Taking on Challenges

Episode 907: Taking on Challenges, with Nick Prefontaine

Taking on challenges one step at a time. Learn from Nick Prefontaine how his life changed after he started taking on challenges.

In 2003, Nick was in a snowboarding accident that left him in a coma for over three weeks. The doctors told his parents that he probably wouldn’t walk, talk, or eat on his own again. Less than three months later, he was running out of Franciscan Children’s hospital. Now a Certified Infinite Possibilities Trainer, Nick speaks to groups that benefit from his message of overcoming adversity and taking on challenges.

Nick grew up in the real estate industry and got started on his own at an early age. Most notably, he was knocking on pre-foreclosure doors at 16 and 17, doing up to 50 doors a day. This experience helped shape Nick’s real estate career.

Now, Nick specializes in working with lease purchasers to get them into a home and on the path to homeownership. Regardless of a buyer’s credit situation, he looks at their complete financial picture and comes up with a plan to get them into a home.

What you will learn from this episode about taking on challenges:

• Nick’s incredible skiing accident and recovery story – from a coma to running out of the hospital
• The hope and courage that got Nick through his horrible circumstances and how he started taking on challenges after that
• How Nick draws positive influence from the people around him
• Daily habits Nick believes have contributed to his success
• Useful skills for building and scaling businesses
• Nick’s sources of wisdom and mentorship as well as his advice in taking on challenges
• The advice Nick has for tuning out the noise and taking the first steps toward success

Resources:

• Email: [email protected]
• YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubL3Z-SeEfs
• Website: www.SmartRealEstateCoach.com
• Read about taking on challenges when you’re in the real estate business

Additional Resources:

• Sell With Authority by Drew McLellan and Stephen Woessner: https://amzn.to/39y7x13
• Predictive ROI Free Resource Library: https://predictiveroi.com/resources/
• Stephen Woessner’s LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwoessner/
• Check out this podcast about taking on challenges from Predictive ROI

 

 

Taking on Challenges: Full Episode Transcript

 

Get ready to find your recipe for success from America’s top business owners here at Onward Nation with your host, Stephen Woessner.

 

Good morning. I am Stephen Woessner, CEO of Predictive ROI and your host Onward Nation, where I interview today’s top business owners so we can learn their recipe for success, how they built and how they scaled their business. In fact, my team, you know, our goal this year Onward Nation was to double down, double down on being helpful to you.

 

And so we’re doing that by continuing to add new free resources to our resources section on predictiveroi.com. We’ve added more ebooks and more checklists and more downloadable guides. Everything from search engine optimization to how to generate leads. And we’re taking all of this great information right out of the success strategies we’ve compiled from the brilliant insights shared by our very generous guests.

 

Just go to predictiveroi.com/resources, and whatever you request, we’ll send it right to your inbox. 

 

Read about taking on challenges in the real estate business

 

Taking on Challenges: Nick Prefontaine’s Introduction

 

Before we welcome today’s very special guest, Nick Prefontaine. Let me share some additional context as to why when Nick said yes, I thought, okay, this is going to be an exceptional opportunity. So from the day to day, Nick is a buyer specialist at Pre Property Solutions and Smart Real Estate Coach.

 

He specializes in the buyer process handling everything from launching a property to taking a buyer all the way through to closing. And he’s also authored several guides and reports. And I’ve been in the audience when he has presented practical and tactical advice to real estate investors on how to do things well, how to save time, how to save money, how to save frustration.

 

And he’s excellent at it. But in addition to his experience working in the trenches every single day with his family to build their business, the long hours, the travel, the relentless pursuit of delivering the best to customers every single day, there’s still more. And that’s his personal story, Onward. You see, when the naysayers said to Nick that he couldn’t.

 

He did. And they said, just take it easy and just take it easy, kid. Just relax and lay down in that bed after the accident that you’ve had. No one’s going to blame you. But he didn’t do that. Instead, he found strength. He pushed himself because Onward Nation, he wasn’t ever supposed to walk again. But he did. And now he runs. Welcome to you Onward Nation, Nick. 

