Joel Block's Blog

How Should I Bait My Hook?

Joel Block — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:35:16 +0000

Every day I receive a positive message, in my inbox, from the Napoleon Hill Foundation. Visit http://www.naphill.org to join the list. To follow is one of the messages, sent, which I feel is one of the most important ideas in all of marketing. I’m passing this on to you in hope that it stays "top of mind" with you everyday.

"A good fisherman goes out of his way to bait his hook with what the fish prefer - which might not be a bad tip for those who wish to succeed in human relationships".

"Just as in a conversation it's a good idea to listen more than you talk, it is also wise in relationships to think about the well-being of others more than you think about your own wishes and desires. When you constantly strive to treat others in the same way you would like them to treat you, you become a person whom others like to be around, one who commands their respect, confidence, and loyalty. When you learn to manage emotions and your ego, and when you learn to always consider the needs and desires of others, it is inevitable that you will "bait your hook" with kindness and consideration, and catch more friends than you can count."

This is good advice for many of us who spend time trying to get people to buy what we have whether is works for them or not. Whose need should we focus on? From the story above, the fisherman knows whose need matters when selecting bait.

I wrote a similar piece nearly a year ago: http://tinyurl.com/dnk4ny This simple advice is worth taking. It might make all the difference in the results that you get from your sales and marketing efforts.

If you have an opinion or thought on this topic, please write a comment by entering your thoughts in the form below. Let us know what you think and if my thoughts resonate with yours. Our readers enjoy reading what others think. Send a link to this blog to one or more of your friends and get them to become one of our subscribers. This will help us to expand our circle of influence and allow us to share this and other great material with your friends.

We are in the real estate syndication business. We invest in properties and we offer seminars to assist others in acquiring the skills needed to syndicate properties. This topic is very relevant for helping you in raising funds or investment capital for any real estate investment, whether it is for commercial property or another kind of investment property.

Thank you for being one of our loyal readers. We appreciate you and we are rooting for your success.

About Joel G. Block, President of Growth-Logic, Inc. Often dubbed a "Growth Architect" by his clients, Joel Block advises companies on explosive growth strategies by driving revenue and sales. Well known in the capital markets, Joel is a successful entrepreneur, speaker, advisor and faculty member of the iLearningGlobal community.

To bring Joel into your company, please visit http://www.joelblock.comor http://www.growth-logic.com. Also, be sure to check out our newest project: a blog to organize the blogs that cover entrepreneurship – http://www.entrepreneur-hub.com. And finally, for film makers: http://www.hollywood-dream.com/ and http://www.filmfundingblog.com– our newest projects.

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Are You Ready to Take Real Estate to the Next Level?

Joel Block — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:27:54 +0000

These days, I'm asked more frequently to address real estate related topics than any of the other areas where I help people to raise capital and structure their businesses. The area where I specialize in real estate is known as real estate syndication. Syndication means putting many investors together into a pool and then a general manager, managing director or general partner invests that money into an asset on behalf of all of the partners who put money into the deal. The investing partners are generally silent partners and the manager has virtually complete control (within reason) of all the activities of the partnership.

As the foreclosure market heats up, more and more people are calling to ask how they can pull funds from investors so that they can get involved in the real estate syndication boom. There are many people who want to invest money into real estate. There are also plenty of people who are well informed about real estate who want to take those funds and assume the responsibility of being the promoter of a syndication that will buy the real estate.

The promoter typically receives fees for organizing the partnerships and also receives fees on an ongoing basis for managing and taking care of it. The promoter also receives a percentage of the back end profits that are made on the deal. It's a great deal for the promoter and if the promoter does a great job at picking good properties, it's almost guaranteed that he or she will make a lot of money. More money is made in real estate syndication than in almost any business I've ever seen.

