{{first_name | Loyal Reader}},
I just got back from the Beverly Hills Family Office Club Summit. If you have been in these rooms, you know the vibe. It is full of principal investors, high net worth individuals, and people managing serious capital mandates.
I don’t go for the "rah-rah" energy or the fluff. I go because these events are vital for meeting the right strategic partners for the private-only deals we are buying in the real estate world.
However, this session was different. I met William Branum, an ex-Navy SEAL, who gave us a reality check that was more actionable than any "motivational" speech I have heard in years.
He asked us all to get N.A.K.E.D.
It is one of the best frameworks I have ever heard for anyone operating in high-pressure environments like real estate and capital raising:
Never quit, Accept failure, Kill mediocrity, Expose your fears, and Do the work
Never quit: Business is tough when rates are high and when capital is sitting on the sidelines. But quitting isn’t an option. Even when shiny objects or distractions make it impossible to avoid, STAY THE COURSE.
Accept failure as data: Not every deal closes. Not every venture is profitable. If you treat a failure as a terminal defeat, you are finished. If you treat it as data on how to structure the next one better, you are growing.
Kill mediocrity in your diligence: Family offices can smell a half-baked pitch from a mile away. If your numbers are soft or your presentation is sloppy, you lose credibility forever. Success requires an obsession with the details that others overlook, paired with unashamed and relentless persistence.
Expose your fears to your partners(including your spouse): We often think we have to be bulletproof to attract partners, acquisitions, or capital. The truth is that transparency about risks builds more trust than a polished lie. Being honest about what keeps you up at night regarding a deal makes you a more attractive partner.
Do the work when no one is watching: Success is not found on the stage at a conference. It is found in the spreadsheets, the late-night due diligence, and the relentless follow-up calls that happen when the crowd is gone.
The Reality Check at Home
My son, Atlas.
I recently shared a story on LinkedIn about my son wanting to play catch (you can read it here). I almost let a business phone call take priority. We often hide behind the word "busy" as if it is a shield against the things we are failing at in our personal lives. We stay in a "sleep" where we do not realize how deaf we are to our life's calling outside of the office.
If you’re in the mood for a reality check:
Open your phone.
Open your photo gallery.
Scroll through your albums or automated photo organizer by year and search from three to 15 years ago.
Look at how small your kids or grandkids were.
Realize it’s all melting away while chasing your next deal.
Final Thoughts:
Be ruthless in your business
It’s time to get N.A.K.E.D. and fix what is broken before the clock runs out
Be present in your home
Stop using "busy" as a badge of honor to mask being absent
Wishing you success this week,
Andrew LeBaron
P.S. I’m active on LinkedIn. Let’s connect.
P.S.S. I’m new to YouTube (I’m trying!) and could use more feedback, what real estate and capital markets content interest you most? Feel free to reply to this email and let me know.
FAMILY OFFICE CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS
The Beverly Hills Family Office Club Super Summit was well organized and offered many new connections. Some highlights:
Dined with ex-NFL athletes, centimillionaires, and the lead of a firm who has allocated over $1B in the last few years.
I had a lengthy and insightful conversation with an early investor in NVIDIA who needs to move over $30M of personal and family money in the next 6 months.
F6 Partners’ founder, Marcus Ridgeway, who co-founded Invitation Homes with Blackstone, spoke at the conference and shared how he was trusted to place $4.5B of Blackstone’s capital.
(If you’d like to watch his talk on scaling an institutionally backed residential real estate platform, reply to this email and I’ll send it over to you.)
MULTI-SECTOR REAL ESTATE DASHBOARD
RESIDENTIAL ACTIVE INVENTORY
