Blending Worlds: How Personal and Professional Roles Influence Your Approach to Real Estate Investing
Harnessing the Synergy of Your Hybrid Identity in Real Estate Investing
Happy Thursday, fellow Hybrids!
This week, I’ll break down a 3-step process for defining your own hybrid professional identity.
Remember, it’s the combination of your identities that makes you unique. Embrace it!
Here we go. 👇
(Today’s issue takes ~2 minutes to read)
As a hybrid professional, you will often wear many hats throughout the day.
For example…I’m not just a real estate investor or a newsletter writer.
I claim all the following identities:
Father
Writer
Husband
Drummer
Entrepreneur
Business Manager
Real estate investor
Ex-Concert Promoter
Each of these identities has its own values, skills, and perspectives, and they all intersect in ways that influence my approach to work, investing, and life.
This is what we’ll refer to as a "Hybrid Professional Identity”
Related Reading: So What Exactly Is A “Hybrid Professional?”
The real beauty of being a hybrid professional is that the mix of identities is unique to each person. My blend won't be the same as yours, and that's something to be celebrated!
So, what's your hybrid identity?
Defining Your Hybrid Identity
To better understand your hybrid professional identity, take the following simple steps:
Step 1: Start by listing out the various roles and identities you embody in your day-to-day life.
I suggest breaking this into two lists (I’ll use my identity as an example):
“Personal” Roles such as:
Father
Husband
Drummer
“Professional” Roles:
Writer
Entrepreneur
Business Manager
Real estate investor
Ex-Concert Promoter
Both role types play an important part, but acknowledging which category they fall into is important.
Credit: More Than My Title - Dr. Sarabeth Berk
Step 2: Consider how each of these roles influences your approach to work and investing.
EX:
Does being a parent make you more risk-averse, leading you to seek out safer investment opportunities?
Does your experience as a business manager give you a knack for spotting properties with strong potential?
There’s something to learn from every identity you possess, and once you ask these questions you’ll start to pick up the patterns & identify intersections.
Step 3: Consider how you can leverage the intersection of these identities to your advantage.
The real estate market is crowded, and having a unique perspective can provide you with an edge that others lack.
The reason I included “Ex-Concert Promoter” in my professional identities is that I consistently find parallels to what I do now from my 10 years in the music industry.
EX:
P&L management
Budgeting & forecasting
Operations & event management
Invoicing & accounts receivable
Managing different personality types (and egos)
Your past experience is equally important to consider when doing this exercise.
There are things I learned from bagging groceries at Albertsons when I was 16 that I still incorporate into my life today.
Don’t leave anything off the table.
Your Hybrid Identity at Work
Embracing your hybrid professional identity can lead to new opportunities and innovations.
More examples from my situation:
As a drummer, I've learned the value of consistency and practice.
I used to practice drums 7+ hours per day, which taught me how to “put in the time” to build a skill slowly but steadily.
This applies to real estate activities such as deal analysis, which requires patience & consistency.
As a father, I'm motivated to create a secure future for my family.
This drives my real estate strategies towards long-term, stable returns.
A parent’s mindset also instills risk mitigation & downside protection mentality.
As a Business Manager, I focus on strategic planning & execution.
Taking a holistic view of my real estate business allows me to see the big picture.
My knowledge of how to operate an effective daily rhythm of business allows me to execute my overall strategy.
There are opportunities everywhere if you take the time to look for them.
Leveraging the Uniqueness
The combination of these identities gives me a unique perspective that others might not have.
And the same applies to you!
By acknowledging and valuing each part of your hybrid identity, you can:
Enhance your approach to investing
Make decisions that align with your diverse skills, experiences, and values.
Remember, each aspect of your hybrid identity can provide you with unique insights, resources, and perspectives.
And when you integrate these identities together, you create an approach to work and investing that's distinctively you.
Closing Thoughts
Our identities are not siloed. They blend, they mesh, and they overlap. This is what makes us complex and unique as individuals and as investors.
It’s time we recognize and leverage our hybrid professional identities.
You never know, it might be the secret weapon that helps you spot your next big opportunity, or helps you make a tough decision.
So I'll ask again, what's your hybrid professional identity?
Share your thoughts, experiences, or questions about today's issue by replying to this email or leaving a comment on Substack.
I look forward to reading your responses!
See you next week.
-Aaron