Taking On The Role Of a Leader

Intro
Hi. My name is Rod Khleif, and I’m the host of “The Lifetime Cash Flow Through Real Estate Investing” podcast. And every week, I interview Multifamily Rock Stars, and we talk about how they built incredible wealth for themselves and their families through multifamily properties. So hit the “Like” and “Subscribe” buttons to get notified every Monday when a new episode comes out. Let’s get to it.

Rod
Welcome back to Multifamily Rock Stars. So, as you guys know, this is where we interview people that are crushing it in our business, and we show you the inside scoop as to how multifamily investors are just killing it in creating massive success in their businesses and also in their lives. And as always, I’ve got my co-host, who is the director of my massive action team, Mark Nagy on the call. Mark, what’s up, buddy?

Mark
Well, I was just super gracious this morning. I was looking at all the podcasts that we have done in the past, what, year and a half, and I think we’re at, I don’t know, 75 to 100 of these things now. That I was just [inaudible]

Rod
Just of the Rock Stars version. Right.

Mark
Just of the Rock Stars about a year and a half ago, which is just super overwhelming how far it’s come and how many students we’ve had on here. So, you know, probably I have another one on here, but I was just looking at that.

Rod
Well, I’ll tell you, this is a very, very special one. I’m just going to tell you that right now. This is one of my favorite people on the planet who happens to be a Warrior. Her name is Julie Holly, and she is just a beautiful human being, period. But she’s an award-winning podcast host. We’ll let her tell you that story. She’s a GP in over 300 doors and a limited partner in another 300. Her podcast is called “The Conscious Investor” now, but there’s a story there. And anyway, just a real delight to see you and have you on the show, Julie.

Julie
Oh, gosh, Rod. Okay, I have to say this every time because I’m a firm believer that leaders and people who are facilitating these amazing opportunities for others to grow really don’t get recognized. And I just want to take a moment. I will do this every time. I am so grateful, and I’m sure everyone listening, just make sure you, you know, send Rod a note. Send him a message.

Rod
Oh, yeah. You just sent me a card, too. Sweetie, I forgot to thank you.

Julie
Let him know the role he’s playing in your life because you know what? We got to fuel everybody that’s fueling us. So, I just want to say you’ve changed my life. I am so appreciative of what you’ve created.

Rod
Oh, thank you for that. Thank you for that. And I forgot to call you and thank you for your sweet card. I hung it on my wall and then realized that, yeah. Anyway, I’m old. That’s my excuse. But listen, you know, tell the story. I know you joined the Warrior program at the L.A. boot camp. I think there’s a story there. Go ahead and just take it away from there.

Julie
Oh, gosh.

Rod
Tell us a little bit of your history, you know, how you ended up being a Warrior, and, you know, bring us current, if you would.

