Buying Tampa Bay
Buying Tampa Bay
30. Triumphs and Trials in Entrepreneurship - The Peter Murphy Interview - Pt 2
Ever wondered how to transform a simple idea into an empire? Sit back and join me and my co-host, Peter Murphy, as we reveal the stories behind our successes and setbacks in building our real estate businesses. We kick off with a nod to our humble beginnings under Falcon Investment Corporation of Tampa, stressing the need for progress over perfection when launching a startup. The secret? Stop getting bogged down by minor details like names and logos, and get started!
From there, we journey through the hustle and bustle of growing our enterprise. Recounting days of deal-making and property flipping, we share how we embraced the role of property managers and the significance of staying true to oneself. Trust us, hard work and patience can indeed lead to unimaginable success! A crucial part of this journey involves acknowledging our mistakes, learning, and moving on. As we celebrate these milestone events, we reflect on the invaluable lessons we carried forward.
Peter and I wrap up our conversation with a heartfelt tribute to our team members. We discuss our experiences with personal and professional growth, the process of exiting the organization, and making the tough decisions surrounding change. Navigating business growth is no mean feat, and it's vital to pause and reassess your path when you hit a plateau. We explore the importance of self-reflection, staying true to one's vision, and the value of trial, error, and patience in achieving success. Join us for this heartfelt look back on our journey – we guarantee you'll be inspired and enlightened.
For all your Real Estate Investment and Property Management needs check out HomeProp!
https://www.homeprop.com
https://www.HomepropPM.com
Hello everybody, chase Clark here with the Buying from Ape Ape podcast, and today we're going to host part two of our interview with my normal co-host, but our guest today, peter Murphy. Last time we talked about Peter's being born here in the States but growing up really overseas in Ireland and his dad's work is a missionary, and how that shaped his life early on and how it continues to shape his life today and the things that he's engaged in and how he approaches specifically his business endeavors. We talked about him returning to the States for high school, going to college here, finding a soulmate and launching a successful real estate career here in the Tampa Bay area, and so today we want to talk a little bit more about that career and how we got started together in 2005 with our first real estate services company, home Encounter. So, peter, welcome to the show again, and we're glad to pick up here and hear the second half of your story.
Speaker 2:Yeah, man, delighted to be back on with you chatting a little bit about the wild ride. This is definitely the part where they've got a lot of fun and became high energy and kind of the fulfillment for the amount of effort and work that we put into our lives in the early stages of it. So we really started to see some rewards paying off big time toward the middle of our careers there with Home Encounter and in the years to follow. So, happy to share whatever I can remember about it, which is increasingly little because, my goodness, that was almost 20 years ago as we were building Home Encounter and we're out of Home Encounter now for going on what like? I think almost eight years. So eight years since we've sold it, six years since we were officially out. So lots of time has passed and we've had a lot of time to reflect on that. So I'm excited to share on it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, definitely. And as I think about the beginnings of Home Encounter, i can't help but even go back about a year prior to Home Encounter when we started our first actual business together with Falcon Investment Corporation of Tampa and that elevator ride that we took in the Bank of America building in Temple Terrace up to Bob Welker's office and on the way up we're trying to figure out what we're going to call this thing. Just such great memories of that, not knowing anything about what we're doing, figuring it out literally on the elevator ride up to the office.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's a great memory And some of these things in retrospect, you're like. You know we can certainly overthought certain things in our past and spent too much time and effort on stuff like designing logos and what's the right sig line for your business. And you know the name of Falcon was like we definitely didn't belabor that one. We decided on the elevator ride on the way up to our attorney, which we used back in the day because it was hard to start a company 20 years ago outside of an attorney. All the online tools for starting businesses aren't there then. But yeah, we didn't think about that too much, did? we were like what do we have in common? We're like well, we both went to this same school and their mascot was a Falcon. So we went with that right. And hey, it worked and it stuck and it's a mouthful right Falcon Investment Corporation of Tampa. I mean, nowadays you start a company by you know what can I get into a nice to sync URL that's less than eight characters. Falcon Investment Corporation of Tampa does not fit that mold by any means, right? So we've had to work around that, the cumbersomeness of that. But that was our holding company, right, chase. So we weren't really intending for that to be all that consumer facing. We were going to use that for some real estate ventures, for the acquisition of properties to fix and flip and hold within our portfolio And we put that company together very quickly And I think that was the right way to do it.
Speaker 2:If you're a young entrepreneur and you're trying to get started, don't waste time and money and tons of effort on some of those things. You're going to get distracted by the fact that that's not the real business. That's the container, that's the housing for what it is that you're trying to do. And if you're struggling on what's named your company or what colors to use in your logo or what logo to use, put a placeholder in there and get to work. Start going from zero to one right. Make it so that you're producing something and then you'll have maybe some energy and resources and time to think a little bit about the names and the colors and those other things that make a difference from a marketing standpoint and a branding standpoint. But you can really get waylaid on if you spend too much time and energy on day one.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know and to piggyback on that, one of the important lessons I think we learned later on is that your actual entity can be anything. It can be ABC, llc, you know, as long as no one else has that name, and you can always DBA, whatever your marketing or your forward-facing business brand name is going to be later on. So DBA is doing business. As it's a fictitious name filing, you can do with the state of Florida. And but yeah, i mean, how many hours did we spend? I remember when we had this concept for what became home encounter, and we spent hours and hours in each of our living rooms, you know, over days and nights trying to figure out, okay, what are we going to call this thing? Right? And you get so, you know, tunnel vision into kind of what's around you, what other names are out there, kind of what other things people are using, what names or websites are popular at the time, and it makes it tough.
Speaker 2:Well, it did, and you know what we were doing there. I think that was the dreaming stage. you know. we were like all sitting in each other's living rooms late into the evening talking about the things we wanted to do and build together. Zillow was just hitting the scene in a big way back then. Actually, it hadn't quite hit the scene yet, but it was clear that having a very powerful online presence was going to be important, and so we didn't want to botch that on the front end And you know, we wanted to make sure that our name conveyed to some degree what it was that we were going to do. So having a home or house in there somewhere was important. But, man, i have lots of fond memories about that.
Speaker 2:That was the time where, like, anything could go and we're going to build this amazing and awesome and big company and it's going to be so successful. And yeah, then we were talking about colors and names and URLs. And well, i don't think we hit a home run on that. Honestly, home encounter. we got a lot of pushback as people started to get familiar with us like a home encounter. What is that? And home encounters are you saying an S of the head there And that's like another giant word. So you can't like. the mashup is well longer than what's ideal to type into a web browser. People are like is that an escort service or what exactly? So we got some crazy feedback out of the gate.
Speaker 2:But, you know, as we grew it didn't matter. Right Again, it didn't matter all that much, which I think is the point that you see all around you as you watch other successful companies with their really dumb names make lots and lots of money and no one cares, right, because it doesn't matter if you're alphabet. Now, i know alphabet is what came around after Google, right, but Google, what is a Google? Right? I mean, people didn't even know what that was. It just kind of became sticky as the company grew in ability and skill and size And so, again, don't worry too much about it. But boy, was that fun to try and figure out what the right names and the right colors and right URLs were. I think that dream phase of an organization is what keeps you going when times get tough, because we really weren't making very much money back then, but it sure was exciting to think about how much we were going to make.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and one other aspect of that that's so interesting is that our original idea for home encounter the original intent of it, right was a sales side model. It was brokerage based, right. It wasn't even to end up where we ended up in property management heavily property management, you know, with HOA management, you know, tacked onto that alongside of brokerage, right, you know, our original idea was that we were going to kind of be a direct competitor, almost like the home discovery model at the time here in Tampa Bay, right, and try and figure out how to capture listings you know from the site and be on the sales side, i think.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And interesting how things morph and how you have to adapt based on your market situation to be successful.
Speaker 2:sometimes, Right, i mean. So our listeners may not remember what home discovery was, but it was a discount brokerage model, right? Because that was what we were going to do out of the gate. We were going to be the latest, best real estate brokerage. I mean, and that sounds terribly benign now You think about it and really kind of boring and that's not what you want to do. Right, there's real estate brokerages are everywhere. Who wants to be the latest real estate brokerage today? right.
Speaker 2:But all the way back then that seemed like a really good idea. The first housing market crash hadn't happened yet. So it seemed like you could come out of the gate as young and fresh entrepreneurs, like we were, and you could be a heavily tech based and knowledge based brokerage and really compete heavily and strongly and successfully against the old guard who really at that time didn't understand technology and didn't have a firm grasp on the kind of analytics chase that you and I had a grasp on. But then all the whole the housing market crashed, right, and we had to pivot in a really, really big way. I mean, we did not strategically decide to be property managers. That wasn't the thing that we knew all along we would be and that we would make a lot of money doing That was a very reactive decision on our part in the face of a crashed business concept. Right, real estate brokerage was not going to work as the housing market came crumbling down around us And we just had to try something to keep cash flowing. We went into property management. So I'm asked all the time about how was it the case that we thought of this great concept And I have to be humble in an extent and say it was thrust upon us.
Speaker 2:We were right there in the right time for property management to be successful. But we did everything in our power not to do property management, because no broker worth assault back in the day was a property manager. That was the dirty work. That was disorganized work that no one wanted to do. That required you to be like plunging toilets and calling for AC repairs and dealing with tenants, which that's difficult and no one wanted to do that. We did not plan to do that, but we were forced to do that when the market crashed And we had to figure out what to do with all of these assets that wouldn't sell. And, just like any really difficult time, our excellent concept of home encounter, our successful concept was forged in that crucible, in the pressure of a crashed housing market and of near poverty for you and I, and let's just do something to get money on the table.
Speaker 1:And so this is what came out of that important lesson, in retrospect Yeah, you know, it was, you know, march of 2006, i believe, when we actually got out of our home offices and had renovated a home that we had purchased in Ebor City on 22nd Street as our first office space, our first legit commercial office space there, And such fond memories of that.
Speaker 1:You and I actually doing some of the actual rehab work on that property, along with one of our contractors, and getting that place ready to go, getting furniture in there and everything and then bringing on, you know, people to work with us. You know, and that was a fun time. I mean we were hustling back then. I mean we were getting deals done. I mean we were wholesaling properties, we were selling properties, we had a niche with investors that were still in the area pumping money into the market as we rode that wave to the top of the market in 2007. And that was a grind it out, exciting, fun, kind of figure it out as you go, kind of time right, startup mentality. I mean what a great, great time that was.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was great. I mean, we would like we would do something, we would make a little bit of money doing it, and we're like that's, this is the next thing, this is what we'll become experts in doing, right? So we worked it really, really hard and some of those things we discovered yes, we can become experts at, we can really make some money and differentiate ourselves. But some of those are like, no, it's not going to work for us, right? And one of those things was, like you mentioned, flipping properties. That was not something that you and I did a lot of, but we sure tried to do a lot of it at the time. There's a lot of people we respected who were doing that, and there were a lot of realistic gurus and people who were selling courses and we tried our hand at that, and that didn't work that well for us. I don't know why, man, we're super magnetic. Why did people not like what we had to say and pay us $5,000 for our courses? You know, i don't know what that, what the difference was, but you and I didn't make that work. We made this other side of the business work, but boy were we trying everything, and I really do think that's an important lesson too for our listeners You've got to like.
Speaker 2:There's this concept in scripture about farming and the patience of the farmer. He goes out there and he tills the land and he sows the seed and he doesn't even know what's going to come of it until he receives the early and the late rains, and then there will be growth. But the reward for your laborers comes on those long and thankless days where you're just grinding it out and you have no idea what that plant that you planted or that seed that you planted is really going to look like and whether or not it's even going to be successful. But you've got to do the work and then growth comes from it, and it comes looking totally different than you thought it would. So what are you going to do? You're going to shut it down? You're going to mow it over because it doesn't look like what you wanted it. You're going to shut the doors on the property management because it's not brokerage. That would have been obviously really foolish.
Speaker 2:So we had to accept what we were growing into. We had to decide in our own minds that we were happy to be property managers. I mean, chase, that took a lot of humble pie too, that we had to decide that we were going to be okay with being property managers and not glamorous house flippers. Remember house flippers? They were the ones driving the beamers and the benzes and the lambo. They had the hummers, the sweet houses, the amazing I mean. Their lifestyle looked incredible And you and I were pulling up in our old trucks managing properties. We did not have the glamorous look that they had. So, humbly, we accepted that And I think that God really blessed that decision because all these years later, well, our lives don't look too shabby.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know I always wanted a family portrait draped across the front of a Bentley. You know, i mean that's like a pinnacle of success and real estate flipping is when you have that hanging in your office.
Speaker 2:Oh man, you're telling me and it's a beautiful thing to see and it really is inspiring.
Speaker 2:You can understand why people are motivated by that, and for some there's that's going to work.
Speaker 2:That wasn't going to work for me And you know, that's probably just a factor of who I am, you know, and what, what, what I, what I am in my heart, but that's not what I am in my heart, and so when I tried to do it, i knew really fast that it wasn't going to be right for me too.
