Ep 81 - Building a Life, Relationship and Two Businesses as a Power Couple with Reed & Erica Goosens

While the thought of working with your spouse in business scares many people, those who do achieve results faster, smoother, and in higher magnitudes. Reed Goosens and his wife, Erica, come on to talk about mindset, leveraging your spouse , and growing together as a couple. On the show. We trade ideas on:

• Spouses being able to identify blind spots in business
• Encouraging each other to jump into entrepreneurship
• Relying on your spouse to help you with areas you are weak
• How spousal intuition is worth its weight in gold

In 2012, Reed quit his job in Australia and moved halfway across the world to chase a goal. He moved to the US without a job, he had no established network and no family members for support. He backed himself and took a leap of faith. With limited funds, Reed purchased his first property all cash for $38,000 in late 2012. Since then Reed has co-founded Wildhorn Capital and now controls over $500 mill worth of US commercial real estate, and he has achieved financial freedom in the process! Reed is also the author of two best-selling books on Amazon: Investing in the US - The Ultimate Guide to US Real Estate, and 10,000 Miles to the American Dream - Our Story of Financial Freedom. Reed is also the host of the successful podcast called Investing in the US wherein he interviews real estate investors, business owners, CEOs, entrepreneurs, and go-getters who have successfully achieved financial freedom through investing here in the U.S. If Reed can move halfway across the world and achieve all that he has in such a short period of time, then so can the average American.

If you enjoyed this content and are looking for more, you can continue to learn more about us in several different places for free!

• on our website for blogs & other podcast interviews! elevateequity.org
• our YouTube channel! youtube.com/channel/derekclifford
• our book/audiobook! amazon.com/dp/ebook

If you'd like to have a FREE copy of our 7 Ways Commercial Real Estate Syndications Protect and Build Wealth, simply click the link below. We are here and vested in your long-term success! elevateequity.org/7waysEbook

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If you really enjoyed this content and are looking for more, you can continue to learn more about us in several different places for free!

• on our website for blogs & other podcast interviews! elevateequity.org
• our YouTube channel! youtube.com/channel/derekclifford
• our book/audiobook! amazon.com/dp/ebook

If you'd like to have a FREE copy of our 7 Ways Commercial Real Estate Syndications Protect and Build Wealth, simply click the link below. We are here and vested in your long-term success! elevateequity.org/7waysEbook

Transcript

Derek Clifford: 9:59

All right. Let's get going here. Hello, everyone and welcome to the Elevate your equity podcast where we as passive income investors with a special emphasis on married professional couples, deconstruct first class investors and entrepreneurs to achieve repeatable, long lasting and practical change toward a life of location, time and financial freedom. And today, we've got an incredible guest pair on the show with us. We've got Miss Erica and Mr. Reid Goossens on the call. How are you guys today?

Erica Goosens: 10:37

Pretty good. How are you?

Derek Clifford: 10:39

Great, great. Good to see you guys. Why don't you guys introduce yourselves to the audience. Maybe we can start with reader or Erica who everyone's

Erica Goosens: 10:47

ladies first. Sir. Um, yeah, my name is Erica Reiner. I grew up here in Southern California for the most part and um, what else should I tell you? Right now? Yes, I have an interior design business where I started just maybe like six months to a year after you started yours in like 2014 or something like that. And we specialize in eco friendly products materials. So I have been working on that for the past few years. And occasionally I get the pleasure of working with Reid on some of his syndicated real estate projects,

Reed Goosens: 11:34

and she's under estimating yourself. She does a very good job and she's a high quality interior designer and we're very fortunate to have her do our multifamily projects as well. From time to time.

Derek Clifford: 11:46

Excellent. And what about you read?

Reed Goosens: 11:49

Well, hello everyone. West Texas accent as you can clearly tell from me, originally from Australia and moved here to chase her and to move to New York City in 2012. I came as a structural engineer and really just wanted to be an expat in Jose living in the US was a really great visa for Australians, but soon got bitten by the real estate bug and it's now been going on 10 years, which is nuts. We moved here in 2012. We moved back in 2012. And in that time have grown to grow my own portfolio podcast. And I probably wouldn't be standing here without this one next to me so she has been my rock for sure and through through thick and thin right

Derek Clifford: 12:35

excellent Well, thank you guys for coming on the show. We're glad to have you here. And so what I'd like to do then is maybe just start at the beginning like we do with most of our podcast guests. I assume, Erica that you're beginning with real estate investing started perhaps a little bit later on than read or maybe I'm mistaken there. Either way I'd like either one of you guys to tell us how you got involved in real estate in the beginning and got that spark.

Erica Goosens: 12:59

My involvement in real estate investing is zero. So we both have businesses and sometimes they come together in a fun way like I just mentioned, but he is the real estate person and while I have absorbed a lot of knowledge and flow through osmosis, of being around him through his journey yet it's they're fairly separate.

Reed Goosens: 13:28

But I will say that the you know, as you go, you guys know when you go down this path of you know, financial independence, you learn a lot about p&l and balance sheets and all that sort of stuff. And I've definitely noticed in Erica's business in her interior design business that she's had to like learn all that as well like any sort of fresh business it's like Alright, how do I drive revenue Alright, how do I drive down costs How do I do marketing like the same things that apply in real estate apply in every it's a balance sheet game right how do you how do you understand the balance sheet and for me, you know that book Rich Dad Poor Dad sort of was talks about understanding financial being having a financial literacy and I've definitely noticed like you honey, like crushing it in terms of that, that type of, you know, not only we don't get we don't go to school and get taught that so you got to like it's more self self taught over time.

