MOM, et al

This past week’s Meeting of the Minds (MOM) was the best one ever! What started out as a small group of folks from Florida gathering to share their experiences has grown to attract attendees from all over the country. Florida was well represented. Several folks from California made the cross-country trip, and a large contingent came from North Carolina. Although many folks arrived a day early (and stayed a day late), the main event was 2 days. On Friday, Karl gave us a tour of his beautiful waterfront MH community. On Saturday, Steve gave an inspiring talk about taking action toward making our dreams our reality. Lonnie talked about doing Lonnie Loans. Anne showed us her pretty homes and the niche she’s developed. Jim and Ellen told of the trials and tribulations of owning a park. Ryan schooled us on the art of Lonnie Deals. My dad and I talked about our system for running a turnaround park. Throughout the whole event there was some serious networking going on, much of it while eating fabulous meals at area restaurants. We had the chance to reconnect with friends we hadn’t seen in awhile, and we met a bunch of new folks, including some newbies that are off to a lightning fast start in this biz.

Greg’s MOM is just one of several MH related events. Tony and Scott conduct a boot camp each year in Asheville, the next one is in August. Corey and SteveC sponsor MHM, a national event held in various locations each year, as well as a boot camp in San Angelo. SteveW hosted the inaugural GOTC meeting in Seattle last year, and will hold it again in November. The price of these events range from $0-$3500, but the information and inspiration received from attending them is priceless. I know of several deals that were done at MOM. Folks needing investors found them. Investors needing entrepreneurs found them. Newbies needing a bit more info before GOTC, got it. I left with a couple of ideas that are going to make us money in 2007.

During the drive home, it struck me how much my life has changed since we began investing in real estate. I wake up every morning whenever my eyes decide to pop open (usually between 8:15-9:30 am) and have 100% control over my day. Most days I’m productive, but some days I putter around. I go grocery shopping in the middle of the day (to avoid the crowd). I play my music loud (while the neighbors are at work). I chat on the phone. I read. I enjoy an afternoon nap. But the amazing thing is that I am not unusual. At MH events like these, there are lots of the folks that don’t have a JOB. Most of my friends are gainfully unemployed. This is not a coincidence. The law of attraction states “like attracts like”, we become like the environment that we surround ourselves with. If you want to be like us, start hanging out with us- see you at MHM.

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