Speaker 2:Because remember those times, chase were forcing ourselves on the market to do things that weren't exactly us, that we really didn't know how to do, and we weren't successful at those things because we weren't authentic, we didn't, we weren't genuine in them, we didn't have the knowledge, and it didn't take long before that became very transparent. We also couldn't be ourselves and go home and stand on our own two feet with our wives and feel like, hey, we've got integrity in this work. It all felt a little fake and a little forced. So don't be that guy. I guess is the lesson I'm giving to our listeners if they, if they care about the lessons I have to offer from that be genuine in your work, do what, do what is fundamentally you, and then I think true, true success follows, even if it doesn't look like you and your wife on the front of a Bentley.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's right, man, and you know what's so interesting. You know another little, you know learning process we went through was, you know, in 2007,. Toward the end, you know, we'd already hit the housing crash for the most part, but I don't think we had, like, fully realized the full ramifications of it yet. We tried to give away the small portfolio of properties that we managed. That's how much. We didn't want to do property management. We thought we were going to be deal makers and flippers and all of that, and we tried to give away. We did, we gave it away. We gave away about 120 properties that we managed for about what? two weeks until then, in 2008, we end up relocating our office to North Tampa and going all in full force into property management because by that time the crash had happened, the full effects of it were on display And we knew that our best path going forward was going to be something stable and sticky. Right. And that is where we found. We found that in property management.
Speaker 2:Yeah, i think we did. You know, there was two things, i think, maybe that were also happening at the same time. Not only do we know we needed something stable and sticky, because all these other things we were trying wasn't working, but we also knew that, i think, we had responsibilities and duties that centered around what we had accumulated, and, over the course of time, we had accumulated properties that we couldn't sell. And so what do you do? Do you walk away from the obligations that have been put in your hands, that you have asked for? If you walk away from those, wash your hands to them and try something new, or do you man up under the burden of those responsibilities and take what adventure comes to you from that? Right, and I think, in retrospect, that's what that was.
Speaker 2:That was a time of utter chaos. We were at the bottom of the abyss in lots of ways. For our personalized, for our financialized perspective, for our company, things didn't look good at all. The choice we chose to make was let's shoulder that burden, let's not walk away from it, and I think that is a very important cosmic lesson in a way, a spiritual lesson in a way. If you don't walk away from the messes you make and you shoulder the burdens of those lessons, reward comes.
Speaker 2:I think the world is set up to recognize that that person who maybe made a mess of things for a while which we all do none of us are perfect, we all make a mess of what we had but that person is responsible enough not to run away it totally from his messes And when that happens, when there's gain and reward to be earned, there's self-respect that comes from that.
Speaker 2:There is great reward at the end of, i think, that journey, because it defines you as a dependable, reliable person, and don't we all want that guy? Everyone wants the dependable, reliable person to help manage their stuff, because everything else is so chaotic in life that when you have found a person like that, that's a person you'll trust with your money and your resources and your assets. And I think that's what we learned through all of that time Do not run away from your messes, no matter how bad they might seem. Work through them, get the scars from whatever those lessons might be, and allow those scars to be reminders of very important things that you'll need to remember in life. And I think that's what we did. I think we were blessed for it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because you know, what became a very successful real estate services business was born really out of that adversity, out of learning how to overcome obstacles that were put in our plate, put in front of us, that we never anticipated And we really didn't know. There was no formula for how to handle these things. We had to figure it out as we went along, But we stayed true to those principles that we had and we tried to always do the right thing And that really created a launching pad for what happened then over the next five years as we grew a you know, a hometown mom and pop property management business into a dominant regional player in Tampa Bay and then beyond there, with the wave of institutions that came in, expanded that across the entire state of Florida.
Speaker 2:Right, yeah, that's true. So what we were doing and all of that was not like planning for that institutional explosion and the success that came from that. That wasn't even in our minds as we were shouldering up under the responsibilities of the chaos that we had created or we were a part of creating, right, that wasn't in our minds. What was in our minds is let's just do today really well, right, let's take whatever opportunities come our way. Let's make sure we do today well. We go home We have we can stand at our own two feet with integrity, that we faced up under those challenges with diligence and honesty, and tomorrow we'll do it again, and who knows what that's going to look like. But if you do that long enough and we were doing it for you know, day in, day out for years, early on, there it wasn't. It didn't feel like earth shattering earth, changing work. It didn't feel like a spiritual calling to me at the time. None of that, you know, none of that. Checked those boxes I think people look for and they're looking for a career chase Like how can I go and be my best self? That wasn't it for me. It was like how can I go and just like, do what I'm supposed to do tomorrow Like this, like clean up this one tiny mess I made one day at a time, like this gigantic mess I made one day at a time And that eventually prepped us to be the recipients of great opportunity.
Speaker 2:But it started so small and so ugly and so not anything like great opportunity. I can't believe we stuck it out, but I can't believe anyone who's grinding it out in their garage or basement or whatever their tiny thing sticks it out, because I remember those times. They're so uninspiring. The story when you look back gives you tremendous things to talk about and great, inspiring stories to tell. But the day in, day out, grind is very painful, very arduous. You have nothing to show for it each of those days, except maybe the smallest amounts of food on your table, but you still endure. There's something about the indomitable spirit of a guy or a girl who goes out and does that every day which makes you respect them so much, and I think that's why we grew. People started to respect that we were those kinds of people that we're guys, that were going to do generally what we said we were going to do, and if we mess up, somehow we're going to try and get it right, and that prepared us for the great opportunity that followed.
Speaker 1:Yeah, And so you know what. It was an amazing ride. But thinking back from you know, from going in 2008 or really 2005, starting out with just me and you I think at one point we had an intern and then 2008, we had a few other people working with us to then 2015, 2016, at the peak, where an eight figure business with almost a hundred employees, when you think back about that ride, what are some of the best and worst things about the process of getting there from 2005 to 2016? For you, what were some of your best and worst memories or things that you endured through that?
Speaker 2:time. Yeah, the best things, undoubtedly, are the relationships you make along the way, right? The people that you surround yourself by, who you're just working every day with right alongside, shoulder to shoulder, and you develop these good relationships and these great fondness for them because they're in the trenches with you. You don't always know why, right, because they could be in any dirty trench with anybody, but there they are with you and you're grateful for them. You've got this overriding gratitude for the kind of effort they're putting in and you want to reward that in whatever way you can. But you don't have a lot of ways to reward it. So what do you do? You just try to show kindness and compassion and generosity and love to them and it works out and those people are deeply, deeply grateful for them. And all those relationships ended well at the time, because business relationships often don't.
Speaker 2:But I look back with such fondness at those people who are there from our earliest days. My personality tends to kind of whitewash bad memories anyway, right? If I don't, they'll keep me up all night, right? So I think back to those people who stuck with us and who are with us through a lot of those dull dreams and those tough times and I've got great gratitude for them, so that's definitely one of them. The other thing is, i mean just how much fun it is to build something that's energetic when you want to go to work every day and you know you've got a lot of tasks to do and you're not sure what's going to come of it, but it feels just right. I mean that excitement of growth and energy and development in your own little business. Again, you don't have to be changing the world, you're just managing properties and collecting rent. But man is that exciting to do that and the energy you get from it is like nothing else.
