For Ashleigh Goodchild, success in property investing comes from having the confidence to network, collaborate and ask questions.
Ashleigh is a long term local West Australian property entrepreneur, investor advocate and property management specialist who has built her ideal life through taking risks and having the confidence to seek help.
Ashleigh joined Bushy Martin on the Get Invested podcast to highlight the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people and asking the right questions.
Having the confidence to seek professional advice
Ashleigh encouraged investors to seek the advice and insights of professionals, as opposed to solely relying on the opinions of friends and family. This applies for all aspects of life, whether it be property, business or personal affairs.
“Probably one of the the best things that I ever did was being confident and comfortable enough and vulnerable enough to reach out to some people to seek support when I needed it in an area that was new to me…. shame gets in the way often of people being prepared to be vulnerable and and share their situation with others,” she said.
“It’s a funny thing – reaching out to people who didn’t know me very well personally to help me make decisions was probably one of the best moves that I actually made going through this situation [divorce]. When you speak to a friend or a family member, everyone wants to get onto a bandwagon and help you make a decision, but they’re not very helpful by doing that and they’re just throwing so much more chaos to you and really confusing the situation. And this isn’t just for divorce, it could be for anything like starting a new business or making a really big decision in your life. When you have friends and family, yes they want the best for you, but they’re not necessarily the right advisors for you.
“So I actually had some people that were in the industry, that I had seen two or three times per year, who I knew were incredibly smart from a business aspect, way smarter than I was. And so they actually said, Ash, Friday night at my office we’re going to have a few drinks and we’re going to put it all up on a whiteboard. So they got a whiteboard, they put up everything that I was having a dilemma over, properties, business etc, and they just put it up so I could see it. Then they very unbiasedly went, this is one of your options and this is your second option. And to have people, number one, willing to help you is so fabulous, and that’s part of that giving and receiving, but they were also very happy to help me make a very clear decision that wasn’t emotional.”
Having the confidence to ask questions
Bushy and Ashleigh firmly believe in the power of questioning your way to success.
“Don’t ask for permission. Just ask for forgiveness. Because what’s the worst thing that can happen if you try something and it doesn’t work? You learn something you didn’t know and you’ll do it differently next time as you slowly but surely get better at it. Your biggest learnings come from your biggest mistakes, and your growing patience and persistent muscles will get you to where you want to be, just like learning to walk or ride a bike,” Bushy said.
“Now a lot is said about the unique qualities and traits that separate the best from the rest, but from my experience the standouts are always those who back themselves and have no limits as they embrace their fears and discomfort as a positive indicator of growth. They put themselves out there, they take action, they constantly ask questions, and they keep doing it until they achieve their level of mastery.”
Having the confidence to surround yourself with right people
Sustainable success also comes from the company you keep.
“Surrounding yourself with positive people, that currently know more than you do, allows you to ask questions and keep asking questions until you don’t need to ask them anymore because you’ve become an expert by association. It’s why your net wealth equals your network, and you end up being the average of the five people you spend your most time with. So get out there and choose your company wisely,” Bushy said.
“It’s how I was able to handle the discomfort of completely changing careers 10 times, from being an architect to government program manager to executive change manager to property investor, property manager, finance broker, property investment strategist, a mentor to author and podcast host. I just keep diving in deep, embracing my constant discomfort and biting off more than I can chew, and then just chewing like crazy by constantly asking questions and learning anything and everything I can, as quickly as I can, because constant curiosity combined with continuous incremental improvement leads to exponential sustainable success.”
Listen to the full interview here.
Want to Know How you can build wealth and optimise your property finance with the help of leading, qualified experts? Check us out and talk to the team, now.
