I had to practice the 5-Second Rule (Mel Robbins) this week in order to drag myself back to the microphone but here I am! Let’s get back into our stride with a compare and contrast between no less than 14 different people at different stages of their TPV Property Apprentice journey.
I like to share these snippets to give you a fly on the wall insight into how people are looking at using property for freedom, lifestyle and choice in their own lives. Perhaps you can relate to some of them; including the 5 Young Apprentices?
14 stories with a common aim...to make a change, make a difference and make it happen!
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Transcription of the show
I had to practice the 5-Second Rule (Mel Robbins) this week in order to drag myself back to the microphone but here I am! Let’s get back into our stride with a compare and contrast between no less than 14 different people at different stages of their TPV Property Apprentice journey.
I like to share these snippets to give you a fly on the wall insight into how people are looking at using property for freedom, lifestyle and choice in their own lives. Perhaps you can relate to some of them; including the 5 Young Apprentices?
14 stories with a common aim...to make a change, make a difference and make it happen!
Property Chatter
Welcome to The Property Voice Podcast.
Helping you to navigate safely through the world of property investing.
Get the lowdown and updates, insights and outcomes on all matters property.
With a splash of entertainment along the way.
The Property Voice. A voice to trust among the crowd. Now, let's get started with your host, Richard Brown.
Hello. And welcome to another episode of The Property Voice Podcast. My name is Richard Brown and as always, it's a pleasure to have you join me again on the show today. I'm kind of smiling to myself, because I've done the Mel Robins five, four, three, two, one rule, the five-second rule. I've forced myself to get back into the groove to record this podcast this week. I've taken a bit of time out, which was much needed, actually. And I know you've had a couple of sneak peeks into some interviews I've done for Third Party's over the last few weeks or so, but I haven't felt like it, in all honesty, and I've just been procrastinating and putting things off. But Mel is actually one of these people who, if you've read any of her work or seen her YouTube videos, she's a very down-to-earth, straight talking person. Deeply rooted in psychology and learned from her own experiences. And the five-second rule, by the way, is exactly why I practiced to sit down tonight and to put together this podcast episode for you.
And of course, not content with just maybe doing a simple 10-minute intro and talking about something that's been going on or filling you in on what's been happening in the last few months, I decided to piece together some of the insights I've had from some of the apprentices I've been working with. I've got three different groups for apprentices. Some coming towards the end, some are just starting out. So what I thought I'd do is just introduce you to them or at least familiarize, refamiliarize yourself with some of them and their stories and where they're at now. So here we go. I'm just going to kick you off with the first group right now.
And actually, just to cue them in, so this is The Property Voice Apprentice Program number five, who I'm going to introduce you to right now. And we got Daniel, Monica, Silvana and Martin. And what I'm about to share is the workshop we had right at the end of the program. So right about 100 days in, essentially. And what was really interesting to me, and you'll hear in a minute, there's a bit of a contrast theme here in this episode. So I'm going to contrast, if you like, the apprentices who finished the 100-day program and some new apprentices who are starting up our 100-day program. And you'll perhaps hear some differences. And then equally, if that wasn't contrast enough, I'm going to follow that on with some young apprentices who are just starting too. So we'll get a slightly different dimension there too with the young apprentices, with the young apprentices who are starting, versus perhaps people who are a little bit more further down the track. So I find it interesting, hopefully you do too, I'll come back in a minute and just do a quick summary.
Here we are. It's the end of the TPV Apprentice Program. TPV four in the Apprentice Program. So we're just over the 100 days. Or just about the 100 days. We've just finished quite a long workshop and we've got some tired people, but hopefully some rewarded people, maybe? I don't know. And we're just going to share a little bit for the podcast and we've got a running order here. We've got a few nerves amongst us, so just be gentle while you listen to this playback. But Daniel, you're going to kick us off with just some thoughts about the program and what you found about it.
Yeah, well, I'll start with my goals. So, I just started the program. My someday goal has been to have a portfolio of properties which pays for the higher style lifestyle, really. A flexible lifestyle so I can travel wherever we find that's within reason. Also, to get the grandkids, and possibly kids, into private education. So in order to do this, I've been completing four to five conversions per year, which is like a shop with a title split into two flats. And let's see, the highlights, probably would be working with Richard and the rest of this team, because they're all sound people, a good group to get on with. And the accountability's been great. Any advice I could give for any future apprentice is just to ask as many questions as you can. And just try and use it as much as you can because the people in the group will help you. I have no doubt, because Richard vets them very well. And if not, Richard will definitely know somebody who can help you with any questions you've got. So that's it.
I couldn't help but smile when you're saying, "Ask a lot of questions." Because I think my nickname for you is you're The Sponge. You just soak everything up. And you've asked a lot of questions, Daniel, on the way, but you're a sponge and you've definitely put into practice and been utilizing everything that we've shared, so it's been an absolute pleasure to work with you over the last 100 days or so. Thank you.
Well, you get out what you put in, so if you can't put in extra for 100 days, then you're in the wrong place.
Absolutely. It's been a pleasure. Thanks, Dan.
For me too. Cheers.
Thanks for the kind words.
And I think we've got Monica up next.
