Open The Gate
Breaking down Sacramento Real Estate: Our Favorite People, Places and Mindsets
Open The Gate
Ep. 3: Holiday Hiccups and New Years Resolve
The holiday season threw us quite the Hail Mary, from the thrill of NFL showdowns to the unforeseen scrambles to the ER for some family bone-setting. Tune in as we unpack the festive chaos, alongside the artful juggle of kin and quietude, and sprinkle in savvy pointers for the parental units out there. We're serving up a recap of the year's real estate rollercoaster and how our savvy adoption of the EOS model has set us up to hit the ground running in 2024. And if your New Year's resolution is to keep things chill, you'll want to hear our laid-back celebration plans that even the kiddos can get on board with.
Ever consider the secret sauce behind a winning streak? We're dishing out personal tales of steadfast morning routines and the mental clarity they carve out amidst life's daily scrimmage. From pre-dawn gym ventures to those nagging tasks that just need kicking off, we're all about 'simple, not easy'—a mantra for the ages that separates the go-getters from the no-getters. Plus, we're mapping out our ambitious touch-downs for our pool and mortgage plays in the coming year, and as I bid adieu to the fire department, we're igniting new beginnings on the podcast. Look forward to heart-to-hearts with Sacramento's entrepreneurial spirits, as we commit to a lineup that's as genuine as it gets—real talk from real folks juggling the entrepreneurial grind and the parenting gig.
All right, Dan. Christmas is over. New Year's is almost here. How was your last week here?
Speaker 2:Yeah, buddy, christmas was, christmas was awesome. We got to. We got to go to the 49er game awesome little bit of let down there, but they're still in control, so we're not freaking out. I like the positive stuff Um the. You know, the kids were abundantly spoiled, as as usual.
Speaker 1:How about you? Pretty good, you know I've got three little ones still, so it's still a crazy fun time and some of the magic. Unfortunately, my oldest got out on a roller skates Try to prove that she was an expert and fell down and broke her arm in two places. So we spent the last couple days, you know, going to the pediatrician and x-rays and all that. But she's been a trooper and small little break so she'll be fine. But you know, wouldn't be. We almost got through the year without a visit to see the doctor or go the ER.
Speaker 2:So you know, one of the one of the things I said to my wife that got me in the most trouble I think I've almost ever been in with her was, I said if I, if my children, haven't broken a bone by the team by the time they're 10 years old, I've done them a disservice as a parent because I haven't put them in those situations to challenge themselves. And she said did you just say that you're trying to break our kids arms before their 10th birthday? And I said, no, I guess it kind of sound like that, but that's not what the intention yeah, if you want to be a role of naked, of a bounded, I guess.
Speaker 1:Well, we got the New Year's a few days away here, probably our last episode before we bring in the new. Do you guys have any big new year plans or traditions?
Speaker 2:You know what? No, we don't have any big plans. Probably probably gonna hang out with some friends and and keep it. Keep it a little low profile. It just hurts too hard to go after the years like I did in my 20s.
Speaker 2:I don't have that gear anymore. And you know, I think actually as as I've grown up, the appreciation of actually not Going out and and just getting completely after it and enjoying just some low-key company with good friends is Is really what we have have inspired to do more of these yeah, honestly for me, I don't think I could stay up to a midnight anymore, so that's.
Speaker 2:I can still make it to midnight. Your, your kids got a little, a little ways to go, but both the mine will be up and bouncing off the walls and looking forward to seeing the midnight.
Speaker 1:Somebody told me a cool hack the other day. It's like it, even if they can't make it till 9 o'clock with you, you know, here in the West Coast we could watch the ball drop in New York. So if you make it to 9, great. But if you can't, then you can just bring up like a recording of Any other year.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we actually. Well, brazil is six hours ahead. So, okay, three hours east of New York, so we've always been given Marina's, marina's family and upbringing. She's from Brazil, yeah, they don't know, but we can, we can experience that and we actually try and incorporate some of their, some of their, new Year's traditions as well.
Speaker 1:so nice, what, what? Well, so it's summertime down there.
