Nate Armstrong is a career-long investor who specialized in real estate. He currently works as the chair for Home Invest in Illinois. Before rising to this position, he worked at Target. Whilst there, he focused on managing north of $2 million worth of various improvements to the company. More importantly, he led a team that contained 120 members and achieved the highest productivity level within the building in less than seven months. 

Nate Armstrong got his bachelor’s degree from Saint John’s University where he also co-founded the Premium Painting organization. His efforts were recognized when he received the Minnesota Collegiate Entrepreneur of the Year award. Thus, his business-based ideas came to life long before he even entered the entrepreneurial industry. 

What do you think are some of the main reasons for your success as an investor?

I think that my career has been a perfect combination of patience and discipline mixed with a lot of luck and dedication. In other words, there is no clear-cut list that shows all the factors that played a role in my success. After all, I have been in this field for many years now and every accomplishment was a byproduct of something different. For instance, my success at Target was directly related to my leadership and communication skills as I managed a large team. Here at Home Invest, however, I have to focus more on my investing intuition and knowledge of the market. Regardless, if I had to pick a few skills that I value the most, it would certainly be the four that I mentioned. 

Would you agree with the statement that investors are made, not born?

Absolutely! Frankly speaking, I do not believe in investors that are simply born with a talent for this job. The reason why is the fact that investing quite literally changes from year to year and it is borderline impossible to know what you are doing absent a lot of education and training. So, although one can definitely have some killer instincts that make them capture profitable deals fast, I do not see any skills that cannot be taught. 

How difficult is it to train oneself in such a volatile industry? Especially for those who may not have the natural instincts that you mentioned?

Well, I would not label it as “difficult” for a few different reasons. The most important one is the fact that those who want to be investors will enjoy the training and education stages. Thus, they should not be bothered by the potential level of difficulty or similar factors. Instead, the training should be something that makes them want to work in this field even more. 

What are some of the main areas of concern for newcomers to this market?

The risk of failure and a potential loss of capital is probably the most worrisome concern. After all, nobody likes to be a victim of an economic downturn and lose a lot of their portfolio’s value. Nevertheless, the sooner that one realizes that they will eventually lose money, the more likely they are to overcome this adversity. Also, people who are just beginning here should beware of a lot of competition that comes from all sides. Just consider, for instance, how many other investors there are in the market. So, you may have to go into bidding wars or tough negotiations in order to earn sizeable returns. 

What do you think is a good starting point before getting into large purchases and complex financing?

Well, obviously make sure to get some college education that teaches you the basics of business. I stress this due to the fact that it will help understand things like financing, taxation, accounting, and similar. Then, look for a mentor who can make the process of entering the field more seamless. Ultimately, simply find a property that you would like to own and look for some of the most common factors that indicate potential profitability. 

These include things like a good location that is in an up-and-coming area, decent price, solid structure, and so on. Be prepared to negotiate with financial institutions who will often have to back you up on your first purchase with financing. In the end, just listen to your gut and back up every decision with a plethora of research.