Transcription
Hi, are you worried about how you can help your child make informed career choices? If so, then this is the channel for you. In this channel, we saw people from different career fields to come and share with us a bit of insight about the certain professions that they're already in. In doing so, we believe that we are helping learners know of the responsibilities that come with a certain profession and, and with that information given to them, they can then make informed career choices. Um, and then and avoid being stuck in the day-to-day jobs that they're not happy with. And ladies and gentlemen, as always, I'm your host, Libor Shivasi, and on today's episode, we are joined by a property investment expert who's been on the field for over 32 years, and 16 of those has been are investing in property. Ladies and gentlemen, sit tight as I welcome Mark Lloyd, who is here to share with us more about investments and and the myths that come around with it. And I hope that you guys do enjoy these conversations. Please watch till the end, as there's a lot to learn.
[Applause]
Hi Mark, welcome to another episode of Complacency Learning. How are you doing today?
Fantastic, thanks. Awesome. You know, they say, um, every day above the ground is a blessing, you know? So you need to make sure that you make the best out of it, right? So it's, it's something that keeps me going, actually. So, um, before we start with the first question, can I just also, um, give you a chance to introduce yourself?
Yeah, sure. So Mark Lloyd, I'm based in the UK. Um, I've been, uh, in business myself now for over 32 years, serial entrepreneur. I've only ever had one job in my life, which is where I left school at the last 16 years. I've been investing in property in the UK. So I'm a full-time property investor, property entrepreneur. I run a training company that teaches people how to do it in the UK as well. That's called Property Pasture Academy. And I also have a, uh, crowdfunding platform for for real estate, uh, in in other part, in various parts of the world. So currently, we're operating in the UK, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, New Zealand, Canada, and that's expanding soon. Coming to South Africa with that platform, actually, as well. So, uh, yeah, it's growing quite rapidly.
That's a quite, that's a quite an impressive, uh, profile that you have there, I must say. Right. So, um, in becoming the property investment expert, right, obviously there's things that you didn't know that you only found out once you were in the field. If I may ask, what is the one thing that you wish you had known before you began your career as a, as a property investment expert?
Yeah, I've asked myself that question many times. And when I started investing in property, I had a telecommunications company. And my knowledge at the time said, like, if I want to do property, I need to, I need to raise some capital. And so we actually told the telecoms company. I didn't need to do that because what I know now is I could have kept the telecoms company and run property alongside it because I didn't need the capital that a lot of people think they need to start in property. Um, in the UK, and it'd be similar, similar, um, opportunities in in where you are as well, that you can start in property with just a few thousand pounds. Uh, I don't want, don't know what those are, but a few thousand pounds. And, um, yes, of course, if the more money you've got, the more you can actually do. But there are so many strategies now where you don't need a lot of money. And I wish I'd known that when I started my telecoms company, which would be producing income for me alongside the property as well. So I would have had two concurrent businesses. But hey, you know, we don't know. I mean, they say as we grow, we learn along the way, right?
So, and they say that, uh, well, everything that we come across, every failure is a lesson. And speaking of failures, I mean, becoming the person you are today, I'm sure you've encountered a lot of failures, and, and you didn't allow for them to put you down, right? So if I may ask, what is your biggest failure, and what did you learn from it?
My biggest failure, uh, I nearly went bankrupt. Now, this one, I can't remember what year, but probably before you were born. It was when, so it was during the 1980s. Oh, wow. That's a long time ago. Yeah. The, um, rates in the UK went up to 17%. Very high. I mean, by the standards, is very high. And I, I just couldn't earn enough to pay my outgoings, my mortgage, everything like that. So I, I kind of gave up. I, I just stopped totally because I thought, why am I working when I can't produce enough to pay for all the bills? And I just got, um, I couldn't even find anywhere to rent. So that, that was the lowest point in my life. Um, but one thing I did maintain was a very strong, uh, very strong attitude. I'm a believer, always having a firm belief that I can do what I want to do, whatever that may be. Perhaps shortly after all this, I, I met my very business partner, and we started a springer company from that.
Well, it's, it's quite a challenge that you went through, hey? And, um, seeing you here, you are today, that means you're a strong person. You know, as they say that God gives his, uh, great battles to, um, his great warriors, you know? So judging from that, I can say that you're a warrior, you know? So, um, so for people that would like to, uh, pursue a career similar to yours, what advice can you give them?
Um, well, property investing is, is quite, it can be quite a difficult, um, career, that's if that's the right term. I think firstly, don't give up what you're doing. So don't do what I did. I had a business. If you've got a job, don't give up the job to do property. Start it part-time. Learn about it first. So attend some trainings. And I know there are definitely trainings in your country because I know some of the people that run them there. Um, and some trainings, learn about it. There's lots of stuff you can do online now before you finish your steps. The most important thing of all, though, is not just the training aspect, but it's actually getting someone to show you how to do it. And that's, that's really usually a coach or a mentor. You know, I still have a mentor today. I've been in business for over 30 years. So getting someone that can actually hold you by the hand and take you through the steps to be successful.