Speaker 2:But I will say I mean like, undoubtedly, you get scars, right, I said that already but there are scars that you learn along the way. You know so little right And you're making so many mistakes and learning from so many mistakes In my case at least, my intuition wasn't sharpened and who's is right when they're in their 20s and 30s, and so you end up crashing a lot right And you come out of that crash with a scar and that scar calluses you and reminds you repeatedly. Right, that scar on my hand is the time that I did this to a person, right, or I did this to a client or in a relationship, a business relationship and I will never forget those things. Right, that's always the hard part of life, isn't it? Is that that's a? I don't know if that's God's reminder, god's punishment to you, or if it's just the way life works. But you don't ever forget And you'll always remember the times you did someone wrong. You'll always remember the times you didn't remain true to your standards.
Speaker 2:And those are the things, if you allow them to, that can really crush you. They can really cause you some self doubt and fear and, like you know, they can make you very reluctant. I guess what you've got to do in some ways is acknowledge those have happened, that they exist. You've got to move on as stalely as you can and not let them cripple you. But I've seen a lot of people crippled by their mistakes and I don't want to be that guy. I think I've been plateaued by some mistakes in my life or some things that didn't happen the way they should have, but I want to be the kind of guy who pushes through them and accepts that that mistake happened and to press on. Just some goods and some bads and building a company.
Speaker 2:You cannot quantify the excitement and the joy of those milestone events in your life. The first paycheck that is, that has the number of zeros behind it that you wanted, that you always thought was a rich man's paycheck, right. Or that first sale of a business or the first purchase of another business Those sort of things in your life are so exhilarating, so defining, so exciting. You've got to find a way to commemorate those. There's some of those that happened that I just like that just happened and we moved on from, and I regret that we didn't celebrate or commemorate far more of those milestone events. So to have the ability to recognize the milestone events in your life and really to celebrate them, i think is an important insight skill that you need to develop as a growing person, because that's what you'll remember in life. You'll have that event. This is the time that I did accomplish this thing and celebrate that with every ounce of your ability. It's an important thing to do.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, as you're talking about relationships, especially in that, you know, i can't help but think about some of these early players in our business that made such an impact.
Speaker 1:And we should name some of these people, give them a shout out in the podcast in case they're listening, because I remember the day that we had done Craigslist ads looking for a property manager, and Jason Kanan comes in to our eBorah office on 22nd Street to start with, this is a property manager, and I mean you talk about bringing the energy.
Speaker 1:I mean something every not only do the owners, you know, have to bring energy to it and feel that energy and excitement, but when you get other people that you can hire and bring into the fold that also get excited and bring the energy into what you're doing, that is like an infectious thing that, just, like you know, has a hugely positive ripple effect on everyone in the organization. And I think about, like the Megan Varsons, you know. I mean these people come in and work hours and hours and hours and give it their all because they believe and they believed in what we were doing. You know the team Royers, right, the Keanu Jacobs, you know, who was one of our guests a couple of weeks ago on our podcast right, you know the Megan McClister's and the Lindsay Tamlinks you know, who started as administrative people for us, you know, and helped us get some of the menial work done while we were out selling and creating other relationships that would bring business in.
Speaker 2:Yeah, man, i'm so glad you're doing this And, of course, we're going to make a gigantic mistake and leave someone critical out. And so, if you're thinking about yourself while you listen to the show and you haven't heard your name spoken, i just want you to know that, like in the years and the years that intervened, the times that we, you know, built this business and sold this business and out of it, you, we have thought about you all many times, said around, talked about you guys many times the Sean Aram Caloans, the Tiffany Connellys, the you know, all these people who have really dug in deep and worked part of us Dan Galates and Patrick Euler's early stage guys who are artists Williams.
Speaker 2:So it's so instrumental in our growth And you know, i'm glad we went through this exercise. And if you're listening, you're like, who are these people and why do they even matter? It's the guy who's sitting beside you. If you're an entrepreneur, it's the freelancer that you're using right now. It's the personal assistant that you're using right now. She or he is so key to your success.
Speaker 2:You're never you're going to sit back one day and wish that you would treat them better, that you'd rewarded them more handsomely, that you had shown more gratitude, that you hadn't like belittled them, that you'd given them the request for the day off They asked. Instead of grumbling about that, you know that you'd made that they're living in their work experience as easy as you could have made it. You will live in regret if you don't, and that's kind of my personality at least, and there's sometimes. I felt like I was very good and very generous, very kind to these people, but not enough, probably because these people were highly instrumental in helping me to keep going every day. And so I honor them. And if I haven't mentioned your name, i'm sorry for not remembering it in this show. I didn't have a list before we had this conversation, but I want you to know that you are the person who made our that made us successful And I hope that your time with us the Vitaly Vasmax right, i hope your time with us was a blessing, that you've been able to leave with some good and valuable lessons, that you've been able to take those to some other organization.
Speaker 2:Mike, this is relationship summer for my family. I'm trying to stress with them that the importance of this summer is to make sure you're committing to the people who are around you the relationships in your life. They might not always be there but because, for various tragic reasons, but what you don't ever want to be is the person who pushes them away. You don't ever want to be the person who, through your own laziness, your own, like you know, just ambivalence, you don't nurture and develop the person that God has put in your life to make it more successful and to provide mutual benefit. Right, be the person who kind of makes every relationship stronger in your life And I think that is such an important lesson, chase, from the time that we've hired and fired and grown, that you know all those people out there who contributed so much truly were a source of great inspiration and success for me And I'm deeply grateful for them.
Speaker 1:Yeah, You know, I think, uh, and we still have. we have some of them still with us in our new venture home property Dave, dave Tau and Kim Barth and, yeah, sierra Schmidt and Mike White. I mean, mike White goes way back. I mean the days of Brenda Donovan and our foray into commercial real estate for a short period of time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and not to mention our current guys like Darren, and just so many, so so many people. And so yes, for every one of these people, thank you. And if you're listening to me, man, nurture and love the people that are putting in the sweat equity with you right now. They are, in more ways you'll, then you'll ever know, the real catalyst of your success.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I mean, when we think about you know what do we miss most or what do you miss most about running an organization like that, having a substantial organization with dozens of employees and dozens of people like that around you. I mean it really is those daily interactions with them that you miss a lot.
Speaker 2:Yeah, isn't it man? I mean, like you know, we look at ourselves. Okay, are you an introvert? Are you an extrovert? Do you like teamwork? Do you like working on your own? All these questions that people try to grapple with as they're coming out of school and college and going into the workforce.
