Transcription
I looked at my pension and thought, "This is not good. I need to do something else, otherwise I'm going to retire poor when I'm 67."
I went for promotion a couple of times, and I was turned down for it. And, um, I thought, "What am I going to do? Am I just going to accept this, or am I going to do something else?"
I then decided to remortgage my house. So I took £85,000, um, remortgage, and then that gave me a taste. Then, the summer holiday 2024, I thought, "Right, I'm going to go and get myself an SA." It's been fully booked with contractors for the last 14 months.
"Wow."
"And so, uh, 12 rent-to-rents, probably sort of the £10, £11, £12,000 net."
"Amazing. Well done."
Hello and welcome to Samuel Lead Success Stories. I'm your host, Patricia Masuda, and today we're sitting with my very good friend, Sara Man. Welcome, Sara.
Thank you very much. It's a pleasure to be here. Thank you for having me.
A thank you. Um, all right. So when we first met, um, you had just joined the academy. How long ago?
It's a year ago today.
A year ago today.
Yay! Congratulations. Happy birthday to your academy.
And so, um, before you joined the academy, um, you were working for many years as a high school teacher of textiles. How hard was it being a high school teacher?
Um, it was hard to begin with when I was, uh, a bit younger with younger children, but then as I got older and less energy, it became harder and harder and harder. And as the classes got fuller and the, and the children became more demanding, particularly after COVID, um, it became really difficult. U, behavior management seemed to go out the window for sort of like the school systems and things, but it just made life really difficult. And then I looked at my pension and thought, "This is not good. I need to do something else, otherwise I'm going to retire poor when I'm 67."
So, but yeah, it was hard. It was hard work, but I really enjoyed it though. I enjoyed working with the children.
Um, and I do miss that a little bit.
Yeah, I bet it was. Um, I bet it was hard. Um, what was the, what was your favorite part about being a teacher?
H seeing a young person come in with not knowing anything about textiles and then seeing them. Sometimes they would be with me for five years if they took the GCSE, and some children would come in with no skills and they would leave at the end of it having got a really good grade and made some beautiful products, such as a corset or a big wall art. And, but just to see the joy in that they have achieved and created.
Um, it was also really wonderful because so many children, particularly neurodivergent children, would come in nervous and they would be used to being told to s sit down, be quiet. But in my class, I allowed children to move around freely. Um, they could talk, they could, they could express themselves. So I, I really didn't have any behavior issues at all. The children were pretty much really well behaved for me and they enjoyed the subject.
Mhm. Great.
Oh yeah. And then how did you move from teaching to property?
Um, so I went for promotion a couple of times, and I was turned down for it. And it was a real, it was really hard because my daughter had left my school, and I thought, "Now's the time for my career." And so I went for a particular position in my school, uh, two or three times and was turned down every time for a much younger version.
Really? You're already young though.
Oh, thank you. I was 50 in January.
What?
Yeah.
Oh my gosh. Sorry.
Thank you.
Oh my gosh. Okay. So, you were turned down for younger versions.
Yeah. Much younger versions.
Frustrated, disappointed, hurt because I could do those jobs, you know, with my eyes closed. I hadn't wanted to do them before because I was putting my daughter and my son first. But once they left school, I thought, "Now I can put the extra work in. I can stay late. I can have meetings." And then I was turned down again and again. And, um, I thought, "What am I going to do? Am I just going to accept this, or am I going to do something else?"
So I did some training with another provider, which was okay, but it obviously wasn't a patch on Samuel Lead Academy. So, um, I then decided to remortgage my house. My husband supported me. So I took £85,000, um, remortgage.
Yeah.
So I didn't have that money stuffed down the back of a sofa. So I had to take that out. And then, um, and then I looked at all sorts of things to do with it. And then I ended up buying a refurb for an HMO.
Oh, okay. So your HMO, you purchased an HMO. That was your first investment property?
First. And that was before I joined the academy. And then that gave me a taste then. So I did that while I was working as a teacher, and it gave me a taste. And then I met a friend of mine who isn't on the academy. And, um, I met her through networking, and she told me about service accommodation.
