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Show Summary
In this episode of the Real Estate Pros podcast, host Micah Johnson interviews Wendell Butler, a successful real estate investor based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Wendell shares his journey from part-time investor to full-time entrepreneur, emphasizing the importance of education, calculated risks, and leveraging a W-2 job as a stepping stone. He discusses the significance of building systems, networking, and having a clear vision for long-term success in the real estate industry.
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Investor Fuel Show Transcript:
Wendell Butler (00:00)
I think the problem with today’s social media, you see all these gurus or whatever that actually probably don’t even invest anymore. They’re just selling courses, but they say like, I left my W2. I killed it. I made a million dollars. I’m awesome. 99 % of those people are lying, first of all, to sell you a course. And then the 1 % that that did work well for like, that’s just like, it’s rare,there’s no shame in using a W2 as a stepping stone to get you to your business, to get you into entrepreneurship.
and then eventually set you up for financial freedom as long as you build it the right way. But the best way to look at it is to use a W-2 job that is within the niche of what you want to go into. If you know that, right, you don’t have to, but don’t be afraid to leverage your W-2 to then get into the entrepreneur. You don’t have to take a huge leap and take a risk because that’s, it’s scary.
Micah Johnson (01:56)
Hey everyone, welcome to the Real Estate Pros podcast. I’m your host, Micah Johnson. And today I’m joined by Wendell Butler, who’s been making serious moves in the single family residential space. Wendell, glad to have you man, welcome in.Wendell Butler (02:07)
Yeah, thanks for having me, I’m excited.Micah Johnson (02:09)
Absolutely, me too. I think our listeners are really gonna take something away from how you’re approaching deal underwriting and the way you’re going about your business in general to make sure it’s not just a full-time job for you. You actually have a way to step out. So I’m excited to dig in on that. So for people who may not know you yet, what’s your main focus right now and what markets are you working in?Wendell Butler (02:29)
Yeah, for sure. So again, my name is Wendell 31. I live in Charlotte, North Carolina. That’s predominantly where I’m kind of focusing right now is that area in the suburbs and towns around it about an hour or two. Right now, I’m focusing mainly on building my fix and flip ⁓ new construction and wholesale arm of my business, ⁓ as well as my hard money lending business. ⁓ And I’m focusing on those predominantly because of the area that I’m in. Charlotte isThere’s a ton of opportunity for, you know, residential fix and flips, ⁓ new build, ⁓ wholesale opportunities. And then the vertically integrate, obviously the hard money into that and having that as part of my tool belt, just makes it even better for, for cashflow to build like a base within the business. ⁓ and then I could focus more on like the multifamily commercial because that’s where I kind of got into real estate, but I did move to Charlotte so that it made me change kind of like my whole business plan.
⁓ from that.
Micah Johnson (03:28)
Okay,how long have you been in Charlotte for?
Wendell Butler (03:31)
Been in Charlotte for three years. Three years. It goes fast. Well, I was born in Charlotte and I only lived there for like a year as a baby. And then my parents slowly moved up to New England because their family’s up there and my dad was getting promoted at his work. So I grew up in the New England area mostly, like Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island. And after a while, I just was ready to go south.Micah Johnson (03:33)
And why Charlotte? What brought you there?Wendell Butler (03:57)
And I was visiting Charlotte every now and then and I’m like, I need to get out of New England. I just can’t handle the cold anymore. just, I don’t know. I didn’t have good vibes there. Um, and I’ve traveled a lot before and every time that I traveled and went back to New England, I was like, so decided nothing against knowing that I like in the summer. It’s fantastic. Martha’s vineyard, you know, Nantucket, all those places, Newport, Rhode Island, one of the best spots ever, but you only get four months of it in a year. All the rest is cold and awful. And thenSo I decided to move to Charlotte and ⁓ yeah, it’s been great. It’s been really nice.