The funny thing about the foreclosure market — that everybody wants to take advantage of — is that we have just seen the beginning of it. One of the things that nobody talks about in the real estate foreclosure market is that many small businesses have been financed using home equity lines of credit as the primary financing structure for those businesses. The problem comes as the economy tightens up and as interest rates start to squeeze the borrowers. The businesses that suffer will no longer be able to make payments on their home equity lines of credit. This means that the business owner who is "vertically integrated" will suffer from a domino effect, because once the business goes down, he or she may also unfortunately lose their house.

If organizing investors to buy real estate is something that is attractive to you, then call our office right away or send us an e-mail. We work with numerous investors and promoters of real estate syndications to acquire properties at a discount and to structure deals that are favorable for all parties involved. We can show you how to get into the real estate game in the most profitable way possible.

The real estate syndication business is not something that's known by many people because it requires more sophistication than just buying a property on your own, but it also affords tremendously more opportunity than any other possibility for two reasons. First, you're making money using other people's money and second, the more money you raise, the more real estate you can acquire.

You are welcome to call our office and talk to us about the opportunities in this market because there's a lot that we can show you about how to get into the real estate syndication environment.

Thank you for being one of our loyal readers. We appreciate you and we are rooting for your success.

To bring Joel into your company, please visit http://www.joelblock.com or http://www.growth-logic.com. Also, be sure to check out our newest project: a blog to organize the blogs that cover entrepreneurship – http://www.entrepreneur-hub.com. And finally, for film makers: http://www.hollywood-dream.com/ and http://www.filmfundingblog.com — our newest projects.

achieve success, business, finding investors, grow your business, money business, networking

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Where Can I Get A Good Grant Writer?

Joel Block — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 01:43:09 +0000

People ask me frequently if I know of a good grant writer. I used to think that it was possible to find an excellent grant writer by going on one of the many websites, such as http://www.elance.com or http://www.guru.com and finding someone who is highly experienced in complying with the forms, formats and the rules of the various grants that are available for businesses, non-profits, and other organizations.

But as I've gotten involved in the non-profit world, and as I've become surrounded by people who are the most outstanding grant writers (judged by their ability to procure millions of dollars) I've come to realize that it's not about being a good grant writer. If I was to go out and hire someone, I would not look for a good grant writer. From now on, all I want is a good "grant getter."

This is not a joke, and it's not semantics. The difference between a good grant writer and a good grant getter is millions of dollars and an enormous amount of experience to boot.

It should have been obvious to me, based on the way that I conduct my own business, but I somehow thought that the non-profit or grant world was different. But it's not.

In my for-profit world — including venture capital, real estate syndication, and hard money — people do business with people they know. People do business with people they trust. In the money business, it's a pretty tight circle. So why should the grant business be any different? It turns out that it's very much the same.

The difference between a good "grant writer" and a good "grant getter" is networking.

The best "grant getters" are the ones who are in the field, talking to the people who are putting out the money. Grants are not documents in libraries. Grants are placements of capital by real people at real organizations that really have an interest in doing good, based on whatever the criteria and parameters are that they have established.

The best "grant getters" are the ones who are networking with the people who have the money, just like the best people who raise business capital are networking with the venture capitalists, the angel investors and others who write the checks.

Consider Juana Lambert. As the CEO of the Los Angeles Boys & Girls Club (one of the premier Clubs in the nation), Juana is responsible for "making it happen" for the 7,000 children that the Club serves. As a member of the Los Angeles Boys & Girls Club's Board of Directors, I know what Juana produces. Under Juana's grant-getting administration, the Club has taken in several million in grants from federal, state, and city agencies — not to mention private organizations.

Last year Juana helped the Club to raise nearly $750,000 to build a state of the art "Dodger Dream Field" on an acre of valuable Club real estate. Juana has also procured hundreds of thousands more dollars for upcoming renovation projects, including the repair of our Olympic-size swimming pool and gymnasium facilities. Our Board has worked in concert with Juana through our careful stewardship on the implementation side of the capital improvement projects.

It's no different in any segment of the money business. The best "grant getters" know where the money is. They know who the people are who have the money. They have a strong sense about exactly what it is that they're looking for, and as "grant writers", they know how to put together the package in a way that's compliant with the rules of the grant so that when the opportunity presents itself to ask for the money, they not only write it down accurately, but they also are in touch with the people who are giving away the money.

