Land Investing Tips on Prioritizing What Matters and Not Wasting Valuable Time

Hey, it's Mark Podolski, the land geek with your favorite niche real estate website, thelandgeek.com and on this week's Roundtable podcast, we've got a great topic, and it's going to be, what are you. What do we see our clients doing that's really sucking their time? So we have almost all the usual suspects. We've got Landon AI Heresy, aquatic investor. Landon, how are you doing? Well, Mark, good to see you. We're missing your. Your better half, your other half slacking. We, yeah, we. We're missing that female energy, but we've got Kirk Parrots. Kirk, we still need to come up with a nickname for you.

Yeah, I'm doing good, Mark, and still scared about what the nickname is going to be.

It's just going to come organically. It could be Kirk. No fair. No fear. The kind of Fear Peer. That kind of rhymes.

Kind of. Except I'm always terrified. But that's okay.

I keep going.

Yeah, that's where the nickname comes in. It's like when you call a big guy Tiny, right? Eric the Technician Peterson. Hey, Mark, how are you?

Good to see you.

Good to see you. And last but not least, I love it when you call me Big Papa Tate Litchfield Tate. How are things? Life is good.

Can't complain.

Well, let's. Let's pick on Kirk No Fear Parrot here with our topic. So, Kirk, when you're looking at clients in. In the coaching program or office hours, where do you see them spending a majority of their time? Where they. They shouldn't be spending it. Like, you know, we're talking about spring cleaning. Like, where should they spend their time, spring cleaning? And not. Not spending time doing X, but they should be spending time doing Y. Yeah.

I think that's a. Awesome question. And, you know, I think what I see some folks doing is they fall into the easy trap, right? They fall into that trap of like, well, this is easy. And, you know, I kind of enjoy doing this, so I'm just going to keep doing this forever. And because they like doing it, at least like doing it in the moment, they just keep doing it, even though it's a task that really is a low value task, a low kind of dollar task. So, you know, an easy one is the first one is uploading the list, right?

Just.

Just the fact that county research, if you like it, can be a lot of fun, right? Then that means that that can bleed over into creating the list, which can, if you like, the county research, can be fun. And pricing the list and uploading the list. Well, that's like a good amount of work on the intake side that really, once you train somebody to do that and you have them doing it for you, it frees up your mind to do other interesting, more interesting things. So oftentimes getting trapped in that kind of easy, fun work, but it's a, it, it feels good now, but it's a blocker to getting to more interesting and really more higher value. Add things later.

No, a hundred percent. And you know, if, if you're doing $5 an hour work, you're making no money doing it. So you gotta, you know, move up that, that value chain even if you like doing it. And this is something we could even talk about later because I, I always have this sort of dilemma. It's like, well, if it really brings you joy, I don't want to suck the joy out of the business for you. That being said, you should really, you know, examine how you are spending that time, even if you, even if you enjoy it. But maybe Landon AI Harris sees something else where people are spending their time on things that they really shouldn't be spending their time on. What are you seeing?

Yeah, you know, as I talk to people that are doing this business or even just getting started, like, I, I hear a lot of people researching so much of this business about trying to do other people's systems. They want just to jump right into somebody else's system. And because you're making it work, they want to jump right into yours. And it may not be the system that you need to do. And especially in the beginning, like I tell people all the time, the nuts and bolts of this business is so simple. It is not overly complicated. You don't have to have every system in the world to make this business work. I think people get so wrapped up into kind of what they see and they assume, okay, well, I need this to make my business. No, really, what you need to do is go buy land, go market it and go sell it. It's that simple. It's that simple. And I think people really dive in too much to starting the business and really just wanting to put everything in. When that kind of stuff kind of you evolve into that and every business evolves and grows if you want to be a successful business. And I think, you know, when we start off, I think the biggest thing is just get the AB A's, ABs and C's. If I can get it out, just keep it simple. Keep it simple and do the things that, you know, what we teach and just kind of Keep it moving. Don't try to go too far.

Just.

And then as your business grows, then you can kind of start jumping into some other things.

