We're getting ready to head south to Phoenix again in mid-March. The anticipation of being in the great house we own, with the great pool, nice neighbours and comfortable climate is building and energizing!  

Speaking of energizing, I was speaking with Cornell the other day (I can see the exclamation points in the air when I do this) and he told me how he has made it even easier for outgoing folks who like helping people take on a lucrative business and earn LOTS of money. See his ad at the bottom of this newsletter.

Another energizing person you should all get to know is Julie Broad. She's speaking about Attracting JV Partners at the meeting next Tuesday night. As she and Dave P. do this as part of their investing strategy AND it's a great way to start RE investing when you've got little funds, it'll be worth your time to come out and give her a listen. 

 

We've added a new tool to our business and it's resulted in increased clarity and a lot more of "getting s**t done".  

 

Some tangible results: new wills, a half-price rental car in Phoenix, a plan for writing off old non-performing investments, a clearer plan for our eventual move to Phoenix and a decision to let go of our last cash-flowing property in Nanaimo. This new tool cost $50 and 1 hour of time. As I'm writing this, I can see this amazing tool just a bit to the left and I feel excited about all the possibilities! 

 

This new tool didn't DO all the above for us. It did help Denise and I get a clearer view on all the stuff we're doing and this is resulting in a more "take action now" attitude for us. It is extremely low-tech and allows more of our creativity to flow. 

 

I'm talking about a 4 foot by 8 foot whiteboard. 

 

You may have priced out whiteboards for your home/office and been suprised at the starting point of about $80 for a 2' by 3' model. This is one of the results of being a good consumer and going to the store and buying what's on the shelf - you pay more. 

 

What if you tapped into your network (how many times have I reminded you about this?), let go of the retail shopper mindset, got what you really want and payed a realistic price? You'd probably spend more time planning and doing the things you really want to do and have more resources to do them with. 

 

So, here's what I did. After looking around the web and seeing the huge prices I called my local hardware store RONA and asked about their whiteboard selection. The helpful person there said "we use barker board in our offices, you should try that".  When I got there they showed me this giant, thin, sheet that was white on one side and brown on the other and weighed hardly anything. In a moment of genius (for me) I asked them how to use it. They told me exactly how to install it and how much it cost. What a revelation! Realizing (yet again) that because I joined ROMS-BC I had a RONA discount card, the price was even less for me and I bought it on the spot (along with some mirror clips). Fortunately I was able to stuff this large sheet into our Honda Element, get it home and put it up on the wall (thanks to Laura L. for installation guidance).  

 

With such a large landscape on the wall, we are now able to write/diagram out EVERYTHING we're doing in the next year, show a summary of all our properties, list out all our little projects and who's responsible for what. Now when we have our weekly business meeting, nothing gets missed, completed tasks disappear and new things are added. We are feeling motivated and in control because all the really important stuff is easy to see all at once. 

 

You may ask, how do you get a half-price rental car in Phoenix using a giant whiteboard? Answer: you look at it in a moment of desperation and realize you now know half a dozen folks in Phoenix. You call them all up and enroll them in quickly brainstorming how to get a car for a couple of weeks without paying $1,000. On the third call they say "I've got this white Lincoln you can use and what kinda money were you thinking of?". You realize that $500 is better than $1000 and blurt that out. They say that's what i was thinking and the deal is done.

I'd love to hear your opinion on how I coulda got a better deal on the car but I'm looking forward to how that $500 is cementing an already great relationship and how comfortable that Lincoln is gonna be to drive. 

 

Ask me about how the giant whiteboard helped get us all those other results on Tuesday during the after-meeting meeting. I talk better when there's a glass of Merlot in front of me.

I did mention above that we're letting our last cash-flowing property go in Nanaimo soon. Want it? Call me 250-588-3396. 

 

See you Tuesday night! 

 

Gord Knox