10 years ago today my dad took me to a free weekend teaser seminar hosted by Russ Whitney.
The market bubble was in full swing and I was pretty much broke. Â I had no car, no job & a recently bankruptcy. Â Thank God I had Dad.
I remember being so excited and thinking, “Wow! Â I could do this” and then deflating that hope when they presented us with the option to proceed with “Advanced Training” for 3 days at a cost of $2,000. Â I knew better than to even ask my dad to cover something so expensive. Â I knew we couldn’t afford it.
Imagine my astonishment when Dad turned and said, “We’re doing this!” Â I have chills now as I write this post just thinking of that moment-that turning point in my life when my dad’s decision changed everything for me.
That wasn’t the end of the story. Â The “Advanced Training” turned out to be an extended pitch for even more training. Â Once again I was blown away when my dad struck a deal with another attendee at the event for he and I to split the package. Â I figured my dad would go and bring back the knowledge.
Then my dad turned and said, “This real estate business is for you. Â I’m staying back and you’re going to the training. Â I’m an HVAC guy-not a real estate guy” Â And he still is.
Off to Florida I went to learn how to invest in real estate (without any of my own money). Â Diamond Equity Investments (D.E.I.) was born a short while later. Â That was 2006. Â Fast forward to 2016 and I’ve closed more than 400 deals and now flip houses and wholesale contracts in Chicago, Philadelphia, & Florida.
I didn’t realize this was 10 years already-this weekend-until Dad called and reminded me yesterday.  I remember how it was the year before 2006-before real estate.  I couldn’t seem to get a job since I had no college degree and no transportation.
The summer before real estate, in 2005, since I really had nothing to do, I would take the bus to my dad’s house to work on his house.  I’d bring my daughter and she used to think it was this great adventure-taking the city bus-because she was only 4 at the time.  I wasn’t really working for my dad-there was no negotiated pay or anything.  I just had this urge to go do the work.  By the end of the summer my dad and I have renovated our first house-HIS!
When I was growing up, my dad always used to tell me that you have to put the wood in the fire before the fire will give you heat. Â What he was teaching me was to add value-to provide service-in faith before expecting better results. Â You can’t stand before an empty fireplace expecting to get warmth. Â You’ve gotta go out to the yard, chop the wood, fill the fireplace and then light the fire. Â THEN you get the heat.
I didn’t do the work on his house with any expectations. Â I didn’t expect a payday at the end or even wages for my time spent. Â He gave me just enough money to eat. Â Six months later is when he made the investment in the real estate education on my behalf.
It wasn’t until a year or two later that Dad told me he made that investment because of my actions that summer before. Â My work without any future promise and no guarantees. Â My diligence in sticking with that renovation day after day even though I wasn’t getting paid. Â Because I put the wood in the fire, he provided the heat-or my entry point into the real estate investment business.
Thank You Dad for believing in me before I believed in myself.  I know I couldn’t have gotten  to this point without you!