Derek Clifford: 14:18

Yeah. 100% and I really apologize for the guests, or for the podcast. listeners who are just listening and not watching because there was some incredible visual cues there like that, that you're missing out on. So you just have to hop on to YouTube to catch that but in any event, I thank you guys for explaining your background. Let's just start there. Right. You know, you guys it seems like you are working together as a pair in a very strong way. How did you guys leverage each other's strengths? Because was this more of like a process of discovery? Or as you guys were growing the business together, you realize that there's stuff that you didn't want to do and the other person just kind of picked it, you know, filled in and and helped there. How did that whole unraveling work?

Reed Goosens: 15:03

I think in the beginning for me, you know being my own boss was definitely a something that I've always resonated with. Working the nine to five being stuck in a cubicle, was really that's the sort of a spark with inside of me when I picked up the book Rich Dad Poor Dad back in 2010. And I can't speak for our crew in terms of her, you know, desire to go and be your own entrepreneur. But for me, that's where it really started from and you know, the word entrepreneurship I had no idea what even that meant. Like it's just really a small business owner, right? It's it's a cool word. For being a small business owner and not having a job. So but but but but questioning what we were taught as children growing up and like hey, you got to go get a good education. You got to go you know, get this you know, your diploma or whatever it might be at university and you go into the workforce, and then at 65 You get to retire and enjoy your life. Like that's, and I knew quickly, early on that I was not feeling that, you know, my backgrounds in engineering. And, again, I can't speak for everyone, but I felt like a small cog in a big machine when I was working in the corporate world. And so that was really my pain point to move away from to go and explore this world of financial freedom. I don't know about you.

Erica Goosens: 16:20

Well, yeah, I guess like, I think we'll have to come back to your question because this the like the you know, background story, or like the impetus of our journey is a little bit different than like how we are dynamic is now but to continue on that thread. I also read a book I read Rich Dad, Poor Dad, but it didn't have as big of an impact on me as The Four Hour Workweek another very common one Tim Ferriss and it kind of I think it kind of like gets to the same thing where it's like, there's a lot of potential and working for yourself and a lot of, you know, potential freedom and time and resources and curating like a lifestyle, which I think is attractive to a lot of people in our generation. Very different than what our parents and grandparents kind of went through so that Yeah, exactly like I just had worked for a lot of people. A lot of men felt very like underappreciated and undervalued and untapped potential a lot of the time and also I was in the environmental field, and I couldn't always get like the green tree hugging job that I wanted. And then eventually when I I did to a degree, being an adjunct Environmental Science professor, but I was spread really, really thin in time and they kind of just structure things to make it really hard to keep doing that. And so I was all over, you know, and it just wasn't really working. So I was like, Well, I think instead of going back and working for another, like Joe Schmo, I'm so like, try this for myself. And it's only now like this year after all this time that like finally the lifestyle and freedom and time and resources and all that kind of stuff is shaping into how we had imagined. So it didn't take that long. Along the way, there was a lot like and we're definitely working in very separate industries, but and sometimes our problems are very different. But sometimes they have the same like root cause or feeling or, you know, decision or hurdle. So it's been really, really helpful to have someone who's, you know, kind of going through something similar all along the way. Even though, you know, there, there's lots of differences. It's like at the heart of it, I think, if I was like doing a regular nine to five, I don't think I can be as empathetic or and vice versa.

Derek Clifford: 19:10

Yeah. I have to jump in here to admit that everything that you're just talking about right now, Erica, is pretty much our dynamic as well. I had a W two position and you know, Sophie was trying to you know, she's working her business at the same time. And I had a business too. I had my own you know, I had my real estate stuff, but it was mostly happening on the side and it was being funded by my w two. So it was kind of like not like I was out on my own with this because I had like my own source of revenue to be able to live off of and then pump money into these rentals. So it's more of like a side gig kind of thing. But it wasn't until you know, I left the full time workspace, you know, back last year in the middle of last year that I got a true understanding for what Sophie's business was. And I think that like that has a that adds an extra layer to the relationship doesn't it?

Reed Goosens: 20:03

One on one and it does. And for both of us, at least from my point of view, looking at how you as a solo entrepreneur, particularly the beginning when or let's even take a step back. We both had side hustles by myself. And Erica, when we're building these businesses, right, you start from an itch to want to go and pursue something more but you can't let go of the vine of the consistent web to the the roof over your head and paying for the bills. And so when you're going through those times, and in both in our lives, we're different journeys, different stages, like having the understanding of what the other person's going through, is really important because that's where the support comes. And I think, you know, quote unquote, the success that both of us have had what or how have you judge success comes down to who you choose as a partner right and and how you both step up. To the plate to support one another through both thick and thin when you're going through stuff that the average person who is not entrepreneurial leaning, won't ever have to go through IE, working off you know, waking up really early before work to get some work done and staying up late after work to get some stuff done, you know, working on weekends and sacrifice matters and that other person who's on the other side being there to support them is is really important because I think you need to have champions in your in your in your life when you're starting a business and the first champion comes from from your spouse.