 

Read about taking on challenges in the real estate business

 

Taking on Challenges: Nick’s Path and Journey

 

Good morning, Onward Nation. Thanks for having me, Steve. I’m excited. Oh my gosh. It is a pleasure and an honor to have you here, my friend. And, obviously, I’m just giving Onward Nation some context as to your story. It is deep. It is emotional. And it is a story of victory which I celebrate right alongside of your friends and family, because it’s amazing.

 

And you’re amazing, my friend. So let’s take us behind the curtain here, Nick, and give us more of the story. And then I know that I’m going to have a ton of questions for you about the story. And then we’ll launch into some of the other, you know, business related things. But I want Onward Nation to first hear the story, because it is such a great story about survival, victory and discipline.

 

So take us into the story, Nick. Sure. So it was the year of eighth grade for me, and it was February 5th, 2003. We were headed to school a little bit early and headed on the bus. Overdue ski club, why choose Mount? And we had all brought our stuff. My group of friends at least had brought our stuff on the bus so we could get ready right there.

 

And I miss a precious moment. Once we got to the mountain in getting ready, I noticed I had forgotten one thing: my helmet. I just thought to be careful I’d be safe. Excuse me. Then as soon as we got to the mountain, because we were already ready, we headed right for the top. And on the way to the top, we noticed that it was very icy because it had been raining and people were wiping out everywhere.

 

Okay, but I wasn’t a beginner, I guess. So border. So, you know, I got to the top and headed straight for the biggest jump with all my speed. And actually going up to the jump was, table top about. I don’t know, I don’t want to sensationalize Everest ten, 10 or 15 ft high and go up the job.

 

I called the edge of my cell board kind of threw me off balance. However, Steve, I was just going too fast. I was too close to the top to stop. So I went off the jump. I was later told that I landed on my head. I went off the jump, I landed on my head and I wasn’t wearing a helmet.

 

Also, the doctors told my parents that I probably wouldn’t walk, talk or eat again on my own. So then I was in an induced coma, partially induced because they told me without putting me under a little bit with drugs, that I would have been out just from the impact alone about ten days in a coma. Just on that impact alone. 

 

However, because the swelling was so much in my brain that they feared that I would wake up, I would freak out and be like, what the heck happened? Where am I? The swelling went up in my brain and I would have died. So let me see. It’s like this much detail is not not something that I usually talk about.

 

I’m completely comfortable with it. But, there were several things like that that turned out to be positive. I’m here talking to you today. Like, for instance, there was only out of the EMT, the emergency medical team staff that came in the ambulance. There were only two, 1 or 2 people out of the eight on staff that could intubate.

 

Right on the spot. And one of those people happened to be working that night. Wow. So that happened. And then, the swelling and then I was in. So I was in a coma for three weeks. However, Steve, I really don’t remember a month, just because it was partially induced and coming off those drugs.

 

I mean, I see videos of myself, really. And, I mean, I’m in the emergency room. UMass Memorial in Worcester. I don’t remember one thing about UMass, one thing, but I see videos of myself all, like, with my eyes open and I’m like, ooh, I don’t remember any of that. But the funny thing is we go, we have gone back to UMass.

 

Read about taking on challenges in the real estate business

 

Taking on Challenges: Nick’s Time At The Hospital

 

I spoke at a groundbreaking ceremony back in 2005. They had after I was out of the hospital, obviously, and everything. And I just walked around, what do they call it? The emergency from the, like the intensive care unit. I walked around and I was like, God, I’ve been here before.

 

I remember this, like. And then I saw some of the nurses and doctors, like, she looked really familiar, but I had no way of knowing it. But that was because I came out of the partially induced coma. There and then once I was stabilized, I was moved to Franciscan Children’s Hospital in Boston. I was originally on the third floor.

 

That’s where the more serious cases go on the third floor. And to be candid with you, Steve, I really don’t remember. Hardly anything from being on the third floor. Just because it was, I don’t know, it was so early on in my recovery. It’s almost like it’s almost a good thing that I don’t.