That's, that's quite a long time that you've been in the business, eh? Because, uh, looking into into your profile, I see you've been in the, uh, what you call this investment, uh, business for over 32 years, of which 16 of those you're investing in property, right? So, um, building on to the next question, um, what are the resources that have best helped you along the way? Like, what have you read or listened to, um, recently that have inspired you?
Um, I, I read a lot of books. Um, I, I don't listen to many audios, to be fair. I'm probably of an age where I remember pre-CD, so you know, cassette, like, which I did used to listen to in my car. Nowadays, it would be a CD, clearly, or, or my phone. Um, I suppose there was a couple of books that really helped frame my thinking. And one of those was "Awaken the Giant Within" by Tony Robbins, and the second one was "Rich Dad Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki.
I've read that one before. I think I even have it here. Yes. The year is the first one within was kind of, it's more about the mindset and what you believe you can do, and the power of the human mind is unbelievable. And those two in particular, there's a few other speakers, um, that I, I met along the way. I mean, there's one called, a guy called George Zalaki, who produced a CD, uh, called "Mind and Emotions," again, based upon the effects of the human mind and how we, how we approach things. And they really helped me, um, you know, along the way. I, I'm generally a positive person anyway, and I think you should always have books that you can, uh, read. And I've got one here, uh, excuse me, a second. You can see it there. There we go. So, Zig Ziglar, "To Win of Course." He's a dead now. He died a few years ago, but still got some great stuff in that, in those books.
So, speaking of the people that have been the most influential to you, um, you did mention John, and also you can also say this is a gla, what you call this, judging on the book that you just displayed now. Um, so are there any other people who have influenced you the most, if I may ask?
Strangely enough, actually, it was the one job I had, the, that was my manager at the time, um, and he doesn't know this, by the way. So this is probably the first time on public media I've actually mentioned it. So his name is Mike Bird. He was my manager. I'm banking, that's my very first job, the only job I've had. And, um, he kind of changed my attitude, my way of thinking about me, and realized, I realized I could be better than I was. Um, that's really down to a lot of encouragement. I, I didn't like him to begin with, but I grew to like him. And probably after actually my, if you like him being my manager, I became a manager myself because that, I think I put it, I put that down to him. And then that's where I left financial services and decided, actually, you know what, I can do something else. I can make a lot more if I go on my own. And that's exactly what I did. Um, been now in business now for over 30 years, 32 years.
Awesome. Have we all have to start somewhere, hey? We can't just, like, like a baby needs to crawl and then take those baby steps and then before he could walk, and then after walking, then comes running. Can't just be born, you know, running. So I believe that all the things that we, we come across in becoming the people we are today, they're the ones that have actually helped us become who we are because if it wasn't because of them, we would probably be somebody different or somebody that we don't even like, right? So, uh, now I have to say that myself, I'm in the education field. So I teach, I tutor, I do this podcast also to help learners make informed career decisions, right? So, and, and one common myth about, one of the common myths about education is that I like to use this one, actually, that teachers work lesser hours compared to other professions. And I believe that it's false because there's times that they spend preparing for lessons, marking on the scriptures, and also coming up with expanded opportunities, right? So if I may ask, in terms of property investment, is there any other myth that you would like to, to, to debunk?
Um, yeah, I think, well, the main one is that you need a lot of money. The biggest thing about property, a lot, a lot of people see property, say, well, you know, I can't afford to buy that house because I don't have the money. But you don't need a lot of money. Once you actually understand about investing, and particularly property, you don't need to have a lot of personal money. And that is a big eye-opener for most people.
That's, uh, that's quite a good one because I've also had people, um, saying that, I've also been thinking that myself, that you need to have a lot of money to actually get into property, right? So now, if you could step into my shoes, what would you ask yourself that I did not, what would I ask myself?
Um, I think when you're starting out, there's lots of questions because it's new to you, you're still learning. And, but the, the one, the one overriding factor, and I didn't, I didn't pick up on this straight away, but I have had, certainly in my life, a lot of different coaches. And pick out a coach because, yes, yes, it's going to cost you money. Okay. People coach for free. Anyone that pays anyone provides advice for free is easy, right? But when you pay for that advice, it means a lot more to you. And getting a coach or mentor, similar, similar kind of things. Really, coaches are multiple industries, mentors are specific. So I'm a mentor in property. I mentor a lot of people investing in property around the UK, and some, sometimes other parts of the world as well. So seek one out that can help guide you so you don't make the mistakes I've made. Lots of people I teach, I make sure they don't make the same ones I did. That's kind of what I would say is just seek someone out who can help you.
And, um, here, and also in South Africa, a lot of people went into investments because, like, when I said last year, 2020, you know, because the prime rate had become low, so a lot of people capitalized on that. So, um, I, I agree with you when you say that a lot of people are investing, and even now, they're still investing, taking advantage of the market, right? So, um, to those of our listeners who would like to connect with you online, where can they do so?
