Nathan Bedford Forrest was a conflicted man, and a brutal general for the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. He was a ruthless tactician and a racist. Federalist William Tecumseh Sherman (another infamous general from the Civil War) famously dubbed him ‘that Devil Forrest.’ …
Finding the Silver Lining Amidst Chaos
Anxiety seeped through their voices. I heard devastating stories while speaking with many fellow entrepreneurs this past week. Some are left in precarious positions requiring a big dip into their personal savings to keep their employees paid and business afloat… Although a cash call to …
Invest in the Efficiency-Obsessed Entrepreneur
The market is shifting from aggressive growth-focused companies (scale before profit) to ones who actually generate profit… right from the commencement of commercialization. The renewed focus on the bottom line, I think, was brought about by WeWork’s failed IPO. Or perhaps that was the straw …
What I Learned After Reading Bitcoin Billionaires
After reading “Ugly Americans” (a personal top 50 book), and “Rigged” many years ago, I became a fan of author Ben Mezrich. He has a penchant for writing fascinating entrepreneurial stories, typically based on real-life events. So when Bitcoin Billionaires was released over the summer, …
Get Ready to Pay When a Tenant Leaves
This year has served as a good reminder. 2019 has been one of high tenant turnover, and managing rental properties has been time-consuming. Almost every rental property we manage has had a transition from one tenant to the next, which reminded me of just how …
The Buyer Shouldn’t Address The Elephant in the Room – That’s Your Job
A friend of mine and fellow entrepreneur is a ‘sensei of the sales process.’ The guy is a natural closer. He does it in such a casual yet skillful manner that when describing how he closes tough deals, you get the urge to pull out …
How Real Estate Investors Spot a Motivated Seller
Every buyer or real estate investor wants a motivated seller because it often results in getting a pretty good deal on the property… however, it’s not always easy to spot a motivated seller, at least not before negotiations begin. Over the years, I’ve figured out …
Live Poor in Your Twenties
Every second Friday, my neighbor beneath in the old and somewhat run-down apartment complex I lived in during my early-twenties would return from the oilfields. Middle-aged, he was a bachelor and raging alcoholic. He’d get in at about 6PM, and like clockwork, by about 8:30 …
Learn to Love Researching
I worked with a very successful entrepreneur who had a knack for giving memorable presentations. It was his talent. He would put together some of the most compelling and visually appealing presentations I’d ever seen. The research that went into his presentations was impressive – …
Who’s Watching Your Blind Spot?
About a year or so before the financial crisis, which brought households and governments to the brink of economic disaster, mineral exploration companies, along with their stock prices, were white hot. For those unfamiliar, these are companies that go out and raise a few million …