Yeah, I really like that answer for a number of reasons, but it's like the. Follow the recipe, right? We give you this recipe in flight school. But what you, you know, but people want to make it complicated. It's like, okay, well, I'm finding the recipe, and I would just use the restaurant analogy. Well, what, what kind of hands does Eric Peterson use? And, and what kind of spatula does, does Kirk use? And, and what is, is he using an electric grill or a gas grill? And you know, it's irrelevant. I mean, the, the tools that we're using are, are irrelevant. Yeah, Eric's like, it's, I'm using a smoker. So, you know, you, you're going to use the tool that's best for you at that time in your business, because you're not Tate or Eric or Kirk or Landon. You're not there yet. You're still new. You want to get the fundamentals down. You want to follow the recipe, then become the chef, then put your own spin on it. But to come in to say, Eric's kitchen and say, oh, yeah, I'm going to use, you know, exactly his processes, his systems, his tools. But he's built, built his business to a place you're not even there yet, and he has a team. That's not the, I mean, you're just taking one variable and thinking, oh, okay, that, that's gonna get me to be those exact results. It's not. It's, it's a process. It's an evolution. And we do see that a lot where people just want to skip this, the, the step of, of the, of, of keeping it simple and, and then building from there. So, yeah, I really like that answer. Eric, the technician Peterson, Mr. Smoker.

So I don't know that he uses a gas grill. Don't you put that on him, Mark?

Yeah, it does matter.

Charcoal and wood over here.

Charcoal and wood, natural.

I think that what comes to mind when we're, we're talking about this topic is, you know, what we would commonly refer to as shiny objects syndrome.

Right.

And I think specifically that is within the business. So I see students so often get caught up in the weeds of whether it's evaluating softwares or trying to learn how to use a certain software or tool when in the end, like, yes, that might be a piece of their business, but it's not going to sell them land today. It's not going to help them acquire land today.

Right.

And they're in there, you know, spending time watching YouTube videos, this versus this or, you know, how do I do this technical aspect of, I don't know, setting up an airtable base or could be anything. Right. But if, if it's going to distract you from the day to day activities of mailing and marketing, then it's wasting your time at this point in the business, when you're launching this business and trying to build it into something that's substantial. So how do we solve that? Quite simply, we go to a place like Upwork or Fiverr or one of those other resources where we can find people that are experts in these various things that we might need and put them to work on those tasks. Don't spend your time trying to learn something that you're not familiar with when you should be doing the, the ABCs of the business as, as Landon referred to it.

No, 100%, you, you want to focus on those money making activities and not distract yourself. Or I, I think it's, it's a form of procrastination actually is to go and, and, and avoid the pain of the real work of the mailing and marketing and then find some shiny object that feels like work, but it's not really productive work. I've heard some productivity experts call it polishing the Runway. Right? Well, it's easy to polish the Runway, but what's, what takes a lot of effort is getting off. It's getting the plane off the Runway and flying and that, and that energy that it takes there. I mean, I think of just email. You know, how many times a day are you just checking email? It's just a complete distraction to total procrastination from what you really should be doing to, to build your business and, and move the needle in your business. So I think that's a, that's a, that's an interesting and a great answer and a great observation from the technician. Thank you. Well, to, to, to close us off, Big Papa Tate Litchfield, what are you seeing your clients do they shouldn't be doing?

You know, I really love what everybody said thus far. I kind of like, I was summarizing it in my mind as I was preparing for my comment. And you know what Eric said and kind of goes with what, you know, Landon and Kirk said. It's like you don't have to be an expert at anything except hiring an expert. Right? Like that's, that's kind of what they're saying is learn to hire Experts. And. And that'll get you far, especially in the land business. What I see people wasting time on is chasing sales that have no chance of progressing. And what I mean by that is you're talking with that guy on the phone, and he's really, really interested. And he'll say something like, well, I can't afford the property payment today. It'll have to be on February 31st of next year. And you're like, huh, okay. And then you keep talking with that individual, and you're like, what is going on here? February 31st, you don't have 250 down and 100 bucks for the. For the DOC fee or 250 for the dog fee and $100 down. Like, why am I still on the phone with you? And the.

The.

The other aspect of this is the guy who calls you up and says, hey, I really like your property. It's not what I want. I'm looking for something in the mountains with big trees, a stream running through it, wildlife going through it on a daily basis where I can park my camper and live out there forever. And I want to pay $200 a month like that. That's a dead end. That's a dead end. And so what. What some new land investors would do is they'll go to the communities, or they spend hours researching it and trying to find this property. It's like, that exists. That property does exist, but that guy can't afford it. And so you're wasting your valuable time, which is not free, chasing leads or working leads that have no chance of progressing. So my biggest pet peeve is working with people who have no intention of buying. And if you can become an expert in sniffing that out and telling or not whether somebody is, you know, going to actually progress, then I think you're able to manage what's going on in the business that much easier.

