It Never Gets Easier, You Just Get Better
The Hyperfocused Entrepreneur
June 21, 2022
Read time: 4 minutes
We’re in the middle of raising $13,000,000 to buy 11 buildings.
These are the thoughts currently keeping me up at night.
Business – Turning $7,500 into $70M
Real estate is the best get rich slowly, but surely plan out there, but, if you play your cards right, sometimes you can manage to get rich a bit quicker.
Here’s how I did it…
First, full disclaimer, success for me was less about playing my cards right and more about really good timing and, something which shouldn’t be underestimated, the willingness to even play the cards I was dealt.
That second part gets trips up most people. They think that just because they weren’t dealt pocket-aces, they might as well fold up shop.
Here’s the thing, life only deals you one hand… so whether you got bullets or duds, you might as well see how far you can go with them.
Okay, so here’s the hand I was dealt.
I lived with my best friend’s mom for 2 years while saving ruthlessly. At the time, I was building a manufacturing business that was many years away from putting meaningful money back into my pocket, so I scrimped and saved everything I could until I was ready to jump into my first investment property.
Once I had about $20k in the bank, I went shopping and picked up a triplex for $246,000 with an FHA loan which only required me to put $7,500 down. To keep as much money in my pocket as possible, I raised capital from my dad who put in $5k, meaning I put in $2,500 of my own money and kept $17,500 in reserve just in case the roof caved in or something.
At the time I only had research to go off, but now that I’ve been in the game for a fair bit, I can confirm, the number one reason fail in real estate is because they had inadequate reserves and were forced into selling prematurely.
Anyways, back to that triplex… I lived in one unit and rented out the other two. The unit I lived in was actually a 2 bedroom, so I rented out the second bedroom to a rando I found on craigslist.
That’s called maximizing earning potential.
Here’s where timing was on my side…
I put less than $3k worth of improvements into that building… nevertheless, 9 months later it had appreciated like gangbusters and appraised for $375,000 ($125,000 more than I paid for it).
Instead of selling it at that point, I decided to take out a HELOC (Home Equity Line of Credit) which allowed me to tap into around $80k of equity. I promptly pulled out $50k and bought my next building…
A couple months later, I met my now partner, Dan, and we formed Invictus Capital. Over the past 3 years we’ve raised ~$20,000,000 worth of equity from private investors and acquired roughly $70,000,000 worth of multifamily (all while building an in-house property management company).
But that’s a story for another time.
Personal Development – The Truth of Progress
I threw myself a good ol’ pity party the other day. My life-partner, Jamie, was the only unfortunate guest to RSVP, and so she had the distinct pleasure of listening to me complain for a hot minute about how hard this whole “entrepreneurship” thing is.
See, I was annoyed because I’ve been doing this for years and, despite having realized some decent success in the past, sometimes the whole thing just feels so damn hard.
Ya ever had one of those days?
Yeah, I feel ya. Sometimes you’ve just got to let it out.Well, on that day, Jamie wasn’t having none-of-it. She looked me dead in the eyes and hit me with a line I’ve become notorious over the years for slinging at my students:
“It never gets easier, you just get better.”
Gah… she was right.
Life, entrepreneurship, or whatever you’re actively pursuing with your time, is a game of infinite levels. There is no “Final Boss”. No arriving at some final destination.
Okay, well there is a final destination, but by the time you get there, you really won’t care about any of this.
So, for as long as you’re in the game, just realize that as you continually step outside your comfort zone, beyond your current capacity into the unknown realm where growth and learning occur, you will never hit that magical inflection point where everything suddenly becomes easy-street.
Nope.
It’s like going to the gym… running on the treadmill never gets easier, you just get faster. Your ability to push increases and you can go further, but just as your capacity increases, so too does your limit.
Not saying you should stop striving to catch your limit, but just realize you’ll never get there.
Why?
Because it never gets easier, you just get better.
Wealth – Guaranteeed Returns Are A Scam
Daily Investing Reminder
“Guaranteed Returns” don’t exist.
Anybody telling you otherwise is either lying or stupid.
Regardless of which, probably best not to take their investing advice.
Do with this information what you will.
Book – Token Economy
The world is an ever-changing kaleidoscope of opportunity (and potential pitfalls). To survive (much less thrive) you’ve got to keep your head on a swivel and always be ready to pivot and adapt.
One such area that we’ll all be forced to adapt to at some point is the rise of Web3.
If you’ve been even semi-conscious over the past year you’ve likely heard the terms crypto, NFT, and blockchain bandied about, but if you’re like me, you might only have a loose understanding of what these things really mean.
Well, in the coming world, ignorance is a tax you can’t afford to pay, so do yourself a favor and go pick up this book (Token Economy: How the Web3 reinvents the Internet by Shermin Voshmgir), to get up to speed and ensure you’re prepared for this technological revolution.
Resource – Remarkable 2
The connection between brain and hand is unique. There’s something powerful in the act of physically writing something down on a piece of paper (not just typing it out on a keyboard, though this can also be a great tool).
This psychosomatic interplay between mind and body is deep and whenever possible, I prefer writing out my to-dos or meeting notes on physical paper.
Problem is, I am drowning in a sea of paper notebooks.
The solution?
The Remarkable 2
This is, in my experience, the best e-writer out there. Most tablets feel like you’re writing on glass and distinctly lack the same tactile feedback of writing on paper. Not the Remarkable 2. This thing genuinely feels like you’re writing on paper.
While that’s cool, realize that that’s about all this is good for. This is not a iPad substitute. It’s simply digital paper.
If that’s your jam, do yourself a favor and snag one. Thank me later.
On YouTube This Week:
5 Regrets From My 20s
Whenever you’re ready, here are some ways I can help you:
1. Unleash your hyperfocused mind to dominate life, business, and everything in between? Here’s how:
→ The Hyperfocused Masterclass: the exact system I used to overcome ADHD, write 12 books, build 4 businesses, and acquire $70M of real estate.
There are a handful of spaces left in The Hyperfocus Masterclass for those who want to snag the early bird preorder special discount of $49.
Email anthony@anthonyvicino.com to let me know you want on the waitlist.
2. Learn to passively invest in commercial real estate with better returns, less risk, and zeo hassle.
→ Invictus Capital: my real estate private equity firm.
→ Multifamily Investing Made Simple: Top Apple Podcast.
→ Passive Investing Made Simple: Amazon Best Selling Book with 100 5 star reviews.
3. Want more like this? Check out these 3 popular articles from the vault:
- My Simple 3-Step Framework For Making More Money
- These 6 Skills Will Make You Millions
- It Never Gets Easier, You Just Get Better
4. The Amplified Impact Podcast: A daily podcast for those in relentless pursuit of Less, but Better:
