7/25/10: Entrepreneurs in the New Economy – Getting Paid to Solve Problems
Do you remember the old “new” economy? That was the one where technology companies could go public without profit. In some cases, they didn’t even need revenue. Ahhhh, those were the days.
The new “new” economy (the Great Recession one) hasn’t been nearly as fun – unless you’re an old school entrepreneur. That’s the kind who looks at problems as opportunities. Guys (and gals) like that are having a lot of fun right now because there are opportunities galore coming out of the Great Recession.
The Real Estate Guys™ headed off to Freedom Fest in Las Vegas a few weeks back. We heard that money manager / economist / author / Senate candidate Peter Schiff would be there (among many other people with very strong opinions about the U.S. economy) and we wanted to do some interviews. We’re happy to report we got lots of great stuff, including Mr. Schiff and the CEO of Forbes Magazine, Steve Forbes. Watch for those interviews in future broadcasts.
So we fly into Las Vegas in our private jet (the one operated by Southwest Airlines), and get to the convention venue and start setting up our booth. Before the event had even started, a man stops by and sees our banner for Belize (we were promoting our upcoming field trip to Belize) and asks a few questions. The short of it is that we find out he’s working on a very exciting project in the Caribbean – one that solves a problem we’ve been trying to figure out too. Russ gets so excited that he hugs the guy. Very weird.
After the appropriate apologies and some follow up male bonding, our new friend agrees to do a radio interview. And that’s what this broadcast is all about.
Manning the microphones for this edition of The Real Estate Guys™ Radio Show:
- Your host, the Larry King of real estate radio, Robert Helms
- Co-host, our “I love you, man” booth babe, Russell Gray
- Special Guest, Investment Banker, Entrepreneur and assault victim, Jeff Villwock
Any time we get around smart people, we jump on the opportunity to talk with them. In this case, Russ literally jumped on Jeff. When Jeff recovered, we got him on the mic, so you can listen to what he’s doing, where he’s doing it and why. There’s lots of lessons to be gleaned!
Freedom Fest is an event that attracts people with strong political opinions. In many of the interviews we did there, those opinions come out. Great! We think the world works better when people respectfully debate important issues. Sharing ideas is among the most sacred of our freedoms, especially if you’re radio guys.
We also realize that the U.S. (the bulk of our audience) is pretty polarized right now. Now, we love our entire audience and our show isn’t political. However, policies affect economics and economics affects real estate. There shouldn’t be a serious student of real estate who can look at the last several years and deny that. So politics are going to get into the discourse from time to time, which is a very good thing.
We think these Freedom Fest interviews are great. If you disagree with the political views of our guests, don’t let that get in the way of hearing what’s being said. Here’s why: a big part of real estate investing is understanding demographics and human nature. How people think and believe affects where they (and their money) will be moving. Even if you disagree with them, if they believe it, it will affect their actions. So YOU need to understand them (even if you disagree) if you want to anticipate their behavior.
Did we mention that Jeff’s project is in St. Kitts? It just so happens that St. Kitts is one of the stops on our upcoming 9th Annual Summit at Sea! So we ask Jeff if we can visit his project as part of our already planned real estate shore excursion in St. Kitts. Not only does Jeff agree to allow us to visit, he says he’ll meet us there and show us around. Awesome!
Once again, we’re reminded of the importance of getting out of our cubicles and into the world where real people are. No doubt that virtual networking is powerful, but just as phones did not replace face to face meetings, neither will social media replace conventions as a great place to make important connections. This is one of the reasons we attend trade shows and promote our field trips and the Summit at Sea™. It’s a great way to get to know great people in the real world. We hope to see YOU at one very soon!
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7/4/10: Profiting from Your Vacation – Exploring New Markets in Your Bathing Suit
Most people don’t get into real estate investing because they like tenants, toilets and all the tribulations you go through. And most of the time, they don’t get into properties they would like to live in or visit on vacation. In fact, most investors would be happy if they never saw their properties. That’s probably why stock investing is so popular. You just buy a line item on your brokerage statement. You never visit the company or meet the management. It’s all very sterile and anesthetized. Maybe that’s why you almost can’t feel it when the stock market gives you a networthectomy. But we digress (how unusual).