Mmm. And the rent-to-rent model. And I thought, "That's not for me. I want to own the asset." And I, I proper turned my nose up at it, actually.
Yeah. Because we're from that generation, and you need to own. What do you mean rent?
Yeah.
It's really hard for my head to get around that, too.
Really hard. And the same age as me. So that was good. And so, um, she took, she had several properties. She's got 19, actually, in Chester. So we're good friends now. So she challenged me. She said, "You can do it." And I was like, so I was saying this at the dinner last night in front of Samuel that I totally ripped off the information off his YouTube videos.
That's what they're there for.
Brilliant content and for free. So I watched countless winners on a Wednesday.
Yeah.
And I would write down the, and pause and write down all the good tip bits. And I went through his videos. I'd go on the treadmill. It was, it was my treat. I'd watch Samuel's videos or, you know, YouTube videos while I was on a treadmill. Make a mental note, anyway. So I thought, "Right, summer holidays, not last summer holiday, the summer holiday 2024, I thought, 'Right, I'm going to go and get myself an SA.'"
So I was like, "Faring up that first landlord, really scared, you know, and you think I've got." And of course, I got nos. Yeah. And then I got someone that said yes. So I went and did the viewing, and she liked me because of being a teacher, and she'd been a teacher. So she gave it me loads of competition for this house in Chester.
Yeah.
Um, so I took that. And then my friend guided me, and I spent far too much.
We all spent too much on the first one.
So shall I tell you how much I spent?
Tell.
Including painting and the deposit, £11,000.
Okay. Lessons learned. Mmm. So to put that in perspective now, minus the deposit and so on, I can probably do one now between two and three.
Oh my gosh. So where would you save the money then? What, what were you overspending on?
Um, not getting carried away, head over heart, this time. So buying secondhand from Facebook Marketplace for a start, and not buying the full set of matching wardrobes and chest of drawers and bedside tables. Um, so I would buy things that look lovely, but I get them from marketplace or from good old. Can I say a brand name?
Sure.
Good old B&M.
Oh, yeah. B&M.
The Range, Amazon.
Um, so, yes.
Temu. Do you know Temu?
Yes. So I get the prints from there and then put them in, and then, you know, put them in the frames and so on. So, yeah. So Temu is good. Nice for a bit of William Morris. Like a bit of William Morris.
Okay.
Throwback to textiles. Um, anyway, so I, I, I remember watching a YouTube video of Samuel saying, "Everyone's on holiday now. This is time for you now to smash it." So, everyone's on holiday. It's August. Go out there and smash it. And it was like, I felt like he was almost like talking to me. So I went and I did it. And I, um, my friend got me contractors in there straight away. And it's been fully booked with contractors for the last 14 months.
Wow. Oh.
And the only time it was empty was when they went over Christmas, but then I filled it with Christmas bookings.
Which are nice premium bookings, the juicy ones, right?
Yes. Yes. So I had to learn really quickly how to put it on Airbnb and Booking.com because they didn't know that before because I just had it easy, I guess, and had a contractor booking put in there. And,
Yeah. So that was good because it pushed me to learn how to use those two systems quickly.
Um, and I'd already had a photographer take some really good pictures.
So, yeah. So then after that, I then thought, "I need more." I was hungry. I was still watching the videos, still. And then, um, then I went, my first crash course.
Oo, I love a good crash course story.
Crash course story. So I went with the same friend of mine, um, that had helped me initially, and, uh, we were late. And it was in Birmingham. We stuck in traffic, and we were an hour late. And I hate being late. So I was, and I, I'm the type of person, I like to sit at the front row as well, like a little teacher's pet. So,
Yes.
Um, yes. So we sat near the back because it was full.
And I loved it. But I thought, "I'm going to come again, and I'm going to sit the front."
Yeah.
So I did. So I went again for the next one when it came to Birmingham again. I went to the next one, sat at the front, took my son with me this time. But I'd known the score was going to happen, so I was ready. So when he said, "Um, go on your phone or your tablet or whatever, and go and find a property. We want so many volunteers to come up on stage and pitch it." And I thought, "Right, I'm doing that."