Well, hello, everyone. My goal when I started the program was to transition from being a very hands-on HMO property investor to being more passive, just to give me more time to spend with my loved ones and to be able to make a difference in the lives of others, really. That was really my headline goal. In terms of how I thought I would get there, that has evolved through the program, really. I thought maybe by setting a property and gaining funds from there to invest passively, in terms of a JV would be the answer. But it didn't quite work out like that. But nonetheless, it has been testing and it has developed my own perspective in terms of how I get to my end goal of being more passive.
I think the highlight has been not just the revelation for me, in terms of how I achieve my property goals, but how I achieve more softer goals that mean a great deal to me, as well, which is in supporting others to get housing and to improve their education, to always give them access to education and skills development. So that's been something that has erupted within me. It's been there latent for many a decade, so that's been something that the program has really strung to the fore and something that I will be developing in the months and years to come. So that's been one of my greatest personal development growth areas.
In terms of what advice I'd give to anyone considering going on this program, I would say come at it with an open heart and an open mind, believing that anything is possible. And you'll be surprised. Yeah, you will be surprised. And there's a saying, an African saying that says, "When you want to raise up something, like a child, it takes everyone to do it, not just one person." And I just want to parallel that with one's property journey. You can only go so far on your own. You can only do so much on your own. It's very, very limited. And when you gather like-minded people around you, things just become possible. So, yeah. I definitely recommend it as a personal growth and development avenue for anybody who has a passion for property.
Thank you, Monica. I think two things really stand out for me. One is, how long have we been talking now before you got on the program?
Oh, three, four years. A long time.
Three or four years. And something within you just kept saying you need to do something and you need to change, I think, was the actual of that. So that was just the time, really, that we got to know each other over that period.
The second thing is, you must remember that conversation. Was it a Friday evening, I think? I think it was a Friday evening, where we were going to do a one-to-one and a thorough deep dive into your business plan. And I think we spent two to three hours, talking about that thing that was latent and dormant, lying within you. Do you remember that?
Yes. It is. Yes. It was a confrontation of the fact that it was there. It wasn't just latent, it was buried, I think, is the more apt reflection of it. Was buried under, I think, under concrete, I think was the better... yeah, and now I have to face it and bring it to life. I know I can't do it by myself, but I'm committed to it and I know with the help of others, great things will come of it.
Yeah. I'm looking forward to that and I think the fact that it's been dormant and has been always with you, for at least a couple decades, or round about a couple decades, I think, tells you it probably is your purpose. So, I'm glad we had that conversation. I think it might be-
Oh my.
... your life going forward might be a bit harder, as a result, but...
No doubt. No doubt.
I'm still glad. Thanks, Monica. I really appreciate you sharing and good working with you in the last few months. It's been great. I'm looking forward to what unfolds. And so, thanks Monica.
And so, I think we've got Silvana, who's also joined by Diego, so I don't know if you're both going to speak or just one of you is going to speak. But you're both welcome to.
Okay. I'm good too. So my name is Silvana. And my goal is to become financially free in five years' time. The strategy will be flips and buy to let. And also working as a sourcer and project manager. My biggest breakthrough moment has been the fact that I realized that I can work in property full time and I can work for myself. The highlight of the program is the guidance that you can get from it, and the knowledge that you can learn and acquire within a short time.
My greatest personal growth is the confidence that you can get from the program and aiming to face the challenges that come with the property. And what will I do differently as a result of the program? I will not leave my savings sitting into my bank account for years, doing nothing. That's for sure. And the advice I can give to the next people that are going to take part of the program is seek the guidance that you need. Ask the questions and surround yourself with supportive and positive team. That was all for me. Thank you.
Perfect. Thanks, Silvana. I think just to watch your personal growth and development over the past few months has been absolutely amazing. It's been really uplifting. And I think we had a conversation earlier in the group and I think there was a cue question about how things have changed for you. But, it's that self-belief and that confidence, that I would suggest, from my perspective. And I think it was summed up pretty well, when you talked about your husband, you then telling your husband that you're not just going to go for a single, you're maybe going to go for an HMO investment. And him looking at you, going, "What? Where's this 'We'll start easy' thing gone?" And now you're looking at something of a slightly more advanced strategy. So you've gone from not knowing what to do, stepping out into working full-time, having your savings put aside for, I think, several years now, ready, but not fully ready to make that step out. But you've now stepped out in more ways than one and it's been absolutely amazing to work with you over the last few months and see that transition. Thank you.
Thank you.
And thank you, Silvana. Of course, now we have Martin. Martin, welcome.
Hi, everyone. My name's Martin. My goal for the program was to replace my job and also most of my income with a fulfilling career in property. And I've put a date on that, by the end of next year. So let's see how we go on that. I also want to create freedom and flexibility to explore other areas of my life. Other interests, create new businesses, meet new people and develop new skills. My strategy will be HMOs outside of London. I've got one or two inside London and it's time to go further afield. The highlight of the program for me was my one-on-one calls with Richard, where I got to explore not only my strategy and my journey in property, but we talked about some of the bigger things in life, the bigger picture stuff, and some things around fulfillment, which were really great for me.
My biggest area of personal growth has been building my confidence in a new area of property. I'm very familiar with London and now I'm looking outside and there are a minefield of legislation and different competitive forces in those areas, so I've got to get my head around those and I've raised my gain there quite a lot. Still got some way to go, but it's been a good journey so far.