This helps in two ways. First, they only apply for the money that's realistically available to them. Secondly, if they have some inside knowledge about what the grant providers want to promote or accomplish, then they'll have a good shot at getting the money that they're asking for by emphasizing the right benefits or attributes.

Keep this in mind next time you need to raise some money. Does the person who you choose to help raise the capital or get the grant know the people who they're talking to? How well do they know the space? How well do they know the surrounding issues that the people providing the capital or the grants really care about?

If you don't get those questions answered in advance, then you're probably not going to succeed with your fundraising initiative.

Remember, just like good grant writing is superseded by good grant getting, good business plan writing is really superseded by exceptional fundraising. Because at the end of the day, "show me the money" is the name of the game.

We are in the real estate syndication business. We invest in properties and we offer seminars to assist others in acquiring the skills needed to syndicate properties. This topic is very relevant for helping you in raising funds or investment capital for any real estate investment, whether it be for commercial property or another kind of investment property.

Thank you for being one of our loyal readers. We appreciate you and we are rooting for your success.

To bring Joel into your company, please visit http://www.joelblock.com orhttp://www.growth-logic.com. Also, be sure to check out our newest project: a blog to organize the blogs that cover entrepreneurship –http://www.entrepreneur-hub.com. And finally, for film makers:http://www.hollywood-dream.com/ and http://www.filmfundingblog.com — our newest projects.

achieve success, build your company, business, business advisor, business plan, capital, grow your business, money business, search of capital

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Have We Hit The Bottom?

Joel Block — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 12:17:21 +0000

In November 2009, I said that the bottom is a historical concept (http://tinyurl.com/yk3zfmb) and that "the only time you ever know where the bottom of the market was is by reading the paper a week, a month, or a year after that bottom has occurred." Instead of focusing on the bottom, let's look for trends that point to the market moving north. I'll start by offering a good one.

I was speaking last week with a long-time friend who is a senior executive with one of the major banks in the country. He told me that the new strategy for his bank (and the other big ones are on the same track) is to create loans that amortize over a 25-year period instead of the traditional 30-year period. These new loans are five year fixed interest rate loans that are fully amortizing with a balloon due at the end of the 5th year.

The bank's goal is to set their customers up so that they will refinance in five years. The bank's expectation is that in five years rampant inflation will raise asset prices dramatically, making refinances easier. Further, many of the problems that exist in the economy now will have taken care of themselves, and refinancing should be easy (or easier).

This executive is convinced that the bank is not setting their customers up to fail, but rather, they are setting their customers up to be able to take advantage of the improvement in the economy five years from now.

This strategy should tell all real estate investors exactly how they need to move. Now is an excellent time to begin buying real estate for hold periods that do not last longer than five years. Inflation will create an appreciation opportunity that will be tremendous. Even though today appreciation does not exist in the marketplace, the appreciation opportunity will return not long from now. And right now, like always, cash flow is king because it reduces the risk of not being able to make payments during tough times. Get in, grab some appreciation, and get out — or reevaluate and refinance.

Economists and financial executives who I know around the country feel the same way, and therefore, it is reasonable for some investors to take advantage of the dip in the economy that has washed out so many other investors. Let's call this the "5 Year Rule."

The transfer of wealth from people who have had a lot of assets in the past to those intent on making tremendous amounts of wealth going forward, will occur like never before. And that is the reason that syndication businesses like mine are succeeding. The reason that syndication presents a tremendous opportunity for both syndicators, as well as private investors, is because those who are unable to take advantage of opportunities by themselves must pool their capital with others under the guidance of professionals who they trust and believe have the ability to rebuild value back into distressed assets that exist in the marketplace.

Regardless of the vehicle that you choose to invest in or through, don't sit back and watch this opportunity go by. You'll thank me for this advice soon enough.

