Monthly Archives: March 2008

Start Random Conversations

This is a very simple concept: engage random conversations every chance you get. Do not be afraid of where, what, who or when. Even if you do not have anything entertaining to talk about, if you start a conversation – trust me something interesting will come up; most likely why you are starting a conversation. My only tip is to be controversial – or challenging, do not just start blathering about the weather.

This said, think a little before you start your next random convo. Do what you can to Sherlock some facts about the person Continue reading →

Creative Financing for Young Real Estate Investment

I got my start in Real Estate while running a painting company…. I was 19 years old, fresh out of high school, and dying to make a buck or two. I took a job running my own franchise for an evil corporation preying on college students. I would mention them here but they do not deserve the free publicity. One good thing that came out of working for slime balls was learning how to spot them and how to deal with them, without having to be one yourself.

What does Real Estate have to do with Painting right?

Nothing. I was stressed running 4 paint crews and 18 employees and while I was seeing a tangible return, I decided then that blue-collar work was simply not for me. I started reading about housing, especially since I spent everyday walking in and around houses, up on top of them, and spraying the $#!t out of them with my pressure washer (which incidentally may have done some damage hear and there – no worries->it was too high up to see from the ground)

Learning Sales the “Old Fashioned” Way

I decided after over a year with the evil painting umbrella firm that I wanted look into making investments with steady measurable return. I took a job with Morgan Stanley, learned a bit about securities valuation and bidding on the spread, but mostly how to sell ketchup popsicles to Eskimos in white gloves who weren’t hungry. I took this knowledge, and the reference from Morgan Stanley – and went off to find greener pastures of interest. I ended up at a Commercial Real Estate development firm as an “apprentice.” This word I came to find out is synonymous with Gopher, yes gopher – as in “Nick, Go for this and Go for that.” All of the running around and b!tch work got a little annoying, so what did I do? I did something about it – I started a relationship with my immediate superior (who was also a younger guy, and happened to graduate from the same college I attended). I had him submerge me into financial analysis and modeling; you need to make yourself valuable to a company.

Once I had a concept of what I was doing; managing budgets, materials, capital reserve, and preparing for carry (vacancy) I Continue reading →

Getting Your Idea Off the Ground

This could be the single hardest thing for most people to overcome. You have a great idea, you go get an LLC, maybe you even spend a few bucks and buy a domain, now what?

Well there’s a few simple things to ensure you can get you business off the ground and keep it soaring. The first is going to sound very corny, perhaps the most corny thing of anything you will ever read here, but it’s true and hence must be said… Continue reading →

Client Relationships – Touch Them Frequently

This is sound advice that I wish someone would have bluntly pointed out to me when I was getting started. No, I’m not talking about your significant other, I’m talking about clients and prospects. No, I’m not talking about laying the ground work for a sexual harassment suit either, I’m talking about engaging your client/potential client base.

The idea behind frequent touch-points goes beyond the branding concern. If one of your clients cannot immediately associate your company name with your provided service than you are doomed to loss down the road. Likewise, if you present to a prospect, but do not follow up like a high school mathlete waiting for a T-89 to go on sale, then you will lose that prospect as a client. The real failure that lies here is two fold, the two I have vaguely described above; one: keep in constant contact with your current clients to let them know you are still here at their beckon call for anything they need that falls within your stream of service, and two: constantly remind your prospects that you are still here, awaiting that first beckon call to provide them with outstanding service that fits their needs and their budget.

How do you do this? there’s a few options: Continue reading →