Speaker 2:Okay and so they were all white. I don't know. Another tradition that they have is they eat lentil beans for good luck.
Speaker 1:Really. So yeah, so we've done that a couple times so you can wear white after Labor Day. If you're a Brazilian, you almost have to.
Speaker 2:I mean it's hot and humid down there like you're looking.
Speaker 1:Yeah, a little different.
Speaker 2:It's definitely different than it was in Kansas City. Yeah sure, every now and then we luck out here in Northern California.
Speaker 1:So well, I love it did well Cool. I hope you everybody listening has a fantastic start to the new year. And on that note, well, dan, I thought it'd be kind of fun to talk about going into this new year, especially in real estate. 2023 was, wow, crazy coming off. 2022, which started hot, felt kind of weird, got really crazy. Then 2023 was Kind of just more of the same but no man's land a little bit, I felt like. And tell me your kind of thoughts on this.
Speaker 2:Well, you know, yeah the, the projections as far as some of the For our inspection counts and stuff was definitely skewed. We as a company got pretty creative and launched a construction division, which really helped to offset our revenue that would have been lost due to the depressed inspection counts. But yeah, we just finished up a full day of our leadership team meeting.
Speaker 2:I know that you and I have spoken a little bit about it, but we followed the EOS model, which is entrepreneurial operators Systems, and it's been, it's been just, it's been incredible for our business. It's really gotten us Unified as a leadership team. It really helps us clearly define our goals and give us the direction of where we want to go. It's, it's been incredible. So Quarterly we get together and basically you kind of you kind of take a quick victory lap, hopefully that the last 90 days were good, but you really start focusing on the next 90 days. It's, it's the EOS models, a 90-day world.
Speaker 2:So not a lot of time for celebrating. You take a little bit if you hit your goals and hit your numbers, but then you know it's, it's get your focus forward and start moving forward and how you're gonna, how you're gonna advance again. So it's a, it's a really cool day. We, we lock ourselves in an office and bring in lunch and we hammer it out. I mean we cover, we cover everything from A to Z and really try and try and Accurately predict what the next year is gonna look like with our, with our growth goals and and all that stuff.
Speaker 1:So that's awesome. I like to use 90 days right, because you know quarterly is is long enough to have some results, but short enough to still steer the ship a little bit. And it's also long enough, like I think I saw something on Instagram with Jocker-Willem like talking about you know, one day in the gym, like you don't see anything like two days in the gym a week in the gym. I didn't see anything but like a hundred days in the gym and I can't even talk like 100 days in the gym. You're an animal, you're a different beast. So the fact that I think and I've even heard Edmellette say before too people underestimate. They overestimate what they can do in a year and vastly underestimate where they can do in five years and so sometimes that compound effect man.
Speaker 2:I mean like I was just watching a Kobe Bryant interview the other day and and he talks about it it's like and I talked with my, my 11 year old I'm like, dude, if you just did 25 push-ups a day, that's, if you did five days a week, that's a hundred, and 25, that's 500 push-ups a month. That that maybe someone you're competing with for for for a starting spot on the basketball team or in the big flag football team or your baseball roster, maybe they're not doing that and that's and that's gonna compound and add up to be such a difference. So, yeah, that, that, that that discipline and repetitiveness.
Speaker 1:Consistency for sure, and that's one thing you know. I've mentioned this before. But, like I'm always impressed at your level of consistency and I've got other people my life I quite frankly it's not always my strong suit. My brother-in-law was a professional baseball player and I think maybe the most consistent person. I could not sway him to eat a cookie or skip a workout or whatever. But you know you look at the long resume of what that produces. It's Regardless of what's going on outside. It keeps that thermostat of your life Pretty trimmed and true when you continue to be consistent like that.
Speaker 2:I've yeah, I found that and you can probably relate but my athletic background you have one as well that you spend so much time in that space of everything being detailed out and where you're gonna be and what you're gonna be doing and how you need to do it, and all this For me. I thrived in that environment and to this day I mean, I live and die by my calendar. If it's not on my calendar, it's not important. That whole mantra.
