When I travel around the country, I often speak onstage in front of very large audiences of real estate investors and entrepreneurs. (In fact, right now, I’m finishing up work on a presentation I will be giving this weekend in Phoenix at an incredibly exciting annual event.) Most of the speakers who share the stage with me at these events tend to focus on strategies for generating wealth, including how to invest in different types of real estate and how to run your business in order to create bigger and more predictable returns. I am proud to be in that company, and Good Success certainly has a lot to share with investors and business owners focused on this type of financial success.
However, when I speak, I like to talk not just about financial returns and different types of asset classes and investment vehicles, but also about how investors can contribute to the growth and positive development of their bigger communities. I call investors and business owners who believe it is their responsibility to build up community and support the area that supports them as entrepreneurs and residents community investors. A community investor does not just generate returns from his or her projects within a community; a community investor seizes responsibility for the community and makes growth happen – even when it is a struggle to bring others on board with your vision.
Community Investors are the Lifeblood of Every Community
A dedicated community investor is a truly valuable associate. I am so grateful and proud to call many of the community investors in the real estate investing space my personal friends as well as long-time business associates, which brings me to my next point. Community investors often end up being “loners” even though they are dedicated to building up the community around them. This is because they may have to deliver tough messages about things that need to change. They may have to tell colleagues or co-workers unpleasant truths about where things in that community are headed. They must make meaningful changes in business operations and in the community at large in order to help it grow.
That type of behavior is not always popular. People do not like hearing that they could improve things in their lives, businesses, or communities by changing something they are doing. They prefer people to tell them that nothing is their responsibility and that “it isn’t your fault.” A community investor is dedicated to making changes and telling the truths that need to be told in order to make that happen.
Community Investors Need Supportive Communities of Their Own
Recently, I experienced this firsthand. As part of my big goal to flip the city of Gary, Indiana, I am dedicated to sharing this concept and goal with everyone I meet. That includes meeting with local politicians and policy-makers and doing my best at national events to bring investor focus to Gary. Sometimes, that means telling people that the markets in which they are currently investing are likely heading for a downturn or discussing ways in which meaningful change could occur with city leaders. People do not like to hear that things are going to change. In most cases, they really don’t like to hear that they might need to make those changes themselves. When that happens, they start accusing a community investor of being negative about the current situation even though the community investor is actually identifying ways in which a current situation could be dramatically improved. Hearing this repeatedly can be hard, and that is why community investors need other community investors to support them when they are working for the changes and productive improvements their communities need.
For me, that support comes from my membership in masterminds like the Good Success Mastermind, and it also comes from participating in events like the Residential Assisted Living National Convention (RALNATCON), where I will be speaking next week. This convention is dedicated to an incredible community of investors who are supporting one of our most valuable populations during a time of transition: the Baby Boomers. Residential Assisted Living provides independent living options to a population that is more active, healthier, and more independent than any previous generation of seniors but that also faces more serious housing affordability challenges than any previous generation. At this convention, hundreds of real estate investors, small business owners, and entrepreneurs will experience life-changing education on how to leverage the housing needs of the “silver tsunami” in order to improve their own portfolios and the lives of every resident in their RAL communities.
Of course, I will be there to talk about real estate strategy, but you can be quite certain I will also be talking about areas of the country where investors can make a huge impact in this sector. It is my honor to share the stage with some of the biggest names in our sector, including Robert Kiyosaki, Harry S. Dent, Jr., and, of course, RAL Academy founder Gene Guarino.
You can learn more about this event, this incredible opportunity for community investors, and how to participate by clicking HERE for more information. I am excited for this meaningful opportunity, and I hope to see you there! Stop by the Good Success booth and take a look at our new publication, The 30-Day Good Success Journey, and say hello. Let’s talk about ways that we can work together for the good of our communities, together.
