time. At the moment, they are doing their own property management for the most part. The only ones that they don't manage themselves, are properties that are at a decent distance from where they live, so they use property managers out there. They also have a virtual assistant who helps them answer maintenance calls and do other random tasks that come with it. The only thing that they really have to do when it comes to property management helps placing tenants, but they are working on hiring an admin right now to help them do that whole process. Mike mentions that one of the software that they use is Hemlane. Make sure you don't miss this amazing episode of Just Start Real Estate with Mike DeHaan! Notable Quotes: “There are two things that you did really well to find this money that came to you: you showed up where people like that hang out and you talked about what you were doing.” Mike Simmons “A big thing that a lot of people don't understand is that after you have those conversations with people, you have to be proactive and follow-up.” Mike DeHaan “I think that the entrepreneurial lifestyle just fits me a lot better. Once you kind of figure it out and start making real money, it elevates your life in ways that you don't really understand.” Mike DeHaan “Of all the very successful real estate investors that I know, I would say 80% of them get the vast majority of their deals from direct mail. It just works.” Mike Simmons “You have to have decent properties. There are so many landlords out there that just think because it's a rental, the property doesn't need to be decent.” Mike DeHaan Links: Mike Invests Mike on Instagram Mike on Facebook Mike on LinkedIn Mike's Podcast Hemlane 7 Figure Flipping Return on Investments Just Start Real Estate JSRE on Facebook Mike on Facebook Mike on Instagram Mike on LinkedIn Mike on Twitter Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months

My guest today is Mike DeHaan. Mike is an electrical engineer-turned-real estate investor. He is the Founder of INW Properties LL and owns 34 doors and has completed over 50 deals in 3 years of investing. Mike now generates more passive rental income than he used to make with his 9-to-5 which was a 6-figure salary job. He has been featured on the Real Dealz Podcast, Real Estate Investing 365, and several Ryan Dossey YouTube videos.   We begin the episode with Mike sharing his background story and how he got started in real estate. Mike started his career as an engineer by degree, but after five years of doing that, he decided to change his career path. With no real plan, he started dabbling in real estate while also trying to get into the tech world. The tech world turned out to be too difficult, especially with where he was located, so he started getting more and more into real estate. In 2018 he bought three rentals and in 2019, he started flipping some houses by himself, working with realtors to find stuff on the market and buying from wholesalers. Soon, it was getting hard to find deals so he decided to join forces with his, now business partner, who was also his best friend from college and start their business. They started officially in the beginning of 2020 and now they own 34 units and they've done about 50 transactions in the last year.    We then talk about where Mike found the funding for his deals. He shares that he bought his first three rentals using money from his W-2 job, but when it came to flipping he acquired the money through different partnerships. As soon as he started getting involved with real estate, Mike really got involved in the local investor community and that's how he's been able to grow very quickly. He is a big believer that your network is your net worth, so when he started flipping houses, he met somebody who had the cash but didn't have the time. Mike, on the other hand,  had the time and he had the hustle, so he facilitated the projects and they would just split the profits 50-50. A big lesson here is to always show up and talk about what you do because, at the end of the day, real estate is a people business.   Next, we talk about Mike's transition from his W-2 job to entrepreneurship.  Even though he was married at the time he left his W-2 job, Mike shares that the toughest conversation was the one with his parents. Coming from an academic background, it was hard for him to explain to his parents that he will no longer have a job that requires his engineering degree. Luckily, his parents didn't try to discourage him. Mike also shares that his W-2 at that point was making him miserable and depressed and that entrepreneurship has elevated his life in ways he couldn't even imagine.    We also talk about the best way to find deals. Mike shares that they focus on direct mail and they mix in some cold calling there as well. But the biggest thing is just being persistent. They also really push a local brand very heavily, showing that we are actually true local people who are connected to the local community. This may sound simple, but it works and it has been a cornerstone in their business the entire time   Next, we talk about landlording. Mike and his partner have been able to accumulate a sizable rental portfolio in a relatively short amount of time. At the moment, they are doing their own property management for the most part. The only ones that they don't manage themselves, are properties that are at a decent distance from where they live, so they use property managers out there. They also have a virtual assistant who helps them answer maintenance calls and do other random tasks that come with it. The only thing that they really have to do when it comes to property management helps placing tenants, but they are working on hiring an admin right now to help them do that whole process. Mike mentions that one of the software that they use is Hemlane. Make sure you don't miss this amazing episode of Just Start Real Estate with Mike DeHaan!   Notable Quotes:   “There are two things that you did really well to find this money that came to you: you showed up where people like that hang out and you talked about what you were doing.” Mike Simmons    “A big thing that a lot of people don't understand is that after you have those conversations with people, you have to be proactive and follow-up.” Mike DeHaan   “I think that the entrepreneurial lifestyle just fits me a lot better. Once you kind of figure it out and start making real money, it elevates your life in ways that you don't really understand.” Mike DeHaan   “Of all the very successful real estate investors that I know, I would say 80% of them get the vast majority of their deals from direct mail. It just works.” Mike Simmons   “You have to have decent properties. There are so many landlords out there that just think because it's a rental, the property doesn't need to be decent.” Mike DeHaan  Links: Mike Invests  Mike on Instagram  Mike on Facebook  Mike on LinkedIn Mike's Podcast Hemlane 7 Figure Flipping Return on Investments Just Start Real Estate JSRE on Facebook Mike on Facebook Mike on Instagram Mike on LinkedIn Mike on Twitter Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months

On today's episode of Just Start Real Estate, I have the pleasure of talking with entrepreneur Rod Khleif. Rod has worked in real estate since the early 1980s, inspired by his mother. He was born in the Netherlands and migrated with his family to Denver at the age of six, and for their first few years in the States, the family struggled to make ends meet. However, his mother was thrifty and forward-thinking, earning money from babysitting that she then invested into stocks and eventually into property, despite having no formal background in finance or real estate. Rod followed his mom's example and got his real estate license in 1978. In his first two years as a real estate agent, Rod made enough money to get by, but in his third year, his income rocketed to over $100,000. He was able to achieve this by adjusting his mindset around wealth and earnings. However, he suffered during the 2008 recession, losing $50 million in that year alone. He was able to bounce back and today he helps others to build themselves up from nothing. One of the first strategies that Rod deployed to get back on his feet after the 2008 crash was reassociating himself with what he wanted. He realigned himself with what his goals were and why he wanted to achieve them. Secondly, he also changed his focus to concentrate on his goals, ignoring anything that didn't help him to achieve his objective. Next, Rod walks me through his goal-setting strategy. His technique begins by selecting his goal-setting time carefully; he recommends choosing an hour in the day when you're naturally full of energy. In this hour, Rod asks that you sit down and write all the things that you want in life, from houses to cars to jetskis to private islands, letting your imagination run wild and never stopping to question what comes out. Once you've written down everything you can possibly think of, large and small, you start writing the list of the things you want to do in your life, such as places you want to visit, bucket list items you want to achieve and so on. You should also write down everything you want to learn, like foreign languages or college degrees. Lastly, you write down the people that you want to help. The next step to Rod's goal setting technique is to add a time limit to each goal, without overthinking the limit that you assign. Then from that list, select your number one goal, the thing that you want to achieve the most out of everything, and write it on a separate piece of paper. You then need to select your top three goals that you can achieve in one year, and add them to the paper with your top goal. For each of these four goals, write down why you want to achieve that goal, using emotionally charged language. You should also write down what would happen if you don't achieve these goals, not being afraid to dig a little into the pain. Afterward, find images that represent these goals to keep around you, so that you're constantly reminded to achieve them. Rod also emphasizes that happiness doesn't come from goals, it's about overall progress and growth. It's important to celebrate achieving a goal, but you should always have something lined up behind the goal so that you keep moving forwards. He also makes an effort to help others and reach out to people in need and encourages everyone to do the same, regardless of their income level. Stay tuned to the end of the podcast to get Rod's exclusive promo code to make incredible savings on his three-day Orlando seminar, and to receive a load of his other courses at a hugely discounted price! What a pleasure to have such a generous and successful real estate investor such as Rod Khleif on the Just Start Real Estate Podcast! Notable Quotes: “80-90% of your success in anything in your mindset and your psychology.” Rod Khleif “Peer group is so frickin' important. You want to be around people that encourage you, validate you, push you, who aren't afraid of your success, aren't jealous of your success, and who aren't going to hold you back” Rod Khleif “If you're listening to Mike, you're a leader. There's no question that you're a leader. And right now more than ever, the world needs leaders.” Rod Khleif “Take the limits off yourself. There's nothing you can't do, be, or have” Rod Khleif “It's never about the goals, it's about creating that burning desire so that you get your butt up early, you stay up late, you work a Saturday, you grind for a few years like most people won't, so you live the rest of your life like most people can't.” Rod Khleif “As human beings, we will overestimate what we can do in a year, and massively underestimate what we can do in five, ten, twenty years” Rod Khleif “There's a reason that the acronym for belief systems is BS, because 99% of them are just that: BS.” Rod Khleif “The most successful people on the planet add the most value.” Rod Khleif “Don't be in the same place you are in a year from now, unless you love where you are right now.” Rod Khleif “Don't tell me that you're going to give back when you get money. Find a cause that you care about, that juices you, and do something right now. We've been taught to achieve to be happy, and if you give back, you'll be happily achieving, and the success will come faster.” Rod Khleif Links: Rod Khleif Rod on LinkedIn Rod on Twitter Rod on Instagram Rod on Facebook Rod on YouTube Just Start Real Estate JSRE on Facebook Mike on Facebook Mike on Instagram Mike on LinkedIn Mike on Twitter Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months If you want to attend Rod Khleif's 3-day seminar in Orlando, Florida, from December 3rd to 5th 2021, text ‘MULTIFAMILY' to 72345, including the promo code ‘ROD FRIEND'. This code will give you: Access to the seminar Rod's 8-module ‘Courage and Confidence' course Rod's 10-module ‘Finding Deals' course All for only $197!

On today's episode of Just Start Real Estate, I have the pleasure of talking with entrepreneur Rod Khleif. Rod has worked in real estate since the early 1980s, inspired by his mother. He was born in the Netherlands and migrated with his family to Denver at the age of six, and for their first few years in the States, the family struggled to make ends meet. However, his mother was thrifty and forward-thinking, earning money from babysitting that she then invested into stocks and eventually into property, despite having no formal background in finance or real estate. Rod followed his mom's example and got his real estate license in 1978.    In his first two years as a real estate agent, Rod made enough money to get by, but in his third year, his income rocketed to over $100,000. He was able to achieve this by adjusting his mindset around wealth and earnings. However, he suffered during the 2008 recession, losing $50 million in that year alone. He was able to bounce back and today he helps others to build themselves up from nothing.    One of the first strategies that Rod deployed to get back on his feet after the 2008 crash was reassociating himself with what he wanted. He realigned himself with what his goals were and why he wanted to achieve them. Secondly, he also changed his focus to concentrate on his goals, ignoring anything that didn't help him to achieve his objective.     Next, Rod walks me through his goal-setting strategy. His technique begins by selecting his goal-setting time carefully; he recommends choosing an hour in the day when you're naturally full of energy. In this hour, Rod asks that you sit down and write all the things that you want in life, from houses to cars to jetskis to private islands, letting your imagination run wild and never stopping to question what comes out. Once you've written down everything you can possibly think of, large and small, you start writing the list of the things you want to do in your life, such as places you want to visit, bucket list items you want to achieve and so on. You should also write down everything you want to learn, like foreign languages or college degrees. Lastly, you write down the people that you want to help.    The next step to Rod's goal setting technique is to add a time limit to each goal, without overthinking the limit that you assign. Then from that list, select your number one goal, the thing that you want to achieve the most out of everything, and write it on a separate piece of paper. You then need to select your top three goals that you can achieve in one year, and add them to the paper with your top goal. For each of these four goals, write down why you want to achieve that goal, using emotionally charged language. You should also write down what would happen if you don't achieve these goals, not being afraid to dig a little into the pain. Afterward, find images that represent these goals to keep around you, so that you're constantly reminded to achieve them.    Rod also emphasizes that happiness doesn't come from goals, it's about overall progress and growth. It's important to celebrate achieving a goal, but you should always have something lined up behind the goal so that you keep moving forwards. He also makes an effort to help others and reach out to people in need and encourages everyone to do the same, regardless of their income level.     Stay tuned to the end of the podcast to get Rod's exclusive promo code to make incredible savings on his three-day Orlando seminar, and to receive a load of his other courses at a hugely discounted price! What a pleasure to have such a generous and successful real estate investor such as Rod Khleif on the Just Start Real Estate Podcast!   Notable Quotes:   “80-90% of your success in anything in your mindset and your psychology.” Rod Khleif   “Peer group is so frickin' important. You want to be around people that encourage you, validate you, push you, who aren't afraid of your success, aren't jealous of your success, and who aren't going to hold you back” Rod Khleif   “If you're listening to Mike, you're a leader. There's no question that you're a leader. And right now more than ever, the world needs leaders.” Rod Khleif   “Take the limits off yourself. There's nothing you can't do, be, or have” Rod Khleif   “It's never about the goals, it's about creating that burning desire so that you get your butt up early, you stay up late, you work a Saturday, you grind for a few years like most people won't, so you live the rest of your life like most people can't.”  Rod Khleif   “As human beings, we will overestimate what we can do in a year, and massively underestimate what we can do in five, ten, twenty years” Rod Khleif   “There's a reason that the acronym for belief systems is BS, because 99% of them are just that: BS.” Rod Khleif   “The most successful people on the planet add the most value.” Rod Khleif   “Don't be in the same place you are in a year from now, unless you love where you are right now.” Rod Khleif   “Don't tell me that you're going to give back when you get money. Find a cause that you care about, that juices you, and do something right now. We've been taught to achieve to be happy, and if you give back, you'll be happily achieving, and the success will come faster.” Rod Khleif Links:   Rod Khleif Rod on LinkedIn Rod on Twitter Rod on Instagram Rod on Facebook Rod on YouTube Just Start Real Estate JSRE on Facebook Mike on Facebook Mike on Instagram Mike on LinkedIn Mike on Twitter Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months If you want to attend Rod Khleif's 3-day seminar in Orlando, Florida, from December 3rd to 5th 2021, text ‘MULTIFAMILY' to 72345, including the promo code ‘ROD FRIEND'. This code will give you:   Access to the seminar Rod's 8-module ‘Courage and Confidence' course Rod's 10-module ‘Finding Deals' course   All for only $197!