Micah Johnson (04:30)
Awesome, man. Yeah, my wife’s from Connecticut. I’m born and raised in Florida, so I only know how to be hot. And ⁓ yeah, you’re right, man. It’s tough up there outside of those four months. What I didn’t deal with well in the winter was the gray, right? It’s sunny right now here. It’s 70 degrees outside. And I went and stayed up there for like 10 days and never saw the sun. And I was like, wait a second, this is not okay.Wendell Butler (04:41)
HeyIt’s the-
Yeah,
you just get like seasonal depression, but their season is eight months long. You’re just like, ugh.
Micah Johnson (05:45)
All right,bringing it back down. So you got started in multifamily first there in New England, and then you said you switched down to Charlotte and now you’ve gone over to fix and flip, wholesaling, new builds and hard money. So did you get into hard money first, Lynn? Were you lending first or were you investing first? How’d you end up in those worlds?
Wendell Butler (06:09)
Yeah. So, ⁓ I’ve only been a full-time investor, like stepped away from my W-2 for a little under a year and a half now. ⁓ but I was part-time investing while I was working my W-2 for around four years, like three, two and a half years before I left. So combination of four years of real estate experience. ⁓ what I did was somehow I found myself in real estate. I feel like people just find themselves into it. Once they start reading, learning about it, they’re like, that sounds great. ⁓And I was like, I don’t have money. Like I don’t have the mind, like the education yet to make the leap. And I’m very conservative. Just, how I was raised is like a Dave Ramsey type mindset for my dad. And I was like, I want to this leap because I want to get out of the rat race, but I’m kind of cautious. Right. So I said, what’s the best way to do it. And I said, how about I get paid to learn about the most important thing of real estate, I think the financial side of like lending capital, et cetera.
I get paid as a W-2 and then also start investing and work my way to then go full time. So I got into conventional lending. After about two and a half, three years, I ended up really not liking that because it was just talking to people about like rate and you would do all this work and they’d be like, Hey, this guy got me 0.25 % less. I’m going to leave for him. And you’re like, damn, that stinks. So I went from that and I got a lot of experience there about like just conventional loans, FHA.
stuff available to home buyers for like house hacks and things like that. And then, ⁓ went to hard money. Cause I’m like, I want to talk to business owners and learn more about investing. And I did hard money lending for a little under a year. ⁓ which I was looking at like 20 deals a day, talking to invest 20 investors a day, like just getting a fire hose like on me about deals. And I got to the point I was like, like I, I’m kind of, I started training the investors how to invest when they were calling me and I’m like,
Why am I making like, you know, two to three grand every loan to teach them and these guys are flipping houses and doing rentals and doing multifamily and making like 50, 60, 70, a hundred grand. I’m like, I know how to do that stuff now. I’m just going to take the leap. So then, yeah, I sold one of my properties that I accumulated over just the part-time investing, got a nest egg and I took the leap and I haven’t looked back since.
Micah Johnson (08:18)
Man, I think something our listeners should hopefully take away from what you just said is that idea on how you actually go full time in real estate. So many think it’s just quit one, start another, and they put so much pressure on their dream. And there’s so many things it depends on. You do it at the wrong time in the market without the right education and the wrong rates. You’re setting yourself up for failure. So the fact that you went, you thought about it.Wendell Butler (08:30)
youMm-hmm.
Micah Johnson (08:45)
then went and got a W-2 inside the industry and even adjusted to a more niche place inside the industry, I think that’s fantastic. And if you’re listening out there and you’re thinking about this, consider that option. You don’t have to do this real estate in a way where you’re putting your life at risk over and over and over again. And I feel like that’s something a lot of ⁓ newer folks get caught up in.Wendell Butler (09:08)
Yeah, I think the problem with today’s social media, you see all these gurus or whatever that actually probably don’t even invest anymore. They’re just selling courses, but they say like, I left my W2. I killed it. I made a million dollars. I’m awesome. 99 % of those people are lying, first of all, to sell you a course. And then the 1 % that that did work well for like, that’s just like, it’s rare, right? So there’s no shame.And I know why people give shame to W2, right? Like I don’t give shame to it. I just don’t want to be a W2 worker. just I’m psychologically unemployable is what I call myself. I just can’t because I’m in the job. like, how do I get out of this? ⁓ Like, why is my boss telling me to do this when I signed a contract like to do it? I don’t know. But there’s no shame in using a W2 as a stepping stone to get you to your business, to get you into entrepreneurship.
