In this episode of The Tactical Empire, host Jeff Smith and Shawn Rider discuss fighting complacency and creating a disciplined, abundant life. They reflect on recent business endeavors, including opening a new brick-and-mortar business and managing various real estate projects. The conversation transitions into the importance of annual planning for couples. Jeff and Shawn emphasize the value of aligning with one’s spouse to set goals, improve communication, and enhance both personal and professional life. They share experiences and insights on how strategic annual planning has benefited their relationships and family lives, encouraging listeners to adopt this practice and explaining how to approach it effectively.
In this episode, Jeff Smith and Sean Rider discuss their personal and professional growth, focusing on the importance of couples annual planning. They share insights on how to reflect on past goals, set future aspirations, and optimize communication within relationships. The conversation emphasizes the need for alignment between partners to achieve shared visions and navigate life's challenges effectively.
Chapters
00:00 Building New Ventures and Personal Growth
04:01 The Importance of Couples Annual Planning
09:53 Reflecting on Past Goals and Future Aspirations
17:49 Optimizing Communication and Shared Visions
[00:00:00] How do you find the will to fight back against a world that wants to keep you sedated, averaging, stuck in place? Join us for the tools and strategies you need to create a life of abundance, discipline, and high achievement. This is the Tactical Empire, with Jeff Smith.
Jeff Smith: Welcome to the next episode of the Tactical Empire. I am joined by Sean Ryder. What's up, man? How are you?
Shawn Rider: I'm just chillin man, I'm just chillin No, uh, we've been working our tail off the past couple months. Uh, getting ready to open our next brick and mortar, uh, business, Matabolic Winchester, so we're super excited, uh, about that.
A lot of opportunities coming, a lot of good, uh, people that we're connecting with. So, it'll be fun. It's been fun standing up. It's been fun challenging myself as, as a leader of, People in person again, not [00:01:00] just online. So I'm thoroughly enjoying it, but we got a lot, I got a lot of work to do in the next two weeks and get that thing open.
Where are you and the Smith family?
Jeff Smith: We're doing well, we're doing well. I feel kind of similar, like I, I have, uh, Turned back on the gas. I feel like with regards to what we're doing. So like we bought a house last week, we've got the lease, lease up getting ready to get started. I'm building the website and doing payment processing and all kinds of shit for the actual operations of the storage facility, and then I've got a huge portfolio commercial refi that I'm like, Beating people over the head with sledgehammers trying to close Uh, so but things are moving.
Well, um, oh we we're actually starting that five house build as well Getting that movement this week So hopefully that thing gets financed and set up in the next two weeks and we'll get funded and moving forward for that So life's good man. Just got to keep on pushing on it.
Shawn Rider: Are you [00:02:00] using private hard money or did you find?
Financing.
Jeff Smith: I, uh, we, we brought in a capital partner, but like I have, I did 90, 10 financing on the ground up deal. Um, I found cab, I found people that, or I found a lender that would lend 90 percent on it, and then we brought in a capital partner for the down, and so we're a third, a third, a third on that, uh, build.
Um, but ultimately what we're trying to do is, is prove concept for a bigger one. We've got a 32 house development that we're trying to do next. And, uh, without any track record, we had to bring in our builder and give him shares as well. So, um, after we do this five, we'll have, I'll have a track record. I can go build houses.
Um, and so that's kind of part of the game of real estate. Like when you've never done it, you've got to give up something. Whether it's, whether it's your cash, whether it's your credibility or reputation. Like [00:03:00] you've got to figure that out. And so for us, we, we did a little maneuvering on, uh, who we had to bring into the tent to, uh, make everybody happy.
Uh, but what it did was it provided us a lot of lending opportunities. And so that, that was great. And that's one thing people don't understand when they're trying to get started in real estate. And the first time they talk to a lender, they just like swear off real state investing, cause they're like, I have no experience, so I can't do it.
And like. What you don't understand is I could have all the experience in the world doing one particular asset class. And when I try to move to the next one, even real estate is real estate, right? When you try to move to doing the next thing, you have no experience. So like, I've burned a hundred properties or whatever I've done.
