Meetup Groups Can Infuse You w/ Inspiration
Had a great Meetup today.
I hosted a real estate investors meetup group today and it was a pretty awesome. We get together every week, once a week for the last two years now and the group has grown quite sizable, to over 600 members. Of course they don't all show up at every meetup -quite the contrary. We typically get anywhere from 10 - 20+ investors on any given day depending on the time of year and the subject matter. Many of the members are new - just starting out and looking to wet their beaks and learn a little about the industry before jumping in. Others are more seasoned, and looking to connect with other potential business partners or deals. Some are even money lenders and bankers looking for investors to connect with.
Each week we get together and talk about what's going on in real estate, what kind of deals we are working on, and what kind of deals we are looking to get involved with. It's a place where like minded people get together and tell war stories and absorb collective wisdom.
Meet & Greet
The meeting is typically split up into three parts, though we don't always get to all of them due to time constraints and how involved we get. The first segment of the meetup is the "meet & greet" segment and while it has no official name or time frame - it's the time when people walk into the room and strike up conversations with familiar friends and new members. This can go on for up to 20 minutes or so - longer if I never interveened. To be honest , I do hate to interveen and break up the momentum.
Many times , I will just let the group continue to talk amongst themselves, because in all actuality - this is why we are here - to network , build rapport, and forge stronger relationships.
Ultimately, we do need to get on with the subject matter, so eventually, I call the meeting to order and kick off our weekly Deal Seeker meetup. I usually use this as an opportunity to introduce new members of the group and encourage others to meetup aftwords to get to know each other better.
Daily Topic
The second part of the meetup consists of a presentation to the group where I will give a 20-30 minute discussion on the topic of the day such as "Comparing Properties for Maximum Profit" or "Home Inspections- How they can Make or Break a Deal". It's fun doing presentations and I really enjoy helping other people to learn new things. At the same time , I often engage the group and ask for their opinions or perspectives so that we can see it from multiple viewpoints. Surrounding myself with so many other like minded people helps to keep me motivated and allows me to be a better resource to others by having lots of connections to plug investors into. Many times I have a guest speaker come in to talk about a special subject matter such the tax consequences of the new tax laws, or how to buy property from foreclosure auctions - it's a great opportunity for me to learn even more while providing valuable information for the meetup group.
Deal of the Day
After the daily discussion, we delve in our namesake - "deal seeking" . I give the group an opportunity to share any projects they are working on or properties that they have available for sale or under contract. If no one has one to talk about then I will pull one out of my magic hat - either something off the MLS or a pocket listing that recently hit my desk. We go through it as a group and break down the numbers, look at the stats, run some cash flow calculations and determine if we are looking at a good deal or not - if its not a good deal we discuss way to try to make it into a good deal or ask ourselves "what would make it a good deal?" If we collectively agree on the project, some members may choose to partner up and take on the project.
I really enjoy the meetup group. We've been meeting for almost 2 1/2 years now and it always makes me feel good to socialize with other investors and share our experiences. It's like throwing a party every week where familiar friends show up and new friends come and join us. It's during the lunch hour so sometimes members will bring lunch with them , and I always have bottled waters and snacks available for free to anyone that shows up.
Why was today so awesome?
Because as I looked around the room watching everyone totally engaged in conversation and making real connections, I get this calm sense of satisfaction in knowing that we are laying the groundwork for greater things here. As I talk with excited investors and look at their plans, hearing the passion in their voice fills me with enthusiasm and reminds why I put this group together. Here in this meetup group, partnerships are forming and our community is becoming better for it as old homes are infused with the breath of new life to help revitalize neighborhoods and make communities safer by removing blight. Today was just like every other meetup we have - it was awesome!
Is there something you are passionate about? Let me know in the comments what drives you and if you would want to get together with other like minded people?
Please be sure to check out my others articles on real estate, investing , and cryptocurrency ( and some other random dog stuff)
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Just letting you know I stopped by :) I just think it's awesome that you guys make time to have this meetup weekly. And to have done it for two years? Many meetups come and go, but you guys are staying true.
Best part of all, you're sharing knowledge about investment opportunities that maybe someone can't handle alone, but perhaps a team of two can. You guys get the chance to turn a blighted neighborhood around and bring life back into it. It really is a shame when communities are invested. Sometimes all it takes is an investor's keen eye to turn it around. Hope you guys find plenty of properties to bring back to glory there in Fresno!
thank you so much! I know what you mean by meetups coming and going ... I have already absorbed twp other local meetup groups that didn't have the time to put into a regular meetup - Having multiple real estate meetup groups was confusing people so I ended up converting my inherited meetup into a "Fresno Bitcoin Enthusiast" meetup group and removed all references to real estate and replaced it with crytospeak. Coincidentally , I am holding a joint meetup this weekend because the subject of my normal real estate group is "Introduction to Bitcoin, Cryptocurrencies and Blockchain" ... so I thought it would also make a great first meetup for my newly formed bitcoin meetup group - so I get to kill two birds with one stone - thanks for taking an interest!
Glad you had a great day!
thanks! I really enjoy doing it, especially when I get a chance to help new investors