What will I do differently as a result of the program? Well, I can certainly get on with more certainty, confidence and clear direction and also a solid support. I didn't have this before. My strategy wasn't so clear. I knew I needed to take action, but I wasn't clear on what that action was. So that's all sorted now and it's all guns blazing, moving forward quickly.
Any advice I'd give to upcoming apprentices? Well, I would say to have faith in the process. And also yourself. Let a goal unfold and be open to changing direction along the way. You'll get to where you need to go, regardless. So have faith. And that's me, Richard.
Thanks, Martin. Thank you so much. It's amazing, I think, with all of you, by the way, but I learn as well. This is not just a one-way process. I think we've spoken about it a couple of times, Martin, that you've got skills and knowledge in other areas, which I've picked up along the way, too. And when you say things, like you wanted to develop confidence and develop the mindset, it's been an inspiration to me to watch that unfold as we've been going along. I know it was in you. I knew it was, from beginning. I think I've said to all of you that I have a vision for you of how you're going to develop from a fairly early stage.
And just, then, to watch it flourish. And I'm talking about you, specifically, now, Martin, here, to grasp that and some of the plans, you were telling me about what you were going to do next year, you didn't communicate that in the first couple of weeks, let's just say that. So the evolution, the belief, the mindset shift and the commitment. And thank you so much for the way you go about things. You are an absolute gentleman and a pleasure to work with. Thank you.
Thank you.
And really, just to all of you, I just want to extend that. It's an emotional time, this, for me, because I've got close to you and I've heard your innermost longings and dreams and plans and visions for the future. And I take them on board, personally. I try and invest as much as I can. It's been quite a difficult period I don't think any of us are going to forget. The last few months, just because we're in the middle of a global pandemic and yet you stuck with it on this Apprentice Program. To see the commitment, the support for one another, the way that you've gone about the tasks that we've agreed upon during the process and in-between sessions, you're an absolute pleasure to work with, all of you. A slight tear welling up in my eye, as it's come towards the end of the program. But it's been an absolute pleasure. I just want to wish you all the very best for the future. Go for it. Don't let anything get in your way and I'm always here for you. Okay?
Thank you. It was a pleasure.
Thank you.
You're welcome, guys.
Well, hopefully, you found that interesting. I certainly did. Actually, it's been a while since we recorded that session. So, apologies. The apprentices, for keeping you waiting to air that particular workshop. But actually, revisiting it sometime later has been really good. And partly, because, of course, people have moved on since it was recorded. And I was just reflecting back. Where are they today versus when they recorded that session and where are they versus where they started the program? So it was always really interesting to me. So first, we have Daniel, of course. And he talked about the group accountability that comes out of being on the Apprentice Program. He's subsequently gone into the mastermind program. And my nickname for him was The Sponge. I mean, literally, he pumped me with questions throughout the whole thing, which is absolutely fine. And he said, "Make the most of it." That was cool.
And Monica, of course, she talked a lot about making a difference, really. Making a difference in the lives of others and supporting others. She has this bigger goal. And I think we really dug deep to pull out a purpose that lay dormant and latent, and as she says, buried, very deeply within her during the course of the program. It does that. We don't just talk about our property strategy. That's not what the Apprentice Program is, although we do talk about property strategy. Of course, we do. But we go deeper than that. We go deeper into purpose and meaning and being the whole person. It can be quite philosophical at times. So we had some really interesting conversations and Monica was a great example of that. And it's, "What do we do next, Monica? What do we do next?"
Followed by Silvana. And Silvana was a great inspiration for me, because she was shy and sitting in the background and not really having a lot of knowledge. And so she lacked confidence, in all honesty. But if you would see her today, you'd see a different person. Of course, she's still learning and she's still putting into practice what she's set out to do, but she's in a much different place. And that was evidence, by the fact I reference, of course, the conversation we had, she had with her husband, whereas, I think pretty early in the program, her husband was talking about, "Maybe we could do HMOs as a strategy." She was like, "No, no, no, no. Start real easy. Start real easy." And she was in the program. She was like, "No, let's do HMOs. Let's do HMOs." So just the confidence. It was amazing to see that growth in her, that personal growth.
And similarly, with Martin. And Martin's a very experienced person who works in contracting and also he's got a lot of experience in personal finance and has developed, already, quite a substantial property portfolio. So to hear him talk about building confidence was a bit of a surprise. And I guess we don't really know what's going on with people below the surface, as a point. So it was fantastic to hear Martin talk about he's got a solid support around him. He's got clear direction and he's building the confidence. And as he said in the end, "Have faith in the process." I always use the phrase, "Trust the process." He sort of rebranded that, "Have faith in the process."
And literally, I'll follow that up with I have a vision. And I had a vision for every single one of the apprentices. Obviously, not before getting to know them. But I did and I was quite touched, as you probably could tell, by the end of the program, because I got quite close to these people and I wanted what they wanted, essentially. So stay tuned. Let's see what happens. Maybe we'll check in again. Just thinking about that, maybe we'll check in again.
