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Meet My Friend
Don Loyd
My first memory of Don is of a friendly, unassuming gentleman who was gracious and complimentary of those around him. We met at the gym—both part of what we refer to as “the morning gym crowd”.
Don and I spoke briefly on a frequent basis. What I have discovered while spending more time with Don is that this seemingly simple person is really a multifaceted and dynamic individual who can be a tough businessman on one hand and yet on the other kind and nurturing.
There is no question that Don is qualified to pass along information on the topic of this book – and give great tips for being successful. His professional resume includes business owner, real estate developer, general contractor, investor, mortgage broker, teacher, writer, author and public speaker.
He can tell you about overcoming difficulties in your life and using your challenges as building blocks for creating a stronger, more fulfilling life. So the question becomes, what qualifies Don to write about overcoming difficulties? As Paul Harvey as well as Don has so eloquently put it, you have to know “The Rest of the Story.”
I want you to go back to your childhood days of lemonade stands, allowances, and piggy banks. Those are some of the things that taught most of us about money and how we place value on things.
Now imagine a seven year old boy knocking on your door, trying to sell you a box of greeting cards—not for the local school or the boy scouts, but for his own individual sense of entrepreneurship.
How could anyone NOT buy those greeting cards? That little boy was Don Loyd. Selling greeting cards is, however, just one example of his determination and work ethic.
He also created a roadside apple stand when he was in the second grade. And he was certainly not afraid to work hard. He got those apples by gathering them with his brother from nearby orchards. I don’t know about you but my Mom made my lemonade.
Unfortunately for the Loyd brothers, the apples didn’t sell well, but Don was determined to find his gold mine—even at that young age. As he puts it, “The fact that I had failed didn’t seem to bother me. I kept thinking and planning”. From this, the greeting card sales business was born. Despite his mother’s repeat patronage, however, the greeting cards weren’t as profitable as he had imagined.
From there he moved on to TV Guide sales, and ultimately the coveted paper route. Now, I want you to imagine being that young boy selling greeting cards, TV Guides®, and delivering papers to houses—but not being able to speak one, clear, intelligible sentence.
Yes—Don had a terrible speech impediment. You would never know it to watch him speak now, but for the majority of his early years he stuttered so badly that there were times people could not understand him. He describes it this way; “My problem made talking difficult and understanding what I was saying almost impossible at times.”
As an example of how bad his speech was, when he tried to enlist in the Army, even they rejected him. He states: “This was during the Viet Nam war and they were taking almost any young man with a normally beating heart.”
As you might imagine his peers often teased and made fun of him. They made jokes about his stuttering and called him names such as “Stutterin’ Don”. To make matters worse, his family moved frequently, sometimes up to two times per school year. That meant he had to switch schools and adjust to a new group of kids each time.
It’s hard enough to move once when you are growing up, even if you are among the “in” crowd. Knowing that with each move the teasing would start over with fresh ideas and a new group of tormenters must have been Hell.
I remember growing up watching kids who had troubles similar to those that Don experienced. I knew some of them. To this day, I have friends and acquaintances who have never gotten over the emotional scars that they bore as the result of youthful cruelty. These are scars that have a lasting impact on self-esteem, personal feelings of value, and often keep people from believing they can be successful.
Yet Don has far surpassed what even he knew he could accomplish. He is a testament to overcoming hardship, and in fact, looking it square in the eye and charging full speed ahead. Not only has he been successful, but he is successful at the very thing that was once the hardest for him—speaking.
His is a message that is universal in scope and applicable to all of us at varying times in our lives: “As hard as my speech impediment was to endure, I was determined not to let it, or other people’s reaction to it, stand in the way of my dreams. I decided I was in charge of my life, not those who poked fun of or ridiculed me. My success, if any, was up to me.”
This is the basic principle for our message. Our lives, our dreams, our success, are determined by our choices. We are responsible for creating our own happiness despite what happens to us or what others think of us.
During our conversations, Don expressed to me another very important lesson that he’s learned, and that is the relationship between success and significance. Everyone wants to be “successful,” but what does that really mean?
Don put it best when he said, “Success is a fickle thing that is defined differently in different cultures and to different people. Significance, on the other hand, is what one does with his or her success. It is about giving to others and contributing to something bigger.”
He went on to say, “I would rather be significant than ‘successful’.” It is this that I find to be the essence of Don.
I will share one final quote from Don to summarize the relationship between success and significance. “If, at the end of your life, there are trophies and money, and world acclaim, you may be considered successful. If you leave something greater than you are that carries on, you may be described as significant.”
I count it a privilege to know Don, and to have learned from him. I am honored that he considers me a colleague. He is a shining example of overcoming struggles, and he has a fantastic formula for success. I hope that you will not only learn from his experience, but also enjoy being a part of his significance.
Shannon Bart, MA (Psychology)
Health CoachTaken from Don's book:
Taking Back Your Life -
Simple Strategies for Personal Growth
Recomendations for
Coach Don Loyd
“Don Loyd is a champion. He has the ability to conceptualize
ideas and successfully implement them. Similarly, he has the ability to
help others move ideas from mere possibilities to reality.