I own 40. Personally, I own 30 more as a, Syndication, and I'm a general partner on that syndication. I've never done ground up. And so when I go to [00:04:00] them, they're like, what do you got? And I'm like, nothing, nothing, no experience day one. And, uh, and, and that, cause that's how they view me. So I've got to go get somebody to bring into my team who has the knowledge and wherewithal to at least vouch for me.
It doesn't mean that they need to be out there scooping dirt. Uh, but they have to, they have to sign on with me, a partner with me to show that, um, they're going to pull this deal through to finishing.
Shawn Rider: All right. All right. Well, it sounds like you're planning some progress and planning some adventures. And that's what I wanted to bring up today.
I saw in the inner circle as well on Momentum Monday that you are laying down the framework for the vision of your couple's annual planning session. So inside the inner circle, we did take the men through couple's annual planning, uh, foundational strategy session, so to speak. We re shared our podcast [00:05:00] episode from last December.
You can just search that the taco empire, uh, annual couples, annual planning for couples or couples, annual planning. So today I kind of want to just do a little refresher for people. We don't have to like regurgitate the same information as last year. We probably don't even remember exactly what we said.
Maybe today we'll just talk to the, the pros and the value of couples sitting down to talk about how this year went and what they actually want. In the next 12 months. So if someone was coming in and they kind of scoffed at the idea of sitting down and talking about where they want to go with their partner, um, how are you going to tell them the vital importance of
couples annual planning?
Are
you where you want to be? And if the
Jeff Smith: answer's no, then you should be open minded and [00:06:00] coachable that like this might solve the problem. Right? Like for, for me, I think that like the answers no for everyone, just FYI. Uh, most people are not exactly where they want to be. Um, if you're a high achiever, if you're into personal development, if you're talking to us in general, like usually you're looking for more and, uh, Um, One thing that I cannot understate or overstate is the, the importance of having your spouse significant other.
On the same page of what you're doing. Um, and, and like, it's been an entire game changer for me. So like the last episode we talked about, like my number one recommended asset class to start for your, your financial foundation, this is like your number one exercise annually to do for your personal foundation and your future and achievement, um, because I know from my experience and that I know from [00:07:00] watching countless other people.
Do it and integrate it into their lives, how beneficial it is, how much faster you move. Um, I mean, we use the analogy like sled dogs pulling in different directions. Like you guys aren't necessarily at odds with your spouse. That's where people get it confused. They think that like, Oh, our marriage is perfect or whatever.
Like we understand we're both kind of driven people and, and we kind of just. We're on the same track, if you will, but if you've never done like the deep dive vision exercise and then the discussion and the communication and the the retrospective of the year prior the the planning of the year upcoming like you I guarantee you you're not exactly you're not moving with the the level of speed and lack of friction that I'm talking about because You might just be Moving at 45 degree angles in the [00:08:00] opposite direction, but everybody's moving forward.
Right. But the, the, the tension that that puts on the system doesn't allow you to move at like 200 miles an hour, let's say, as opposed to that, you're, you're moving at 115 and you guys are doing well. And presumably life's good. You're better off than your neighbors or the people that you hang out with or whatever, because unfortunately those are generally like our snapshots of comparison.
But like, if you have visions of grandeur and larger lives it for you and your family and you're trying to do bigger things, um, one of the most important things you can do is just communicate where you guys think you're going to be and like get on the same page because it allows the other partner to make space as well, which is a huge benefit.
Usually we just go along our paths, like goal setting, and then maybe one of the spouses goal sets, one of the spouses doesn't. Um, that's another [00:09:00] thing that we see all the time, is people that, one partner's into personal development, the other partner is into parenting, or couldn't care less about personal development, or doesn't think it's the season of life for personal development.
Um, but there's, there's never not a season to be on the same page on parenting, fitness, finances, where you're taking your life, where you want to go on vacation, like, the level, just, just the improvement in your relationship of having the communication is, um, It is a game changer in and of itself. Then if you start like laying out targets that driven people know how to support each other in, then you start moving really, really fast and, and you can, you can accomplish what you want at an exponential rate.