Anyway, with summer time in full swing and people heading off for a well-deserved vacation, we thought it would be refreshing to talk about how to combine real estate business with vacationing pleasure.
In the radio mini-van, headed to the beach of broadcasting for fun in the sun and investing too:
- Your host and mini-van driver, Robert Helms
- Captain Speedo, Russell Gray
- The Godfather of Real Estate, Bob “Board Shorts” Helms
Before we hit the road of conversation we do a quick check of the packing list. Did we remember to pack our investor mindset? What about our notebook to keep track of our ideas, conversations and those all important (potentially) tax-deductible expenses?
We’re all good, so off we go!
Since most people don’t vacation in C-class neighborhoods, we start our conversation on the idea of resort area investing. But as soon as we jump out of the mini-van, we are faced with that ugly limiting belief, “I can’t afford it”. It’s easy to look at real estate in a beautiful area and disqualify yourself before you even get started. So we talk about how to push through the traffic of doubt in one’s mind by asking the question, “How can I afford it?”
We decide to ride this train of thought and talk about the importance of getting the right answers and advisors, by learning how to ask the right questions. Bad questions yield bad answers. It’s like, “Which Speedo looks best on Russ?” That’s a bad question (and worse visual) with no good answer.
Of course, we can’t miss the opportunity for some shameless self-promotion, so we hang a u-turn on the notion of making one’s vacation an opportunity to look for real estate. What about the idea of using a real estate trip as a vacation? Many of our listeners have come with us on our Investor Summit at Sea™ or field trips to Belize, Cabo San Lucas or other fun places we’ve gone. Even though the main purpose of the trip is to look at real estate, is it against the rules to have fun? So, when time and budget is limited, it just makes good sense to leverage your vacation / real estate “research and development” budgets.
We have a fun time with this show. We think you’ll like it too!
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The 9th Annual Investor Summit at Sea™ Announced
The Real Estate Guys™ 9th Annual Investor Summit at Sea™
April 3-12, 2011
It’s going to take a MIRACLE to top our 2010 Summit. So that’s just what we ordered up!
The 2011 Investor Summit at Sea™ will be aboard the fabulous Carnival Miracle! And we’re sure the 2011 Summit will be our BEST EVER.
Check out our AMAZING WORLD CLASS FACULTY:
- Real estate entrepreneur, best selling author and Rich Dad Advisor® KEN MCELROY
- Creative real estate mastermind, author and Rich Dad Advisor® WAYNE PALMER
- International real estate developer and economist BETH CLIFFORD
- International entity strategist, attorney MAURICIO RAULD
- Real estate broker, 50+ year investing veteran, the “Godfather of Real Estate” BOB HELMS
- Your hosts, The Real Estate Guys™, ROBERT HELMS and RUSSELL GRAY
Our 2010 students attend classes onboard while we sail to the next port.
Our 2010 students attend classes onboard while we sail to the next port.
NEW! Expanded schedule includes 30+ hours of seminars and workshops at sea. This is the MOST classroom time in our history!
Plus: Investor and Advisor Roundtable discussions and an optional educational shore excursion. And you won’t want to miss our famous Summit beach party!
Wayne Palmer (seated 2nd from left) and Ken McElroy (far right) talk real estate with two investors while sailing the Caribbean. There's room for YOU to join the conversation in 2011!
Imagine the value of just ONE GOOD IDEA or STRATEGIC RELATIONSHIP!
At our last Summit we had serious investors from five different countries, plus an all star faculty! Where else can you go to have the opportunity to spend 9 days and nights with a group like this? Don’t miss the boat!!!
- Our 2011 Investor Summit at Sea™ Itinerary
- Pricing and Registration
- Top 10 Reasons to Sail the Caribbean with The Real Estate Guys™
- Frequently Asked Questions
SPACE IS LIMITED due to on-board meeting room size constraints. And once we’re sold out, we can’t expand. So, act now to reserve your spot on The Real Estate Guys™ 9th Annual Investor Summit at Sea™! You’ll be glad you did.
