I’ve wanted to talk about this for a while - and the timing finally feels right.

Last year, I spent $30,000 on education and networking.

That’s more than I’ve ever invested in this area. For context, in previous years I was probably closer to $5K total. And if I’m being honest, even that felt uncomfortable for a long time.

I used to view education and networking as a “nice to have” - something I’d invest in after everything else was handled. After payroll. After projects. After overhead. After the business felt more stable.

But after seeing how this investment impacted my business, my confidence, and the direction I’m heading, I can say this clearly:

The ROI was far greater than I ever expected - and in ways I didn’t fully understand at the time.

So much so that I’m planning to double down this year.

Here’s why.

“You Can Learn Everything on YouTube”… Right?

For a long time, I believed this.

And to be fair - it’s not completely wrong.

Between YouTube, podcasts, online courses, and now AI, you can access an unbelievable amount of information for free. Step-by-step processes. Frameworks. Systems. Answers in seconds.

When you stack that against the normal costs of running a business - projects, payroll, overhead - it’s easy to justify not spending real money on education and networking.

That question kept me stuck for years:

Why would I allocate a serious budget to something I can mostly learn online?

The shift for me came when I realized something important.

Education isn’t about information anymore.

It’s about nuance.

The Gap Between Knowing and Executing

Most people don’t struggle because they lack information.

They struggle because there’s a gap between what they know and what they can consistently execute.

You’ve probably felt this before. You spend hours - or weeks - learning a concept. You understand the steps. You feel confident. And then you apply it in the real world and realize something is missing.

That missing piece is rarely another video or checklist.

It’s context. Judgment. Experience.

This is where education and networking together become powerful.

When you’re in the right rooms, you’re no longer learning in isolation. You’re learning from people who’ve already been through the decisions you’re facing right now. You can ask real questions, pressure-test your thinking, and shortcut mistakes that would otherwise cost you months or years.

Having someone in front of you - sharing first-hand experience with real-world context - is something you simply can’t replicate through a screen.

The Real ROI Was the Network

If I’m being honest, most of that $30K wasn’t about the education itself.

It was about the network.

If you know me, you know I’m big on community. That focus didn’t happen by accident - it’s something we’ve intentionally doubled down on inside TRP over the past year.

Because opportunity doesn’t come from information alone.

It comes from relationships.

I’ve watched this play out repeatedly. Someone’s business doesn’t always grow gradually. Sometimes it changes suddenly. And more often than not, that shift can be traced back to a single relationship.

But those relationships don’t come from staying comfortable.

They come from getting into the right rooms.

Success Leaves Clues

Once I started investing at a higher level, a pattern became impossible to ignore.

The most successful people I know spend significantly on education and networking.

Not because they enjoy spending money - but because they understand leverage.

Being in those rooms showed me what execution at a higher level actually looks like. These weren’t aspiring operators. These were people solving bigger problems, thinking longer-term, and building businesses designed to last.

Surrounding myself with people like that raised my standards naturally. It challenged how I thought. It pushed me to see what was possible.

Investing in my network put me in the best possible position to follow that path.

And honestly, it started to feel inevitable.

The “Immediate” Effect Nobody Talks About

This is the part that’s hardest to explain - but impossible to ignore.

Every time I join the right network or community, my business levels up quickly. And when I say quickly, I mean within weeks.

Sometimes it’s a shift in perspective that changes how I approach a decision. Sometimes it’s a single conversation that reframes an entire strategy. Other times, it’s access to people I never would have crossed paths with otherwise.

There isn’t always a clean spreadsheet explanation for it.

But the impact is real.

That said, this only works if you’re intentional. This isn’t an excuse to spend recklessly or chase every shiny opportunity. You still need to do the vetting. You still need to choose the right rooms.

When you do, the upside can be massive.

Don’t Be the Smartest Person in the Room

One of the most impactful rules I’ve followed in business is this: don’t be the smartest person in the room.

When you consistently put yourself around people who are doing significantly more than you - running bigger operations, solving harder problems, thinking further ahead - something shifts. Your perspective expands. Your excuses get quieter. Your standards rise.

At first, it can feel uncomfortable. You become more aware of what you don’t know. But that discomfort is a signal you’re exactly where you need to be.

Over time, you grow into that room. And eventually, you outgrow it.

That’s not a setback - it’s progress.

The move then isn’t to get comfortable, but to find the next room where you’re challenged again. That cycle - stepping into rooms that stretch you, growing into them, and then moving on - is what leveling up actually looks like.

Final Reminder: Spend Intentionally, Not Recklessly

This isn’t about throwing money around.

It’s about being intentional.

Vet the leaders. Talk to references. Make sure values align. Understand what you’re actually investing in.

But once you’ve done that work, don’t let hesitation hold you back.

If there’s one thing I can confidently guide you toward, it’s this: strategic investment in education and community can be one of the highest-ROI decisions you ever make.

It certainly has been for me.

And if you’re looking for a room built around real operators, real accountability, and real execution - that’s exactly why we built The Rehabber’s Playbook.

Community isn’t a bonus.

It’s the multiplier.

When you get it right, everything else starts to move faster.