August 16, 2023

Maui Update

Hey Everyone,

I've had an outpouring of questions, support, texts, phone calls and DMS over the past week since the fire has happened in Maui.

Here's a quick update on what happened and how we are and what we're doing.

First of all, we are fine. We had to evacuate for a couple of nights from our neighborhood but thankfully our neighborhood was spared. The worst of it was about 15 miles away in the town of Lahaina and up in Kula, which is also about 15 miles away. There were brush fires near my house, but thankfully they were able to be contained. It was still obviously scary and in a situation like that, they often call it the fog of war because you have no idea what's going on anywhere because nobody has good information.

Even with social media, everything's delayed and opinionated and there's conspiracy theories etc. With all the rumors, it's really hard to get accurate information. Now, here we are almost a week late and we're still dealing with the same problem. It's really hard to get good information. Just be careful what you what you read online.

The situation, as I see it, is 80% of the town of Lahaina has been destroyed and there are potentially hundreds dead and hundreds missing. They may turn out deceased as well, but we hope not. The people in Maui currently have enough supplies, food, clothing and all that because of the outpouring of donations. However, the reconstruction of Maui and especially of Lahaina is going to be billions of dollars.

Of course, insurance will cover a lot of that but many people are under insured or not insured at all. There's other ramifications that come with that. There's also many people out of work, and a lot of businesses that were closed permanently and shut down. They’re going to need ongoing support as well. So the biggest thing people can do right now honestly is to donate.

That’s why we’re launching the Makai Foundation and if you’d like to donate, please visit Makai.org.

Something I’m Reading

I'm currently reading "10x Is Easier Than 2x” by Dan Sullivan and Ben Hardy. I’m really really enjoying it. They're the authors of "Who Not How” and "The Gap And The Game”, but I really like 10x and 2x. The idea is really focusing down onto the few things you should be doing and becoming the world's best at that.

Something I Photographed

Last week we filled up 3 trucks with supplies for the shelters in Maui. Now that their immediate needs have been met, we’re shifting focus to long-term help. Please help us by donating at Makai.org

Something I’m Excited About

My real estate portfolio scaled the fastest once I started investing long distance…that shocks most people. Sure - there’s plenty of reasons to invest in your own backyard (and I highly encourage that). But investing long distance forces you run a BUSINESS, not just buy real estate. If you’re interested in learning more about how to buy real estate in ANY market, scale your portfolio, and operate it like a true business, I’m hosting a free webinar on August 29th at 7pm ET. Register for FREE here!

Something I Can Answer
I’ll be answering two questions asked by a BTB subscriber. Have a question you want me to answer? Reply to this text with your question!

Question: "What are the most essential skills or qualities that a person should cultivate to achieve long-term success and fulfillment?”

It's the art of overcoming your lack of self discipline. That's it. If people could just do the things they know they should do, they would, you know, immensely improve their life in every single area. We rarely lack the knowledge, we simply lack the discipline. It doesn't mean just bearing down and getting harder and like making it work. But it's finding ways to hack it. So like adding accountability, tracking it, adding goals, involving other people and obligating yourself to other people where you'll be more likely to actually do the things you need to do.

Question: "How do you decide on your exit strategy? Such as selling, refinancing, or holding for long-term rental income?”

Simple. If I need quick cash, I will usually sell a house. But I don't like to sell. No one ever regretted holding a property for 20 years. So, I try to always hold as much as I can. That said, I will refinance as much as I can to always recapitalize and get my money working at a higher return.

Something I Recommend

Many of you know of my performance coach, Jason Drees. Jason has been my coach now for over 5 years and has helped me personally overcome some limiting beliefs, scale my business, and hit some crazy goals. The first step in hitting crazy goals is identifying them. Jason and his team are providing a complimentary impossible goal setting session – to help you uncover the impossible target you should be aiming it. Here is the link to get yours.

For my health-conscious friends (or those trying to be healthier), I’ve been using MyBodyTutor for years for accountability on my fitness and diet. These guys assign you a coach to hold you accountable, track your food, suggest exercises etc. You can check them out here.

Disclosure: “Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you click on the link and make a purchase. However, please note that all opinions expressed here are my own and I only recommend products or services that I have personally used and found valuable."

Your Friend,

P.S. Comment below and let me know your thoughts on this week’s BTB! Please be friendly :)