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Driscoll Enterprises Inc.

Investing in You and Your Future!

 

Issue 27 - September 2013
In this issue
Personal Notes
Educational Corner - Six Key Things Every Successful Person Should Know
Industry Related News - Rising Interest Rates Heighten Investor Concerns
Laughs and Interesting Stuff
Projects and Opportunities
Dear Family and Friends, (by Kevin)  

 

So far September has been a super month for us, we are truly being blessed.  Things are moving forward in all our business endeavors.  Mary Jane and I had an opportunity to spend several days in training with David and Amy and then a couple of days at our out of the way place in South Carolina for a change of scenery and to get away from it all.

 

We've had some challenges too.  Kristina has been taking care of an elderly couple for several months and they are both nearing their end of lives at this point.  In so many ways Kristina has a great heart.  She's learned to love these people and, as she offers them comfort and service in their last days, her heart is being tugged at. As any parents do, we want to help our children avoid pain; however, we recognize that this is all part of life's journey.  

 

We are both so proud of her caring heart and willingness to go the extra mile for these people.  As it turned out June died on the 18th.  That was a tough night for Kristina.  Charlie, June's husband of more than 70 years, passed away on the 24th. Now we imagine them pain free, holding hands, and enjoying each other's company once again on the other side.

 

Mary Jane and I had the privilege to spend the previous 3 days in training at a convention with one of the businesses we are involved with.  This has been our fifth such training experience.  Each one has followed the same format, but each is also unique because different leaders teach and inspire each time.  The leaders teaching at these events are all self-made millionaires and have gone through personal transformations to get there.  We have been touched in so many positive ways it is almost impossible to describe.  Each time we attend one of these conventions we learn, we cry, we laugh, and most importantly we grow.

 

The positive affect these experiences are having on Mary Jane and I are second only to the positive aspects our religion has had on our lives.  We both wish we had experienced this so much earlier in life.  Even though Amy and David are not in this business with us, yet, we paid for their attendance so they could benefit from the same positive influence these events have on us.

 

We are proud of both of them for their willingness to attend.  We had to get up mighty early to help secure good seats for our team and David and Amy are not typically early morning people, so this was a huge effort for them.  Also Amy went the extra mile, she was a team player, attending each day and paying attention even though she wasn't feeling 100%.  We can happily report that they both enjoyed and learned from the experience.

 

The leaves are beginning to change here in Virginia, the windows are open, and life is great.  We hope it is great for you too!

 

Quote of the month: "He who never fell never climbed." - Anonymous

 

Our keynote speaker at the convention was John Maxwell.  He taught us to embrace failure as a natural part of growth, a learning experience.  So, if you're not experiencing some failures along your life journey your probably not growing.

 

I am holding steady on my journey to a healthier me.   

 

Wishing you all best!  Stay healthy and happy! 


Kevin and Mary Jane

Six Key Things Every Successful Person Should Know 

(By Kevin)

 

Anyone who knows me knows that I have always been a person who loves to look at various business models and try to learn from them.  I started working for others when I was 15 and took early retirement when I reached 56.  During that journey I have experienced the good and the bad, the exceptional, and the ridiculous while working for others.  Every business had something to offer, and I have learned from each and every one.

 

Our direct marketing business company has the most perfect business model I have ever seen.  It is genius!  It has all the tools, systems, and leadership in place to allow anyone to become a world class entrepreneur.  Will everyone who joins be highly successful?  No they won't, not because the systems don't work, but because they need to adjust their mindset to that of the entrepreneur.  How do I know this? Because I have witnessed so many people, from all walks of life, with all kinds of educational backgrounds, some with tragic pasts, become highly successful in this business.  If they can all do it, then anyone can do it.

 

So without hyping the company, because that is not my intent, I am going to share with you some of the lessons we have learned, or relearned, over the last year while working with this company.  These lessons will apply to everyone who wants to be achieving more, whether you are an employee or an entrepreneur.

 

First, there is a great difference between the way entrepreneurs/leaders think and the way employees think.  This is why so many people who start their own businesses, whether those businesses have storefronts, deal in real estate, or are run from home, fail.  The entrepreneur/leader understands that "If it is going to be, it is up to me."  They must have the drive and discipline to build their organization to achieve their dreams.

 

This was actually a difficult transition for me.  I was fairly successful in corporate America but when it came to being my own boss I failed at first.  In corporate America, even as a senior leader, I had leaders over me, someone to be accountable to.  I had a yearly, quarterly, monthly, weekly road map.  I knew what needed to be done and how to do it.  As a leader of other employees I just needed to help them catch the vision and keep them headed in the right direction.   

