Go Fast or Go Far?
There are two critical factors in business.
1 — what your business is
2 — who you are in business with
If either one gets out of whack…it’s a problem. But the “what your business is” is often easier to deal with than the “who you are in that business with.”
There is an old saying that goes, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
In 2012, I was working as a health coach for a company helped me lose 60 pounds. Before I was in real estate, I was hustling to find coaching clients.
And this particular day was a long one. I had driven round trip an hour and a half to a morning appointment. Then an hour round trip to a no-show appointment. Then loading up three small boys into a minivan to go to a playground for the afternoon.
If ever you have loaded small children into a car…well…you know.
Three car seats.
Three boys…5, 3, 1.
All scattered and not paying attention to the reality of the small amount of time we had before the sun set that day.
Me, tired from driving all over that day already.
And my business day wasn’t over yet…I had planned to get to the business after hours with the Chamber of Commerce to continue pushing forward with my health coaching business.
The playground in Summerville where we were going is incredible! It was built sometime during the 10 years I lived out west in El Paso, Texas working in youth ministry. It is almost an acre, with giant wooden structures with turrets, bridges, a “ship”, swings, really it is one of the coolest playgrounds around.
And then…
The van completely died at a stop sign three blocks away from Gahagan playground.
I cranked the engine back to life and we made the right turn onto the playground street.
And it died again…
This time, the engine wouldn’t crank back up.
Nothing.
Thankfully, I had USAA roadside assistance to call a tow truck.
Sadly, I had three boys in the non-working van with me on the side of the road while it was getting dark.
Fortunately, my dad was available to come transfer all the car seats and boys to his car to get them home.
Unfortunately, it took an hour longer for the tow truck to arrive and haul the van to the shop.
The fortunately’s stopped there…
Morning rolled around and the mechanic called me to share the news that the engine was totally toast. Something about something in it somewhere that caused something else…
Can you tell I’m not a mechanic?
Add to this that we couldn’t fit three car seats in the back of our other car, a 1991 Toyota Corolla.
And not to mention that we had no resources to replace the van with what I was making as a health coach…
My parents let me borrow indefinitely their old 1980s Volvo 240 wagon, that was just barely wide enough to fit three car seats into in the back seat.
It could barely get to 65 mph, but I couldn’t afford to be picky.
That same week, my cousin Jennings stopped by.
(note…this was 2012…six years before we partnered up for real estate investing in 2018)
As cousins do, he stopped by to commiserate with me, and say how sorry he was that happened to me, and say a prayer and be an encouragement and light during a dark week.
He handed me an envelope as he left.
Inside was $800 and note…
“I know this doesn’t replace the van, but I hope it helps with what you’re going through.”
Out of nowhere.
Because that is the caliber of human that Jennings is.
Somehow it wasn’t until six years later that we connected in business as partners in property management and then real estate investing.
But whenever anyone asks me about my partnership, my answer is simple…
“Let me tell you a story…”
Because who you are in business with matters. The character of a person is what matters when the chips are down. Will they honor their word? Will they hold fast when the seas are rough?
Jennings Smith is one of those men. One that I am proud to partner with.
With tears in my eyes, I write my gratitude for the caliber of partner I have.
