Lock-In: Simon Zutshi

For the final webinar of Series 3, we were eavesdroppers on a (virtual) fireside chat between Simon Zutshi and Nick. In a departure from the usual presentation and Q&A format, we learned about the ups and downs of Simon’s journey to becoming a trainer, owning a multimillion-pound portfolio, 3 businesses, and even writing a bestseller.

The Beginning

Everyone seems to think Simon’s property career began in 1995, even Simon himself – but it was actually in 1991, when he bought a holiday home in Ibiza with his sisters in a vendor finance deal.

The more widely recognised beginning is when he was working as a graduate for Cadbury, and purchased his first property for himself in the UK and rented out rooms to friends. Despite moving out in 1998, he continued to rent out the property as a student HMO.

By this point, the property bug had got to him and he continued to build up a diversified portfolio. In 2001, he became a full-time landlord, and whilst there was a huge amount of fear on the day he handed in his notice, he wanted more time to himself and live his life.

Costly Cassette

It’s easy to be cynical about investing in yourself and initially, Simon was the same. But that was until he heard about Tony Robbins, an American coach and speaker, who he cites as one of his biggest influences. In the early 90s, he couldn’t believe that a part-time work colleague had spent £50 on one of his cassettes.

Simon attended his first training course in 2001, which was only 2 hours – but led him to wonder how much he would learn if he tried a 3 day one. On a regular basis, he attended the Birmingham Yes group, which specialised in personal development. Simon described himself as a ‘course junkie’ in the early days, with the height of the addiction resulting in spending $10,000 on a year-long Tony Robbins course – this is the same person who thought £50 was too much!

It was during this time that Simon walked across hot coals bare foot, which made him think if you can manage that – you can do just about anything. Realising that you’re completely responsible for your life and abandoning the conditioning around you, was the crucial turning point that made Simon the man he is today.

Property Investors Network

Through attending the Yes group in Birmingham, Simon was inspired to start Property Investor Network (Pin). He loved the idea of personal development groups and claims he’s made millions by investing in himself, but he wanted to create an organisation specific for property investors and coach likeminded individuals.

Pin was officially set up in 2003, and in truth – it couldn’t have arrived at a better time. If you rewind eighteen years, the UK housing market was booming and pretty much anyone could get a mortgage. The idea of Pin is to help people transform their lives through property by providing people with tools, inspiration and network to become financially free.

It’s been a resounding success and there are now 50 locations across the country for monthly PIN meetings, and over 70,000 active members. Over the years, we’ve been fortunate enough to regularly promote ourselves at PIN meetings – in fact, it’s been a huge driver in the growth of the membership.

Mr. Nice Guy

Whilst sudden realisations can drive your life and career forward, so does learning from your mistakes. In Simon’s case, his errors haven’t come down to incorrect professional or financial decisions, but instead from poor lapses in judgements of character.

Sometimes being a ‘nice guy’ has meant that people take advantage, which has been most evident in his joint ventures. Importantly, it’s led him to bear in mind that not everyone holds the correct values, and not to take people’s intentions at face value.

Some additional key advice was that you don’t need to overcomplicate things, and there’s no need to reinvent the wheel – find the people who have done what you want to do and model them. Decide what you want to do, create a plan, and start.

Money and Status

Everyone enjoys praise, but Simon doesn’t need it anymore – describing it as a ‘danger value’. It’s dangerous in the sense that it’s relying on other people to ensure your happiness and success – instead you need values that provide self-fulfilment. That’s why he likes to take complex problems and break them down through training people, with there being no greater feeling for him than seeing people ‘get it’.

Whilst it costs money to attend training, these courses are invaluable in how much they help people. And if you don’t want to pay up, Simon produces plenty of free content on his YouTube channel and website to support your property business.

Trainers are no strangers to criticism – so how does Simon deal with it? Well, ‘it’s none of your business’ what people think of you he says, and ultimately these opinions come from a reflection of themselves and their own insecurities.

Despite initially chasing that higher status, Simon knows what he’s doing is making a difference, and most importantly – he’s at peace with himself.

And that’s your lot! You can learn more about Property Investor Network here.