Crowdfunding at a Glance Crowdfunding is a method of raising capital through the collective effort of friends, family, customers, and individual investors. This approach taps into the collective efforts of a large pool of individuals—primarily online via social media and crowdfunding platforms—and leverages their networks for greater reach and exposure. How is Crowdfunding Different? Crowdfunding is essentially the opposite of the mainstream approach to business finance. Traditionally, if you want to raise capital to start a business or launch a new product, you would need to pack up ..read more

I recently met a guy that teaches people how to rent properties (instead of buying) and fill them with short-term guests through Airbnb. He makes 9X more doing it this way that renting to one long-term tenant. His story is fascinating… It started when his roommate suddenly moved out of the apartment they shared. In desperation to make rent, he listed his spare bedroom for rent on Airbnb. It didn’t take long for his spare room to be sold out 80% of the time. That’s when he decided to turn this idea into a business and find a one-bedroom rental to list on Airbnb. But his credit scores were ..read more

When I was 12 years old, money became a motivator.  My parents determined that it would be best if I used that motivation to earn my own money. Hence, I became a Landscaper; well, I cut grass for anyone who would pay me. I had to rent my Dad’s mower and buy my own gas; but I came out on the plus side of the profit.  I had added up my expenses and knew I had to cut 2 lawns a week to earn $ 7, which at that time in history, was like a fortune.  That became my model and at 12 years old, I became my own boss.  I earned a little over $500 that first year and by the time I was 16, I was ready to buy ..read more

Are you stymied by the dwindling inventory for investment properties? Does it feel like every property you look at is priced too high for you to make your margin?  Are hard money and real estate investment lenders shying away from all but the most distressed listed properties?  Real estate investors can develop the skills to find a good property to flip; but developing that skill set will take some time and effort. I started my Entrepreneurship in Real Estate as the Executive Director of a 501(c)(3) NPO in Tucson, AZ.  I built 135 homes as a Land Trust to promote Affordable Homeownership a ..read more

In this age of instant information and a disdain for delayed gratification, most people believe the Real Estate Investor makes rational decisions; but what if most of the decisions we make as Real Estate Entrepreneurs are influenced by behavioral history ingrained into our minds by past learning experiences? A new research paper called “Addressing built-in biases in real estate investment,” produced by Fidelity International, takes the principles of behavioral psychology and economics and applies them to commercial real estate investment. The paper explores how the decisions commercial rea ..read more

I saw a bank advertising their “Robo Investor Advisor” a few days ago.  They advocate a no knowledge needed approach where you place your investment trust in their “intuitive system.”  I have a contact marketing system that is intuitive; because it knows which email to send based on the status of the contact I am mailing. That doesn’t mean I want that system investing my money. In my opinion, this Robo Investor Advisor is symbolic of the landscape that produces nothing but failure with Real Estate Investors.  In this Blog, I will introduce reasons why people fail and then options, other tha ..read more

A segment (niche) of the Affordable Housing Market, which has been rarely explored due to an ignorance of the laws regarding Church and State separation, received a breath of fresh air when in October of 2017 the Attorney General stated that “religious organizations are entitled to compete on equal footing for federal financial assistance used to support government programs.” Initially reinterpreting Obama-era guidance in light of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) and Supreme Court precedent (specifically, Hobby Lobby, Masterpiece Cakeshop and Trinity Lutheran), to allow belief and ..read more

May, 1966, Inverness CC, Toledo Ohio, I stood on the first tee and knew I would have to play the round of my life.  I was there to qualify for the US Open.  I had one shot and was trying to decide whether to go for broke or play fairways and greens.  That was my first real experience with risk management and I failed.  I shot an 82 and finished last in the qualifying field.  I was heartbroken; but that experience shaped my future. I learned there is no real opportunity without risk. Serious entrepreneurs know that, but too many “wannabes” still fall for that elusive dream of a get-rich-quick s ..read more