Sophie: 21:36

So, so much wisdom that you share there read and I want to ask you, because you know, Derek, he comes from a chemical engineering background. So there's sort of that common, you know, engineer, brain or logic that you know that it's hard to say, Okay, well I have this consistent w two that I can rely upon how, you know, what, can you walk us through what you were thinking in terms, you know, in your mindset when you're starting to let go of the idea that hey, this w two isn't really for me anymore because a lot of honestly a lot of professionals, engineers, doctors, like that's that's a very hard thing for them to do. Yeah, and

Reed Goosens: 22:19

I'll talk again, I'll let her speak for her personal experience, but for mine was an internal struggle when you're when you see the light of something else or you start getting really intrigued about real estate and then in whitespaces real estate and for Eric, as it was interior design and environmental studies and science. When you get when you have that, that passion. You then start looking at other things like a job, you know, Oh God, I'm freaking still here like, Oh my I hate this. And it wasn't until I reframed myself and says I said to when I moved from when we moved from New York to LA to LA. I got a structural engineering job in downtown LA. And I was like, This is the worst I hate it like I don't want to be here. I want to go out but I know I can't because I visa issues and I just don't have the money right on the side to produce something. But what I didn't do, which again, looking back, I made a smart decision and said look, if I'm going to be in the workforce for longer one, what skill sets do I have right now that I could go and use in an industry that I want to be in a real estate right? So I was a structural engineer working on building buildings. And I was like, well, maybe I work for a developer right that's that's a that's an A I'm not there yet. I'm not full time on my business yet but it's a step in the right direction. Okay, well, I've got a clearly got a skill set that I could possibly apply for some jobs. And that's where the framing starts to change. And you start to think, well, maybe this job is I could get something out of this job and use it as a stepping stone to where I want to go. And so I think it's um, who's the gentleman from Shark Tank. guy who owns the Dallas the Dallas Cuban Mark Cuban, I think he talks about like, go out and get the highest paying corporate job you can to continue to learn within the business. So I joined a development company in Long Beach. Again, I needed a visa. I wanted to keep learning and I kept doing deals on the side but I was surrounded by real estate 24/7 And that was and I was at their job for about four and a half years before I eventually was able to jump off and do it on my own. So again, I don't that's my that was my experience in terms of using my pain point in the end in the W two, to reframe to say okay, what skill set kind of go on to use it, you know, to continue my evolution as a person and as an entrepreneur.

Erica Goosens: 24:41

Um, I took two approaches. I took this at one point, I don't remember the order of like what this happened in. I know remember that in 2017, right? Before we got married, I quit my last day job. Just things kind of it was a start environmental startup things came to a head. I was like where I was about to get married and take off anyway. I was like, you guys can you guys can eat it like it just wasn't working out and it was really, really, really scary and I floundered around for like a long time not knowing what I was doing and not really having and like it's almost like a curse to have a really entrepreneurial mind in the beginning because I wanted to start like five businesses all at once and I tried and so obviously nothing happened with him. Because my as my old coach used to say focus equals one. So there was a lot of floundering around like confusion and of course that put a little bit of what like a little bit of strain maybe between us and also within me which can come out within a relationship. So I had no idea what I was doing. I wanted to be working full time but I wasn't and I did take the leap without having a safety net. Because I felt I had no choice. I did eventually get things together and work and take a similar sort of bridge job I assisted another designer once I kind of really focused down got fear. Did a lot more reading read some Jensen Tarot books. And you know how to do like some inner work in the night. Way in assisted another designer and it was not great. It was a wild ride doing that she was a very interesting person to work for but it was so helpful like, even though I didn't like love it and love her and all the things I learned so much and as I used to tell my like students and you know, people like you have to also learn what you don't want to do and how you don't want to be and I think that it was a bridge job for me but also instrumental in learning like What kind of boss I want to be what kind of designer I want to be how I want to run a business, which was I felt like just from the outside like shocked at how she was having success but like not knowing how to run a business. And that was like a really strong motivator for me to like build my foundation and how I use my sister's systems and processes which can be a bit hard for creative people. So it was hugely important to a think like it seemed terrible at the time but like all the struggles and like up and down which ways I went have of course like you if you choose to you can learn from them and it just contributes to your skill set and your goals later down the line. So my path was really windy and you know, I still had to do a lot of like weird stuff on the side like production assistant to you know, earn some cash and stuff like that, as I was doing it. And luckily I had his support in multiple meanings of the word too. And it was it was everything it was really challenging was confronting was all the things I remember

Reed Goosens: 28:07

you saying at one stage like if she can do this business and not naming the person who used to work for you like I can often do this. Yeah.

Sophie: 28:15

Absolutely. Yeah. And as I'm listening to you both speak and again, like I love just you taking us through this whole journey, and it's it sounds like there's no times ever wasted, like the skills that you're learning just compounds upon itself. And I'm wondering how you guys were able to use or leverage each other's strengths and skills that you've picked up along that your longer journeys into the day.

Unknown: 28:39

You want to take this one. It sounds like Eric has got something to say. Um,

Erica Goosens: 28:46

I like to brag that I introduced him to all these like nifty software's and like ways of doing things would hold an eye to this day, but it's true. Um, and also just like sometimes you need someone's outside perspective, like he was like working away on like, a newsletter content or something that was a podcast remembers a poco like the editing or Yeah, it was like something really like tedious and mundane. I was like, I don't I'm not sure if you were still working full time or cute and working doing you know cursing up the screen or just like trying to do the thing and like, why are you doing that like sometimes you just need to hear an outside person say like, delegate that it's fine. Like, it just get pushed in that little direction. Of course we suffer from what's that term where like you don't listen to the person who you're closest to. Oh, yeah,

Sophie: 29:39

we suffer from that. Yeah, even

Derek Clifford: 29:41

something along the lines of tone deaf or something. Yeah.