Good for you, Sara.
So I put my hand up. He chose me, and I went up. And what was the loveliest thing is when I'd finished, he said, "Yeah, I like that. That was good. I'd buy off you." And he gave me £100 cash.
Oh my gosh.
Yeah. I was like, I treasured that money. I didn't, it took me a long time to spend it. I kept looking at it thinking, "Yeah, yeah." So that was lovely. And then I joined then for the, um, financial freedom challenge during that crash course.
Great.
With, uh, Elliot and Leah.
Oh, yeah.
And then I had to wait, though, because of school terms times, and I had to wait quite a few months. Um, and in that time, I, I must have done all the online training and, you know, and so on. Busy obviously teaching. And then, um, and then I did that, that course, and then I joined the academy.
Woo. That's great. So you already kind of like did lots of, you took advantage of all of the free information and the one-pound crash courses as much as possible, and you hit a certain point where you're like, "Okay, now I'm going to invest and sign up for the 12-month program and go all in." How many properties do you control now?
So, uh, 12 rent-to-rent, and, um, one BRR to SA at the moment, which is obviously refurbishment that will be a service accommodation for contractors, and that's in Crewe. That's something that I've joint-ventured with my 81-year-old dad.
Oh.
I know. So that's, that's been really lovely. Um, so that's nearly ready. And, and then obviously I've got my HMO, which an agent manages because it's in the Northeast, quite far away, and a couple of BRR-to-SAs, which I've had for a long time. What else? And I have one, um, BRR2SA going through in the Lake District at the moment as well.
That's my area. Where in the Lake District?
Um, just outside Barrow. So not as, um, as, um, ideal for holidaymakers, but it's great for contractors. Yeah. And that's really my target. Is, is contractors. I just find them a lot easier. You've got the long bookings. They're in. You do a bi-weekly clean. You don't have to worry about fluffing the towel or making it into a swan or.
Yeah. All of that stuff. Yeah.
Yeah. But I do have Superhost.
Great. Of course you do. You're Sara Man.
Okay. Great. So you're, uh, so you're controlling 12 properties. How much are you making?
Lovely. Well, so if I stopped reinvesting, which I, I have now, so in, I would say sort of 11 months, I've gone and done sort of like 12 properties. So I've bought one a month.
Wow.
One a month.
Like obsessed. So if I just settled and stopped, probably sort of the £10, £11, £12,000 net.
Amazing. Well done.
Thank you.
So, um, but I don't, I don't spend it, though. Um, it just sort of goes into the pot, and then I'm going to then reinvest that into, um, buy, refurbish, finance.
Well, that's it, right? I mean, we don't need to spend it. We need to reinvest it.
Reinvest it.
Keep letting that, you know, property portfolio scale up. Um, but you said, so you're not going to continue looking for more. Why are you kind of stopping?
So, I've got a couple of ideas. One is that I'd like to go into management.
Mhm.
Um, so I need to master the systems. Yeah. The management system. So that's something that I'd like to do. And the reason for that is is because I quite like the idea of being remote. So to be able to think, "Right, I'm going to go to." Cuz having been a teacher for so long and been stuck in the school holiday system, go to the L when there's a bell, go for your lunch when there's a bell. Now I want the opposite to that. And I want to think, "Do you know what? I quite fancy going and working in the Philippines for a month."
Yeah.
I might not, but at least I've got the choice. And to be able to go and work remotely. Um, Dylan Mill, you know, our lovely Dylan from the academy.
Yes.
He, he works remotely. So he's in Dubai for a month at the moment, then he goes to Thailand for two months, then he's, then he's got a little gap, and then he goes to Canada. And he's still working, and he's still earning a good income.
Yeah.
So I was like, "Yes, I think I'm going to have myself a little bit of that."
Yeah. Now the kids are older.
And, I've done my time of putting everyone else above myself, you know what I mean? As a teacher, as a mom, um, giving, giving, giving, giving. Um, so now I think I'd like to do a bit of traveling.
Yes, girl. It's your time now, right?
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, obviously you've still got obviously responsibilities and so on, but I would like to, um, work remotely if I can. Might not.
