Wendell’s Weekly Wins and Whiffs

🏆 WIN OF THE WEEK: 100% Occupancy and a New Revenue Stream That Works

This week brought some really good momentum across multiple fronts. Our 32 unit apartment complex hit 100% full on leases with every unit locked in, including future move-ins rolling in over the next few weeks. This project has been an absolute roller coaster because of the current multifamily economics in the Carolinas, but tightening operations and bringing on a new property manager who is absolutely killing it has completely shifted our momentum heading into the next phase.

On top of that, I made a strategic move with one of my personal rentals. I switched it from traditional long term renting over to mid term furnished stays using Furnished Finder. This is a platform for traveling professionals who need housing during their travels. You charge more than long term, but you cover utilities, furnish the space, and provide wifi. Think of it as a hybrid between Airbnb and traditional rental, but way cleaner than managing Airbnb turnovers. We filled the unit in one to two weeks, which was incredible. Yeah, tenants are only there for three months, but that gives me time to market for the next tenant while still getting paid. If you are struggling to land long term tenants at prices that actually work in the current market, look into mid term. It's the sweet spot right now. More money than long term, way less work than short term, and it fills fast.

💨 WHIFF OF THE WEEK: Getting Stuck in Noise When Results Matter

I have been procrastinating on finalizing my Go High Level CRM setup for Flip Fuel Lending so we can actually start marketing. My team built out all the workflows and I just need to lock them in, but I keep finding myself stuck doing things that feel productive without actually moving the needle. Answering emails, checking boxes, getting busy instead of getting results. It happens to every entrepreneur and I am not exempt from it, but I need to call myself out on it. The noise feels safe, but it costs you momentum.

Here's the reality. I am getting the GHL stuff locked down this week before I head to Japan next week. No excuses, no delays, no more letting perfect be the enemy of done. This is the kind of friction that creates problems down the line and I am done with it.

🎯 TACTICAL TIP OF THE WEEK: Work Life Balance is a Myth, But Living While You Build is Not

Here is what most people get wrong. There is no such thing as work life balance when you are trying to build something great. If you are chasing work life balance day to day, you are not going to accomplish extraordinary things. But here is the part that kills people. Just because you are building something big does not mean you cannot relax, travel, or do things you actually want to do. You have to do those things or you will burn out and crash hard.

The real play is this. Do not say no to everything, but also do not say yes to everything. Look at your life over time, not day to day. Some days you work 16 hours. Some days you work 2. There is no daily balance, but you are building something that gives you freedom down the line, and that freedom is what creates real balance in your life.

When a friend asked me to go to Japan in the middle of building my business, my brain said no way, you need to grind. But 10 days of travel is not going to collapse your empire. I said yes and now I am leaving next week for a bucket list experience that I am beyond excited about. I am thankful I said yes instead of staying trapped in the mindset that my business needs me 24/7.

Here is my challenge to you. Get your stuff done. Be disciplined. Execute. But also say yes to more things that excite you, even if your brain is screaming that you cannot afford the time. And if your business actually does collapse because you took a week off, that is not a business. That is a jail cell you built for yourself while trying to escape your 9 to 5. You build a business for freedom, for the ability to do what you want when you want. But freedom requires discipline. So be disciplined AND live. Do not choose one. Life is too short for that.

🔦 FROM THE FIELD: The Project From Hell is Almost Dead

Our project break even is literally at the finish line. The new build is completed and listed at 327 Whispering Pines Dr, Charlotte, NC. You can check it out here: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/327-Whispering-Pines-Dr-Charlotte-NC-28217/463488027_zpid/ The fix and flip is 99% done and should list end of this week or early next week finally.

This project has been the worst one I have ever been a part of. We went from modeling 120k in profit to looking at a loss. That is a massive swing. But here is what matters. Our investors are still getting paid because that is how we operate. We take the loss, they take the win. Always.

More importantly, this deal proved something to me and my partners. We can overcome anything. Deals like these break people, make them quit, make them swear off real estate forever. Not us. This deal is proof that we are unbreakable. So watch out, because we are coming.

💰 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 taught me something I keep learning over and over. You cannot play small and build big. You cannot say no to everything and still win. You cannot grind yourself into the ground and expect your life to be worth living. That is not strategy, that is self sabotage.

Red Rose is 100% leased. My furnished rental is crushing. The projects from hell are almost done. I am taking a trip to Japan next week because I said yes instead of staying locked in my own head. And the GHL system is getting done this week because I stopped letting noise distract me from what actually moves the needle.

This is the formula. Execute on the big stuff. Get disciplined about your time. Stop saying no to life. Take the wins. Learn from the whiffs. And build something that gives you freedom, not a prison that looks like success from the outside.

That is the game. Everything else is just noise.

Keep growing or die,