I know this is a little bit, in a way, I wouldn't call it self-indulgent, because it's not about me, but it's indulgent in the lives of others. So it's a fly-on-the-wall expose, I guess. So hopefully, you're with me on this and appreciate the show and you can see the transformation. You can see the turnaround, you can see the progress, you can see the learnings from people as you piece it together as time goes by.
And this episode's actually quite good, because you get to contrast it. So, we're now contrasting different people at different stages in their journey. Anyway, that's about that. That was a summary from the apprentices on version four. Iteration four. And I'll just cue you in now. We're just going to hear from the people who started the very first, I think it was day one, of the fifth iteration of The Property Voice Apprentice Program. And I'll cue that up right now.
Okay. So we've just finished. This is the fifth iteration, or the fifth time, we've run The Property Voice Apprentice Program. Usual Richard style, we slightly overrun on the first call, which is all down to me. But we've had a fantastic sharing call, in particular, where we've all got to know one another. We've got five apprentices on this program, as well. So, one more than we've had in the past. So it's been great. But what I've asked the group to do is just to share a little bit about them. This is literally day one of the Apprentice Program. So I'm just going to... don't expect too much, in terms of the identified plans and strategies, et cetera. But this is more of an introduction about the apprentices, so you can get to know them and you can perhaps monitor a journey over the next 100 days. I'll dip in and out, of course, as I usually do. Perhaps every month.
But, to kick it off, we've got Darren. So, Darren, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you're looking to achieve.
Hi, okay. Yeah. So my name's Darren. 35, from Southwest U.K., in Bristol. And from this program, I'm hoping to pursue myself, well, my family, and so I can't state for sure that I have that set out yet, but certainly by the end of this program, I definitely want to know. Obviously, I have an understanding of the different strategies that I think are more suited towards what we're looking to do and ones that aren't, but I definitely need to refine that. It is on the top of the list. And because of the way our family is going to be set up, going to be in and out of the U.K. so definitely an objective of mine will be to be able to understand how I can manage a property business remotely, using technology that's available today. And I know that Richard has much experience in that field, so that's a plus point to me.
Just my aha moment, or my breakthrough moment. Well, I've had two, really. I guess I mean, it might sound cliché, but certainly Richard have called out, we kind of understanding at such a late age, for me, anyway, it's about to understand how money is... the different nuances, the things that you're not taught in school and how to get a handle on that and how to make money work for you. That's been my number one breakthrough moment. And slightly more personal one, I guess, was me and Richard. Again, might sound cliché, but just seeing him talk about the concept of being in the one percent thought and club on some of the forums that I've posted on and really struck home with me, resonated with me and made me really feel that that's where I should be heading in this property journey, is to be thinking like one percenters. So credit to you, Richard, for that. And looking forward to unraveling things in the next 100 days.
Fantastic. Thank you ,Darren. And thank you for that, so those kind words is really well appreciated. I think we're going to have different conversations here to mainstream, as we talked about during the call. So mainstream academic world, mainstream corporate world. We'll work around some slightly different conversations. So, I'm looking forward to having more of that and sharing with you over the next 100 days. Thank you, Darren. I appreciate that.
And so without much further ado, we've got Richard, I think, next, in the-
Thanks. I'm Richard. I'm in my 50s. I'm based in the south. My goal is to expand my somewhat basic property knowledge to get involved in more complex projects and take on more advanced things. From the program, I'm really looking for some structure and some shape to what I'm doing and a business plan and also to explore some ideas and bounce some ideas around the group.
And my aha moment is really, just in early discussions, it was told me I need to be wide open to if I was going on out there to be flexible, adaptable and take in all the different ideas that are going around and see what works for me. That's it.
Perfect. Thanks, Richard. Yeah, I know exactly what you're talking about. We had that conversation and we're having it now, as a group as well. The idea of masterminding and being open, as you say, to different ideas and different ways of thinking. That's the whole purpose of this type of forum, really. So, thanks so much for sharing. Looking forward to working with you over the next 100 days.
And so, I think we have Victor coming up next.
Yes. Hello. My name is Victor. I'm in Buckinghamshire. I'm 34-years-old. My goals are to transfer from my current business into property business and I'm very much looking forward to the next 100 days and I'm looking to create that pass from where I am now into my goal, to get fully involved in property business. So that's what I hope to get out of this 100 days. Yeah. And I'm really looking forward to working for the next 100 days.
Me too. I remember when you called me. I think it was a Saturday morning, and you caught me a little bit off guard, but we had a really good chin wag for about an hour-and-a-quarter or something like that. My wife was tapping her watch, saying, "We need to go out and do some shopping." But I really enjoyed that initial conversation. I'm looking forward to working with you, because I know you've got this entrepreneurial flair about you, Victor, and I'm looking forward to how we can translate that into the property world. So, thanks for joining us, and looking forward to it.
Thank you so much.
You're welcome.
So, Dave, I think we've got you coming up next.
Yep. My name's Dave. I'm 36, from Bucks. I guess my aim for the program is to create clarity on a clear roadmap, which will really accelerate my journey to becoming financially free and giving me the option to escape the rat race. And I guess what I've learned in my very short time on this program is actually, although our group have a very similar objective in property, we're actually all built very differently and I can tell that collectively, we're all going to contribute and bring different skills and traits to the table, which are very much going to help each others' journeys along. So I can really see richness in the diversity of our group. So I'm really looking forward to the journey.
