Trying to grow your real estate business can be a challenge at any stage.

We get it. Man oh man, do we get it.

One thing that the folks who aren’t succeeding all seem to have in common: they’ve convinced themselves that something is holding them back from success. In most cases, it’s something other than themselves.

People blame the market, or technology, or their competition… instead of just focusing on what they themselves can do to improve and grow.

Or even worse… they shame themselves with negative thoughts and judgments, like “I am too [dumb/old/poor/slow] to learn internet marketing”.

Or they listen to the wrong people. You can always find people who will tell you why you shouldn’t even bother trying. They’re everywhere.

Regardless of the reason, it’s super common for people to give up before they even get started.

But here’s what I wanted to give you today — some simple ways to move things forward, no matter what level you’re on.

Even if you’re a seasoned investor with a big portfolio or a total rookie, you can do the things on this list.

No matter what age, shape, color, gender, orientation, religion… good content marketing works for anybody, in any business. After all, only bad content marketing doesn’t work. 😉

So if you’re feeling stuck, and wanting some ways that you can move things forward… pick one of these things off the list and get it done.

Don’t forget to reward yourself… once you do one of these easy tasks this weekend – shouldn’t take more than an hour or two – then get outside, get moving, take a walk, go to your favorite restaurant, have your favorite cocktail, go for a bike ride, take a paddle in a canoe, ride a horse, paint a picture, read a book, cook a great meal, have a laugh with a baby, play with a pet, catch up with a dear friend… whatever will refresh you, reward you and inspire you to feel your best.

But since you want to know how to grow your business, here it is:

7 Easy Ways To Grow Your Real Estate Business This Weekend

• Make an offer on a property

You don’t need a website to invest in property. Go make an offer on a property that’s been lingering on the market. Go visit an open house that’s for sale by owner and throw ’em a lowball, just for the practice. Walk up to a house that’s falling apart, knock on the door, and hand whomever answers a $5 bill – tell ’em it’s a down payment, that you want to get them more money as fast as they need it. Please use caution, because real estate investment involves taking risks. Don’t risk your life, and don’t risk money you can’t afford to lose. But if you wanna buy real estate, you’ve gotta make offers. If you haven’t made offers on at least a dozen properties this week, go look on Craigslist for something to make an offer on – now!

• Connect your RSS feed with your email

If you don’t have a solid lead nurture campaign, the fastest and easiest thing you can do is just connect your blog with your email list so that every time you add a new post, it automatically sends an email to your list.  So once you connect your email, you can completely automate your blog and your lead nurture… does it get any easier?

• Teach yourself a new skill

Pick something and start learning! In just a couple of hours, you can get a lot better at something that’s been holding you back… internet marketing, SEO, affliate marketing… Anyone can access a huge amount of free trainings just on YouTube alone.

• Upgrade your offer, then share it with your audience

Most investors are doing the same thing – “Get A Cash Offer Today” – and there’s nothing wrong with that. But can you find a way to make your offer just a little sweeter? Got something of value you can offer, like a gift certificate, moving costs, or a guarantee? Make sure you stay compliant with all the laws in your area, because some states have very strict rules on this sort of thing… but there are always ways to make your offer more compelling and differentiate yourself. Find one, and put up a lead page about it… then start sharing it as much as possible. See what happens – you just might get a ton of great leads!

• Post a new blog post, then repost it on Craigslist

Are you communicating with your target audience in your local market, or just imitating others? One of the best ways to improve your business is to work on your writing. Start putting out a weekly blog post – explain to sellers how you can help them sell fast, and why it matters. Look at other blogs for inspiration. But make sure to repost on Craigslist – it’s a great source of leads.

• Write a one-page business plan

Here’s how to make a great one-page business plan fast:

1. Take a single sheet of blank paper, fold it in half, then half again – so you’ve got 4 quadrants.
2. Label your 4 quadrants: Values, Strategy, Focus, and Top Priorities
3. Write down your Values – what drives you, motivates you, and inspires you.
4. Write down your Strategy – just a short summary of what you do in a paragraph, such as wholesaling, shortsales, etc. Bonus points for more specific, targeted, niche strategies that differentiate you from your competition.
5. Write down your Focus –  how would you describe your ideal target customer as a person? What motivates him/her? What is your pathway to reach this person?
6. Write down your Top Priorities – what are the most important things you need to accomplish to take your business to the next level? Don’t get distracted by the “urgent” stuff — most of it isn’t really important. You might need an extra piece of paper to list out all the ideas you have to grow your business, then just use a highlighter to isolate your top 10… then put it in priority order of what’s most important

There’s a lot of great ways to do business planning, and this method isn’t a substitute for the type of local market and investment research that you should do in order to make sure you’re on track for the kind of success that you want… but fitting your Values, Strategy, Focus, and Top Priorities on one page and hanging it up in a spot where you can see it every day when you get to work will really help you stay on task for the next 90 days until you do this exercise again. It’s a great use of an hour or two on the weekend.

• Do something good for your community

Real estate is all about community, and yet a lot of investors aren’t really tapped into what’s going on around them. Take a couple of hours this weekend and do something good for other people. Take a box of food to the local food pantry. Donate some money to a great organization. Work at a lemonade stand with some kids as a fundraiser. Do some research and find a group near you working on an issue you feel is important. Ask at church or your place of worship how you can get involved with helping others. Join up with a Rotary or Kiwanis or another service group. Mentor a kid. Visit a retirement home and talk to someone who is lonely.

While it might not seem like those are suggestions to grow your business, once you get involved in what’s happening in your community you’ll find that doors magically open for you. You’ll get introduced to people who want to help you grow. You can create partnerships with local organizations that benefit you both. Get creative and step outside of your comfort zone in order to help other people, and you’ll be surprised by the rewards.

Here’s the most important thing you need to know in order to grow your real estate business: just keep moving forward. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. You’ll never reach your destination if you never try… so take that first step now!

Hope you have a really fun – and super productive – weekend!