My guest today is Matt Faircloth. Matt is BiggerPockets contributor and Amazon Best Selling Author of Raising Private Capital, How to Build your Real Estate Empire with Other People's Money. He is also the Founder and CEO of DeRosa Group and has been a full-time investor for 15 years. Matt has successfully completed projects involving dozens of fix and flips, office buildings, single-family homes, and apartment buildings. He has amassed a portfolio of over 1000+ units and raised tens of millions of equity for these real estate projects. Matt first shares his background story and how he first got into real estate. Before becoming a full-time real estate investor, Matt was a sales engineer. During that time, he met his future wife who introduced him to Rich Dad, Poor Dad. This book turned him onto the power of investing and entrepreneurship and he fell in love with the business of real estate. Soon after that, they started doing some real investing together as a couple while they were dating, and by the time we got married, they had done a reasonable amount of investing. After the crash in 2008, they didn't have any equity anymore because everything was decimated but what they did have was a reasonable management protocol, and friends who wanted to give real estate investing a try. So, they started assembling their friends and colleagues, who eventually became their first passive investors, for a $50,000 deal. We then move on to discussing Matt's first deal. He shares that his first deal was a house hack; he bought a three bedroom house that he rented to two of his friends, making him $60 a month while he was living there for free. Next, he and his wife bought a duplex with money they borrowed from her father. They fixed it up and rented that out as well. After some time, they decided to sell that second property using a 1031 exchange, which avoids paying capital gains taxes when you sell an investment property and reinvest the proceeds from the sale, within certain time limits, in a property or properties of like kind and equal or greater value. Next, we talk about when it is a good time to start looking for private money. Matt explains that every real estate investor has to bring in private capital at some point. Because, unless you win the lottery, your pockets will run dry and you will not want to expose your capital to a deal. Matt also believes that we need to change our perspective on private money, because when it comes to private lenders, they're not doing us a favor, we're offering them an opportunity. We then discuss Matt's thoughts on spouses working together as real estate investors. He shares that this is absolutely possible as long as both partners respect the other as well as each other's personality style. Matt also goes on to explain that it took some time for him and his wife to figure out the best way to work together since they both have pretty dominant personalities. Real estate investing takes two things: time and money. Both of those things are burdens for a marriage and every real estate investor needs to have their spouse's support if they plan on being successful. We then talk about some of the big mistakes people make when they're trying to raise money for a project. Matt shares that there are two big mistakes that people make when it comes to raising money. First, they act like investors are doing them a favor, when in reality they are offering those investors an opportunity. Second, they shop for money when they need it. If you wait until you have a deal to raise the money, you'll have to bring in a partner with a good network and good connections and you'll end up giving away a lot of your profit. So instead, build the network first and make your base aware of the magic of real estate investing, as a passive investor. Next, we talk about Matt's YouTube channel Landlord Chronicles. Matt shares that he stated his channel by mistake six years ago but he currently has 31,000 subscribers. He started by posting videos that he originally shot for his lenders and after seeing that people responded well to it, he decided to create content especially for his YouTube channel. Now, he posts videos every Monday and Thursday. His educational videos range from Mentorship Monday to a Day In The Life. Lastly, we talk about Matt's company called DeRosa Group. Matt explains that their company is dedicated to transforming lives through real estate. They believe that real estate is an amazing vehicle for people to achieve their net worth goals, their income goals, and financial freedom. Matt believes that real estate can provide people a great place to work, live, invest, and run a business. Make sure you don't miss this episode of Just Start Real Estate with fully transparent Matt Faircloth and get to know all about raising private capital! Notable Quotes: “The questions I get asked all the time are: how do I find better leads and how do I find more money.” Mike Simmons “People think you have to do deals with millions of dollars - you don't. Our first deal was $50,000.” Matt Faircloth “If I had a redo, I would have just stayed in my lane and stuck to residential leasing and rentals until I really mastered that.” Matt Faircloth “At some point, every real estate investor has to bring in private capital.” Matt Faircloth “These private investors, they're not doing us a favor, we're offering them an opportunity.” Matt Faircloth “There's nothing that tightens up the marriage better than to be connected to your financial future and work towards a common financial goal together.“ Matt Faircloth “I have yet to see a real estate investor that's successful in this business that does not have their spouse supporting them. You don't have to invest with your spouse, but real estate investing takes two things: time and money, both of which are burdens on your marriage.” Matt Faircloth “We're dedicated to transforming lives through real estate. That's a mantra we like so much that we put a trademark on it.” Matt Faircloth Links: DeRosa Group DeRosa Group on Facebook Matt on Instagram Matt on YouTube Raising Private Capital by Matt Faircloth 7 Figure Flipping Return on Investments Just Start Real Estate JSRE on Facebook Mike on Facebook Mike on Instagram Mike on LinkedIn Mike on Twitter Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months

My guest today is Matt Faircloth. Matt is BiggerPockets contributor and Amazon Best Selling Author of Raising Private Capital, How to Build your Real Estate Empire with Other People's Money. He is also the Founder and CEO of DeRosa Group and has been a full-time investor for 15 years. Matt has successfully completed projects involving dozens of fix and flips, office buildings, single-family homes, and apartment buildings. He has amassed a portfolio of over 1000+ units and raised tens of millions of equity for these real estate projects.    Matt first shares his background story and how he first got into real estate. Before becoming a full-time real estate investor, Matt was a sales engineer. During that time, he met his future wife who introduced him to Rich Dad, Poor Dad. This book turned him onto the power of investing and entrepreneurship and he fell in love with the business of real estate. Soon after that, they started doing some real investing together as a couple while they were dating, and by the time we got married, they had done a reasonable amount of investing. After the crash in 2008, they didn't have any equity anymore because everything was decimated but what they did have was a reasonable management protocol, and friends who wanted to give real estate investing a try. So, they started assembling their friends and colleagues, who eventually became their first passive investors, for a $50,000 deal.   We then move on to discussing Matt's first deal. He shares that his first deal was a house hack; he bought a three bedroom house that he rented to two of his friends, making him $60 a month while he was living there for free. Next, he and his wife bought a duplex with money they borrowed from her father. They fixed it up and rented that out as well. After some time, they decided to sell that second property using a 1031 exchange, which avoids paying capital gains taxes when you sell an investment property and reinvest the proceeds from the sale, within certain time limits, in a property or properties of like kind and equal or greater value.   Next, we talk about when it is a good time to start looking for private money. Matt explains that every real estate investor has to bring in private capital at some point. Because, unless you win the lottery, your pockets will run dry and you will not want to expose your capital to a deal. Matt also believes that we need to change our perspective on private money, because when it comes to private lenders, they're not doing us a favor, we're offering them an opportunity.   We then discuss Matt's thoughts on spouses working together as real estate investors. He shares that this is absolutely possible as long as both partners respect the other as well as each other's personality style. Matt also goes on to explain that it took some time for him and his wife to figure out the best way to work together since they both have pretty dominant personalities. Real estate investing takes two things: time and money. Both of those things are burdens for a marriage and every real estate investor needs to have their spouse's support if they plan on being successful.   We then talk about some of the big mistakes people make when they're trying to raise money for a project. Matt shares that there are two big mistakes that people make when it comes to raising money. First, they act like investors are doing them a favor, when in reality they are offering those investors an opportunity. Second, they shop for money when they need it. If you wait until you have a deal to raise the money, you'll have to bring in a partner with a good network and good connections and you'll end up giving away a lot of your profit. So instead, build the network first and make your base aware of the magic of real estate investing, as a passive investor.   Next, we talk about Matt's YouTube channel Landlord Chronicles. Matt shares that he stated his channel by mistake six years ago but he currently has 31,000 subscribers. He started by posting videos that he originally shot for his lenders and after seeing that people responded well to it, he decided to create content especially for his YouTube channel. Now, he posts videos every Monday and Thursday. His educational videos range from Mentorship Monday to a Day In The Life.    Lastly, we talk about Matt's company called DeRosa Group.  Matt explains that their company is dedicated to transforming lives through real estate. They believe that real estate is an amazing vehicle for people to achieve their net worth goals, their income goals, and financial freedom. Matt believes that real estate can provide people a great place to work, live, invest, and run a business.   Make sure you don't miss this episode of Just Start Real Estate with fully transparent Matt Faircloth and get to know all about raising private capital! Notable Quotes:   “The questions I get asked all the time are: how do I find better leads and how do I find more money.” Mike Simmons   “People think you have to do deals with millions of dollars - you don't. Our first deal was $50,000.” Matt Faircloth    “If I had a redo, I would have just stayed in my lane and stuck to residential leasing and rentals until I really mastered that.” Matt Faircloth    “At some point, every real estate investor has to bring in private capital.” Matt Faircloth    “These private investors, they're not doing us a favor, we're offering them an opportunity.” Matt Faircloth   “There's nothing that tightens up the marriage better than to be connected to your financial future and work towards a common financial goal together.“ Matt Faircloth   “I have yet to see a real estate investor that's successful in this business that does not have their spouse supporting them. You don't have to invest with your spouse, but real estate investing takes two things: time and money, both of which are burdens on your marriage.” Matt Faircloth   “We're dedicated to transforming lives through real estate. That's a mantra we like so much that we put a trademark on it.” Matt Faircloth Links: DeRosa Group  DeRosa Group on Facebook  Matt on Instagram Matt on YouTube Raising Private Capital by Matt Faircloth 7 Figure Flipping Return on Investments Just Start Real Estate JSRE on Facebook Mike on Facebook Mike on Instagram Mike on LinkedIn Mike on Twitter Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months

“If I look back at what I was doing wrong, and here's what I was doing wrong in a nutshell, I won't spend tons of time on it. I'll spend a little more time on what I did to fix it.”-Mike SimmonsMike Simmons  is an entrepreneur, a business coach / mentor since 2013 and has helped several entrepreneurs start, build and scale their businesses to 7 figures. As a master of taking strategic risks, he coaches others to do the same to love and become unstoppable with this program called convincing me. Mike has personally worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs to take strategic risks that have paid off. He has shared the stage with Gary Vaynerchuk, Ryan Serhant, Russell Brunson and among others. He's also been featured in Business Insider magazine, and produces and hosts the podcast, Just Start Real Estate where he interviews successful entrepreneurs. Mike is also the author of Level Jumping and this book is about generating a profit of $1 million and his business in just 12 months.In this episode, Trevor and Mike discuss:-Mike's real estate background and why he started this business.-What made Mike leave his corporate job.-How his mistakes made him reach a million dollars within 12 months.-A few key points about Mike's path to a million dollars.-How podcasting can help you connect with others and expand your network.-The importance of creating a system and process in a business.-What the deal looks like in the new market.-Excellent advice when fixing and flipping.-The benefits of joining a coaching program.

Today's guest is Anthony Eisenman, who works in enterprise sales for Fortune 100 companies. Eisenman grew up in a single-parent family and felt that more traditional career paths were closed off to him but was attracted to the idea of working in sales because of the possibility of being paid for his performance via commission. Through hard work and diligence, he leveraged himself into a position of owning stock options in major corporations and has built up his own brand to teach others his methods. Mike and Anthony begin by discussing how to increase your income. Eisenman's first piece of advice, particularly for those who currently only work for one organization and who may have a fixed income, is to negotiate with your employer to be paid based on performance. Although this brings an element of risk, Eisenman underlines that this will give you the opportunity to prove your value to the organization. Once your value has been demonstrated through excellent performance, you are then in a better position to negotiate for greater rewards, including equity. Anthony then outlines his checklist of systems to put in place before creating multiple streams of income or pursuing a passion project. Firstly, it is important to ensure that you are excelling in your primary source of income, meaning that you have maximized your earning capacity in this role. Secondly, this role should operate like a well-oiled machine with a firm system and defined processes in place, giving you the capacity to open yourself up to investing time and energy into other sources of income. When launching a secondary revenue stream, Anthony highlights the possibility of receiving pushback from your company or entourage. When he began to work for himself, colleagues questioned his commitment to his job and his time management capacity. However, Anthony ensured that he continued to achieve highly so that his performance and production would speak for itself. Anthony then deep dives into his personal motivation to achieve. Whilst he used to be motivated by his ego and the idea of proving people wrong, today he is more inspired by the idea of creating a legacy for his family to give his children the comforts he never had. The memories of his former financial struggles have stayed with him and continue to push him forward. Mike also affirms how the fear of failure can be a strong push factor towards achieving financial success, since a push away from financial hardship can be just as strong a motivator as the pull factor of the desire to earn wealth for your family. Mike then questions Anthony about the steps that he took to build his brand, and Anthony explains that the first step that he took was to invest in coaching to learn about real estate and to create a personal brand. Initially his goals for his side businesses were low as he wasn't under pressure to achieve immediately, and this allowed him to develop and grow gradually. Anthony chose to add a short-term real estate business to his portfolio as a way to involve his family in his business, as his wife could take over the furnishing and property management aspect of the business and in the long term, his children may also become involved with property management too. Lastly, the conversation turns to Anthony's personal brand, which aims to help people improve their sales strategies to earn the income they deserve. He has numerous books and coaching products covering topics from cold calls to the art of persuasion to the blueprint to wealth creation. These resources represent a philosophy of lifelong learning in order to improve yourself and your position in life. No matter what stage you're at, there is always room to grow and learn and those who don't take that opportunity will stagnate. Don't miss this enlightening episode of Just Start Real Estate, and stay tuned to the end to find out how to get free learning resources from Anthony Eisenman so that you can learn his secrets to success! Notable Quotes: “If you can prove yourself by being paid based on your performance, you're going to earn a higher income and have a higher ceiling, and you can prove yourself to be valuable.” Anthony Eisenman “Don't ever be afraid to lose what you have now in order to gain even more.” Anthony Eisenman “I did get pushback internally from my organization and it just made me press the gas that much harder.” Anthony Eisenman “Everybody deserves to do some things they're passionate about on the side. You don't have to dedicate 110% to your organization. You can have some time to do some things on your own.” Anthony Eisenman “If you get lazy, then your goals aren't big enough.” Anthony Eisenman “Part of my motivation, aside from my family, is fear of failure.” Mike Simmons “Once I make a decision to do something, I take action right away.” Anthony Eisenman “The people that get over the hump and don't quit are the people that make it.” Anthony Eisenman “I don't need the plan, I just need the next actionable step. The plan will unfold as you take action.” Anthony Eisenman “The short-term rental game is great because you can get into it in so many different ways.” Anthony Eisenman “If you're not consuming information to try to better yourself, I hope you love exactly where you are right now because that's where you will be in 20 years.” Mike Simmons Links: Anthony on Facebook Anthony on LinkedIn Anthony on Instagram Master Cold Calling In Five Easy Steps The Science of Persuasion My Sales Mentality Anthony Eisenman Coaching Program Just Start Real Estate JSRE on Facebook Mike on Facebook Mike on Instagram Mike on LinkedIn Mike on Twitter Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months