Speaker 2:But I think it really misses the point that, no matter what your personality is, it is the team, it's always the team, and there is no real success if you're an individual. I think, if you're inclined to look at it that way, if you're that narcissist who believes it's all about you, then you will. You will not have the richness that this life could potentially hold for you, simply because it's. You don't realize enough how important other people are in your life. And so don't be that narcissist. Be an abundant and generous person and just take a moment each day to realize what these other people are doing for you and the energy and the passion they bring to your organization. That is absolutely bar none. The greatest joy that I've had in developing my companies is having those relationships.
Speaker 1:Yeah, And you know that that's definitely the most fulfilling part of it. It's not really the, the widgets, or you know the services you're providing or the deals you close. It's really, at the end of the day, who you're doing it with that brings you so much joy and business. But there's also that other side, right. It's like you know, when you think back about it, there were some things that you were like, yeah, man, i'm glad I'm not doing this anymore. Right, i mean, i remember the days of us actually getting in and cleaning out the units, trashing them out, cleaning blood stains sometimes off kitchen cabinets, or this, like someone chopped a digit off while they were cooking dinner. You know, yeah, what are some of those things for you that you're like man, i'm glad I don't miss that at all.
Speaker 2:Yeah, some of those do bring you to a low place, right? I mean, i go into some properties even now and I still remember the feeling I had when I was going into those properties, that some of that really menial work when it was like when it was very hard for you to look beyond the filth and the squalor of some of the properties you bought and the risk that was associated with you acquiring that, and when you knew that every deal could be your last deal because you could literally run out of money on this one. That level of the day-to-day success or the day-to-day privation, almost that you were just living paycheck to paycheck. Those are things that I don't miss. That is kind of work that I don't love. And you know, when I think about, like, what do you do? then You've got a kind of work that you did like rehabbing really rough houses that you need someone to do, but you don't love it, like how do you be the, how can you be the leader you want to be when that's the kind of work that you do And I think that's something I genuinely struggle with If I don't love, you know, some aspects of property management.
Speaker 2:You know I want to run a property management company, how do I inspire my workers to do the work that I myself hate to do? Right, and that's a very that's something I grapple with all the time, i think. I think it's all about the having the attitude of service in it, like remembering what the what the timeline of business looks like, that sometimes you've got to roll up your sleeves and do some really down and dirty work in order to experience the high line rewards, and so I need to make sure that, if that, if I'm a leader of that kind of organization, that I'm trying to educate the people, i'm trying to keep their perspective sharp on the fact of that really ugly thing that you're doing right now, how do I paint that or pull that into the greater picture of success? But, frankly, i also need to be humble enough to occasionally go and do that, roll up my sleeves and get back to basics, not because that's the way my time is spent best, but because I'm reminded of some really important things right About who I am and where I started.
Speaker 2:Roots are critical because when you get out there and you show your people that you can do it too, that you did it too, you're that undercover boss right. That TV show is so successful because here's the guy who's willing to work in the greasy kitchen every now and then, even though he's in the C suite, to show that he could do it. He can still do it. He appreciates you for doing it And I think that's a very important thing to make sure you're still doing, even if you're so glad you never have to do it again full time every now and then go back and do it. That's a very humble thing to do.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so many successful small service businesses are founded on this principle of doing something that people don't like to do. You may not like to do it either, and if you're successful, you get away from having to actually do that, but you can never lose touch with it, because that's really the foundation of your business, are those menial things that you try to hire out or you source out to contractors, but you can't lose touch with what it's like to actually do those jobs.
Speaker 2:No, jason, i think I mean it's so important. I watched out the other day. I live on a lake and so I was watching some people grinding away cleaning a lakeshore of someone else's property. I was pulling my kids on the jet ski and on the tubes and watching these people just grinding it out And I'm like how do you keep people inspired when they're grinding out a task?
Speaker 2:And what you realize is it is the relationships, it's the fact that they realize they're a part of something bigger and that you're truly rewarding them for a relationship with you. And that's not just money. That's like respect, right. It's taking them to a fun restaurant with you at the end of a long week, right. It's going out to lunch with them, developing a relationship with them to show them that you truly respect who they are, what their background is. It's remembering their wives and kids and their birthdays of their wives and kids.
Speaker 2:Because they, the people who are doing those menial tasks for you, probably don't have an elevated impression of themselves. They probably aren't living in a place where they think they're so much better than the job they're doing. Maybe they are, but probably they're thinking this is the job I'm doing and I'm trying to do my best, and this is where I am, but I don't think I'm all that much better than that. So you got to show them how much gratitude you have for the people that do that work and how much you have for them, and that's what makes their task doable, i think, long-term.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's very true. And so you know there's a lot of different evolutions or stages of business that you go through, right From the startup phase to the build phase to developing these relationships with people, And then you get to the point where you've got like 100, 100 plus employees and you've still got those strong relationships with the people that have been there a long time. But now you've expanded beyond the point to where you can really know everyone the way that you used to know them. It doesn't have that cozy, small, comfortable feel like it used to. And then from there you're kind of in a growth phase where things just kind of take off And you know you're involved in activities at that point that you never thought you'd be involved in. You become a little bit more detached from the day to day. You've hired some middle-level managers to kind of handle teams and processes And then before you know it, you've grown your company substantially to a statewide operation and eight-figure business And, without any solicitation whatsoever, people are calling saying, hey, are you for sale, Right?
Speaker 1:And you field those calls and you get calls, and calls, and calls And of course you know you got people wanting a deal, people wanting some kind of you know, hybrid structure And you're like, why would I do any of this? What's going on? But we finally get the call. After what? six or seven different suitors And we think, well, maybe these people are the real deal, you know, And we entertain that, We go through that process and finally make that decision that, all right, maybe it's time to exit. How did you get there in your mind, And what are some of the things that went about during that time, for us to come to that conclusion that it was the right time to sell?
Speaker 2:You know, very much like the start of business, Jason, going in the direction that we went in, it wasn't overly strategic. Making the decision to sell was strategic in a sense because there was a lot of evaluation that meant that went into the deals that we were presented with to make sure that we were choosing the right one. But again, when opportunity knocks and knocks and knocks again, you do kind of look at that and say, well, there's something important here for me to be aware of, there's some, there's some important economic or a revolutionary type thing that's happening right now And that's all that much. But that model, that too much longer it might not continue, right? I mean you might, it might pass you by, right? And what's so interesting about that point is I think there's a lot of guys out there who owe her senior in age. They own their business for many, many years And I don't think they have actually paid attention when opportunity has come knocking, because I think it comes knocking for almost everyone. But you're so inclined to want to hold on to what you have because it's your golden goose and it's what defines you, and you're not wanting to really entertain what the next stage of your life might be.
