In partnership with

Why you're getting this: Welcome to My New Meta, where I share hard-earned wisdom (and humour-filled faceplants) from 30 years of corporate real estate development. Like Patrick Lencioni's business fables, I tell real stories (as I remember them) that reveal powerful lessons.

⚠️ Warning: Like all good storytellers, I may occasionally embellish for dramatic effect. While the lessons are real, some scenes have been enhanced for entertainment value but no spreadsheets were harmed in the making of this newsletter.

Here’s what I’ve got for you today:

Ready to transform how you create value at work? Last week, I spent an hour crawling through drainage culverts in my Italian suit to save a client millions.

Less than a year ago, I would've just made another PowerPoint about optimizing printer paper usage.

Here's what changed - and how you can use these lessons to boost your career.

TLDR (The No-BS Version):

• Value creation isn't just about saving pennies - it's about solving real problems

• Corporate skills + entrepreneurial mindset = powerful combo for career growth

• Small actions can add huge value (like $30k per minute when done right)

• Forget PowerPoints - focus on problems you can solve today

Let’s get into it.

Small Talk (Realizing Value)

Picture this: Young Greg (circa 1999), the suburban land development expert, armed with a colour-coded graph that "proved" all value in development came from acquisitions and entitlements.

I carried that graph everywhere like a teenage boy with his first fake ID - ready to show it off at the slightest provocation.

My theory? Construction teams were basically just there to not mess up my brilliant plans. In my mind, I was playing 4D chess while they were playing checkers.

I'd stroll into meetings, pointing at my precious graph:

"See? All the value happens here at the beginning!"

Meanwhile, Peter, our suburban construction expert, would just smile that knowing smile - you know, the one parents give toddlers who insist they can tie their own shoes.

The Pivot

Then we started doing mid-rise urban construction projects. Suddenly, my beautiful theory had more holes than my first attempt at reading a structural engineer's report.

Turns out in multi-family development, it's completely flipped - the real value comes from construction expertise and hard-won lessons in the field.

Looking back now, I realize Peter and his team saved my rear end more times than I've used the phrase "value engineering" (and that's A LOT).

Sorry Peter - while I was busy being the self-proclaimed development genius, you were actually getting stuff built.

The lesson? 

The smartest person in the room is usually the one who knows they aren't the smartest person in the room.

Years later, that graph is gone, but Peter's lessons about humility and respecting expertise still guide my decisions today.

On to the main event…

The Value Game: Part 1: Always Cleaning My Shoes

Act 1: The Corporate Scorecard

Scene: Executive boardroom, 16 months ago. The quarterly review meeting is in full swing. PowerPoint slides are heating up.

ME: "Alright team, Q4 review time. Karen, hit me with the numbers."

KAREN: (eager with her colour-coded spreadsheet) "We saved $742 on printer paper by switching fonts..."

ME: (nodding with executive gravitas) "Excellent. Make sure that gets highlighted in the quarterly board presentation."

BOB: (timidly raising hand) "Should we discuss market trends for next year?"

ME: "Not yet. First, let's review last month's operational metrics. Karen, you mentioned something about optimizing the coffee machine?"

KAREN: "I have a 47-slide presentation ready...lattes are so popular…the powdered milk is killing us!"

ME: "OMG…who would have guessed…let's spend the next hour on that."

Looking back, those meetings served their purpose. They kept us focused, accountable, and moving forward.

But they also taught me something valuable about different types of value creation.

Act 2: The Entrepreneurial Perspective

Now my days look different:

6 AM: Crawling through drainage culverts in my dress shoes because a client mentioned potential flooding issues.

Value add: Identifying proper water flow could save millions in future development costs. (Note to self: Keep hiking boots in the truck.)

9 AM: Wrestling with AutoCAD to find an extra 3 feet of land frontage on a tight site.

Value add: Three feet might mean two extra units, turning an impossible project into a profitable one.

1 PM: Meeting with city planners and engineers about innovative development approaches, trying not to show the culvert mud on my shoes.

Value add: Getting early buy-in could save months of approval time.

