Several months ago, I took a detour in my travels. I went to meet with an old friend who had been super successful in business. He had started in RE as a teenager and is now semi-retired. Having built his business to a global RE venture with some 2,400 employees. I wanted to share some of my ideas with him that I was trying to get off the ground. I also wanted to tap into his experience and learn how an entrepreneur can best reach his goals and dreams. After several hours of friendly chatter and heavy discussion, my friend looked at me and said, “Andrew, you have the curse of the entrepreneur on you.” He explained. “Men who dream and work as we do have very little patience with those who don’t or can’t or won’t quickly catch on, get on board and produce like we do.” Also, he pointed out that many of us entrepreneurs have a hidden insecurity in our personalities. It keeps us from developing deeper and stronger relationships with others. Especially those with whom we work. I was a little uncomfortable being “psycho-analyzed”, but he was correct. I felt he was putting his finger on a much-needed area for improvement in my life. One that could significantly help both my personal life as well as my professional life. He taught me that I must not let my strengths limit my potential. That sounded contradictory to me, but he explained that a person’s strengths often become the standard by which he judges every other person, and that people who may be stronger than we are in another area – but not as strong as we are in our areas – can be judged as incompetent and dismissed as unneeded. And then we lose the horsepower that my cost us our power and plans. He also pointed out that my insecurities could prevent me from hiring strong people, always wanting to have people I can control and who won’t question my decisions. But he told me that that is a dangerous weakness that can create unhealthy relationships and will definitely limit my potential. My friend has given me much to ponder, but along with those suggestions, he gave me several decisions I should consider in building a great team around me. I’ll share four with you in this blog: Decide if you want the freedom of total independence or the satisfaction of reaching really big dreams and goals. What I had long-admired with envy about my friend were the huge goals he reached and the amazing success he saw. What he revealed to me in private was the incredible amount of time he spent corralling strong-minded and independent-thinking team members. He compared leading a great team to conducting a great orchestra of brilliant musicians. The conductor may be a talented musician...
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One of the fastest ways to build a fortune in real estate is by flipping houses! I have spent the last decade flipping houses and have been very successful at it. Once you start flipping houses, the sky’s the limit! So what are you waiting for? Study my educational video library and start investing today! A seasoned investor with over 10 years in the industry, Andrew is a nationally recognized speaker and educator. His passion is helping people find their purpose and in 2013, he celebrated a groundbreaking strategic alliance with Home Depot, Inc. Andrew has flipped hundreds of homes in multiple states and tours the country sharing his vast wealth of knowledge with investors of all experience levels. Andrew loves to teach new investors how to flip a house and mentors a small, select group of student investors who have had great success applying his proven systems. Click here to watch the video! ...
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In my college days, I heard a statement. “You can borrow brains, but you can’t borrow character.” It has been my fortune in RE to meet and consult with many of today’s finest RE brains. Today, I want to give you my final four Super Decisions for 2016. Gleaned from the great minds of successful men/women I’ve talked with in my career. This first decision I recommend parallels my statement above about borrowing brains. Though it comes from the mouths of many experienced businessmen/women. 1. Build your own “Board of Advisors” It dawned on me early in my career that I was full of ideas and energy, but empty of experience. I often wondered why young men/women are full of the horsepower of energy and stamina but empty of the “driving” experience. What a shame that we can’t combine the energy of youth with the experience of age! But, we can! I wanted the wisdom of the older experienced “drivers.” And so, I went after it. It is not a sign of weakness to admit that you do not know something. In business, it is a sign of wisdom. Now, staying ignorant IS a sign of weakness, but, youth and ignorance can borrow brains. I strongly recommend that you assemble a board of advisors. These could be living people you consult with regularly, as well as people who have passed away, but have left their wisdom in books and videos. Many times I will spend time with a successful person, and they do not realize the wisdom they are imparting to me. They think I’m just asking good questions about them or their business. They may feel flattered, but I feel enriched. Everyone knows something I don’t know; hence, every man is my teacher. My duty is to ask the right questions and glean from their knowledge. Most of us are only too eager to talk about ourselves. But, I’m not learning anything when I’m tooting my own horn; I’m just wearing down my own battery. I want to learn. I don’t have time to waste bragging about me, I need to learn how to better run my business and how to succeed with my vision. I’d recommend carrying with you a list of questions that you could ask if you find yourself with a smart person in any field, but especially in RE. Keep a running list of questions on your phone and update it regularly. Here is a partial list of my Board of Advisors: Patrick Lencioni, Tom Peters, Spencer Johnson, Robert Kyosaki, Napoleon Hill, Charles “Tremendous” Jones, David Snow, John Maxwell, and Peter Drucker. Now, some of these are dead, and a few are unavailable to pick up my phone call, but ALL of them have written excellent wisdom in books that I read like the Bible. I don’t just read...
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As is frequently the case with holidays and celebrations, the roots of Saint Valentine’s Day are quite hazy, depending on which source one uses for his research. Encyclopedia Britannica says, “St Valentine’s Day as a lover’s festival dates at least from the 14 Century. The modern tradition of sending valentine cards has no relation to the saints.” Random House Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary says this about Valentine’s Day: “February 14, observed in honor of Saint Valentine as a day for the exchange of valentines (a card or message, etc expressing affection).” Britannica also states that the valentine was probably the first of all greeting cards. While we have an abundance of special days that appear to primarily benefit the greeting card/gift industry – Boss’ Day, Secretaries’ Day, Sweetest Day, etc, the history of Valentine’s Day precedes the greeting card industry by several hundred years. And since it is doubtful that some unmarried monk simply decided one day to invent a holiday, let me give you some more likely historical relevance. First, we know that the word “holiday” comes from Holy day. Holy means “separate” or “unique” as in “one-of-a -kind” or “like no other.” Thus, we have “Holy bible” – a book like no other, and a “Holy God,” a god like no other; “Holy Day,” a day like no other – an extraordinary day! The roots of the holiday Valentine’s Day are probably found in a Christian preacher named Valentine from the 3rd century, who pastored a church and practiced as a physician. Valentine was martyred – killed – for his faith in 270 AD, when Roman emperor Claudius II Gothicus persecuted the Christians. The name “Valentine” comes from the Latin language and means “strong.” While Valentine’s day as a lover’s festival did not commence for another 1100 years, the very fact that the name Valentine was chosen, and the date corresponds with a holy feast day on February 14th, gives us some historical perspectives. Valentine’s Day is a time for revealing or expressing a strong affection one has for a sweetheart. Perhaps the idea of a martyr – one who has a love strong enough to die for the one he loves – has some bearing. Love unexpressed dies. But expressed love is willing to lay down ones’ life for another. And a day set aside to demonstrate strong love is a worthy holiday. The fact that Valentine’s Day as we know it has “morphed” into a day of sending/exchanging cards, sweets and gifts does not diminish the power and significance of profoundly devoted love as was shown by Pastor Valentine 1746 years ago, when he showed his devotion by dying for his faith. Love should not be cheap; it costs But money is not the price of love; life is. While we spend billions of dollars on cards, gifts,...
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