INVESTOR STORIES
PRESIDENTS’ CIRCLE
FeaturedMembers: Gary and Susan Harper FOR THIS HUSBAND-WIFE TEAM, SEEING OTHERS SUCCEED IS THEIR REWARD
by Kelli White
T
he Harpers, a husband-wife team, have decades of
ness Solutions, a business consult- ing firm that has worked with over 400 real estate investors. “Gary started out in real estate by working for his brother-in-law as a laborer around the age of 18,” Susan recalled. “By 24, he started buying rental properties while also working as an executive full time. In 2011, Gary got sick with Lyme disease and redirected his focus to full-time real estate until 2016. It was at this time he was asked to help other business owners in REI. This all happened organically, and the coaching business grew.” After years of teaching, coaching, and mentoring others, the Harpers have reaped their own rewards from educating others.
“The biggest reward we get is seeing business owners get their time back. We feel what we do al- lows a business owner the ability to choose how they spend their time,” Susan said. For Gary and Susan, seeing others succeed is their reward—a selfless price to pay for their own success. Their preferred niche of real estate investing is passive investing, which also comes with the reward of get- ting time back. “We always say there is active investing, which requires time for money and there is passive investing that exchanges money for money giving us more time. This can be done with storage units, apartment complexes, or single-family rental
experience in not only real estate investing, but in educating others. And, the duo is well-versed in tran- sitioning. From a full-time executive to single-family rental owner, Gary also transitioned from investor to property manager, growing his com- pany to 300 doors. Susan, a former schoolteacher, started in real estate by helping Gary during her sum- mers off, but she eventually retired from education, segueing into REI full time. The team transitioned yet again in 2016 when they focused on another thing they do well—helping other business owners in the real estate investing industry. Together, they own and operate Sharper Busi-
14 | think realty magazine :: october 2020
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