Wendell’s Weekly Wins and Whiffs

🏆 Win of the Week: JPT in the Blue Ridge

I really only worked Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday last week as full build days. Three solid days head down, then I packed up and headed to the mountains for our annual golf trip with a great group of guys. We call it JPT, Just Playing Through. I still grabbed an hour or so after golf each day to clean up emails and keep things moving, but outside of that it was clubs in hand and phone away.

May is a heavy travel month for me and this trip is always one of the highlights of the year. There is something about playing competitive rounds with guys who push you, talk trash, bet on every hole, and just unplug from the businesses for a few days that resets everything. An hour of inbox triage at the end of the day keeps the wheels turning without letting the work eat the trip. That is the balance I am always trying to find.

The views were unreal. Blue Ridge Mountains in every direction, perfect weather, and good people. I came back tired but recharged in the way that only time away from the work can do.

Three full build days, a little catch up work after each round, and four days of golf with the boys. That is a trade I will make all day.

💨 Whiff of the Week: A2P Approval Keeps Denying Me

Real talk, I dropped a couple of items off the list last week because of the short schedule. That part I own. But the bigger whiff is not on me, it is on a system that keeps slamming a door in my face.

I still cannot get A2P 10DLC approved for Flip Fuel Lending. For those who do not know, A2P is what allows you to send texts and make calls through your CRM. Financial services businesses get held to a much higher standard, and we have now been denied three times.

The frustrating part is we are not even doing what they are scrutinizing for. We do not blast marketing texts. That is not allowed in financial services anyway and it is not how we operate. We use SMS to update borrowers during the loan process, keep them in the loop on closings, and stay in full communication while their deals are live. That is it. Pure operational and nurture communication.

This is actively halting growth on the lending side. My executive assistant is now running point on the resubmission and we are exploring the toll free number route as a backup. If anyone reading this has cracked A2P approval for a financial services business, please reply to this email. I will buy you a coffee, a beer, or whatever you drink. I need a win here.

🎯 Tactical Tip of the Week: Stop Resubmitting, Start Modeling

This one comes straight out of the A2P pain.

When a compliance or approval process keeps denying you, stop resubmitting the same application with small tweaks. That is the trap. You convince yourself that the next version is the one and you burn another two weeks waiting on a rejection.

Instead, go find someone who has actually been approved in your exact category and ask to see their submission language. Compliance reviewers are looking for specific phrases, specific use cases, and specific opt in language. The fastest path through is to model what already works, not to keep guessing at what they want.

This applies way beyond A2P. SBA loans, state lending licenses, insurance carrier approvals, MERS membership, even GHL trust center filings. Every one of these has insiders who have already cracked the code. Your job is to find them and steal the playbook, not to reinvent it.

Pride is expensive. Borrowed wisdom is free.

🔦 From the Field: The Project That Will Not End

We have a fix and flip plus new build that we have been working on for about eight months now and it has just been problem after problem. I have written about this one in past newsletters. The project that keeps on giving.

We are now at the finish line and the only thing standing between us and the punch list is a poured driveway. That is it. One pour and we can close out the punch list, list the properties, and move on with our lives.

But of course, even that has been a fight. Contractor confusion. Miscommunication on who was pouring what and when. Showing up dates that came and went. After the latest round of delays we sat down and had a real direct conversation with the contractor. Set a hard deadline. Made it clear we would fire them and bring in someone else if it was not met.

We decided to stick with the original crew and give them one final window. They said mid this week. Everyone on the team is frustrated and annoyed at this point, but we are right there. I am popping champagne the day this thing is poured, the punch list is closed, and the listings go live. 🍾

The lesson is simple. Not every deal goes the way you want. Some of them grind you down for months and test every piece of your patience. But you finish what you start. You eat the lessons. You keep moving. The deals that almost broke you teach you more than the ones that closed clean.

💰 Passive Investor Opportunities

We have a lot of great deals moving through the pipeline at Tide and Timber Ventures right now and these opportunities fill up fast. If you have ever been curious about passive investing alongside our team, now is a great time to have that conversation. Reach out directly and we will make it happen.

🐝 The Hive CLT Entrepreneurs Network

We have an upcoming event at The Hive CLT and you do not want to miss it. This community keeps growing and the conversations in that room are the kind that actually move the needle.

RSVP here: Meetup Event Link or visit jointhehive.co to see all upcoming Charlotte area events.

🎤 Final Word

Short weeks teach you what actually matters. When you only have three days to operate, you stop pretending busywork is progress. You move what moves the needle and you let the rest wait.

The flip side is the rest does not disappear, it just stacks up for the following week. That is the trade. Trips, friendships, and reset days are worth the catch up cost every single time.

Get the work done when you are working. Be all in when you are not. That is the whole game. Let's get it. 💥

Keep growing or die,