4/25/10: LIVE! from the 8th Annual Investor Summit at Sea
Most of the time when we do a show, our producer keeps us locked up in the cold, lonely studio with our headphones on. And even though we have each other, we have to use our imaginations to see our listeners. But this week, we get to do the show in front of a LIVE STUDIO AUDIENCE! Better yet, we’re aboard a cruise ship sailing through the Caribbean! Best of all, we’re hanging out with some the brightest, most committed real estate investors on the planet. Toss in our SPECIAL GUESTS and the whole experience is over the top awesome!
On board and behind (and in front) of the microphones on the beautiful Carnival Triumph for this week’s show:
• Your Captain and a mighty sailing man, host Robert “Skipper” Helms
• Your brave and sure first mate, co-host Russell “Gilligan” Gray
• The Godfather of Real Estate, Bob Helms
• Rich Dad’s Asset Protection Advisor, Garrett Sutton
• Rich Dad’s Real Estate Advisor, Ken McElroy
• Rich Dad’s Creative Finance Advisor, Wayne Palmer
• International Real Estate Developer, Beth Clifford
• International Entity Planner, Attorney Mauricio Rauld
• Special guest from Puglia’s restaurant in Little Italy, New York; featured entertainer in Adam Sandler’s Big Daddy, the one and only Jorge Buccio
• Fine passengers that sailed that day, a cast of thousands (okay, maybe a few dozen), our live Summit at Sea audience!
As we’re stuffing the faculty and studio audience into the Big Easy Piano Bar for this live taping, we quickly that discover fitting everyone in (physically into the room, but also getting their comments into a one hour broadcast) is anything but easy! However, the Skipper quickly takes control and before we know it, we’re off and running.
After some brief opening remarks, the Skipper asks each of the Summit Faculty to share their insights and reflections on the remarkable week we’ve all had together. For the Rich Dad Advisors, this was their first (but hopefully not last!) Summit with The Real Estate Guys™. They’ve all heard Robert Kiyosaki call us wild and crazy, but now they had a chance to observe it first hand. Of course, none of that stuff makes it into the show because Summit Rule #1 is “what happens at sea stays at sea”. Sorry! Join us next year and then you can be a Summit Insider too!
For today’s show, each Faculty Member shares some of the highlights from their Summit presentations.
Ken McElroy taught on how he approaches real estate in today’s economy. This is a guys who has over 10,000 doors under his control and is actively acquiring more…in spite of the “bad” real estate market.
Garrett Sutton spoke on state-of-the-art asset protection structures for real estate investors. He also did a class on how to properly structure deals using investors and partners. Many well meaning people end up in trouble when they raise money to buy real estate – simply because they don’t know what they don’t know. Considering that syndicating is arguably the fastest path to big deals and big bucks, a small investment in knowing how to do it right is time and money well spent!
Wayne Palmer comments about his extensive series of classes on the creative use of private notes. Wayne uses notes for putting together real estate deals which might not otherwise happen. He also uses them to create equity and cash flow from next to nothing! It seems like magic, but during the Summit he revealed some of his trade secrets. Also, he shared the guidelines he follows to mitigate risk and optimize return. His classes were among the most demanding, but also the most popular. Powerful and practical principles for profiting from paper (say that fast 10 times).
Beth Clifford wowed the group with her amazing presentation on the how and why of going offshore with some of your investments and business ventures. Hers was one of the most popular topics at the Summit, even with the faculty! Wayne Palmer said Beth’s presentation stretched his brain and was his favorite of the Summit. Now THAT’S saying something!
Mauricio Rauld expanded on the concept of international investment and business structures – and how to avoid the dangerous schemes which land so many novices in trouble. There are many valid, legal and ethical structures which can be used to better protect assets, protect privacy and mitigate taxes.
There’s a lot more that happened on the Summit which just can’t fit into the radio show – even in a summary – including the Apartment Investors Panel, the Ask the Attorneys Panel and the Investor Roundtables. Plus the fun in the sun real estate shore excursion in Belize, the more fun in the sun beach party in Cozumel and all the private shipboard parties. Alumni will never look at a napkin the same way again!