Speaker 2:But when we were faced with that opportunity repeatedly granted took us a few years to get there we finally allowed ourselves to start thinking about what it might look like, to see what the next stage of our life might be, how we could grow out of this very operationally heavy role into something far more diverse. I mean, you know, we were in our late thirties. That's a time in your life already where you're nearing the point where you're at that middle of your career. You know how do I really take my career myself to the next level of who I want to be, as a professional, as a person, as a contributor to society. And so that the suitors that came knocking allowed us to think about that very deliberately And we did. We thought about it often in terms of what we would believe, what we would view as a successful exit from this organization or the next stage of our role within the organization we had built. We were here at this statewide level, but what would it look like to be involved in a far larger organization? And we allowed ourselves to think of that. And so the opportunities that came our way and were presented to us included both the exit, financially, from what we had built so we would receive a reward for our labors and the development of our professionalism up to the next level, which was well beyond what we had shown that we were capable of doing on our own.
Speaker 2:You and I had developed a business up to a certain point. Do you have the humility, if you're an entrepreneur, of saying maybe this is as large as I can get just by myself, and in order to get to the new level, i need these other people and I need these other resources? So you know, i salute you and to some degree, i want to honor where I was at that time too, because I was willing to say I am, i am. I could be a lot more than what I've become today, but I'm not sure I can be a lot more with just you and me at it.
Speaker 2:I think we might need some additional catalyst. So we took that catalyst and it took some years to make sure it was the right one. It took a lot of sweat, a lot of finagling and wrangling, but as I look back over us taking that exit from the organization and choosing to work alongside buyers who became business partners in some ways, although there were some challenges in all of that that was good And it took me to the next level of my professional development. So, whether or not it was the best thing, the absolute best thing that I could have done, or whether or not it was just another stage of my professional journey, either way I benefited greatly from it And for that I'm happy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know it is interesting thinking back because, regardless of the financial aspect of it or the timing of the business cycle and residential property management and the exuberance around that in 2016, that opportunity for professional growth and development with, you know, some players that had gone to that been at that next level and were playing at that next level on a national level I mean that was really intriguing. Now you know whether or not that all panned out, the way that it was sold to us is a different story, but you know it was an education. I tell people all the time like, yeah, i have a master's degree from the University of South Florida, but I got a PhD and MNA from some really smart guys in New York from 2016 to 2018. You know, i mean that was an incredible learning process.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and how do you know? I mean, like, how can you know that something won't work out exactly like it was presented to you? I mean, what part of your life would indicate that anything ever works out exactly like you think it will? right, none in mind, i mean, i might go into it with the absolute best intentions and the most complete body of learning and knowledge that I think I have, but then within a week, it's different than what I thought it would be, and so it's easy to be hard on your buyers or on your future partners or whatever else, because, hey, you didn't tell me it was going to be this way. Well, they probably did their best.
Speaker 2:And how many times have you been wrong? right, like every second of every day, almost right. So cut everyone some slack and realize we're all learning through this together. Unless there's deliberate deception, which I certainly don't think there was I just think people don't always realize what it's going to be like when you start pulling everything together and shooting for the next star, right, what will that actually look like? Well, we discovered it's a lot of hard work and that personalities don't always work perfectly well together, and that the well-made plans of mice and men right. Both results in the same like dismal and totally unexpected outcome. So there we were.
Speaker 2:It wasn't exactly what we thought it was, but boy did we learn a lot, like you said, and when that relationship ended and ended abruptly for us, as you know, you know kind of it leaves you a little bit in the wilderness.
Speaker 2:You're a little bit at a plateau. You're kind of wondering what it's going to be like. You know once again what a great opportunity to be able to, like take some time, step back from all of that energy and excitement and growth and now really reflect on who you are as a person and where you want to go. I think God is going to put into your life some very important plateaus for you to stop and think and consider if you're the kind of person you want to be. And at the end of the sale of our organization and the exit from that buying entity that's what that was for me Have I become the kind of man I want to be? What next steps do I want to take in life to really make a difference in this world? that kind of transcends just the transactional and the business development, and I was able to have a lot of time to think about that, once the end of all of that relationship happened, which was roughly 2018.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, you know it's tough because there were several stages in there, right From the point of selling the business on Good Friday in 2016 and then kind of losing control. Right, because one of the tough parts about that is, as an entrepreneur, that you own the business, you're in control, right. You make decisions on the fly. We've always been really good at making quick decisions and pushing forward 100% with whatever direction we decided to go in. We're not the kind that sit around and mull things over for weeks and weeks trying to analyze every nth degree of what we're going to do. We just kind of go for it because we have really good intuition usually in that regard, and when we know we're going in the wrong direction, we quickly pivot and go a different way. But you can't do that once you lose control, and so that was kind of one of the processes we went through, right.
Speaker 1:And then in December 2017, right, our contracts were up with that organization And so then we were out on our own and we were detached now from that business we had built and sold and were a part of for, you know, 10 years or more at that point, and you know that does kind of leave you feeling like you're out on an island. But then you realize the opportunity you have right, and so we've both kind of diversified what we've done since then and even, you know, dipped our toe in the water of different industries and been able to explore some different hobbies that were a part of. Explain how you've handled that and what you've enjoyed about that process and what are some profitable ways you're using your time these days that you may not have been able to do had we continued to run a large organization like that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know I will get there. And this whole thing of control is just jog, the series of thoughts in my mind. You know, because you think you're in control, right, you know you've got your own business, you think things are that you're calling the shots, but you know, if you're honest, that you're only in control as much as the next you know economic shock wave that comes through the system. Or if you've got a partner, you're only in control in so much as he or she agrees with you, right? I mean, because you and I are partners, chase, you weren't calling all the shots and I wasn't calling all the shots, and together we were like in control, but that wasn't total control. And then we went out like we were working with partners, like the extended group of partners, and over some things we had control, but it became obvious that we weren't in control there. So then we were out and we were all on our own and we had total control, right? Because like we had our own lives. And how did that feel? I mean, like it felt really empty to me, like I was really floundering for a while with all the control I could ever ask for, because I had no boss, i had no business. That was gone. I had this money in the bank, i had these experiences, i was in control. I don't love it. So how is that working out for us, you know? so be careful about like hoping for too much control. You just might get it and it might feel kind of empty.
Speaker 2:It took me, chase, a long time to feel good about how I was spending my time in the days after the sale of our organization. I think there were a variety of things going on there In the absence of the time that we really needed to kind of make plans. It felt like a decision was thrust upon us and we were kind of out there floundering and treading water for a while while we were trying to work it out. And so, you know, it would have been better, i think, if we were able to at least pretend that we had some kind of a plan, that this is a part of our journey. But when that choice was removed from us for me I felt like I was a little bit, you know, trying to figure that out.