4 PM: Back to site, this time with proper boots.

Value add: Finding that one angle that transforms a site's potential.

7 PM: Writing detailed site analysis reports because every square foot matters.

Value add: Helping clients see millions in opportunity where others see problems. (Also googling "how to remove culvert mud from Italian leather")

The interesting thing about this evolution? That $742 I used to celebrate in corporate meetings? I can create that much value in a couple of hours of focused work now.

But the real value I'm adding?

That's measured in hundreds of thousands, sometimes millions.

The Real Meta of Value Creation:

In corporate:

• Value = Incremental improvement

• Focus = Measurable progress

• Metrics = Clear targets

• Skills = Process optimization

As an entrepreneur:

• Value = Problems solved

• Focus = Future opportunities

• Metrics = Client success

• Skills = Opportunity spotting

The lesson? Success isn't about choosing one approach over the other - it's about learning from both.

Whether you're climbing the corporate ladder or building something new, understanding different types of value creation can transform your career.

Advertisement

Save 10 hours a week by hiring an Executive Assistant.

MEET DEVNI: The Right Hand to the CEO of Morning Brew

Austin’s Executive Assistant saves him 10+ hours a week by handling his emails, calendar, travel, meeting prep, and more. This gives him the time to focus on what matters most—growing his business.

Most outsourced firms can’t source the type of EA who can work with a $100M executive, but Oceans can.

Work with the firm that sources the right-hand to Morning Brew, Beehiiv, and Magic Spoon.

Get full-time, highly experienced talent for only $3,000/month.

Learn more about Oceans

The Value Game: Part 2: Value Is What Someone Will Pay, Not What You Need

Just had one of those conversations that every advisor dreads - telling someone their prized asset is worth significantly less than they believe.

In this case, explaining to a landowner that his "$8 million" property is actually worth closer to $2 million.

This conversation happens almost weekly in land development, but the principles apply to every business asset:

LANDOWNER: "My neighbor got $100k per acre in 2007!"

ME: "Let's look at some current market factors..."

LANDOWNER: "But I've got planning permission!"

ME: "Preliminary only, and it expires in 3 months..."

LANDOWNER: "The city needs housing!"

ME: "Yes, but not at any price..."

Then I asked some simple questions:

ME: "What's your cost to service the land?" blank stare

ME: "Current zoning and density allowance?" "Well, the neighbors got higher density..."

ME: "Environmental assessments completed?" "The land's clean, trust me..."

Here's the brutal truth about value in 2025:

Whether it's land or a business, assets are worth what buyers can justify paying, not what sellers need for retirement.

What Actually Drives Value:

• Proven cash flow potential (not "someday" projections)

• Clean documentation and due diligence

• Current market conditions (not 2007 comparables)

• Clear path to development/monetization

• Minimal red tape and complications

The Business Meta: This applies to every asset you'll ever value:

• Past prices don't guarantee future value

• Potential means nothing without proof

• Documentation beats conversation

• "Trust me" isn't a business strategy

• Market timing matters more than market potential

Remember: Whether you're valuing land, a business, or your own career capital - what matters isn't what you think it's worth, but what someone else will pay for it.

Your spreadsheets don't care about your retirement plans.

Advertisment

Accomplish More. Juggle Less.

When you love what you do, it can be easy to take on more — more tasks, more deadlines, more hours – but before you know it, you don’t have time to do what you loved in the beginning. Don’t just do more – do more of what you do best.

BELAY’s flexible staffing solutions leverage industry experience with AI systems to increase productivity without sacrificing quality. You can accomplish more and juggle less with our exceptional U.S.-based Virtual Assistants, Accounting Professionals, and Marketing Assistants. Learn how with our free ebook, Delegate to Elevate, and leave the more to BELAY.

Download now

The Value Game Part 3: How I Learned to Actually Add Value

SCENE: A coffee shop downtown. Me across from a potential client, trying my best to show off my "value."

ME: "...and I've developed over two billion dollars worth of real estate—"

CLIENT: checks phone

ME: "—plus I have THREE certificates hanging in my office—"

CLIENT: starts packing up briefcase

ME: "Wait! Did I mention my corner office? It had THREE windows!"