 

As an entrepreneur you are accountable to only you.  You are 100% responsible for your vision, planning, and execution each day.  Even with a system to follow you are responsible for the daily execution of that system.  You are the only one holding you accountable so it is easier to become distracted. 

 

Second, before you go into business for yourself, you need a dream that is bigger than the challenges you will encounter along the way.  The dream must be big, I mean BIG!  This will be your "WHY" for doing the business.  Why does it need to be so big?  Because there will be challenges along the way.  There will be distractions, setbacks, rejections, and yes failures.  If your dream is BIG enough, you will get up every time you are knocked down, dust yourself off, learn, and get back to work on your dream.

 

For me, money alone is not a big enough dream.  My dream has to be what I can do with the money.  My BIG dream is to personally demonstrate to my children that they do not have to be dependent upon anyone else to be able to take care of their families.  I also want a few things money can buy so they are part of my dream, for instance we want: a house on a lake in Maine, to serve a mission for our church, to help our family who can't help themselves, and to help others.  You get the idea. YOUR dream must have substance in order to give you something tangible to shoot for.

 

Third, now that you have a dream to focus on, give specifics to it.  How much will it cost?  When will you achieve it?  Be specific, picture it in your mind.  Put pictures of it where you will see it every day.  This will put your subconscious to work for you (Read "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill, click here for free download).  YOUR dream will drive and sustain you when times get tough.

 

Forth, when the failures come, and they will, learn from them.  At this last convention we were privileged to spend a couple of hours with Mr. John Maxwell, a tremendous teacher and leadership coach.  He shared with us some of his failures along his life journey and how he learned from each one.  He is a guy who considers himself a "failure factory" even though has written more than 70 books and is a world renowned speaker.

 

The difference between those who succeed and those who don't is this: those who don't succeed will often let the failure define who they are or block their way.  No one and nothing should define who you are except you!  Those who succeed understand that everyone fails.  They embrace the failure as part of the process. They learn from failures and stay focused on their dream.

 

Mary Jane and I have had some big failures along our journey.  I call them expensive seminars.  We learn what we can and move forward.

 

Fifth, attitude will determine your altitude in life!  I learned early on in corporate America that I could teach almost anything to someone willing to learn, except attitude.  Therefore, when I was interviewing someone for a position on my team I constructed "what if" or "what would you do" type questions that presented different scenarios that would give insight into their attitude.

 

The good news is you can improve your attitude.  I work on my attitude everyday.  This last year has been very helpful to me in this regard.  As I have removed some of the junk from my mind, i.e. too much news, and filled it with more constructive information, I find my attitude is much more positive each day.  We know we are going to the top, the only question we have now is who is going with us?

 

Six, develop an attitude of gratitude.  Being grateful for the blessings you receive as well as the challenges you experience will help you stay on the path to your dream. An "attitude of gratitude" keeps you humble enough to continue learning and provides you with a heart big enough to help those you can along the way.  Both of these traits will help you achieve any success in life you want.

 

Well that's all for now because I'm trying to keep this short.  However, as an added bonus I encourage you to watch this funny and insightful 13 minute video about success and happiness.  You'll enjoy it, just click here.

 

I also encourage you to sign up for the Maxwell Minute; its free and a great way to start your day.  Click here to experience a Minute with Maxwell that I like.  There is also a place there to sign up to receive your own daily Minute with Maxwell inspirational thought.

 

Industry News  

(by Kevin)

 

Rising Interest Rates Heighten Investor Concerns   

 

Strong upward pressure on interest rates this year has spurred many investors to anticipate climbing cap rates and the risk of softening commercial real estate values. Numerous other factors, however, will also affect property performance and values, indicating a rise in cap rates may not be on the immediate horizon.  The Fed's decision not to taper it's quantitative easing adds to the complexity, raising new questions for investors.

To help you navigate the complex investment environment, Marcus & Millichap Research Services has prepared a Special Capital Market Report on interest rates and how they will affect commercial real estate values.  This report takes an in depth look at interest rate trends and their correlation to asset performance and values.

 

The report begins as follows: "Fear and uncertainty often bedevil investors at certain points in the real estate cycle, and concerns have amplified as minutes from recent Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meetings confirmed the likelihood that the Federal Reserve will soon begin "tapering" its $85 billion monthly purchase of long-term Treasurys and securities. These purchases, part of the Fed's third phase of quantitative easing (QE), have held Treasury and mortgage rates at artificially low levels. The risk that the Fed will soon begin a withdrawal of their infusions was compounded by the surprisingly strong upward revision of GDP to 2.5 percent growth in the second quarter."  

