Episode Overview
What separates successful real estate operators from those who struggle isn’t how hard they work—it’s how they approach problems. In this episode, Scott Todd breaks down the fundamental difference between operators who set goals and those who actually achieve them.
Key Takeaways
The Critical Difference
- Poor operators set goals and hope for the best
- Rich operators identify and remove obstacles standing in their way
- Goals without obstacle removal is just wishful thinking
Real-World Example: The Self-Storage Operator
A self-storage operator wanted to fill 30 units by year-end (3 units per week). When asked what would help him achieve this in just two weeks to save his business, he realized none of his planned improvements (marketing, VA hire, automation) would actually solve his real problem: execution.
The Rich Dad, Poor Dad Parallel
- Poor mindset: “I can’t afford that” (statement that closes conversation)
- Rich mindset: “How can I afford this?” (question that opens possibilities)
- Poor operator: “My goal is to rent 30 units”
- Rich operator: “What’s stopping me from renting 30 units?”
Top 5 Problems Real Estate Operators Face
Based on hundreds of IPP assessments:
- Lack of capital (the #1 challenge)
- Can’t attract the right buyers
- Can’t convert leads into sales
- Can’t find enough deals
- Don’t know their numbers
Every single one of these is an obstacle that needs to be removed, not just a goal to work around.
The Wrong Defense System
Many operators work on optimization and order-level issues when they’re actually stuck at deal flow—like Cracker Barrel spending $750 million on rebranding when they had a revenue problem, or France building the Maginot Line in the wrong place before WWII.
Scott’s Personal Story
In August 2015, Scott had his worst month ever—zero sales, zero revenue. Despite having fancy systems and automations, he was optimizing for the wrong thing. His ads weren’t connecting with customers. Once he identified the real obstacle (terrible ads, not systems), he returned to basics, started writing ads by hand, and focused on connecting with people. That’s when everything changed.
The Investor Priority Pyramid Framework
The sequence matters:
- Deal flow comes before profit
- Profitability comes before order
- Vital needs come before nice-to-haves
Action Steps
This Week’s Challenge:
Ask yourself: “If I had to close one deal in the next seven days to save my business, what would STOP me?”
Not slow you down—what would completely stop you?
Write that down. That’s your obstacle. That’s what to fix first.
Identify Your Specific Problem:
- Is it capital? → You have a capital problem
- Is it finding buyers? → You have a prospecting problem
- Is it converting leads? → You have a sales problem
- Is it finding deals? → You have a sourcing problem
- Is it knowing if you’re profitable? → You have a numbers problem
Resources
Take the IPP Assessment
- FixThisNextForRealEstateInvestors.com
- Identifies your vital need in less than 5 minutes
- Shows you exactly what obstacle to remove first
Quote to Remember
“Poor operators set goals and wonder why they’re stuck. Rich operators remove the obstacles and watch everything become possible.”
Episode References
- Episode 3: Cracker Barrel’s $750M rebranding mistake
- Episode 4: France’s Maginot Line and building the wrong defense system
- Book: Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
- Ready to identify your biggest obstacle? Take the IPP assessment and discover your vital need in less than 5 minutes. [FixThisNextForRealEstateInvestors.com]