Today's guest is Anthony Eisenman, who works in enterprise sales for Fortune 100 companies. Eisenman grew up in a single-parent family and felt that more traditional career paths were closed off to him but was attracted to the idea of working in sales because of the possibility of being paid for his performance via commission. Through hard work and diligence, he leveraged himself into a position of owning stock options in major corporations and has built up his own brand to teach others his methods.    Mike and Anthony begin by discussing how to increase your income. Eisenman's first piece of advice, particularly for those who currently only work for one organization and who may have a fixed income, is to negotiate with your employer to be paid based on performance. Although this brings an element of risk, Eisenman underlines that this will give you the opportunity to prove your value to the organization. Once your value has been demonstrated through excellent performance, you are then in a better position to negotiate for greater rewards, including equity.    Anthony then outlines his checklist of systems to put in place before creating multiple streams of income or pursuing a passion project. Firstly, it is important to ensure that you are excelling in your primary source of income, meaning that you have maximized your earning capacity in this role. Secondly, this role should operate like a well-oiled machine with a firm system and defined processes in place, giving you the capacity to open yourself up to investing time and energy into other sources of income.   When launching a secondary revenue stream, Anthony highlights the possibility of receiving pushback from your company or entourage. When he began to work for himself, colleagues questioned his commitment to his job and his time management capacity. However, Anthony ensured that he continued to achieve highly so that his performance and production would speak for itself.    Anthony then deep dives into his personal motivation to achieve. Whilst he used to be motivated by his ego and the idea of proving people wrong, today he is more inspired by the idea of creating a legacy for his family to give his children the comforts he never had. The memories of his former financial struggles have stayed with him and continue to push him forward. Mike also affirms how the fear of failure can be a strong push factor towards achieving financial success, since a push away from financial hardship can be just as strong a motivator as the pull factor of the desire to earn wealth for your family.   Mike then questions Anthony about the steps that he took to build his brand, and Anthony explains that the first step that he took was to invest in coaching to learn about real estate and to create a personal brand. Initially his goals for his side businesses were low as he wasn't under pressure to achieve immediately, and this allowed him to develop and grow gradually. Anthony chose to add a short-term real estate business to his portfolio as a way to involve his family in his business, as his wife could take over the furnishing and property management aspect of the business and in the long term, his children may also become involved with property management too.    Lastly, the conversation turns to Anthony's personal brand, which aims to help people improve their sales strategies to earn the income they deserve. He has numerous books and coaching products covering topics from cold calls to the art of persuasion to the blueprint to wealth creation. These resources represent a philosophy of lifelong learning in order to improve yourself and your position in life. No matter what stage you're at, there is always room to grow and learn and those who don't take that opportunity will stagnate.    Don't miss this enlightening episode of Just Start Real Estate, and stay tuned to the end to find out how to get free learning resources from Anthony Eisenman so that you can learn his secrets to success! Notable Quotes:   “If you can prove yourself by being paid based on your performance, you're going to earn a higher income and have a higher ceiling, and you can prove yourself to be valuable.” Anthony Eisenman   “Don't ever be afraid to lose what you have now in order to gain even more.” Anthony Eisenman   “I did get pushback internally from my organization and it just made me press the gas that much harder.” Anthony Eisenman   “Everybody deserves to do some things they're passionate about on the side. You don't have to dedicate 110% to your organization. You can have some time to do some things on your own.” Anthony Eisenman   “If you get lazy, then your goals aren't big enough.” Anthony Eisenman   “Part of my motivation, aside from my family, is fear of failure.” Mike Simmons   “Once I make a decision to do something, I take action right away.” Anthony Eisenman   “The people that get over the hump and don't quit are the people that make it.” Anthony Eisenman   “I don't need the plan, I just need the next actionable step. The plan will unfold as you take action.” Anthony Eisenman   “The short-term rental game is great because you can get into it in so many different ways.” Anthony Eisenman   “If you're not consuming information to try to better yourself, I hope you love exactly where you are right now because that's where you will be in 20 years.” Mike Simmons Links:   Anthony on Facebook Anthony on LinkedIn Anthony on Instagram Master Cold Calling In Five Easy Steps The Science of Persuasion My Sales Mentality Anthony Eisenman Coaching Program Just Start Real Estate JSRE on Facebook Mike on Facebook Mike on Instagram Mike on LinkedIn Mike on Twitter Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months

My guest today is Adam Zach. Adam has a magnificent obsession with learning and with real estate. He works 10 hours per week as a professional engineer but dedicates most of his time to family, learning, and building up his real estate businesses. The business that allowed him to semi-retire is his niche in rent-to-own investments and creative financing by buying homes for people who can't qualify for a traditional bank loan. He currently holds 26 properties in 5 different states. Adam first shares his background story and how he got into real estate. After college, Adam worked a high-paying job as an engineer. He was living the American dream. But pretty soon, he started getting the itch, he started to wonder about financial independence. During this time, he looked into many different things but eventually, he decided that real estate is the way to go. However, he didn't completely cut ties with his 9-5, he still works 10 hours a week as a professional engineer. We then move on to discussing the first property Adam bought. He shares that the very first property that he bought was kind of an accidental purchase. He bought a house with his college roommates so that they could have a place to live in and party. But once he learned about property appreciation three years later, he decided to turn it into a rental as opposed to just selling it. He then started to educate himself more and together with his wife decided to invest more into real estate. Next, we talk about what exactly Adam is doing in this industry that is different. He refers to his business model as “Set Your Rent”. At first, he would tell college students to pick a home off the MLS that they wanted to live in, and he would buy it for them as long as they paid the 1% rule. This was a way of him getting a property that was turnkey as opposed to buying a property that needed to be fixed up. He then noticed that after a year or two, college students would leave and the market rents would be a bit lower. So, he then decided to find people instead of finding properties. Most of the time it's entrepreneurs or people with no credit or poor credit and he uses the same concept. He either does rent-to-own or a contract for deed and this is what really helped explode the growth of his business and accelerated the path forward. Adam then explains the difference between rent-to-own and a contract for deed and which one he prefers. As a landlord, Adam first checks if there is a city inspection required and if it is, he then uses the contract for deed route, because then he is not obligated to meet all the requirements. But from the standpoint of taxes, and every other purpose, a rent-to-own is a better option because a contract for deed gets charged as an interest income whereas a lease option is still a rental, so you get the depreciation and you're acting more like a landlord in that situation. On the other hand, when he's trying to buy a piece of property, he prefers a rent-to-own option because it's much more flexible Eventually, we dive into discussing some of the cracks that Adam noticed in his model so far. He shares that their biggest obstacle so far was Covid. The pandemic caused financial issues to some of their tenants but luckily they were able to come up with different payment plans to avoid eviction and foreclosure. To avoid these situations, Adam's company screens potential tenants as a landlord but also as a bank using a third party. They also make sure that their payment is not more than one-third of their income. Lastly, Adam shares some of the concerns he had when he was first starting out. His main priority was to make sure that they were not taking advantage of people. This is why he always makes sure to ask his clients if they tried to get a bank loan first. He also advises his clients to try different banks as well as credit unions and mortgage brokers. He knows that this option is probably the most expensive for his clients, but it comes with many different benefits that his clients are seeing as a higher value. Make sure you don't miss this amazing episode of Just Start Real Estate with Adam Zach and learn how to find deals in a new way that is not being talked about! Notable Quotes: “I think sometimes it's good, even for us real estate investors, to realize we're business people at the end of the day, so I think bringing outside industries and talking about how they do things can be valuable.” Mike Simmons “You start getting the itch and looking out the window a little bit longer each day. You kind of start thinking - what does financial independence look like?” Adam Zach “I think it all started by just getting really curious and having a large enough unhappiness meter to be like - you know what, I'm going to do something about it.” Adam Zach “You will get punched in the mouth from time to time in business and if you don't want it bad enough, you will not get back into the ring.” Mike Simmons “I feel like real estate is almost the ultimate game where if it's heads, I win and if it's tails, I break even. And that is a fantastic gig.” Adam Zach “Every minute you spend overanalyzing, somebody else has already gotten the deal anyway.” Mike Simmons “Our goal is to never turn someone down, but just give them terms that make them want to improve themselves.” Adam Zach “If you're an entrepreneur listening to this, just because you were told “no” by one bank, it doesn't mean a different bank will say “no.” Talk to a big bank, talk to a local credit union, and talk to a mortgage broker.” Adam Zach “Let's just try to educate the world so that maybe they can find themselves, get some freedom, or get into this so that they can then go and help other people.” Adam Zach “Most successful people I've met in this industry are some of the most generous, honest people who sincerely want to help.” Mike Simmons “I have given people advice for free and I've given people advice they had to pay a lot for. And the people who pay for the advice tend to listen and act and execute at a higher level because they value it.” Mike Simmons Links: Set Your Rent Set Your Rent on Instagram Set Your Rent on Facebook Set Your Rent on Youtube Set Your Rent on LinkedIn 7 Figure Flipping Return on Investments Just Start Real Estate JSRE on Facebook Mike on Facebook Mike on Instagram Mike on LinkedIn Mike on Twitter Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months

My guest today is Adam Zach.  Adam has a magnificent obsession with learning and with real estate. He works 10 hours per week as a professional engineer but dedicates most of his time to family, learning, and building up his real estate businesses. The business that allowed him to semi-retire is his niche in rent-to-own investments and creative financing by buying homes for people who can't qualify for a traditional bank loan. He currently holds 26 properties in 5 different states.   Adam first shares his background story and how he got into real estate. After college, Adam worked a high-paying job as an engineer. He was living the American dream. But pretty soon, he started getting the itch, he started to wonder about financial independence. During this time, he looked into many different things but eventually, he decided that real estate is the way to go. However, he didn't completely cut ties with his 9-5, he still works 10 hours a week as a professional engineer.    We then move on to discussing the first property Adam bought. He shares that the very first property that he bought was kind of an accidental purchase. He bought a house with his college roommates so that they could have a place to live in and party. But once he learned about property appreciation three years later, he decided to turn it into a rental as opposed to just selling it. He then started to educate himself more and together with his wife decided to invest more into real estate.    Next, we talk about what exactly Adam is doing in this industry that is different. He refers to his business model as “Set Your Rent”. At first, he would tell college students to pick a home off the MLS that they wanted to live in, and he would buy it for them as long as they paid the 1% rule. This was a way of him getting a property that was turnkey as opposed to buying a property that needed to be fixed up. He then noticed that after a year or two, college students would leave and the market rents would be a bit lower. So, he then decided to find people instead of finding properties. Most of the time it's entrepreneurs or people with no credit or poor credit and he uses the same concept. He either does rent-to-own or a contract for deed and this is what really helped explode the growth of his business and accelerated the path forward.    Adam then explains the difference between rent-to-own and a contract for deed and which one he prefers. As a landlord, Adam first checks if there is a city inspection required and if it is, he then uses the contract for deed route, because then he is not obligated to meet all the requirements. But from the standpoint of taxes, and every other purpose, a rent-to-own is a better option because a contract for deed gets charged as an interest income whereas a lease option is still a rental, so you get the depreciation and you're acting more like a landlord in that situation. On the other hand, when he's trying to buy a piece of property, he prefers a rent-to-own option because it's much more flexible    Eventually, we dive into discussing some of the cracks that Adam noticed in his model so far. He shares that their biggest obstacle so far was Covid. The pandemic caused financial issues to some of their tenants but luckily they were able to come up with different payment plans to avoid eviction and foreclosure. To avoid these situations, Adam's company screens potential tenants as a landlord but also as a bank using a third party. They also make sure that their payment is not more than one-third of their income.    Lastly, Adam shares some of the concerns he had when he was first starting out. His main priority was to make sure that they were not taking advantage of people. This is why he always makes sure to ask his clients if they tried to get a bank loan first. He also advises his clients to try different banks as well as credit unions and mortgage brokers. He knows that this option is probably the most expensive for his clients, but it comes with many different benefits that his clients are seeing as a higher value.    Make sure you don't miss this amazing episode of Just Start Real Estate with Adam Zach and learn how to find deals in a new way that is not being talked about!   Notable Quotes:   “I think sometimes it's good, even for us real estate investors, to realize we're business people at the end of the day, so I think bringing outside industries and talking about how they do things can be valuable.” Mike Simmons    “You start getting the itch and looking out the window a little bit longer each day. You kind of start thinking - what does financial independence look like?” Adam Zach   “I think it all started by just getting really curious and having a large enough unhappiness meter to be like - you know what, I'm going to do something about it.” Adam Zach   “You will get punched in the mouth from time to time in business and if you don't want it bad enough, you will not get back into the ring.” Mike Simmons    “I feel like real estate is almost the ultimate game where if it's heads, I win and if it's tails, I break even. And that is a fantastic gig.” Adam Zach   “Every minute you spend overanalyzing, somebody else has already gotten the deal anyway.” Mike Simmons “Our goal is to never turn someone down, but just give them terms that make them want to improve themselves.” Adam Zach   “If you're an entrepreneur listening to this, just because you were told “no” by one bank, it doesn't mean a different bank will say “no.” Talk to a big bank, talk to a local credit union, and talk to a mortgage broker.” Adam Zach   “Let's just try to educate the world so that maybe they can find themselves, get some freedom, or get into this so that they can then go and help other people.” Adam Zach   “Most successful people I've met in this industry are some of the most generous, honest people who sincerely want to help.” Mike Simmons    “I have given people advice for free and I've given people advice they had to pay a lot for. And the people who pay for the advice tend to listen and act and execute at a higher level because they value it.” Mike Simmons Links: Set Your Rent Set Your Rent on Instagram  Set Your Rent on Facebook Set Your Rent on Youtube  Set Your Rent on LinkedIn 7 Figure Flipping Return on Investments Just Start Real Estate JSRE on Facebook Mike on Facebook Mike on Instagram Mike on LinkedIn Mike on Twitter Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months  

Today Stephen interviews Mike Simmons. Mike is a Real Estate investor, business coach, speaker, and author of the book Level Jumping. He also hosts the podcast Just Start Real Estate which discusses real estate investing as well as exciting interviews with top entrepreneurs where he gets to the bottom of their business to discover the secrets to how they became successful. Mike became interested in real estate in 2003 while he was working at a low-paying job and he realized he would need something more to retire on. He began researching but for years didn't make a move until 2008 when he and his wife bought their first home to rehab and flip and then he was hooked. Since then, he has only learned from the mistakes and lessons along the way to becoming the success that he is today. Now, he uses the knowledge he has gained to help others who are just starting out in real estate investing so that they know the truth and to help them be successful. For More Content on Going From Stuck to Unstoppable, we invite you to stay connected. Follow Us On... FaceBook Twitter Youtube Instagram LinkedIn  Journey Principles   Stephen Scoggins

 Mike Simmons is a real estate investor, podcaster, and speaker who shared the stage with Gary Vaynerchuk at his Agent2021 Conference. He is the co-owner of the wholesaling company, Return on Investments, producer and host of the popular podcast “Just Start Real Estate,’’ and a partner in ‘’7 Figure Flipping’’ – one of the nation’s largest real estate mastermind groups. Mike currently owns 16 rental properties and wholesale and/or flipped over 80 properties last year.Most recently, Mike wrote a book titled Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months which tells the story of his success as a real estate investor.Links:http://mikesimmons.comhttp://mikesimmons.com/juststartrealestate/http://webuyroi.comSocial Media Linkshttps://www.facebook.com/mirealestate/https://www.facebook.com/JustStartMindsethttps://www.instagram.com/mikessimmons/https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikessimmons/https://twitter.com/MikeSSimmons

Hello, everyone. Welcome to CEO Secrets. I am so honored to be joined by a successful entrepreneur in the real estate world. Join me in welcoming Mike Simmons. Mike Simmons is the owner of Just Start Real Estate, a Partner at Return On Investment, and also a partner at 7 Figure Flipping. He is also a real estate coach, podcaster, and a speaker. Mike has shared the stage with Gary Vaynerchuk at his Agent2021 Conference. Mike has been into real estate investing since 2008 doing house flipping, bought rentals, and wholesale equaling hundreds of deals. Let us learn today from Mike his story from the ground up and how he was able to reach 7 figures in profits investing in real estate. Top takeaways: (3:35) Social media as a selling platform - is it worth it? (5:10) The type of leads Mike found from social media that are good to attract (6:29) Mike's top sources of seller leads (8:38) Why Mike is adamant about postcards (10:01) How to decide who to send mails from your database (12:42) Setting budget for Google Ads (24:38) Strategies that people are talking about to deploy capital (26:14) How to compete with big companies doing hundreds of deals a month Podcast Transcript Here

