Many real estate investors aim high but act slow. They set “someday” targets like acquiring $100M in property over ten years. While this feels bold, it rarely changes what gets done this week. According to Dr. Benjamin Hardy, distant goals blunt urgency. Teams solve for minor progress rather than bold leaps.
Investors often set 10x ambitions but make plans aligned with 20% growth. The result? The goal becomes decoration while daily work stays unchanged.
Hardy challenges the idea that “process first” is enough. Yes, process matters, but the right goal sets the process in motion. Without a clear near-term target, your real estate team might be busy, but not necessarily effective.
Hardy’s approach flips the norm: use shorter timelines to make better decisions, not worse ones. He recommends asking:
This forces teams to cut busywork and expose the crux, the single issue holding growth back.
Real example: Dr. Hardy worked with FCI, a national flooring franchise with 400 locations. The CEO wanted to hit $1 billion in revenue but set a ten-year horizon.
Hardy challenged him: “What if you did it in three years?” That pressure revealed flaws in their approach. They were solving for 20% growth, not exponential scaling.
The company raised the floor, franchise revenue had to jump from $700K to $2M minimum. Owners unwilling to commit were phased out. Leadership that clung to the past was replaced. New franchisees entered with $5–10M targets. The plan became a real path, not a poster.
Want to dive deeper into these ideas? Watch the full interview with Dr. Ben Hardy on the DealMachine Real Estate Investing Podcast and hear how time compression, big goals, and raised standards can transform your real estate business:
“Raise the floor” means setting a new minimum standard. In real estate, this could mean only pursuing deals above a certain size or yield. Without that baseline, attention spreads too thin across low-return tasks and deals.
This principle resonated with David, a podcast host, who shared a personal Airbnb experiment. One bad review hurt performance. The unit made similar income to his long-term rentals, but with more stress. The takeaway? Don’t dabble. Pick a game. Get excellent at it.
Raising the floor forces focus. Say no to what no longer serves the bigger goal.
The crux is the hardest, most important part of a strategy, the bottleneck. Like climbers who know the crux determines whether a route is possible, investors must identify what problem controls their outcome.
NASA’s moon mission illustrates this. JFK’s goal, land a man on the moon by 1970, was inspiring but arbitrary. A shorter deadline could’ve helped NASA tackle the hardest problem (the lunar landing) sooner, skipping bureaucratic steps.
Work expands to fill the space you give it.
Shorten the space. Solve the crux.
Some frameworks shy away from revenue goals, calling them downstream outcomes. Hardy disagrees. Revenue goals are clean and actionable. They require clarity on model, margins, and market.
Too many investors aim for $5–$10 million and stay there. Instead, try modeling $20M, $40M, or even $100M, and ask what would need to change today. Your goal should dictate your plan, not the other way around.
Hardy’s book, The Science of Scaling, expands on this, showing how companies that break from the herd and aim high create better strategies.
Real estate offers many paths, multifamily, short-term rentals, build-to-rent, and value-add, but trying them all dilutes progress. Instead, pick one and master it.
Strategy means deciding what not to do. Hardy reminds us: Good strategy is rare because it requires clarity and surprise. Many leaders chase shiny objects. Few say no with purpose.
From the transcript, one investor shifted back to long-term rentals after testing a furnished Airbnb. Why? More stress, same returns. Focus drives scalability.
Many investors want to know “how” before they set big goals. But that leads to small, safe steps based on past paths.
Hardy recounts a software founder stuck at 10 clients. Her goal to reach 100 was still rooted in cold-calling. He pushed her: “What would it take to get 1,000 clients in 90 days?” That bigger goal forced new thinking. She partnered with other software companies and jumped to 8,000 clients in a week.
Set the goal so high your current ‘how’ breaks, then find a better one.
To apply this method in your real estate business:
Q1: How quickly can you scale a real estate investment business?
A: Scaling speed depends on your model and mindset. Using time-compression goals, raising the floor, and solving for the crux can significantly accelerate your timeline.
Q2: What does “raising the floor” mean in property investing?
A: It means setting a higher minimum standard for deals, tasks, and partnerships—so your time and focus are spent only on high-impact activities that align with your larger goals.
Q3: Why is compressing the timeline important for real estate growth?
A: Compressing time forces your business to face real blockers earlier. It eliminates fluff, drives urgency, and leads to more strategic action.
Q4: Should real estate investors set revenue as a goal?
A: Yes. Revenue is a clear, measurable target that aligns teams and clarifies strategic decisions. Bigger revenue goals demand better systems and stronger focus.
Q5: What is the crux, and why does it matter in real estate scaling?
A: The crux is the single hardest challenge preventing growth. Identifying and solving it first unlocks progress and sets the foundation for scaling.
Q6: What is a time compression goal in real estate?
A: A time compression goal means setting a shorter deadline for a big result, like achieving a 10-year acquisition plan in 3 years. This forces smarter, faster execution.
A long deadline rarely changes today. Flip the model. Choose a bold number. Shrink the timeline. Raise your standards. Focus on the crux. Bring in one key person who shifts your path.
These steps create clarity, focus, and speed. For real estate investors, this method can transform slow progress into compounding results.
Treat goals as tools. Let the future shape today’s choices. Then act.