Micah Johnson (09:55)
Hahaha!Wendell Butler (10:03)
and then eventually set you up for financial freedom as long as you build it the right way. But the best way to look at it is to use a W-2 job that is within the niche of what you want to go into. If you know that, right, you don’t have to, but don’t be afraid to leverage your W-2 to then get into the entrepreneur. You don’t have to take a huge leap and take a risk because that’s, it’s scary. Entrepreneurship is scary. Every day, every week, like it’s still scary. The problems arise. I’m like, shit, how do I figure this out? But you just figure it out, right?There’s no shame in using W2 and there’s no shame in even having as a backup plan, right? Cause I set myself up that if for some reason my companies just don’t do well, I can always go back and get a hard money lending job. I’m an expert at it. And then I can just restart, go there, make some money, make some stuff, start building my business on the side and repeat the process. Like that’s, it’s the best safety net you can possibly have. Right. And that’s the way that I look at it.
Micah Johnson (10:53)
Right.It’s a great way to look at it because it gets looked down upon so much. And like you said, most business owners are psychologically unemployable. That is very common. There’s a reason why we all want to break out. There’s this cage that we feel. However, when you look at it like you just did, where it’s not this, it’s not a cage, it’s a stepping stone. It’s a place where I can go, especially to learn. So I think lack of education is one of the things that get the most folks in trouble.
Wendell Butler (11:33)
youYeah.
Micah Johnson (11:56)
is they just kind of do it and then hope they’ll figure it out along the way. Man, this ain’t the industry to do that in. Really understanding what’s going on and how to do each part is integral to being successful.Wendell Butler (11:59)
Mm-hmm.Yeah. I mean, like you said, the real estate industry, it’s really, it’s risky. It’s, it’s, it’s one of the, it’s weird, right? Cause it’s one of the least risky businesses I think to build a base on because there’s so much historically and everything’s proven that it works. Like, you know, if you hold a property and never sell it, like you will make money eventually. Cause it’ll appreciate it. You just will. Right. But if you’re doing like fix it, flips, new builds, et cetera, you can lose like
$30,000 a blink of an eye and I could bankrupt somebody like I I don’t win every deal I lost like 35 grand I’m like one of our flips because the market changed like a month ago, right? But if you’re jumping from a W-2 and just saying screw it I’m going for putting my last dollar into this flip It’s either I make it or don’t and then you don’t make it like just that It’s setting yourself up for mental failure as well because you’re probably going to say I’m not cut out for this or you know
I suck at this, right? You win and lose in real estate. You just have to rack up more wins than losses. And if you use a W-2 as a stepping stone and have that cushion while you’re learning and maybe doing it on the side, it does take more work. It’s uncomfortable, but you rack up enough wins, then you can slowly progress into it. And then you have experience, right? So that’s the way that I looked at it. It’s like, there’s no reason to take such a leap in risk when…
You have so much of your life left too. Like I talk to 20-odds all the time. They’re like, I gotta leave my W-2. I got to. I’m like, relax. Like you’re, the fact you’re thinking about that, you’re light years ahead of everybody your age. Now just slow down, get off social media, stop watching these freaking gurus and just focus on the step-by-step analysis of how you are going to build your business and operate it as risk-free as possible. You will have to take risks, but just like be smart about it, right?
Micah Johnson (13:54)
They’re calculated. It’s not a home run every time. And then when you’re hitting a home run, you didn’t realize you were hitting a home run most of the time when that happens. We weren’t out there trying. There was a, I can’t think of his name right now, but he’s a really good investor based out of Texas. But he always, when he’s training, he says, we are deal finders, not deal manufacturers. And that is what gets so many folks in trouble is you finally get that deal in.Wendell Butler (13:56)
Yeah.Yeah.
