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[0:00] We're gonna be you know getting set up here for a minute. And I just welcome everybody into the room.
Leo and I are just having a casual conversation here.
I'm searching for the feed now that we're going live.
And it shows up then we can actually oh it says Russ Johns is going live right now. And I see that.
So you can actually jump in there turn your sound down so your feedback. The feedback it's for rock and roll but we don't necessarily need it for every day.
Wendy How are you this morning. Good morning and welcome to Piratebroadcast.

[0:47] And we are rocking and rolling today on a what is it. It's a Tuesday

[0:51] It's a beautiful day.

[0:55] You know you have a few things happening in your world when you're thinking about what day is it.
So I just a couple of housekeeping efforts.
If you're not connected with Leo go connect with Leo he's a Linked In aficionado.
He loves LinkedIn and he's going to we're going to be talking about a little bit about LinkedIn it as well. He's also a mastermind certified. I'm not sure what that means, I'd want to find out what that means.
And then also that free real estate. I think that's cover it.

[1:29] Does it. Yeah. Have I run a real estate investment fund that's debt-free.
I was co-founder of the mastermind association and through that I'm a certified mastermind Host.

[1:43] Fantastic. So welcome to The Pirate broadcast.
If you're found if you're not following the pirate broadcasts on LinkedIn follow the pirate broadcast,
we can also be found over on YouTube Periscope Facebook and podcasting all fine podcasting platforms so you can chase us down anywhere.
And I want to welcome Leo to the room. I want to welcome you're officially a pirate Leo so thank you so much for being here.
And so we're going to be talking about relationships building communities you know some fun things some business strategies and solutions.
And welcome to The Pirate broadcast. Nice to be here. Thank you. So Leo tell us how you arrived here on LinkedIn doing what you're doing and why do you stick around on LinkedIn. What's the deal with LinkedIn. Tell us your perspective on it today.

[2:42] You know LinkedIn is a and I got in on LinkedIn years and years ago. I don't even remember how long I've been on here but it's if I liked the LinkedIn feed because you know people's puppies are cute now but I just don't need that every day right. It's different from the other social media which is more about me, me, me. I look at what I'm doing look at who I know look at my family look at what I'm doing today and LinkedIn is just more. Let's just get down to business and see if we can all make some money together.

[3:20] Yeah. It's amazing how people's perception of what needs to be online varies across the platforms and every platform has a personality.
So are you on other platforms or do you primarily hang out on LinkedIn.

[3:35] No no. I'm on all the other platforms. I show off my animals my kids and what I'm doing and you know sometimes more than others.
So you know I mean we all partake in that. Yeah. What do you need? What do you need now and what do you need today is. Which is what's going to bring you two different feeds.

[3:51] So if you had one recommendation for someone just joining LinkedIn,
and you can only deliver one nugget of knowledge today what would that nugget of knowledge be for new LinkedIn users when you're connecting with new people.

[4:08] Take a minute and read their profile and actually acknowledge something about what they do.
That's a great bit of advice, don't just copy and paste messages into your friend requests.

[4:19] Which again we're all guilty of doing or just banging on the Connect button but actually taka minute. Yeah. Yeah. I had you know out of all of the messages I get.
I got one yesterday where somebody actually read what I did and had something valid had a valid question.
Yeah. They're connecting as friends and that hasn't happened and. I don't even know how long we need to start a movement. We do you get kindness. It's cool folks.

[4:54] That's kind. That's kind. Just take a little bit of time out of your busy schedule to recognize what other people are doing and acknowledge that fact.
So that's a great tip. Leo I want to I also want to do a little kindness is cool effort here.
Vicky O'Neill Good morning Wendy. Good morning Kathy.
Thank you so much. Good morning,
Fred Costa. Thank you so much. Moose what are you doing. I'm back in Houston this week.
So I hope you're well Derek Monroe. Frank thank you. He's a pirate.
So Gabriel Randy McNeely Randy. Kindness IS COOL. SO YOU'RE A I fan a fan of kindness and generosity and I think that's really a trend that we're seeing or at least I would like to believe I'm seeing more. Leo is this idea that you can actually build connections you build communities and that's the whole point of a mastermind.
You know I'm in a couple of masterminds in and I love the power of a mastermind where you're bringing like-minded individuals together and you know if it gets too large that it becomes linked in right. If it's smaller and more intimate you can actually get some work done.
So talk a little bit about those to those people that may not be as familiar with masterminds.