Reed Goosens: 29:45

Selective Hearing.

Unknown: 29:47

thing go there. Yeah.

Erica Goosens: 29:49

It's like closeness, advice, rebellion or something. So we have both suffered from that, but I definitely you know, like with him I was there like, you know, trying to help write his newsletters or help a little graphic design thing and he'd helped me when I didn't know how to draw with CAD like do my first CAD drawing and yeah. So we're both like relying on each other heavily and needing sometimes just another person's opinion. Um, so everything from the super technical to the emotional or like, you know, outside logical opinion we've we've done

Reed Goosens: 30:38

I will give him credit for that it was it is that push in the right direction to now like I think you mentioned it wasn't it wasn't called up work at the time was called something else. But we we ultimately, I now use up work a lot and I have used it for many, many years and virtual assistants and that was probably the push I needed to really, I think what you said you're saying is your your time is too valuable for this go out and pay someone to do the 15 hour or $10 an hour work. So you can just frickin relax on the weekend and not

Erica Goosens: 31:10

bring it back to the four hour workweek that was that inspo from from there and it's like just, you know, get help where you can

Sophie: 31:17

Can I share one story? So he he spent an hour and a half trying to do an Instagram. Like so when you're talking about that. It's like yeah, it's sort of how much is that hour worth? Right? And so looking at from that perspective of like, how much is your time worth throughout the day and an Erica, you're so spot like, you, it sounds like between

Unknown: 31:43

okay, don't worry, we can edit that. It's okay. It sounds

Sophie: 31:46

like between the two of you they're sort of like visionary integrator components. Can you guys talk more about that and how you been able to maybe identify and work with that process?

Reed Goosens: 32:00

Yeah, like I did as we were laying these stories back. It's definitely I see the you know, Erica's ability to pick out things and systemize them really, really well. As a former engineer, I do get stuck in the details and imperfection and I lose sight of where I need to be going. So but then I also like to observe things and be like, Hmm, I can break that and put it back together again, and I can figure out that business and I want to go touch that business. But I have a well I don't know I shouldn't do I've got this other business that I need to go do first and there's just, you know, all the things that once you start opening your mind up to how businesses work, you're like, Oh, that's so genius. Yeah, I want to add that to my business. And so, being I think very disciplined is probably you know, things that we have yin and yang like, Eric and being very systemized and wanting to build systems where I'm a little bit more gung ho and just out there and just be like, ah, you know, good close enough is good enough let's get going you know, like a good you know, stuff to do so but but then on that but in some things I'm really really detailed on like spreadsheets where on other things like writing a news blog and like, I hate doing it but you know, we're Erica would would crush it right. So I read her newsletters. I'm like, This is so well written I wait rewind I'm like a two year old wrote wrote it, so it's just like, but but but that all goes back to what you're good at what you're not good at. And I think that's where a spouse can back to this whole antithesis of this podcast is like having a spouse to support you and be a mirror and be a reflection of, of what you know what things that you you lack and everything from emotional intelligence all the way through to figuring out how to edit a podcast or not work.

Derek Clifford: 33:44

So yeah, I completely agree there. And I think one thing that I want to add as an extra dimension to this is the fact that you know, sometimes you don't know what you need, like you don't know like emotionally what you need or when something needs to change. So Erica, when you said that, like you were able to point or pinpoint something, you're pointing more to like, you know, an actual, like a situation that was happening. And I think maybe you meant this also but like, Sophie is really good at identifying patterns, and seeing what's going to happen next, because she knows me so well, like almost better than I know myself. Right? And so she's gonna tell me, this is not a sustainable thing that you're doing right now. We have to change this right now. And it used to be that I didn't I didn't listen to any of that, right? Or at least I said, Okay, sure. And then, you know, when I was back in the office, when I was working, I just kept doing the same thing that I was doing. But then, you know, I've learned that there's real power in listening to the advice of your spouse because they can see the moods that you have, that maybe is subconscious and you're not recognizing yourself, right. There's like an extra level of awareness. So I wanted to bring that coloring in as well and ask if maybe you guys have observed something like that and each other,

Reed Goosens: 34:57

or 100% Yeah. I will say like, We're the same age and we don't need to give la July but emotionally Erica is like lightyears ahead. So I'm very really, you know, men are typically what, three to five years, you know, cognitively less developed. I'm,

Unknown: 35:14

I'm thinking it was like 10 or 20. Well, he will

Reed Goosens: 35:17

you know, but But I think what you know, Erica was very good at identifying exactly like patterns that weren't healthy for me. I know she'd got me at the time. Like I tend to want to do all the things right because I was like ah stuff and I'll do it all because I don't want to take the time to delegate and she identified to me that pain that's not that's unhealthy and you want to do something about that. You know, like in terms of a business coach who can help you better mentally deal with being having all the pressures of running a big, not a big company, but a company that has a lot of investors involved and a lot of moving pieces, so that was cool.

Erica Goosens: 35:57

So what I got you like in the book was that class to his now business?

