Back in 2012, I had just launched my deal sourcing business. I was eager, highly motivated, and navigating an incredibly steep learning curve.
My ultimate goal was simple: connect with serious buyers, build a solid reputation, and get some profitable contracts over the line.
I wanted to make things happen quickly. I decided that throwing myself into every networking event and arranging face-to-face meetings with any prospective client was the ultimate strategy for success.
It seemed like the perfect plan to build a massive investor contact list, expand my presence in the industry, and secure a consistent income through genuine connections.
I put on my best professional attire, filled up the petrol tank, and set off for meetings I deeply hoped would lead to solid contracts.
But as anyone with a few years of experience knows, mere movement does not always translate into meaningful progress.
In this post, I will share the story of my exhausting 12,000-mile journey that resulted in absolutely nothing, the harsh lessons I learned about valuing my own time, and the crucial rules I now use to manage both investor clients and contractors effectively.
The Grand Networking Masterplan
When I first started my entrepreneurial journey, I truly believed that visibility was everything. I operated under the assumption that if I could just get in front of enough people, the revenue would naturally follow.
I enthusiastically attended every property networking event I could find. Keen to make an impact and learn from industry veterans, I joined business and deal sourcing groups that targeted high-net-worth individuals.
I shook hands, handed out business cards by the hundreds, and collected just as many in return. My focus was razor-sharp: find the people who understood the real value of working with a dedicated sourcing professional.
When someone showed even a flicker of interest in my services, I immediately offered to meet them for a coffee. I wanted to be wildly accommodating. I wanted to demonstrate my absolute commitment and prove that I was a hardworking professional who would gladly go the extra mile. I was different to other deal sourcing agents they had likely met.
And go the extra mile I did. Determined to succeed, I committed to travelling across the entire UK just to have a quick chat with anyone who claimed to be interested in working together.
The Reality of Life on the Road
My days quickly became a repetitive blur of motorways, service stations, and traffic jams. I was merrily driving all over the country, entirely convinced that every single mile contributed to my overall business growth.
I arranged and attended countless face-to-face meetings. Whether the conversation centred on market trends, property strategies, or long-term portfolio building, I aimed to give each investor my undivided attention.
We met in smart hotel coffee lounges. We had in-depth discussions. I often paid for expensive lunches out of my own pocket.
Despite having many great conversations filled with exciting ideas about building long-term relationships, true commitment was unexpectedly rare.
In that first year alone, I drove over 12,000 miles exclusively for these introductory meetings. I felt incredibly busy. I believed I was a true entrepreneur, hustling hard to build an empire.
I convinced myself that all these miles, all these overpriced coffees, and all these pleasant chats were laying the foundation for a massive influx of future revenue.
I was completely wrong.
The Ghosting Phase
It took a while for me to figure out a very important truth about the business world. Despite the endless networking and the thousands of miles driven, I was not actually onboarding anyone.
Even worse, the few property investors who initially agreed to work with me suddenly vanished into thin air.
After a promising lunch, I would follow up with a highly detailed email outlining a proposed plan of action. I would sit back and wait for an enthusiastic reply.
Instead, I got absolute silence.
They completely ghosted me. It was a tough pill to swallow, showing just how difficult the property industry can be even when you are fully dedicated as a deal sourcer to help others succeed.
I checked my phone constantly. I refreshed my email inbox every ten minutes, looking for updates or signed agreements. I genuinely wondered if I had said something wrong over our lattes, or if perhaps these people simply weren’t serious about doing business at all.
The harsh reality finally hit me hard: I had driven across the country, spent a small fortune on fuel and food, and dedicated hundreds of hours of my life to people who had absolutely no intention of ever signing a contract.
The Harsh Reality Check
The turning point came on a rainy Tuesday. I was sitting in yet another upscale hotel lounge, staring blankly at an empty chair. I was waiting for a prospect who claimed they were "running late" but, predictably, never showed up.
The penny finally dropped.
I was driving 12,000 miles a year, drinking coffees all over the UK, and I had not secured a single piece of business from these exhausting road trips.
I had made myself far too available. By dropping everything to drive three hours for a highly speculative chat, I signaled to the world that my time had very little value.
Because I did not value my own time, neither did the people I was so desperate to impress.
I realised that many people simply enjoy the idea of being in business. They love talking a big game. They love feeling important while drinking an artisan coffee in a nice hotel lobby.
But when the time comes to actually sign a legal document or transfer funds, they disappear into the shadows.
They were happy to waste my time because I was explicitly letting them do it.
How to Stop Wasting Time and Start Doing Business
Travelling around the UK is lovely. Meeting new people and having great chats can be highly enjoyable. However, running a successful business requires far more than just pleasant conversation.
You must value your own time first. If you treat your time as a precious commodity, your potential clients will instinctively treat it that way too.
Here are the core rules I implemented after my 12,000-mile wake-up call:
Qualify Before You Drive
Never agree to a physical meeting without thoroughly qualifying the prospective investor first. Use phone calls or quick video meetings to establish their actual financial position, their readiness to move forward, and their genuine intent on building their property portfolio.
Set Clear Boundaries
Stop travelling to them just to be nice. If someone is genuinely interested in spending significant money for your specialist deal sourcing services, they will respect your professional process. A serious client does not need you to drive three hours for a preliminary fifteen-minute chat.
Ditch the Free Advice Sessions
Learn to distinguish between a productive business meeting and a free consultation. Many people just want to pick your brain. Keep your initial conversations highly focused on whether you are a good fit to work together. Do not give away your hard-earned expertise for free.
Track Your Return on Time
Treat your working hours exactly like cash in the bank. If a specific networking event or a certain type of meeting consistently yields zero financial results, stop doing it immediately. Redirect that lost energy into activities that actually move the needle for your bottom line.
I eventually stopped doing endless tours of the UK's hotel lounges. I completely changed my onboarding process. I intentionally made it much harder for people to access my time.
The result? The time-wasters disappeared, the genuine clients stepped forward, and the contracts finally started rolling in.
Protect Your Standards
In business, your eyes are your best tool. Whether you are filtering out time-wasting prospects in a hotel lobby or checking the quality of a contractor's work on a Tuesday afternoon, you have to stay sharp.
Protect your time, because it is the one resource you can never earn back. And protect your standards, because nobody else will care about your business as much as you do.
Set your boundaries, enforce your rules, and never take your eyes off the ball.
In this article
