Shownotes
Welcome back to Empowering Entrepreneurs. In this episode, Julie and Glenn have a truly motivating episode as they're joined by Dan Gomer, an individual whose entrepreneurial journey is as inspiring as it is educational.
Dan, a former middle school teacher, took a leap of faith from the classroom to the competitive arena of real estate. He shares the trials and triumphs of his transition, his passion for selling the American dream of home ownership, and the hard lessons learned from his initial foray into property flipping that didn't go as planned. Despite facing significant setbacks and even burnout, Dan's resilience saw him pivot to traditional real estate and ultimately find a balance between production and his true passion: coaching and teaching.
Julie and Glenn dive deep into Dan's background, from his days doing manual labor that sparked his creativity, to his efforts to improve father-son relationships with an innovative playground project in Colorado. Dan also touches upon the importance of mentorship, the power of being coachable, and the refreshingly candid perspective that came from losing it all and starting anew.
We explore how Dan's formative years influenced his drive to mentor others, his return to the realm of education in a non-traditional capacity, and how writing has become a therapeutic outlet for him, resulting in four published books, which he generously offers to our listeners.
Prepare to be empowered as Dan candidly discusses the need to cherish the journey, simplify the process, and enjoy the moment, all while making the world a better place.
Top Takeaways
1. **Career Transition**: Dan's move from being a middle school teacher to becoming a successful real estate investor and coach can inspire listeners to consider career changes that align more closely with their passions and skill sets.
2. **Valuing Education**: Dan's story emphasizes the importance of continuous learning, whether through formal education at institutions like the University of North Colorado or through practical experiences and self-directed learning.
3. **The Power of Mentorship**: Dan acknowledges he lacked a direct mentor but benefited greatly from those who provided tools and insights, underscoring mentorship's impact on personal and professional development.
4. **Coaching and Therapy**: The podcast highlights the value of having a coach or therapist to help navigate challenges, indicating that even successful entrepreneurs can benefit from professional guidance.
5. **Commitment to Personal Growth**: Dan's experience shows the importance of being teachable and hungry for success, which can be crucial traits for anyone looking to grow and succeed in entrepreneurship.
6. **The Journey is as Important as the Destination**: Dan's reflection on cherishing the journey and not just the end goals serves as a reminder to entrepreneurs to appreciate their growth and achievements along the way.
7. **Learning from Failures**: Dan's openness about his financial losses in real estate investing teaches that setbacks can be pivotal learning opportunities that contribute to eventual success.
8. **Building a Sustainable Business**: The episode discusses transitioning from a sole focus on making money to creating a more balanced and sustainable business that aligns with one's values and allows for family time.
9. **Writing as Reflection**: Dan's use of writing for personal development can encourage listeners to explore reflective practices like journaling to align beliefs with actions and to process experiences.
10. **Making a Difference Through Teaching**: Highlighting his lasting interest in education, Dan shows that entrepreneurial skills can have a profound impact when applied to teaching and mentoring, potentially leading to broader societal changes.
Memorable Moments
00:00 UNC education led to construction work experience.
05:08 From real estate to education with confidence.
07:16 Committed to improving education and retaining talented educators.
12:46 Married 20 years, now focused on real estate.
16:26 Entrepreneurship requires perseverance, risk, and commitment.
20:06 Transitioned to team-building, less individual production.
23:28 Did anyone mentor you? Balloon guy's impact.
26:22 Seeking mentorship, coaching, and therapy for support.
29:10 Seeking people open to change and growth.
31:55 Simplify and enjoy the journey, learn from struggle.
35:20 Mindset is key for business success. Personal growth.
38:19 Reflecting on preaching and living up to standards.
42:48 Create a playground coaching program to promote generational change.
44:33 Enjoy the journey, not just reaching mountain top.
Learn more about Dan Gomer on his website.
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Transcripts
Hello, everybody. Welcome to another edition of the Empowering Entrepreneurs podcast. I'm Glenn Harper.
Julie Smith [:Julie Smith.
Glenn Harper [:What's going on, Julie?
Julie Smith [:Just hoping that frog's gone that you had before.
Glenn Harper [:I don't know what the deal is. It's late in the day. Normally, we do this first thing in the morning, but, you know, our guest here is way out there in the mountains, so we had to be accommodating to them, which is
Dan Gomer [:awesome. I appreciate that.
Glenn Harper [:Yeah. Well, I would love to, like to introduce our guest today. I think we got a good one. It's, Dan Gomer, a middle school teacher who decided that the education system was not providing what he nor the kids needed, so he decided to do what every self respecting entrepreneur does, and that's flipping real estate. He was able to take old beat up properties and make them into beautiful homes that families could raise their families. From swinging the hammer to obtaining obtaining his real estate license, he's able to compete in the trifecta of real estate from start to finish. Eventually, swinging the hammer and schlepping concrete became tiresome, and he decided to focus on the real estate investor side of the business. As we all know, you do not sell the house to a buyer.
Glenn Harper [:You sell the American dream of home ownership to raise a family. Understanding this enabled Dan to become exceptional in his business. Now Dan's mission is to help other entrepreneurs become the best they can be, while best they can be with coaching, leadership, and how to take not take no for an answer. He's the founder of Dan's home team and Dan Gomer, the coach. Thanks, Dan, for being on our show.
Dan Gomer [:Thank you, guys. Appreciate the invite.
Julie Smith [:So, Dan, did you build your backdrop? That's my first question.
Dan Gomer [:I did.
Glenn Harper [:Yes. He's got skills.
Dan Gomer [:Yeah. Yeah.