[6:19] So how do you how did you get to know a mastermind and what prompted you and what are you doing with those. So interesting how I got into masterminds is actually through Greg Reed, through you know thinking grow rich Three Feet from Gold pulling Hill Foundation Greg's is now a friend of mine I've known him for years but it's before prior to knowing him I didn't really know masterminds I didn't know what they were. And nowadays most masterminds that you find advertising I mean they're. They're not masterminds they're seminars they're telling you or sell you something. So what we did is we created the mastermind association to then bring it back to what it mastermind was truly supposed to be.
It's a small group of people to create a collective mind to help solve each other's issues and problems. We all have knowledge that we that other people need.
We just don't know they need it. Then your mind is an opportunity for us to be able to see what those people need to see what our individual experiences have brought us and then how to share that. And you can't do that when you've got 40 50 60 people in the room.

[7:31] No no that becomes a seminar because you can't share everybody's thoughts or ideas right. Not at all. And also on the other side of that same coin, I think that the beauty of a mastermind is other people will see the gifts that you possess when you don't necessarily see them yourself. Correct. And so having someone say hey Leo you really are good at this you should probably do something with that right. A skill or a craft or an idea or a thought and let's expand on that because having a little bit of support around you can go. It can travel miles. You know it's is one of those things that you can just really appreciate from other people. And the fact that you can do it in a safe space nobody's going to know what stays in the group.
You know it was said in the group it stays in the group and it's kind of like a protected space for me anyway. That's my experience.

[8:30] And masterminds my particular experience that's exactly how they're supposed to be in there was to have a little tight network of people,
and you know not everybody fits in you know as we have people coming in and out of the mastermind it's like some people show up and they're just there to network,
they can't get vulnerable they can't talk and they can't get out of pitching what they're trying to do to make money.
Now we can't help them. So you know we there's people that come in we ask them to leave and I mean we've got a waiting list of people that want to come in but we keep a group of them all to like 15 people.

[9:08] Yeah we can help the helpless or not but not the unwilling.

[9:13] Right. Exactly. And you know and you can really help people dive down and get focused on what it is that they need or what they want.
I mean we had somebody last week. I mean they thought they wanted to focus on one some computer app that they had and,
they were that was really just what they were trying to do because they needed money and they were they were hungry and they had that look in them but once we drove into what they actually want to do and what they like to do. Yeah. We kind of helped through that and then to help them reframe the fact of you know if you don't make this app work you're gonna lose your house. That's a place of fear as opposed to I need to make this app work because if I don't I'm going to lose the house. Therefore this app has to work.
And that's a drive so we're able to help frame him from a drive of coming from a place of fear to a place of I can't lose because I will not give up.
And his whole energy changed and it was amazing.

[10:17] Yeah. When you imagine the outcome of something and you're so invested in it.
I think it's even more important to have a mastermind because of the blind spots that you tend to get.
You know we're in a cone of knowledge where we have an understanding of what we've learned what we don't have is the questions or we don't know how to answer or we don't even think about answering it. Right.
Right. So having another individual around with a little more experience or different experience or something along those lines is really important.
And so if you have an opportunity to get in a mastermind or being a mastermind I recommend that you consider that.
So just one of those things.

[11:09] So do you work on any subject how are your masterminds structured so we don't realize the whole idea and what we're doing is you know I mean I'm in real estate right. I run a debt free real estate investment fund. And the last thing I want to do is get a bunch of real estate people around me because we're all going to be sharing our egos and what works for us and we do it this way. I don't want real estate people like that in my mastermind. I want people that are just out doing business. You know at a high level that have different experiences then I do. You know I mean we can always I can go to a real estate investment group and talk to those people and find out what kind of struggles they run into. But I don't need that mastermind. Yeah. What I need is a fresh perspective from outside of my wheelhouse.

[12:07] So you know it's they see how they say you want you to know a group of peers. Well, it is it's a group of peers but not necessarily a group of peers in your industry to find more value of having other people outside of my industry to see things from a different perspective. And I think that's also incredibly important to understand is that you need people that are complementary to your industry not directly in competition because then you get the same mind. You get the same information around the industry than you. And it's really hard to see outside the box. And I think that's really it. I think that's really important to understand and appreciate because it's so infrequent that we can actually have somebody that can see it from a whole new perspective. And you know Let's appreciate that. Let's be let's have gratitude for people that are around us that can see that perspective.

[13:06] So absolutely. And you know from the last time I was in the opportunity chair in need I don't need any I don't need guidance.
My struggle isn't like in finding deals or raising capital or anything like that.
Actually it was more how do I get on and find more podcasts.
How do I do? I mean things like this huh.
It has nothing to do with real estate. So you know having other people that are out there and other influencers to be able to come around and supply that knowledge and give me other paths.