Yeah. Me too. And thanks, Dave. I think that diversity, that wealth of different experiences and outlooks is a strength. It's a collective strength and I'm sure it's going to work out really well for you and for the rest of the group as well. So good to have you aboard, with your particular strengths, by the way.
And I guess, by no means least, we have James.
Hi. So, I'm James, 38, from London. I'm looking to take a step up in my property journey from single lets to moving to more advanced strategies, with a higher cash flow during this 100 days, which I'm really looking forward to. I'm hoping to learn and develop. I'm really excited about becoming part of a network of like-minded people, which will be a first for me in property. Something I should've done a long time ago. But I'm here now, and really excited to get started. My aha moment's probably completing the wealth dynamics process, learning a little bit more about myself and how I work and as an investor and perhaps how I should look to move forward and also how I fit into a team. So it'll be interesting to see how that works, because from other people, what they've said, they've come up with different profiles, so it'll be interesting to see how we all slop together and feed off of each other.
Yeah. Perfect. Thank you, James. I think we've got a nice mixture of the different profiles, as you referred to, in this group, and that's one of the reasons why we do that profiling and we can see what the collective strengths are. So I think we mentioned more than once, obviously, equally with the different experience levels in the group. We've got some people with quite a lot of experience, relatively speaking and some people who are perhaps at the earlier stage. So that can gel together. So I think the group dynamic will hopefully play out really well. I'm very excited about working with you all over the next 100 days. I cal already tell that you're going to be a very active and engaged group. And yes, that is a subliminal message that I'm conveying to you to keep that going. So looking forward to it. Thank you so much for sharing, as well and for joining me on day one of what is a 100-day program. Appreciate it.
So, of course, that was the introductory workshop, if you like, from the fifth iteration of The Property Voice Apprentice Program. So we had Darren, we had Richard, Victor, Dave and James. So five on this particular program. It's interesting, the dynamic changes slightly. I don't want to push it maybe too far beyond five. But it was good.
And we started off with Darren. Now, Darren's going to lead this, what I call, well, what he calls, actually, van life. And he's already there, actually. He's right in the center of France, in case you're wondering. He's got himself a van. Him, his wife, and his two kids are in France and they're on that journey already. And of course, they're trying to invest in property. Well, they are investing in property, because they've rented out their own home. They've gotten some cash together and they're going to try to do this semi-remotely.
The changing points he talked about were the Rich Dad, Poor Dad and of course, the One Percent Club, as I talk about quite a lot. And I think it's interesting that when you post things on forums, who's watching, who's listening, who's paying attention. Darren obviously tuned into my one percent club type of maybe rant, who know? But my thoughts and that attracted him to explore the idea more. And here he is, he's living this van life. He's going to be homeschooling his kids. Well, obviously not homeschooling, because well, his home is mobile. But leading this location-independent van life. I know he's not just going to tour the world. He's actually going to do some good things with his time in volunteer work and stuff. So that's really commendable and I'm looking forward to working with him. And it's a bit of stretch for me, of course. I am a location-independent investor, myself. But not usually not mobile. So that was Darren.
Richard, of course, you probably gathered is more mature in age and also stage of his progress on the property journey and he really wants to go on to the next level. And we had a conversation about should he really be here and why is he here? Because there was no point. I could basically tell him in half an hour what he should do and he'd just go on and do it and he'd be very comfortable. So we had a chat about being comfortable and stretching out your comfort zone and pushing on and why do that? Obviously, I'm not pushing someone to do something they didn't want to do, but that was the conversation that we had and he did want to do it. So that was a quite interesting one. I'm looking forward to seeing how that unfolds.
And then, of course, we had Victor. Now, Victor's your serial entrepreneur, I would say. And he's run a couple business and he's go this flair for startups. And I guess the conversation about complementing the entrepreneurial flair, the startup spirit, with having a solid plan. So he probably didn't like the planning side of it, maybe, quite as much as the excitement of starting something new. But it's a yin and a yang. We have to complement each other. And so we had that kind of conversation, but things have gone on since that was recorded and I'm looking forward to sharing the update on that in due course.
And then we had Dave, of course. And Dave's already done really well. But he's got a plan to escape the rat race. And what was really interesting, I think, from his insights, was apart from maybe opening his eyes to how he could invest in a different way and make his money work a bit smarter. We did a portfolio review, for example, and we talked about his return on equity and how that could be potentially improved. But equally, talked about the richness of diversity, the richness of the diversity of the group. It's really hard to put a value on the contribution of other members of the group, that you've got no idea who they are. And perhaps they've got a different background, outlook and objective to you. But we all come together and at the start of the program, it's hard to see that, but it definitely happens, that's for sure.
And then finally, of course, we have James in that particular group setting. Hopefully, I've captured everybody. And James is really looking to take a step up. And again with James, he's quite experienced, in terms of his portfolio. I think he's got eight or nine properties or something like that. But we did a portfolio review and how do I put this? He was disappointed, initially, about my view on his portfolio. Because we have this joke, James' view versus Richard's view. Or James' assumptions versus Richards' assumptions. And they were different. I should say that. So after a little bit of perhaps a reality check, or a shock, James is looking at things and obviously trying to reshape his portfolio and obviously reshape for the future as well. So I think the interesting thing with James as well as that was also the idea of understanding himself and the wealth dynamics profile that we did and trying to make the most of working in a team as well.