For this episode, I am excited to welcome Sean Castrina. Sean is a serial entrepreneur, having started more than 20 companies over the last 20 years, and still seeks to launch a new venture annually. He is an amazing investor, teacher, and highly-sought-after speaker who communicates with humor and a bluntness that engages and captures his audience. His podcast The 10 Minute Entrepreneur, is one of iTunes' most popular business shows. Sean is also the author of 8 Unbreakable Rules for Business Startup Success, The Greatest Entrepreneur in the World, and World's Greatest Business Plan. We start this episode with Sean's background story. After graduating from college, he was able to secure his dream job. But five years later, he got fired overnight with no warning, after just having a newborn child. This was the moment he realized that he would never again work for anybody but himself. He went on to create a car detailing company that brought in $35,000 of passive income. He repeated that formula with service companies over the next 25 years. Sean started a lot of businesses in his lifetime and along the way he learned that you don't have to love that business, you don't even have to be a part of it, in order to make a profit. As an entrepreneur, his goal is to systematize them and make them passive at some level. Sean goes on to talk about how the fact that he was born legally blind affected his childhood and his adult life. He explains how it taught him to work with that, around that, and defeat any obstacle that came his way. We then move on to learn more about Sean's entrepreneurial career. He talks about how, after creating his detailing business, he started working with other service companies. At one point, he wanted to turn his dining room into an office, but he soon realized that it was impossible to find a handyman in his community. Led by his entrepreneurial spirit, he started a company named Advantage Handyman Service that ended up being a multimillion-dollar company within the first three years, and soon it will be an 8-figure company. It was always the same formula that turned out to be successful for him - service companies. We then move on to talking about Sean's plans for the future. His goal is to start a new company every single year. He explains how some business owners have an entrepreneurial moment - they start a business and they are happy with that, but that is where it stops. Some entrepreneurs are addicted to looking for the next thing that they can get involved in, an opportunity that is within what they know and understand. Sean and I then dive into discussing one of his books called 8 Unbreakable Rules for Business Startup Success. He shares his perspective about the book and walks us through all eight rules that helped him become a successful business owner. Among other things, he explains why you need a great team, why you need to know your numbers, and how important marketing is. Lastly, Sean shares his amazing advice on how to learn from other successful entrepreneurs. Business owners love to get a pat on the back and they love to tell you what they are doing. His advice is to go to any business owner, tell them you love their business and you would just love to bring them a cup of coffee once a month and pick their brain for twenty minutes. You will get a wealth of wisdom from doing this simple task! Don't miss this episode of Just Start Real Estate that is filled with practical and incredibly actionable advice from an amazing, and most definitely serial, entrepreneur, Sean Castrina! Notable Quotes: “A job is not security. At the very least, you have to put up with stuff that you don't even like.” Sean Castrina “There are very few jobs that are like being an entrepreneur.” Sean Castrina “Business is nothing but chess pieces; every chess piece moves a little bit differently. Employment is playing checkers; you move linear, trying to get to the end of the board.” Sean Castrina “You are not going to be good if you do everything. Do a couple of things really, really well.” Mike Simmons “When you face an obstacle, you climb over it and that paints the picture of who you become.” Sean Castrina “Do the craft that you are good at.” Sean Castrina “Entrepreneurs are addicted to the next thing they can get involved in.” Sean Castrina “When you are an entrepreneur, you are constantly looking for something that works within what you know and understand.” Sean Castrina “This is a hard game to win if you don't know any of the rules.” Sean Castrina Links: Download a FREE COPY of Sean's book, 8 Unbreakable Rules for Business Startup Success Sean on Instagram Sean on Facebook Sean on LinkedIn Sean on YouTube Sean on Twitter Mike's FREE Coaching 7 Figure Flipping Return on Investments Just Start Real Estate JSRE on Facebook Mike on Facebook Mike on Instagram Mike on LinkedIn Mike on Twitter Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months

For this episode, I am excited to welcome Sean Castrina. Sean is a serial entrepreneur, having started more than 20 companies over the last 20 years, and still seeks to launch a new venture annually. He is an amazing investor, teacher, and highly-sought-after speaker who communicates with humor and a bluntness that engages and captures his audience. His podcast The 10 Minute Entrepreneur, is one of iTunes’ most popular business shows. Sean is also the author of 8 Unbreakable Rules for Business Startup Success, The Greatest Entrepreneur in the World, and World’s Greatest Business Plan.   We start this episode with Sean’s background story. After graduating from college, he was able to secure his dream job. But five years later, he got fired overnight with no warning, after just having a newborn child. This was the moment he realized that he would never again work for anybody but himself. He went on to create a car detailing company that brought in $35,000 of passive income. He repeated that formula with service companies over the next 25 years.   Sean started a lot of businesses in his lifetime and along the way he learned that you don’t have to love that business, you don’t even have to be a part of it, in order to make a profit. As an entrepreneur, his goal is to systematize them and make them passive at some level. Sean goes on to talk about how the fact that he was born legally blind affected his childhood and his adult life. He explains how it taught him to work with that, around that, and defeat any obstacle that came his way.    We then move on to learn more about Sean’s entrepreneurial career. He talks about how, after creating his detailing business, he started working with other service companies. At one point, he wanted to turn his dining room into an office, but he soon realized that it was impossible to find a handyman in his community. Led by his entrepreneurial spirit, he started a company named Advantage Handyman Service that ended up being a multimillion-dollar company within the first three years, and soon it will be an 8-figure company. It was always the same formula that turned out to be successful for him - service companies.    We then move on to talking about Sean’s plans for the future. His goal is to start a new company every single year. He explains how some business owners have an entrepreneurial moment - they start a business and they are happy with that, but that is where it stops. Some entrepreneurs are addicted to looking for the next thing that they can get involved in, an opportunity that is within what they know and understand.   Sean and I then dive into discussing one of his books called 8 Unbreakable Rules for Business Startup Success. He shares his perspective about the book and walks us through all eight rules that helped him become a successful business owner. Among other things, he explains why you need a great team, why you need to know your numbers, and how important marketing is.    Lastly, Sean shares his amazing advice on how to learn from other successful entrepreneurs. Business owners love to get a pat on the back and they love to tell you what they are doing. His advice is to go to any business owner, tell them you love their business and you would just love to bring them a cup of coffee once a month and pick their brain for twenty minutes. You will get a wealth of wisdom from doing this simple task!   Don’t miss this episode of Just Start Real Estate that is filled with practical and incredibly actionable advice from an amazing, and most definitely serial, entrepreneur, Sean Castrina! Notable Quotes:   “A job is not security. At the very least, you have to put up with stuff that you don't even like.” Sean Castrina   “There are very few jobs that are like being an entrepreneur.” Sean Castrina   “Business is nothing but chess pieces; every chess piece moves a little bit differently. Employment is playing checkers; you move linear, trying to get to the end of the board.”  Sean Castrina   “You are not going to be good if you do everything. Do a couple of things really, really well.” Mike Simmons   “When you face an obstacle, you climb over it and that paints the picture of who you become.” Sean Castrina   “Do the craft that you are good at.” Sean Castrina   “Entrepreneurs are addicted to the next thing they can get involved in.” Sean Castrina   “When you are an entrepreneur, you are constantly looking for something that works within what you know and understand.”  Sean Castrina   “This is a hard game to win if you don’t know any of the rules.”  Sean Castrina Links: Download a FREE COPY of Sean’s book, 8 Unbreakable Rules for Business Startup Success Sean on Instagram  Sean on Facebook Sean on LinkedIn Sean on YouTube Sean on Twitter Mike's FREE Coaching 7 Figure Flipping Return on Investments Just Start Real Estate JSRE on Facebook Mike on Facebook Mike on Instagram Mike on LinkedIn Mike on Twitter Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months  

Mike Simmons wasn't born into an entrepreneurial family, however, real estate investing became his fascination in 2003, and from then, has gained knowledge and experiences which have made him a wealth of knowledge for budding entrepreneurs worldwide. Today, he is a speaker, podcaster, business coach, and author. He has been in real estate since 2008 and has flipped houses, bought rentals, and wholesaled hundreds of deals. Since then, he has grown his business tremendously which is detailed in his book, Level Jumping, which is available on Amazon.He is the producer and host of the popular podcast Just Start Real Estate where he interviews inspiring investors who share tips and strategies for growing an investment-based business.  He is also a partner in 7 Figure Flipping which is one of the nation's largest real estate mastermind groups. Listen in as they discuss:How Mike got started and how he took his business to where it is today.Doubling down on your strengths as opposed to your weaknesses.The wholesaling method.What does it take to scale a business?When is the best time to scale your business?And, more!TIP OF THE WEEKMark: My tip of the week is going to help make you wealthy. Learn more just go to mikesimmons.com, check out the book Level Jumping, check out their Podcast, and listen to my talk with the other people to inspire you.Scott: Check out this Chrome Plug-In called Tab Save, you can look it out in Chrome Store. What it does is when you tap it will easily save all of your open tabs right to a file. You won't lose them.Mike: My tip is a book, I think, it's an important one because if you ask me to "boil down what you did to scale or like key things": number one was hiring and number two was creating systems and processes, and running my business in a systematic way. The name of the book is Traction by Gino Wickman.  It's a short and easy read; and they call it EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System). It's a simple method of running your business like a business.Isn't it time to create passive income so you can work where you want, when you want, and with whomever you want?

For today's episode, I'm excited to welcome Garrett Sutton. Garrett has practiced corporate law for more than 35 years and he assists entrepreneurs and real estate investors in maximizing goals and protecting their assets. As a veteran author, Garrett is a highly-sought guest speaker. He is a member of the elite group of “Rich Dad Advisors” for the best-selling author, Robert Kiyosaki. Garrett has authored several successful books for business owners including Loopholes of Real Estate and Scam Proof your Assets. Garrett first shares his background story and how he was able to work as part of the advisor team for Robert Kiyosaki. He found that he was passionate about using his education and business knowledge to help others start and grow their own endeavors. We then moved on to the importance of having a great team supporting you. It is important to have a good lawyer who can assist you in the legal aspect of business decisions and a CPA for advice on an intelligent and efficient manner of handling your finances. Garrett then explained further that whatever CPA you select needs to be conversant on real estate issues. We discussed the business details that people tend to overlook the most. Garrett spoke in great detail about the necessity of starting an LLC and how easy it is to forget the ongoing requirements of maintaining your asset protection. He believes that those are the two key things that people need to consider prior to starting and building their business. Together we dove into how you can be efficient and organized if you have an early start in real estate. Garrett shared details on how you can use pre-tax dollars for investing and many other pieces of legal advice useful to business owners. We also talked about how you can utilize a personal residence trust to your advantage. He discussed the different situations in multiple states and how you can use an LLC to protect your personal residence. Lastly, we discussed the deceptions over the internet and how prevalent con artists and real estate scams are. Garrett believed that as people are inundated with a massive amount of misrepresentation and fraudulent behavior, the government should step up to prevent these people from getting away scot-free and that the victims should not be penalized. Don't miss out on this important episode of Just Start Real Estate, which provides vital business advice from our super-relatable advisor and guest, Garrett Sutton! Notable Quotes: “As a mid-to-early 40-year-old guy, I didn't know what was going on in my finances.” Mike Simmons “It's great that people like you are doing these podcasts because this is our high school and college education on these important issues.” Garrett Sutton “It's really important to get your team on board and come up with the best strategy.” Garrett Sutton “If you don't know the subject matter really well, it can come across cross flat because they don't know where to put the emphasis.” Mike Simmons “Most people don't even know how much they're putting out there and how at-risk they are.” Mike Simmons Links: Garret's Website Garret's Sutton's Books 7 Figure Flipping Return on Investments Just Start Real Estate JSRE on Facebook Mike on Facebook Mike on Instagram Mike on LinkedIn Mike on Twitter Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months

For today's episode, I am excited to interview Brett Snodgrass. Brett has been in the real estate industry for 13 years and he specializes in wholesaling, wholetailing, and creative financing. Originally a one-man army, he scaled his business, Simple Wholesaling, to an amazing, full team running hundreds of deals per year. Brett is also the popular podcast host of Real Estate Investing with a Purpose. He is a highly-sought-after speaker who has been given key presentations on a wide range of topics such as scaling businesses to developing a purpose behind the business. As we have been in real estate investing for about the same amount of time, I was excited to dive into his story and how he built his legacy. Brett first shared his background story and how a book allowed him to change his view and get him interested in the real-estate business industry. He shared further along in the interview where he closed his first deal and you will be shocked at where he sold it! We discussed his dad's advice that he will never forget and how it was able to assist him in his business. We then dove into Brett's transition to full-time real estate investing. We discussed how 2008 was the worst market in history and how he was still able to close deals even when many people disagreed with what he was doing. He was able to persevere even though he was not terribly experienced and he made it a monumental year for his business. We discussed how his dad joined his business, the breaking point of trying to run the business themselves and how they started to scale. Brett shared how he started to build his business by making 200-300 offers a month which resulted in closing about 10 of them which totally got the money flowing! We talked about Brett's philosophy which is to find the cheapest property in the market and believe that someone is going to buy it regardless of the location. Using this strategy, he was able to buy thousands of properties and generate profits of thousands of dollars for each. Regardless of the low numbers, they were able to realize good profit margins and continue to grow their business. We then moved on to Brett's difficulty in finding deals and dealing with realtors. Through these struggles, and considering how rough the real estate industry was in 2008, Brett decided to get his license in order to increase productivity and decrease expenses. Lastly, we discussed how doing real estate deals is not exciting for Brett anymore. He found himself bored in meetings and would ask himself what should he be doing and what his real purpose in life is. He shared how wanted to explore other avenues and opportunities and find excitement in his day-to-day work again. Don't miss this information-packed episode of Just Start Real Estate to learn more about the investing journey of popular podcaster and entrepreneur, Brett Snodgrass! Notable Quotes: “I use a lot of sports terms because sports really helped me.” Brett Snodgrass “What are you going to do? Are you going to get better or are you going to get worse? It's your choice.” Brett Snodgrass “We're always thinking about how we can adjust if the market starts to shift.” Brett Snodgrass “I love just kind of picking people's brains and really digging into their hearts.” Brett Snodgrass “I think there are different seasons in life.” Brett Snodgrass “You can walk away too early, you can walk away too fast, you can walk away without the right team in place.” Mike Simmons Links: Brett's Website Real Estate Investing with a Purpose Podcast 7 Figure Flipping Return on Investments Just Start Real Estate JSRE on Facebook Mike on Facebook Mike on Instagram Mike on LinkedIn Mike on Twitter Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months