Glenn Harper [:Oh, great. Well, I appreciate you. I hope the intro established what you really do for a living, which, again, it could be anything as an entrepreneur. You know, it always changes, but I think that's hopefully the core of what you try to do. And we're trying to you know, part of the show is to try to determine, you know, what makes an entrepreneur? Where did they come from? How did they get there? What what does that look like, the in the struggle and the dream? And and we always gotta go back to the beginning. And, you know, if you know, I found a little nugget on you, and I think you're from Arvada, Colorado, which
Dan Gomer [:is Arvada. Yeah.
Glenn Harper [:Nevada, the 7th most populous city in Colorado. And as I was looking that up on my Google map, did you ever, did you ever climb Coal Creek Peak?
Dan Gomer [:I've not climbed Coal Creek Peak. I've I've climbed quite a few of the 14ers out here, but I have not climbed that one.
Glenn Harper [:It's right next to Crescent Mountain. I thought for sure. It's on the far west side of the Rockies. I thought for the city. I thought you sure would be into that.
Dan Gomer [:Oh, well, I I do love climbing. And, you know, like I said, I've climbed a a number 14ers. I go backpacking, you know, all that kind of stuff. So I definitely do the Colorado thing, but, you know, there's an endless supply of peaks here to climb. So,
Glenn Harper [:you know, it's, you know, funny. Some entrepreneurs, they, end up, you know, have to leave home and go somewhere else to find their fortune and figure things out. It looks like the farthest you got away was in the Greeley, Colorado, where you went to New University of North Colorado, which is almost in Wyoming. It's so so very close to there. So Almost. How did you decide this? Did you just wanna stay in the state? You didn't wanna go anywhere else? What was the impetus of that decision?
Dan Gomer [:So yeah. I mean, I I I did wanna stay in state, but, you know, when I was younger, like middle school, I already knew I wanted to be a teacher. And it just so happened that one of the best schools in the nation for education was UNC. And so, you know, I I I only applied to one school and got into it, and and that's where I went. And, you know, I love Greeley while I was up there. I also spent a lot time in Fort Collins, which is where CSU is, so that's only about 20 minutes away. So me and my brother used to hang out over there in Fort Collins a lot, and that's kinda where I got my feet wet in construction as well. I framed houses with them in the summer and ultimately got into building decks and fences.
Dan Gomer [:And that that's what I did to earn extra income while I was in college.
Glenn Harper [:So That's what we call the gateway drug, is doing manual labor, with building decks and such. You get sucked in. Because, again, it's not hard once you kinda understand how to look at a project, and and it's just very methodical how you do it. Right? Most people are scared to do that. But once you figure out the method, it's cake.
Dan Gomer [:Well, and it kinda opened up, like a, I don't know, certain level of creativity for me. I really enjoy working with my hands. I didn't know that until I started doing this stuff. And then, you know, so I would build stands for aquariums and, you know, things like that. And I just realized that it was almost like meditative to be able to go into that space and use my hands to build something out of wood. And ultimately it's turned into other hobbies and things like that. And so, very grateful for the opportunity to be able to do that.
Glenn Harper [:You know, you know, it's just a great question. We have a flashback when I was in middle school. Did you ever have to build your own paddle for the kids? Because I used to have the corporal punishment was administered on me with the homemade wooden paddle. Did you ever have to do that?
Dan Gomer [:No. No. I prefer, I prefer head games.
Glenn Harper [:Nice. Nice.
Dan Gomer [:If you can work your way into their brain, you win. So, you know, that was always my strategy.
Glenn Harper [:So when you're, when you were doing the the education thing, again, it's something you wanna do your whole life. Is that because a family member or just something you were drawn to?
Dan Gomer [:I think it's a natural I don't know. I don't know where it came from. I've asked that question before, and I'm not sure. I feel like it's just something that it just kinda naturally has has appealed to me. And when I left public education and got into real estate, I always knew that I would get back into teaching in some way, shape, or form. I didn't know what it would look like, whether it would be in real estate or something else if I would go back and, you know, teach teachers. Because I, you know, I remember when I was in public education, there was no training in terms of how to be a leader, how to communicate effectively, you know, all these skills that I learned as a business owner that I retroactively looked back and said, man, that would have been helpful when I was coaching basketball and when I was teaching kids and, you know, and so I just always knew I would get back into education in some way, shape or form. And I hope one day I'll be able to do it in that form.
Dan Gomer [:But right now the cool thing is I have a real estate team and, you know, I get to teach them and and run my team the way that I want to. So I get to coach and teach and everything. But this time it's on my terms, you know, the the politics are very different. Very different. Different. And, you know, so, like, I'm having a blast right now. You know? I feel like I'm gonna come full circle.
Glenn Harper [:Isn't it funny that the education system, they don't teach you how to be leaders and to do your own thing and be creative thinkers. It's all about doing the narrative. And it's just it's a shame because all those kids in there, again, they don't teach you the trades. They don't teach you these things. It's like you you can't learn these things, so it you have to kinda go through all that and then figure it out on your own, which is a shame because you get to I don't wanna say you waste time, but you you don't tap into your potentials earlier. Right? So I think so that's probably would be the coolest thing to go, and and if you could go back and then do some teaching or, like, guest speaking or something at the school to to, you know if these kids are thinking outside the box, I don't know if they would bring you back again or if they would embrace you. I don't know which would happen.
Dan Gomer [:Yeah. I mean, the cool thing is I'm still pretty tied in. I still sit on the they call it the school accountability committee for the middle school that I taught at. And, you know, my son goes to the same middle school now that I used to teach at, which is pretty cool. So, still pretty tied in with with everything. And, yeah, I mean, hopefully one day I can I can help change that narrative in the in the schools and what it means to be a teacher and what it means to, you know, develop as a teacher? You know what I mean? It's hard to retain educators these days. The young people that are coming in with the energy and the ideas and whatever, they just get beat down to the point that, you know, they last 5, 6 years and they're like, I'm not doing this anymore and they leave, which is exactly what happened to me. And so you end up losing a lot of really good talent because they can't pay their bills.
