2019 was a really exciting year for me and I hope it was for you, too.
If you’re like me, this is the season to reflect on the year that’s passed and to look forward to what’s ahead. I find myself thinking about the things that went well, and the things that maybe didn’t go so well.
Today, I’m going to share with you what’s on my mind. Maybe you'll join me on this journey and share your 2019 reflections and 2020 goals. I’d love to hear from you!
Let’s start off with the good. Here’s what went really well for me in 2019:
- The podcast really took off! We’re consistently listed as a Top 100 investing podcast on iTunes. We have exceeded 10,000 downloads per episode, and now have 1.5 million total downloads since starting the series 5 years ago in 2014.
- I got to talk to some really cool people. For example, I had the chance to interview Robert Kiyosaki in person. That was cool. We also spoke with Robert Helms and Grant Cardone. Awesome, right? Hal Elrod, the author of The Miracle Morning, spoke at Deal Maker Live. Unbelievable! Speaking of…
- Deal Maker Live was off the hook! Last July, 500 people came to Dallas to attend our annual event. It was packed with amazing speakers and attendees, all there to learn and network. It was just a really special time and we're going to have it the same venue in 2020. Save the date!
- My book was well-received. I released, “Financial Freedom with Real Estate Investing” in late 2018 and so far we've sold nearly 7,000 copies. It’s a best-selling title on Amazon, with over 145 reviews and a 4.8 star (out of 5) rating. I’m very proud of it and I am looking forward to publishing the audible version in 2020!
- Social Media scaled. In the past, posting on social media was an afterthought. But I knew it was an important part of growing my business and, more importantly, educating investors. So I went BIG with it in 2019 and all the time and energy invested is paying off! We have nearly 9,000 subscribers on YouTube, over 8,500 followers on our Facebook page, 5,000 followers on Instagram, and 6,000 members in our private Facebook group called Apartment Investor Network.
Your turn! What worked well for you in 2019?
Now, onto the not so great stuff. Here’s what didn’t work so well for me in 2019:
- People Management. It's always tough to find high-quality people and, unfortunately, I had to let some people go. First of all, I don't love conflict. For the most part, I’m a people pleaser. However, now I know that if I'm not direct with people, and if I don't speak directly to them, it doesn't serve either of us. I learned from the experiences I had this year and will keep in mind my own advice: this is a people business.
This is why my theme for 2020 is: Excellence.
We aren’t going to do a lot of new things in 2020. We invested a lot of time and energy into trying new things in 2019. Rather, we are going to focus on the things that worked well and make them even better. We are going to bring EXCELLENCE to everything we do.
In 2020, I want to surround myself with excellence. This includes the people that are on my team. I want us to deliver excellence in our processes, so that we can get the word out to more people on the financial freedom that is available through multifamily investing.
How am I going to that? With goal setting.
I mentioned this before, but my wife and I are going to the Create Your Future conference in Lake Las Vegas, hosted by The Real Estate Guys in January. It’s a powerful weekend set at a beautiful resort. It’s been a great way for me to focus on my professional, financial, and personal goals, (which is why my wife and I go together). I hope you’ll consider joining us this year.
In the meantime, tune in on December 30th to my next podcast where I’ll share exactly how I set my goals for 2020. I’m going to go into detail on my goal setting techniques; one that is so specific and priceless that it will knock your socks off! This technique has really shifted the entire way that I set goals AND achieve them. To the point where I know that I’ll never experience failure.
Pretty powerful, right? Make you join me and don’t miss this special podcast by subscribing to us on iTunes. You can also catch it on YouTube, so don’t forget to subscribe to our channel there, too.
Well, there you have it! Let me know what worked for you in 2019, and what your goals are in 2020. Thanks for joining and I look forward to hearing from you.