For today's episode, I'm pleased to welcome Bo Kim, who is a real estate investor and popular podcaster. Bo is a buy-and-hold investor who works in the accounting industry in Southern California and also hosts the Bigger Cash Flow Podcast, where he shares the tips and tricks to making it big in the real estate sector. Owning an impressive sixty-three rental units in markets of Kansas City, Indianapolis, and Little Rock, Bo has a wealth of experience in the industry to learn from. Bo talks about his early life and living in rented houses for most of his childhood. He shares how he was intrigued by their landlord owning four rentals and making a considerable amount of money with those alone. He saved everything he made while in college and was able to start investing soon after graduating. While still less informed about house hacking and the process of renting out an apartment, he managed to rent the extra bedroom of his house to his sister-in-law, after he moved into the newly-bought house with his wife. Excited at the new passive income source he'd managed to build, he dove into this business for the incredible cash flow it could provide. Bo also shares how losing $10,000 on his first real estate deal helped him learn a great deal about the industry and its functioning. He discusses how starting off, he'd initially made a list of twenty metro cities he liked and went about calling all the turnkey providers, contractors, and agents until he found some people he was excited to work with. Bo also shares his approach of going about determining which markets are good for him. He considers cash flow, a favorable rent-to-price ratio, population growth, a diverse economy, and suitability for landlords as the prime deciding factors. Bo says that over half of the rentals he owns are single-family properties. Bo has a business degree in accounting and works currently in the accounting industry. His podcast aims at helping newbie real estate investors take back control of their finances. Bo is also an avid writer on his blog, where he shares tips and tricks on achieving freedom with time, location, and money. Bo also discusses how he manages all of his units every day. He suggests starting off by having the picture of the end in mind. Bo's professional goals go beyond just making money, and he chooses to always have in mind the kind of lifestyle he wants to keep and invests in his choices accordingly. He shares how much he targets per door for single and multi-family rentals. Bo explains how he chose his investing strategy and why he invests in rentals and not full-time flipping of houses. He shares that he enjoys his present job and would consider doing other things if he gets tired of doing his job at any time. His aim is to have cash flow without investing a lot of time and energy into the process. Bo discusses how it was not a seamless process to manage his rentals while working full-time simultaneously. He put in a lot of work, often waking up at 5:00 am to manage calls and working on the weekends to get everything finished. He also talks about finding the perfect balance between work, personal life, and a healthy lifestyle. Bo explains that not having kids helped him find more time for his business and get things running efficiently. We also discuss how the pandemic has affected people today. Bo shares how he did flipping for the first time this year and made $15,000 out of the first deal. He says he'd like to continue testing and finding the right waters to start something new. Don't miss out on this episode of the Just Start Real Estate podcast that is filled with huge take-aways from my powerful conversation with Bo Kim! Notable quotes: “You have to really start with the end in mind.” Bo Kim “If you don't have the end goal in mind, you're just gonna pick up any random properties and these could be other investors' problem children that you are buying by mistake.” Bo Kim “So for me, the number of units is never the goal. It's making sure that whatever I buy and invest in really correlates with the lifestyle that I want in the future. ” Bo Kim “It goes back to educating yourself because you don't know what you don't know.” Bo Kim “If you do what everybody else is doing, you're gonna get what everybody else gets.” Bo Kim “I like to call it the work-life blend. You just have to find what's important to you and incorporate it into your day-to-day.” Bo Kim “I think balance is tough. And everyone's different. You don't have kids, maybe someone who's listening does and they can't do it the same. “ Mike Simmons “Don't use that as an excuse, get out there and do the work and learn as much as you need to be dangerous. “ Mike Simmons Links: Bo's Email Bo's Website Bo's Instagram Bo's LinkedIn Profile Bigger Cash Flow Podcast 7 Figure Flipping Return on Investments Just Start Real Estate JSRE on Facebook Mike on Facebook Mike on Instagram Mike on LinkedIn Mike on Twitter Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months

For this episode, I am thrilled to interview Trevor Mauch, the CEO at Carrot. Carrot is a digital SaaS company that helps over 6,500 real estate professionals generate consistent, high-quality leads online by leveraging content marketing and is an industry-leading software. Trevor is passionate about using business to fuel investor's passion and to amplify the impact investors want to make in the world, helping entrepreneurs achieve freedom, flexibility, finances, and impact. Trevor shares his background story of buying his first rental property back in college and how the business that his parents were in discouraged him from entrepreneurship at a young age. He describes how his dad pushed him to buy that first property, which he still owns today. Trevor talked about limiting beliefs that people have that pile-up and create an impossible mountain to climb. We then moved on to when Trevor moved to Portland and started entertaining the idea of entrepreneurship. He explains how he gave himself time to figure out entrepreneurship, which was hard for him financially before things started looking up and he started earning a consistent income. Trevor describes how he found real estate wholesaling and also turned his passion for marketing into a day job for his active income. He opens up about his serial entrepreneurship endeavors which include real estate, marketing, publishing company, and others. We dive into the topic of entrepreneurship and whether entrepreneurs are born or made. By comparing his own journey with his brother's, Trevor believes that entrepreneurs are born, but also agrees that they have to develop certain attributes to be a true entrepreneur. Carrot was born from Trevor's passion for marketing that had turned into a draining activity before he found his unique abilities and went all-in with them. He describes how he found a mentor and emulated him to find things that give him more energy. Trevor advises people to stop doing things that drain their energy even if they bring you a lot of money, and instead focus on things that give you energy and keep you motivated. We discuss the Carrot brand and how it helps real estate investors create customized sites that rank and convert well on Google. Trevor explains how they've been adjusting their data over the years to keep up with the competition. They have been building a lot of content marketing tools to make it easier for people to get content online and rank it well on Google, plus win more deals by being the trusted authority. He explains that his most successful clients at Carrot meet their goals with written content by either writing it themselves or by choosing Carrot's automated content packs. Lastly, we talk about the importance of scheduling your content on your site and social media as a way to create authority. Trevor explains how content helps you as an investor demystify your process which encourages people to trust and follow you. You really have to check out Carrot, the #1 Inbound Online Lead Generation System For Serious Real Estate Professionals, and Trevor's podcast dedicated to interviewing his clients, CarrotCast. You will not want to miss this episode of Just Start Real Estate chock-full of fabulous information and value from marketing guru and fellow real estate investor, Trevor Mauch! Notable Quotes: “That's the difference I find between successful and unsuccessful people - some just do something with what they know and others don't.” Mike Simmons “People often have the ingredients of entrepreneurship, but they either never put themselves in that position or they're never put in that position, so it's unrealized.” Mike Simmons “You know you're doing the right stuff when people pay you really well and say you're really good at it.” Trevor Mauch “I found my unique abilities and went all-in on them.” Trevor Mauch “You win, not by saying you can buy fast because everyone can. You win by being the trusted authority in that area or topic.” Trevor Mauch “Even if we're not trying to focus on Google rankings, we need to focus on making sure that we have an authority hub, so all our marketing converts better because of the content on our website.” Trevor Mauch “Leads are the oxygen of your company; you can't live without leads.” Mike Simmons Links: Carrot CarrotCast Trevor's Website Trevor on Instagram 7 Figure Flipping Return on Investments Just Start Real Estate JSRE on Facebook Mike on Facebook Mike on Instagram Mike on LinkedIn Mike on Twitter Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months

For this episode, I welcome David Hill, a leading expert on telephone prospecting, bestselling author, and popular podcast host of the Path to Mastery Podcast. Over the past twenty-eight years, he has worked as a salesperson in numerous industries and depended primarily on the phone to make sales. He was previously a team leader at Keller Williams Greater Hartford and is now at eXp Realty. David first shares his background story from a call-center caller when he was seventeen years old to building a career as an excellent salesperson. A funny turn of events is that David's career in real estate was largely influenced by his then 10-year-old daughter… I hope you listen to the episode to hear all about it! We discuss the lessons of resiliency and dealing with rejection that David learned during his journey making sales calls. David explains call reluctance as the ‘little voice' that stops you from taking that leap and the many forms it shows up in. David explains why you need to be proactive in sales to be good at it and effective salespeople condition themselves to be this way. He perfectly describes the type of character that he believes will struggle in sales and points out that you need more than a great personality to be successful. David made a lot of mistakes and had many failures but his willingness to continue making things right is what has defined his success. He has mastered how to be the right leader even as he looks for the right people to hire. We eventually dive into the topic of David's bestselling book, The Sales Playbook. He wrote the book to give people eleven strategies to become great at sales. ‘The hidden goldmine in your pocket' is a phrase David uses to describe a phone and your contacts and all the connections you can make with them. The text message form of communication can be interpreted differently and hence ineffective as compared to face-to-face calls or voice calls. We move on to discussing real estate and why David prefers wholesaling which isn't necessarily a favorite of most real estate investors. He explains most of the strategies that make him believe that there's a lot of potential in wholesaling. David describes his experience hosting his podcast, the Path to Mastery, and bringing Gary Vee plus other prominent people on his show. One of his popular pieces of advice is for people to stop rushing in life and instead slow down and be present. David asks for my feedback on his podcast which I willingly give based on the episodes I've listened to. We also talk about the art of podcasting and what it takes to put high-quality audio out there. Don't miss this episode of Just Start Real Estate with the very smart and engaging, David Hill! Notable Quotes: “In sales, don't take things personally.” David Hill “If you're going to be good at sales, you're going to have to be proactive in some capacity.” David Hill “If you're the type of person that can't get beyond your own ego, beyond not looking good or being right all the time, I think you're going to struggle in sales.” David Hill “The difference between adequate, okay, and really good is tremendous.” Mike Simmons “There's a lot of difference in the revenue when you have a really good salesperson.” Mike Simmons “I think it's finding the right people but then also being the right leader.” David Hill “A lot of people hide behind texts.” David Hill “You have to know what phase, what cycle of the market you're in, and adjust to it.” Mike Simmons “You change based on what the conditions are.” Mike Simmons Links: David's Website The Sales Playbook by David Hill 7 Figure Flipping Return on Investments Just Start Real Estate JSRE on Facebook Mike on Facebook Mike on Instagram Mike on LinkedIn Mike on Twitter Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months

For this episode, I welcome Reed Goossens, who is a real estate investor, best-selling author, entrepreneur, and host of the popular podcast, Investing in the US. In 2012, Reed quit his job in Australia and moved halfway across the globe to the United States to change his life and chase a dream. With limited funds, no investing experience, and no credit, Reed went from purchasing a small duplex to growing his own real estate investment firm, Wildhorn Capital. Reed first shares his background story from living all across Europe as both a structural engineering expert and a tourist to later moving to New York and falling in love with it to never want to leave. He once worked as a deckhand in a luxury yacht in Europe where he got to experience a glimpse into the crazy world of the ‘filthy rich'. We move on to discussing how Reed got into real estate intending to escape the corporate world and embark on backpacking travel adventures. Reed explains how reading Rich Dad Poor Dad changed his perspective on entrepreneurship and developed his interest in real estate. He continued educating himself on real estate and within a month of living in New York, he attended the first Real Estate Investor Association (REIA) meeting. Reed describes the Australian real estate market as a high appreciation market where you don't buy for cash flowing investments. Reed explains how he bought his first property at $30,000 which set up his path to many other deals. Reed had the clear goal of cash flow and started by buying a small duplex but ended up flipping it before getting into the scale side of it as a way to produce passive income. We discuss how Reed moved from buying duplexes and triplexes into buying larger apartments. A friend of Reed challenged him to get a mentor and fundraise for capital, which he did. He did this by beginning to build a personal brand and he found that he began to face the challenge of imposter syndrome. He overcame this by creating a podcast that served as a foundation to educate people, and in turn, this built up his confidence. Reed also shares how he build a brand around his own story and transparency, vulnerability, being down-to-earth, and approachable, which ultimately helped him get to deals and grow his business. We discuss the importance of building a personal brand that's not about striving to get millions of following but being a key person of interest to grow your real estate business. Reed explains in detail how his brand story and podcast helped him meet people, gain trust, establish credibility in the industry, and be able to grow his real estate business to where it is now. We eventually jump into the topic of syndication, which is the act of pulling people's money together and buying a large deal that one individual couldn't buy on their own. Reed explains syndication with an analogy I believe is the best I've ever heard. He then goes ahead to explain how he started syndicating deals with his mentor but broke out on his own in 2016. He is now doing exclusively apartments in San Antonio and Austin, Texas. Reed explains how they keep it lean when it comes to scaling up, plus how they have mastered the art of doing what they say they're going to do. Reed shares how he handles being a remote investor and the challenges he faces. Lastly, we talk about the possible future of the real estate industry. He describes multifamily as a golden child of commercial assets right now in growing cities. It is important to understand the keys in your industry to perform even during a crisis or an election year. Don't miss this episode of Just Start Real Estate that is filled with gold nuggets from super-successful entrepreneur, Reed Goossens! Notable Quotes: “Anytime anybody has an abundance of anything, it's hard to appreciate it.” Mike Simmons “Australia is a high appreciation market- high demand, low supply.” Reed Goossens “I'm not going to get to deal #10 without doing that first deal.” Reed Goossens “You have to get really clear on what your goals are and for me it was cash flow.” Reed Goossens “Self-education is great, but you come to a point where you need a coach in your corner.” Reed Goossens “People want to know your story - that's what's really important and then they invest in you. The deals are actually secondary.” Reed Goossens “Looking back, if I didn't do the podcast or the branding stuff, I'm sure I wouldn't be in the place I am today.” Reed Goossens “Underwriting is determining the value of what you should buy it for and understanding the numbers of the deal.” Mike Simmons “Scaling sometimes is where people fall apart because they either go too fast and are reckless, or they hire the wrong people.” Mike Simmons “Being able to perform, close on a deal, and do what you say you're going to do is super valuable.” Reed Goossens “You can do this business from the moon if you want to.” Reed Goossens “Multifamily is the golden child right now compared to other commercial asset classes.” Reed Goossens “There are opportunities in every market. It's just knowing where you are in that cycle is really the key.” Mike Simmons Links: Rich Dad Poor Dad Key Person of Influence Reed's Website Reed's LinkedIn Return on Investments Just Start Real Estate JSRE on Facebook Mike on Facebook Mike on Instagram Mike on LinkedIn Mike on Twitter Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months

For this episode, I welcome Victor Menasce, the author of Magnetic Capital and the host of the daily Real Estate Espresso Podcast. He specializes in the development of new construction multi-family apartments, assisted living, industrial, and workforce housing in several markets across North America. Before moving into real estate development, Victor held roles as Vice President of Engineering at Wavesat, a developer of chips for wireless networks, and Chief Technical Officer at Applied Micro Circuits Corporation (AMCC), a Silicon Valley-based public company that develops microprocessors for numerous consumer products including televisions and gaming. Victor lives in Ottawa, Canada with his family. Victor first shares his background story as a microprocessor developer which eventually got tedious and he had to retire. He made a hard turn into the real estate world and is now doing almost all new construction development. We move on to talk about his shift from the tech industry to real estate. There's no one single dominant player in real estate anywhere in the world and people will invest at a level they wouldn't in the tech industry. Victor explains how real estate doesn't require much for people to start investing as compared to tech businesses that require deep pockets to get people to invest. Together we dive into the real estate business approach that Victor took when he joined the industry. He saw a need in his city of Ottawa and strategized a way to serve a targeted market. He started by buying one-bedroom condos within a four-block radius of parliament and marketed them as fully furnished executive suites. He later sold that portfolio to focus on the US market when he saw an opportunity presented by the financial crisis in 2008. We talk about the distress in commercial real estate following the pandemic, which included hotels. Victor explains how wealth is going to be transferred and some good assets will come into the market within a short period. Businesses are especially vulnerable now due to their outstanding debts. We talk about the concept of new builds with Victor explaining his beliefs concerning demand and supply. Victor explains how he and his team learn from their developments in the US on the ‘good side of the line' and the ‘bad side of the line' as is defined by various zoning codes. We move on to the power of developing relationships with the best people in the world. Victor explains how he opened his eyes to opportunities after becoming aware of what is possible. He then talks about his book Magnetic Capital which is about the five principles to help you raise capital for any venture. There's a difference between asking for money and offering an investor an opportunity to collaborate on a project. Victor gives us the reason why he offers compelling and interesting projects that serve a need in the marketplace to potential investors rather than directly asking them for money. We discuss what Victor means when he talks about ‘good charitable cause, bad foundation.' He believes that raising money for a charitable cause is no different from raising money for investment. The foundation of a worthy cause should be set to have an outcome just like an investment does and it is important to look for these qualities when you are looking to invest in one. Lastly, we discuss how to invest like a billionaire by looking for and investing in safe deals. Don't miss this powerful episode of Just Start Real Estate with tons of applicable tips and advice from uber-successful entrepreneur, Victor Menasce! Notable Quotes: “Every single project is a little different, even the ones you design in architecture to look identical to the next.” Victor Menasce “People will invest with you. They will give you capital on a level that they wouldn't in the tech industry.” Victor Menasce “You need to be challenged and pushed out of that comfort zone.” Mike Simmons “Even today, I'm not a real estate guy per se…I really took a business approach.” Victor Menasce “Whenever you have a business model that's based on the assumption that you're going to be able to feed the debt based on the revenue, and the assumption is the revenue is going to stay uniform to service that debt, you have some level of vulnerability.” Victor Menasce “It really comes down to developing relationships with the very best people in the world.” Victor Menasce “Just becoming aware of what's possible opened my eyes to seeing those opportunities.” Victor Menasce “When I saw a void in the marketplace, I just wanted to address that, so that is why I wrote my book.” Victor Menasce “When trust is there, decisions happen faster.” Victor Menasce “If the goals for the money and the goals for the project don't match, don't take the money, because it's not going to work.” Victor Menasce “More sophisticated investors are very clear on what they're looking for.” Victor Menasce “You cannot go into a situation where you're raising funds and appear to need that person more than they need you.” Mike Simmons “Raise funds, don't ask for money.” Mike Simmons “Raising money for a charitable cause is no different than raising money for an investment.” Victor Menasce “If you want to be a billionaire do what billionaires do. If you want to be broke do what broke people do.” Victor Menasce Links: Rich Dad Poor Dad Magnetic Capital: Raise All the Money for Any Worthy Venture by Victor J. Menasce Victor's Website Real Estate Espresso Podcast Victor's LinkedIn 7 Figure Flipping Return on Investments Just Start Real Estate JSRE on Facebook Mike on Facebook Mike on Instagram Mike on LinkedIn Mike on Twitter Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months