Um, if you want me to get real hokey about it, I think it's got a lot to do with universal energy. Cause like you're, you're creating a level of energy that you're bringing into [00:10:00] your life personally, but that vibrational energy, if it's not met by your spouse, like in the same way, um, it, it becomes, so it's actually not, you're, you're not as magnetic as
you otherwise could be to put it simply.
Shawn Rider: Good shit. I mean, I think, I think last year was the first year that Kate and I did it well. And by well, I mean, we were retrospective first, like what happened this year and then what do we want? So this'll be interesting because we're doing it next week when she's off work for Thanksgiving. It'll be interesting to look back and do retrospection based on last year's forward looking plan.
This'll be the first year that we get to look back retrospectively
at
Shawn Rider: a forward looking plan. And I know, I think now in hindsight, it's a big takeaway will be like, it wasn't just about the, the what do we want and the how, but the conversation last [00:11:00] year was about why. Some of the the hows and what's were on there and I I don't even have to look at my notebook But I know on there I wrote down Hypothetically selling one of our short term rentals and potentially entertained Selling our commercial building and at that point I knew like a commercial building sale doesn't happen overnight You know it took us Until August.
So we listed the short term rental in June because it took me six more months. So we did our annual plan in December, but it took six months to me to hit the criteria that I wanted to hit in order to say, yes, it is time to sell that. So in June, we listed it, it was sold by August and then we redeployed that capital and then I immediately went back to the plan and say, okay, am I, am I in a position and am I interested in listing the commercial building?
Like I said, I would potentially be. And the answer to that question was yes, and so we, we listed that building and it's only been listed for [00:12:00] 42 days or something like that, but I had a meeting this morning with the, the agents listed, just kind of looking at metrics and seeing what other properties came on the market and talking, talk strategies.
Um, and looking back again, last year we were, we still owned a CrossFit gym and we wrote down that we would entertain selling it. We tried to go down that road. It didn't work out. And then we had to make a decision and we closed it. So, um, all that being said was like the annual plan didn't really make, I wouldn't say it made the year easier, but it gave us a pathway to start it.
Opened up the potential for better dialogue. And now coming up at the end of the year, this whole thing about magnetic energy and universal forces that you just brought up, I don't, I don't verbalize it that way to my wife. As you said that, like, I can tell that her and I are on better wavelengths. At this time, this year, then we were last year at this time to where it's like, when things happen, when situations [00:13:00] arise, her and I are on the same.
Like we have emotions and like, whatever, like we still have to like, Play that out with each other. Like I have to listen when she's emotional and not go right into problem solving, but once she comes down from an emotional high or I come down from emotional high, we're talking the same language and I want to give credit to that foundation from the conversation last year.
So those of you that are on this, that like, maybe you heard us talk about annual planning before and you didn't do it, like the importance of it this year. You have to. To set the time aside and run through it, go back and listen to the other other episode on how to do it, um, or reach out to us. We can give you access to some tablets that we have.
Um, but man, we talked about on the other episode, like the importance of the next four years for you guys to create the space. To be focused on the main things that you want, because you may, we may be in the early stages of a really, really good [00:14:00] four years, uh, macroeconomically. And here's the deal, even if macroeconomically, even if things don't turn out the way that we're hopeful for, if you have a plan, you're going to be better off than people that don't.
Jeff Smith: The, the, the point you make about the plan is the same reason that like increasing your law of attraction by being in. Connection with your spouse. Like why wouldn't you want to do that? Cause then you're bringing things into your space at a much higher rate than when you guys are moving separately. Uh, and what you're talking about is what happens like in my experience, every time someone does this and it's because, um, you guys, Got on the same page, but like you also eliminated a lot of the assumptions that people go about their business with.
Like when I set my goals independently of my wife and she's over here setting her goals independently, she may see something like, Oh, I want to go buy [00:15:00] 25 houses this year or something like that, and she makes an assumption about why I want to do that. And so. And, and she may be able to wrap her head around a negative connotation or like, why is he selling this stuff or like, blah, blah, blah.
And when we talk through it and, and the why is like discussed on like what I'm doing strategically. I'm moving this chess piece here because two years from now I'm going to do this. And, and like, then it fills in all the blanks, because I'm not someone that sits around and describes every fucking move I make with my wife, admittedly, and she's not the type to come ask me what I'm doing.