Micah Johnson (14:21)
and the numbers aren’t penciling, but you’re trying, I can do this and I can do this. And if this happens and this happens and this will happen and I’ll make all this money. And it’s like, the more things that need to happen to go right, exponentially increases your chances of them going wrong, exponentially. And it’s that hope. And that’s one thing that’s good about entrepreneurs. We do have eternal hope, but it can get us in trouble sometimes. Now for you, how have you taken that?Wendell Butler (14:36)
yeah.Micah Johnson (14:47)
idea and are applying it to your business today so that you’re not creating that same kind of feeling for yourself. How are you leveling up to be the business owner and not just someone who owns a full-time job?Wendell Butler (14:59)
Yeah, for sure. And just to quickly note on what you just said, I tell people all the time when I speak, when I talk to, like if someone wants to talk to me as like a quick mentorship, which by the way, I do, but I only talk to you once. I’ll give you a book to read. I’ll give you a task to do. If you don’t do that task, I won’t talk to you again. If you do the task and you show that you’re taking action, I’ll give you some time. I’ll continue teaching you. Like, I don’t care, but you have to show action.And that’s how most entrepreneurs are by the way. So everybody go talk to entrepreneurs. They’ll help you out. And if you do stuff and you show that you’re go getter, they’ll help you. But for the most part, getting too emotional in your business is a recipe for disaster is what I always tell people, especially in real estate. And you just mentioned it there, right? You’re trying to manufacture a deal and that’s your emotion taking over because you want to make a deal work. You want to have a deal in the pipeline. You want to tell people, I have a deal. This is what’s happening. Nobody cares. Right.
Micah Johnson (15:51)
ThanksWendell Butler (15:51)
Andlike, first of all, nobody cares. You should only care about the bottom line number. If it’s actually going to work, you got to take your emotion out of it. You got to be like a robot and be like, does this work based on the data? No, then it’s not a deal. And then you go and make the offer based on making it a deal, right?
You have to take emotion out of it. Otherwise you will ultimately probably make a mistake, emotional mistake. Now you can have emotion behind what you do.
You know, but you got to be able to take a motion out of the big decisions to be logical. ⁓ So what I’m doing today to try to not put myself back in jail ⁓ of a W-2, which again, I no hate the W-2s. I’m just psychologically unemployable and it feels like jail when I’m on W-2. Is you got to realize what your vision is in five years and you work backwards, right? Don’t think of an
Micah Johnson (17:24)
Mm.Wendell Butler (17:24)
And then you start building what’s the next step to get to that. What’s the next step to get to that. If you do it the other way where you’re like, what’s the next step to get this deal. When I get this deal, it’s going to get me to be free and then blah, blah. Cause if you do it that way, you’re to end up doing everything. You’re never going to build systems. You’re going to end up being the only thing that runs your business. And at that point, it’s not a business. It’s just you and you’re dependent upon it. So you got to think about what’s your vision in five years. And if that is to run your business and be part of it. Cool.But if you want your business to run yourself, you want to have freedom, you want to financial freedom, you want to be able to go to your kids, you know, sports games, whatever you want. You don’t want to ever have anything in the way of your life. Then you got to think about that, write it down, a very vivid vision, like a movie scene. And you got to backtrack there and say, what steps can I take to get there? And then you just write it out. Write it out, annual goals, you quarter one. How do I get to my annual goals based on my quarter one, quarter two, quarter three?
And then you continuously track it based on every month and make sure that you’re on track. Right now, one of the hardest parts, and I think like a large proportion of entrepreneurs never get out of it, is to take a step back and start like hiring and start, you know, buying back your time and actually implementing systems that can run without you. You got to think about if you were trying to buy a business, how do you make your business worth the most?
And that is a business that doesn’t need you. So build it the way that it doesn’t need you. And it takes a lot of effort. It’s probably the hardest thing to do is to build it that way because everybody’s the best at everything. Right. Like you telling your mind, my mind always says, I can just do it. I’m better at it. Let me just do it. But the five hours of training someone to do it, that repetitive task or whatever, it’s going to give you so much freedom back and so much ability to scale to just to give up the like five hours to train someone.