Going into the Summit, we weren’t sure what the Rich Dad Advisors would think by the end of the week. After all, they get to hang out with Robert Kiyosaki and talk in front of crowds of thousands! But when it was all said and done, they had a great time. Don’t take our word for it. Listen to the show and you can hear it for yourself!
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To get in on the EARLY BIRD deals for the 2011 Investor Summit at Sea, use the Feedback page to send us your request. You’ll be given an opportunity to sign up at the lowest public price. And after listening to this show, why wouldn’t you want to be with us on the 9th Annual Summit at Sea?
Wayne Palmer added to Summit Faculty!!!
More GREAT news!!! Wayne Palmer, a man Robert Kiyosaki describes as a “creative genius” when it comes to real estate deal making, will be a featured teacher on The Real Estate Guys 8th Annual Real Estate Investor Summit at Sea!
Wayne joins fellow Rich Dad advisors Ken McElroy and Garrett Sutton, as well as The Real Estate Guys’ own Robert Helms, Russell Gray and the Godfather of Real Estate Bob Helms – plus international real estate developer Beth Clifford – for the most dynamic Summit faculty we’ve ever had!
Wayne is a contributing author to Robert Kiyosaki’s recently released The REAL Book of Real Estate. In fact, Wayne wrote more of that book than any other contributor. Wayne is a master of creative deal structure using notes and equity exchanges. For the first time ever, he will be revealing his strategies for creative deal structure and profit using promissory notes!
Wayne has a long history in real estate dating back to 1976. He has an extensive background, which spans several states and decades, in real estate sales, development and financing. Wayne is a Certified Real Estate Note Appraiser, a Certified Cash Flow Master Broker and is a respected leader in the creative equity exchange industry. Most importantly, Wayne knows how to create wealth without cash and will be sharing his priceless knowledge as we sail the Caribbean together for 8 days and 7 nights!
This is a VERY RARE OPPORTUNITY for a LIMITED number of people to spend an entire week with Wayne (plus Ken, Garrett and the rest of the Summit faculty). Don’t miss the boat!
Rich Dad’s The Art of a Deal – Day 3 Report
Russ here again – this time I’m somewhere over Arizona in an airplane headed home after a powerful conclusion to Rich Dad’s The Art of a Deal. This is my final report in the series. As I write, there’s a woman sitting behind me who also attended the conference. She’s excitedly preaching the gospel of Rich Dad to her neighbor! It’s hard not to be totally enthused after this weekend.
True to form, Mr. Kiyosaki opened Day 3 with review. He used repetition and discussion to reinforce the lessons. I personally found it to be a very effective way to learn. The discussions also allowed me to get to know many other people as I migrated from table to table to engage in conversation. I had several delightful dialogs with Mietek, a guy from from Poland. He 
shared how banking, taxes, and real estate work there. It was fascinating information that I might never have sought out on my own.
I also met a musician from Japan, several very nice people from Estonia, others from New Zealand and Colombia. I even met Marco Regil, a highly popular TV game show host in Latin America. Hearing their perspectives on money, business and opportunity was enlightening to say the least. Of course, I spoke with people from all over the US as well, and their insights were also very valuable and interesting.
When we got back into the nuts and bolts of deal making, the group engaged in several simulations. Putting the concepts into practice was so powerful! Going from hearing the “how to” and then watching the pros do it (while smugly thinking, “Oh I could do that”) to actually having to put deals together on the spot, quickly revealed the gaps in our comprehension. Even though the lessons had been taught, many of us still didn’t get it well enough to be able to do it.
After each exercise, as we laughed about our obvious inabilities, rather than move on, Mr. Kiyosaki would have us analyze what attitudes and prejudices were at the root of our failure to act effectively. His emphasis was not on the mechanics of deal making, but rather on the filters through which we process information, and helping us see how our “context” 
ties back to our decisions and actions. His point was that although we all knew what to do, when it came time to actually do it for real, most of us (including yours truly) “tightened” up and couldn’t execute effectively. We’d get hung up on little things that didn’t matter (majoring in the minors) which would end up costing us a deal.