We are in the real estate syndication business. We invest in properties and we offer seminars to assist others in acquiring the skills needed to syndicate properties. This topic is very relevant for helping you in raising funds or investment capital for any real estate investment, whether it be for commercial property or another kind of investment property.

Thank you for being one of our loyal readers. We appreciate you and we are rooting for your success.

To bring Joel into your company, please visit http://www.joelblock.com or http://www.growth-logic.com. Also, be sure to check out our newest project: a blog to organize the blogs that cover entrepreneurship — http://www.entrepreneur-hub.com. And finally, for film makers: http://www.hollywood-dream.com/ and http://www.filmfundingblog.com — our newest projects.

achieve success, business advisor, grow your business, money business, networking

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CES Preview: Put A Glove On It?

Joel Block — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 01:11:19 +0000

Beyoncé, in her very famous hit single, “Put a Ring on It”, advises a man that he should lock up a woman who he really loves by making her his wife. Well, OtterBox (http://www.otterbox.com/) wants you to “Put a Glove on It” so that you can provide the most extraordinary protection available to your cherished electronic device. Because if you like what you have, you're going to want to protect it and keep it safe for as long as you can.

I love this company. OtterBox produces the most extraordinary packaging and protection equipment on the planet. A few years ago, my wife bought me an Otterbox cigar case to keep my sticks safe and waterproof, so that when our family goes boating, I can take my stash with me. This box is incredible: if it fell in and went to the bottom of the lake and if it ever was found, those cigars would be as good as the day that I dropped them!

The company doesn’t make these contraband cases anymore, but what they do, they do extremely well. Their story is one of entrepreneurial success –- which is my favorite. Here is something from their website:

Known as an innovator of protective solutions for the leading global handheld manufacturers, wireless carriers and distributors, we’ve got technology covered! Starting with something as simple as a box, OtterBox was created in 1996 and built upon fundamentals of hard work, creativity and perseverance. Our cases are dedicated to all the klutzy, spontaneous, chaotic, graceless individuals who have broken a device or valuable due to their active lifestyle and like our customers, we’ve been there too! The “innovative spirit” of founder and CEO Curt Richardson has promoted the development of our product lines from waterproof boxes into four lines of device-specific cases for today’s hottest technologies. Similar to an otter’s fur, our original line of cases is waterproof. So to incorporate that element with the fun and playful disposition of the animal our CEO and his wife came up with the name OtterBox while brainstorming company names during a drive to Denver, Colorado.

Back to my review.

Otterbox sent me a few samples to review for my wife's new Blackberry 8300 mobile phone. They sent two different models for the same phone. The first model was their super extraordinary extra heavy duty BlackBerry Curve 8300 Defender Case. The OtterBox Defender Series™ for the BlackBerry® Curve™ 8300 is a fully interactive case that enables complete usability of the trackball, keyboard and camera. All surfaces of the BlackBerry are fully covered at all times, yet the user still has full access to all ports via convenient Silicone plugs. Sync and charge your BlackBerry right through the case! This case will fit the 8300, 8310, 8320 and 8330 BlackBerry Curve models.

This product was probably 3/4 of an inch thick and you couldn't destroy it with a sledge hammer. This was somewhat over the top for the use that my wife has, but I can certainly imagine somebody who uses the phone in a portable environment who doesn't need to carry it in a very compact place would want to use it. Instead, she preferred the second, very sleek BlackBerry Curve 8300 Impact Case.

The OtterBox Impact Series™ for the BlackBerry® Curve™ 8300 offers extra protection from harmful bumps and shocks. It is an extremely slim, single-layer OtterBox that gives the user full open access to all features, keys, functions and ports of the device. Not only that, but the ergonomic design will look and feel great in your hands. Included with the case is a self-adhering clear protective film for your screen, a cleaning cloth and an installation card. This case fits the BlackBerry Curve 8300, 8310, 8320 and 8330 models.

All of us who tried it found it very comfortable. The case will keep the phone dust-free, scratch-free, and it’s extremely comfortable to hold. My wife could use it for the next several years until it's time to get a new phone. It’s a near certainty that the Blackberry will wear out before this product does. Otterbox makes a great line of products and the new telephone sleeves they've created are just as good as the products that I remember.