Reed Goosens: 36:02

Business Coaches, it was from Erica, you know, being a little push,

Erica Goosens: 36:05

like, try it. Um, and conversely for me, he has provided a lot of the support where I was lacking confidence and mindset and all the things that a lot of women business owners experience or seem to experience. Maybe we talk about it more, I don't know, more than the white male who happens to be really tall with a cute accent like, it's just we're having different experiences. And over time, he's come to understand mine a little bit more because I think at first he was like, Oh, I'm good. I like to do it. But like, over time, he's really like, sees that there's different and different dynamics and people will treat me differently, all the all the things that you know, can contribute. My internal ones to that are just perceptions and not real. And he's helped out a lot with that because I have struggled with a giant mountain of frati feelings and intimidation and fear. So that has been really helpful to me. And then on the fun side, like oftentimes when we're just driving well, like just talk about different business ideas or like stuff or how do I handle this situation and like, it's so, so helpful, and it's fun, like, it's nice that we both share the excitement over what the entrepreneur like. World in mind is and can offer and it's nice to get like a little bit of reinvigoration in that regard.

Reed Goosens: 37:49

Yeah, I will. I will say like, that's taken work, right? That wasn't always like that. And not that it was a different dynamic. It's just that remember, we're two different human beings on two different wavelengths coming into this journey at two different times. And so you know, that takes work and effort as spouses to come together even though we do it to separate businesses, we still need to show up and rock up for each other. And that takes work on my head and her end and together. So both, you know, from from an emotional point of view, and a mindset point of view. So yeah, I think we've sowed the seeds, through the work we've done individually and together to help to be in a place where we can use each other as a real sounding board, to, you know, be better humans and leaders and entrepreneurs and investors and that sort of stuff. I know. You've made a comment like and I heard on another podcast again, you hear on something like Oh, he's like, she'd been always very good at like, people, assessing people or business partners. And like, the new thing coming out of my past partnerships is like you gotta get you got to pass the Erica sniff test. Like if you don't, if we're gonna go to dinner or something that if she ate sushi and sawed it off, we don't get. So there's like, I heard someone say that. I was like, I think he said it to me once. So

Unknown: 39:09

yeah, yeah, that's, that's incredible.

Sophie: 39:11

Yeah. And I love how one thank you for just bringing all of you for, you know, and being vulnerable and sharing because this is what this podcast is all about. And an Erica, I just love what you said about like, you know, feeling that that imposter syndrome that feeling fraught because I think so many of us struggle with that. And the fact that you guys were able to come together, knowing your differences, but really just walking every step of the way and then to building what you guys have built to this present day. My question for both of you is for listeners out there who are just starting who want to get on the same page who are listening to read America and be like, Man they had, gosh, how do I get there? They're so cool. And they're like so synergized like what are the first steps? What are some advice you could give to them? I think

Erica Goosens: 40:11

we're both very independent, and we both have, I think you need to have support outside of your partner to whether you need to pay a coach or therapist or like your meditation teacher, like whatever it is, you definitely need to like, keep being your own person and doing what you need to do as an individual besides as a unit. First, I don't think like there have definitely, you know, not, not everything is synergistic, synergistic and not everything is all gravy, and there's definitely been times we're all have like, asked him a question like, What is his real estate term mean? And like, he explained it and I didn't understand and then we're in a fight about it, like, like, that's happened. Um, so, especially if you're gonna like work together, like when we came together to work on some design projects for his like that had a big

Reed Goosens: 41:11

client, apparently best client she's ever had.

Erica Goosens: 41:15

Like, so there's definitely been bumps in the road like, make no mistake about it and so just you know, expect that there are going to be unexpected things and not good things too. So don't have any like false visions of perfection. Make sure that you're like independently supported and healthy like to in that regard and maybe I'll think of more things to say after you

Reed Goosens: 41:44

go Erica is going to talk about the three relationships relationship with yourself the relation, the spouses relationship within themselves and then the relationship together. And then how as being an entrepreneur that all ties to one hopefully the the spouse, whether it be the male or the female, I guess what your journey you're going on, but that there I know, other I know other people that I've spoken to, it's sort of broken up relationships because the one person is didn't get on board with the other. Now that's not a judgment of that person. They just didn't like risk or didn't like certain things. And, and so I think you have to be coming from a place of because when you do start on this journey, you're like, you're gonna go back you're so excited, like, hey, get involved and get it get excited as I am about this one topic, you know, then like, personally, I don't know what the hell you're talking about, you know, like no. So just having a little bit of sympathy around that not everyone's going to be on your same wavelength and that's okay. But that comes back to in the beginning, I probably I probably wasn't like that in the beginning, but it's taken through working on myself in order to come and present like, Hey, I am an entrepreneur, this is my life. I want to live. What do you think and are you on board and luckily, she said, Yes. And she's an entrepreneur. So all those things sort of come together through to working on those relationships.

Derek Clifford: 43:04

Yeah, I can't emphasize the importance of this enough and it's the same journey that Sophie and I've been on we've had personal coaches as well that have been kind of like coaching us on the individual side alone because just like you said, there's three dynamics in all the relationships there's each other right individually and then there's the total like togetherness and what I couldn't help but But hearing and also like bringing up in my own memory as you guys were talking is the fact that we're working with our personal coaches. As soon as we got ourselves in order, because there was a lot to unpack right? It makes things easier, right? Because, you know, it's so easy for one spouse to be saying why isn't the other person this way? Right. And pretty much pretty soon when you keep asking that question over and over again. Well, you notice there's a common thread, right and the thread is you so once you start understanding a lot of this should be introspective rather than than extro looking or looking outside. I think that's when a lot of the magic starts to happen. And so what I would like to do is ask you guys, you know, on your personal journeys, have you found that to be the case? And if so, you know, maybe you can take us on the high level view of what you guys went through personally, to get to the point where you are right now.

