If you don't know, Jumpstart Germantown is a real estate investing training workshop started by Ken Weinstein. There are so many gurus that teach this info for thousands of dollars, but Ken’s mission and purpose resonates in everything he does and offers this program for free. It started 3 years ago, with a small group. Now there is an 18 month backlog of people wanting to take the classes (I signed up in September 2017) and he’s working to make this program national, to transform and revitalize blighted neighborhoods throughout the country. It’s so great starting this program right after I launched Legacy Collective. Much of what will be covered in his training is for those with little to no real estate experience, but I signed up anyway because- Ken Weinstein’s the shit!
Really though, when I reflected on my real estate career and tried to figure out who truly inspired me was doing real estate in a way that I truly felt connected with- the first person I thought of was Ken Weinstein. And when I say "connected with" I'm referring to NOT making profit, the center of every real estate decision. One thing he shared about himself was that he is a Triple Bottle Line Developer- where he tries to consider not only the profit, but the community and the environment as well. And I heard this AFTER I sat down and thought about my core values of what I want Legacy Collective to be.
Being profitable and being socially conscious do not have to be 2 separate things. In fact, I was introduced to the book Conscious Capitalism by Michael Locati of Locati LLC, which says quite the opposite. Conscious Capitalism was co-written by the co-founder of Whole Foods, John Mackey- and the premise (to me) is that businesses that follow a business strategy that seek to benefit people and the environment, the money will follow.
When I got started (in the late 2000's), Ken was already acquiring properties throughout Mt. Airy and Germantown. At the time due to limits I placed on my own thinking- I thought Ken was doing work that was too above the clouds for me. I mean, transforming neighborhoods- who does that? I also thought Ken was African American- LOL! Don't ask me why I thought someone with the last name of "Weinstein" was African American- I just did. Boy was I wrong about both! Ha!
Relearning the basics I was taught in the beginning- with more experience and purpose, makes these workshops that much more impactful. I'm basically tweaking what I already know and learning from someone who offers the perspective that I am connected with so I can approach my own business in a similar way.
