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
November 20, 2025

🏆 This Week’s Win: Community, Connection, and Real Momentum

This week’s biggest win had nothing to do with deals or numbers. It was all about people and the energy that comes from being surrounded by driven entrepreneurs who are building something meaningful.

Our latest The Hive: Charlotte Entrepreneurs Network event had an incredible turnout. The room was full of founders, creators, and business owners who showed up ready to learn, connect, and grow. The energy in the room was strong from the moment people walked in.

One of the standout moments of the night came from Nick Rodriguez, owner of Oro Athletic.
👉 Click here to follow Nick on Instagram

Nick shared his journey from being a personal trainer to becoming a gym owner. He spoke openly about the mindset shift required to make that leap, the obstacles he faced, and the discipline it took to keep pushing forward.

What impressed everyone was how quickly he found success. His gym became profitable in under a year, which is incredible considering most gyms take around three years to break even. Nick is already thinking about expansion, and his drive is a perfect example of what is possible with the right mindset and work ethic.

Beyond the talk, the networking afterward was powerful. People stayed long after the event officially ended because the conversations were real, intentional, and inspiring. That is what makes this community special.

Entrepreneurship can be isolating, but when you get in the right rooms, you are reminded that you are not doing this alone. The Hive is becoming one of those rooms. A space where people understand your goals, your challenges, and your vision. A place where collaboration happens naturally and ideas flow without effort.

If you are in the Charlotte area, we would love to have you join us. We meet on the first Thursday of every month, unless a holiday conflicts.

This week’s win was simple: community matters.
And Charlotte’s entrepreneurial community is growing stronger every month.

Where deals happen and visionaries connectt

💨 This Week’s Whiff: Delays, Deadlines, and the Holiday Crunch

Real estate is full of momentum until it isn’t. This week was a reminder that even when you plan well and line everything up, some things just slip out of your control.

During one of our contractor walkthroughs for the punch list items, it became clear that there was still a lot more work left than expected. What we hoped would be a quick verification turned into a realization that the project needed extra time. And that pushed everything back — staging, photos, and ultimately getting the listing live.

In this business, timing matters. And being this close to the holiday season adds an extra layer of pressure. Once you get into the second week of December, you might as well wait until the new year to list. Real estate activity slows down just like the rest of the world. People are traveling, spending time with family, or simply taking a break from big decisions. It is not the ideal time to bring a fresh flip to market.

So seeing our timeline slip was frustrating. Delays always create that little knot in your stomach because one small shift can ripple into weeks of waiting. And when the holidays are involved, the window gets even tighter.

The good news is that the project should be wrapped up and ready to go right after Thanksgiving. But getting pushed this close to the edge definitely created some nerves. We want everything perfect. We want every detail dialed in. And we want to get the listing live before the market quiets down for Christmas.

But here is the truth: we cannot control the calendar. We cannot control the holidays. All we can do is execute on what is in front of us, keep the contractors moving, and get this flip to the finish line.

This week’s whiff was all about timing and patience. Not every delay is catastrophic. Sometimes it is just inconvenient and uncomfortable. And sometimes that discomfort is the reminder that even well planned projects can test your flexibility.

We will get it listed. We will get it sold.
But for now, it is all about finishing strong and not letting the holiday crunch shake the bigger picture.

🎯 Tactical Tip of the Week: Respect the Calendar

In real estate, you cannot time the market perfectly. No one can. But what you can do is operate with an awareness of timing, especially when it comes to fix and flip projects and when you choose to list them. The holidays bring a unique set of challenges that new investors often underestimate.

Why Timing Matters More Than You Think

The holiday season is notorious for slowing everything down. Buyer activity dips. Families travel. Lenders move slower. Closing timelines stretch out. Contractors disappear for extended breaks. Even small delays can compound into weeks of waiting.

The project itself may be solid, the renovations clean, and the numbers tight, but if your listing hits the market during the wrong window in late December, it is going to sit. Not because you priced wrong, and not because the property has issues, but simply because people are focused on Christmas trees, flights, and family dinners.

Understanding this ahead of time allows you to plan more strategically so you are not caught off guard.

How We’re Adjusting

When we schedule project timelines from now through January, we work backward from the calendar, not forward from the punch list.

That means:

  • Pushing contractors to finish well before Thanksgiving

  • Building buffer time for delays in materials, inspections, and staging

  • Avoiding new listings after the second week of December

  • Prepping marketing and photography early so we can launch fast when the window opens

  • Accepting that some closings will naturally slide into the new year

This is not about trying to control the market. It is about respecting the patterns that repeat every single year.

The Real Lesson

You do not need to time the market, but you must understand timing within the market. Holiday slowdowns are predictable. That means you can plan around them, instead of letting them catch you off guard and create unnecessary stress.

👉 Action Step:

Pull up a calendar and mark these key windows:

  • The week before Thanksgiving

  • The second week of December

  • January 3rd through mid January

Review every current project and estimate where each one realistically lands. If anything is tracking dangerously close to late December, accelerate the timeline or simply commit to listing right after the new year.

A little foresight can save you a ton of headaches, holding costs, and stress.

Respect the calendar, and the calendar will respect your results.

🔦 FROM THE FIELD: The Power of Blue Tape and a Sharp Eye

Every week in real estate teaches you something new, and this week was a reminder that the small details can make or break the final product. Punch list walkthroughs are one of those things that seem simple on the surface, but anyone who has ever flipped a property knows they are absolutely essential.

On one of our recent walkthroughs, we came in expecting a quick review before staging. Instead, the blue tape started flying. And once blue tape starts going up, it never stops. Paint touch ups, uneven caulk lines, loose hardware, missed trim, outlets not tightened, fixtures not level, you name it. The kind of stuff a buyer immediately notices even if contractors try to gloss over it.

A punch list walkthrough is where the truth comes out. It is the moment you see the project not as the investor or the contractor, but through the eyes of the future buyer. And that perspective shift is everything.

🎯 Why This Matters
Blue tape might seem small, but it represents something bigger: standards.
Anyone can flip a house. But not everyone can flip a house with excellence.

Here is what punch list walkthroughs teach you:

  • Small details create big impressions

  • A rushed finish leads to poor photos and lower offers

  • Staging only works if the craftsmanship underneath is clean

  • Contractors need accountability all the way to the final sweep

  • Buyers will forgive a lot, but not sloppy finishing work

The truth is, the last five percent of a project is often the hardest. You are tired, the contractors are tired, and everyone just wants to get it listed. But that final five percent is where the value is created.

Blue tape is not just paint marks. It is quality control. It is brand protection. It is pride in the product you are putting out into the world.

This week’s field lesson was simple:
Take your punch list walkthroughs seriously. Slow down. Look closely. Treat the final touches with the same intensity as the demo and rough work.

Because the cleaner the finish, the faster the sale.
And in this business, details are dollars.

🎤 FINAL WORD

This week was a reminder that real estate is a balance of momentum and patience. We had an incredible turnout at The Hive event, proving how powerful a community can be. And on the other side, we dealt with delays, punch list surprises, and the reality that holiday timing can throw even the best laid plans off track.

The lesson is simple: you cannot control the calendar, but you can control your standards. Blue tape, clean finishes, and smart timing matter. So do flexibility and staying calm when projects push up against the holidays.

Every win builds confidence. Every delay sharpens discipline. And every walkthrough teaches you something that makes you better for the next one.

Here’s to finishing strong, adjusting when needed, and staying focused on quality over speed.

Thanks for reading,