It's nice to have the choice, though, isn't it?
Oh, it is. One of my really good friends who I did a JV with, um, she, uh, manages a hotel in the Lake District, um, right in Bowness, with overlooking Lake Windermere. And she's been in Thailand for two years running this hotel.
Isn't that crazy? So, yeah, you should, you, I love that you said that, at least you have the choice.
And the choice of freedom. Oh, man. You can't even put money on that, right?
And you don't even think it's possible.
Mhm. Do you, when you're in the 9 to 5 or the grind, and your head down, and you're looking forward to your two-week holiday in the summer, if you're lucky, you don't think it's possible to be financially free and not have to go to a job that you don't enjoy. Or maybe you do enjoy. I didn't enjoy being a teacher, to be fair, but.
But you can be.
Yeah.
I know. It's great. I remember one of the biggest reasons that I wanted to be self-employed was because I, I came from the car business, and in one of the dealerships, BMW, that I worked at, the general manager, um, was the, um, son of the owners. This son, who I, I'm, I'm still great friends with everybody, with lots of respect, they're really smart people. But he was like 15 years younger than me. And I had to fill out a form and put in, like, "Please, sir, can I have a day off next week?" Felt it's humiliating, right? And I'm like, "Oh, I just, I just love that I don't have to ask anybody now to take a day off."
When did you quit teaching?
What was that like?
In the, in the summer holidays. So when I.
So recently.
So recently. Yes. So I was paid up until the end of August, which was very nice. So the first of September was obviously not going back. But the funny thing is, is where I live, I can still hear the school bell.
Is it haunting, or is it liberating? Like, are you like, "Yes."
At first, I used to say, "Do you, do you have to go to the bathroom when you hear it?"
It's like Pavlovian now, isn't it?
It's Pavlov's dog. Salivate when the bell goes. Yeah. Something like that. So when the bell goes, I'll think, "Oh yeah, that's it. Break time." And then you can hear the children, and then bell goes, and then they're going back in again. It's only when I'm outside in the driveway or the garden. When I'm in the house, I can't hear the bell. So I used to think, but now I think, "Well, they're all going back into work, and I'm here about to go and do whatever it was I was about to go and do."
Yeah.
Which may be the gym. It may be going to clean an SA.
Yeah.
Or whatever.
Yeah. Well, actually, thanks for mentioning that, talking about the gym. So about a month ago, I think I called you.
Sorry to the rescue, as always. I called you because, well, we have the Sunday Social, um, which is for anybody who's not familiar with Sunday Social, what, what is that?
So in the South, it's every Sunday. And, um, as a, a group of people, you can choose to go to church, and then you can go and have a nice fitness exercise class, boxing themed on boxing. So you don't have to hit each other, you can spar and hit a pad. And then in the North, that's once a fortnight, the same thing. Some, you can go to church or not, and then you can, you can go to the boxing, and again, it's an exercise, exercise class. But of course, it's more than that. It's networking with your friends, and it's anytime you can pick up all sorts of little nuggets from people that you're with, even in a passing conversation.
Definitely.
So it's, it's really lovely. And, um, yeah.
Oh, that's so good. We need more women. We need more women.
And it's in Birkenhead, right?
It's in Birkenhead, about half an hour away from Liverpool, I think, or is it something like that? I travel from Chester, so it takes me about 40 minutes.
And thank you. We're all very appreciative. And so your name came up because I was looking for some consistency, um, in the leadership for that location. And, um, I'm not sure who brought your name up. I can't remember. But then I'm like, "Yes, absolutely perfect. Of course, Sara is the person, right?" And so I called you, and it didn't take much convincing. You were like, "Yep, yep." I'm like, I thought I would have to like, you know, it would go on for a while of groveling. Um, but, yeah. And so why, why do you step into these leadership roles? You're also the Inner Circle leader for.
Liverpool. Liverpool.
Liverpool. I enjoy it. I suppose maybe that stems from being a teacher. I enjoy, I enjoy leading and inspiring. I obviously, I get a kick out of it myself and helping. Um, and I'm quite a confident speaker in front of people. So, um, and I like to try and be funny as well, which perhaps I'm not.
