How to gain more competitive advantages?!

[Shawn Benteti]

I am an in-progress syndicator. I have 3+ years of acquisition and asset management experience through a syndication firm that deals with value-add 3-5 year holds. 

I am eager to create a company and have completed many of the steps on the path to having my own business. I have underwritten lots and lots of deals and brought them to various mentors and potential investors. Here on BP, many people have given advice that I should focus the early stages on where my competitive advantage is. 

Though I am eager and excited to acquire and build my brand, I realize I don't stand out in any one aspect. I don't come from money or have lots of connections but I am active in networking and attending events - the capital sourcing aspect of the business is not yet one of my strengths. I enjoy and am good at financial modeling, but is it a big enough advantage to other competitors, probably marginal. Asset management, for the majority of my employment I interact with them at an arms length away and have not been designated to interview or hire the property management in my current job. 

Is there any advice on how I can improve my competitive advantage prior to my first deal? Are there niche areas that I maybe overlook that will help me gain the trust of investors and mentors? 

I appreciate your help here on BP! 

[Chris Seveney]

My strength was in asset management and modeling - so I brought on a partner whose strengths were my weaknesses which were sales and marketing and raising capital. Fast forward 3 years and we have 800+ investors and over $40M because we feed off each other - so building a team can be a differentiator as many try and go out it alone