Creating a successful property business with a conscience, with Guy Horne and David Searle
Longtime friends Guy Horne and David Searle share how they were able to pool their resources and connect with the right people in order to start a business that has made a significant impact on the housing market.
Three key juicy bits from this week’s episode:
- The power of having the right business partner
- Honing in on your target audience
- Working from anywhere with little more than a laptop and mobile phone
In this episode we discuss:
00:31 Introduction to Guy Horne and David Searle
- Guy’s and David’s backgrounds [00:47]
- What Guy and David are focusing on right now [01:26]
02:43 What led Guy and David to start a business together?
05:36 Why Guy and David wanted to provide housing for vulnerable adults
08:01 How Guy and David split their roles in the business
09:23 At which point did Guy and David start to take on other team members?
- Was the business already making money when new team members were hired, or were people hired in anticipation of revenue? [11:37]
12:14 How Guy and David were able to put together a relatively successful and unique business first business
13:39 Guy’s and David’s plans for the immediate future of the business
14:42 Housing-related issues amid COVID-19
16:14 How Guy and David chose their target market of vulnerable adults
18:24 Securing a source of funding for your business
- Getting a bank loan for a startup [19:41]
20:30 Guy’s and David’s biggest business failure
Quick Juice Questions
23:52 What are the first steps that aspiring entrepreneurs should take?
Guy: Have a product that you know has a real meaning and have a “why” to understand why you need this product to exist and why you need to build this business. And passionate about it. When all of these things align, just get started. Your path doesn’t need to be crystal clear. Just get on the hamster wheel and move.
David: Do a lot of research, but you have to bite the bullet and do it. There’s a lot of people in economics who talk about “opportunity cost”. The longer you wait, the harder it is to cut what you’re doing. The sooner you do it and jump, the better chance you have of succeeding.
26:44 Which book has inspired you and changed your thinking the most?
Guy: The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz and The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss
David: The 5 AM Club by Robin Sharma
30:17 Is it true that you work remotely in Marbella on occasion?
Guy: It’s true. After March happened, we spent a few productive months in Marbella. As long as we had a laptop and a mobile phone to work with, our fantastic team on the ground could continue to perform. Nowadays, you don’t need to be restricted by geographic location.
32:11 If there’s one last bit of Executive Juice you can share for people who want to get to the top of their property game, what would it be?
David: Do your research, get to know the sector, meet the people in the industry, maybe try to get some work experience, and then just do it. Take the risk. Think about risk and reward. What’s the worst that could happen? If it doesn’t work out, you can always go back and get a job.
Books Mentioned:
- The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz
- The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss
- The 5 AM Club by Robin Sharma
Quotes:
- When you’ve got property, you want it to be hassle-free and to have someone operating everything for you.
- You can only do one deal at a time if you’re using your own funding, whereas if you introduce leverage, you can do a lot more deals.
- Knowing that you’re making a big impact on people makes your job a lot easier. If you’re only motivated by money, you can only get so far.
Connect with Guy Horne and David Searle: