Wendell’s Weekly Wins and Whiffs

🏆 WIN OF THE WEEK: 75 Hard Changed Everything in One Week

I started 75 Hard this past week and I'm not going to bury the lede here, this program has already snapped something back into place that I didn't even realize was broken.

For those who don't know, 75 Hard is a mental toughness program. You work out twice a day for 45 minutes each (one has to be outside, neither can be consecutive), drink a gallon of water, read 10 pages of a book, take a progress photo, stick to a diet of your choice, and eat zero junk food or alcohol. You do this for 75 days straight. Miss one single element on one single day and you start from day one. No excuses. No modifications.

Here's what I discovered in the first week that blew my mind. I've been walking around for the past year feeling slow, sluggish, undisciplined, and honestly fat. I was wondering why I felt like shit. Turns out I was barely drinking any water. Like not even close to a gallon a day. I was dehydrated every single day and didn't even realize it. One week of intentional hydration and I feel like a different person. Clearer. Sharper. More energy. Better mood.

Now, I know what you're thinking. That program sounds insane. Too much. Impossible. And if your first instinct is "that's crazy, I could never" then that is exactly the problem this program is designed to fix. That voice telling you why you shouldn't do something is the weak part of you that needs to be strengthened. That is what we call your “Bitch Voice”. You need to shut that thing up!

The beautiful thing about 75 Hard is that yes, it takes effort and time, but it actually forces you to use your time better. You get more done when you're on the program because you have to be efficient with every hour. You feel more free because you're no longer fighting against yourself. If you've been feeling undisciplined or stuck, I'm telling you straight, give this a shot. I promise it will make you better. Heck, let me know if you do and we can hold each other accountable!

💨 WHIFF OF THE WEEK: When One Thing After Another Becomes A Pattern

We have momentum in the businesses right now. There are deals flowing. The growth trajectory for the end of year and into next year is real. But we also have two projects that have been absolutely brutal.

We've been sitting on a flip and new build combo on a side by side lot for almost a year. Almost a full year. And we were finally supposed to list both properties this week. Both. And then we get to the finish line and find out the GC's painter did such a terrible job that the entire place needs to be repainted. The whole thing.

Here's what happened to that deal's profit margin over the course of the project. We started at 120k profit. One hundred and twenty thousand dollars. By the end, after all the surprises, all the delays, all the little things that kept going wrong, we're at zero. Breaking even… hopefully. That's why we've actually made the decision to move away from flipping altogether. The market just isn't there for it right now. I even did a full episode on the Beyond the Build podcast about this that's dropping soon so keep an eye out for that.

We're still listing the new build because that one is actually done. But the flip is eating our timeline and our patience.

On top of that we have the 32 unit we're trying to sell that's decided to have a vacancy problem right at the worst possible time. We need full occupancy for the numbers to work. We had it. And now we don't. It's almost like the property knows we're trying to offload it and is making sure we can't.

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel on both of these deals. But nobody talks about the suck. Nobody puts out a highlight reel of "look at me, I'm still here grinding through deal issues number 47 on the same project." It's always the wins. It's always the money. It's never the one thing after another after another that breaks your patience and tests your resolve. That's the real game. That's what separates people.

🎯 TACTICAL TIP OF THE WEEK: If You Can't Find Their Business, They're Selling You a Story

Here's something I'm seeing everywhere right now and it needs to be said plainly. Ninety nine percent of people online are full of it.

If someone is selling you a course on real estate investing, a mentorship program, a shortcut to wealth, a system that works, a secret method, whatever it is, then you should be able to find their actual business online. You should be able to see where they're making money. You should be able to find evidence that they actually do what they're claiming to teach.

If you can't find their business. If you can't see their deals. If you can't find any proof that they actually operate at scale. Then what they know is worth exactly zero. Nothing.

Real operators with real businesses that are actually performing don't have time to sell courses. They're busy operating. But some of them have grown their business enough that they can delegate and they choose to share knowledge because they want to help people. You can find those people's businesses everywhere online. You can trace their actual results. You can see the track record.

Start vetting people before you believe what they're telling you. Start asking questions. Start looking for proof. Because there are a lot of grifters out there pretending to be builders and they're making money off people who want a shortcut that doesn't exist.

🔦 FROM THE FIELD: Your General Contractor Will Test You. Here's How To Handle It

When you're building, you're going to work with GCs and subcontractors who don't do the job the way you envision it. This is not an if. It's a when. It's guaranteed.

Some of them will work with you to fix it. Good GCs understand that you're the one who has to sell the finished product. You're the one carrying the reputation. You're the one taking the financial hit if something is wrong. Good GCs get that and they're team players.

Other GCs will get offended. They'll feel questioned. They'll feel like you're questioning their competence. And they'll demand payment and walk away. Cut those people off immediately. Life is too short and money is too valuable to work with people who would rather demand payment than fix a problem.

Here's what I've learned. You have to stick to your guns on your product. You have to be willing to have the conversation. Show them exactly what's wrong. Not in an accusatory way. Show them what needs to be fixed and come up with a plan together. That conversation doesn't take long if you're respectful but direct.

If a GC is worth working with, they will find a way to make it right. If they won't, then they're not someone you should be working with long term anyway. Your final product is a reflection of everyone involved in building it. Never compromise on that.

💰 Passive Investor Opportunities

We are continuing to move deals through the pipeline at Tide and Timber Ventures. If you have been curious about passive investing with our team, reach out. These opportunities fill fast and now is a solid time to have that conversation.

🐝 The Hive CLT Entrepreneurs Network 

The Hive community keeps growing. The conversations in that room actually move needles. We're building something special and if you're serious about your business and want to be around other builders, RSVP for our next event at https://jointhehive.co/

💬 FINAL WORD

This week reminded me that easy looks good on Instagram, but it doesn't actually exist in the real world. Real builders face real setbacks. Real business owners deal with people who test them. Real growth requires patience with problems and the discipline to keep moving forward even when everything feels broken.

The difference between someone who builds something meaningful and someone who just talks about it is simple. One of them keeps going when it gets hard. One of them has the conversations that matter. One of them vets their people and cuts the ones who aren't aligned.

You know which one you want to be. Now do the work to become that person.

Keep growing or die,