Erica Goosens: 44:19

You go first I need to percolate. on that.

Reed Goosens: 44:22

Okay. Yes, so 100% You're completely correct that I go back to emotional intelligence and Erica, it's come through self awareness through working on myself where I'm sitting at 2022 When I was in 2012, I was a different person, right? I was 26 I was, you know, a little bit more headstrong and my way or the highway type of thing. And that's where the working being understanding that we all have shortfalls and the way in which we communicate to one and two to one another. I've grown a lot in that regard. But again, it goes back to working on oneself. So you think you are working on yourself with all the reading of the books in the getting involved in the investing, you know, meetups and all that sort of stuff, and that's really, really good. But then there's other stuff in terms of interpersonal relationships, communication how you rock up for the other person both emotionally, you know, passively, you know, energy wise and actively so that has been again something looking back has not been smooth sailing at all because we're all we're humans. We're imperfect beings are no one's perfect and we had our baggage from before and you have to unpack that in order to set yourself right to then rock up to either support the other person or just be in a better space headspace in what we both are. Like looking back to where we were we moved here from Australia, like I remember how stressful that was finding an apartment. In New York City and all the stuff and you know, just it's a lot so, for me, we've come a long way and here's the best part about it is like you're going to continue to grow and in 10 years time from now, we'll we will continue to work on each other and hope and be in the same even stronger position than what we are today. So that's exciting, right? So um, yeah.

Erica Goosens: 46:15

For me, I find net like it's so clear to me now, but it wasn't at the time although I guess I stumbled through it like to your listeners who are thinking of starting like you like you have to know it's hard. It's some people fall into things like takeoff and Greg good for that. Um, I've never I've never known anyone really, maybe it happens so you have to know it's hard and you have to like have a really strong Why and for me it I have figured out how interconnected life and your holistic life is with business and especially like with our aspirations of wanting the business to work for our lifestyle. But it goes on like so many deeper levels of how interconnected your work is, especially as you're like making it a part of your identity I guess for better or worse, but for me there this whole thing this whole time has been non stop work on myself. Non stop everything like I was kind of like when I first started. I mean, you know, you take your 20s to figure things out and try new things and no one's got it all figured out. But like I was not doing a great job at adulting like I just wasn't and in all regards, like, you know, luckily I had the sons to like choose and cultivate a great partner and relationship but another regards I was like not did not wasn't there yet. So, um, and that was a moment in time where I got a push from him that I needed to kind of like, you know, see as we were talking about before, like the patterns that I was in and I have since then been, I'm exhausted. I've been working nonstop. And the business, it's the same thing at the same time. And that's at least been my experience. And I know a lot of people have felt that way especially women maybe. So it's been like I was kind of just like a mess with things I needed to learn productivity and time management and not letting things fall through the cracks and I jumped into that like head first really deep legit learned everything I could go to like online productivity coach for a little bit like there was there was that's where I started and then I learned about my relationship with money and worked really hard on that had my mind blown and read the books and did the things. Then I finally got a business coach but it was group coaching and then I finally got an individual one like, then I'm in therapy all the time like then we're you know, doing all the things like it's been non stop. And you have to expect to do a little bit of that because I don't think you can grow as a business owner. I don't think you can grow as person and grow as a couple in the same way. Like direction because people grow you can grow up harder together, you know, so I just want to make no textbook like wasn't expression. I don't want to make no bones about it. That's what I want to say. Yeah, about like how much has gone into everything.

Reed Goosens: 49:32

I guess a sound bite just there might I don't think you bit of them. I can't. I can't say any more. I mean,

Sophie: 49:38

he's highlighting nonstop

Derek Clifford: 49:40

stuff that I'm highlighting right now after the recordings over I'll show you guys how green everything is.

Erica Goosens: 49:48

Highlighting Swiss.

Derek Clifford: 49:51

I know it is for some reason. In otter. It's green. I don't know why it is but it is green. Yeah. In any event. What I wanted to say here was that you guys have described perfectly the entrepreneurial journey that we have also gone on and also of all the couples that we've talked to, it's been pretty much the same thing. But you guys have explained it in such a granular and clear way. And I think you know what it boils down to I'd like to get your opinion on this too. And then we'll start to wrap this up a little bit. Is that you know, you just simply don't know what you don't know, right? Like when you go out to do these things like you you're you're you're setting goals. And then these goals are preambles for bigger goals. And as these things develop, like you're in that you're wrapped up in the business of things and you're trying to achieve more and more and more, but you have to grow in other ways in order to facilitate that to happen right. You have to learn to let go of your for instance, on my side. You have to learn to let go of the control. Exactly. Or like being able to do everything you have to delegate to a virtual assistant, then you eventually have to give entire job functions to team members. Then you have to learn to set vision and be inspiring and keep people motivated, right? And so all of these skills that grow his business, and what I love about this too, is that businesses business, and that's why like I'm so lucky to be able to have an entrepreneur as a wife as well and a partner and as a marriage you know partner working together on all these aspects because you guys are we're all trying to grow and keeping the growth in the same direction picking each other up, passing on tactics and skills with one another. I think that's where it's at. And, you know, I I just wanted to get your guys's thoughts on that if there's anything that that popped up to you during my little ramble there.