 

I don’t remember much, I guess, from that just because that was the idea, I think, of the doctors inducing me partially. So then once I was stabilized there, I got moved down to the second floor unit. That’s really where all my memories come from, being there. I met a lot of great people. One person that comes to mind is Brian.

 

He was a boy about five years. He was five years younger than me. And he was born without the use of his arms and his hands. So he would do everything that you and I do with our hands. He would do them with his feet. He would beat me in video games.

 

So, yeah, it was pretty amazing. Just trying to think and then. All right, so once I was there, once I was on the second floor unit, I had double sessions of physical, occupational and speech therapy. I got up, I had to shower and get going. I had to learn how to do that again, if you can picture that.

 

Read about taking on challenges in the real estate business

 

Taking on Challenges: Learning How to Walk Again

 

So I had the occupational therapist come in, like, come in the bathroom. It was, it’s certainly humbling. Of course, I guess I don’t even know if humbling is the word, but I really didn’t have a choice. So she helped me learn how to shower again. And then after that, I went downstairs, had all my therapies, had a full session of occupational therapy, speech therapy and physical therapy.

 

And I see videos of myself. There’s still a picture. And if you look it up on YouTube, you can see the video that Frances cat made for me when I won their Profile in Courage Award back in 2005 or 2006. But they made a video, and in that video, it has a clip of me between two balance bars.

 

I guess you could call it learning. Learning how to walk again and I really, you know, I get so consumed with life, as I’m sure you do. And Onward Nation listeners do that. You just kind of, you know, you get in a tunnel vision and you’re just going and you beat yourself up over something.

 

But then I, for example, my sister Kayla, she shared a memory on Facebook a couple years ago saying, sharing that picture of me learning how to walk again. They said, basically, what’s your excuse? And I saw that and I was like, because I guess a lot of her, whether friends or her, just people around her were complaining about pointless things.

 

So she said, really? Like, is that a big deal? I posted that picture and I would like to get a lesson from that. I was like, she’s really like what I have going on. Is it really? That’s like, it does not matter. Like, it really doesn’t matter because I’m here. Amen. 

 

Read about taking on challenges in the real estate business

 

Taking on Challenges: Don’t Walk, Just Run

 

So Nick was there for a moment in time when you thought to yourself or said to yourself, yeah, I’m going to walk again.

 

Not only am I going to walk again, I’m going to run because I know that now you’ve run half marathons. You run four miles a day to stay in shape, like was there a moment in time where you said to yourself, enough is enough, and this is not going to be me going forward?

 

Well, yeah, it’s not one thing. I mean, for four miles a week, maybe for four miles a week. Okay. Yeah. I’ll do, like, one good run a week, I think. Okay. But to answer your question, yeah, there was actually I don’t know if you’re even asking this, but I’m going to be candid with you and tell you this.

 

There was actually a moment when I kind of just questioned everything. It was shortly shortly after coming out of my coma in my hospital room in between therapies. I remember, like, I’m right back in the hospital. If I think about this, in between therapies, I’m in my wheelchair. I still couldn’t walk.

 

I could barely talk. It was very soft and I just was. I don’t know, I don’t know if the word is frustrated but, just in my situation, I was looking at my, like the wheelchair and like doing everything and I just looked over. I’m with my mom, who is by my side. I had family by my side 24 hours a day.

 

So if it wasn’t my mom, my dad or uncle or grandfather would come at night and stay with me. But I just turned to her and I said, mom, am I ever going to be able to walk again? And she did not even hesitate. She very affirmatively said like, of course you are. No, like duh, absolutely.

 

You’re going to walk in you. And that’s that. I think the right there once I knew once I had that affirmation, once I learned that I think the goal formed by running out of the hospital, but it was that moment of doubt where I was like, where the heck is this going?

 

So, I mean. Looking over your questions, and I didn’t frankly, Steve, I had no clue this was the direction I was going to go in. So forgive me if I’m going somewhere. Where you don’t want the listeners to go, but that just kind of, I think that’s important because everyone goes through times when they’re like, you know, this isn’t working.