In this episode, I am happy to interview Max Keller, who is a real estate investor, bestselling author, podcaster, speaker, and an expert panelist on the topic of lead generation and marketing. In just a few short years, Max went from being a full-time high school math teacher to flipping over 100 houses. His unique marketing approach landed him onstage with Robert Kiyosaki as he was presented with the 2019 Industry Innovator of the Year Award. He is passionate about sharing his strategies to transform ordinary investors into trusted experts in the eyes of motivated sellers and private lenders. Max first shares his background story as a math teacher who wanted to find a way to earn more when he stumbled on real estate. He didn't originally plan to leave his teaching job but saw a good opportunity that he liked and decided to go full force. We discussed when Max knew it was the right time to quit his teaching job at only deal number two. The market cycle was lower at this time which made it easier to scoop up a property. Max explains the tactics he used to make real estate investing work for him, like selling his house to fund the business with the support of his wife. Flipping 100 houses in two years needed a lot of funding which Max explains progressed from personal money to private money. Max dives into his current marketing strategy which originated from a perceived lack of standing out from his competition. He shares how he created a three-criteria list of what he wanted: deals of great profit, sellers who were not resisting his offers, and to have fun doing it. Max shares how authenticity and being genuine get him more business through trusted referrals. We discuss why Max made the transition from ‘junk mail to coffee table' which was about finding a more scalable way to build trust. Max laughed off the idea of writing a book when he first heard it, but after contemplating it, he decided to put all his knowledge on senior housing on paper and wrote his first book, Home to Home: The Step by Step Senior Housing Guide. The book opened up other things like instant credibility and trust and now he is known as the senior housing expert. We move on to how Max saw the need to become an objective foundational source of information for the senior living space. Max's book teaches people the pro and cons of selling their homes, how to stay in their homes, home rehabbing, and much more. He also has materials to empower and educate adult children and grandchildren of seniors on picking the right senior housing facility. We talk about the importance of adding a book to your marketing strategy that Max himself used to increase his response rate. He also explains how his focus on a small geographical area helps him get more leads, plus using Facebook videos to create a personal connection with his students. The book has become more of a business card and referral tool that offers value to people and a better response rate for Max. He mentions some other niche-related marketing strategies that he uses, as well. Lastly, we discuss the importance of writing a book as an entrepreneur and how to approach it. Max explains many of the concepts of writing a book and how by utilizing these ideas, people can write their own books more quickly. Don't miss this episode of Just Start Real Estate that is value-packed with lesser-known marketing strategies with marketing expert, Max Keller! Notable Quotes: “It started with my own money. When you're doing one deal at a time, it works. But once you start doing multiples, that doesn't work.” Max Keller “I really wasn't standing out, and it was a grind.” Max Keller “Being a math teacher, I knew this is a number's game. I didn't want to overpay for deals and at least I made that good decision.” Max Keller “I didn't leave teaching to be on a hamster wheel and a grind.” Max Keller “Of all the deals that I do, 80% of them are with people who are older.” Mike Simmons “When you give people choices that don't point to you, they see you as objective and credible.” Max Keller “I know a lot of people that are trying to figure out how to use Facebook to generate a higher return on investment and I know a lot of people that have abandoned that because they can't figure it out.” Mike Simmons “You certainly feel more like you know someone more from a video than you do a postcard.” Mike Simmons “Generic messaging gets a generic conversion and response rates.” Max Keller “The word-of-mouth marketing is very powerful and there's really no substitute for it. It's just very hard to scale. I haven't found anything better than writing a book that has been able to enhance it.” Max Keller “For every one person that's written a book, there's like ten that have a half-completed book they will never finish.” Max Keller “The number one thing that people are struggling with right now are leads.” Max Keller “If it's perceived to be hard to do, your competition is not willing to do it either.” Max Keller “It's always good to talk about how to generate leads and to do it the right way.” Mike Simmons Links: Max's Free Book Writing Checklist Deals Chasing You Website Max's YouTube Channel Savior Realty Expert Interviews Podcast Customers Chasing You Podcast Savior Publishing House 7 Figure Flipping Return on Investments Just Start Real Estate JSRE on Facebook Mike on Facebook Mike on Instagram Mike on LinkedIn Mike on Twitter Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months

In a very insightful conversation today, I am pleased to welcome fellow real-estate investor, popular speaker, educator, podcaster, and author Mitch Stephen onto the show. Mitch has been in the real-estate game for more than 25 years and he has purchased well over 2,000 houses in and around his hometown of San Antonio, Texas. Today, he specializes in owner-financed properties with individuals left behind by traditional lending institutions. Mitch has also forged the creation of a mass texting software, LiveComm. Listen in as this phenomenal individual shares his journey building and expanding the empire he has built! Mitch says he started basically because of a substantial relationship he had with a woman who left him for someone who was rich and in a better position than he was at that time. He badly wanted a path to financial freedom but money was never discussed in his family or even while he was in school. He shares that his real estate investing career started at the age of 23 when he read Nothing Down by Robert Allen, which gave him the courage that he could get into real estate. But it took him seven years to own the concept in his heart and actually get started with it. Mitch had, by accident, made some money in real estate, which propelled him to get more actively involved. He flipped a couple of houses and put $35,000 in the bank which was a year's salary for him when he was a bartender. He decided to take a year off and see what he could do. In 1996, he flipped forty-five houses, sixty-five houses the next year, and then one-hundred-fifty the following year. He'd grossed a lot of money but was very unorganized and inexperienced to be at that level. Mitch talked a lot about working with his family members and the lessons they have learned along the way. He said sometimes it is a struggle because it is almost as there is shared mistake-making and little progress forward. Mitch got to the point where he had to shut down the business, reassess everything, and start fresh. Even with these issues, he has made it work with family members and his daughter has been a loyal employee for over 25 years. He's shared a very successful idea he'd implemented to obtain more deals. He partnered with people and paid them 50% of the profit if they brought him a good deal. He shares how he would have a line outside his door every day of ten or fifteen people who showed up because they didn't have any other source of income. Mitch has also discussed people who tend to spend a lot of money when they initially start making good money and said that people who have that kind of money appreciate people who are careful and live within their means. We have an extensive discussion about the real estate market downturn in 2008 and how his business thrived during those times. It was after this that Mitch started finding and hiring better people, which made a noticeable and positive impact on his business. Mitch's company specializes in buying distressed properties with other people's money and selling those properties with owner financing. His personal expertise includes raising private money, finding bargain properties, negotiating favorable terms, dealing with renovations and contractors, and selling notes with little to no discount. Mitch also spoke about the educational programs he has put together to help other investors do exactly this and experience success in this field. Mitch and I just have a blast in this episode of Just Start Real Estate and you don't want to miss it! It is longer than usual because he just provides us with so much wisdom and actionable advice, so please take the time to listen and learn from this fabulous guest, Mitch Stephen! Notable quotes: “When I re-read the books, after some maturing, I was able to actually absorb the message deeper and own it in my heart.” Mitch Stephen “I'm interested in my financial freedom, and the stability of my family and my income for a long period of time. I don't give a damn about a car.” Mitch Stephen “I think people who have that kind of money appreciate people who are careful and live within their means.” Mitch Stephen “We learn what a good partner is, or we learn what a good business is when they can survive a bad time. ” Mitch Stephen “I do not ever want to take someone's house, I think it's the shittiest business plan in the whole wide world.” Mitch Stephen “I only borrow what I need, I don't borrow money to live on.” Mitch Stephen Links: Mitch's Website Mitch's LinkedIn Profile Real Estate Investor Summit Podcast MY LIFE & 1,000 HOUSES: Failing Forward to Financial Freedom MY LIFE & 1,000 HOUSES: 200+ Ways to Find Bargain Properties MY LIFE & 1,000 HOUSES: The Art of Owner Financing Livecomm Nothing Down 7 Figure Flipping Return on Investments Just Start Real Estate JSRE on Facebook Mike on Facebook Mike on Instagram Mike on LinkedIn Mike on Twitter Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months

For this episode, I am excited to welcome AJ Osborne to the Just Start Real Estate Podcast. AJ is an entrepreneur, investor, author, speaker, and popular podcast host of Cashflow 2 Freedom and Self Storage Income. He also owns and manages his self-storage portfolio of $100 million in assets and specializes in acquiring and turning around underperforming facilities with a value-add strategy. AJ loves to show other entrepreneurs and investors on how to focus on technology and automation in order to grow their businesses. AJ starts out by providing some background on how he got into real estate investing. He starts off by telling us that he was an insurance nerd, and even though it is thought of as a boring occupation, it taught him so much because of the lessons it provided him. He was selling group insurance policies, which were very technical, had a long sales cycle, and a very high failure rate. He learned so many great lessons from working in this field but started to see that it was not something he could scale and he wasn't really working for himself. As AJ began to see that earning a high wage wasn't necessarily making him wealthy or financially free, he decided to buy brokerages in order to consistently have clients. He had a terrible experience with one of these deals and this changed his entire work strategy. He decided he needed to actually own assets that paid him consistently and predictably. AJ and his dad, working as partners, ended up buying several self storage complexes mostly because they thought they would be easy real estate investments because they didn't have toilets. What AJ found was that they were more like businesses rather than real estate assets. AJ said that the way they began approaching these self storage investments was to look at the potential for building revenue only. I asked him to explain what he meant by revenue management other than occupancy because this type of investing seems a lot like multi-family properties to me, which hinges on occupancy. AJ gave us some great analogies to explain his philosophy towards creating wealth with this unique wealth-building tool. AJ shares a lot about the lessons he learned in building his business and he found that very few people understand the intricacies of self storage investing so he decided to share all of this information through podcasting and writing a book, titled The Investor's Guide to Growing Wealth in Self Storage. He said they just starting uploading all of this information and it caught on like wildfire because there are no other resources for this type of investing. AJ mentioned how they get a lot of deals this way because sharing these investment strategies built people's trust in their business. AJ mentioned he had just started a private equity company, so I asked him to explain what that meant to our listeners. He said that they just take on private investor's money to give them equity in a deal. He explains to us how he started in this arm of the business and give us some specific examples of deals he has taken on private money. He also shared how doing business this way reinvigorated him because he is a people-person and loves brainstorming with others. I asked AJ to explain the new technology company he is involved with. He said they are partners with Tenant Inc, a property management program whose technology is superior, yet simple and helps to centralize and streamline your self storage business. Some of its functionality includes ways to easily integrate third-party technology, manage your managers, and bolster your profits, equity, and market position. We also talked about networking, how you go about finding and closing self storage deals, how to grow your businesses and still be personally productive, and so much more! You have GOT to listen to this information-packed episode of Just Start Real Estate! AJ is involved in so many different projects and aspects of the industry, you do not want to miss all of the fantastic value he shares! Notable Quotes: “I followed in my father's footsteps as a salesman because that was what I thought life was.” - AJ Osborne “I learned very quickly, and early, there were some things I was good at and I had to stick with that because there was nothing else.” - AJ Osborne “I liked sales - it made me fail all the time!” - AJ Osborne “Sales experience will serve you forever. Sales is such a valuable background to have.” - Mike Simmons “That was the culture of my family… no one cares if you are hurting, you just work.” - AJ Osborne “I was rich, but I was not wealthy. Those two things are completely different.” - AJ Osborne “I was on the biggest treadmill ever, and the moment that it stopped, I was screwed.” - AJ Osborne “We own a lot of different companies and in most, we are partners. We have an incredible relationship.” - AJ Osborne, about his father “That's what we real estate investors do - we get into it and realize what it takes to actually be profitable.” - Mike Simmons “What operational aspects can I change to increase the revenue to make it worth my time?” - AJ Osborne “We focus on understanding our tenants.” - AJ Osborne “We are cash-flow guys.” - AJ Osborne “I want to be the best - I'm just a little competitive.” - AJ Osborne “People don't understand this asset class and they need to, so I started the podcast and wrote the book.” - AJ Osborne “I figured if we could partner with other people, we could grow so much bigger and faster.” - AJ Osborne “I like other people participating in success.” - AJ Osborne “You build a relationship and the relationship turns into deals.” - AJ Osborne Links: The Investors Guide to Growing Wealth in Self Storage: The Step-By-Step Playbook for Turning a Real Estate Asset Into a Thriving Self Storage Business Cashflow 2 Freedom Podcast Self Storage Income Podcast Tenant Inc Self Storage Income AJ on Facebook AJ on Instagram Cashflow2Freedom on Instagram Return on Investments Just Start Real Estate JSRE on Facebook Mike on Facebook Mike on Instagram Mike on LinkedIn Mike on Twitter Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months