So hopefully, you enjoyed that process and we should keep the theme going. I'm now going to introduce you to another five people who are in the pilot program I decided to run, foolishly whilst I've been away. That's probably why I haven't been able to get to the podcast. I've been really busy. The Young Apprentice Program. I'm really excited about this. So I won't say much more right now. I'll come back in a minute. But basically, we've got five young people who started the Young Apprentice Program. I'll let them introduce themselves to you right now.
Hi everybody and welcome back to The Property Voice podcast. What we're doing is we launched a pilot program called the Young Apprentice Program. The Property Voice Young Apprentice Program. We've literally just finished our first call. We've got five delightful young people in front of me, waiting to tell a little bit of their story at the beginning of what will be a rapid-fire 30 days. So we've got a running order here. I just want to make sure I've got it right. We're just going to go through in sequence.
We're going to start off with Matt. Matt. Would you want to introduce yourself and tell us a little about your plans for the next 30 days or so?
Yeah. Of course. Thanks, Richard. So, as you said, my name's Matt. I'm 25-years-old. Just on the cusp of turning 26 next month. And I live in a [Lishi 00:37:43], London suburb in the west of London, called [Iva 00:37:47]. So my someday goal. I really don't have that completely defined at the moment. And it's more the aim to be in a position of comfort and stability. So time comfort, financial comfort, and those are the two main metrics that I would measure it out by. In the shorter term, my one-year goal is to have a few development projects under my belt. So, probably going to be bar projects, and it's not valid refurbs. And my objectives of the program really are to plug the gaps in my knowledge and to find out what other things that I should know that I don't currently know. What am I missing? What opportunities am I missing? What knowledge can I gain to make me a better investor?
As I alluded to in the one-year piece, my right strategy is probably going to be development projects, so VAR, Valuated Refurbs, with a longer-term view to do some buy to lets, as well, for some passive income. And I don't think I've had my aha moment yet. I'm still on the lookout for it.
I asked everyone if they had an aha moment. But technically, we haven't actually started the program. Supposed to start the first of October, and this is recorded on the 30th of September. So we'll forgive you on that one, Matt. Hopefully, it will emerge over the next 30 days. But thanks for sharing and welcome.
And I think next up, we have Ryan.
Hello. Thank you, Richard. My name is Ryan. I'm 23-years-old and I'm currently working in London and living in east London. In terms of my goals, my someday goal, similar to Matt, is essentially to be in a position of time freedom and financial freedom, where I have enough passive income to sustain my lifestyle and obviously, I guess, sort of live a lifestyle of luxury, where I can travel where and when I want to. And also to have properties abroad, with a one-year, more immediate goal being trying to get on the housing other and in terms of the objective for the 30-day program, it's mainly going to be to try and continue developing my knowledge in property, particularly with the business plan that you've outlined, Richard, and building that up, but also, the most important thing for me is probably consistently taking action throughout the 30 days. Whereas before, when it comes to property, it's sort of quite stop-start. I might do a lot of research one week and then not do anything for a few weeks.
But by doing stuff every week, I'm hoping that I'll then build the habit of consistently doing property-related research going forward after that. In terms of the plan, I think it's going to be a pretty standard, just buy to let model plan for me at the moment. Front, get feet wet, so that's during my 20s and then maybe I'll start, if that gives me any success, I can start looking into HMOs and student lets. And in terms of the aha moment, I'd say I've already had two. The first one was when I first started looking into property investing and I realized that the leverage that they offer. So essentially, if you're going to buy stock, you need the cash. You need 100 pounds to buy stock for 100 pounds. With property, you only need five to 25 pounds, because the bank often lends you most of it. And the second one, which was more recently, was that you can buy property though a limited company and retain your first-time-buyer status, which is really important to me, because I don't really want to own my own property in my own name, my own home, in the short term, but I probably would have done that, just out of force, to retain that benefit. But now, I know I can buy properties for a company. I'm more likely to go down that early and retain my first-time-buyer status.
Well, thanks, Ryan. We'll make sure we hold you to you want to do regular home work over the next 30 days. So fear not. We'll set you some challenges. I'm glad you had those aha, or breakthrough moments already. That's a good indication. And the fact that you had two, you can share one with Matt. Come here. So now see, you've been doubly better. So thanks, Ryan. Really appreciate that.
And moving on with that, you've got Joe next.
Hi, so I'm Joe. I'm 23 and I live in Leeds at the minute. So one day, I aim to be financially free and run my own business and businesses, which will hopefully be a relatively large portfolio of properties. More than anything, what I want is the time freedom that property can offer. Within the next year, I hope to buy my first investment property and over the next 30 days, I would like to put together a strong action plan to help me achieve these goals. The strategy that I plan to use is a buy, renovate, refinance model so I can effectively recycle my cash. And about a year ago is when I first went to my first went to my first team meeting and before this, I didn't realize that there was any more ways to invest than the typical buy to let model. And that was my aha moment. And since then, my eyes have been opened to the crazy possibilities that there are in property and I just can't wait to make a start. And I've just created an Instagram account, if anyone is interested in following me on my journey.