[13:41] Valuable. Well, it expands your ability to make connections right.

[13:48] It does. And by having people in other industries it expands your box of knowledge that you can tap.

[13:54] Yeah yeah. And you know the fact that we're streaming on,
four different platforms and then you'll before the end of the day you'll be on my blog post and then have the opportunity to share out multiple podcast platforms as well.
That's a pretty powerful tool. I mean I think that that's an extreme opportunity to just create content.
I mean it's simple it's easy. Well, it's not easy but it's it's the ability to reach other people in different markets that you wouldn't normally have an opportunity to connect with is very powerful.
It is. It is. And you know I appreciate you taking the time and have set this up in such a way where you know you do have a broad reach and I think that's super cool.
Well, I don't have the time or the bandwidth to do it myself so thank you for doing it.

[14:53] Well you know part of my skill set and my the things that get me up in the morning are building systems that I can actually use to help other people and highlighting people like yourself Leo. It's it brings me joy and also I mean it was pretty simple to get on the show. I believe absolutely it was you know booked.
I'm booked all the way through February right now. I mean fantastic so five days a week. You know I'm doing a show.
And to me this gets me up in the morning it gets me up in the day I'm I'm currently in Houston right now.
You know normally I'm in Arizona and I can travel anywhere and do this. I can I can get it done.
I have all my other work I got assistance I've got systems built out so the next phase of this is to be able to share this technology in this platform with other people that want to do the same thing. So imagine yourself you know you're doing a show that you want to bring guests on like loan officers or you know funding or contractors or you want to.
You want to bring other people around the world to find other influencers that are doing the same thing or similar things that complement what you're doing.

[16:14] So this whole platform can then because we you know we're pirates now right. We could do this.
So all of a sudden you have an opportunity to have conversations with people that you wouldn't normally have conversations with.
I just think it's a very powerful tool that a lot of people are under underestimating the power of what's going on around us.

[16:34] So yeah there are quite a few people I know that are in my sphere that have podcasts. You know I.
I respect the fact that they do the same thing every day and they have a very they have a specific time or they jump on and they do these podcasts.
You know that's great. I mean I don't for a lot of the things that I do.

[16:59] The only thing I do absolutely regularly is get up in the morning make my coffee and take my kids to school and then my day starts,
it's a really hard fast schedule.

[17:09] You have no right in the middle of the day is filled with you know what did I not get done on my list yesterday.

[17:19] Yeah I love it. And that's the beauty of it is is you know technology has allowed us to be a little more flexible you know in the real estate industry you know other Web sites and all of these other tools that you're using, to find out you know what's going on in the world and in the real estate is is probably pretty powerful it's probably assisted you in building your fund.
I would imagine you know it the way that I've started the investment fund and you know put together our risk reduction roadmap it's really it's really not technology based it's relationship-based. I mean we buy amazing deals in the Midwest. I mean there's a Tri plex right now that I'm looking at it. The rents coming in or twenty five hundred dollars a month. And I have the opportunity pick it up for seventy five thousand dollars, you don't find those on the MLS you don't find those in the newspaper you find those by shaking hands creating relationships and having people pick up the phone and call you. And it's I mean you can I guess you can find those technology. But you know it's the relationships that I value and even run around the West Coast raising money and going to you know all of these different galas and networking events over the past years it's developing those relationships and you walk into a room,
and there's people you've been seeing for years and it's just it's you can't get that on technology.

[18:54] I think really on another show we are talking about the idea that having the connection on LinkedIn using technology and then coming together in person.
Yeah it kind of reduces the awkward. Who are you and what are you do and why am I talking to you.
Kind of effort and I think that that's an area so utilizing the technology where it makes sense to build a relationship I think it is really the key takeaway here.

[19:21] And you know it really is Yeah I ran into somebody this last week and we ran into each had them were like hey good to see you again. Where did we meet.
I don't really know and then later that night it was like we were connected on Facebook and LinkedIn but apparently we've never actually met again. Good to see you again.