One of the many great quotes I captured came from Mr. Kiyosaki, “The most important thing to know is yourself.” Dwell on that because it’s a profound and powerful truth, especially within the context of developing a mindset to be a successful entrepreneur or investor. Some might think Mr. Kiyosaki’s teaching is too philosophical, but I think to say this weekend’s training was immensely practical would be a gross understatement. He recognizes the important distinction between knowing how to do something and actually being able to do it effectively.
I brought an 80 page notebook just for this event and it’s nearly full! I have pages of information, ideas, action items, and contact names to follow up with. In just one weekend, I made two deals and found several prospective correspondents to provide The Real Estate Guys audience (that’s you!) with market intelligence on their home towns. Our new friends will provide us eyes and ears on the streets of the world and we’ll bring that information to you!
To summarize the valuable takeaways from this weekend:
• Context (how you interpret information) makes content valuable. Without it, you’re just a librarian. Context converts content into actionable wisdom (effective action).
• Trust makes contacts valuable. Without trust, your database is no more valuable than a phone directory.
• Contacts make deals possible. If you don’t have relationships, you’re not in the real deal flow – you’re just picking over the scraps on the MLS or internet.
• Deals are the currency of relationships. You don’t use the relationship to get the deal. You use the deal to get the relationship. Read that again. Now read it again. It’s that important. Get this wrong and it won’t be long until you’re out of business.
• Nothing ventured, nothing gained. You may think you know what this means, but I’m betting most people reading this don’t really get it. Fear is the thief of dreams. There are people who were afraid this event wouldn’t be worth $5,000 and 3 days of their time. So they didn’t come. Very few will do anything of lasting value with the time or money “saved” by not going. Meanwhile, I have education, relationships, inspiration, clarity and resolve. There are no guarantees I’ll get a return on the investment, but at least I’m in the game. A big lesson from this weekend is how important it is to get in the game. That’s why I love working with Robert Helms. Getting in the game is his specialty.
In closing, be aware that there’s more exciting stuff coming from the Kiyosaki camp. We’ll keep you informed. The economy and opportunities have changed – and more change is likely. The Kiyosakis like real estate right now (among other things). You may agree or disagree, but their arguments against the dollar and stocks are compelling. If you’re serious about your financial future, it’s a perspective worth understanding, whether you choose to agree or disagree.
Meanwhile, remember The Real Estate Guys have at least two Rich Dad Advisors (Ken McElroy and Garrett Sutton) joining us on our 8th annual Investor Summit at Sea. After this weekend, I can’t imagine why anyone wouldn’t want to take advantage of having these guys captive on a cruise ship for seven full days. I hope you decide to take a “chance” and invest in your education and relationships by joining us. It’s a rare opportunity to spend quality time with the same advisors who work directly with Robert & Kim Kiyosaki. There’s lots of upside and very little downside. Think about it. The worst case scenario is that you enjoy a great cruise. And who knows? You may get an idea, make a contact, or have a motivational breakthrough that will elevate you to the next level of success!
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Ken McElroy to Cruise with The Real Estate Guys!
We are STOKED to announce that highly successful real estate entrepreneur, best selling author and Rich Dad Advisor Ken McElroy has agreed to teach on The Real Estate Guys 8th Annual Real Estate Investor Summit at Sea!
In case you don’t know, Ken McElroy started out as a property manager for other property owners. He cut his teeth (and more!) in the real world dealing with tenants, toilets and troubles on behalf of his customers. But as he became more successful, he invested in properties himself. When he ran out of his own money and wanted to do bigger deals, he teamed up with partners and formed syndications. Along the way, he met Robert and Kim Kiyosaki, who made him one of their most trusted advisors. Today, Ken has over 8,000 units under management and is known worldwide through his writings, presentations and close association with the Rich Dad company.
Over the years, The Real Estate Guys have been very fortunate to share just a small portion of Ken’s wealth of real estate wisdom with our listeners through his appearances on our show. But that was only one hour at a time. Now, Ken has agreed to join us for 8 DAYS and 7 NIGHTS as we sail to Belize, Roatan and Cozumel! Imagine being able to talk real estate over breakfast, lunch, dinner or cocktails with Ken McElroy! Now, you don’t have to imagine. You can make it happen by signing up today!
