March 22, 2022
Episode 137 – Christian Szpilfogel – People-Centred, Ethically Driven, Community Focused
“I really enjoy the world of real estate. I have fun with this every single day. To me this is not work, this is just part of our life and it’s given me such incredible freedom.” – Christian Szpilfogel
- Connect with Christian:
- Aliferous Facebook
- Selected links and people mentioned from this episode:
- Aliferous Group
- Forbes Message Map
- Steven R. Covey, Habit 5, “Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood”
- “Anger is the punishment we give ourselves for someone else’s mistake.” [quote attributed to Gautama Buddha, but no definitive conclusion]
- The Manifold Series by Stephen Baxter
- Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien
- Liquid Drum & Bass Mix
- Connect with REIN Canada
- REIN Canada
- [email protected]
- REIN Channel
- [02:08] Patrick introduces his next TEDM guest and long time REIN Member, Christian Szpilfogel.
- [02:58] Christian and Patrick get rolling, well, before the record button is rolling! Christian shares his elevator pitch, and his journey to his first rental property which was a fair distance from his original plan to be a particle physicist!
- [6:43] That first deal. Christian shares the thoughts and concerns going through his head as he and his wife considered their first rental property, the magic spreadsheet that helped him pull the trigger, and how he approaches potential exit strategies.
- [10:40] For Christian, transitioning to a full-time professional real estate business was aided by the experience he gained from the latter part of his corporate life, but the final push was fueled by his value to be present for his family.
- [15:24] Christian explains his mindset and process of moving into that space of needing to prioritize family, leaving his career, and having to reconsider his identity, reinvent community and realize cash flow.
- [21:35] Christian reflects on that time of transition, when he also took a more active role in support of his daughter’s mental health issues. He shares his own journey of working through it, and the unshakeable support he received from his wife.
- [27:13] Christian shares some of the aspects of his daughter’s experience in reclaiming her mental health and the ways in which she is now able to give back to her community.
- [31:55] Open communication was the way through for Christian in finding support as a parent, and he came to realize once he started talking about it, other people wanted to share their story too. In the state of the current world, Christian offers his thoughts on how it’s affecting individuals’ mind space.
- [37:11] Patrick and Christian talk about the ways in which addiction and mental health can occur.
- [42:40] Although he didn’t come by it naturally, Christian found himself surrounded by entrepreneurs over the course of his career, but caution had him hesitate on his own venture for longer than he wishes he had. Finally forced to make the leap, he has found immense joy and freedom in the world of real estate investing and has not looked back.
- [47:34] Christian explains the clear business model, target tenant client profile and cash flow strategy they employ in their real estate investing business. It has been an evolution and they are mindful to balance business efficiency with ethics.
- [53:30] A family affair. Christian describes the roles he and his wife take on as business partners, [note: she’s the creative genius with the design of their suites], and he details the type of properties that they pursue, sometimes solving a neighbourhood problem in the process.
- [56:12] Compassion, empathy, community, making a difference. These are some of the guiding principles that shape the way Christian shows up in the world.
- [57:40] Overall clarity of values has evolved for Christian with time, life experience, and awareness. He knows that to perform well, he must feel passionate about what he’s doing and have fun doing it! Learning and growing are essential to that enjoyment.
- [61:38] The exercise of creating a “message map” allowed Christian to crystallize what he stands for at his core and will always be able to stand behind in business. These pillars stood as the foundation for the design of their website and ultimately their business messaging. So… what does he stand for?
- [65:28] Christian shares his vision for their business which once again aligns with his values.
- [68:19] Christian reflects on his path and how his experiences have set crucial building blocks to where he is now; generally optimistic and naturally dwelling in a growth mindset. The one change he may have made was moving into real estate sooner.
- [72:55] Patrick and Christian have a fruitful conversation about the current global situation, and the impacts, both seen and unseen. With Gaelic blood in his veins, Christian can get good and fired up with the best of them but he has made a lot of effort to improve his empathy skills and see another perspective.
- [76:36] The power of words and expression.
- [79:38] Christian shares his self-care routine and what supports his wellness.
- [81:16] Here we are! Gather ‘round the rapid fire: favourite book genre and favourite book to gift for love of the writing; a job he doesn’t like but does it anyway (resistance is futile); favourite swear word and why; what Christian is not very good at; room-desk-car; iPhone or Android; as a lover of music, Christian’s musical tastes are broad, but he shares his current music of choice to work to.
- [87:50] Christian’s gratitude.