Speaker 1:Well, that's how this podcast got done, quite frankly.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:Like you were definitely. We had a goal. You know for how many we want to film by the end of the year. The equipment set up, everything and really with that's my calendar, like we would have been too well-intentioned people with good ideas and without anything to show for it. So I'm grateful for that calendar.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, you know, I'm glad that you responded to the cattle prod, otherwise maybe we wouldn't be here. But now, how about resolutions, man? Does your family do New Year's resolutions? Are you a New Year's resolution guy?
Speaker 1:You know I don't know if I am and I've definitely done them in the past I feel like I've started resolutions in August and all sorts of you know times over the years and in the last handful of years I think 90% of my reading or media intake has been some form of self-help, professional development, entrepreneurial management, and so I feel like I'm kind of always delving into that. But I think back a couple of years ago I was in a I honestly right when I moved to California I was in this very dialed space and consistency was the biggest part of that. Discipline, I think for me comes way easier when I can be consistent and I know that sounds silly, but it gets way easier to do when I'm in a routine. It's so much harder to do things I need to do or know I need to do or that make me feel better, whether it's working out or unplugging from my phone or sitting down with my family when I. It's funny because I really push routine off, but I know deep down, probably like a lot of us, like it really really helps me a lot.
Speaker 1:So one of the things I want to do this year is I usually work out in the morning at three little kids. I get busy schedule and it's really tough to to get that in if I don't, and so I have faltered here down the stretch at the end of the year a little hit and miss. But when I was kind of really dialed in a couple of years ago, I felt like man. One consistent thing I was doing was I was getting up at five every day get my workout done, which sounds terrible. But man, the fuel that it gave me for the rest of the day and also like the reprieve of, I kind of got to be off for the rest of the day in a sense, right, I had to go do work and a bunch of other things, but I didn't have that, you know, butt kicking hanging over my head.
Speaker 2:Oh, not to not to mention the, you know, the endorphins and the energy that it creates to to propel you into your day, obviously, with with workout being a specific example.
Speaker 2:Um, yeah, I too used to be. I used to. I used to enjoy working out in the morning. Now I now I've actually graduated to more of an afternoon. Um, I don't know, maybe it's it's more that getting the wind back in my sales, propelling me through the rest of the day. I like to get up, and I like to get up and kind of start focusing on work.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you're working early. I mean I will hop on, I'll see you. I've already posted on Instagram. You got calendar requests going out You're. You're up and out of man. Yeah, it's fine line.
Speaker 2:I'm, I'm usually 530, 550. Um, and I'm, I'm someone who, who doesn't like to lay in bed. It's, it's, it's put my feet on the floor and get going, which which really, for me, translates into a lot of other things, even with, uh, like, like things, that things that I don't want to do or are easy to put off, and as soon as, like, as soon as that crosses my mind, I'm like all right, you don't want to do it, so put your feet on the floor and go do it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so much easier.
Speaker 2:I'm going to stupid. You know taking out the trash at home. It's like, oh, I just sat on the couch and I got to take out the trash. I don't want to do it, but like, why don't you just get it done?
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And it's funny because this is that's a conversation I'm having with my kids I go look like the longer you put it off, the more, the more frustrated your mother and I are going to be that it hasn't got done. And then, oh, by the way, what if something comes up and and now that's still not done and it's going to be there waiting for you with all that anxiety or frustration there when it's, you know, so simple task? But but I think that works for for larger tasks as well, and I think that's the time with with getting going on this podcast, like the easiest way to get going is is just to get going just to go and start moving.
Speaker 2:Get that snowball rolling and let it gain its momentum. Is is is just massively important. That's something that I've really reflected on a lot lately and really plan on, you know, engaging that. I'm not really a big resolution guy as much either, because If I set the goal to start it Monday or whatever New Year's Day, well, it's like that diet analogy I'm starting my diet on Monday, so I'm going to eat whatever the hell I want all weekend. Well, you just set your diet off on the worst path ever, with just a terrible weekend of gluttony.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's like I'm going to do a rehab, but I'm going to show up as F-dub, as pops.
