How to Gain Credibility Starting Out?

[William Goss]

Hey Everyone - I am new to BiggerPockets and since I have found these forums to be very valuable and a great source for information. I wanted to get everyone's opinion on getting credibility when first going off on your own.

A little background on myself, and I am 26 yrs old and initially worked in the venture capital/ hedge fund space for 3 years before doing consulting work for a reputable turnkey company. I have been learning the ins and outs of the business, and after working on a variety of projects for them over the last year and a half, I am starting my own real estate venture.

I’m curious as to what the best ways to gain credibility in the community as I am equipped with best practices of the business, but I am looking to gain credibility and a positive reputation in the community so that I can get past the hurdle of your first deal or two. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[Dan Weber]

What are your goals? What are you trying to gain credibility doing? If you want to simply house hack, you don't need the credibility of others. Are you trying to syndicate? That will require the ability to instill some sort of confidence in others that you know what you're talking about before they give you money. Figure out what your goals are and work backwards from there. Everyone brings something different to the table and I would argue that your pre-existing knowledge of venture capital info and the turnkey process is an awesome base.