By Chad Zdenek

10 Lessons Learned Attending 18 Conferences in 2022!

As each state opened its doors to visitors post covid, conferences were on a roll! 2022 was the year I got to attend various conferences in different places. As we all know, conferences are an essential part of an entrepreneur’s life!

So, here are the Top 10 Lessons I learned from attending 18 business and real estate conferences in 12 months!

1. Set goals and be intentional. There are more distractions today than at any other time in history. Without focusing on your goals, you will spin your wheels. Don’t mistake busyness for progress. I try to set milestones to track progress towards goals and make the goals SMART – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely.
2. Partnerships – it’s better to own a small piece of a big pie, than a big piece of a small pie. In January 2022, Partnership was the one word I chose to explain the bulk of my 2022 efforts. It’s part of the reason I went to so many conferences this year – to develop relationships with potential partners. I ended up partnering with two different groups and helped acquire $60M in real estate properties.

3. Focus on what you are good at. If you’re good at many different things, focus on what you like to do the most. When things get difficult, and they will, if you’re doing something you love to do, you’ll find the stamina to persevere.

4. Build your Brand and Build your network. You should always be building both. Everything you do should support these efforts. If you’re not building your reputation, it’s being built for you.

5. It’s better to be a farmer than a hunter. Just as a farmer nurtures an apple tree throughout the year before bearing fruit, a diligent person will nurture relationships. Relationships take time. My rule of thumb is to try to help someone (or offer to help) 10 times before asking for something in return.

6. Plan ahead financially. Do not rely on one stream of income. Create streams of passive income that can help weather the storms when they come. And they will come. Whether you’re a W2 income earner relying on a company to pay you or an entrepreneur responsible for your own paycheck, diversify your income. Your future self will thank you.

7. The only constant is change. Learn to accept it and even welcome it. Success comes to those who are able to adapt the quickest. This is something I witnessed alongside hundreds of other entrepreneurs through my 10-year membership with Entrepreneurs’ Organization – LA North.

8. Don’t gamble with wall street. Invest in hard assets that you can control.

9. Tax is the penalty the government gives you for not doing what they want you to do. Robert Kiyosaki’s book The Four Quadrants, explains this well. There are reasons the government provides tax incentives for real estate investments. The tax code encourages taxpayers to invest in Real Estate and stay in real estate.

10. Do Good. Find your passion and do good when no one is watching and when no one is posting to social media. For me, I try to do this for my kids. As it’s been said, “It is all worth it, if you made a difference in a child’s life.”

To Your Freedom,

-Chad and CSQ Properties Team