"A unique
character trait of Don’s is his ‘100 percent positive perspective in
life.’ Don realizes that we are each individually responsible for our
mental quality of life.
"This attitude has helped him rise above
numerous adverse circumstances to become a successful realtor,
developer, author and mentor.”
Jeff Ings, BGJJ, LLC
“Don has the heart of a teacher and knows how to motivate and educate
those around him. His character and tenacity are traits I enjoy
surrounding myself with.
"I've experienced Don the Builder, the Realtor,
the speaker and the educator and author. I would gladly work with him again in any
of these arenas.”
Eric Hardenbrook, Hardenbrook Enterprises Inc.
“I have known Don on three levels over the
past 20 or more years: First...as a fellow Real Estate Agent, secondly
when he was the Broker/Owner of a Real Estate Company and I was an
Agent, and thirdly as a friend, perhaps the most important!
"On all
three levels, I found him to be personable, and loyal. He’s a person of
high integrity and high standards. Don is one of the most
creative/innovative, ‘outside the box" thinkers, I have ever
encountered!
"He is a great teacher, and I have always been awed by his
broad spectrum of knowledge! Most of all, he practices what he
preaches and teaches. A great guy to have on your side!”
Terry Dwyer, Real Estate Broker / BusinessOwner, Retired
“Don is a
very energetic and creative individual. He has a tremendous wealth of
knowledge in many aspects of real estate – brokerage, development,
financing, construction to name a few.
"His creativity extends beyond
real estate to business ventures in general. He is very optimistic and
upbeat regardless of the economic turmoil we are operating in. He is
also interested in helping others succeed and achieve their personal
goals.
"To that end he has authored a number of books and is involved
with small groups focused on real estate investing as well as personal
development like improving ones presentation skills for example.
"Having a
conversation with Don will make one feel better about life regardless
of the topic or situation.”
Marvin Kau, VP of Brokerage, Principal Broker, Bluestone & Hockley Real Estate Services
"I first met Don in 1983 and we became close friends. This is what I
have learned about him: Don is one of the most energetic, motivated and
goals driven men I have ever know.
"He isn't one to shrink in the face of challenge. What I find most impressive is his natural ability and desire to encourage others to move beyond their own mediocrity, to embrace a higher and nobler goal never before imagined."
Glen Pierpoint,
Pierpoint Properties, LLC
“I've known Don for
four years. As an investor and The Real Estate Investor's Lawyer, I've
had the opportunity to see several of his real estate investments. I've
always been impressed with the quality of his transactions, his creativity and
ability to locate profitable opportunities. I give him my highest recommendation.”
Jeff Lerman, Partner
Lerman Law Partners, LLP
“Don comes with my highest regards. He is
smart, caring, a person of strong of character and has a wealth of
knowledge and great sense of humor. He's always looking on how to move
the string uphill to archive the greatest results for all involved.
"I
highly recommend that people spend time with Don and get to know him, as
l have. We all will be better off for it.”
Gerry R. Nelson, MBA
G&G Connections
“Don Loyd has proved to be not
only a trustworthy and loyal business associate but a very true and
loyal friend. Don is extremely knowledgeable and experienced in business
and has a proven track record of starting, building, and running
several successful businesses.
"I value Don as a friend and always seek his counsel when contemplating major business decisions. He really knows how to get things done and will be an asset to any business, student or client that seeks his services.” Bruce Kapp, DreamMaker Press
"I have had the privilege of getting to know Don Loyd
as a business acquaintance. Don impressed me immediately with his
positive attitude - very refreshing. Don has the qualities that attract
positive energy and he is always willing to share his knowledge without
being presumptuous.
"Anyone who has the opportunity to align themselves
with Don will be well on their way to making it a great day."
Jean Washechek
"Don and I joined forces to
identify and implement potential marketing and sales strategies for a
start-up financial services company called Salus Marketing. I found Don to be highly
intelligent, determined and a problem solver.
"He was constructive in his
business recommendations and always willing to jump in to deliver
results.”
Karl Edmunds, Vice President, Frank Lynn & Associates
"I worked with Don at Salus Marketing and got to
know him pretty well. He was Director of Sales Communication and I
served as the National Recruiter. I found him to be a creative, talented
partner who was always ready to step up to the plate and do what was
needed.
"I also found him to be selfless, a problem solver, and recommend him
because he cares about the quality of his clients and the overall good
of his co-workers.”
Stephen A. Tabb, CFEd
"Top qualities: Personable, High Integrity, Creative. Don comes with my highest recommendations. He is always looking for new ideas to assist his clients. I admire him for his creative work and his willingness to "give first". You would be doing yourself a favor to align yourself with Don as I have.” Carl White
“I am recommending Don for his commitment to get
results. He cares about his clients in every way. Don will take the time
to listen to your needs and respond accordingly.
"He is and has always been about what is right for his client first and does not expect to get paid unless he performs his duties to the satisfaction of his clients. You will be well served to allow Don do what he does best., getting results.”
Jim Glazier, President,
JG Home Solutions
by Don Loyd