You are. I try though. Um, and, yeah, I, I just enjoy it as a, as a, you know, as a teacher, I, I led children or group, big groups of children, children on going abroad or on trips to London, not parties as in parties, as in a group of children going to the the theater or to the museums. Um, and that would be responsibility. And I, I guess I enjoy responsibility. Yeah.
And, and leading others.
Um.
And you were at the Willingham House, um, all leaders, Inner Circle.
I wasn't at that. Okay. I went to Dubai instead.
Oh, that's right. That's right. We were missing quite a few Inner Circle leaders because they all went to Dubai together.
12 of us. And, um, we went and we had a look at some off-plan property. As we went individually, but we, you know, we'd sort of talk about it afterwards, you know, pick each other's brains. A couple of people signed for off-plan properties through Billy.
Right. Great. Mr. Billy Kuner.
Mr. Billy Kuna.
Yeah.
And, um, and then a couple of people, I think, looked at rent-to-rents as well, which obviously work well as a strategy over there.
Probably pretty much anywhere, really.
Um, but over there, especially.
Um.
I, I did look, but, um, I'm not sure. I think it's something I need to think about in the future, but I love the warm sea.
I, you know what? I can't wait to get my visa so I can start going to these places.
Oh, you can't go places?
Not right now. Soon. Soon.
We'll see soon. Home Office, send me my visa.
Um, okay, great. So then, um, so tell us a little bit about your Inner Circle. You were one of the first leaders to launch it.
Yes. Yes. So, uh, the first Inner Circle I went to was Chester. And that was my, I think I'd been on the academy a couple of weeks, and it was Kane that started that one. And I thought, "Oh, darn it. I've missed being a leader here." Obviously, there was three in place. So as soon as I found out that there was something else coming up, um, with Carl, who, um, used to be on the academy, and Shannon, he asked me, he said, "Would you like?" Because I'd expressed an interest straight away that I wanted to be involved in that.
I like to get stuck in. And if I love what I'm doing, I want to do all of it.
Yeah. Whether that's mentoring, or here being here with you, or going on a trip. Anything you say to me, I like to be a yes person. If you ask me to do something, I like to be able to say yes.
Yes. And I'm so grateful. Thank you for saying yes all the time.
And, you know what? Liverpool is probably has like the biggest turnout, right? Like I was shocked when I went, there's like 40 people there.
That's amazing. Well done. And that is really, that comes down to the leaders giving loads of value and making it worthwhile for people to get in their cars and trek over there on the weekday, right, in the evening, when everybody has all of their other stuff that they're doing, their family, their other businesses, and they make a point of it because you bring them value.
So some tips for other Inner Circle leaders, maybe new ones launching 43 locations now. What does it take to be a strong leader?
Um, well, sometimes it's like herding cats when everyone gets together and you haven't seen each other for a while.
Yes, that's true.
So, obviously having a, a good venue for a start, that that's got half-decent parking. And then starting on time, getting people through the door, sat down, um, and also getting the routines established straight away so people know what to expect. So when they come in, they know they're going to be registered. They know they're going to get their name tag. They need to find a seat. They need to either get their pieces of paper. They write their name down. Obviously, one, two, and three, ready for networking. And so once you, obviously you've got new people, but obviously people follow other people. So once you sort of get the routines established, everyone knows what to expect. And then it's sort of, and then when they're all having a little chat, I, I bought a little bell from Amazon.
You love your bell.
Everyone laughs. Like, you're such a teacher. So they go, "Ding, ding." But, you know, like.
But it's great. Ding, ding. And then everyone sort of calms down and or quiets down, I should say, and sits down. And then, you know, trying to start on time and finish on time as well.
I think it's, it's important to be respectful of people's time. And if you're going to finish at half past nine or nine o'clock, you, you finish on time.
And of course, um, Shannon's produced the most wonderful PowerPoint.
Oh, great. That's really. And it's got all our QR codes and, um.