Julie
Thank you. Okay, so, I mean, a lot of us have this real estate experience. A lot of people have this, okay, we started in the whole single-family space, and my husband and I were the same. Like, we had residential experience and we had this heart just like which is part of most Warriors that every Warrior I know is always into giving and contribution. And our whole goal was, hey, let’s just live a modest lifestyle and we will help improve the lives of residents one house at a time. And then you know what? After you have your second child, you’re kind of like, this feels very vulnerable and this feels very uncomfortable. And what’s going to happen if, you know, something major happens? I know we have reserves, but it just wasn’t feeling like a pencil out. The cash flow, we had great cash flow on them, but it just didn’t feel as solid and secure as I wanted. And so we actually exited that path. And in that exit, I discovered– I got complacent. And Rod, you know me well enough to know it’s like, of course, I’m going to be like, go-getter. You know, wait, I need something to do. And we have this money sitting in the bank and I’m like, honey, I can’t handle it anymore. We need to do something. That’s when I discovered apartment syndication. But I also was aware, I should say, and, I don’t like the word but it usually doesn’t work very well. And I was aware that I wasn’t going to be able to make the growth I needed in the syndication space on my own. And that was a huge thing because I’m an athlete that’s into solo sports. I ran track, I was a rock climber, which you have a partner, but you’re out there on your own, really, I mountain bike. I do these things that are solo sports. And so, then I enter into this space where this is a team. This is a whole– I need a team. I can’t do this alone. I was struggling, trying to figure everything out on my own and going through guidelines and books and like, okay, did I do that? Do I did– It was just taking forever. So we attended an event and we thought, okay, let’s go to this event. We’re going to check it out. And they tried to sell us on this program and we had sticker shock and we were like, wow, that’s a lot of money. And we didn’t feel that that program had everything that we needed. Lo and behold, I have a friend and I’m saying, hey, where can I meet you in person? We know each other online and that lands me, oh, I’m going to be at Rod Khleif’s boot camp in L.A. in January. And I’m like done. I’ll get to meet you and another business partner. This is going to be fantastic. The rest is like I cannot even describe to you, Rod, I don’t think– I’ve never shared this with you. When we went into the program, I was literally got teary-eyed. I was like I have never had this type of connection soak– and I’m a quick connector, but on a business level and to have somebody like you, Rod, who is saying, okay, hey, I had all of this and I lost everything, and now I was able to rebuild it. And now I can show you because my tendency is to be a workaholic. My tendency is to miss-prioritize things. And the people that I love the most would take the brunt of that. And I knew when I was looking into, okay, if I need a mentorship program, I need someone that’s going to speak to all of these parts of who I am. And that’s what I found and discovered as I sat through the entire boot camp in L.A. And I’m like this is– Rod can guide me. He’s already experienced this and I don’t have to go through that pain. And I can learn. And not only can I learn how to totally kick butt in apartment investing, but I can also learn how to live the most extraordinary, abundant life possible.

Rod
Wow, that was terrible, you know. That’s just so painful to suffer through that. Oh, my goodness. Oh, thank you, sweetie. That was very kind of you to say that and I’m very grateful to you. So you join the Warrior program and, you know, now you’re killing it. But talk about the podcast because you know– in fact, let me pre-frame it. Let me pre-frame what you’re going to say before you do. So, you know, if you guys ever come to one of my events, you’ll regularly hear me say, don’t do that. Ask me how I know. Okay? Because I’ve made every freaking mistake you can possibly make on the planet, and in fact– and then at one point, one of the Warriors, Eric gave me a shirt that said “#AskedMeHowIKnow”. And now we print them and we give them out at the event just because it’s funny. So there’s the pre-frame. So talk about your podcast.

Julie
Well, I knew– now, listeners, you need to know I’m geographically landlocked. I live in the middle of nowhere on the Canadian border, very far North Idaho, a town of 2500.

Rod
Wow.

Julie
And a ginormous county of 10,000. But if you saw the square footage, you’d be like, how would anyone know each other? And as I discovered, you know, this whole apartment syndication, this is the place I need to be. I know this is my contribution to the world and my purpose. And everything aligned. It was perfect. I thought, how am I ever going to get to know anyone? I mean, meet-up groups are going to take me eight hours and I was a public school teacher at the time. Like I’m not going to get home at 3:00 in the morning on a weeknight and try to go to work. And I had already just decided and determined, I can start a podcast. If I start a podcast, then I’m going to be able to serve everyone well because it’s always about, how does everybody win in this situation? Well, I get to win because I get to meet extraordinary people. The extraordinary people get to win because I get to share their message and market them and help get their message out. And all the listeners get to win. I’m like, this is perfect. I’m podcasting. But I didn’t have a podcast name. I don’t think I’ve ever told you this. I was starting my recording, just like figuring out how to record over Christmas break. And the boot camp was in mid-January or so. So, I’d already been working on the podcast to some extent. I had no idea what to title the podcast. Nothing was sticking. And I was frustrated. And so there we are at the boot camp, and I keep hearing you say, ask me how I know. Ask me how I know. And that was the heartbeat of exactly what my whole podcast, the thesis of it was, hey, I’m going to bring on experts and they’re going to share their horror stories, basically, so that we can all never repeat them. And then here I am at the boot camp where you are literally living that, sharing the horror stories, so that we don’t have to relive them. And then just saying, ask me how I know, but I have this amazing husband. And he’s like, you can’t you know, he didn’t say you can’t. He’s like, I would encourage you to reach out to Rod and ask for his, you know, just seal of approval. That it’s okay. It’s his catchphrase, and it’s a small world. I’m like, okay, fair enough. And I send you this email, Rod, remember, I have this–

Rod
I don’t remember, but please refresh my memory.