Yeah. And one of those easy positions to hire for is that sales assistant to qualify the leads. So you're not spending that time, that valuable time with tire kickers, with people that want something that they can't afford, or they're really excited about the property, but they're. Yeah, can we. Can we do it in three months? I have the money. Like, wait, these properties are priced to sell today, and that's a really not a good sign. Right. It's a red flag if. If they. To your point, they can't handle 250 down. 250amonth. So, yeah, that. That's. That's a. A really great answer. And you Know, it kind of reminds me, like, what I would see is people doing the same type of thing on intake, talking to sellers and listening, you know, to a 30 minute story about how they bought the property, why they bought the property, why they're selling the property. Again, it's an important role. It's just you as the owner, you as a CEO. It's not the best use of your time, and there's someone out there who can do that at a much lower rate. So you can spend your time doing the, the. The tasks that really move the needle and grow the business and actually make you lots and lots of passive income. So I thought it was a great subject for sure. But now we're at that point in the podcast where we're going to put Landon on the spot and ask him for his tip of the week. A website, a resource, a book, something actionable for the art of passive income listeners to go improve their businesses, improve their lives. And Eric is like, wait, why is it not Kirk? And I don't know, I'm like, I.

Thought we passed the baton by now.

I think we should pass the baton. Landon. You want to pass the baton to Kirk?

I was going to give it to. You know what? I'mma cover you this one. But you got it. The next one, I guarantee it.

Landon.

Landon, you're such a good guy, man.

Now Kirk is prepared. He will be taking on tips of.

The week going forward.

I mean, I know how the.

I know how the podcast works.

I could get called at any time, so I come ready.

Oh, nice.

Okay.

Well, since.

Since this will be my final tip.

No.

So we were talking about productivity and like, what's. What's a good way of not wasting time and kind of moving your business forward? So one of the things that I would, you know, suggest everybody do is this is a classic book. It's worth a reread. It's called Strength Finder 2.0 by Tim Roth. I think most of it has gone through it or read it, but it's worth a reread. That great way to find strengths that you possess and your vas. Great way to, you know, put. Look at you, man. You got it.

All right.

Was that your tip?

I didn't realize I came prepared for your tip.

Yeah. For those of you listening, Kirk is showing he's got the book right on his desk. And my wife actually gave me this.

Book and she gave me a strength finders evaluation from one of her friends who does it. This was like a early dating gift. She knows me very well, awesome book.

Yeah, she was looking for the red flags.

Yeah, yeah, totally.

For sure. So, yeah, you got to go get it. Everybody's got to get that book. It's definitely worth, you know, applying to your business for sure.

Awesome. Awesome. Well, just a reminder to the audience, the only way that we're going to get Landon to pass the baton off to Kirk and get more tips of the week if you do three favors. Follow rate Review the podcast, Send a screenshot of that Review. Support the landic.com if you're interested in building your passive income without renters, without rehabs, without renovations. Today's podcast is sponsored by Flight School. Learn more. Go to landgeek.com forward/training and schedule a call with our team and see if the land investing is right for you. Pete, are we good?

Yes, sir.

That was good. Landon, are we good?

We are good, Mark.

Eric, we're great. Mr. Tip of the Week. Kirk. Awesome. Oh, look at that. Eric just did the thumbs up. We got fireworks.

I still haven't figured out to turn that off, actually.

Fantastic. Well, let's do this. One, two, three. Let's let freedom. Freedom. Not bad. Yeah. I'm going to go figure out what to do with this cold. I don't know, by the way.

I don't.

What is it? Starve a fever, Feed a fever, Starve a cold?

What's.

What's. What's is. Does any of this even relevant anymore? Hey, your dad's a doctor. Did you hear this growing up?

That sounds. I have no idea what that is. I've never heard that expression.

You guys never heard this expression? I mean, Eric, I have heard it. I don't. You've heard the expression? I don't know what it is. Like, what order. If only there was a way to find out. To go to the Oracle?

That's complicated.

It's too complicated.

You probably need to go ask a doctor or something.

Yeah, yeah.

WebMD's AI I was gonna say.

Yeah, be careful with that one.

Yeah, yeah. For, like, health tips. Does anyone ever go online anymore? It's just so scary. No, I can't even do it. It's like the one thing I try not to. To research. And by the way, I'm not even Googling anymore. I'm using perplexity. It just gives you the answer. So maybe I use perplexity. All right?

I find that when I go online to look for cures for whatever ailed me, I leave with more ailments that I have to go Google.

Yeah, yeah, no kidding. I have more anxiety.

Yeah.

Than I had in the beginning. All right, guys, have a good one.

Thanks, everybody.

Thanks, everybody. Thanks for listening to the Art of Passive Income podcast. Are you ready to learn how you can start building a passive income without renters, rehabs, renovations or rodents? Schedule a free consultation@thelandgeek.com training. Let freedom ring it.