Dan Gomer [:It's frustrating. New ideas are really hard to introduce. You know? It's it's unfortunate, but, you know, it is the way that it is right now, but it doesn't mean it has to be that way forever.
Glenn Harper [:I concur. So there you are sitting around and you're like, I I gotta get out of this gig. What am I gonna do? So you're like, I'll I'll just taste 1 house, see what it does. Right? Is that how you did it?
Julie Smith [:Well, I think we have to go backwards first, though. So you have a brother, and it sounds like in college, the 2 of you, did some manual labor together. But growing up, did you mow lawns? Did you paint rocks and sell them? Did you have any of those tendencies when you were growing up?
Dan Gomer [:I I did have entrepreneurial tendencies. You know, I was the kind of kid that, it didn't play very well in middle school and high school, but I kinda beat to my own drummer and I wouldn't I refused to dress like everybody else dressed. Not that I was like outlandish, but I was just like, I'm not gonna go buy the Abercrombie or the whatever it is everybody else is wearing. Right? So I always kind of just did my own thing. And I definitely had some different endeavors, you know, to make money. But I also got my first job when, you know, as soon as I could, which I think was 15. I got a learner's permit and started washing dishes. And so, you know, my I actually paid for the majority of my freshman year of college in cash for money I'd saved from jobs that I had worked when I was still in high school.
Glenn Harper [:Awesome.
Dan Gomer [:Yeah. 1 of which was tying balloon animals at restaurants for tips, which, happened to be my most lucrative job when I was in high school.
Glenn Harper [:I mean, how do you get started into that? Let's be honest.
Dan Gomer [:I was a bus boy at a Mexican restaurant and there was a guy that was doing it. And I just started talking to him and he's like, yeah. You know, I can come in here for 3 hours and make, you know, really good money. And, and, you know, I get to talk to kids and crack jokes, and I don't have a boss. And I was like, yes. I want that. And so I went to this guy's house for a few weeks and, you know, he just taught me how to make all these different animals and that was it. And so I was kinda like an entrepreneur there.
Dan Gomer [:I had I was responsible to go out and find new restaurants, get on the schedule, you know, and that kind of stuff. So
Glenn Harper [:I think that's an interesting thing. Like, so this guy took you under your way his wing, knowing there were really competition, but he's like, this is it's bigger than me, and he wanted to teach you. And then put you out there to figure out. That's pretty cool.
Dan Gomer [:It was cool. Yeah.
Glenn Harper [:How old were you at that time?
Dan Gomer [:I must have been 17, maybe.
Glenn Harper [:A minor and everything. Look at you. Yeah. Making it happen. So so then you're like, alright. I got these tendencies. You start teaching a little bit, and you're like, man, I don't know about this thing. I don't like the way this is going.
Glenn Harper [:So you're like, I think I'll try to do some extra money. How many how long did it take you from doing your first gig on a flip to saying, I'm done with teaching? What was that? How long was that timetable?
Dan Gomer [:Well, so I knew I wanted to get out of teaching, and so I spent about two and a half, three years just getting really curious about what I wanted to do. And so every single person that I met, I'm like, what you do for a living? What do you like about it? What do you not like about it? You know? And I was just kinda checking things off the list, like, that's not it. That's not it. That's not it. That's not it. And, eventually I circled back to, well, I I love construction. I like real estate. Why don't I do fix and flips? And so it took me quite a while to figure out that that's what I wanted to do.
Dan Gomer [:And, I ended up taking a loan for my in laws. And so I was able to quit just quit teaching.
Glenn Harper [:Oh, wow.
Dan Gomer [:I bought my first. So my last day of school and the purchase and the close on my first flip was, you know, within 30 days of each other. And so, you know but if we're if we're talking real here, we're talking about the entrepreneurial journey. Fast forward three and a half years and, you know, just through living expenses and through, you know, I had some really great deals, but then I had a couple that really I got my hand caught in the cookie jar. And by the end of 3a half, 4 years, all that money was gone.
Glenn Harper [:My.
Dan Gomer [:So you you talk about, kind of the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur. You know, it got me started down a path. I'm really grateful for it, but, you know, I also had a conversation had to have a conversation with my in laws of like, hey, I just lost all your money.
Glenn Harper [:Is that bad?
Dan Gomer [:Sorry. You know?
Glenn Harper [:How'd that go?
Julie Smith [:Yeah.
Glenn Harper [:I said, well, the kid who only refers
Julie Smith [:to them as his in laws,
Glenn Harper [:so I think it couldn't
Julie Smith [:have went bad.
Dan Gomer [:What's that?
Julie Smith [:I said you still refer to them as your in laws, so not your ex in laws. So it couldn't have gone
Glenn Harper [:that bad.
Dan Gomer [:Yeah. Still married. Coming up on 20 years. But, you know, they handled it as well as I could expect. It wasn't a fun conversation, but what are you gonna do? You know? And so at the end of the day, I just had to basically summarize it with, I'm sorry, but I'm going to keep moving forward and I'm going to make sure that we, you know, you know, I'm gonna take care of this, you know? And so it was at that point that I transitioned away from fix and flips where you've got a lot of exposure, a lot of risk to helping other people buy and sell real estate, which, I have found to be much more lucrative unless you have a really big system going. It's really tough to to have fix and flips as your main source of income. It's more of a secondary thing. And so when I transit that's that's when I transitioned then into traditional real estate, I guess you'd call it.