Julie
It should be on my board. I noticed it’s not over there. I’m going to have to print it off today. So I send you this email, a very humble email. I’m a nobody. We met for all of like five seconds. Actually, you were very present. You were very present then, just as you were in Denver and Orlando. At every event that we’re at, you’re very, very present with everyone, which is amazing. I don’t know how you do that because that sucks a lot of energy from someone. You’re amazing.

Rod
Thank you.

Julie
So I send this email like I’m a nobody. Here’s my plan. Can I please borrow your catchphrase? And then you respond back, oh, I’m so honored. What? You’re honored that I sent you an email asking– no, you’re like, I’m so honored that you would even ask. This means so much to me. Please do, borrow it. And how else can I support you? And we had already signed up. We had just signed up for the Warrior program and everything, but it was just this whole concept of you would have said that no matter who I was just by nature of who you are because you’re so generous and kind. And so, “Ask Me How I Know: Multifamily Stories of Struggle to Success” was born, and in the last fall, it was rebranded to “The Conscious Investor” because everything grows and we start out as a little fuzzy caterpillar and then we grow into butterflies.

Rod
I love it. And I love that title as well. That says so much in the title, you know. You’re not just an investor, you’re conscious. You’re aware of what you’re doing, you know. And there are so many sub, you know, underlying thought processes you can have with that name. So I love it but thank you for your sweet, kind words. Enough of the gushy stuff because people are probably vomiting listening to this thing, but I appreciate it.

Mark
I wanted to jump that over to multifamily as well. For the listeners, of course, was your initial goal to, like, with this podcast, build a network, you know, potentially raise money, did that shift over time? What was your goal of starting this podcast relating to multifamily and how’s that change or worked out for you?

Rod
Good question.

Julie
That’s a really great question. Okay, so I initially started the podcast just so I could step out of obscurity. I’m like, how this little small town girl– and every problem has a solution. And so we just have to think creatively and say, okay, here are the things that I am working with. And my goal is I want to be connected within, that I want to know people, I want to have these relationships and I want to learn. And so instead of boohooing and, you know, being in a fetal position, like, you know, this isn’t going to work out for me, it’s like, no, this is the most adequate solution. And it turned out to be fantastic. I did not track numbers for my first year and a half. I wasn’t concerned about that because the purpose was I need to connect with people. I need to develop meaningful relationships and I want to serve the community and create my position as a person of I come alongside and I serve the community, lift people up and help them, you know, elevate their lives as well.

Rod
Let me interject something. So, guys, those of you listening, you know, we live in the greatest time on earth to do what Julie did. Okay? What I’ve done. And in fact, I just literally just finished– no it’s not– I got two bonus modules to shoot tomorrow, but I’m actually just finishing a course on crushing it in social media. It will be done– my Warriors get it for free, but I may put it out there for a small amount. But it’s awesome. It’s like 12, 14 modules about every social media platform out there. But, see, our business is a team sport, like Julie said, and to be a team sport, you’ve got to build relationships with other people on a team. You know, I talk about the Warriors’ own somewhere between, gosh, I think we’re upwards of 80, 90,000 doors now, that we know of, and almost all of those were done between Warriors, and definitely all of them were done in teams. And so, you know, I know you’ve got Warriors involved in just about everything you’ve done, Julie, I think you mentioned that before we started recording. But the reason I say we live in the greatest time on Earth is because you can start a podcast. Now, it doesn’t cost hardly anything. You can start a meet-up group, you can do a LinkedIn channel, a Facebook group, and, you know, there’s so many– a TikTok, good God. I’ve had stuff go viral on TikTok recently, and I get sucked into that stupid thing. But, you know, so there are just so many ways to create that reach and build relationships and add value. And, so, you know, what I say in the course, and I’ll just say this now, is the key things to think about is being consistent, number one, and adding value, number two. And, you know, I know that you went into this thing with a servant’s heart, Julie, which is why, you know, I know you won an award a while back and you were like, top ten or something as a–

Julie
A few, actually.

