In Search of a Mentor to Reach the Next Level

[Vishesh Shah]

Hello BP,

I have been a Member of BP for about 8 months now. I am 25 and a graduate of Rutgers Business School. I was born in Queens, NY and lived in Central NJ for the past 20 years, so I like to think I have a good understanding of the current market and its trends. Currently, I own 5 Wingstop Restaurants in Central and North NJ, 2 Orangetheory Fitness studios in NJ and am the area developer in the entire state of Delaware. I've always been a hustler since I was young and my goal in life is to become a huge real estate developer, focusing on apartment complexes and shopping centers. I have always been one to love to create things and provide more housing in the world.

Thankfully, I have a risky mindset and jumped into real estate as soon as I started reading about it. Some could say that could be a bad thing, but I like to think the best learning is done via your own personal experience. I started reading books, forums, podcasts, webinars, etc. and bought my first SFH in Englewood in Jan. 2018. We are just about to finally close on the sale and I will be making around $50,000 profit when it's all said and done on the flip, about a 25% cash on cash return, which I think is pretty good for my first deal, especially in this current NJ market. I also recently purchased 2 two-families that are adjacent in Paterson. We have not closed on that yet, but since we paid cash, we can either just fix-and-flip, or re-fi after 6 months and keep it as a cash-flowing rental.

I want to network with like-minded people, and hopefully find a mentor who I can be an asset to and help out in my free time, hoping to gain valuable experience through them that can take me to the next level. I want to at least double the number of deals I do every year (i.e 2018 = 2, 2019 = min. 4, etc.) and want to pick the brain of someone who has been there before and done it. I know a lot of people would ask, what's in it for me? I like to think I can bring a lot of value myself, even at a young age, as I know a good amount of contractors, subs, attorneys, etc. through my other business holdings, along with knowing a thing or two about real estate and the market itself. I would love to just be able to talk to someone who can help guide me in the right direction to take the next step, and I would be more than willing to volunteer my free time to help them in current properties, deals, etc. that they are working on. I would love to take someone out for lunch or a drink to introduce myself and get to know each other. Feel free to message me to reach out and I can provide you with my cell / email. Thanks again for taking the time to read this lengthy post lol, would love to connect to anyone who is willing to!