 

And I got to do something different. And everything they’re facing is a brick wall that they’re turning into. And I just think you need to have those positive influences and those positive people around you too. And we definitely have that with you, Steve. Because we do a lot together and I’m very appreciative for that.

 

Read about taking on challenges in the real estate business

 

Taking on Challenges: Gaining Confidence to Get Back on Your Feet

 

Thank you for saying that. And what you’re illustrating here is or I should say, this is a great illustration of the power of the inner circle, the power of mentors, the power of family. And in what confidence in this case, you ask your mom a pointed question. A question that is filled with hope from you.

 

Right. And she wants to instill that hope back in you, but then also not give you false hope, but to give you the confidence that you could do it. Now, it wasn’t going to happen overnight. It was going to require discipline, strength and mental fortitude and the right attitude and a lot of hard work every single day to get there.

 

But that’s it. Even though I’ve heard you share your story before, I didn’t know that your mom stepped in and gave you that solid answer when you needed it, that needed it the most and the powerful impact that that had on you. That is awesome. Yeah. And really, she still does that today. Know she’s an amazing lady because, I mean, you know, like everyone I, you know, I have no lingering issues necessarily from my accident or anything, but I have a little bit of a we had to reschedule this.

 

I had a little bit of a voice. The issue that I’m kind of on the tail end of dealing with is she’s been right by me the whole time. Like whenever I try to overanalyze something or think, well, I did this and this happens, so I should never do this again. Or like, I over analyze and over talk about it and I don’t even think that’s not a word.

 

But if I just over analyze something and, all consumed, I’m all turned inwards saying like, while this happened and I can’t do this and I get everything. And she has just been there the whole time and said, Theresa, very nonchalant. Yeah, you’re 100%, of course. Yeah, you’re going to be back, you know, 100%. Your voice can be back on 2%.

 

It’s like, don’t worry about it. Just just focus. Focus on the good things in life and what you’re thankful for. Let’s think about daily habits. And I know it’s something that you study a lot. I know that daily discipline is something that rings true for you. 

 

Read about taking on challenges in the real estate business

 

Taking on Challenges: Meditation and Qigong

 

So let’s think about daily habits as it relates to success. Is there, I should say, a habit or two, Nick, that you strongly believe have contributed to your success along the way? One thing that’s really helped me is learning how to meditate. I learned how to meditate. I think it was about. It was almost exactly ten years ago.

 

I met my dad at a conference, and at this particular time, a bunch of people came to the hotel the night before. One of them was a Chinese tai chi master named Ming. And he just amazed me and that he was just, almost like my mom was so resolute in the fact that.

 

And again, I don’t have any lingering issues or anything, but he was just very he was someone who I was attracted to right from the moment I met him. And since then, I’ve been seeing him once a month, once every month or two for the last ten years. And during that time he’s taught me how to meditate and do qigong.

 

So I do that every morning. Now, I’m not perfect. It doesn’t happen every single morning, seven days a week, probably, I would say anywhere from 3 to 4 times where I’m going to meditate for 20 minutes and then do qigong for another 15 or 20 minutes. And I built that up. That didn’t come like the first time I tried to meditate.

 

That happened, but I built that up over ten years. It’s taken ten years to get there, but I really really attribute that to a lot of them. I can’t say the success of that because it’s not something tangible, but it really sets the stage in centering me for the day ahead. So I really really enjoy that every morning. 

 

Read about taking on challenges in the real estate business

 

Taking on Challenges: Skills Needed to Scale Your Business

 

Let’s think about this from a, like, to get your perspective as it relates to skills. So you and I were together, you know, just three short weeks ago. You know, during the building, the scaling secrets event that you and everybody at Smart Real Estate Coach were hosting, there in Newport and you and the rest of the team sharing, you know, insights and secrets and advice and systems and strategy to to build and scale from a business.