She's like, what's five moves ahead of this? She's not asking that question, ever. So like, But my brain is working there. I'm like, strategically, we're doing stuff and I know why I'm doing it. And, but if we don't deliberately take the time with four kids and every fucking thing else we've got going on, if we don't deliberately [00:16:00] take the time to like decompress and like create an environment with no tension.
Uh, no perceived notions about like why she's doing this or why I'm doing this and like create a space where it's comfortable for me to explain, Hey, I want this and this is why it will benefit our whole family and this is my perception of it. And sometimes she may come back and be like, we don't need any of that.
And I'm like, okay, well then why am I doing it? And, and like, it could be ego. Or it could be, then I have to go on another deep dive, like do, okay. She doesn't need that. She's telling me my kids don't need that. Then what am I doing that for? And like, that's where things can also fall off your plate because I may make an assumption that she wants X, Y, and Z.
She wants this house in this neighborhood and I'll go out and fucking die for that thing. Like, that's just how my personality is. If I think that that's what she wants, I'm going to put everything on my back and go get it. And then if we open up the space where [00:17:00] she can tell me like. I don't want that at all.
I just want you to chill the fuck out, or whatever it is. I'm just like, oh, okay, well that's, that's easy. Like, well, chilling out isn't so easy, but like, the rest of it, like, I, It's just a game changer from a communication standpoint, because like, you're a constantly evolving organism married to another constantly evolving organism, and like, if you don't do this frequently, Like, their desires change, their wants change, their needs change, their perceived notion of things.
Living in this neighborhood, sending your kids to these schools. Like, when you, when you experience some of that shit, and then it's not what you wanted it to be, like, it's eye opening. And then you're like, oh, like, I don't really like these people. I don't really like this country club. I don't really like any of this shit.
Like, then you start backing out of it. But when you have two sets of eyeballs that are two personalities that really know and care about each other, it's way easier to do it. Like, my wife is a [00:18:00] completely different personality than me. She Processes information on a level that I can't conceptualize. Um, but I, I make moves and take action on a level that she is uncomfortable with a hundred percent.
So like the compliment to that is he can come in and say things. If she knows what I'm trying to achieve, if she ultimately knows the end game of why I'm doing that, she can come in and be a voice of reason in some circumstances. And, and offer like another set of eyes. So it's, it's not necessarily having a coach, but it's having a teammate that understands the, the, the goal, the ultimate goal or the ultimate vision, or you're trying to win the championship or whatever the fuck analogy you want to use to it, right?
Shawn Rider: I'm going to say the other side of the coin on, not only do you have the chances to look back and be like, Oh, those were mistakes. Let's stop doing those things. I think. For us, it was, especially this year, we did a lot of things [00:19:00] right as a family for our kids. Some of those things like, again, in hindsight, our daughter's been in private school for two years.
I was a public school kid, so I didn't understand the value of paying for private school. Now that she's two years in, I see the value of that. And now I'm to the, now I toot my horn to the tune of, my kids are only going to go to private school or they're going to be homeschooled. And so like that's changed for the better.
And so like when you go through annual planning and you start making positive changes, when that, when the next year comes, you don't even have to discuss that again. It's like, are we happy with where our kids are in school? Yes. Boom. You fucking move on. So like the amount of things that you need to focus on, it doesn't mean that we'll ever go back.
If something changes, something changes. Like our answer could change, but it streamlines the process a little bit because each year If you're expanding, you might have something new that you need to talk about. But some of the main pillars, it's rinse and repeat. It's like, no, we're going to keep our kids here.
We're going to stay a part of this association. We're going [00:20:00] to drop this associate. We're going to keep going to church. We're going to donate this amount to church. You're going to keep your job. I'm going to keep doing this. Boom, boom, boom. Okay. You need a little bit more time to yourself to work out.
Okay. Last year, last year, my wife was taking the kids to school every single morning, and I picked them up every single afternoon, basically for the past two months. It's been 50, 50 split for mornings. But I still pick them up every afternoon besides two days that my mother in law does. So like my wife has bought back some of her time by leveraging my time to take kids to school.
