Organize your day for enhanced productivity. Consider auto-reminders, calendar entries and categorizing tasks according to must-do now vs could-do over time, and then prioritize according to impact on revenue generation for your business and time commitment required.
Antoine Martel is a real estate entrepreneur. He became interested in real estate investing about 5 years ago when his brother dragged him and his father to a real estate seminar. From there – Antoine became obsessed with real estate investing and he made it his mission to do this full time after graduating from college. He didn’t want to work for someone else and get a normal 9-5 so this had to work.
At his last year in university he bought a rental property in Memphis TN all the way from Los Angeles. With that, his real estate business took off. Today Antoine’s company buys, renovates, rents, and then sells over 100 homes a year. Antoine and his family also have begun to buy and renovate apartment buildings.
Where did the idea for your company come from?
When I began learning about real estate investing, I learnt that people were buying rental properties out of the state that they lived in. This was mind blowing to me as to how someone could and would buy a house that they never even saw before. Turns out that this is exactly what I ended up doing because California was far too expensive for me.
So I started buying houses out of state to grow the family portfolio. Once we had a small portfolio of single family homes. Friends and family began reaching out to us about our homes and we began selling homes out of our portfolio to them. This is when the business idea hit me. This is a need for a lot of people.
What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?
Typically I wake up at 7am, handle emails up until around 1pm and then I will typically call new clients who have filled out a form on the website, after that I go back to doing emails.
Since my business is all over the computer and phone I really am just at my desk the entire day. I am very organized and have a large to do list which I always make sure to do a couple of things on it each day.
I also am on podcasts a lot so typically I will be on a podcast every day.
How do you bring ideas to life?
With massive action. An idea isn’t worth anything just on a piece of paper. I think that people need to have an idea and then go out there and test it. It doesn’t have to be pretty. But go out there and test your idea.
What’s one trend that excites you?
There is a trend going on right now where millennials are leaving the coasts where they grew up and they’re moving inland. To places like Texas, Nashville, Detroit. Etc. I think that this is massive trend and it is going to change the landscape of real estate in the US.
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
One of my habits is just getting up and making coffee. Sometimes people make excuses to stay in bed longer like – “I only have 10 emails, I can get sleep another hour.” NO! You need to get up right now, handle those 10 emails and then you can do something else to move the business forward. Get up, handle your immediate tasks, and then think of ways to grow your business.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Network your ass off with everyone around you, make sure they know who you are. Take them out to dinner, go out with them. Especially while you’re in college, everyone needs to know who you are.
Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.
People should never buy a home to live in. They should only buy properties as investments. Buying a home to live in is a liability, not an asset.
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
Buy real estate. As much as you can, as fast as you can. Interest rates are very low at 5%. Use the governments money and get this financing while you can. Grow a portfolio of real estate out of state. You only need $20,000 to start.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?
Posting every single day on social media. I have grown the following I have on instagram due to my consistency. I post very educational content on instagram everyday. There is nothing of me selling or pitching anything so that keeps people coming back to my page over and over again.
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
One time I bought a house in the wrong neighborhood thinking that I could control it. You can’t control a neighborhood with high crime. I still own the home today. I have a tenant in there and it is making me money but not much!
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
All real estate investors who flip houses have no idea how to manage or control all their projects. There is no CRM for us. Someone needs to make one.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
I bought it on a divider for my bedroom so that when I record my podcasts people can’t see that I am actually in my bedroom.
What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?
I use ZOHO CRM to track all my projects. We customized it to make it work.
We use it everyday and that is how I stay sane.
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
Rich Dad Poor Dad. This is my favorite book of all time. It will completely change how you think about money and investing and your lifestyle.
What is your favorite quote?
“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is a gift. That’s why we call it the present.” I have been hearing this quote for years, but it certainly rings true in the work I do now. Definitely key to live for the moment and enjoy the present!
Key Learnings:
• Organize your day for enhanced productivity. Consider auto-reminders, calendar entries and categorizing tasks according to must-do now vs could-do over time, and then prioritize according to impact on revenue generation for your business and time commitment required;
• Creativity, resilience and perseverance are key skills for bringing a new idea to fruition. As an entrepreneur it can be easy to have multiple ideas on the go at once, so self-prioritization of those ideas is essential;
• Keep ahead of industry trends. Do your research and if automation and A. I. helps you scale up, then do not shy away from this. Read up and follow industry trends closely;
• Persistence pays off in the end. As an entrepreneur you are often challenging the status quo and pushing boundaries. Key is to keep on at it, until your message is heard.
Connect:
www.martelturnkey.com
www.martelantoine.com
Carlyn runs the day-to-day publishing operation here at ideamensch and interacts with our awesome customers and entrepreneurs. She is likely editing this with a cat on her lap.