Micah Johnson (18:57)
Move.Wendell Butler (19:12)
and have someone else do those tasks. And I always say like 80%, if someone can do 80 % as good as you at something or what you think you’re good at, that’s fantastic. That’s a home run. And you keep on stacking those up until all of a sudden you’re like, this business doesn’t even need me anymore. And you’re like, that’s awesome.Micah Johnson (19:28)
You actually pulled it off and you’re using like, you remind me of Charlie Munger, invert, invert. What do you want? Invert. What helps you know what you don’t want? Like even if you’re struggling with that part, I’m not sure what I want, but if you can name what you don’t want, now you can invert from there. How do I not do that? And how you don’t do that will lead you to what you’re not sure that you do want. And it’s so powerful when you view it that way, because it, again, it takes the emotion out. It takes the idea ofWendell Butler (19:41)
yeah.Micah Johnson (19:55)
If I just believe enough, if I just work a little harder, if I just do this little thing, it’s not that, it’s a series of systems and processes that create all that for you. And you nailed it on the head with the 80%. That’s something I heard a few years ago and found extremely helpful because typically we are the best at the part that we get into. And usually in real estate, it’s sales. Sales is the part that you’re just super good at and you’re really good at the other tasks like you were talking about.You can take somebody five minutes, you can do in 30 seconds. However, you do it for 30 seconds all year, you’ve lost days and days versus building the trust with someone, can you do this? And if you can do it 80 % as good as me, you’re an all star. And that mentality, it frees you up because now it’s less about perfection and not, you know, people not making mistakes or doing what you quote unquote wouldn’t do. It’s letting them do what they’re good at.
And that keeps elevating you to the part that I think most entrepreneurs are after, which is, especially when you’re the one that wants to build a, really build a business, it’s that leadership role. It’s that ability to have a positive effect on people’s lives where it’s, it’s not just making money and building your business. It’s not just about you. It’s about the folks that you help starting with your employees and how if you help them well, they’ll help the people that you get, make the money from well. And it’s this trickle down idea.
Wendell Butler (21:15)
Yeah, exactly. And I think you touched on it. It’s like your purpose is your biggest compass, right? You got to figure out like your why and your purpose and your values, your core values. And then based on that, you figure out your vision. And then based on that, you can figure out how to approach it and what you have to do and ⁓ to build the systems to get where you want to be. If you’re not thinking five years ahead, like you’re to be stuck in the same year on rotation again and again and again, unless you start getting uncomfortable.to build the systems that you need to get to where you want to be. What is it? Planning to what I always brutally kill this quote. But anyway, if you don’t plan, you’re to fail. Fail to plan is failure. You never plan.
Micah Johnson (21:54)
failing to plan is planning to fail. Is that the one? Yeah. Yeah, I got you. I’m picking up what you’re putting down.Wendell Butler (21:56)
Yeah. Jesus, there it is. Yeah.But again, but again, like I’m saying a plan, but don’t plan, plan, plan, plan, plan, plan, plan, plan, plan, plan, execute. Cause that’s called like analysis paralysis and you’re just planning and it feels good to plan. When you talk to, if you type in the chat chat, GPT, you’re like putting out plans. You’re like, awesome. Like it’s big plan. This is amazing. Start telling everybody your plan and you’re like so excited.
And then when it’s time to execute, you don’t do it. You just start planning. You’re like, how do I plan something else? Those are the tasks that like planning is important, right? You want to plan like a, you know, a third of the time and then execute two thirds of the time. But you got to make sure you execute and take the steps.
Micah Johnson (22:26)
Yeah.How have you made sure that you have the execution portion active in your life so that you don’t get stuck in that analysis paralysis?