Glenn Harper [:Yeah. Those flips, you know, the the timing, the uncertainty, those it's like the cherry on top. If it hits, awesome. If it doesn't, you know, you're gonna still get the ice cream. You'll be fine. Right. This so they
Dan Gomer [:That's that's how I got screwed on one of my last flip that I did is, you know, it was just we over improved it, but there was 2 flips on that same street that closed, like, a month and 2 months before we listed and they were both horrible. We walked through both of them. The pictures looked good, but we walked them both. And they were 2 of the worst flips we've ever seen. They were terrible. And so they took these massive hits when they sold.
Glenn Harper [:Mhmm. And
Dan Gomer [:then everyone looked at our property and said, well, it's the same thing. And I'm like, no. It's not. Nobody believed me. Okay. Well, you know, we just lost $30. So, you know, there's so many things that are out of your control and those kinds of short term transactions that, you know, those those are the things that happen sometimes.
Glenn Harper [:Yeah. That spectrum between a quality craftsmanship flip and just a shag and shutter is tremendously different. And if you take pride in what you do, and you're doing it for because you want something that you put your name on, you're gonna be over on the side of doing it very, very well. Other people just don't care. And then, you Right. You're stuck in there. You're just gonna get caught, and there's nothing you can do about that. If you would've came to market first, they probably would've just get to sell theirs for a lot more.
Glenn Harper [:But Probably. Went the other way. Son of a biscuit. Right. So now you are, so now you're over here, and you're you're, not only buying and selling restate, basically being a realtor. Correct? And then is that what you're trying to do with it? And then were you doing any investment properties and renting in in as well or no?
Dan Gomer [:Yeah. So, started building up my rental portfolio. Basically, any extra money that I generated through the real estate sales, I was putting towards real estate, you know, in Denver. We're, you know, we don't have great cash flow on rental properties, but we have really good appreciation. And so I was taking that appreciation that I was gaining on the first couple that I had bought, and I was rolling that appreciation into down payments for the next property. And so that's kinda how I built up that portfolio. So, yeah. So I was doing that, but my whole focus was really just on on selling houses.
Dan Gomer [:You know, and after what, I don't know, 3, 4 years of doing it on my own, I ended up bringing on an assistant and and, you know, ended up having a just a a blow up of a year in 2020, which was great, which ultimately led me to burnout. You know? Ready to ready to leave the industry, honestly, after 2020. So that's a whole another story.
Glenn Harper [:We're gonna get into that too. But I think the fun part is, again, as an entrepreneur, like, everybody thinks you just magically put a shingle on your door and you you make a gazillion dollars. They have no idea what it they see you today, but they don't see what you've gone through. And, literally, you had to pivot from, you know, teacher to flips, to borrowing money, to going back and doing it a different way, and now you had to literally double down, and we call that leverage people when you are bought you're borrowing on speculation, which takes, you know, what of steel to do that, because, again, you're banking on the future, and you're mortgaging everything in the hill to accumulate the portfolio. And it it's hard to sleep at night when you're doing that. Right? But you know your market, you know your skill set, you know your ability, you you gotta you gotta do it. If you don't go all in, it's never gonna work. But then what happens?
Julie Smith [:Well, did you have you worked with your brother since college? I was curious if you guys kind of went in the same path or no.
Dan Gomer [:No. He stayed in the construction industry and did, restoration and that kind of stuff. So we're still close, but, I've never worked with any of my brothers.
Julie Smith [:Well, so I think we have to dive into this 2020 burnout because it obviously we talk a lot about peaks and valleys and, you know, you talk about climbing them and being at the top and then, you know, you ultimately have to come back down. So obviously, 2020, you know, was a valley. Talk to us about it because you had to have learned and been able to pivot into something or you wouldn't be here today.
Dan Gomer [:Yeah. So at the end of 2020, you know, it was just one of those times where I I don't know when it was. It must have been maybe October, November, towards the end of the year. And, you know, I was I was in my office. I work from home. I'd pop out. We'd eat dinner. I'd go right back to my office.
Dan Gomer [:You know, I was not when I was present with there with my kids, I was not present with them. It was just a grind. It was just a means to an end. Let's keep making money. And I knew that it was not sustainable. I knew that it wasn't something that I really wanted to continue to do. But at the same time, I had kind of set my sights on a goal, and this goal was represented me proving to myself and everyone else that I could be successful. You know, after all the failures I felt like I had in my life, including losing money on flips and all that kind of stuff, I needed to, like, prove that, like, I could actually do something bigger than anybody expected.
Dan Gomer [:And so that was part of what 2020 was, but there was a cost that comes from that. You know, that energy has to come from somewhere. That time has to come from somewhere, and it came from my family. And, you know, one night we're sitting there at dinner and my daughter who was, I don't know, 6 or 7 at the time, you know, said something to the effect of, you know, I think she wanted to hang out or something. And mom was like, well, dad's kind of busy. And she's like, that's all dad does is work. You know? And that was kinda that moment where I was like, yeah. Okay.
Dan Gomer [:I think I'm done with this. And so 21 and 22 were transitional years where I was once again trying to figure out like, okay. So, you know, I'm looking at at real estate and how do I really truly leverage myself in real estate. And I wasn't finding a good solution outside of rental properties and very long term and all that kind of stuff. And, so I was just kinda getting increasingly frustrated, And so I I I've written a couple books and, you know, I was I was practicing my speaking skills and things like that. And so my intention was to get back into teaching, be a coach, be some kind of teacher. I didn't really see a clear path on that. So I I spent about a year and a half in limbo.