For this episode, I welcome fellow real estate investor, Andrew Holmes. Andrew built the #1 flipping team in Chicago and completed over 850 deals in the Chicago market. He owns over 250 rentals and more than 2 million in assets. He started the Chicago Real Estate Investors Association which has become the #1 Real Estate Association in the US. Andrew has worked with over 450 investors in the Chicagoland area helping them develop a rental portfolio of more than 2800 rentals. Andrew and I started investing in real estate around the same time - he absolutely killed it and I am absolutely thrilled to learn about just how he did it in today's interview. Andrew first shares his background story and how he got his real estate license back in college with money designated to pay for his studies. He shares further along in the interview how this is something he has never even told his parents about! We then moved on to discussing how Andrew got started seriously investing at the age of 32. We discuss his first year in business where he completed an astonishing 10 flips. Having done two flips myself in the same year, I was extremely interested to learn about just HOW he did it without burning out. Andrew then explains how he made the first investment himself, before securing further financial investment from two business contacts. The growth just continued exponentially after that. Together we then dive into discussing the sheer operational challenges of rehabbing this number of properties at the same time and Andrew shares how he got started with a less-than-perfect Jack-of-all-trades contractor - and how he slowly transitioned out of moonlighting and into working with proper contractors. Lucky for him he realized that the stress of working all night just wasn't worth it after about the third flip. Andrew then shares that as the number of flips he completed grew, the profits started to fall. We discussed how his parents have influenced his outlook on life. Having both been hard-working, well-qualified surgeons, Andrew's parents saw themselves as true professionals and they expected nothing less than that from Andrew himself. Andrew however saw two people who worked extremely hard and didn't have all that much to show for it. Andrew made it his goal to show his parents that he will also be successful but in his own way. He describes how as a child he has always had big dreams and has more often than not been considered crazy for even talking about it. Eventually we discuss how the constant pressure of keeping up and the lack of security was making Andrew feel less than safe and his focus shifted to buying wholesale. Andrew shares the super simple formula he used for transitioning to owning rental properties - the 2-5-7 formula. Listen to the episode to get all the details on how it works. He told me how he started with just a handful of properties and then scaled it up from there. We then move on to the topic of choosing the right properties to invest in. Again, Andrew shares some gold nuggets here about the exact criteria he uses to assess whether or not a property is worth investing in or not. That's the exact system that got him from 3k a month cash flow to 100k a month cash flow. We talked about the logistics of managing 260 rental properties. Andrew manages the properties in-house with just full-time managers, 1.5 rent collectors, and a team of contractors. He gives us an important reminder to never buy individual properties outside of your area, as this adds unnecessary workload. Lastly, we discuss the importance of networking. Andrew shares how just studying the information just isn't enough and how important surrounding yourself with people that are actually DOING IT has been for him - and as always I absolutely agree with his assessment. Don't miss this episode of Just Start Real Estate that is filled with practical and incredibly actionable advice from uber-investor, Andrew Holmes! Notable Quotes: “I was born in the US but most of my life I've grown up in India. You don't learn DIY in India.” Andrew Holmes “From a small fire, I jumped into a forest fire doing that many flips.” Andrew Holmes “My family found out I was flipping houses because I did it so long and had some success that I was being interviewed and my family read about me in the paper.” Mike Simmons “I didn't tell my wife that I was doing this - I just didn't want to fail.” Andrew Holmes “When my parents didn't have an answer I got a whack on the head ‘Go Study.'” Andrew Holmes “I felt scared. Even though I made good money. I always felt scared. If I went on vacation I felt guilty and I was sick and tired of this feeling. I wanted some security in life.” Andrew Holmes “I tried being poor and I didn't like it.” Andrew Holmes “I thought I was investing, but in fact I was just trading properties.” Andrew Holmes “My goal always was that one day I'm gonna make my parents proud. And I'm going to buy them something that's going to blow their mind.” Andrew Holmes “I don't have to worry about how much it costs or what it is. It's just a small part of what real estate has helped me do.” Andrew Holmes “I didn't drink, I didn't party. I was just focused.” Andrew Holmes “We do what's called 2-5-7 and that's what I try to convince everyone to do. Cashflow for life. I tend to be very fanatical about those numbers.” Andrew Holmes “I keep things very simple. I'm not a very educated human being. I can understand basic things and I stick to basic things.” Andrew Holmes “If you take care of real estate for the first five years, real estate will take care of you for the rest of your life.” Andrew Holmes “I was always looking for answers. While my friends were partying, I was reading books. Reading books, all it does is give you insomnia. Because you're excited and you don't know what the hell to do.” Andrew Holmes “The more I give away, the more I get to learn.” Andrew Holmes “Everyone talked a good game, but no one was doing anything.” Mike Simmons “If you think surrounding yourself with people who are actually doing the business at a high level, that you won't be able to exponentially increase your learning, your growth and your business - if you don't think that's going to happen. You're dead wrong.” Mike Simmons “It wasn't until I started going to these events and talking to people that my business was starting to explode.” Mike Simmons “The 2-5-7 model can be done in 98% of America.” Andrew Holmes Links: Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months Andrew's Website Andrew's YouTube Channel Chicago REIA Warren Buffett Books 7 Figure Flipping Return on Investments Just Start Real Estate JSRE on Facebook Mike on Facebook Mike on Instagram Mike on LinkedIn Mike on Twitter

For this episode, I welcome fellow 7 Figure Flipping Mastermind members, Luc & Jess Boiron. Jess and Luc are a real estate investing couple from Toronto, Canada, and both are lawyers who also hold MBAs. Luc had been investing in RE since 2007 on a small scale, and in 2016, Jess and Luc founded Bliss Realty Inc. to flip houses. Since then, they completed over $50m in real estate deals before turning 30 and their business has grown to be the largest wholesaler in Canada operating in Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal with 16 employees. In addition, they are growing their rental portfolio with a mix of short term rentals and small multi-family properties in Ontario. Luc started by sharing how he and Jess met. They were both in an exclusive dual law/MBA program and because they completed so much education, they feel like they started their adult working life later than a lot of people. Luc's dad was a commercial real estate agent and owned some commercial properties, so he grew up learning about mortgages and other real estate topics. He bought his first rental property when he was just starting his undergraduate degree in Toronto and talked about how many lessons he learned from it. He continued to buy and sell properties throughout the time he was in school, and then worked as a lawyer for a year after graduating. He said he was too entrepreneurial to be a good fit at many law firms, but conversely, Jess worked at the best firm in Toronto for seven years after graduating. Jess said she loved practicing and was slower to move into the real estate investing side, but finding out that she was pregnant really made up her mind. Luc and Jess tell a great story of how their business plans were initially foiled by an accident that Luc had. He was originally planning to move to California to start flipping houses because his brother lived there and was going to fund Luc's work. Right before he was supposed to leave, he had an accident and surgery, and was, therefore, unable to travel and did his law internship instead in Toronto. Another sibling of Luc's helped him find some properties near where they were living and they began flipping houses in Canada, which they didn't even believe was possible before they tried. Because of privacy laws in Canada, you can't pull lists at all to find deals, so we talked about how they were able to find deals privately. Luc talked about how they were able to target potential buyers through Google Ads without violating privacy laws. They have also incorporated other marketing techniques including scouting run-down neighborhoods and doing every-door direct mail to those property owners. Luc shared their average buy and sell prices in their area, as well, demonstrating the wide range of their market. Since at the time of this recording Luc and Jess were about to give birth to their first baby, I asked what role they would both be playing in the business as they juggled that with being parents. Jess gave us a lot of insight into their personalities and how they had decided to structure their growing business to accommodate working harmoniously together while having their own autonomy. I asked how they are able to separate business from their personal lives and they both said it is sometimes a challenge because they are both so passionate about what they do. They said as they become parents, they may have to find ways to draw a firm line in the sand for when they stop working each day. When I asked them to give us a snapshot of where their business was just before they joined 7 Figure Flipping, Luc told us that they had figured out flipping and wholesaling in their unique circumstances, but they didn't really know how to build a team. He goes into great detail on how they managed to build their team and grow their business, with support from the mastermind group. In about a year, they grew from three full-time employees to sixteen full-time employees, they have expanded to three different markets, and have moved from doing two deals a month to at least that in a week. We talked about hiring, company culture, incentive structures, using personality profiles, managing the different motivators of their team members, risk tolerance, transitioning from flipping to wholesaling, and so much more! This is a fun, practical advice-packed episode with an investor couple team that is just killing it, so don't miss this interview with Luc and Jess Boiron on Just Start Real Estate! Notable Quotes: “We were eternal students before we started getting into real estate, having both done nine years of post-secondary education.” Jess Boiron “With real estate, time heals all wounds.” Luc Boiron “I went into law hoping to make good money so that I could qualify for mortgages in order to buy real estate, which is not necessarily good motivation to become a lawyer.” Luc Boiron “The fact that you are both all-in on the business is huge.” Mike Simmons “We are now managing our expectations and how we want to work with our team and where we draw that line.” Jess Boiron “You know that is insane growth, right?” Mike Simmons “It is really once an employee is on the job that you really monitor them and make sure that if you have the right person, you pour a lot into them and help them grow and take ownership of their role.” Jess Boiron “We have had really great employees that do take ownership and so the new people we bring on just feed off of that.” Jess Boiron “I want our lead managers to understand that we help people.” Luc Boiron “I think that there is a lot of skill, diligence, and intuition that goes into hiring, but there is a certain amount of luck.” Mike Simmons “You guys have built a team now where there is positive peer pressure for ownership and caring about the company.” Mike Simmons “It is uncomfortable to be a bad employee in a group of good employees.” Mike Simmons “We tell people all the time that you really need to care about the problems of the homeowners and you can't just care because it is going to get you to that money that you want. Just pretending to care is very transparent.” Mike Simmons “It was really a transition to wholesaling out of need.” Jess Boiron Links: Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months Luc and Jess on Instagram Luc and Jess on Facebook Luc and Jess on YouTube 7 Figure Flipping Return on Investments Just Start Real Estate JSRE on Facebook Mike on Facebook Mike on Instagram Mike on LinkedIn Mike on Twitter

Today's guest is a successful real estate mentor, coach, and podcaster. Mike Simmons is also a partner in 7 Figure Flipping, one of the nation's largest real estate mastermind groups. He is also the host and producer of one of the top real estate podcasts in the world, “Just Start Real Estate.” As if not enough, Mike is also the author of the book “Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months.” A few years prior, Mike achieved said impressive feat—he grew his real estate investing business to over a million in such a short amount of time! If you would like to know how you can scale your business big-time, tuning in to this episode is a huge step in the right direction!

In this episode, I am excited to welcome on fellow 7 Figure Flipping member, William Morgan. Will is the owner and founder of Penny Lane Equity, a rapidly growing Real Estate flipping and wholesaling company in California's Central Coast. Will grew what was once a hobby into a thriving business with 7 figure revenue while also having a full-time job. Will has since “cut the cord” and now leads a team of 10 talented professionals as they provide some of the most attractive Real Estate opportunities found anywhere in the region. Once an adrenaline junkie, Will now tempers his thrill-seeking by sharing his love for surfing, the mountains, and travel with his 2 young kids. We got started as we normally do with Will sharing his background with us and how he got into real estate. He began his corporate career working in the nuclear power industry at the age of eighteen. He worked short contracts in this business and then would take the money he earned to travel and surf. After living this ideal lifestyle for about ten years, he figured he had to grow up, and took on a full-time job in nuclear operations. Real estate got on his radar when a neighbor bought a house through a sheriff's auction and rehabbed that Will ended up buying in 2003 for his primary residence. Will was fascinated by the whole process and that propelled him into learning about investing on his own. Will did a lot of research on how to find his first investment property and ended up buying his first in 2004 using conventional financing. The guy he bought his primary residence from turned out to be a mentor in the fix and flip process, helping Will to avoid a lot of rookie mistakes. I asked some questions about this deal and Will shared details about the rehab work and how the numbers worked out. Will said he approached real estate investing as a hobby because he had a full-time job, so he was happy with picking up one or two properties a year. He was also investing in other ways with stocks and bonds, always studying and learning about different passive income models. Because he had a sense that real estate was part of the impending market disruption, he sold all five of his rentals and his primary residence in 2007. I asked Will about what systems and processes he had in place in the very beginning of his investing business. He said he didn't initially, but having very little profit margin in his first deal made it necessary to establish when he started getting back into real estate investing around 2012. He said documenting his work processes was really out of necessity because he had a full-time job and knew there were times he was going to need help, and also to maximize his efficiency. I wanted Will to tell me what he thought were some of the biggest challenges to trying to scale a business while having a full-time job. He said time was his obstacle, as you have to grow the business in what would normally be your spare time, so you have to schedule time to do this. It may take away from sleep, or leisure time, or family time, but he prioritized the sacrifice. He found that because he was drawing a regular salary, it freed up the investment income to hire help to manage everything. We discussed the details of how Will scaled up responsibly. Because we met through the 7 Figure Flipping Mastermind group, I wanted Will to talk about how he thought this has affected his business. Very much like me, he said he was very skeptical initially, having never paid for training of any kind. He said he cannot believe how valuable it is to have the ability to call or text, at any time, other investors in order to shorten the learning curve and avoid mistakes. We talked about marketing, the specifics of making offers, how Will's team divides up responsibilities, the impact of the pandemic on his business, and so much more! Join me and Will as we discuss the in and outs of real estate investing in the latest episode of Just Start Real Estate! Notable Quotes: “I like to call myself a genius because I sold my real estate investments in 2007, but there was definitely some luck involved.” William Morgan “Some people make their own luck by being on top of things and having their ear to the ground.” Mike Simmons “Systems and processes were a way to communicate with my team without being there.” William Morgan “You have to make room in your life to scale a business.” William Morgan “The idea is to learn from your mistakes and improve.” William Morgan “Team members have to be a core-value fit.” William Morgan “If you want to do something well, you have to have rules to guide you.” William Morgan “You have to recognize value.” William Morgan “We want to be the source for distressed properties in our area.” William Morgan “To have access to other people who are running successful businesses at the level you want to be is invaluable.” William Morgan about the 7 Figure Flipping Mastermind “It is like buying speed and hindsight.” Mike Simmons about the 7 Figure Flipping Mastermind Links: Flip Hacking Live 7 Figure Flipping Penny Lane Equity Will's Email Return on Investments Just Start Real Estate JSRE on Facebook Mike on Facebook Mike on Instagram Mike on LinkedIn Mike on Twitter Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months

Ok guys, thank you for joining me, thank you for being here on Just Start Real Estate! I'm excited to have you and I'm excited to be with you for another Thursday show. This is the Thursday show that didn't exist a month ago as we just started doing two shows per week and I am psyched about it! I am trying to turn about the volume on the value that I am offering you on these shows and the Thursday show is something I am really happy about. I am happy to be bringing you more content that I think is going to move the needle for your business. Today, we are continuing our Flip Hacking Live Rewind series and I am just plucking the best of the best, the presentations I really think you missed out on by not seeing them live and giving them to you here. Today we have a presentation from 2018 given by my mentor, Andy McFarland, who I really look up to in this industry, as a person, a businessman, a father, and a husband. If you have had any exposure to Andy or seen him present, you know what I am talking about - he is absolutely the best and smartest of guys. Today, I am bringing you his presentation on Seller Financing. Guys, seller financing is going to be humongous in the next year or two. It's big now, it has always been big, but I think it is going to be especially impactful and useful in your real estate tool belt for you so that you are able to do these types of deals. There is nobody better, no one that has been doing it longer at such a high level than Andy and he is the perfect guy to lay this out for you so that you can start doing seller financing deals. Pay attention to this one - Andy really brings it in this presentation and I know it is going to blow your mind! Seller financing, as Andy explains it, is easy to follow and easy to implement and you should be doing this in your business! Notable Quotes: “Gotta learn to look at all the angles.” MacGyver “You can't effectively sell what you don't believe.” “No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.” “There is no microwave trust.” “You show that you care by active listening.” “Listening is not waiting to talk.” “Start and end your day with this: Have I done any good in the world today?” Links: Flip Hacking Live 7 Figure Flipping Andy's Website ABC Offer Return on Investments Just Start Real Estate JSRE on Facebook Mike on Facebook Mike on Instagram Mike on LinkedIn Mike on Twitter Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months

The first Thursday installment of Just Start Real Estate in several years features someone I am really proud to call a friend and who has had more influence over my real estate growth in the last five years than any other human being on Planet Earth. That is because he is someone who is not only highly successful, but he also does it the right way as he is a good person. He is someone I look up to and look to as a mentor. He has been on the show before, his name is Andy McFarland, and he did a presentation at a past Flip Hacking Live which is as true now as it was in 2017. It is a presentation I have listened to more than once and it is one that I think listeners will go back to and revisit again and again. Andy gets into what he calls “blocking and tackling,” which is a term for getting back to the basics. He explains what it is that makes your company strong and in a position to scale, as opposed to throwing a bunch of new-fangled things at it. For real estate investors, “blocking and tackling” is leads and conversions. Andy dives deep into this subject matter and also talks about preparation, pre-work before appointments, and hiring. At the end of the presentation, Andy also has a Q&A session, handling questions from the audience. This is an incredibly powerful presentation, one that I listen to any time I feel my business has gotten off-track a bit. Don't miss this opportunity to get a sneak peek into Flip Hacking Live and a small piece of what this event has to offer with this talk by Andy McFarland! Notable Quotes: “All of us here in America have huge, limitless opportunities.” “We all have a pot of gold here by virtue of the fact that we live in the United States.” “In every man there is something wherein I may learn of him, and in that, I am his pupil.” Ralph Waldo Emerson “You have permission to be bigger.” “Not all success is measured in numbers.” “The secret to success is there is no secret. It is the basics - blocking and tackling.” Chris Gardner “Do what others are unwilling to do.” “If you are not answering your phone and are spending money on marketing, you are wasting your money.” “The key is preparation.” “Always continue your education.” “Are you willing to do this? Are you willing to prepare?” “Discover your truth about that property.” “We can't see something we don't believe in.” “Show up on time.” “Be real. Build rapport. Listen.” “It is 90% preparation.” “You need to be able to get things done through other people.” Links: Flip Hacking Live 7 Figure Flipping Andy's Website ABC Offer Return on Investments Just Start Real Estate JSRE on Facebook Mike on Facebook Mike on Instagram Mike on LinkedIn Mike on Twitter Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months

