In our business we search high and low for great sources of information every day. Books, websites, blogs, podcasts; we dig through them all consuming tons of data along the way. Some of what we learn is real estate related, some personal finance, some life by design, some motivational, and some completely random. Around the Horn is our monthly distribution of the top things that our management team has learned these last thirty days.
In addition we are actively working on a new deal! Like always, don’t hesitate to reach out to the team to learn more.
Principles by Ray Dalio (Book)
“This has been on my radar for a while, but it took a road trip to Colorado to really dive into it. In short–outstanding. Ray Dalio is the self-made Billionaire founder of Bridgewater. I liked all of the book, but a couple of thoughts and standout principles: -Meritocracy: he build Bridgewater as a Meritocracy. It’s very hard to do, but letting everyone in an organization know the best ideas are rewarded has been a key to success. It’s not a democracy, and its not an autocracy that he ruled with a fist. Ideas win, period. I love that. -Be open-minded: he says “be radically open-minded” so that you can observe and learn new things. This way you can see how things really are, vs how you think they should be. As we’ve built Wildhorn and transitioned into full-time entrepreneurship this has been something we have been very focused on. -Have Clear Goals & Define a Plan: he couches both of these under his 5-step plan, but these both particularly resonated. We’ve become very attuned to defining our goals (and keep a vision board in the office) and spend a lot of time each week and quarter creating a plan for that week/month that helps us achieve that plan. This is crucial to realizing our #lifebydesign mantra.”
“This has been on my radar for a while, but it took a road trip to Colorado to really dive into it. In short–outstanding. Ray Dalio is the self-made Billionaire founder of Bridgewater. I liked all of the book, but a couple of thoughts and standout principles: -Meritocracy: he build Bridgewater as a Meritocracy. It’s very hard to do, but letting everyone in an organization know the best ideas are rewarded has been a key to success. It’s not a democracy, and its not an autocracy that he ruled with a fist. Ideas win, period. I love that. -Be open-minded: he says “be radically open-minded” so that you can observe and learn new things. This way you can see how things really are, vs how you think they should be. As we’ve built Wildhorn and transitioned into full-time entrepreneurship this has been something we have been very focused on. -Have Clear Goals & Define a Plan: he couches both of these under his 5-step plan, but these both particularly resonated. We’ve become very attuned to defining our goals (and keep a vision board in the office) and spend a lot of time each week and quarter creating a plan for that week/month that helps us achieve that plan. This is crucial to realizing our #lifebydesign mantra.”
Building a Billion Dollar Real Estate Business (Podcast)
“Reed interviewed Keith Wasserman in a recent podcast release. Keith is the founder of Gelt Inc, who in 10 years has built a BILLION dollar syndication business. He shares a slew of good lessons and some reminders that only a team with a portfolio of their size could share. Some quick highlights: -Gelt Inc has built a portfolio of 7,500 apartment units and 1000 mobile home sites -Their Golden Rule–call banks and investors within 24 hours of introduction or initial outreach; no matter what. Gelt Inc. has built a list of over 600 accredited investors because they are always driven with a partner first mentality -They developed a non-profit that grants rental assistance to tenants who have a short-term financial need. This in turn allows them to serve their tenant base in times of crisis. -Maintain discipline in only buying deals that meet their criteria. Their ok if that means buying fewer deal, but staying conservative in all that they purchase.“
“Reed interviewed Keith Wasserman in a recent podcast release. Keith is the founder of Gelt Inc, who in 10 years has built a BILLION dollar syndication business. He shares a slew of good lessons and some reminders that only a team with a portfolio of their size could share. Some quick highlights: -Gelt Inc has built a portfolio of 7,500 apartment units and 1000 mobile home sites -Their Golden Rule–call banks and investors within 24 hours of introduction or initial outreach; no matter what. Gelt Inc. has built a list of over 600 accredited investors because they are always driven with a partner first mentality -They developed a non-profit that grants rental assistance to tenants who have a short-term financial need. This in turn allows them to serve their tenant base in times of crisis. -Maintain discipline in only buying deals that meet their criteria. Their ok if that means buying fewer deal, but staying conservative in all that they purchase.“
Gary Keller’s Market Update (Article)
“Last week Gary Keller gave his 180,000+ Keller Williams agents his thoughts on the state of the market. While focused on the agent’s perspective, we were able to unpack some insights from his team’s analysis. Two of the speech’s key takeaways that we thought were very relevant: -Mortgage rates are increasing at an unsustainable rate -We’re on the verge of a shift, largely due to low inventory The combination of these two things further Wildhorn’s thesis that multi-family apartments will continue to be of growing demand across America. By building an apartment product that suits this growing population of renters, we are investing an an asset type that is set for dynamic growth.”
“Last week Gary Keller gave his 180,000+ Keller Williams agents his thoughts on the state of the market. While focused on the agent’s perspective, we were able to unpack some insights from his team’s analysis. Two of the speech’s key takeaways that we thought were very relevant: -Mortgage rates are increasing at an unsustainable rate -We’re on the verge of a shift, largely due to low inventory The combination of these two things further Wildhorn’s thesis that multi-family apartments will continue to be of growing demand across America. By building an apartment product that suits this growing population of renters, we are investing an an asset type that is set for dynamic growth.”
Audible.com (Lifehack)
“When you think about how much time is spent in your car it can be a little depressing. That’s time in transit that you’d much rather be spending elsewhere, be it at work or play. Audio books have changed that for us though. When you double up all that time spent in transit with learning, that’s the definition of a life hack. Our preference for audio books is Amazon’s Audible. It’s by far the leader with high quality recordings and a vast library of books. Even a 30 minute commute a workday is over 125 hours of learning time. Make the most of it!”
“When you think about how much time is spent in your car it can be a little depressing. That’s time in transit that you’d much rather be spending elsewhere, be it at work or play. Audio books have changed that for us though. When you double up all that time spent in transit with learning, that’s the definition of a life hack. Our preference for audio books is Amazon’s Audible. It’s by far the leader with high quality recordings and a vast library of books. Even a 30 minute commute a workday is over 125 hours of learning time. Make the most of it!”
Written by Andrew Campbell
Andrew Campbell is a native Austinite and Managing Partner at Wildhorn. He is a real estate entrepreneur who first broke into the business in 2008 as a passive investor. In 2010 he transitioned into active investing and management of a personal portfolio that grew to 76 units across Austin and San Antonio. He earned his stripes building and managing his personal portfolio before founding Wildhorn Capital and focusing on larger multifamily buildings. At Wildhorn, he is focused on Acquisitions and maintaining Investor Relations, utilizing his marketing and communications background to build long-term relationships.