Speaker 2:Well, perfect, it's going to take you the first two weeks of your diet just to get past the past weekend.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and, believe me, I mean it's easy to say, it's harder to do. I've probably done every diet under the sun at some point, and it always starts that way, like, hey, monday, that's it yeah.
Speaker 2:I think that an analogy I use a lot is simple, not easy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so totally.
Speaker 2:Simple concept. Sure, is it physically demanding? Probably not. A lot of things are simple but not easy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I think that just the more that I've read in the last couple of years the trends between some of the folks I've listened to that are successful or help other people be successful. So much of it is that it's like it's not rocket science. You know, humans have been around for a while. There's innovation, but to build discipline, self-discipline and I like what you said too is just get rolling. I've heard it called like licking a toad, Like if somebody gave you a year to lick a frog, do you think it'd be better on January versus pick that thing up, lick it and be done with it. Or like wait all year and think about it and know you had to get it done. And I know for me, like with those workouts, it never feels good. I never want to get out of bed, I never want to put my feet on the floor. But the truth is, the very hardest part is always that little, that first little bit, and I cannot remember a workout that I've done that I really regret it getting up and doing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's like the first few minutes are oftentimes regrettable or unenjoyable, but usually, by the time you're wrapping it up, you're, you're feeling accomplished, what it does to your brain.
Speaker 1:Unless. I mean I will say the one caveat to that is if I've already seen you do a peloton ride, then I try to go do it and I'm three minutes into it and I know there's not a snowballs chance at hell that I'm going to catch you. Then it's just 27 minutes more of pain, but it's a better result than if I didn't do anything at all.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I feel like maybe I just pick and choose my battles for you, sometimes in every car. Wow, I've got some major holiday guilt fueling my pedal strokes on the peloton.
Speaker 1:I hit it pretty good this year too. So you talked about planning resolutions.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I wanted to touch on your businesses, man. What's on the horizon for the pool business?
Speaker 1:for the mortgage business 2023 was kind of a crazy year for me. As many of you guys know, I'm a professional firefighter. I live in Plaster County but I still work for the Seattle Fire Department. I've worked there for about 13 years, coming up on 12 years, excuse me, so still doing that flying back and forth mortgage. Obviously, that industry changed significantly this year. I was really fortunate to still have a pretty solid year. It made me really streamline my business, my processes.
Speaker 1:I have a fantastic assistant, courtney, if you're listening could not have done it without you and truly I feel like I partnered with a company.
Speaker 1:I've been there about a year Point Equity, local mortgage brokerage here and they've been great and helped me to hone in on what's important and cut out a lot of the noise and what's not important. And then I've had some really great partners that have continued to push into a relationship where we both feel like we're at in value. So really lucky. There Started a obviously started this podcast this year and we'll get to that in a sec but then started a pool service and repair business and I think my big goal for 2024 is to really get that off the ground and run, and so we've got our 60 clients right now. I'd love to be looking at this next year and have about double that and a couple of employees, so moving into a true entrepreneurial role. Pretty exciting there. And this is very likely my last year, probably, in the fire department as a professional fireman, so very cool, Probably a lot of excitement, a lot of a yeah, a lot of imagination probably going on in your world right now.
Speaker 2:But fortunately we got a couple of days to reflect, look back as we as we as we look forward, or stop looking back and shift our focus forward on the coming year.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I don't know, man, this year I feel like I just did my goals. I guess I don't do resolutions, but I did take a big whiteboard and it fell out a bunch of goals and I and I literally looked at a picture of it the other day, came up as one of those memories in your phone and I just feel like I did that. I mean, I remember being in that room as conference room that we've got. I feel like I just did that this year. I don't know what it, where it went, and I don't know if it's cause I'm at that age where my kids are getting older or I'm getting older, but I almost feel like this year didn't even happen. I look back and a lot of great things that happened and a lot of fun memories, but, holy moly, it's going fast.
Speaker 2:This one went fast and that's what everyone tells you. I think you know, as you're growing up, hey don't blink. You know, with kids and things like that, and yeah, I mean I'll have all of a daughter in high school next year and you know it's, it's a while, it's a while while you can't see the face dance making right now, but it's.