Uh, yeah, well, you can connect with me on LinkedIn. I'm on Instagram. I'm also on Facebook. So Instagram is Mark, Mark Lloyd Property. LinkedIn, it's Mark Lloyd PMA. And on Facebook, I think it's Mark Lloyd 66. But yeah, I always connect with me. My prop, my, uh, I've got two websites. Um, you've got, uh, propertymasteracademy.co.uk, uh, at that training company. And then there's maxcrowdfund.com, which is the crowdfunding platform. That also has a link to my LinkedIn profile from there as well.
Great. I'll just make sure that everything that you've mentioned that I put at the bottom of the screen. Okay. So here comes one of my favorite questions, right? The word learning. It seems like a lot of us don't understand what the word learning means because we still have these, these fantasies that we can just go to sleep and then wake up, we have learned everything, or maybe we've learned a new skill, or we've mastered whatever we plan to. And, and also we, and, and during that process, when we realize that it doesn't happen like that, we tend to quit learning because we feel that it's too much for me. I believe that, uh, this word needs, what you call this, consistency, and you need to be determined, right, to learn. So if I may ask, what does the word learning mean to you?
Learning is something I do every day. I think learning is a lifelong task. It's not something that you do for a few years when you're younger at school. I think it's something that you do as a, as a lifelong thing, whether you're in your job, whether in a business, you're learning new things today, different aspects of it. And me, learning is really about expanding your knowledge on whatever it is you want to expand your knowledge on. So, you know, that book I just gave, I mentioned the "Born to Win" one by Zig Ziglar, is very much about mindset and attitude, determination, lots of things you can learn, but sometimes you've got to be born with certain things, and that inner drive will push you forward. The, the knowledge aspect, whilst, um, I wouldn't have to say, yeah, to do my role, do I have to have a degree? No, I don't. Do I have to have lots of qualifications? No, I don't. As, but as long as you continue to learn about what it is you're trying to do, I think that's the most important aspect of all.
And just to add to learning being lifelong, I'm a true believer that the world is, is an ever-changing place, and the only way to keep up with it is through learning. We don't learn, then we, the past leaves us with that information and the knowledge that we actually need to actually move forward, right? And I think a lot of us don't realize that for us to become as successful as you want to be, it starts from learning, right? So, um, I have to be thankful that you brought it up. Okay. So, um, this, uh, brings me to, um, the end of the episode. If I would like to ask, is there anything that you would like to add about yourself, about property investments, everything that you do, and how it works, and everything?
Yeah, yeah, I can add a few things. Um, so, I mean, from the learning aspect, if you like, from, from property, that's, that's what my Property Master Academy company does. Uh, we mentor investors from, from different areas, from certainly obviously within the UK, but we also mentor some overseas investors as well, they want to invest in the UK. And then there's our crowdfunding platform. If you want to look at investing, um, outside your country at the moment, but we will have a presence in South Africa later this year when we launch our platform there. We already have a partner that is ready to go in South Africa, which we're really looking forward to because, and it will open up to a lot more people. We're gonna bring down the average investment limit. Um, so, on that, I don't know what the equivalent is in Rand, so excuse me, but down to 100 pounds. Um, so that should make it available to a lot more people to be able to invest.
If I may ask, by when do you plan to bring it in South Africa?
Uh, well, we're in discussions at the moment. They got delayed a little bit. We were due to catch up with them again the end of this month, and once we get the agreement signed, it then takes us about three months to get our platform adjusted to the local regulations, obviously, cut the Rand, the currency, and sold those things will not be fed in. Um, so I, I would expect latest would be by about September. By September.
Right. That's great. Um, thank you very much for that. Right. Um, I just want to say also that, you know, we, we live in a very busy world, and, uh, it's kind of hard for us to actually have free time where we can just sit and educate others. So for that, I just want to say thank you. It's been an honor to have you on our, on our today's episode. It really means a lot. And I believe that, um, a lot of us are gonna learn. Being myself, being one of them, I've really learned a lot. Like I've said before, that I had a different mentality about investments, right? It's in properties, but then now you actually shun the lights into the right direction. And for that, I just want to say thank you. And, um, yeah, so also, and also to wish you a lovely weekend further, and, um, very lovely days to come. Thank you very much, YouTube. Uh, thanks a lot.
Hey, ladies and gentlemen, you've heard it yourself from Mark Lloyd. And we do believe that you've enjoyed and, and learned a lot from everything that was discussed in today's episode. Um, if you would like to get in touch with Mark Lloyd in terms of investments and any other reasons, please do so at the details provided at the bottom of the screen. And in doing so, please remember to like and subscribe so you are notified when a new episode is posted. Ladies and gentlemen, may everything that you touch turn into gold or diamond or what, what, or whatever you wanted to. Ladies and gentlemen, I just want to wish you nothing but the very best of greatest days to come, and stay tuned for more episodes as we promise to bring you nothing but the best.