 

So from your perspective, let’s think about that from a skills perspective. Is there a certain skill that really stands out that if a business owner wants to be able to scale his or her business and build that business, is there a certain skill that you think they need to master? Maybe one over any other?

 

It’s, yeah, that’s a very good question. It’s my mindset first and foremost. But then it’s the ability to systemize things and do them. So you’re not the one that knows everything because you can be the best at every little thing. But if you’re the best at menial tasks like doing, doing paperwork and getting the paperwork together or something like that, you’re not going to be able to grow.

 

So I think the system sizing and everything, that’s something I’ve really learned from my dad since I’ve started working with him, is everything. Everything can be broken down into a system. Does that make sense? It does make sense. And Chris and the rest of your team do that expertly. Well, I think it was Peter Drucker I want to say was Peter Drucker.

 

Maybe I’m going to get this wrong or if I do, I apologize. But, I think it was Peter who said that essentially, I’m paraphrasing, the worst thing that you can do is the wrong thing efficiently. Right. So being able to focus on your most vital priorities, the priorities are going to move your business forward and being able to systemize the rest.

 

Right, Nick? Yes, absolutely. Because really there’s only a few. There’s only a few keys. There’s only a few key things that you should be doing that’s going to get you new business every week and every day. 

 

Read about taking on challenges in the real estate business

 

Taking on Challenges: Most Influential Lesson from a Mentor

 

Let’s think about mentorship, because I think you’re giving us great mentorship. You’re giving onward business owners great mentorship.

 

You know, your story is really not only powerful and deeply emotional, but it also is mentorship. A great example of this is saying no to what the naysayers say. This is what can happen when you do that, when you decide to work and push through and so forth. And so I’m grateful that you shared your story, because I think it is a great learning and a great example for Onward Nation business owners.

 

So now I want to flip that. So you’ve been a great mentor here. So now I want you to tell us about the most influential lesson that you ever learned from one of your mentors. And then how that lesson helped you become the person you are today. Okay. One of my mentors is my duel who I follow.

 

I’m actually going next week to his train and trainer conference. I live in Denver. And it’s really to learn from. I’ve already been to the event. I went to the event. I went to that same event in 2017, but that was to get certified to teach his material. So I’m going back a second time, this kind of higher level material, and I don’t use it necessarily to teach his stuff.

 

I’m just looking for an outside perspective that we can use in our business. And to get ideas from it. But he’s someone that I constantly get insight and things to improve my life and I recommend that anyone interested in what he does, notes from the university.

 

You can go to touch.com and sign up for free, and you can get an email I know from the universe sent you every day. So, that’s my current mentor. I actually want to kind of go off base here. Okay. Actually, when I first got out of high school, I graduated in 2007.

 

Read about taking on challenges in the real estate business

 

Taking on Challenges: Creating a Mastermind

 

Shortly after that, in March of 2018, I got my real estate license. I know the best time to get a real estate license during that time though. That summer my dad, because my dad had his real estate license again, he got it for a couple of years. And during that, during that summer, we went to a Craig Proctor event down in Florida.

 

Okay. Now Craig Proctor necessarily isn’t the mentor that I want to bring up, but one of the people, one of the coaches that was coaching for him at the time that I really connected with was Danny Griffin, who’s on the cape. And I’ve actually been there to visit him in his office a few times. 2 or 3 times I’ve gone and and shadowed him and spent the day and gone to lunch with them and he’s someone that I really connect to with just because I think he really, really pulls from the self-improvement stuff like that’s out there, but not not necessarily all that New Age stuff.

 

He goes back to the classics a lot like Napoleon Hill, those types of people. So I think he really got me going in the right direction. Back in 2009, I would say that I really upgraded to the mastery level and started working with him directly. And then out of that, I actually created a mastermind.

 

Me and a few other people, someone in Canada and someone in North Carolina who we still keep in touch with. And it was ten years ago when we had that mastermind and that was that. That was actually at his urging, Danny’s urging. He told us that we should contact each other to get in touch with a mastermind because we were all at the time, we were all young guys, all looking to do the same thing.