Speaker 1:it looks as if just pure, pure I can tell. So how about this show, dan? This has been awesome. I mean, this has been a really fun, creative, engaging way to kind of finish the last quarter of our year. But what do you want this show to look like in the year to come, in 2024? I think we got some big goals.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean I think we're going to continue to go after engaging insightful, intelligent people to invite on and share, share their experience with the Sacramento area. You know real estate and lifestyle. I'm looking forward to learning about some of these other areas around town and checking out some new restaurants and meeting some new personalities. You know, I'm super excited to not just be lining up a bunch of buddies and bring them on here and and and shoot the bull. This thing's been super, super exciting for me. I look forward to every single thing that we do with this podcast getting to know you better, expanding our relationship and and, obviously, providing something of value that that you know, given the premise of this show, I don't think exists in our area. So I'm really excited about that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I agree, I think one of the things that I'm most excited about and that we've seen in the few guests that we've been able to have so far, is the fact that we're getting folks on here. Or yes, they're related to real estate, or yes, they're produced, or yes, they add a ton of value in some sense. But one of the coolest things has been to take people that, whether they are trying to or not, are projecting a certain image in real estate and getting to know them a little bit better. Behind, you know, peel back those layers a little bit and not only get to know them better, but kind of unintended consequence of that, at least for me, is getting to feel like man I'm not alone in this industry a little bit.
Speaker 1:They've shared some things with us that I feel a lot, and I don't know if I say out loud a lot, but it's been really like a tonic to be like, wow, these other people deal with an imposter syndrome or wow, this was a tough year for them. Or man being a like a present parent and also an entrepreneur is a tough balance. So I think the strength of I really hope, my hope for the show is that if we can continue to provide value to people, it's not going to be in necessary real estate content, maybe mindset, maybe how to grow your business, but really getting them connected to other people in this industry that are sharing the truth about what it means to be an entrepreneur and be connected to real estate here.
Speaker 2:Yeah, 100%. I think, and we've talked about, I mean, the, the a win for this show is that is that people go oh man, that was really cool. I took, I did, I did make it, I did have a takeaway from this. You know, this isn't, this isn't our retirement plan. We're not the Kelsey brothers trying to, you know, trying to monetize every single segment of this thing, but it's, it's a way for us to give back to to our communities and the people in it and share some of the connections that we have, all the while having a whole bunch of fun along the way man, I mean, I'm just looking around, I'm looking at the logo, I'm looking at the things that we've done, the, the, the gear we've bought like listening back to some of the ones that we've already posted like I'm just, I'm just super proud of this thing.
Speaker 2:Man, it's my third kid.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, it's been really cool and I think you know to sum it up a little bit is, in talking about goals and resolutions is like, if anybody's listened to this, take Dan and I as kind of the test dummies of I think we really embraced that perfection is the enemy of progress, Right, we've probably talked about starting this maybe end of summer-ish, right. And then I think, once we committed to doing it, an amazing thing happened. We got just comfortable enough to take the next step over and over and over. And we're far from perfect here, but, man, we're having a lot of fun, we've connected with people. I think we're kind of hitting our mission statement and, realistically, if we were waiting to be perfect, like we wouldn't even started yet, yeah.
Speaker 1:So I'll give us a little pat on the back just because I'm proud of all the things this year that have been challenging. I think this has been one of the really cool, fun things and I hope for all you guys listening that it adds a little value and certainly in 2024, I hope that this ends up being, you know, a hub where people can kind of come and connect and get to know other folks. And if you know a great guest or you'd like to be on this show, if you're related to real estate, if you're in this area, if you're a proprietor of a business that we should know about, we'd love to have you on. If you'd spend a you know half hour with us chatting, it'd be fantastic. Get to know you a little bit better and let the people here that are listening in Placer County, sacramento County, get to know you a little bit better too. Absolutely Well, happy New Year's guys. Thanks for tuning in and we'll see you in the new year.
Speaker 2:Happy New Year to you as well, buddy Bye.
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