Dan Gomer [:And, you know, my business production went way down. And, eventually, managing broker at my brokerage told me she was moving brokerages. And so a whole new opportunity had opened up with that move. And it really made a lot of sense for me to create a team. And so it was at that point that I finally saw the opportunity to leverage. And so now I'm in a position where I'm still doing production, but I'm doing half to a third of what I was doing in 2020 in production. And then the rest of my time and energy is going into supporting and retaining and building my team. And so this is the way that I have now gotten back into the education piece of things, where I get to do the best best of both worlds.
Dan Gomer [:I get paid really well, and I get to coach and teach and do all that kind of stuff. So I've I've really found, like, that balance between the 2, which is
Julie Smith [:great. So do you think your true passion is teaching and helping and that you've just been able to kinda circle around it, I guess, in different avenues in order to ultimately come back to it.
Dan Gomer [:Yeah. I mean, at the end of the day, selling real estate is a means to an end. It's it it like, money is not everything, but if I didn't have money, that would really suck. So, you know, we need money to survive. Money allows us to take vacations and do fun stuff. So, real estate provides that. But if I had all the money in the world, I would spend all my time teaching and coaching and helping other people grow. That's what I'm passionate about.
Dan Gomer [:You know, seeing somebody light up, seeing somebody, find that motivation that they didn't know they have changed their life and they go out and start doing things differently, being that catalyst, like, that's what I'm really passionate about.
Julie Smith [:Growing up, were you always on sports teams or some sort of team that's kind of you go back, you keep talking about teams. Right? Even in in teaching, you know, you had these teams. And so were you always a part of a team, and so you've always kind of just naturally, you know, been attracted to that?
Dan Gomer [:You know, maybe it's the opposite of that. That's a good question. So I you know, I always played sports, soccer, baseball, basketball, football. I was not good at any of them when I was growing up. You know, I played them all through high school, but I I was never great at any of them. And, you know, I never felt really supported and I never really felt like I was part of something bigger than me. So perhaps it was that lack that actually led to me wanting to provide that for other people. Cause I, I knew how uncomfortable it was.
Dan Gomer [:And so maybe that's where the spark came from. But then, you know, I also coached high school basketball for 4 years and, you know, that's a very competitive environment, especially these days and, very, you know, really good teams, like, you know, state championship teams and so very competitive environment. And I loved the psychology of like, how do you motivate somebody? Because you can't really motivate somebody. All you can do is get them to see something they hadn't seen before so they can motivate themselves. Like I love those aspects of it. And so I don't know. May maybe that's where the spark comes from.
Julie Smith [:Do you think that no one took the time to kind of do that with you for you growing up? You know, maybe you had all these coaches and all these teams, even in college, I'm sure, like, you know, I almost think that it goes back to that balloon guy. He took a chance and kind of made you see something that you didn't see in yourself or couldn't see. And then for whatever reason, at some point, that passion ignited for you to be able to do that for others, maybe. I don't know. Maybe I'm connecting a circle that doesn't exist. I have no idea.
Dan Gomer [:No. I, yeah, I think that's actually pretty insightful. I've never thought about it that way. But, yeah, you're you're you've you know, at that point, I already knew I wanted to be a teacher, but, you know, looking back at it, it's like, you know, I'd never really thought about how he had taken a chance on me and and he invested in me without saying, like, okay. So you gotta pay me $300 to teach you how to do this. He was just like, here, I'm gonna show you how to do this, you know, so that you can do it for yourself. And he might have take I think he took a cut or something when I actually
Glenn Harper [:started Of course, he had took a cut. I mean, self respecting business owner wouldn't. You know, it's Yeah. It's funny on that, you know, you people usually entrepreneurs, they get to the point where you're at a lot later in their journey. And that journey is, well, I've just about done everything I can do. What's the next? Well, I wanna give back. For you, and I think that's you know, when you see somebody's eyes light up when they're buying their first house, I mean, it's the coolest thing ever because you're just helping somebody achieve something they didn't know they could achieve. And as you're coaching somebody, like you said, you can't make them do it.
Glenn Harper [:If you can get in their head, like you said, and help somebody that is incredibly ordinary become extra extraordinarily, you know, way better than they ever thought they could. That is, like, gotta be the coolest thing to do for people. And the only way you do that is you have to mentor, and you have to wanna help. It's you just don't do it because you have to, because you want to. And you you got there a lot quicker than most people. Right? Most people don't do that way down the line.
Julie Smith [:But on on that note, talking about, you know, you're obviously giving back and being a great mentor to so many people. Do you think you had a mentor throughout this process? Someone who's kind of been there that's kind of given some some advice and support that has helped you get to where you are?
Dan Gomer [:I mean, I've had lots of mentors. You know? I don't feel like I've ever had that person that was like, hey. Like, I see you and I'm gonna pour into you. Right? And I don't know how many people ever get to experience that. You know, maybe that's a pretty rare opportunity. I don't feel like I ever had that. But I did have, you know, people who are a lot further along down the path who, you know, gave me their tools and their tricks and their insight and, you know, all that kind of stuff. You know, I mean, I spent 10 years at my last brokerage, and I had some really good mentors there.
Dan Gomer [:But I had to be very, very proactive and, like, go to them and be like, I need your help for this. I need your help for this. And then they would they would help out. But I don't feel like I ever had that mentor that was just like, I see something in you. Like, let's roll with this. You know, I'm I also am a firm believer in coaching and therapy and, all of those kinds of things. And so I've I've also always leaned into that. So I almost always have some kind of coach or therapist or somebody who I'm working with closely 1 on 1 to break through certain barriers and and that kind of stuff.
Glenn Harper [:Which again is the cool thing is is that you didn't get those things on your journey from anybody else, but you recognize how important those are, and you just wanna be that resource for others. And that's why you teach and coach and mentor because that's that's where you get that's where the action is. Right? That's the fun part. And getting people do something they didn't even know they could do. Oh, that's the that's so and then that gets back to the whole point of, you know, when you're doing these types of things, you know, I guess you live in Highlands Ranch now, which is just South Colorado.