Speaker 2:So every day where I would try to get up early and do something and do something professional, it kind of felt like you're back in those earliest days of starting a company where you're just trying everything. But back then, in the earliest days of the company, you at least had a vision that you were working toward. Right, you were trying everything, but you had this dream. Remember those dream days we were talking about? You had those dream days to keep you going. When you're severed from an operation, you don't only have those dream days. You're kind of like, wow, i've got to like start dreaming now, and you can't always come up with a dream that is inspiring to you.
Speaker 2:So that took a little bit of time, but what I did find I was able to do was start developing lots of little areas in my life. So spend more time with my kids and my wife. Spend more time in traveling, really work on some hobbies that were important to me, some physical hobbies, some spiritual hobbies. Dig up a little bit deeper into the agricultural aspects of my interests. Expand my investment portfolios Really kind of work on a lot of different areas. So maybe I was throwing lots of stuff against the wall to see which of those things would stick, including starting a new brokerage with Home Prop, which is where we are today, and all of those things have given me fulfillment in their own right.
Speaker 2:But here we are, six years into that, and I wouldn't say I'm any closer necessarily to having a clear vision for my life. I'm 43 years old. I'm halfway through it. Am I spending my life on things that I feel like? are you know that I have a dream and a vision that I'm trying to reach, or I'm just trying to be like the best with what I can't, with what I have today, and I think it's probably the latter, and I would like to have a better dream. I would like to have a better strategy.
Speaker 2:That I'm a part of, and I just think that doesn't always come exactly when you want it to. You can't always wish that into existence. That is sometimes born of a long, of a long period of time, and maybe now is the long period of time where I'm kind of in that wilderness, still trying to like, trying to figure out what it is that I want to be when I grow up. Once again, you know wouldn't have necessarily done it this way or strategically planned it this way, but here I am, and so I'm not asking anyone to feel badly for me. I have a most wonderful life, but I wouldn't say that I am fundamentally fulfilled in everything that I do. There's something lacking in my life right now, and it's hard to know exactly what it is.
Speaker 1:Well, you know it's funny, you're referred to that, as you know wilderness, right?
Speaker 1:I mean, like you referred to, you know biblical scripture and God several times throughout this podcast, and you know that's one thing we do see in scripture is, you know, god uses people in different ways, and sometimes it is the patience of wandering in the wilderness for a little while that is necessary for you to realize when that opportunity is presented to you, to take advantage of that opportunity that you know God's going to put in front of you, to do something greater than what you think you're doing right now.
Speaker 1:And that is a hard mindset, though, to embrace when you've come off such a roller coaster, like we had from 2016 to 2018, to then, you know, adapt a mentality where you know it's not, it's not grinding it out every day, it's not hustle and bustle, we're not really accountable to people like we used to be accountable to people daily in an office environment or within an organization, and so, yeah, it's been a learning process. I think you're right, and trying to harness that and find fulfillment in all these different, diverse ways has been, i guess, the rich part of that experience.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So, chase, i mean, i think what's even more important for that? what's even more important that I realized is that, you know, let's reflect back a little bit at the time where we first started growing our business again. We were throwing lots of stuff at the wall and slowly and steadily, it emerged which of those many things was going to be a primary occupier of our time, which of those things was going to be successful.
Speaker 2:I think it's a common misconception that you're going to have this, you know, lightning in a bottle moment, or this brain spark, and that's the idea that's going to make you rich, and so now get busy working on that idea. Maybe that happens for some people, but I think the idea that we've already proven to ourselves that you must be doing a lot of stuff And some of that stuff is going to be unsuccessful And so you're going to let it go by the wayside, and some of it's going to be more successful, and so you're going to work on the more successful stuff, you're going to determine which of those you can really spend your time with And you can invest heavily then in that one or two remaining successful opportunities. It's a process of trial and error, it's not a process of lightning in a bottle, and so don't just wait around, waiting for something to come that inspires you. Do a lot of stuff and see which of those things begin to inspire you, right? I think that's at least the way in the absence of some great invention which I don't have a great invention, right. I'm a services guy. I'm an experienced guy in the housing market, so what I need to make sure I'm doing is still doing a lot of stuff to keep me exposed to the kinds of people and opportunities that will help me make money one day. That will be the kind of things I'm like. Hey, this is a really good way to spend my time now in the second half of my life, and so I've had to remind myself of that frequently. Just stay busy, stay involved and stay connected, and good opportunities, the right opportunities, will arise.
Speaker 2:For me. Now it might not look like what it once did. It might really be quite different. So my content now to accept an opportunity that doesn't look like building a big business, because it appears to be the opportunity that I'm best suited for. Maybe it's a mentoring opportunity, maybe it's a volunteer opportunity, maybe it's a whole different industry altogether. Do I. Am I willing to be courageous enough to try one of those kinds of things which doesn't look like the kind of wealth and the kind of clarity that I had from real estate? That's a good question. I hope I'm brave enough and we'll see.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know people probably ask you the question, you know. So why what's home prop? You know, why did you go back into real estate? Is that just like what you did before? And what do you tell people? Because I get that question all the time. You know, if you go question, why did you do this? What are you doing?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's a lot like what we did before. I mean, and that's that's part of the challenge, if I had to be truly honest about this chase, maybe your answer is different than mine on this. I don't know if we've talked about this much, but home prop was a little reactive, right, it's because, like, real estate is what I know, it's what I did, what I do, right. So I'm going to open another brokerage, i'm going to do real estate again, i'm going to have property management in there And I'm going to try to do some things better than what I did before.
Speaker 2:But this is, this is, in some ways, who I am. Well, like, okay. So is it who I am because it's who I spent what I spent a lot of time developing in myself in the early years of my life? Or do I? do I have some natural ability to do well at real estate? Or is it impossible to tell the difference anymore? Right, i've been here 25 years into it And can I even distinguish between those two questions? I don't know.
Speaker 2:But what I do know is that I've spent a lot of time and energy in the housing market And if I abandon that all together and go some different direction, well then, i lose all of that, all of that momentum. I lose all that equity, and that's not necessarily a smart thing to do. I've seen people recreate themselves in the middle of their careers, but they've got to build a whole new body of knowledge. I'm not that bright, right, so I need the collective 25 years of knowledge to help inspire me in new ways. And so that's what Home Prop is. It's a very strong nod to the fact that I was a contributor and a player in the housing market, and a big one, an idea changer and a builder, and I still can be, and so having this vehicle here to help me do those things, i think will allow me to be in the right place at the right time once again. Should that calling be in real estate?
Speaker 1:Yeah, there's a lot to be said about capitalizing on assets, and you know intellectual assets even that you've built over a long period of time, even if it's not in something that you have like the most burning passion for. But also the other lesson I think about in that is just you got to stay in the game because you never know what opportunity is going to come, and so if you would draw yourself from the game completely, you're not going to get the opportunity. And so just being in the mix, being around, you know, even if even if the market conditions aren't right for just explosive growth, like they were, you know, back in the early 2000s, being in the game keeps you somewhat relevant and provides you with that platform for opportunity.