CLIENT: "Thanks for the coffee. I'll... uh... have my people call your people."

NARRATOR: Their people did not, in fact, call my people.

After my 47th conversation like this (yes, I counted), I realized something: I wasn't adding value - I was just adding noise.

So I tried something different. Instead of listing my achievements, I started asking:

"What's your biggest problem right now?"

Then I did something even better - I helped solve it.

Not by pitching my services or bragging about past wins but by actually rolling up my sleeves and offering real solutions.

The results surprised me:

• One client needed a quick zoning review - I did it on the spot

• Another wanted intro to city planners - I made three calls right there

• Someone needed market data - I pulled up my recent research

• Every small help led to bigger projects

Here's what I learned: Real value isn't what you've done before. It's what you can do right now to solve someone's problem.

Tomorrow's Action: At your next meeting:

1. Ask about their current headache

2. Offer one immediate solution you can provide

3. Help them right there if possible

4. Watch how fast they schedule a follow-up

The hardest part? Putting away my brag list. But helping beats bragging every time.

Curated Links: Think…Egg Plant Emoji…

🛠️ WebTool

Emojiton.com - For When Words Are Just Too Hard

Have you ever spent 20 minutes staring at your screen, wondering how many party hat emojis are too many party hat emojis? 

Meet Emojiton.com, the AI tool that turns your boring human words into a chaotic explosion of tiny digital faces.

What it actually does:

• Converts your text into emoji combinations

• Uses AI to (mostly) understand context

• Helps you avoid the dreaded "wrong emoji" incident

Perfect for:

• Making your corporate Slack messages look "hip" and "with it"

• Confusing your boss with indecipherable emoji chains

• Finally figuring out what that eggplant emoji actually means (kidding, don't use that one at work)

Free tool, endless entertainment. Just don't blame me when you accidentally tell your CEO "Great quarterly results! 🍆💦" instead of the thumbs up you meant to send.

🤖 AI Tool of the Week

DeepSeek - The AI That Makes ChatGPT Look High Maintenance

Remember when your parents warned you about taking candy from strangers? Well, now we've got AI models from China that promise to do everything ChatGPT does, but cheaper and with fewer resources. What could possibly go wrong?

What it actually does:

• Matches ChatGPT's capabilities while using less computing power

• Runs as an open-source model (because who needs secrets?)

• Available through Perplexity Pro for those who prefer their AI with a side of US-based servers

Perfect for:

• People who think ChatGPT is just too... American

• Developers tired of OpenAI's "my way or the highway" approach

• Anyone brave enough to trust an AI that probably learned English from fortune cookies

The twist? It's actually pretty good.

Like "surprisingly good for something that costs less than your daily coffee habit" good.

Access it through Perplexity Pro ($20/month) if you want the peace of mind of US-based servers. Or live dangerously and use it directly - just don't blame me when your PowerPoint starts spontaneously converting to Mandarin.

Best feature: It's efficient with resources, which means it won't drain your laptop battery faster than your ex-drained your bank account.

Test it yourself: Ask it to compare capitalism and communism. Just kidding - maybe stick to safer topics like "best dim sum recipes" or "how to make small talk in elevators."

THAT’S A WRAP

Every minute of every day, I'm hunting for value. Those years of corporate training taught me discipline and attention to detail. Now, I'm applying those same skills on a bigger canvas.

Stay curious and keep communicating,

Greg "I See Your Value" Mills

P.S. If anyone knows how to remove culvert mud from Italian suits, hit reply. My dry cleaner is refusing to take my calls.

If you liked what you read and are not a subscriber yet, join the crowd:

Here are some back issues if you are just not sure yet:

Issue #21: How To Lose A $500,000 Sale In A Matter Of Minutes 

Issue #20: How Three Months of Silence Became a $5 Million Mistake 

Issue #19: $2,295/Month To Avoid Talking To Humans 

Looking for more to read:

Note: Some of the links in the newsletter are affiliate links. I believe in transparency and honesty, so if you want to know more, visit Full Partner Disclosure for details.