I want to thank the people at Otterbox for sending me the samples. We've made good use of them and they've made great products. Thank you very much for putting out something that every entrepreneur could use to keep their investments and technology safe and secure.

We are in the real estate syndication business. We invest in properties and we offer seminars to assist others in acquiring the skills needed to syndicate properties. This topic is very relevant for helping you in raising funds or investment capital for any real estate investment, whether it be for commercial property or another kind of investment property.

Thank you for being one of our loyal readers. We appreciate you and we are rooting for your success.

To bring Joel into your company, please visit http://www.joelblock.com or http://www.growth-logic.com. Also, be sure to check out our newest project: a blog to organize the blogs that cover entrepreneurship — http://www.entrepreneur-hub.com. And finally, for film makers: http://www.hollywood-dream.com/ and http://www.filmfundingblog.com — our newest projects.

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Do You Want To Join Us At The Consumer Electronics Show In Las Vegas?

Joel Block — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 11:19:11 +0000

Next week, I'm going to the Consumer Electronics Show with my son. He and I are both avid electronics buffs, and we are anxious to see all of the new gadgets that are on their way out for the year 2010 and beyond. In the last 20 years, I've been to CES at least 15 times so I'm used to the flow of how products come out, make their debut, and then eventually end up on the department store shelves for consumers to buy. For example, I remember in 1998 I saw the first flat-screen TV's, which were completely revolutionary for that time. I recall that a 30-inch flat screen TV was about $30,000. Now, that same television is available for under $500. It really demonstrates how product launches and rollouts dance with price over time.

In preparation for the show, we've been in touch with several of the manufacturers that are making products that we think are interesting or unusual. Several of those manufacturers have agreed to send us demonstrations or working models so that we can test them firsthand and then ultimately share our experiences with you, our readers. We want to share our favorite products with you.

Keep in mind that we tend to look for products that will enhance the entrepreneurial experience and help entrepreneurs to succeed, be more efficient, productive, or just to make life better so that we can make more money. I also like to look at start-up companies because frequently those are ones where some venture capital will make all the difference. Sometimes we just find and report on great entrepreneurial success stories.

In the next several weeks, both before and even after the show, I'll be commenting on some cool products and making brief reviews about them. Be on the lookout as we sprinkle little reviews amongst our regular entrepreneurial and real estate materials. And by the way, some of our CES highlights and product reviews might not be entirely about business-related products. We might take a moment or two out of our busy evaluation schedule to play a couple of video games or do something in the category of fun. And if we find something that's great, no matter what the category, we'll report on that too.

So even if you can't actually join us at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas from January 7-10, 2010, you can have a virtual ticket as my guest. Just sit back and read our reports.

We are in the real estate syndication business. We invest in properties and we offer seminars to assist others in acquiring the skills needed to syndicate properties. This topic is very relevant for helping you in raising funds or investment capital for any real estate investment, whether it be for commercial property or another kind of investment property.

Thank you for being one of our loyal readers. We appreciate you and we are rooting for your success.

To bring Joel into your company, please visit http://www.joelblock.com or http://www.growth-logic.com. Also, be sure to check out our newest project: a blog to organize the blogs that cover entrepreneurship — http://www.entrepreneur-hub.com. And finally, for film makers: http://www.hollywood-dream.com/ and http://www.filmfundingblog.com — our newest projects.

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Could Your Business Use A Few Good Volunteers?

Joel Block — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 00:43:12 +0000

Do you dream of winning the business lottery? If so, I might have found the jackpot that you have been looking for. I hope that you can benefit tremendously from this windfall program which is a real sign of the times.

Business has slowed with all of the contraction in the economy and the cut backs that have resulted from it. But business still needs to get done and people are needed to do it and some of my recruiter colleagues have come up with a "win-win" program to solve the problem that businesses have -– while putting professionals back to work at the same time. I have reprinted their press release. If you can take advantage of the program, give them a call.