Julie Smith [:He may come knock on your door someday, so I'd be I'd make sure your ring's on.
Glenn Harper [:I got people. On over. I got people. No. I'm sure you'd love I I love Colorado. It's awesome. But I you know, I'm intrigued by the, the Hazard's Gingerbread House. Do you ever go to go to that place?
Dan Gomer [:Hazard's Gingerbread House? Yeah.
Julie Smith [:It's like happens when you have a Google Master over here.
Glenn Harper [:Top five thing to do in your town. I can't I thought for sure you'd be going to that.
Dan Gomer [:It's in Highlands Ranch.
Glenn Harper [:Yeah. I mean, Google says it.
Julie Smith [:It might be in Highlands Ranch, Texas.
Glenn Harper [:No? No. No. I I was very good about that. I thought, well, that'd be a popular one you go to.
Dan Gomer [:Well, I'm gonna have to go check that out. I'm not
Glenn Harper [:gonna do. Are you a big, Broncos fan, or are you Oh, yeah. Alright. Do you do follow the Buffalos, or who do you do for college? Is it your old team, or is it even
Dan Gomer [:a big funny. I actually don't follow college sports
Glenn Harper [:How about that?
Dan Gomer [:Really at all. Obviously, you know, you know, with, prime time coming to see you.
Glenn Harper [:The best.
Dan Gomer [:Yeah. Yeah. So I followed that a little bit, but, really, the Broncos and, you know, I kinda loosely follow the Nuggets as well. But, you know, Broncos are are kinda my go to.
Glenn Harper [:Gotcha. If you had, if you could find a client or somebody that you could mentor or coach, you know, when you just look out out in the world, and go, man, if I could just get in that guy or that chick's head, and and help them, I would really change your life. Do you have like a dream person? You're like, man, that's one person I would just love to talk to and mentor them.
Dan Gomer [:One person specifically or a type of person?
Glenn Harper [:Probably as well, I always like like, what's your dream one? Who who would you love, man? You like, everybody has, like, the fantasy person. Man, if I could just get in front of them, I could really rock the world. Who do you think that would be, or is it more like a group of?
Dan Gomer [:You know? Yeah. Fortunately, I feel like I've got some of those people on my team already, you know, for different reasons. But, you know, if I really had to, like, pick a person, it would be that person who is ready to make changes in their life. Self reflective enough to be able to see things that they haven't seen before, teachable, coachable. That person that's, like, ready to go do something, but they just need the right tools. They're like, oh, got it. Okay. So I hit the nail with the hammer.
Dan Gomer [:All right, cool. Oh, you've got a hammer. Cool. Here. Let me, you know what I mean? Like, that person. That's that's really about it. You know? I mean, I love the people that I have on my team because there's a number of them that, you know, were in the same position that I was in where they're trying to figure this out. They're trying to make money.
Dan Gomer [:They wanna make this real estate thing work. They don't know how to do it, but then they start plugging into, you know, all of these things that we're doing as a team, and all of a sudden their business starts growing. And I'm like, man, you know, they're in their mid twenties and they're, you know, on their way to creating something really cool for themselves. Like that that's it. You know? Just someone who's ready to go kick some butt and ready to listen and somebody hungry and
Glenn Harper [:Somebody's hungry and curious probably. Right? And Yeah. Have some passion about it.
Julie Smith [:So we talk a lot about peaks and valleys. And, obviously, we always think the learning comes from those valleys that helps us get to the peaks, obviously. If there's a nugget or a shortcut that you could give to our listeners that you've learned in a, you know, in the valley that just as a reflection was really impactful to you. Could could you provide one?
Dan Gomer [:Yeah. So I actually just just mentioned it a second ago. It's it's the journey. So one thing that I feel like I have been fighting against my entire career and my entire life is it's not the way it should be. It's not the way I want it to be. Well, as soon as this happens, then if only this, that. Right? So I'm a very futuristic thinker, so it's really easy for me to get caught in, this cycle of forgetting to celebrate and honor the journey and honor the the space that I'm in right now and show gratitude for where I'm at right now because it's really easy for me to be like, yeah, that's great, but there's that thing over there. And then I get to that thing and I'm like, yeah.
Dan Gomer [:That's great. But there's that thing over there.
Julie Smith [:Isn't that just an entrepreneur?
Glenn Harper [:No. That's everybody.
Dan Gomer [:I I think so. Right? And for me, that really bit me in the butt because it it made me unhappy, miserable. You know? And what I have learned now and and what I'm really practicing this year is specifically is number 1, simplify. There are so many tools out there that this tool will fix everything for you, you, but it actually creates 4 more problems that you need 4 more tools for that create 9 more problems that you need 9 more tools for, and you end up getting nothing accomplished, but you got a lot of great tools. So simplify. Right? And then the other thing is just enjoy the ride. So when I'm in the valleys, when I'm in the struggle, when I'm uncomfortable, what I've been practicing is just experiencing it. And I know that sounds crazy, but just like being in it and be like, that's interesting.
Dan Gomer [:That's interesting. Alright. So this is part of my journey. Instead of trying to control it and change it and it has to be this way, it should be that way, just experiencing it. And for me, that's been really powerful because it allows me to accept the challenges and accept the difficulties for what they are. Just part of the journey. It's not good, bad, or otherwise, it's just part of the journey. And so just lean into that.
Dan Gomer [:So, you know, if there was an entrepreneur that came to me and was like, hey, how do you how do you push through the the valleys and, you know, all that kind of stuff? That's what I would say is just enjoy it while you're down there. There's beauty in the valley. There's beauty on the mountain top. Like, just be present and and keep moving forward.