Wendell Butler (22:43)
Yeah, so when you are at the point that I am, call it no man’s land, which is I have a business, I have some successful track record, and now I’m taking a step back and building systems. So I can’t really connect with people that are in that grind phase that are just doing all this stuff themselves because I’m trying to do something different. I’m trying to build systems. Like, I don’t care how many deals you have on a contract. It’s just you. I want to learn how to build a system that my system can do it.And then I’m not quite to the point that, you know, I feel comfortable talking to the people that are, have the systems built already, or I don’t really have access to it, right? I don’t know anybody like that. So one of the best ways is to join like a mastermind group or like a networking group that people are already in there that are levels above you levels below you. And you guys can all talk together, brainstorm, have masterminds, help each other out, help each other grow, learn from each other, learn from each other’s experience.
And that’s going to allow you to, you know, figure out what the next steps to take. And also you will all hold each other accountable. Right. So I have like weekly meetings with a pod and like go abundance or, mean, you guys have like investor fuel and stuff. It’s the same thing. It’s you’re holding each other accountable and helping each other take next steps and barriers and roadblocks that you wouldn’t get in your normal life. Right. Because pretty much everybody’s in no man’s land at a point and you feel very lonely and you don’t know how to fix it or get out.
So I would say that’s the biggest factor that helps me move forward is you got to realize when you feel lonely, when you feel like nothing’s going right, when you feel like you’re failing, you got to join like some type of network, some type of group and start getting those people around you that will help you excel. You’re the average of what? Like the five people you hang out with or talk to the most. Like that’s so true. And those networking groups, those, you know, masterminds, it’s really a cheat code. It’s a cheat code.
Micah Johnson (24:27)
Yeah, it is.Wendell Butler (24:34)
somewhere expensive, it’s worth the money. Like it is. Like I put aside money every year to join one and continue like staying in one because I’m living proof that when I was in a mastermind like three years ago or four years ago, I like 10x’d everything and I took a break for like a year and a half. And man, did I plateau. I was like, what is going on? I was like, I feel like I’m doing stuff. I don’t feel like I’m doing stuff.Micah Johnson (24:38)
Every cent.Wow.
Wendell Butler (25:01)
Like I don’t know what is going on. And then the second I joined one, like I joined GoBundance again three months ago. Already I have like a weekly planner. I already have my goals written out. I have my like one sheet, which is a quarterly breakdown. And like I have it systemized already and I can tell like this year is going to be amazing. And it’s just from that. think it’s so worth it.Micah Johnson (25:18)
Yeah. Yeah.I couldn’t agree more in a lot of, especially, especially the paid ones. When you go to the paid ones, there’s something about putting your own skin in the game. It’s like hiring a personal trainer. You can go to the gym all you want, but if you don’t know what you’re doing and you don’t have anybody there to really guide you, you can work out for years and not see any difference. just, just in there. But when you go to that, not only are you putting yourself
with someone who knows what they’re doing, but you’re holding yourself accountable. And those investments in yourself, a lot of folks always talk about how much they cost, they know how much they’re saving, but I always tell them, you have no idea how much you’re leaving on the table. Because a good membership pays for itself multiple times over, multiple times over. And you realize, and this is something I learned in my own life, it’s what the best do.
Wendell Butler (26:01)
⁓ yeah.Mm.
Micah Johnson (26:09)
It’s where they go. There’s a reason why they’re the best. They went and sought out the information. They realized, hey, real estate is one of the oldest industries in America. It’s got the longest written or the oldest written code of ethics. People have been doing this for a long time. Why not go to the source? Go to the places where someone’s doing it. Like you said, what you’ll notice so fast, one, stress leaves.Knowing what you got to get up and do that day because it’s based on a plan and not just one you came up with on your own, one that you discussed with other people who are also doing it. And they’re successful too. So it’s not like you’re just getting random advice from somebody in a free group saying, hey, this is what I tried. No, this is vetted information where they can prove to you with data. One of my favorite quotes is without data, it’s just an opinion. And they can show you this is what’s actually happening. And then you can apply it to your own life.