[19:44] That's exactly the effect you can have. It's amazing to think that you know you become acquainted with people online,
as you can have conversations with them and as you you know can develop time then if you have an opportunity to see them in person,
that is just accelerated and you recognize each other you know you could see it for what they are. But I think the two things that I really really love especially about live streaming and podcasting and all using the technology is the fact that people understand who you are and what you do and how you do it.
And you know people are going to say hey I really want to work with Leo. Call him up to connect with him. Not sure when we're going to do something. It's just when it happens it happens right. Yeah. And that's where the you plant the seed for the relationship because I think that we all need to grow and expand and meet new people.
And it's really it's part of the process of being humans you know like like we're connecting all the time.
Yeah we are in it you know it pays to pay attention.

[20:53] You know it's gotta pay to pay attention and to go back as we said earlier in the show of paying attention to people that you're trying to befriend on LinkedIn or Facebook you know taking a moment just to figure out who they are and see if they're fit.

[21:07] Yeah yeah. I think the other thing about that is that's really powerful is the ability like you're saying to the mastermind you know when you're in a scarcity mode.
Use. All you see is challenges.
And when you're in an opportunity mode all you see is potential and opportunities.

[21:26] Shiny Objects shiny objects. No now I'm in squirrelville.
That is great. What. Where do I go next. Because every place is an opportunity. And I agree.

[21:39] I'm sure that you've had that experience in your life in the past.
It's like you know we all go up and down and you have your moments of like what am I doing or why am I doing it.

[21:51] And then you can the next day or something happens and you go say hey this is great.
You know this is where I need to be. This is what I'm doing.

[22:01] And so it's interesting to have people around you say well time out. Let's take a reality check.

[22:09] You know that is it is absolutely helpful and you know there's been it's goofy back to the power the mastermind.
I was at a secret knock last year and there was a little group of us standing in line for a taco truck for lunch.

[22:23] And you know somehow we end the line moved out around us and we were having such an intense little discussion about how we can help each other.

[22:31] And then it was really short. But everybody walked away from that with their minds just kind of blown because of how much knowledge had just gotten thrown around and you know for the different perspective on you know it was actually on an on investors and events that I was going to another guy.
He left with a completely different mindset on sales and how he was coming from a sales point of view and it was it was fantastic

[23:00] Right didn't happen anywhere.

[23:02] Yeah yeah.

[23:03] So real estate in general what's your take on what's happening in real estate today. So you know it's.

[23:13] The market's hot it's frothy and you know the markets are going to change. And.

[23:20] People are going to lose money and there is gonna be another transfer of wealth in the stock market. It's bound to happen everything's cyclical.
You know it's happened and what's happened. All of us. I mean I had a member who they lost their whole retirement and you know 2007-2008 and,
which prompted me to start to South Bend Seven the fund that I'm running now and we have no loans no no leverage no liabilities and we buy everything cash it's a cash flow play,
buy cash flow residential real estate in the Midwest buy everything it's super deep discounts so we're building the equity right into place, and you know it's just day we tried to create a safer place for people to invest into real estate where they also have to deal with the tenants and toilets. We deal with all of that. We deal with managers so it s that South Bend really was created from a place of love and trying to help people, not lose money in the next crash or at least put someplace where the money they don't want to lose into someplace that's a little bit safer.

[24:26] Well the thing about real estate is they're not making any more property right.
Exactly. That is true you can't create any more dirt really unless you go up or down I guess.
But you know it's a lot. The real estate's a lot of work and to own property is a lot of work. It is a lot of work.

[24:41] And there's a lot of people that they know that there's a lot there's a ton of wealth in real estate.
But the last thing they want to do is have to deal with a vacancy or have to deal with fixing something either because they don't know how to or they don't have the time to do it right. Right.
You know and there's a ton of funds out there where you can park your money and you just have to figure out which one's best for you and who's got the unique point that attracts. People as an investor.

[25:08] Yeah. I really, you know I grew up in commercial construction and I think the first dollar I ever made was when I was about five years old when the owner of the property came by and sweeping up the construction site. He handed me a dollar and said thanks for the good work.
Dad used to grab me out of bed every Saturday and take me to the job site and go to work picking up nails or whatever had to be done.
And so then my mother was a real estate broker so I've been in and out of the cycles and everything else I've seen it experience that.
And it's just always fascinating to me of you know how the markets change in real estate hot and then it's not.
And then you know it's a buyer's market or a seller's market and there's a lot of variables that we just have to you know you have to learn through a process. It's not something you'll wake up one day and say hey I'm going to invest in real estate because there is a lot of hassle about it.
And so thank you for doing that work and offering people the opportunity to park their money.

