“Poster Boy of Resilience” Is Now Running for Congress in the Twenty First District of Florida! (Peter Arianas)
About This Episode:
Amazed by Peter Arianas’ dogged determination and amazing ability to navigate through all the seemingly insurmountable challenges that came up in trying to close his first deal, Lance Edwards once dubbed him the “Poster Boy of Resilience.”
After completing one of Lance’s early courses in small apartment investing, Arianas was finding himself stuck trying to get started, feeling there was a missing piece. With nothing to lose, flew to Houston to join Lance’s hands-on mentoring program. When the deal that Arianas was working on in Akron, Ohio encountered a series of setbacks that would normally overwhelm a first time investor, Lance told him, “If I were you, I would back out.”
Fully believing that he could make good money on the deal if he stuck with it, Arianas chose not to take the advice – and his ultimate success earned Lance’s utmost respect as one of the organization’s early Apartment Champions.
Tune in as Mr. Arianas will discuss the details of his experience investing in small apartments and his journey to run for Congress.
Guest Speaker: Peter Arianas
Peter Arianas was one of Lance’s earliest Apartment Champions where he showed incredible determination and resilience to find success. Using these same traits, he has now turned his sights on a seat in congress!
What you’ll learn in this episode:
- Peter is a descendent of Spartans of Thermopylae, which may partially explain his warrior mentality.
- In his first transaction as a small apartment investor, Peter wholesaled a 40+ door property in Ohio and made $66,000 – with no experience, no cash, no credit and no support from anyone outside Lance’s organization. Lance still uses Peter’s incredible story as the epitome of persistence and never giving up. Peter’s success has converted a lot of naysayers, and he has helped many others get started in small apartments.
- Peter wants to take that never give up attitude to the House of Representatives to help constituents in the Twenty-First District of Florida.
- Peter gives a lot of credit for his initial success in small apartments to Lance having his back. He believes listening to Lance to show the way will make a major difference for investors.
- Peter admits he was skeptical before he met Lance, but attributes the initial issues holding him back were due to his fears and insecurities. Even when he did the first deal and had a check ready to go, he hesitated in mailing it. Overcoming that fear and dropping it in the mailbox gave him a sense of relief, like everything was going to be fine. Yet he faced many obstacles along the way, including, as Lance says, “the bank going sideways.” He had to call the bank president to get approval. Peter says dealing with the deadlines gave him gray hair!
- Despite the obstacles inherent in the deal, Peter just kept thinking he had to get this done. When people in his life acted doubtful, he dug in harder to get things done. He believe it was a good deal for all. Eventually, he got past the obstacles.
- At one point, seeing all the frustrating issues going on, Lance suggested Peter let the deal go. Peter appreciated Lance looking out for him, and helping him get the ball rolling – which made him even more determined to press forward. Once Peter closed the deal, he realized there was nothing he couldn’t do.
- Shortly after finishing the deal, Peter’s marriage ended and he lost everything. The success he had with the deal made him think he would be okay – and he was happy he would be receiving monthly payments.
- He feels like running for Congress is like a calling on his life – and no matter what happens along the way, he’s going to be fine. All because of how he persevered to become a successful small apartments investor. The support team he has assembled for his campaign is impressed that he never says or thinks anything negative. He’s brought the mindset gained from that first deal to many areas of his life.
- He told an admirer who heard his story, “I’m nobody’s hero. I just am persistent and refuse to let defeat beat me. There is no reason to and no one else should.” He relates his feeling to the Biblical imagery of having the faith of a mustard seed. “Just go forward and keep attacking and hitting it. . .and you’re going to break through.” The feeling he had in closing the deal was second best only to his daughter being born.
- While working for FEMA years ago, Peter penciled his name in on a mail in ballot because the person running didn’t have an opponent. That kind of boldness led him to take a more serious shot in 2022. He describes his decision to run as a spiritual decision, where God opened the door. He reflects on the fact that he’s had eight businesses – and the opportunity to succeed and fail like he has can only happen in America. He doesn’t approve of the way the country is being run and feels his children deserve better.
- The biggest frustrations he wants to address are gas prices, food prices and food not on the shelves because of supply chain issues. If he wins, his plan is to be re-elected and serve eight years. He believes in term limits. He wants unrighteous people out of office.
- Though the perseverance required is the same, running for Congress has greater challenges, including people spreading untruths about him, mudslinging, questioning his qualifications – to which he says, Trump had no qualifications when he ran for president, and Florida Gov. Ron De Santis didn’t have any conventional qualifications when he ran for Congress either.
- When people ask him how he brushes off all the negativity, he says he’s been through worse. “We’ll be fine,” he says. “The only people he wants to be a hero to are his children.”
- His advice for everyone with a goal, small apartment investors and others: “Set your goal and know that’s the goal and just focus on the goal. If you don’t believe it, go find people who believe in you. Because once you start believing in yourself, nobody can stop you.” He brags on his daughter, who at only 21 has investors lined up to help her open a restaurant when she graduates college.
Peter had a five step plan when he did the first apartment deal, and he has a five step plan on his website www.FLCD21.com. His other is www.ArianasToCongress.com.
Resources:
Grab a FREE Copy of Lance’s Best Selling Book, How to Make Big Money in Small Apartments here.
Get Access to Lance’s Best-selling Small Apartment Wholesaling Course here.