Rod
A few? Really? Wow.

Julie
Yeah.

Rod
Okay. See? Well, there you go. And so, you know, and when you focus on adding value and serving, you know, power moves to those who serve. And so, you know, I just want to salute you for, you know, coming at it from that place, which is why you’re successful and which is why, you know, you’re really getting super connected out there as well. So just my hats off to you, sweetie. Yeah.

Julie
Thank you. I want to double down on that consistency and that you don’t see– and, you know, Mark, you mentioned this. Wow, we have, you know, over 100 episodes like this with Warriors were– I mean, the consistency. I have released at least two episodes every single week since March 2nd of 2020. Whether I was feeling good, whether I was feeling bad, whatever, however I was feeling. That mindset episode and that industry professional episode came out every single week. And now there are you know 300ish maybe a little more episodes available, but it just stacks. And the next thing, I just started blogging on my website and I looked at it the other day and I thought, holy cow, I already have a lot of posts here. I thought I just started. So if you just dedicate yourself and be consistent, don’t worry about getting immediate results. Be concerned about– just show up consistently because not only– and here’s something for everyone listening, if you’re trying to raise capital, if you’re trying to develop credibility in the eyes of investors, there is no better way to develop credibility than to say, oh, look, I’ve shown up consistently in this fashion for all these times. You can track how– this is how I operate. It’s just living proof of exactly who you are and your ethics, and it’s tangible for anyone.

Rod
People of– you know, I will tell you, I’m sure it’s happened to you. You get on a phone call with someone that’s listening to you for a while, and they’re like, God, I feel like I know you because your voice has been in my head so much and I get that all the time. I’m sure you do too.

Julie
Yes.

Rod
And it’s beautiful. But let me just say this as well as it relates to that topic. You know, when you do a podcast or host a meet-up group or any sort of an interview format like that, you’re perceived as an expert, even if you’re just the one asking questions and pulling expert tidbits out of the person you’re interviewing. And so you’re kind of acting as if, you’re faking it till you make it, as it were. And so, it’s a fantastic way to build credibility, you know, while you’re learning this business as well. You don’t have to know it all. So, I just you know, want to hammer that home as well.

Mark
By the way, really good topic. We’ll talk about money raising. I want to hear from Julie in a second, but I always use a good analogy. It’s like a doctor. You go into a doctor’s office and, you know, before you even talk about your symptoms or anything like that, the doctor just starts pitching you something, a product, right? Just based on what he thinks. You’re not going to trust that doctor, right, versus if you go into Doctor B and they start asking you questions about you, oh, what are your symptoms, how long have you been doing this for, you’re going to perceive that person as an expert. Same sort of idea with raising money. But I’ll pass it over to you, Julie. What do you think are some tips for raising money that aren’t commonly talked about like in the educational space that you hear a lot?

Julie
Oh gosh. Actually, I’m just going to have to say that the number one tip is the most talked about and it is this most simplistic thing and everyone overlooks it. Talk about what you do, talk about what you do. Talk to every single person you know about what you do. And when we are new to something, we feel insecure, I will say, sorry, let me go back to me. I felt insecure. I didn’t feel that I was adequate where I could answer all their questions. And I played the narrative of what if. And now, this period in, I’m having these conversations, I actually have local investors, which is a big deal. I’m really excited about that.

Rod
You snagged some out of that giant 2500-person pool. Wow

Julie
And that’s growing. But it’s amazing. Now, people ask me what I do because I talk about it. And so, part of that is personal branding. And if you are not personally branding yourself, you are missing out. So Rod, the content you are creating on social media, it is so important. And it’s not just about social media. It’s about, you know, it’s a digitized reputation is what that is. And it’s really important that people see and perceive you and know who you are and what you do. So getting to know people is like the number one– and I know everybody talks about it, but my dad always told me, he’s like, you know what? You can tell everyone how to make a million dollars and only one person is pro– if that will even take action and actually do it.

Rod
Yeah. What do they say? The teacher will appear when the student’s ready. And that’s really how it works. You know, I want to tell you, you know– now, I lost my train of thought. Well, when you’re building these relationships, even if you’re not knowledgeable– oh, this is what I was going to say. You know you heard me say to my boot camp, if they hold still long enough, they need to know what it is you do. Period.

