I-A-Q #21: How to Find a Mentor
Happy Tuesday!
Here is an Idea, an Action, and a Question to consider this week.
Idea
When I started in Real Estate, I dove deep into BiggerPockets, a website and podcast dedicated to educating both newbie and seasoned real estate investors.
I was so impressed by this community of investors. They all felt like mini celebrities to me, almost untouchable. They were making millions, and I was the new kid on the block.
In my research, I came across a podcast with Arianne Lemire called 15 Deals in the First 18 Months. I became an immediate fan.
I soon realized that she was hosting a meet-up for investors (new and seasoned) that was twenty minutes away from me. I was stoked! I was finally going to meet one of the BiggerPockets celebs.
I went to the meet-up, eager and excited. I was also in the middle of chemotherapy. I had no hair. I had no eyebrows. But I had big dreams.
When you meet a celebrity, which is what she was to me, you never know what you’re going to get. Are they going to be kind? Interested? Or will they just be annoyed and aloof?
Lucky for me, Arianne and her husband, Chris, were wonderful. They were helpful and informative, and they wanted me to succeed.
At that meet-up, they told me about an event in California for investors. They thought I should be there and knew it would be a great opportunity for me. The hurdle for me was that the tickets were $1K––well over my humble budget at the time.
They told me that since they were speaking at the event they could get one person in for free, and they graciously gave me their complimentary ticket. I just had to get myself to the event.
I purchased the plane ticket and hotel room, and then made my way out to Cali.
I’m so glad I did.
This event turned out to be life-changing.
I was sitting in a room with multi-millionaires, all of whom were ordinary, average people. I looked around and thought, “If these people can do it, I can do it.” It was a powerful moment that allowed me to pursue real estate investing in a real way.
Arianne, Chris and I bonded on that trip. It was the start of a beautiful mentorship, friendship, and, eventually, partnership. They brought me my first deal, and we’ve done plenty of deals together since then.
I can’t say where I’d be if I hadn’t met Arianne and Chris, but I don’t think I’d be this far along. My relationship with them was the necessary fuse that sparked my career in real estate investing.
If you have a local, successful investor that would be willing to teach you the ropes, jump on that opportunity. If you don’t have that local expert, seek out opportunities to be a mentee or student online under someone that you truly want to emulate.
We all need coaches, someone who can guide us to the next level. This journey isn’t meant to be taken alone.