It really lays out for people when they're standing up and giving their little 20 seconds, so everyone has the chance to talk about themselves, little snippet, what they're doing. And the idea of that is that you are putting yourself out there and enticing somebody to talk to you, to pick you with your little three cards, right? Um, and then she puts sort of like the bullet points to keep people, maybe new people are a bit nervous, to keep them on track of these are the things that you need to talk about. So, yeah. So having visuals as well, and of course, having a really good guest speaker.
Yeah.
That gets people through the door, you know. So we've had some wonderful guest speakers.
You just had Lisa Duggard and James Travers, who traveled seven hours or something.
Portsmouth. Yeah.
Oh my gosh. Question. They were, they were lovely. Uh, I'm going to their wedding in December.
Yeah.
That's nice. They were lovely. And I know something from them. Um, so they were talking about when you have service accommodation, how to get insurance. Um, so insurance companies to take on your.
Very difficult.
And I said, so I shot over to him straight away as soon as everyone sort of like we're networking. I shot to him quick and said, "How do you do that?" And he said, "You have to have a duplicate listing." And if you've got your duplicate listing, which you do, inquiry only, then he said, "They come to him. They come to him." Um, so I said, "Oh, right." So, but I thought that's something I haven't done is I haven't done a duplicate listing. Loads of people have.
Yeah.
For Breeze House. Loads of people have, but I haven't done it yet. It's on the list.
When are you going to do it?
I was supposed to do it last week.
Okay.
Next week, probably. Yeah.
Just put it, put it in your calendar. Carve out time for it. And then, and then send me a message and say, "I've done it."
Okay.
Okay. Accountability.
Great. Okay. So, you're having a great time. Everybody knows you. You've got lots of success. Um, what's next for Sara Man?
Well, obviously trying to get, trying to get into management. The next thing I want to do is maybe also work with an academy member, Shannon, um, and maybe one or two others, looking into the possibility of getting a children's home.
Great.
Which is something that they do already. Her and her, uh, brother already have one on the go. And the reason why that interested me so much is before I was a teacher, I worked in a children's home as a care worker.
Yeah.
And I did that for a few years. And then I worked for the NHS. I used to look after sectioned children that were, um, you know, really poorly because they were sectioned under them, you know, mentally ill. And so it's a bit of a win-win because you're providing a beautiful accommodation for them and their workers, but then obviously it's, it's a good source of income. So you're, it sits with my values and, and what I would like to do going forward now. So now I have my base, my financial freedom, that cash flow, oops, sorry, that cash flow coming in. Um, now I want to do something with it, and preferably something meaningful.
Going back to the feeling I used to have when I was a teacher of, you know, the helping and the, um, adding value to young people. Adults may too, but mostly for me, it's about young people.
Yeah.
Teenagers.
And just speaking of that, actually, um, I remember that you were telling me, um, you said, "Oh, uh, when, when do I get more information about teaching, uh, the teachers in Uganda?"
Oh, yes. And I'm like, "Who's in the wet now?" I didn't even know. You know more than I do. And it, so if you can just explain that a little bit.
Um, so Tony Crook, um, obviously he's one of our mentors, and Samuel's mentor, of course.
Yep.
So he runs a program in Uganda where, so they're trying to encourage and and better their lives and their livelihoods by teaching them skills. And one of those would be potentially sewing skills, how to use a sewing machine, how to make, and potentially how then to earn money through that.
Yeah.
So Tony asked me if I would, when they've got it set up, it's going to be Zoom, I think.
Yeah.
I mean, obviously I'd love to go out there and do it, but, but there would also be an added possibility of having, you know, a session via Zoom and so on once they're set up. So, yeah. So there are people obviously that going to do finance. Um, I used to be able to be a food tech teacher as well, so maybe they don't need help with cooking. Who knows? But so in, certainly.
Yeah.
That's so great. And it just, like I heard Tatiana and Simon speak at our dinner last night, and Tatiana was telling everybody about their experience. She just came back from, uh, Uganda and Zimbabwe, and, um, and she was nearly in tears, um, reflecting on her experience. And now her law firm, RSL Law, is going to be, um, a sponsor, and they're going to work, um, with Samuel Lead's Foundation, um, to continue the, the cause, the mission, um, scaling, building more hospitals and schools. So I think it's so great, and that he's given us this opportunity to be a part of it, right? Um, so I'm definitely, I'm definitely going next year. Are you coming? We'll go together, right?