Julie
Yes.

Rod
Okay? And you’ve just got to be a super networker. And the best networkers are the ones that have the most sincere, deep curiosity in the person that they’re talking to. It’s not about volume. It’s about quality. Okay? Now, the volume will come if you keep doing it consistently, but it’s really about those deep, curious relation– you know, interactions with people. Those are the best networkers. And as it relates to networking, you know, if you don’t have all the answers, but you can certainly have all the questions. And if you ask people questions, it’s like, you know, Dale Carnegie’s book, “How to Win Friends and Influence People”. It’s all about asking questions and taking a genuine, sincere interest in the other person. And you don’t have to be an expert. You can just ask the questions. They’ll think it’s the greatest conversation, you know, that they ever had. But, anyway, yeah.

Julie
And, on that, you know, to go a little further on that, Rod, if we’re asking questions and we’re getting to know people, we are valuing them. And I’m sure that you’ve both had this experience where you’re talking with people, and it could be about multifamily syndications or about something in life, but if you are listening to what they are, maybe you actually don’t have what they need, but you’re the connector to what they need.

Rod
Right. Now, that’s super networking right there. When you are connecting people together, that’s super networking. And that’s one of the biggest, I think, advantages of the Warrior group, is we facilitate that. You know, when new Warriors come in, we connect them with people, you know, in their geographic area. We send a list to them. We have breakouts so that they can connect randomly after on our bi-weekly Q and A’s, we have our Warrior-Only events. We got one of those coming up soon and, you know, all of that. By the way, if you are interested in applying to the Warrior program, text the word “crush” to “72345” so we can help you freaking crush it in this business. Again, that’s “crush” to “72345”. And, you know, we will check you out and you’ll check us out. We do not take everybody, and that’s an absolute statement. But I promise you, if you set up a call with my team, you will leave that call better than when you got on that call. That’s a given whether we work together or not.

Julie
And you’ll make the best investment you’ve ever made in your life.

Rod
Oh, that’s kind of you to say that.

Mark
You tell her to say that, by the way.

Rod
No, no, no.

Julie
I hope that you don’t– because, you know, here’s the thing and I was going to touch on this, and then you went that way, Rod. But I was going to say like when you join the– like joining the Warrior program, I’ve been a part of other groups in life, right? But this is truly a– it always feels like a family reunion. It feels like getting together with people that you have deep relationships with. And it is the single most active group I have participated in on social media where people are genuinely showing up, checking the group, so it’s not stale and complacent and people are genuinely cheering each other on and people are– I mean, everybody is showing up. And if somebody is new, it’s like everybody’s happy that they’re there and you feel the sincerity of it and then you get to events and everybody’s happy to see each other and meet in person. I have not experienced anything like that before. So it’s a very special.

Rod
Thank you. Thank you. And something else that was kind of cool that came up when we had our Denver boot camp. We awarded ten people into our– for the first time into our Warrior Hall of Fame. And it was a very interesting distinction that I noticed because we threw up a PowerPoint slide for each person, talking about who they were and what they’ve accomplished, but then on every single slide, they do something charitable. Every single one of the ten did something charitable, some way to make the world a better place. And I was just like, man, I am so freaking proud of that. That’s part of the culture that we’ve created. So, you know, I know this is kind of a, you know, sounds like a big sales pitch. It’s not. I actually feel like we fail every single person that doesn’t join our program. And I believe that because I see the incredible success that our students have. But anyway, I’m babbling.

Mark
One thing I wanted to mention before we end as well and this is kind of– since we’re talking about this, of adding value, another thing that you do, I know, is accountability group. Now, you know, you can say I don’t know if this is just for the Warriors or if other people are allowed into this group or what it is. You can mention that if you want, but what do you think are the typical reasons that people end up joining groups like that that you run an accountability group, and then what sort of value do they usually get from that group?

