Best Ever Conference 2017 Reflections, 10 Lessons Learned.

[Taylor L.]

I had the opportunity to attend this year's inaugural Best Ever Conference in Denver, CO. The presenters included syndicators working in apartment buildings and multifamily, self storage, medical office and assisted living, passive investors, lenders, property managers, single family investors, turnkey providers...it was a deep roster!

This event had a fantastic group. I took notes throughout the event, which I typed up on the flight home. 7 pages of notes from 2 days of discussion. Ten of my favorite lessons/tips/pointers are below, but to be honest this certainly isn't a "Top Ten." I had way more than ten toppers. 

1. Daily routine is necessary.

Joe has talked about having a daily routine with some of his guests on a couple episodes - # 64 and #849 specifically. He's a fan of Tony Robbins and Tim Ferriss, who both tout the benefits of morning routine. Mine could certainly stand to be more systematized, but it normally includes a 5:15 wakeup call, cup of coffee on the way to 6 AM Jiu jitsu, bolt home to shower, meditate (Headspace and Sam Harris' meditations), prepare lunch, and I’m out the door. Since the conference, I have added daily journaling per Joe’s recommendation.

2. A “lasting company” can outlast you.

There was a great panel on building a lasting company, but that particular piece of wisdom came from Scott Lewis. Great leaders build something that can function equally well in their absence. He shared a great anecdote from his time in the military, but I won't dare retell it. Maybe he'll share it here, maybe you'll have to catch him at an event and ask him.

3. Think about life in terms of experiences rather than years

Let’s say I have 35 years left in my conference-going career. I should think about that in terms of the number of conferences left and not the amount of time.

At 2 per year, that’s 70 conferences. What??? You mean after the Best Ever Conference and the March Secrets of Successful Syndication this past weekend I’m down to 68 left?? I’d better make the most of these opportunities.

4. Limiting Beliefs are the number one thing holding people back from success.

If you don’t believe you’re capable of reaching your goal, that’s it. You won’t. You need to believe you can do the thing if you’re ever going to DO the thing. Trevor McGregor, Joe's Peak Performance Coach, blew our minds with that and so much more,

5. Understand who your investor base is and what they’re looking for.

Not everyone cares about receiving cash flow distributions, some just want to steadily grow and preserve their wealth. Do not necessarily want cash flow distributions vs general appreciation.

6. There are 2 ways to do a job:

1. Right.

2. Again.

Enough Said. Thanks to Mr. Chris Clothier.

7. VR will change how people buy and rent houses.

Pascal Wagner and a few brave volunteers showed us how Walkthrough’s SteamVR-based Virtual Reality system will save homebuyers and realtors days and weeks of time up front when checking out a place for the first time. The system gives the user a real feeling that they’re in the space, with 3 Dimensional tracking and all. When the headset wearer moves around - left, right, up, down - their view moves in the same way. They get the feel of the space without driving or flying hours to see it.

Check out their promo video here. https://angel.co/walkthroughvr

8. Consistent communication is an important trait of a reliable and experienced deal sponsor. Clear and open communication of potentially negative items is a good thing.

Jeremy Roll is a full-time syndication investor. He gave an amazing presentation detailing what he looks for in a sponsor. This is just one of the bits of information he shared. I wrote down over a page of notes from his talk. I know I’m not the only one who’d gladly attend a full two day conference (or more..)

A couple words that describe the mood in the room while Jeremy was on - Rapt. Fascinated. Engrossed. Here's Jeremy on Kevin Bupp's podcast for those who'd like to hear a bit from him.

9. One more from Jeremy - The manager is more important than the opportunity.

Jeremy is clearly very thorough in vetting sponsor. I wrote down over a page of notes from his talk. If you're a sponsor looking to get inside the mind of professional and highly sophisticated investors like Jeremy, do not miss the next Best Ever Conference - Assuming we get to hear from him again (please??)

10. Know your “why” and keep it front-of-mind.

What is your deep-down reason for getting into real estate? Know it and remind yourself of it every day. 

Come up and join me on the couches next year. It's comfy up there. Joe and Ben did a fantastic job on this one and the next one will be even better I'm sure. To my fellow 2017 attendees, Play above the line.