Speaker 2:Yeah, chase, it really does. I just really want to kind of encourage anyone who's sitting around feeling like man if only I was in this other industry or this other place, i would be more successful that here I am in this, you know, air conditioning field, and it's not. It's not housing right, the way that Chase and Peter are. So how can I replicate that? You know, i just want to, i just want to throw the idea your way that where you are is exactly where you need to be. Right, that it's not.
Speaker 2:It wasn't up to you that you are where you are. I mean, in some ways it was. But are you really telling me that all the things that have aligned in your life or by your own doing, and here you are in this industry because your own diligence, your own, 100% of your own virtue, and now you're like here and you just need to do that again and pick a better industry next time Are you really telling me that that's your reality? Or are you willing to acknowledge that you are where you are from a host of factors that you had nothing to do with, and some of those factors might actually be working for a greater good right? In my case, i believe that God influences the working of our lives, the path that we're on to be ideally suited to who we are in some cases And I can spend a whole lot of time fighting against that and not get very far right And or I can accept some of that and end up doing really well And so grow where you're planted, is the idea right, and really try to like, look for ways where you are to maximize the quality of your life And, like you said, you'll be there when the opportunity arises.
Speaker 2:As long as you're thinking still, if you turned off your mind and you're in a bitter place, you're angry that you're not somewhere else, you're going to miss all the opportunities that come your way. And so don't be that guy and don't think that you can't make a worldwide difference in some tiny industry where you are, because you can. And you'll look back many years from now and you'll say I made a difference. Maybe I didn't invent the cure for cancer, but in my small area, with the people that were interested to me, i made a difference for good And I'm glad I was there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Well, that's great advice, you know for anybody. But if you're like me, I know you've probably got young people coming up to you all the time and saying Hey, you know, I want to get into real estate, I want to be a real estate professional or real estate investor. What any other advice do you have for people like that? You know, maybe they're in college now or in high school, but about to graduate and they're looking to pursue a career in real estate.
Speaker 2:Well, i still think real estate is an amazing industry full of incredible opportunity. It fulfills a fundamental need housing right. The people absolutely need shelter in order to survive. There's going to be multiple tentacles that connect you to opportunity. If you join the housing market right, and maybe if you want to get into real estate, maybe what you want to get is a real estate broker license. Maybe you want to buy some investment properties and that's your way into real estate. But maybe your way into real estate is through construction or through the trades right, because each of those introduces you very closely to housing and teaches you an absolutely vital skill that people need in order to make real estate as broadly as that definition is applied often in order to make real estate work.
Speaker 2:So find a way in, by all means, and then keep your eyes open for how to turn that into a successful business for yourself.
Speaker 2:Right, it just doesn't have to look like my version. In fact, you could make the case chase that you and me and property management and brokerage had a sort of heyday back in the 2000s And that was a unique opportunity and a unique time place that might not come again. In fact, there's a reason, there's reason to believe that it won't come again because, well, that was 20 years ago and there's a whole slew of new technologies that allow you to be successful in housing and a bunch of new economic realities, and so if you're going to say, let's, let me follow Chase's footsteps, you might not find yourself well positioned for the new opportunities that emerge. So my recommendation to you is get into the housing market and look for what the next opportunity is. Don't look back at where I was and think that is the opportunity and, lo and behold, i missed it. No wonder I'm not successful because I was 20 years ago. Well, you're missing today's opportunity.
Speaker 1:Yeah, every generation has an opportunity. It just so happens that ours was in that sort of societal real estate, due to things that happen that may be a once in a lifetime event, and I think that's right. You got to capitalize on what comes your way, and that's the key to success in entrepreneurship and any kind of business is continually look for opportunities and capitalize on them when they come. Don't drag your feet, you know. Be proactive, be aggressive, right? Well, it's.
Speaker 2:It's the life lesson, right? What comes your way in relationships, the people God has put in your lives, the people God intended for there to be in your life. You go searching for that better friend who's better than the one that you have. I mean, who knows that you're going to find them First of all, and it might be a whole lot worse, right? So take the one that you have, the relationship that you're in right now. It might not have it might not all be perfect, but it's the one you've been given And my guess is it's pretty awesome if you don't focus on all its weaknesses. So make it the best one that you have.
Speaker 2:The kids that you've been blessed with are yours by design, right? I mean? God chose to put them in your life. It's the most specific example of God's influence in your life that you probably have. So, like, make the most of them and that relationship and not be hoping for someone else's. I mean it's just about, I think, being real with where you are, honest with where you are and grateful, because where you are is where God intended you to be, and there's rich reward for you, For those of us, I think, who diligently shoulder up under the burdens of where you've been placed.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I'll say this too let me speak for you for a minute. If you're listening to this podcast and you are connected to Peter or myself in any kind of way and you want to sit down with us over coffee or grab lunch sometime to talk about any of this stuff, i think we're both very open to that. you know, because I think we look back and we wish that we would have had more opportunities to connect with mentors like this if you're interested in starting out in real estate or starting a business or anything like that, because people that have been in the trenches and done it are going to be your most valuable resource. You can't read this stuff in a book, and so for Peter, over the last two episodes, to open up about his experience and provide this advice to us, it's truly invaluable because, like I said, you can't read this stuff in a book and you can't learn this stuff in school. You've got to live it, and talking to the people who have lived it is the most valuable thing you can do.
Speaker 2:Yeah man, Thanks for saying that. I 100% agree with that sentiment And if there's anything that I want to do with my life now, it's to be a catalyst for growth and opportunity in the lives of other people. You know, that's really hey. You can say to some degree that's, that's penance for the times I didn't do that the way I should have 20 years ago, right. So we've been talking about people in our lives, but very much it's a way of paying back to some degree to all those people who have helped me along the way. I would gladly offer whatever knowledge I have on what to do or not to do, because I've got even more of that knowledge to share And it would be happy to share that anytime, man for sure.
Speaker 1:Well, i appreciate your time today, glad we've been able to do this with each other. You know as as being a not only a co-host but now an interviewee on the show, and I think we've you've had a lot of valuable stuff to tell our listeners today. And if you guys want to find anything more about what we do or what we're doing with HomeProp, check out our website at homepropcom. We are a full service real estate brokerage. We do have other agents that work with us And we are a full service property management firm doing both leasing management and all the things to go along with that, and we'd love to help you get started. If you're looking to invest in real estate or you want to become a real estate agent, we'd love for you to contact us and see how we can, you know, help you accomplish the goals that you have for yourself in real estate. Thanks for listening, peter. Thanks a lot, man. This has been great. It was a lot of fun. Chase, thank you. Great questions, you have a good one, all right.