In this episode, I get the chance to interview fellow 7 Figure Flippers Rob Badhorn and Ernie Vargas. Rob lives in Arizona, but performs flips and owns rentals in Ohio. He worked in corporate America for 23+ years, handing $1.5B in revenue for Sales Teams Across USA. He is constantly building multiple streams of income, especially during these challenging times, as he considers himself a serial entrepreneur. Rob's rental portfolio includes the flips and/or wholesale of 100+ homes utilizing the marketing strategies of Direct Mail, Bandit Signs, Cold Calling, RVM's/Voice broadcast, FB Custom Audiences, and Texting. He also owns a software company specializing in Lead Generation and Skip Tracing. Ernie Vargas purchased his first house in 1994 and continued doing real estate while working full-time, but he didn't hit the success he felt he was capable of. In 1999, after an accident that left him in a coma, he realized that life was short, so he quit his job and went into investing full-time. Eventually, probate hit his radar and started him on a quest to learn all he could about this niche that no one had answers for. After many years of specializing in probate, Ernie has become a true probate expert, often helping attorneys and their clients in the probate process. His ability to think outside the box coupled with his expertise in negotiating and marketing has allowed him to help several hundreds of investors, agents, and sellers get deals closed. Now Ernie not only has more time to spend with his wife and four kids, but he gets to do what he truly loves doing - helping everyday people create wealth and personal freedom. The guys first began by giving us their backgrounds and what lead them to real estate investing. Ernie described the moment that really changed things for him when he was working as a freezer stocker at a warehouse store that would eventually become Costco. His boss said something to him that made him realize that he wanted much more from life. He changed jobs and on his way to his first day of training, ended up getting into a terrible car accident that left him in a coma. This experience, coupled with a seminar he went to, completely changed his thinking. Rob said his journey was similar to a lot of other investors - he read Rich Dad, Poor Dad, went to a few seminars, but he said he has always had the bug to get the passive income stream going. He was in the corporate world but purchased a couple of rentals in order to make up his salary so that he could invest full-time. Joining the 7 Figure Flipping mastermind group really changed everything for him. Rob talked about his rental portfolio and how he manages the properties himself while employing one handyman to do the work. I asked how much of the work he actually does himself as far as background checks, collecting rent, etc. and Rob said he thought the thing that changed the most in the past several years was the software available for property management. Even though he has a large rental portfolio, Rob felt the need to expand into other forms of real estate investing to develop multiple income streams, which is the reason why he and Ernie partnered up. I wanted to dig deep on the details of their partnership because so many people struggle with making this work. Ernie said they both have different areas of expertise; Rob is really strong in the area of technology related to real estate and Ernie has become a probate specialist. They had met at a 7 Figure Flipping event and Ernie called Rob concerning skip tracing and the rest is history. We also discussed the issues with probate investing which have been intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic situation. There is so much talk about this type of investing being deceitful that I wanted the guys to explain how they actually help people with integrity. Ernie talked about how many investors shy away from this type of work, but that the demand for people-loving investors is so high because there is a real need to help those who are grieving through the process. These two investors bring so much to the proverbial table and share so much information with you in this episode of Just Start Real Estate. Don't miss my conversation with Rob Badhorn and Ernie Vargas! Notable Quotes: “We get lessons out of anything we experience in life if we allow them to change us.” Ernie Vargas “I was bitten by the idea of opportunity and change.” Ernie Vargas “Have a goal, give that goal a deadline, write it down, and go out and take action.” Ernie Vargas “You do what you can with what you have.” Ernie Vargas “You have to be ready when opportunities come.” Ernie Vargas “The NBA did not work out for me.” Rob Badhorn “It's like bringing a puppy to the park if you are looking for a date.” Mike Simmons “When it can bring value not only to myself but to other people, that's what really gets me excited.” Rob Badhorn “There is a lot more value than just buying the leads themselves.” Rob Badhorn “The ultimate motivated seller is probate.” Ernie Vargas “You have to have a passion for people in this probate business.” Ernie Vargas “Keep moving forward.” Ernie Vargas Links: Flip Hacking Live Rich Dad, Poor Dad 7 Figure Flipping Buildium LeadFuzion Ernie's Website Return on Investments Just Start Real Estate JSRE on Facebook Mike on Facebook Mike on Instagram Mike on LinkedIn Mike on Twitter Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months

In this episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing buy-and-hold real estate investor Henry Washington. I asked Henry to kick things off by sharing his background and what brought him to this type of investing. He said that getting married and the talk of starting a family really changed his mindset about his lifestyle and how he was going to support a family. Like so many others, his real estate journey began by reading Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. Living and working in NW Arkansas, Henry started by just telling everyone he knew that he was a real estate investor and came upon his first deal this way. He then started a marketing campaign by sending postcards and found three more deals. I was really curious about Henry's first marketing strategy and he explained that he wanted to stay away from what everyone else was doing in order to find a niche market. Without having any background in construction, Henry talked about how he first started estimating rehab costs. He created a square-footage-based spreadsheet with costs for each discipline he found straight from Google searches. He eventually met and partnered with a guy who had a very strong construction background who proceeded to evaluate properties for him. This partnership allowed Henry to scale his business at a much faster rate. I wanted to focus on the subject of partnerships with Henry for a bit and I asked him to talk about the elements that were contributing to the success of his partnership. He stressed the importance of shared values and vision and also attributes such as integrity, honesty, and the desire to help people. He also emphasized the importance of open communication in minimizing conflict and successfully working together. Henry has his values listed on his website and I especially wanted him to define what he means by “servant leadership.” He talked about the importance of focusing on helping people and then success will follow. He believes the more you lead by serving, the more contagious that behavior will be. He recognizes the deals he is getting is because people have a situation and it is vital to him to meet them where they are and make the situation beneficial to both parties. We then shifted gears to talk about lessons learned by dealing with contractors. Henry talked about the importance of having a detailed scope of work upfront so that he did not waste time talking with contractors that were never going to take the job anyway because of the state of housing market. He also worked extensively with his partner on honing his cost spreadsheet so that he could basically dictate the price of any construction work. Henry talked about the importance of keeping his valued contractors happy so he could establish long-term relationships. I know that many real estate investors struggle with finding deals, so this was the next topic I asked Henry about. He said his most lucrative deals are currently coming from his lead generation website that he runs a Google ad words campaign on. As far as Henry's advice for people just starting in this business, he said after someone has done their due-diligence of self-educating, he advises them to focus their resources on figuring out their market and what a good deal looks like before deciding on a lead-generating strategy. The next step is learning how to properly evaluate properties once they have leads. Henry is convinced that focusing on these three things in order to buy a good deal, is the key to success in this business. Using these principles, Henry continues to grow his business while still having a full-time job in the IT industry. Henry is a great guy, with a ton of character and depth, so I hope you join us for this newest edition of Just Start Real Estate! Notable Quotes “I never saw real estate as something I couldn't do - I just didn't know what I didn't know.” Henry Washington “Being a landlord is easy. I couldn't fix it if I wanted to… I gotta call a guy.” Henry Washington “You heard what people were doing and decided to do something different.” Mike Simmons “The scale you can get when you have more people helping you - there is a multiplier there.” Henry Washington “You learn really quick in this business, it is not a real estate business, it is a people business.” Henry Washington “I need to be a solution to your problem.” Henry Washington “It is funny how it works out - the people that focus on helping folks end up having more financial success.” Mike Simmons Links: 7 Figure Flipping Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months Rich Dad Poor Dad BiggerPockets Pro Member Henry on Instagram Henry's Website 7FF Video Vault

Do you need help investing in real estate? Do you understand how to grow, scale, and profitably build your company into the business that you want it to be? You're in luck! I've been working for the past several years with some of the most successful real estate investors in the industry and from around the country. Names such as Andy McFarland and Bill Allen, along with myself, have built a program called “Seven Figure Flipping.” This exclusive mastermind and coaching program is designed to get you and your business to the next level. Interested in finding out more? Email me at Mike@juststartrealestate.com with the subject line “help,” and we'll get on a call together to see if this program is a good fit for you and your business. In this episode, I had the distinction of speaking to Tommy Griffith, who has worked at companies such as PayPal and Air b'n'b. He has been executing real estate search engine optimization for more than ten years. Tommy currently runs ClickMinded, a digital marketing training platform for marketers and entrepreneurs. Tommy started ClickMinded as a side project while working full-time at Airbnb and grew his new business until ClickMinded began to generate more revenue than his annual salary. His journey started with the Four Hour Workweek in the realization he could work “off script” and start his business while working full-time. From reading this book, Tommy created an ebook and figured out how to get his book to the top of Google search engines. Tommy went into debt, creating a business that failed. He didn't have the experience, passion, or capital to build his new business. As a result of this business experience, however, he learned SEO and internet marketing. He landed a job working SEO with PayPal in 2008 when SEO first landed on the internet scene. While working at PayPay, he started tinkering with side projects to pay off his debt from his failed enterprise. In 2011, Tommy had an idea for an iPhone app development lead generation website. After creating this platform, he failed to continue to have an interest in his project. Tommy emphasizes that you need to want to get out of bed and to be passionate about your work or project. When he joined Airbnb, the company was small, with under 50 employees. As his job came to a close, Air was hosting Beyonce for an event in a rental. Listen in to find out the definition of exit velocity, learn how to build an unfair advantage, and why you should have connections when you move forward into a new business. What are the key components Tommy now uses when he builds a remote team? Learn how to find and hold onto your organization, including how to write your job description. Links and Resources ClickMinded Get in Touch with Mike at Just Start Real Estate

Do you need help investing in real estate? Do you understand how to grow, scale, and profitably build your company into the business that you want it to be? You're in luck! I've been working for the past several years with some of the most successful real estate investors in the industry and from around the country. Names such as Andy McFarland and Bill Allen, along with myself, have built a program called “Seven Figure Flipping.” This exclusive mastermind and coaching program is designed to get you and your business to the next level. Interested in finding out more? Email me at Mike@juststartrealestate.com with the subject line “help,” and we'll get on a call together to see if this program is a good fit for you and your business. In this episode, I chatted with a friend of mine, Terry Burger. Terry is an incredible investor and a real inspiration to those in the flipping business. One of the things I love most about Terry is that he is a family man who prioritizes his wife and kids over everything, including his business. Yet, he has managed to build an incredibly valuable business that continues to grow! He definitely shows that you can have the lifestyle you want and be successful as an entrepreneur without sacrificing your personal life. The biggest compliment, I believe, that you can give someone is that they're a very good person. Terry Burger is one of those guys! Terry's background is in classical music and teaching middle school. He wanted a career change and jumped into real estate. Within his first year of getting his real estate license, he sold 50 houses. The first year “I ran around like I had my hair on fire” selling and flipping homes. His wife was pregnant with their first son and was understanding and supportive of Terry in his new position. As the kids started growing, Terry realized he needed a change in his schedule, especially on Saturday mornings, when his son was playing soccer. He missed his son's first soccer goal, and that was his stake in the ground moment when he knew his work schedule had to change. When Terry was turning 80 to 90 homes per year with his team, the recession hit. Terry went from his highest selling year to selling 12 homes in 2009. He lost his second home so he could keep his primary residence. The hardest part was his selling his Baby Grand Piano so his family could afford to live for the next three months. After the recession, Terry had to figure out a way to make money using real estate. He listened to real estate podcasts and educated himself on how to be an investor in real estate and house flipping. Terry offered one of his clients to buy his home, after getting together money from his friends, which started his involvement in flipping homes. Listen in to find out how Terry went from being a real estate agent to becoming a full-time real estate investor, how he rebuilt his team, and why he took a 50% pay cut to start his new endeavor. How the Seven Figure Mastermind gave Terry the tools to move onto the next level. Notable Quotes “Mike Simmons, it's an honor to be here, man. You're my hero!” -Terry Burger “My favorite game growing up was Monopoly, so I was destined to get into real estate.” -Terry Burger “My son played soccer, and my goal was to be at every game. I had to show a house on Saturday and missed my son's game. My wife texted me and said, ‘Collin just scored his first goal,' and I was devastated.” -Terry Burger Find out how Terry Burger turned around his crazy workweek to more effective and less crazy work life to find balance for his family. “People leak who they are...you're gonna leak the good stuff, you're gonna leak the bad stuff. A leak has a source somewhere.” -Terry Burger A turning point after the recession was when Terry found out about a local investor making money on flooded homes. “There was a huge flood that came through my area and flooded a bunch of houses which were bought by an investor. The investor told me he was making $40,000 to $50,000 on flipping houses. I went home and looked up the company, and, sure enough, it was true. He was making this type of money.” -Terry Burger Terry was working with a client to sell his home as his realtor, and the client repeated he didn't want to have buyers walking through his home. Realizing this was the opportunity he was looking for to become an investor, Terry offered to buy his home. “Sir, I've been really wanting to buy my first investment property, and I'm willing to make you an offer on your house, can you give me three or four days?” -Terry Burger Terry remembers one of the Seven Figure Masterminds retreats he attended in San Diego. “I had two problems. One, I was still trying to sell real estate. Justin jumped all over me, he said, ‘Next time you come here you better not sell a single house!' It forced me out of my comfort zone, like Linus with his blanket, I had to leave my blue blanket behind.” -Terry Burger Links and Resources Link to this episode on itunes: https://apple.co/2Yprm6t Get in Touch with Mike at Just Start Real Estate

Mike Simmons is a husband, and father of three. He is a huge proponent of multiple streams of income and runs or is involved in several different businesses: Return on Investments (an acquisitions & wholesaling company), he's a coach with HouseFlipping HQ and 7-Figure Investors, runs the Just Start Real Estate podcast, as well as a real-estate focused bookkeeping company. Mike didn't start his entrepreneurial journey until in his late 30's, when he realized that if he continued on his current trajectory (in the automotive industry) he would literally never be able to retire. He explains how the pain of his situation finally became more than he was willing to put up with, and he used that (and his stubborn competitiveness) as the driving force behind his hustle. Mike's passion and drive is his family. He wants to make them proud, and leave a lasting legacy for them for generations. Big Points: The pain of the situation you had is oftentimes the bigger motivator -use it! It doesn't matter if you spend ALL your time on something if the time you're spending isn't quality. What matters is the IMPACTFUL time you spend on something. Don't quit your day job! You DO have time for a side hustle, quit your Netflix binge, or sleeping 12hrs a day. Use the time after work (even late at night!) to build your side-hustle until it can support you. Be aggressive with it! Just start. Fear will paralyze you, and everybody feels fear! Regardless of how “ready” you are there will be setbacks, so just start. Take the time to rest and refresh so you can be 100% at whatever you're doing Links: http://juststartrealestate.com/ http://houseflippinghq.com/ mike@juststartrealestate.com Recommended Books: The Art of the Deal - Donald Trump