Background:

I completed my associates degree in information technology with an emphasis on networking, and I achieved the CCNA certification (Cisco Certified Networking Associate)My first job in IT was running the IT department. (knew the right people and got lucky). I then met Aubrie and moved to Springfield MO where I was a level 1 system administrator. Within 2 years I passed MCITP:SA 2008, MCSA 2012, MCSE 2012, and I was promoted to level 2. Aubrie (fiancée) mentioned that she was interested in real estate investing which eventually lead us to Bill Gulley

Path to Bill Gulley:

The very first thing I did was review a company that Aubrie had found which promised a job and training. The name of the company was Renatus. Up front they stated that they spent a lot of time and money to determine how far they could go with a pyramid scheme before they had to file it with the government. They then went on to explain the marketing job and admitted that it was a pyramid scheme. What they didn't explain is how they created several companies for each step of the way so that they could have several pyramid schemes. They also didn't discuss the quality of school in much detail. I could see how a person could be successful in this, but I decided that this was not for us. I then started doing research online for real estate education. What I found was that there were no schools that were clearly the leader on real estate education. They usually only focused on passing tests. This is what turned me to biggerpockets. I decided that I'd have a better chance of success trying to piece all the information together than I would trying to pay for education. This is where I met Bill Gulley.

Who Is Bill Gulley

Bill is the smartest businessman and real estate investor I have ever met/read about. He has an account on this forum  (as most of you know) which lists several of his former careers. Basically, he has experience in almost everything related to real estate. If you know real estate then you know the encompasses several different fields; business, real estate, education, politics, ect.... Here is a story to give you an example of the knowledge he has: There were two ladies that owned several cabins/houses along a river. Both had equal interests in all the properties. One of the ladies decided to split and the other wanted to move. The legal descriptions of the properties were extremely unusual and the two ladies were not communicating. Bill was approached to help solve the problem. He convince the lady that wanted to move to give him her half in return for an interest % in the property when everything was fixed. Bill then used his half as leverage against the other lady. She either had to sell her half to Bill or go to court where Bill would force her to sell. The lady decided to sell her half to her lawyer who then told Bill what Bill had told the lady. Bill was able to convince the lawyer to sell his half to Bill (you'd have to ask him how he did this). Bill then corrected all the legal descriptions so that the properties were uniform. This increased the value of all the properties. He was then able to sell/rent at a much higher price. Best of all.......he did this without using any of his own money.

Bill's Education

Bill's first task in educating me was ensuring that I don't read "guru crap," and to help me find a good book that he could teach me from. This actually ended up being harder than we thought it would be. This is because Missouri does not have a specific state book for real estate like they used to. Instead, the educators have to create the curriculum to help students pass the state exam. The education programs are audited to ensure they setup the students for success. Bill used his connections (phones calls and office visits) to eventually get us to "Mastering Principles of Real Estate Fourth Generation" by Gerald R Cortesi. I have been reading it and writing notes. Bill and I have also been meeting on Sundays to discuss real estate related items such as my business plans, real estate experiences, and any questions I have from the book. Bill plans to create worksheets to go with the book so that I have real life examples of each lesson. We also plan to discuss business models so that I can make my dream real and successful.

Conclusion

If all you are looking for is to pass your real estate exam or make a quick buck then there are lots of guru books out there for you. If you are looking to be an extremely successful real estate investor (or anything related to real estate) then I highly suggest that you talk with Bill Gulley. His knowledge and experience will ensure that you are successful and legally compliant......unlike most "guru crap."

Thanks @Bill G.