Begin Press Release:

Begun in December, the ProMatch 100 program matches businesses looking to implement mission-critical projects cost-effectively with volunteer professionals looking to showcase their skills to potential employers. The program's goal is to generate 10,000 hours of productivity by matching 100 businesses with 100 volunteer professionals.

Businesses are struggling to survive a down economy. They must find ways of increasing productivity while fending off competition and staying current with services and technology. ProMatch 100 is designed to help these companies jump start productivity in 2010 at minimal cost. The program places professionals in transition looking for work in a Greater Los Angeles business for up to two months to work on any high level project the businesses choose. The businesses get a chance to boost productivity while the volunteers show what they can do by completing the projects. If things work out, the business can hire the professional at anytime without paying an employment fee.

"In 30 years in business I've gone through several economic slumps. This experience has taught me one thing: It's the business community that will inevitably turn an economy around, not the politicians in Washington. Our ProMatch 100 program will help businesses do that. It will inject nearly 10,000 hours of productivity into our local economy at minimal cost to local businesses. Meanwhile, it will give businesses a feel for how the volunteer might contribute to the company, so they can make a more informed hiring decision. In the end, the program benefits the employers, the volunteers, and our economy," says Basu Ghosh, Founder & CEO, Omnikron Systems, Inc.

Typical projects businesses might implement using a ProMatch 100 volunteer professional include:

Running asset management and software inventories to reduce redundancies and locate missing assets still on the books that should be closed out;
Analyzing and renegotiating contracts to drive expenses down (i.e. voice, data, software, mobile, storage, supplies, etc.);
Updating documentation including policies, procedures, handbooks or instruction guides;
Retooling Web sites to reflect new services or improve SEO rankings;
Helping with cost-cutting “green” initiatives; and more

Businesses taking part in ProMatch 100 provide Omnikron with their short-term project ideas. Omnikron sends the business several qualified volunteer candidates. After selecting one, the business and the volunteer discuss the project's scope and agree on both the milestones and the number of project hours. When the volunteer starts, the businesses provide quick onboarding, weekly status meetings, and specific contact people.

"Businesses know that increasing productivity enhances competitiveness. But they don't always have the manpower or resources to do it. ProMatch 100 helps resolves this issue. It provides experienced, highly skilled workers to address key mission-critical projects for businesses. And it does it now -— not three or four months from now. At the same time, our program gives the volunteer professionals chances to demonstrate their capabilities and contribute to a potential employer. It's "win-win," says Robin L. Borough, executive vice president, Omnikron Systems, Inc.

For more information about the ProMatch program or to register, contact Robin L. Borough, executive vice president, Omnikron Systems, Inc. Tel: (818) 223-4115 Cell: (818) 618-7848. E-mail: robin.borough@omnikron.com.

End of Press Release

We are in the real estate syndication business. We invest in properties and we offer seminars to assist others in acquiring the skills needed to syndicate properties. This topic is very relevant for helping you in raising funds or investment capital for any real estate investment, whether it be for commercial property or another kind of investment property.

Thank you for being one of our loyal readers. We appreciate you and we are rooting for your success.

To bring Joel into your company, please visit http://www.joelblock.com or http://www.growth-logic.com. Also, be sure to check out our newest project: a blog to organize the blogs that cover entrepreneurship — http://www.entrepreneur-hub.com. And finally, for film makers: http://www.hollywood-dream.com/ and http://www.filmfundingblog.com — our newest projects.

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Real Estate Syndication: Does A New World Need a New Way?

Joel Block — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 01:57:54 +0000

The world has gotten sufficiently complicated, where many of the rules that have been written in the past need to be broken or disregarded so that we can move forward and break through the log jam.

This is true in the real estate syndication business, but it also applies to the operations of traditional businesses as well as the entities that fund them. Many syndicators feel competitive with one another, and therefore, they refuse to share information that could help both of them to move forward. This competitive spirit is not only misplaced, but it's slowing down the entrepreneurial promoters' ability to move forward.