We'll put it in the show notes.
All right. Brilliant. Thank you.
That's fine. Joe, thanks a lot for joining us. But hopefully, you get a few more of those aha moments going as well. I'll share one in article, by the way. It's 40 ways to profit through property selling. That should open your mind to different possibilities as well. So, thanks Joe.
I think next up, we have Jade.
Yeah. Okay. Hi, everyone. My name is Jade. I'm 24 and I live in north London. My someday goal is just to have investment properties around the world. I love the idea of having air B&Bs right now, that you can also go and stay in when you want. I mean, I hope that that can generate me money as well as also maybe go into other business ventures that I want to do later in my life.
My objectives for the 30-day program. I just hope that I can get some real tangible steps in how I can move forward. I think there's so much information out there and it can just become so overwhelming, you don't know what to read and where to go. So I hope that this program is just going to give me some real steps on knowing what to do next: where I'm going, what I'm doing, and what's best for me. My rough panel strategy is first, I'm looking to do value-added refurbs. But in the long term, I'm looking to spread the risk a bit with buy to lets as well.
And I have had some aha moments so far, already. I think it was just that I think when you think of property, a lot of people think that you're not going to have enough money to be able to do it and you just need the whole purchase price and you need to just have all this cash up and ready, but actually, talking with Richard, it helped me to see that there are ways to get investors on board and you don't need as much as you might, well, I don't need as much as I thought. So, yeah. I'm really excited for the program.
Fantastic. Well, it sounds great. So you are going to let me know where those air B&Bs are and we can book them up and become location-independent.
Yeah. I expect you all to support me fully.
Well, we will. Well, that's actually an interesting point, because, maybe to summarize, because now you've just met each other for the first time this evening. But this is a mini mastermind group that you've just formed, whether you realize it or not. And so there's and element of collaboration and cooperation that you can get the sharing of ideas and as a collective brain, if you like, that's coming out of your sharing. So I'm glad you made that point, actually, about supporting you, because we should. So Joe's Instagram account, we should have at least four or five followers now, because he's going to tell us what it is and we're going to put it in the show notes and we're going to be following and I'm sure other people will be. So it's a great way to support one another. So I'm glad you made that point.
But right, before I go drifting off too much in summarizing, I don't want to really forget that we've got George, of course, who's going to share a bit about himself.
Hi, sir. And my name's George. I'm 17 and I live in a place called Basil, just in Buckinghamshire. So my one-year goal would be to search for properties, as I don't actually have the money right now. I'd maybe look for investors, find several business, several offices and maybe I can invest in one day, just to gain some knowledge. And I'd also like to work on saving, so that soon enough, I can start my property in Nada. My someday goal would be being financially stable. I would like to have multiple streams of income, whether that's through property and other business investments. I'd also like to be my own boss, because I don't really like being told what to do. So I would like to get some knowledge from this sassy program. As I'm very young, I feel like I have a lot to learn from people like Richard and Susan, as they are a lot more experienced than I.
A rough kind my strategy. I don't know quite yet, but I want to do a mix of buy to lets and refurbishments, buy to buy and refurb, as I think I want passive income, but I also like the design and the line of doing refurbishments. I want to mix and match. And I haven't had the break for a moment yet. Maybe I would like best networking with people in the business is my breakthrough moment. Kind of felt like this could actually happen and it's made me excited. Other than that, not really much has happened yet. And I'm really excited for this course. Thanks a lot.
Welcome. Well, hopefully, we can put that right as well. And I think there's a number of common elements as well, as you noticed. But one of the maybe surprising ones. Obviously, there's financial freedom. We have the ability to have a business. There was the international travel, which came out quite a bit as well. Well, there's this idea of time freedom. And I think that is so underrated. If you can have a passive income stream or relatively passive, because nothing is truly passive, actually. But a relatively passive income stream that allows you to do whatever you want to do in life. And to start at your age as well is amazing. So, I'm looking forward to working with you over the next 30 days or so. Hopefully, we can make some of these plans become... the acorn is going to turn into the oak tree, is really the intention. I'd like to help you along the way if we possibly can, Sue and ourselves. So welcome. It's going to be fun working with you. Hopefully, there's going to be a few more of those aha or breakthrough moments over the next 30 days as well. Looking forward to that.
So, I don't know how much you could tell from that, but the Young Apprentice Program was originally designed, I'm trying this, it's the pilot. And I'm willing to take the idea of the Apprentice program to younger people. Essentially, I've got a little bit of a heart and a passion to try and help younger people get on their way, really, in life a little bit sooner and oversee property is my thing, so that's the bit I can help them with, maybe. And so I just decided to reach out and promote this thing and we've got five people. We actually had more people apply. So I couldn't quite take everybody on. So I feel really bad that I couldn't take everybody on. So apologies if you're listening and you applied and you didn't get on the program. But it was quite competitive and I had to draw the line somewhere. So apologies for that.