Definitely. We'll go together.
Do either. So Zimbabwe as well, isn't it? And Uganda. So either or both.
Either or both. Both if possible.
Yes.
Yeah. Okay. Wonderful. Okay. Great. And so, um, for anybody who's new, starting off into property, no experience, scared out of their minds. Um, what kind of advice could you give them?
Right. So I would say, you can't do it alone. So you need to believe, well, you, you need to believe in yourself and your own abilities, but you can do that by sharing the load with other people. So get out there and start networking. Even if you're uncomfortable in going and talking to people, just go to one, and maybe sit and watch and and take it in. Maybe talk to one person, and the next time you go back, maybe then say, "Well, I'm going to talk to two or three people." And just network and then contacts, and then maybe invite them out for a coffee. Um, and, and just start networking. And then from there, obviously, if it's for you, then you need to get yourself educated because you either pay for education, or you pay later in your mistakes, which is, I have paid. I have my mistakes have cost me way back before I joined Samuel Lead's Academy, but I've learned from them.
That's it, right?
Yeah. So it's all, we're going to make mistakes, you know, it's all good, isn't it? You learn from your mistakes. So to limit mistakes, because we obviously haven't got lots of budget to make mistakes, um, is to obviously get yourself educated.
Yeah.
And then go at it 100%. So you've got to be passionate and fairly obsessed, I think, with what you're doing. Um, and, and, and, and love it. You know? Everybody on the academy, you can see it. They love it. Yeah. And they love the atmosphere. They love the, the energy and the mentors. It really is the most.
Don't you love the mentors?
Oh my goodness. Honestly, they're so great. It's hard to explain in words, um, the feeling of when you are around all these people, the mentors, and, and your friends that you know, your new friends that you've made. Um, and if you're not in that environment, and you, perhaps in a job that you don't enjoy, you probably think, "Well, is it really?" But it really is. It really is. There are people there who want to bring you up, who will work with you, who will champion you, who want to work with you when you've made a success.
Yeah.
And will be there to help you if, if, you know, you make a mistake, because nothing's ever unfixable. Um, so, yeah. So in, in a nutshell, anybody that's starting out is to, um, maybe get some books, watch Samuel Lead's, um, YouTube videos, and network, and just go out there and meet people. Learn how to network. You can obviously just go on to Google and look for networking events in my area. They don't have to be property. They could be any networking events where you meet people. Um, obviously you want to include the property ones in there ideally, but it doesn't have to be all of them.
Um.
Yeah. Local businesses, whatever your interests are, church, right? You could just go to wherever there are people and be part of a community and give back, give value, build relationships.
Yes. Exactly.
Mhm.
Great. It sounds so easy, but it's not, right?
No, but it is, it, it's easy once you make a start, and all these small steps then add up to a big shift.
Yeah.
So you can't climb a ladder straight to the top. You've got to go each little step first, haven't you? To get to your final destination.
It's so true.
Yeah. Last night, I was sitting next to, so I was sitting at a table with all big players, right? And, um, and one gentleman who kind of has been in the academy for three months, I didn't know who he was. Um, and so we were just chatting away. And, um, you know me at these dinners, I walk around and I say hi to everybody. Um, so I was doing my thing, walking around, saying hi, hi, hi. And then the food came. So I came and sat down, uh, back at my table, and he goes, "Um, you know, Patricia, I was watching you walk around saying hi to everybody, and I thought, 'Oh, I'd love to join you and and say hi to everybody.'" And I said, "Oh, you totally should have, right?" I'm like, "This is such a safe, friendly environment." And I said, "Why don't you just go talk to somebody right now?" And he's like, "Oh, no. I can't do that." And I'm like, and then Jag was at the next table. So he said, "Do you see that gentleman over there with a turban?" And he's like, "Yeah." And I'm like, "He's one of the nicest people you'll ever meet. Just go over and say, 'Patricia made me come over and say hi to you.'" And just start talking. And he did. And I filmed it. He was over there for like four minutes, and they were just having a great, like immediately Jag turns around. They had this whole conversation, and they're laughing away, and they're having, you know, a great connection. And that's just it, like, just, just go do it. Just, and, you know, you'll never regret.