 

And so it was a really great fit. And I still connect with them. They become great friends and I keep a key part of my life. I think that is also a great lesson for Onward Nation business owners and for what you just shared with us about your own educational as well as mentorship experience. But then that’s something that I know is true.

 

As part of your culture as a family owned business, that you all invest in yourselves, your ongoing or your continuing education, your own professional and personal development. And and so I see that kind of just woven into the DNA of the entire business, which is really inspiring, because every time that I’m talking to Chris or Zak or, you know, whomever like it events and whatnot, you’re all talking about, oh, I just got back from this class, or that mastermind, or this workshop or that seminar where I saw this person on stage like, wow, there’s just that ongoing investment.

 

And it’s really, really I mean, it sounds so bad, but it’s really smart that you guys do that. Now. We should do that. That’s funny. So great conversation. Thank you for letting us go so far behind the curtain into your story. But as I said before, I wanted Onward Nation business owners to be able to hear that because it’s such a, it sounds so bad to say it’s such a great story.

 

The result, outcome and how you’ve turned that into strength and discipline and commitment really speaks though, to who you are as a person, Nick. And so thank you for sharing that at that level of depth, because that was a great lesson. So I know we covered a lot, but before we go, before we close out and say goodbye, any final advice that you like to share? Anything you think we might have missed, Nick? And then please tell Onward Nation business owners the best way to connect with you. 

 

Read about taking on challenges in the real estate business

 

Taking on Challenges: Final Advice from Nick

 

Yeah, the thing that we didn’t cover that I want to make sure we talk about is now you see especially on social media and things like that are out there today. You see a lot of grandiose things, a lot of big things like, oh, this guy sold 500 houses.

 

In a year, this investor needs, you know, 300 million. He’s approaching, you know, through a billion or something like that. All these, since rational numbers and nuggets or not nuggets, but numbers that people think. Oh, well, that’s insane. I’ll never get there. But you don’t have to focus on that. What you have to focus on is taking the first step.

 

Just take the first step that will help you to develop the habit, which has the potential to get you to that higher number. Do an X amount of deals or, with me, like walking. When I was learning how to walk in, I didn’t say, okay, I’m going to run a half marathon or I’m going to run a ten mile race.

 

I literally just just step one step at a time. And that’s actually what I say to all of our buyers today. I was on the phone today. I recorded the call I could share with you where I said, all right, let’s just take it one step at a time, you know, and that’s I think the important thing that we all say that here at the office and at the Smart Real Estate Coaching prep property team, we all say that.

 

Okay, let’s just take it one step at a time, not get overwhelmed, just go do acts, and then we can worry about why. This is a great perspective, because sometimes it does feel overwhelming to the Onward Nation that your grand dream, your grand plan, your vision for your business, where it might be where you might want to be in five years or ten years.

 

It all has to start with today. It is one step at a time. Inch by inch is how we improve our businesses. So that is a great reminder to keep, you know, have a vision for the future, but keep focused on the present and that it is just one step at a time. So what is the best way for Onward Nation to reach you next?

 

Read about taking on challenges in the real estate business

 

Taking on Challenges: How to Connect with Nick

 

They are welcome to shoot me an email. That’s [email protected] be happy to get in touch with anyone that way. Okay, Onward Nation, no matter how many notes you took or how often you go back and re-listen to Nick’s words of wisdom, the key is you need to take his advice, his tactical steps, his framework.

 

Take it and apply it into your business right away and accelerate your results. And Nick, we all have the same 86,400 seconds in a day, my friend. And I am grateful that you said yes. Took the time out of your compressed schedule to come on to the show, to be our mentor and our guide to help us move our businesses onward to that next level. Thank you so much, Nick. You’re welcome, Steve, and thanks for having me Onward Nation. 

 

This episode is complete, so head over to OnwardNation.com for show notes and more food to fuel your ambition. Continue to find your recipe for success here at Onward Nation.

 

Read about taking on challenges in the real estate business