This is a VERY RARE OPPORTUNITY for a LIMITED number of people to spend a week with Ken McElroy on The Real Estate Guys 8th Annual Investor Summit at Sea. Don’t miss the boat because you may never get another opportunity like this!
The 8th Annual Summit at Sea is April 9-17, 2010!!!
Enjoy a week of fun, sun, camaraderie and powerful real estate education sailing the beautiful Caribbean with your hosts – The Real Estate Guys™ and an AMAZING line up of teachers including Rich Dad Advisors Ken McElroy, Garrett Sutton and Wayne Palmer; plus international real estate developer Beth Clifford and of course, Robert, Russ and the Godfather of Real Estate, Bob Helms.
Friday, April 9 through Saturday, April 17, 2010
Register early for the best upgrades! Call 888-489-7723 to speak with our fabulous Cruise Director MaryLyn or contact us though our Feedback page.
Food, Fun, Sun, Drinks, Food, Music, Dancing, Food, Shows, Shore Excursions and Food! You’ll love the International Gourmet Cuisine, Lavish Entertainment, Full Casino, Live Bands, Round-the-Clock Complimentary Room Service and incredible ports of call. But that’s not all!
Information Packed Seminars, Workshops and Round Table Discussions On the days at sea, The Guys and their team of expert speakers provide over 25 hours of exciting and practical real estate training to help you build your knowledge to expand your real estate empire!
A Mastermind Experience - In his classic Think and Grow Rich, author Napoleon Hill revealed that most of the millionaires he interviewed always invested quality time with like-minded people as a way to stay motivated, gather new ideas and to get feedback on their own ideas. What better place than an 8 day cruise to “rub brains” with The Real Estate Guys, their guest speakers and other like-minded investors? It’s a planning retreat, a vacation, a networking event and trade conference all wrapped into one power-packed week!
Optional Real Estate Field Trip – The great thing about real estate is that it’s everywhere! So even though the ship’s “consumer” excursions are fun, The Real Estate Guys always like to set up an educational tour of a local real estate market at one or more of our ports of call. This is a great way to see how The Guys evaluate a market – and we almost always get local market experts to share their insights with our group. We call it “Kickin’ the Dirt” – though sometimes it’s actually beautiful white sand beaches and crystal blue water!
This Year’s Ports – We’ll be starting in the fun filled city of New Orleans on Friday, April 9th before we set sail on the
incredible Carnival Triumph to visit the beautiful ports of Belize, Isla Roatan and Cozumel, Mexico.
It’s a Family Affair! Even if your spouse and children aren’t interested in real estate, there’s lots to enjoy while you’re in classes. The Guys always bring their families, so you’ll get to meet The Real Estate Wives and The Real Estate Kids! Camp Carnival has age appropriate activities for children as young as two years old!
Space is limited, so call now so you don’t miss the boat!
Register early for the best upgrades! Call 1-888-489-7723 to speak with our Cruise Director MaryLyn or or contact us though our Feedback page.
Still not convinced? Check out this video from one of our previous Summits and imagine YOU as the star of the 2010 event!
The Top 10 Reasons to Attend The Real Estate Guys Investor Summit at Sea
Garrett Sutton to Cruise with The Real Estate Guys!
Great news! Rich Dad Advisor and Asset Protection Attorney Garrett Sutton has joined the faculty for The Real Estate Guys 8th Annual Real Estate Investor Summit at Sea!
Garrett has been a frequent guest on both The Real Estate Guys Radio and TV Shows. He is an expert in Asset Protection, Estate Planning and Entity Strategies for real estate investors. He is one of the longest tenured advisors to Rich Dad Poor Dad author Robert Kiyosaki.
Now, YOU have the opportunity to spend an ENTIRE WEEK with Garrett Sutton on The Real Estate Guys 8th Annual Summit at Sea. Just imagine attending classes taught by Garrett and the other Summit Faculty while sailing the beautiful Caribbean ocean on the way to Belize, Roatan and Cozumel! Enjoy meals, cocktails and conversation with Garret and the other teachers and students.
This is a RARE OPPORTUNITY to enjoy extensive quality time with one of the most famous experts on asset protection strategies for real estate investors and business owners. Best of all, it’s all included in the price of the Summit!