Cause that’s where one of my old coaches, this is one of my favorite quotes that they said, we don’t differentiate ourselves on what we do. There’s only so many what’s it’s how we do it and why we do it, where we truly find that individual nature to our businesses and getting in those groups, it unlocks all three of those because you get to experience the what at high levels. And then you get to meet other people and figure out why are you doing this and how are you doing it?
Wendell Butler (27:27)
Yep.Micah Johnson (27:29)
And then you start putting ittogether. I like this piece from David’s business, this piece from Jennifer’s and this piece over here. And now it’s like, okay, I have this thing I’ve built that I’m actually proud of. And you have confidence in it, knowing if slash when the next problem arises, the answer’s in my phone. All I have to do is call them. I just need to reach out. There’s nothing like that.
Wendell Butler (27:50)
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I tell everybody, everybody that wants to get an entrepreneurship, everybody that’s in it, even if you’re in a W-2 and you’re thinking about it, just joining those groups, like you could find one that works for you. Like there’s tons out there, but if you find one that works, like you will never look back. It will just, it’s like rocket fuel. It really is. It’s like, it’s going to propel you forward.Micah Johnson (28:11)
100%, man. So I really appreciated our talk today. We covered how you got into it, what you’ve been doing. I really appreciate that. Even that you mentor folks. So if someone was wanting to connect with you and collaborate, what’s a good way to get ahold of you?Wendell Butler (28:24)
Yep. Super easy. I just hired a social media manager to try to make it easier to see me and find me as well. It’s just wendellbutler.com. That should have everything that you need. has all my businesses. It has my contact, my email, and just reach out. Because I’m abundance mindset. I’m all about helping people, networking when I have the time to. And as long as you’re taking action and trying to really make moves and show it, like,I will help you along the way, for sure. As much as I can.
Micah Johnson (28:54)
That’s beautiful.Well, you can only suggest so much and then they’ll take the action. Because I love the fact that you give folks homework. That’s what my main coach did to me was he gives me homework. And as long as I do the homework, I get another call. And it’s beautiful because it’s this accountability factor. And you get this done, then you get that next step. And it keeps me on track. So I really like that viewpoint. All right, bonus. What’s the… ⁓
Wendell Butler (29:04)
Yeah.Micah Johnson (29:23)
Is it the same book you always tell people they got to read before that next call you’ll give them? Okay.Wendell Butler (29:29)
It depends on the call. Depends on the call, right?Like if they come in and they like don’t know what they’re doing or what their next step is, or if they come in and they’re like, I’m trying to, you know, build systems or whatever, like I’ll give them a different book each time. ⁓ One that I’m reading right now is, Buy Back Your Time is a good book. ⁓ And I have it right here. me pull it up. Yeah, Dan Martell, nice little blue book. ⁓ Also, by the way, any book that has like this type of cover.
Micah Johnson (29:47)
Mmm.In Martell, right?
Great guy.
Wendell Butler (29:56)
Usually it’s pretty good because here’s another one. They look very similar, different authors. Who not how? And that’s Dan Sullivan. Yep.Micah Johnson (30:02)
who’s that one?⁓ Dr. Ben Hardy, man. I’ve had the pleasure
of meeting both of those guys in person and they are fantastic.
Wendell Butler (30:11)
But yeah, would say, I mean, the combination of these, right? This tells you how to like assess how to buy back your time, get rid of the tedious tasks that anybody can do for low cost, and then combine that with who, not how. Like instead of saying, how do I solve this problem? It’s who can I find I can solve this problem? These two combined, it’s like a, it’s a scaling masterpiece, right? It’ll open your mind and make you think more about it, if that’s what you want to do, if you want to scale. But yeah, I would recommend those two books.Micah Johnson (30:34)
for sure. Yeah.Couldn’t agree more, especially I’m thinking about it now as I’m paired together, they are definitely a roadmap for scaling in a way that actually will work. So man, appreciate you sharing that. For everybody that’s listening, I hope you got tons of value out of today’s episode. I know I did. Please like this one, subscribe to our podcast. We’ve got more operators coming up in future episodes that are out there building real businesses that are sustainable, just like Wendell. Thank you all so much. We’ll see you on the next episode.