Julie
Yeah, well, okay, so I don’t currently run a traditional accountability group any longer, but during the pandemic, how do I serve? And serving means we need to take care of ourselves. We can’t take care of others if we don’t take care of ourselves. And so, I do have lots of ways to support people. So you are welcome to reach out to me if you need support. However, one of the best ways that anyone can create an immediate accountability group or whatever it is that you need is, this is how I did it. I said, we’re going into a pandemic. There’s going to be a ton of fear, there’s going to be uncertainty, and I understand my relationship with these things. How am I going to thrive in this situation? And then I figured out what it was that I needed. And I believe that we are all snowflakes. I didn’t always believe that, but we are all snowflakes, and we are all very, very unique.

Mark
Snowflakes.

Julie
Yes, I know. I used to poop through that whole thing.

Rod
I’m not sure I love that descriptor, but please continue.

Julie
You’re going to love it in this way. But we all have the human condition and we all have shared human needs. And so while I could be unique, there are lots of other people that have those exact same needs. And so I figured out, okay, this is what I believe I need in order for me to thrive. Not just like, get through this, but I want to thrive at any point, any given time. So take that. This is what you can do as a listener. Just figure out what are my pain points, where are my little gaps, and what would help me thrive. For me, that was outside accountability. That’s when I launched a book club. I launched an accountability group because I like outside accountability. It’s healthy for me and it’s productive. And so, I created a group of six people, and there’s one person that fell off, every five of us, crushing it to this day. Absolutely crushing it. And it’s so exciting. So you don’t have to have– you can simply, wherever you are, just figure out, what do I need? Because I am special. But there are other people that have this shared need, and I can serve them and help myself at the same time.

Rod
So you meant uniqueness by the snowflake metaphor. Okay. That I love. That I absolutely love.

Mark
Yeah. That I was thinking of that as well. Yeah.

Rod
And, you know, the focus is on thriving, not just surviving, and I love that as well. And we’ve got lots of these little subgroups inside of the Warrior group.

Julie
Yes.

Rod
And people create them underwriting group, accountability group, mini Mastermind, and so on and so forth. It’s just extraordinary to see this living, breathing ecosystem that we’ve created. But listen, it is such a treat. I have to shut this down because I’ve got a crazy day today, but it’s been such a treat to see you, Julie, and I really appreciate you coming on. Guys, check out her “Conscious Investor” podcast. I think you can see what a beautiful human being she is, and I’m just really grateful to get to see you today and spend a little time with you.

Julie
Awesome. Thank you so much. Great to hang out with you, guys.

Mark
A gold nugget. Before we really end here that I wanted to touch on really quickly, that you just said. For people thinking, hey, I need accountability, I need XYZ, instead of going and joining a group, go to the next level and create the group, because that will take it to the next level.

Rod
Yeah. I love it.

Mark
And that was a golden nugget that, you know, most people oh, I should join an accountability group. No, create one, and that will take it to the next level.

Rod
Very easy to do that.

Mark
That’s a great tip there. Yeah.

Rod
That is a great tip. Thank you. All right, well, thanks again, Julie. Mark, good to see you, buddy.

Mark
Thanks, guys.

Rod
We’ll talk to you guys later. Thanks. Bye now.

Julie
Thanks.

Outro
Rod, I know a lot of our listeners are wanting to take their multifamily investing business to the next level. Now, I know you’ve been hard at work helping our Warrior students do just that using our “ACT” methodology, which is Awareness, Close, and Transform. Can you explain to the listeners how they can get our help?

Rod
You bet. Guys, we’ve been going non-stop for three years, building an amazing community of like-minded people, and our coaching students which we call our Warriors have had extraordinary results. They’ve purchased thousands and thousands of units and last year we did over 1000 units with our students. And we’re looking to grow this group and take it to the next level. We’re looking for people who want to follow a proven framework that’s really step by step and then leverage our systems and network to raise equity, to find and close deals, and to build partnerships nationwide. Now, our Warrior community is finding success in any market cycle. So if you’re interested in finding out more about how you can become more of our incredible network and take advantage of the incredible opportunities that are coming very soon, apply to work with us at “MentorWithRod.com” or text the word “CRUSH” to “72345”, and we’ll set up a call so you can check us out and we can check you out. Again, to apply, text “CRUSH” to “72345”.