No.
Stepping outside of your comfort zone, because you would have survived. And then you can just step outside again the next day, a little bit at a time. And I always say to people, "What's the worst that's going to happen?"
What's the worst?
The worst.
It never, it never, ever will be that you think you might. All these thoughts in your mind, it's going to be this, it's going to be that. And when you go and do it, it's never, it's always fine, isn't it?
Yeah.
And you think, "What was I worried about?" And the more you do it, the more you think, the more you won't even think about it. I'll give you a quick example, actually. So the first time I started calling agents to get a rent-to-rent deal, you know, I hadn't got my story sorted. I would have to have all my ducks in a row. I'd have to be in a quiet room. I'd have my pen and my pad, the notes of where to ask, notes. I'd have a water. It had to be the right temperature. I mean, literally, the right temperature. I would be like, and I'd phone up, and of course, you know, it would, it was some, it's fair enough, it sometimes it would go really well, and sometimes obviously, you know, agents would say no, but I would always push back. And anyway, so a couple of weeks ago, I thought, "Oh, I forgot to phone that agent." I was in the hairdresser's, hairdresser's hair dryers going on all around me, I had my hair color on, and people are milling around, and I just got my phone, the agent, asked them, got a viewing. And then I thought, "Wow, how far have I come on?" Would I ever have dreamt that I could have done asked for a viewing and, and, and they agreed that it was for a rent-to-rent in a hairdresser's a year ago when I was nervous and I thought, "Wow."
Amazing.
So that was good.
Yeah. It's so, it's really wise to look back and reflect, right? I mean, that's what Jim Rohn says. He's like, "How do you know how you're performing if you don't record, um, what you've done, right? How do you know if you're getting better if you don't look at the past and look at what you've, what you've accomplished?"
And it's so true. You do need to look back. Take stock, right?
Take stock.
Take stock. Reflect. And then, and then you just keep building yourself further and further, um, along the way. How, how like, are you going to always be in property?
Oh, yes.
Yeah. Samuel says property is a vehicle. So, what are your, you know, absolute and ultimate goals? Like, what do you want to do if you had everything at your disposal?
I would like to just travel. And be able to, if I was still obviously in this, this, uh, job, it's, it's passive, but it isn't. You still have to obviously keep, keep a handle on everything, don't you? So to just travel, that's all I'm interested in. I'm not really interested in, you know, cars and, and posh things and material objects, really. Um, I just want to travel.
Yeah. Experiences. I met a landlord the other day as I was, um, introducing him to the, uh, couple that had taken the property on via me. I was going to have it myself, and then I realized I was overleveraging myself. So I sold the deal. So it was all good to this lovely couple. And the guy who, the landlord, he went into great depth telling me about his round-the-world cruise that he's got coming up in January.
Around the world.
Around the world cruise. Spain, so many places. And I thought, "That's it." Yeah. That's what I want to do. I want to go on a round-the-world cruise. I don't know when, but it's, it's on the list.
Okay.
Yeah.
Great. You'll have to document it all, right?
Yeah. Yeah, I suppose I could, couldn't I? How I worked myself around the world.
Yeah.
Through property.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Love it.
There's a podcast right there.
There you go.
Okay. Wonderful. Well, thank you so much. If anybody wanted to reach out to you, Sara, how would they get a hold of you?
Thank you. So my Instagram is just simply Sara Lucy Man.
Sara Lucy Man. Wonderful. Well, thank you so much for spending time with us today. And, um, so if you liked this, uh, video, please do give it a like. Then, um, give us a comment. Um, reach out to Sara. Um, she can give you your, uh, her guest pass so you can come see her at the Inner Circle in Liverpool. And, um, which is honestly, again, one of the best ones in the Northwest, right? Um, and so thank you so much. And thank you, uh, for joining us. I really appreciate it.
Thank you. My pleasure. Thank you.