Glenn Harper [:I think, I think coach Trussell of Buckeyes, he said, have the attitude of gratitude. And Yeah. That will get you through anything pretty much.
Julie Smith [:So you mentioned that you've wrote 2 books. Is that what I 4. Four books?
Dan Gomer [:Yeah. Yeah. So I've got one one personal development book. I've got one real estate book, and then I've got one book that, that they call it an anthology. So it's a series of, I think it was like 30 something authors that all contributed to chapter, but, you know, some big name people, Les Brown. I don't know if you know him. Brian Dawkins, he played for the Eagles. You know? So there was some so that was a really cool project.
Dan Gomer [:I gotta meet with them, like, once a week for a few months and put this thing together, which was kinda cool.
Julie Smith [:So how does that come about? So you're doing flips, you're doing real estate, you're building a team, and then you're like, oh, by the way, I'm just gonna get all these people and have them help me write this book. I mean, walk me through that. Because that's kind of, to me, that's a little in left field.
Glenn Harper [:Sure. Yeah.
Dan Gomer [:So, where it started was, when I would get really, like, stressed. Sometimes I would just like, ideas would pop into my mind, and so writing became an outlet for me. And what I would do is I would just write these little essays. They're basically just brain dumps, you know, and ideas that would come up. Maybe somebody did something that was really frustrating. And I'm like, you know, why would somebody act like that? You know? And I would just start, like, writing. You know? And so I ended up with all of these essays essentially that were completely discombobulated. And, you know, like I said, you know, one of my big things is about personal growth and development.
Dan Gomer [:You know, I mean, there's there's when we look at, you know, growing a successful business, in my opinion, mindset is everything. It's the foundation for everything. And so if you're not growing your mind, if you're not doing personal growth and development, that might be woo woo or whatever, like, good luck. It's the foundation. So, so anyway, I ended up going to, This thing it's called PSI seminars, PSI seminars, personal, it's kind of similar to Landmark, that kind of thing. And really changed my perspective on my own life and what I'm capable and all of those things. And ultimately, it led me to come back to these essays and be like, you know, I think I've put some structure to this. I could actually turn it into a book.
Dan Gomer [:And so that's where it started. So my my book is called, I'm Full of It and So Are You, is just it's just kind of a brain dump.
Julie Smith [:So what I gather though is this book came from your your valleys. And ultimately, the book is I mean, the culmination of it is the peak. I mean, obviously, and and being able to have self awareness and reflection to be able to come to that point. But all of these essays came from some sort of valley that you were in or on whatever you wanna call it. And so, I mean, the attitude of gratitude, like, being grateful for those experiences and allowing others to learn from them the way you learned from them. So I think that's really cool.
Glenn Harper [:Yeah. I would, yeah, I would say that, you know, when you're in the valley, most people do the things they shouldn't be doing. And, if you can not do those and do something more a little therapeutic, which, again, allegedly people say if you take your thoughts and write it down, that's probably the best therapy you can have. Right? Because you just gotta get it out there, Kinda like a release of some sort. So being able to do that versus choosing other choices that would probably not be the best, that's probably that's a good that's some good advice for our listeners. Definitely, don't choose those other things.
Dan Gomer [:Yeah. You know, writing, for me is an outlet. But I always encourage, like, when I'm coaching, I encourage people to write, for exactly that reason. Number 1, getting the ideas out. Like, sometimes it's just, you know, sometimes you just need to vent and you just, like, start throwing up on someone. How's your day going? Wow. Let me tell you.
Julie Smith [:It's funny. I just did that to Glenn on the way over here. So I
Glenn Harper [:got an earful.
Dan Gomer [:Perfect. Yeah. So, you know, to do that in writing is a little bit different because you're talking to yourself. First of all, you can be just blatantly whatever you think. There's no boundaries. And so it allows you to be as gregarious or ruthless or whatever as you want. But as you start writing and thinking through these things, a couple of things happen at least for me. Number 1, you start looking at your own thoughts and you go, oh, do I really believe that? Like, is that really how I want to be? That's part of it.
Dan Gomer [:So it gives you an opportunity to reflect. And the other thing that it did for me, especially when I published my book is, am I living up to the standard that I'm preaching? Because if I'm telling people you should act this way, be this way, whatever, and I'm not doing it, well then that's a bunch of bs. So, the more that I put these things out, I do a weekly email, all that kind of stuff. Every time I do something like that and I put it out into the into the universe, into the world, I feel like it elevates me to a higher standard. I elevate myself to a higher standard, I guess I should say.
Julie Smith [:So I'm gonna go out on a limb and say, although I love the shortcut you provided about leaning into the journey, I think the last 3, 4, 5 minutes of discussion is actually your shortcut. You're leaning into your journey, but you're being able to use it for good. And you're being able to be reflective, have awareness, and bring everyone with. I think I think that's a
Glenn Harper [:Yeah.
Julie Smith [:If I if I were reflecting on this podcast, that would be my takeaway and shortcut from you.
Glenn Harper [:Yeah. That'd be diet? Yeah. Go ahead.
Dan Gomer [:Oh, no. Go for it.
Glenn Harper [:I was gonna say, you know, if I were to write a lot of stuff that's in my head, it would they'd probably say, what kind of psycho is this guy? But I'd have to go and see a therapist.
Dan Gomer [:Well, yours
Julie Smith [:wouldn't get published, but that's okay.
Glenn Harper [:I'd have to give that edited heavily. But, no, I think once you get it out there and you start using as a habit, I think probably you get some sort of flow of what that looks like, and it becomes therapeutic where you don't have to be so hard on yourself because it's not all bottled up. Right? Mhmm. Just like what therapy does. Right? You don't have to you gotta you learn how to manage it instead of just vomiting it out. Right? And I think that's probably the key.
