August Biniaz - Be a Specialist Not a Jack of All Trades

My Worst Investment Ever Podcast

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BIO: August Biniaz is the Co-founder and Chief Investment Officer of CPI Capital. CPI Capital is a real estate private equity firm with the mandate to acquire multifamily assets while partnering with passive investors as limited partners.

STORY: Upon looking back and reflecting on the worst investment decision August has ever made, he says it’s his time, shiny object syndrome, getting excited about new investment ideas, and then putting a lot of time into learning about those ideas and losing that time.

LEARNING: Don’t be a jack of all trades and a master of none. Focus on your primary business. Stay in your lane.

“Being focused is probably the greatest asset anyone could have when it comes to success in business or otherwise.”

August Biniaz

Guest profile

August Biniaz is the Co-founder and Chief Investment Officer of CPI Capital. CPI Capital is a real estate private equity firm with the mandate to acquire multifamily assets while partnering with passive investors as limited partners. August was instrumental in the closing of over $208 million of multifamily assets since inception.

August educates real estate investors through webinars, YouTube shows, weekly newsletters, and one-on-one coaching. He is the host of Real Estate Investing Demystified PodCast.

Worst investment ever

Upon looking back and reflecting on the worst investment decision August has ever made, he says it’s his time, shiny object syndrome, getting excited about new investment ideas, and then putting a lot of time into learning about those ideas and losing that time.

In one incident, when crypto came around, August got involved in the crypto world, trying to connect with investors, creating businesses within the crypto world, and putting his brainpower and time into learning about this new asset class. However, August went down a rabbit hole that took him away from his main focus.

In another incident, an asset class came across his desk. This was the build-to-rent single-family rentals or BTRSFR. After the great financial crisis in 2008, single-family homes in the US were selling for pennies on the dollar. Wall Street got involved, knowing that the market would eventually turn around, and started buying portfolios of single-family homes. However, as they managed these properties, they realized they were handled similarly to multifamily ones. So, they created this new asset class: build to rent single-family rentals.

August brought this idea to investors in his database and invested in a development project. It was a former purchase contract in which August partnered with a developer. This deal created some difficulties for his investors, partners, and himself. He never closed on that deal. This deal diverted August’s focus from his main business, and he lost opportunities there.

Lessons learned

Being a specialist is very important if you’re dealing with investors and have partners. Don’t be a jack of all trades and a master of none.
Focus on your primary business.
Stay in your lane.
Have tunnel vision in the business that you’re part of
Understand what’s happening in macro, economic, and political situations.

Andrew’s takeaways

When things aren’t working well, it’s apparent that you may need to find something else or double down on your efforts to fix them.

Actionable advice

If you’re in the process of building a business or you already own a great business, don’t put your attention and focus into something that’s totally outside of your sandbox. Instead, try to focus on that business you’re already building.

August’s recommendations

August recommends listening to the My Worst Investment Podcast, learning how entrepreneurship, startups, investing, and other asset classes work, watching YouTube shows, and reading books. He is happy to provide 30 minutes of his time if you quote the My Worst Investment Podcast.

No.1 goal for the next 12 months

August’s number one goal for the next 12 months is to hit his target of two deals in 2024. On the personal side, he’s moving to the US and setting up a base in Florida.

Parting words

“If you’re looking for risk-averse advice, talk to your parents. They’re always risk averse. And anytime you’re looking for risky advice, talk to your drunk friend.”

August Biniaz

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