And so that's going to be a discussion. Like, cause this week I was like, Hey, I have a few more things I need to do. So do I need to take the kids this week? And she's like, only Wednesday. Right. So going in, so it's, it's been a little bit more flexible at the end of the year, but I want to systematize that a little bit better going into this coming year and be like, okay, like.
Do we need to just keep it flexible and check in on Sundays? Do I need to make sure I'm available or can we have it a little bit more structured to where I'm taking students Tuesday, Thursday, and that's the mornings that you can set your. [00:21:00] Breakfasts is with doctors an hour, an hour and a half away. So these things are going to get easier.
You just have to commit to the first or second year. And again, when you get that train rolling, it's just going to be smoother and smoother, it's great comments, this hiccup. So I don't want to set that precedent that it's like easy for easy sake. There's still going to be tough conversations to be at. So Jeff, is there anything else that you want to send the people out besides, uh, go back and listen to last year's episode.
We could probably link it in the show notes. Below, you can reach out to us, we'll send you our template, but I don't have anything else to say besides the importance of it and just get started on it this year.
Jeff Smith: Yeah, and, and, and don't overthink it. I mean, I think that sometimes we have a tendency, I personally do this all the time.
I try to make some big professional show of it and then I try to pull my wife in and I'm like, okay, here's what we've done. I've structured all this and this is what we're going to do and it doesn't have to be that way. And especially if you're early on, cause we've talked to enough guys in the group that it's awkward at the beginning.
Um, or [00:22:00] they they've expressed that it's awkward. Like you're sitting there like, Your wife doesn't have experience in personal development and you do. And you're like, okay, and she's waiting for your lead. And then like that can create some friction in the conversations early on. Um, but once everybody kind of understands that, like, this is their opportunity for space to be made for you to share that you don't like fucking taking the kids to school every week.
Like, how can we work together to do this? And like, When, when that yin and yang and give and take goes on about like, Hey, we're here to support each other in the ultimate vision for where we're trying to go. Um, that, that is when it gets really cool because what you're talking about is like, you guys have peeled back all this shit that you don't need to talk about anymore because it's really working well and, and as you get down the road of doing it for years, like it's really just like optimization and like, We've won on this level this year.
And so what, what would I like to add to [00:23:00] my list of like things I want to learn, things I want to take on, things I want to start doing, hobbies, shit like that. And, uh, and then it becomes more fun. Cause it's not these nuanced decisions that like you're trying to have these big fundamental conversations about for your family, cause you've established all of that.
At that point. And so it, no, I mean, it's just definitely something everyone should try. Um, I recommend doing it. We go away. I recommend you go away and get away from your kids. Sean does it a little different. He mixes the kids up in it. Um, it can become whatever you want it to be. Um, As well. And so you don't have, like, we have guys in the group that take two or three hour lunches.
With their spouse and, and they'll do the whole thing over a two or three hour lunch. It is definitely worth getting a babysitter for or whatever you need to do to make that space. Um, but just start where [00:24:00] you are, start how you can, how you feel comfortable. Um, we're just a little further down the road on it that we enjoy like getting away and taking the time away to kind of reset.
And, and for us that, that's what works. And, uh, some years it's better than others. And some years it's more planned than others. And some years it's impromptu, but like it happens every year. So like, that's what I would just say is like, make it start. And to be fair, to, to, like, give full transparency, we've had a, a guy that just mentioned this in the group, um, he did it, uh, for the first time, either last year or two years ago, and they didn't like how it went the very first time, and they spent two hours doing it or something, and they did another one two weeks later.
Because then, then they talked about it and they were like, Oh, well, that we didn't really get everything we wanted out of it. So like there's learning to happen. And then they did another one two weeks later that was far more successful than the first one. So like, that's what I'm saying. Just get started and, [00:25:00] uh, and just start communicating.
Cause it works. It helps everything. It benefits you in a lot of different ways, your business, all areas of life.
Shawn Rider: Awesome. If you and your wife get into it, don't come and thank us. But if it works out really, really well, come and thank us. Simple enough. Yeah.
Oh shit, man. Well, have a kick ass week.
Jeff Smith: Keep dominating, uh, get your annual planning scheduled, and we'll talk to you next week.
Have a great day.