Small syndicators are really not competitors with one another. Instead, small syndicators have to worry about their ability to compete against the larger players in that market who are gobbling up all of the properties and the deals that could otherwise be shared. The only way for small entrepreneurial syndicators to succeed is by working together to combine deals, to pool investors, and to share fees. Otherwise, trouble will be on the horizon for all of us.

This may seem somewhat counter-intuitive, but the only place where we compete is really in the acquisition of investors — and there are plenty of accredited investors to go around. We might seem to compete for properties, but there are plenty of properties all over the United States for us to cooperate on. And if we can figure out a way to share fees, then everything else will be easy.

One of the most important benefits that I promote at the Real Estate Deal Making Symposium and Syndication Seminar is the networking activities that take place between the participants. I promote this not only because I believe we can help one another intellectually, but also because I believe that doing deals together is the way to go.

Since there are four skills that are required to put together a syndication, and since most of us don't have (or at a minimum we don't specialize in) all four of these skill areas, we have to cooperate with others who do work in those areas and who do specialize in those skills.

Consider the following major skill categories and determine the one that you are strongest in. Then find others to fill in the gaps where you are lacking.

Market Skills — Intense knowledge of the deals in the marketplace and being able to pick the right ones to syndicate.
Capital Skills — Understanding and raising the money and how its structure will work for your deal.
Property Management or Asset Management Skills — Looking after the real estate once you acquire it, with the ability to implement the business plan that is the basis for the investment in the project.
Business Management — As the number of syndications increase, special skills will be required to deal with the attorneys, accountants, investors and other constituents interested in the investments that you have set up.

Don't take these four major skill areas lightly. Whether you are a promoter or an investor, you should make sure that your team has all of these skills in place.

If you believe that syndicating together is the way to go, then take advantage of the other syndicators who you know, and work with them. And if you don't know other syndicators, then get involved with us and our new organization (the National Association of Syndicators) because this business is a great business, but we have to do it a different way or it may not work out for any of us.

Join our new Facebook group http://tinyurl.com/yekewfz to learn more.

We are in the real estate syndication business. We invest in properties and we offer seminars to assist others in acquiring the skills needed to syndicate properties. This topic is very relevant for helping you in raising funds or investment capital for any real estate investment, whether it be for commercial property or another kind of investment property.

Thank you for being one of our loyal readers. We appreciate you and we are rooting for your success.

To bring Joel into your company, please visit http://www.joelblock.com or http://www.growth-logic.com. Also, be sure to check out our newest project: a blog to organize the blogs that cover entrepreneurship — http://www.entrepreneur-hub.com. And finally, for film makers: http://www.hollywood-dream.com/ and http://www.filmfundingblog.com — our newest projects.

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Couldn't Everybody Use A Buddy?

Joel Block — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 23:32:27 +0000

This weekend our family saw the new movie "The Blind Side", starring Sandra Bullock. What an extraordinary and uplifting movie! Her performance was great, and there were a couple of other breakout roles that you will recognize when you see the movie. But, this column isn't about the movie. The column is about the social commentary that the movie presents.

It's clear and obvious when you walk out of the film that there is a social responsibility that each of us has, that most of us have been ducking for years. What made the film so striking was that Sandra Bullock and her on-screen family took in a stranger who was struggling to make it in our society. They effectively became his "big buddy." In the movie, it was more dramatic, but for our purposes, a buddy describes the situation very well.

I wonder if all of us shouldn't think about becoming a big buddy to someone who really needs our help. I am not talking about a kid who doesn't have a father — which is a rough situation that some organizations already address. I am suggesting that each of us needs to adopt a person or a family of lesser means (or someone who has been less successful in society than they could be) and to help them to optimize their opportunities.

We have serious gang problems and other issues that are not going to go away by themselves, and we can't expect that the government is going to make them go away either. All of us have to work together to make these problems go away, and maybe a buddy system is the answer.