[26:05] So well you know it's interesting right now we're kind of at a time again where you know people are talking about how the market's going up and up and up and if you don't get it out you're not going to because there are no signs of slowing.
Yeah they were saying the exact same thing in 2006.
Even though you know I've seen that I've seen the swings I feel it too.
Oh oh it's frothy. It's good. Better get it now and then I'm like Hold on a second. Everybody's doing that and everyone's talking about it.
Not some real estate groups and they are all there's no signs of slowing down it's going to do this for years.
Yes. It just got to shake my head and just it's not the first time you've been here a.

[26:55] So coming back so LinkedIn. Let's recap a couple of ideas here.

[27:00] So with LinkedIn you want to be able to actually review a profile.
I love it when people.

[27:10] Propose to do something you do in an offer as soon as you connect.
It's like OK I can help you with this.
It's like well if you read my profile you know that's what I do. Right.
Right. It's like so a couple of things just pay attention.
Be kind and actually you know, pay attention to what's in the on the profile before you connect or actually if you're replying to a connection you know to make sure that you actually personalize it and it makes something useful for the individual. I think that's always a good play.
What are you thoughts about on voice messages or video in general going back and forth with LinkedIn.
Are you what are you for or against or distraction or what. What are your thoughts.

[28:02] No I actually I I like little video messages and in audio messages, I haven't.
To be honest with you I haven't figured out how to do them on LinkedIn.
I tried sending you a few and they they don't send something goofy so I been using WhatsApp.
And you know I 'll take a quick little video message all the time and send them out because when I'm hoping when they respond I see them too,
see the emotion and hear the inflection in their voice and get a better feel of what their thoughts are in their response. So that.

[28:38] I'll have to send you a video message and actually. It will allow you to reply to me and see. You'll have to see because I got Rubin Dua of dub app coming on the podcast.
I'm not sure what day he's on but he's a great one. I love the app.
I love my dub is what I say and it really allows a lot of personalized messages to go out in a quick amount of time and that's how I was able to actually utilize,
and book the entire month of February, quickly and easily with the pirate broadcasts. So I'd love to share that with you Leo and get together and do that.

[29:23] I would love that thank you. So any last moment I want to recap a couple of these and actually thank the people that have joined us.

[29:33] Vickie, Randy, Lori, Angie, thank you so much.

[29:38] Rachel, you know all of the individuals that joined the pirate broadcast all the gratitude in the world I love a love that you're here.
I love that you can actually join in. I would love also LinkedIn because I know Lincoln watches every day Leo.
So you have to think that one day they're going to come up with a solution that we can actually respond in real-time.
A little more effectively. So when that happens let me know because I'd be happy to share. Maureen how are you.

[30:11] Randy McNeely, all of the individuals here are waiting to hear with just they're sitting on the edge of the chair.

[30:18] Leo on what's if you had to leave one thing with the world today what would it be you mean like a saying or something.

[30:28] Profound thought I got one for you know something that you want to leave the world in so on action you know and action has been a big thing in fact.

[30:42] Greg Reed has a book Wealth made easy. And I was I was featured in there when he put that out earlier.
I guess it was late last year and now it's about knowledge and action.
You can have all the knowledge in the world but if you don't take action you really don't know anything at all.
You can't put it to use. Yeah.

[31:05] I love that. I love that. Well Leo thank you so much for being here.
Thank you for becoming a pirate and I look forward to sharing all the gifts and the knowledge on https://www.Russ Johns.com/piratebroadcast.
And if you're out and about and you're traveling around on the online world I'd love it if you would actually.
Subscribe to YouTube. Follow me on Facebook or some other platforms.
Twitter Periscope maybe you'll just connect with me so we can actually play in other places and maybe see some other perspectives from another view.

[31:43] So Leo thank you so much for all the things you're doing and is LinkedIn the best place for them to connect with you.

[31:50] Yeah absolutely. LinkedIn is absolutely the best place to hold me and if any of you guys are new out there following Russ's show make sure you follow him and connect up with him because it's good to be a pirate. ARRRGH

[32:02] Thank you so much. And as you know#kindnessiscool. #Smilesarefree.

[32:07] Can I get a shirt with that that says on it. Yeah, #Kindnessiscool #Smilesarefree. Yeah you can. Yeah. He should make those.

[32:15] I think I have. I think I have a store that's halfway completed on Russ John.com so you can actually go there to the cart because I need to do two-minute tips too.
In ten minutes or less. So.

[32:31] No I have been a content creator for years. LEO So happy to help.
And if there's anything I can do to help out let me know.

[32:39] You got it. Thank you very much. I appreciate you. Take care everyone. Have a fabulous day and we'll see it tomorrow.

[32:50] Thanks, Leo.