Julie Smith [:So this leads me to my next question. Yep. What is your superpower? I feel like we've danced all around it. We just haven't defined it.
Dan Gomer [:I can fly. No. You knew it.
Glenn Harper [:I knew he's got that outfit out there.
Julie Smith [:That's not where I was going. But
Dan Gomer [:you know, I I really think that my superpower has to do with, my, I I don't know. I guess I would call it innate drive to make the world a better place. You know? It's just kind of like underpins everything that I do. And, regardless of whether I'm good at it or not, I think it's that drive or motivation to just keep trying is is my superpower. Ultimately, that's been you know, looking back at my journey, that's been the motivating factor, the driving factor that's kept me, moving forward, you know, in in my career and everything. So
Julie Smith [:I think you also probably have a unique superpower of other being able to allow other people to see that in themselves.
Dan Gomer [:I hope so. Yeah. I mean, that's that's my goal. Right? That's one of the the strategies If, you know, I I look back to it, my journey, and I think about when I had, you know, my biggest shifts from things that other people told me. And just about every single one of them is somebody just holding up a mirror and being like, have you noticed, you know, you act this way, you say these things, you do these things. Right? And it's like, oh, oh, wow. Okay. And then your life's never the same in an instant.
Dan Gomer [:You're this way, then you're that way. And so, yeah, I I hope that that is my superpower is helping people see that.
Glenn Harper [:Yeah. I'd say the, the things that money can't buy I mean, money's great. Don't everybody loves money. You get to cool stuff. But the one thing it can't buy is the ability to help somebody be the best version of themselves. And that that coaching and teaching thing really does that. That's gotta be the that's gotta be the cherry on top for you, I would think. Yeah.
Glenn Harper [:And Yeah. Yeah. You'd go over here and kick butt and get brutalized and and be stressed out to go make a living, but and if that creates the opportunity to go do this other thing, which is to make a difference, which is awesome. Absolutely.
Julie Smith [:So this brings me to my last question. I know you're sweating, but it's our last question. What is your end game?
Dan Gomer [:Oh, I love that question. So how much time you got?
Glenn Harper [:Less than 30 seconds. I'm kidding.
Dan Gomer [:So, my end game is to create something that I call the playground. So I I have a coaching program that I call the playground coaching program. I at this point, I really only do that with the the people that are on my team just from a a time and bandwidth perspective. But, the whole thing with with the playground is I literally want to build a giant playground here in Colorado that is designed specifically to, help adults. And, you know, I kinda started the idea with, like, fathers and sons because I wanna create generational change. You know, I feel like if you can change that relationship between a father, son, a mother, daughter, families, a a relationship, you know, any of those kinds of things, you create generational change where the things they learn about themselves then get passed down. So that's ultimately what I wanna do, but there's a lot of psychology that backs up this idea that when, especially guys, who have a hard time communicating effectively, they put the walls up and that kind of thing. There is something that happens when they're playing and when they're doing something active that allows them to open up a little bit more and communicate a little bit differently.
Dan Gomer [:And so I wanna create this, this playground where you come and you play and you learn about life and stuff. So that's, that's the next big project.
Glenn Harper [:That's fantastic. Well, I think
Julie Smith [:you answered the per the question perfectly because you basically find what we think is true. And entrepreneurs, there's no end game. It's just what's the next thing. Right?
Glenn Harper [:Oh, it's something. Right. Right. Congratulations.
Dan Gomer [:Which right? Which what is what led me to the enjoy the journey. Yep. Because it was like, man, the the mountain top is great. You know, like I said, I've climbed 14ers. I've climbed, you know, some of the most challenging 14ers in Colorado. And the top is cool, but when I tell the stories about climbing these mountains, it's never about the top. It's always about, oh, we were on this talus field, and then, you know, I fell, and then this happened, and that happened, and, you know, the storm rolled in, right? It's about the journey. And so what I finally started to realize was this thing happens and it's great And then it's done.
Dan Gomer [:And then it's this thing and it's great. And then it's done. And when I'm focused on that next thing, that's when things will be better. It's a losing proposition. You're gonna lose 100% of the time. And when we focus on the journey that gets us there, then we can't lose. It's a, it's a winning proposition.
Glenn Harper [:Every morning you get up, it's a brand new journey. It's gonna be awesome. Exactly. Dan, I really appreciate you being on our show. I think we got lots of good nuggets for our listeners. And if you have any plugs you'd like to put in for the books or what you try to do, you feel free to throw those in here now.
Dan Gomer [:Yeah. I mean, the you know, I already mentioned I'm full of it and so are you. It's on Amazon. My other book is the Sphere Marketing Handbook. So if there's any real estate agents who are looking to build their business, that's the strategy that I used to go from 0 transactions to, you know, 40 in a year. Right? And, and, and did that in just a couple years. So, if anybody wants that, they're both on Amazon. Or if you just go to my website, dangomer.com, there's actually a couple links in there where you can just sign up for it.
Dan Gomer [:It'll sign you up for my weekly newsletter and you get the books for free electronic copies.
Julie Smith [:So awesome. What's the name of your brokerage?
Dan Gomer [:I'm with eXp Realty.
Julie Smith [:Got it. Yeah.
Glenn Harper [:Dan, appreciate it again. Thanks for being on the show and wish you great success.
Julie Smith [:Yes. Thank you.
Dan Gomer [:Thank you, guys. I really appreciate your time.
Glenn Harper [:Another edition of Empowering Entrepreneurs. I'm Glenn Harper.
Julie Smith [:I'm Julie Smith.