But what we had, of course, is we have Matt, we have Ryan, we have Joe, Jade and George. And just to put it in perspective. I said it would be 18 to 25, as the age group, and George is 17, all right? So he's actually below the minimum age that I wanted to accept on the program, but he has something about him and I felt that I could help him. I don't think I can help every 17-year-old, but I think it's something about George I really felt I could help and of course, we have people in different ages in between.
So we start with Matt, of course, who is a confident young man and I've known actually, for friendship reasons, the family that he comes from, for some time. And to see his development, actually, has been interesting over the years. I don't know him that well, but it's definitely been interesting to watch that development over the years. And the confidence that he's displaying. And he's talking about having a aha moment of just stepping out of his comfort zone and wanting to be in comfort, actually. Time comfort, financial comfort, plugging the gaps of his knowledge. So that's very understandable.
Then we had Ryan, of course. And Ryan wants, again, time and financial freedom. Initially, what's been interesting with Ryan, is that he's talking about buy to lets, and investing passively. But between you and me, things have moved on since then and he's looking at things slightly differently. And the other thing that Ryan didn't mention, but I checked with him subsequently and he probably should have mentioned, is he's got an Instagram page and other types of social media connections, called Making Money Simple. So just look it up, Making Money Simple. And by the way, some really good content. He's got an eBook. He's got loads of content there and I suggest you go and check out that insta profile and other profiles that he's got. He's also got a podcast coming out by the same name. So go check it out.
This is a young man making waves, sharing his knowledge, and I'm expecting him to go a long way. So, he wants to take his knowledge and take action. But he's already starting to see things in a slightly different way, including maybe how leverage can be utilized a lot differently in property, perhaps, to compare to other types of classic class.
Then next up, we had Joe. And Joe wanted to be financially free and have his own business and achieve time freedom as well. Yeah, that's a recurring theme, isn't it? Time freedom. And he wants a strong action plan, a business plan. Probably get the nuts and bolts side of Joe here, that comes out it. But He's very strongly committed and he wants a bit more than buyer, seller, which is why he's looking at buy, refurbish, refinance or value-adding strategies, generally speaking. And I should also mention that we asked Joe what his Instagram page was and he just set it up. He couldn't quite recall what it was. But I think it's Path of Most Resistance, is the actual page. I can't tell if the O in of is actually a capital O or a zero. So you might want to check both of those permutations, but I'll put the links to the insta shares that we're mentioning now in the show notes.
Then, we had Jade. It's good to get a female member. I want more women, and young women, in particular, to be interested in property. And maybe it's just what I attract, I don't know, but I just love the idea. I've got three daughters myself, so I'm very passionate about supporting women in property. So it was great to have Jade come and join us. And Jade's amazing. She's already done a great flip in her time already, worked on different types of development projects and actually is attracting investment partners towards her. I just like it already, what she's trying to achieve and I love the idea of having perhaps having air B&Bs at different locations that she can flip between and live and work between. That sounds great to me. So of course, we're talking about mini mastermind group. A icon I've interjected at the end of that conversation, talking about a mini mastermind group and already there's some mini masterminding or networking or buddy groups, sub-buddy groups forming with some of these young apprentices, which is great to see.
And then finally, of course, we have George, who will remind you he's only 17-years-old. But he's 17-years-old and he's very, very entrepreneurial. He's got his own businesses now. He's worked since he was, I think, 10 or 11-years-old or something like that. And he's put his money to use. He's got a flair for design. He's obviously very entrepreneurial. I love what he said,cThere's two or three of the participants really have an eye on international, having an international presence or diversification or interest, if you like. And time freedom. That was really interesting.
So I think the common themes were investing, slash home business, slash financial freedom, right? Probably everybody spotted that. There was an interesting spin on international flair. There's two or three of the participants really have an eye on international, having an international presence or diversification or interest, if you like. And time freedom. That was really interesting. So, this is the 18 to 25 age group and they're already talking about time freedom and it just blows my mind, really, because I didn't get this until later in life. So it's fantastic to be working with people who have got this idea of time freedom and financial freedom, leverage, working in property and business from a very early age. So excited. We're already moving on a pace. I'm having to do that and I look forward to updating you about the progress these guys are making over the next coming weeks.
So there we go. Probably ought to draw a line there. It's been a bit of a piece meal share today. Hopefully, that's been interesting, nonetheless. I know you've been trying to tune into different groups of people. I think we've shared 14 stories over the last half an hour or so. Hopefully, you managed to tune in and plug into those different people. And maybe you can resonate with them. That's the point of this, actually. Why am I sharing this? So you can resonate with people who are perhaps similar to you or you can relate to in some way. Perhaps even aspire to.
So, that's the purpose of this. I'm going to put the show notes up at the website as usual, thepropertyvoice.net. Hopefully, I've given myself a bit of a kick on the backside now. I've got back into the rhythm. I've broken the cycle and the podcast is back and I'm sure we'll do a little run up to the Christmas period and get my motivation, get my mojo back to share with you each and every week. But I wanted to give you a bit of an update on some of what's been going on with the apprentices. As I reflect, I've been quite busy with that, so infairness to me. So perhaps I've had my hands full a little bit, so the podcast has taken a little bit of a back seat. Plus, I think I deserve a bit of downtime. In any case, there you go. Thanks very much for listening once again this week. And until next time, on The Property Voice podcast. It's ciao time.
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