I don't know how to put together a buddy system, but I am on the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Boys & Girls Club, and I do know that there are people in that organization who certainly could make it happen. So, I am going to pass this concept on to that organization in the form of a challenge — perhaps they will embrace the concept of establishing a buddy system in our local community. Maybe that small initiative will flourish and become something bigger for other communities across the country.

Although there are some who will think this is ridiculous and that everybody makes their own bed, it's my opinion that some people just don't have the tools or haven't been taught the attitudes necessary to get out of the hole that they live in.

If you have interest in this, please let us know by commenting on this post and in the meantime, perhaps my colleagues at the Boys & Girls Club who are committed to helping children and families all over the country will have some other ideas.

We are in the real estate syndication business. We invest in properties and we offer seminars to assist others in acquiring the skills needed to syndicate properties. This topic is very relevant for helping you in raising funds or investment capital for any real estate investment, whether it be for commercial property or another kind of investment property.

Thank you for being one of our loyal readers. We appreciate you and we are rooting for your success.

To bring Joel into your company, please visit http://www.joelblock.com or http://www.growth-logic.com. Also, be sure to check out our newest project: a blog to organize the blogs that cover entrepreneurship — http://www.entrepreneur-hub.com. And finally, for film makers: http://www.hollywood-dream.com/ and http://www.filmfundingblog.com — our newest projects.

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Is This The New Normal?

Joel Block — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 23:17:07 +0000

The most pressing question that I receive nearly daily is something like: "Joel, how do you see the economy? What's on the horizon, in your opinion?"

It's hard to say, and I certainly don't have a crystal ball that's any better than anybody else in the media — although, the media never seems to get it right. But I do see one trend that is very significant and it's worth taking note of.

That trend is that people are finally starting to get used to this down economy. This economic environment has stripped most of us of our credit. It has stripped most of us of our ability to buy things that we can't afford, and many of us have moved on to a debit card system that requires cash to be in the bank before a purchase can be made.

A year ago, when I set up a debit card system, it was so foreign that I was afraid to take the card out of my wallet. I was afraid of the bookkeeping requirements of staying on top of daily purchases. I was afraid of the embarrassment of not having enough money at a point of sale terminal, until I got used to looking at the bank account every day. And I was afraid of the unknown because I've been using my American Express Card for so many years.

But now, I'm used to it. And all those fears have gone away. I believe that most others, my friends in particular, have gotten used to using their debit cards as well. It's a good system. It's a system that our grandparents would endorse, and it's a system that's going to keep a lot of Americans out of a lot of trouble.

But this isn't really the end of the story.

The end of the story comes from how me make use of the "new normal." I see people scrambling around like never before. I see a level of intensity and desperation that truly is producing a new and reinvigorated American work ethic. People aren't really liking how hard they have to work, but working hard is a good thing for us, because it puts us back into a mode that will make us a first rate industrial and technological power.

People are taking advantage of the spare time that they have to do marketing and selling and to sharpen their "own axes", making their own skills better and improving the way that they render services to their customers.

They're improving their own infrastructures. They're improving the way that they deal with their employees and with their customers. And they're improving the way that they acquire new customers and clients as well. If those are the outcomes from this economic downturn, then once in awhile, a downturn is a good way of "shaking things up." We needed it. We had become complacent. We had become slow. And now, we're going to be moved into action so that we're back in a competitive saddle ready to do the good work that we're all capable of doing.

We are in the real estate syndication business. We invest in properties and we offer seminars to assist others in acquiring the skills needed to syndicate properties. This topic is very relevant for helping you in raising funds or investment capital for any real estate investment, whether it be for commercial property or another kind of investment property.

Thank you for being one of our loyal readers. We appreciate you and we are rooting for your success.

To bring Joel into your company, please visit http://www.joelblock.com or http://www.growth-logic.com. Also, be sure to check out our newest project: a blog to organize the blogs that cover entrepreneurship — http://www.entrepreneur-hub.com. And finally, for film makers: http://www.hollywood-dream.com/ and http://www.filmfundingblog.com — our newest projects.

money business

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