Reed Goosens: 51:40

For me, I think it's two things. One is was Tony Robbins say you overestimate we can achieve any year but you underestimate we can achieve in a decade and for me personally like we both moved back to us 10 years like nine going on 10 years ago now it's 10 years ago, it was 10 years ago well, and to look how far we've both come has been incredible. And so there's a little bit of like, by the time we're 45 we're gonna like the last thing has been frickin awesome. The next thing is going to be even better. Like there's a little bit of that we've already proved to ourselves we can do it and so there's not as much pressure and enjoy the journey a little bit more. I think the other thing is like talking about pillars in life so you know pillars meaning like, you know what you defined by so your business, your health, your relationships, you know if your spiritual religious, but sometimes we focus maybe as entrepreneurs too much on the business and let other things like relationships and family and health. Go to the wayside. And so I've interviewed on my show a lot of successful business owners who have divorced, you know, wife kids that hate them. Shitty health, and all they've got is their one pillar which is which is their business and if that goes in there, you know that the only way it goes down so I think what I'm trying to get at is like, in the beginning, you're all about the business but also don't don't forget the journey. And you want to work really hard on your business. You got to work you know long hours or nights but be evenly spread as best you can. And that's come through my beautiful wife here telling me reminding me that over time, that we're in a business to create a lifestyle for ourselves. We can't ever afford to not take the time to be with one another or be present with friends or work on our health are working ourselves and the business. The business is also going to be there as well. But that but if you don't have those other pillars figured out, the business won't also grows.

Derek Clifford: 53:33

Yeah, I mean, what are you doing it for? Right like that's the question that you have to ask yourself is if you don't have your health Well, I mean, it's pretty clear what would happen there. If you put all of your energy in wealth and then your health declines. But also you know, if you don't have any relationships or people around you to celebrate with, that's just not a fulfilling place to be right. And you know, I implore the listeners out there to listen to reading Erica because you know, just looking over your bio, we didn't cover this read but just for the listeners, you can tell that you guys have walked the walk because in over the last 10 years you started with a $38,000 property all cash in 2012. Right. And now you guys are up to controlling over $500 million worth of US commercial real estate assets. And I wanted to ask you as if my final question, that success how much of of that success would you attribute to you guys growing personally?

Reed Goosens: 54:30

Pretty much, really, like at least 80% of it. Like they there has to be hard work and determination and all that in there but without without working on yourself. I think that is and that looking back like I'm thinking about that like as you start to read these self help books as you start to look at financial independence. What inspires you to to rise to the occasion to be the better human that you want to be? And give yourself permission that you can go out and achieve that. So that in itself will require you to look inwards and say what am I short on or ensure that there's other elements of all that going in there but but yes, I think a lot like for me working on oneself is the majority of of that quote unquote, success. Yeah,

Erica Goosens: 55:21

yeah, almost. I mean, I have different metrics than what you listed with reads. Syndication and deals. But for mine like I said, like a lot of it was me in my own way or not knowing where to start or not wanting to take avenues that I was giving vice to go down. All because of the mindset stuff and whatever like internal road roadblocks I had, for the most part, let's say like 90% of it because some stuff like you literally just have to learn and you have to learn like how to market anatomy go maybe make a website whatever those like little things are like to put yourself out there but the the figurative put yourself out there is like what I had to work on quite a lot. So like I had to get over like feeling all weird and unsecure and like basically asking other people out like on coffee days to talk about business stuff and like I had never done that before and it was so scary, you know, like it's nothing. So you know, just those pushing myself forward in that regard is is a lot of it in my own, you know, like weird feelings just getting over myself. I had to get over myself over and over and over and over and over again.

Derek Clifford: 56:54

Yeah, yeah, you guys well said. I think that that that sums it up absolutely perfectly. I think that being a bigger person will help you think bigger and set bigger goals and also get you through the work that needs to be done, you know, in order to achieve the goals and so you guys have both done incredible in that space as well. So I want to commend you there and with that, what I want to do is I want to transition ourselves into the final segment of the show, which is called the Rapid Round. And it's five questions that we ask every one of our guests and they're meant to be answered in a quick manner within 30 seconds or so or something like that. And we're going to go ahead and rapid fire them off to you right now if you guys are doing all right, number one, and I think we'll alternate so Sophie will read this the second fourth one. Number one what book has had the biggest impact on you and why I think I know what most of your answers are outside of Rich Dad Poor Dad or the Bible.

Erica Goosens: 57:53

Ah for me, it was um, Jensen sheroes. You are about us at making money. I can't even tell you how many times I listened to that on Audible. I

Derek Clifford: 58:03

have not heard of that one. So I definitely am going to be we actually have a we do I do.

Reed Goosens: 58:09

Yeah. And for me, it's going to be key person of influence by Dan Priestley.

Unknown: 58:15

Excellent. Cool, guys.

Sophie: 58:17

All right. Next question. If people wanted to emulate your success, what is the first actionable thing that they could do to follow in your footsteps? For me,

Erica Goosens: 58:27

I think it's the need to get like pretty clear on the why like when all else fails and your your failures have brought you to your knees which will probably happen like you have to have a really clear why and like vision of how you want things to go and and reasons like sometimes I'll think about like, do I want to give up or do I want to like go work for someone else? Or do I just want to like get through this hard time and it's always I just want to get through this hard time. So yeah, have a really clear why and go that needs to be like the vision and the light that you go back to time again.

