Building a Powerful Network

Kenny Simpson has been a top-producing lender for almost 20 years out of San Diego. He has an impressive passive income from an investment portfolio we would all desire, and he shares his value on a highly-rated podcast. He has procured one of the most influential networks, and he came on today to share some tips on how we can do the same.

Background in Real Estate

In 2004 Kenny became a Mortgage Broker, then a Broker and Direct Lender, and today has chosen to focus on building a team as a Broker. He and his wife have built a dynamic team since getting together in the market crash of 2008. She works with 5+ unit and commercial sales, while he focuses on financing 1-4 family residences and residential real estate. Between the two of them and the systems they’ve created, they can operate a $3billion dollar Mortgage business and remain on the outskirts of day to day operations.

How do you build a network?

“Networking” is not just joining a group and getting to know people. Kenny and his wife have spent years honing their craft, and along the way have gotten to know people who are strategically aligned and have helped them grow. 

One of their biggest value propositions is how they have created their own investment portfolio over the years by adapting to different markets. Their first pivot in the crash of ‘08 was starting a Property Management company that grew from zero to 1500 units in 3 years. They then bought a house together and flipped it for a profit of about a half million dollars. They invested this in multi-family units and started investing in Real Estate, resulting in a $20M portfolio which yields about $25k/month net today.

He tells us he landed in the office of Gary Vaynerchuk, one of the most influential CEO’s in the industry. His advice was to go home and give away everything they’d learned. Upon this advice, he started a podcast where they now spend their time teaching finance and how to have steady streams of passive income, helping people build portfolios and get into property management as they did.

How do you “get good”?

Their network grows behind them in the wake of the personal success they created. Their results created a natural following of people with the same hunger to create these results.

Kenny tells us if he could go back, he would invest in quality coaching much sooner. He has earned the attention of Gary V himself as a coach, and he says you can either pay or be invited but both are going to be equally valuable in building your network. 

When considering a coaching opportunity, ask yourself: “What rooms can this person get me into?” You’re not just hiring their input, you’re investing in a coach with a network, and in doing so you grow your own. You are one introduction away from the keys that will unlock doors you could never access by yourself. You can hack time based on who your coach has been around. Coaching is not an expense it’s an investment – you get a return on that dollar!

Podcast Journey 

If you are indeed the sum of the five people closest to you, you’ll want to carefully curate this circle of who you allow to influence you. You will be known for what you create and where you have value to give.

• Author a book
• Host a podcast
• Be an expert in your craft in your niche 

The book The Upstream Model has allowed me to reach people I have not otherwise had the opportunity to get in front of. I spent early-morning hours before my day job everyday for a year, invested nearly $20,000 in publishing to get it out, and now it has become an introduction that goes ahead of me. This book was based on sharing the knowledge trapped inside me from years of scaling business and helping Real Estate agents do the same.

Kenny did the same with his Podcast, Get in the Cash Flow Game, that he hosts with his wife. They have grown their businesses and financial portfolios 98% scaling by referral with no marketing, and this is where he shares how. They have afforded themselves the ability to host some of the most influential names in finance on their show because they have something to offer in return. Putting people on their platform allows them to buy an hour of their time without paying a typical $25,000 hourly fee – people love to be promoted and have an opportunity to talk about what they’re up to! 

What are you doing to share your experiences that can help people make an introduction for you?

What stops most people is a fear of being bad at first before they get comfortable let alone “good”. Kenny reports hating the feeling of being live, but putting his ego aside allowed him to be noticed for his results, and now he goes live with even bigger names like CBS!

The more interviews you do, the better you learn to communicate. You will get better. You’ll have to be willing to go down the road with a mentor 

I couldn’t have asked Grant Cardone to come on a podcast I was going to start, much like I couldn’t get someone to read a book I was going to write.

Mood Management 

The things that make me uneasy diminish my interest in profit producing activities. People follow leaders who can pull them through difficult times, and now is the time to make a name for yourself as an industry leader.

21% of Loan officers in 2022 didn’t renew their license. Where are their clients going?

My dad, who has built an 8-figure producing company from zero tells me he loves times like these. He says, “If I keep my foot on the gas while others stop in fear, I’ll be miles ahead when they look up.” You’ll have to keep company who helps you keep your frame of mind set on the opportunities this and any market can bring you.

Be a big thinker

Kenny advises us to ask ourselves this question: “How can I improve just a little bit today?” He wakes up at 3am every morning and asks this question, framing his mindset for the day. If we do the same, we too, can attract a great network that will lead to a great net worth, and a significant life.