Wendell’s Weekly Wins and Whiffs

👋 Welcome to Wendell’s Weekly Wins & Whiffs — your front-row seat to the entrepreneurial and real estate rollercoaster, complete with high-fives, facepalms, and everything in between. Each week, I’ll peel back the curtain on life as an active investor and business builder: the triumphs that feel like victory laps, the flops that sting like a surprise plumbing leak, and the behind-the-scenes grind of running multiple companies. From flips that soar to admin headaches that test my patience, you’ll get the real, unfiltered scoop on both deals and business operations. Why? Because building wealth isn’t just about properties — it’s about building systems, partnerships, and businesses that can stand the test of time. My goal is to share the wins, the whiffs, and the lessons learned so you can sharpen your own edge in both investing and entrepreneurship.

Author

Wendell Butler
September 05, 2025

🏆 This Week’s Win — The Hive Takes Flight!

Big milestone this week for our community — we hosted the very first networking event of The Hive: Entrepreneurs Network, and the turnout was incredible. With 80+ RSVPs and a buzzing room of driven entrepreneurs, founders, and dreamers, the energy was electric.

🎤 A Highlighted Journey
We had the privilege of hearing from Adam Cozzolino, who shared his entrepreneurial journey that began in his teenage years. His story of resilience, innovation, and growth set the perfect tone for what The Hive is all about: learning from each other and building stronger together.

🤝 Why Networking Matters
Business is built on relationships. The connections forged in the room go beyond a single night — they’re the foundation for future collaborations, partnerships, and breakthroughs. The Hive is more than an event; it’s a platform to connect, learn, and grow with like-minded entrepreneurs.

📅 What’s Next
The Hive is here to stay! We’ll be hosting this event every first Thursday of the month, and you don’t want to miss it.

This is a win that shows the power of community and collaboration. The Hive has launched — and it’s only the beginning. 🚀

💨 This Week’s Whiff — The Admin Avalanche

This week, I felt buried under the weight of admin overload. From delays to disruptions, it seemed like the back office had its own agenda:

  • The LLC filing for my new lending company Flip Fuel Lending LLC was delayed for over a month, slowing momentum on that front.

  • My banks decided to change all their routing numbers, forcing me to update every single business payment.

  • On top of that, I had to juggle rescheduling meetings and appointments with sellers, podcast guests on The Real Estate Take, and more.

Why does this sting?
Entrepreneurship isn’t just the big moves and big wins — it’s also the endless small tasks that can pull focus away from growth. Having multiple businesses and partnerships is exciting, but it also creates more moving parts and more opportunities for friction. Admin fires may not sink the ship, but they can surely slow it down.

The silver lining…
I wasn’t alone in the mess. My executive assistant, Claire, stepped up big time — handling a ton of the rescheduling and logistical headaches. Her support took a huge weight off my shoulders and let me stay focused on moving the business forward instead of being stuck in the weeds.

The mindset?
This week was a reminder that building systems and delegating are just as important as closing deals. The entrepreneurial journey isn’t about avoiding hiccups — it’s about creating the infrastructure to handle them while keeping your eyes on the bigger picture. The paperwork, the banking updates, the endless admin? It’s all part of the process.

Sometimes the load gets heavy. This week, it did — but with the right team and mindset, we keep pressing forward.

🎯 Tactical Tip of the Week: Work On Your Business, Not Just In It

One of the biggest shifts an entrepreneur can make is learning how to step out of the day-to-day grind. If you’re constantly buried in admin, scheduling, or busywork, your business is running you — not the other way around. The goal is to build a company that works for you, not just create another job.

Here’s how to put this into practice:

  • Delegate early and often. Offload tasks that don’t require your unique skills. Whether it’s scheduling, bookkeeping, or rescheduling meetings, someone else can handle it.

  • Hire smart. Bring on people who complement your weaknesses and free you to focus on vision, growth, and strategy.

  • Train and build SOPs. A well-documented Standard Operating Procedure means you don’t have to reinvent the wheel — and your team doesn’t have to guess.

  • Embrace trial and error. No system is perfect out of the gate. Build, test, tweak, and keep refining until the process runs smoothly.

  • Keep the bigger picture front and center. Every task you delegate is one step closer to working on your business instead of being trapped in it.

The takeaway: Building a business is always a work in progress. Don’t be afraid of trial, error, and learning as you go. The more you systemize and delegate, the more you free yourself to focus on growth — and the closer you get to real freedom.

🔦 FROM THE FIELD: The Power of Partnerships

In real estate, no one can be an expert at everything. You might have fix & flips down to a science — but what happens when a land deal hits your inbox? Or a commercial opportunity crosses your desk? Too often, those deals get deleted or passed over simply because they’re outside your comfort zone.

That’s where partnerships come in. By working with people who bring expertise in areas you don’t, you turn missed opportunities into profitable ones. Maybe you’re the fix & flip specialist, and you partner with someone who thrives on land development. Instead of tossing those land deals aside, you bring them into the fold. And here’s the kicker: it works both ways. They might send you flips they don’t want — or you might set up a referral program that creates value for both sides.

Why does this matter?

Partnerships extend your reach. They let you play in arenas you couldn’t alone, all while staying focused on what you’re best at. Collaboration isn’t just about sharing work — it’s about creating win-win structures where everyone leans into their strengths.

Pro tips:

  • Identify your lane. Know what you’re great at, and be honest about what you’re not.

  • Build complementary relationships. Look for people who enjoy the deals you’d normally pass on.

  • Structure it smart. Referral programs, joint ventures, or equity splits can all make sense depending on the deal type.

  • Keep the long game in mind. A trusted partner today might open the door to a much bigger project tomorrow.

From the field, the lesson is clear: partnerships aren’t just nice to have — they’re deal-makers. Alone, opportunities slip through the cracks. Together, you capture more, do more, and build stronger businesses.

🎤 FINAL WORD

This week was a reminder that entrepreneurship is a mix of energy, admin, and evolution. From launching The Hive: Entrepreneurs Network with an incredible turnout, to drowning in routing number changes and reschedules, the highs and lows go hand in hand.

The lesson? Growth means building systems and relationships that carry the load with you. Whether it’s delegating tasks so you can focus on strategy, or partnering with others who bring expertise where you don’t, the goal is the same: work on the business, not in it.

Every deal, every event, every setback is part of the bigger journey. Wins prove what’s possible, whiffs remind us where to improve, and both add to the experience that shapes stronger entrepreneurs.

Keep delegating, keep partnering, and keep showing up. That’s how we build businesses that serve us — not the other way around.

Keep building,