Reed Goosens: 59:06

I think it's a second step more like a stepping stone number two would be you know, go out and try and network with as many people who you aspire to be so surround yourself with those people in my you know, in real estate, it's very it's quite easy because it's a lot of real estate meetups. Maybe in the interior design space for women is not as there's not as many meetups but they're trying surround yourself with people who you aspire to be.

Derek Clifford: 59:32

Great advice you guys. Number three is what one tool process or hack in the last three months has helped you save time and or efforts

Reed Goosens: 59:45

don't say three months but it's definitely been more consistent is journaling slash you know, I'm old school. I've got a pen and paper here but I'd do my to do list every week. I like the the action of crossing out. So for me it's it's making sure I sit down on a Sunday. Get it out of my mind onto paper so I know what the week is going to be like you.

Erica Goosens: 1:00:07

I cannot talk about this for three hours. So much. Um

Unknown: 1:00:14

it's 30 seconds.

Erica Goosens: 1:00:17

I'll just give you two quick ones. I really love the what do you call it browser and mail integrator thingy called Boomerang that you can use to schedule meetings with people. It helps you deal with a bunch of cool stuff with emails too. It's I'm not seeing a schedule are quite like that. So I really love that and I forgot the other one. So we'll skip it.

Unknown: 1:00:43

That's perfect. That'll work.

Sophie: 1:00:45

Well if it comes back I want to know Yeah. Okay, next question is if the people you know have to describe you with one word what would that be?

Reed Goosens: 1:00:55

I will say for Erica um people obviously resilient that's what I that's the first thing

Erica Goosens: 1:01:05

is love that. Other people will describe me as that without knowing my whole like life story but sure.

Reed Goosens: 1:01:12

That's what came to mind. So there you go.

Erica Goosens: 1:01:14

I have to do you read the one word is outgoing.

Derek Clifford: 1:01:22

Yeah. Yeah, I could see that. Awesome. Very cool, guys. All right. Last question that we that we have here. Is what small thing? Do most people not know about you?

Reed Goosens: 1:01:35

I have a pretty easy one about that one. You refer me when I started horses into showjumping back in the day and no one. No one knows that. So now everyone knows.

Derek Clifford: 1:01:46

Everyone knows. Hey, do you have you spoken with Whitney Sewell?

Reed Goosens: 1:01:50

Because I have Whitney's I know he rides I didn't haven't we haven't geeked out about that yet. I'll hit him up at best ever calm probably should.

Erica Goosens: 1:01:58

Yeah. I can't think of anything interesting to say all one thing you can think is I'm technically from New York. I moved out here when I was four. My parents are from Brooklyn. I don't know. What else can you think of for you? Yeah, it's cool that

Reed Goosens: 1:02:17

about me the don't people know about you. You can jump really high.

Derek Clifford: 1:02:26

That's really cool. So now we've got to put that to the test. So do you guys have like, do you guys have like a meter bar or something that we can

Erica Goosens: 1:02:35

joke? I can barely get off the ground. Sometimes in photos. I'll try my best to impress them but it's lovely. White girl can jump.

Derek Clifford: 1:02:47

That's hilarious. Oh. Well, very, very cool. So Erica Reid. Thank you guys so much for coming on the show. And before we let you guys go and move on with the rest of your day in beautiful sunny Southern California. Why don't you guys tell the listeners how they can find out more about what you have going on. Or your offerings or anything. You got an open stage right now.

Erica Goosens: 1:03:11

Well, my business is called Eco method interiors. I work across all sectors and actually really love helping other businesses make more money through really impactful design. So come see me and say hi. At eco method interiors calm that's probably the best place cool

Reed Goosens: 1:03:31

for me you can just go to read goossens.com That's redgosss.com books, podcasts stuff up there. Audiobooks. Check it out. If you ever come through LA you want to say g'day just hit me up at info@reduces.com We can talk real estate.

Derek Clifford: 1:03:48

Awesome. Love it. Thank you Erica read I really appreciate and I wish we had a chance to talk a little bit about about international capital raising stuff like so.

Reed Goosens: 1:03:58

I can come back home. We can definitely talk about that.

Erica Goosens: 1:04:00

A lot of blabbing some thanks for letting us do this. For sure. Great. Yeah.

Derek Clifford: 1:04:07

Yeah, usually the most organic ones are the best ones to go with and we just decided to roll with it. This time. So thank you guys for hopping on and for your listeners that are also with us and have listened to all the way to the end. We really appreciate you guys. So please, wherever you're listening or watching this, please like subscribe, give us a thumbs up whatever it is that you can do to interact with us. We want to hear more about what you think about the show. So that we can get more incredible guests on here like Reed and Erica. And then we can also appease those algorithm gods and keep moving up the chain so we get more exposure to more and more people and get better guests and it's just this beautiful cycle of goodness that we want to try to incorporate in our business here. So thank you guys for listening. And again, read Erica, thank you guys for hopping on.

Sophie: 1:04:51

A pleasure. Thank you for having us.

Derek Clifford: 1:04:52

Absolutely. And this is Derek and this is Sophie we're signing off for the day. Thanks everyone.