 

The four page report is full of graphs and has too much detail to summarize in the this newsletter so I recommend those of you who are serious real estate investors to click here to go sign up for their mailings and receive this free report.

 

Laughs and Interesting Stuff 

(Kevin and Mary Jane)  

  

Funny Shorts:

 

On a coffee cup in the office: "Some days, the best thing about my job is the chair spins."

 

I feel so bad. I didn't make it to the gym today.  That makes 5 years in a row.

 

You can tell a lot about a woman's mood simply by her hands.  If she's holding a gun it is probably a pretty good indication that she's angry.

 

To all you paranoid people who check behind your shower curtains for murderers, exactly what is your plan if you find one?

 

Apparently, when someone tells you to get a grip putting your hands around their neck is not what they had in mind.   Who knew?

 

When I was little I was always asking mom for money.  She used to always say, "What, do you think I'm made of money?"  Well of course we did, isn't that what mom stands for?

M- Made

O - Of

M - Money

 

You know that old question? "Is the glass half full or half empty?"  Technically the glass is all the way full, 50% water and 50% air.

 

Tomorrow is a mystical land where 99% of all human productivity, motivation and achievement are stored.

 

If you can't afford a doctor go to an airport - you'll receive a free x-ray, a free breast exam and if you mention bomb or Al Qaeda you'll get a free colonoscopy.

 

You know how to prevent sagging as you get older?  Just eat until the wrinkles fill out.

 

When I asked my mother who is a retired Registered Nurse and is now living in an independent living facility what the best form of birth control after age 50 is she said, "nudity."

 

My wife said, "Watcha doin' today?" I said "Nothing."  She responded, "You did that yesterday."  I replied, "You're absolutely correct however I wasn't finished."

 

I finally discovered what's wrong with my brain: On the left side, there is nothing right an on the right side there is nothing left. Yikes!

 

 

Earl and Bubba Go Fishing

 

Earl and Bubba are quietly sitting in a boat fishing, chewing tobacco and drinking beer when suddenly Bubba says, "I Think I'm gonna divorce the wife - she ain't spoke to me in over 2 months."

Earl spits overboard, takes a long, slow sip of beer and says, "Better think it over ..............women like that are hard to find."

  
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Keep On Smiling!

(so people will wonder what your up to AND its contagious) 

 

Projects and Opportunities 
  • Manufactured Housing Park for Sale: Our 11 unit mobile home park in Virginia up for sale for $190k.  It has been very easy to manage and generates between an 8-10% cap rate.  If you are interested please let us know and we will provide you the details.     
  • 16% ROI:  We have a 3 bedroom 2 bath manufactured home in one of our parks that needs rehabbing.  Total investment to purchase and rehab will be between $10 and $15k.  Once sold or rented, this home should generate $200-$300 cash flow per month after paying the lot rent.  We will:

    • provide free lot rent for 3 months while the home is being rehabbed
    • help spec the rehab
    • locate contractors to perform the rehab
    • verify completion of the work and 
    • help you get the home occupied

 

Taking the lowest estimated cash flow of $200 per month or $2,400 per year and dividing that by the highest estimated fix up cost of $15,000 will generate approximately 16% return on the $15,000 invested.   

    

  • 10% ROI: We are continuing to locate used mobile homes, set them up in another one of our communities, and sell/rent them.  If you want to get a 10% return on your investment and have at least $15,000 to invest then this could be the right opportunity for you.  If you prefer a potentially higher rate of return we will help you purchase, fix up, and then sell a home in this same park.  We will do all the work outlined above.
  • ~12% ROI after estimated expenses: We are selling our 4 bedroom, 2 bath, home in Columbia SC.  Approximately 2,000 square feet.  Interior was totally renovated four years ago.  Granite in the kitchen.  New appliances installed during the renovation.  Asking $65k, recently rented for $1050 monthly.   We may be able to arrange owner financing on this property.  

 

Did you know that you can invest in real estate from your IRA or other retirement account?  You can also use your stock portfolio to invest without ever selling your stock? (Think leverage, leverage, leverage!).  These investment secrets aren't well known but they are perfectly legal.  Contact us and/or click on this Investment Secret link to learn more. 

We are always willing to share information with you so please feel free to contact us

 

Driscoll Enterprises Inc. 332 West Lee Hwy., Suite 200, Warrenton, VA 20186

703-398-1188 or 800-887-0001

info@DriscollEnterprisesInc.com

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