February is usually a slower month for most of us. The holiday rush is over, spring hasn't really kicked in yet, and it's easy to start feeling a little anxious about the lull. But here's the thing—I want you to flip that script. Instead of looking at this as downtime, look at it as your chance to actually invest in yourself and your business.

This is the perfect time to get caught up on education. I'm talking about both the formal CE stuff you need to do anyway, and the informal learning that actually sets you apart from everyone else who's just checking boxes.

Our industry is changing faster than it ever has. New tech, new regulations, new client expectations—it's all coming at us constantly. The appraisers who are going to crush it in the next few years are the ones who are committed to never stopping learning. They're using these quiet periods to read, listen to podcasts, mess around with new software, and just get better at what they do.

So don't waste this time. What's one thing you could learn this month that would actually move the needle in your business? What's a new tool you could finally figure out? Use February to level up. The stuff you learn now is going to pay off for years.

Okay, so one of the biggest pain points I hear from appraisers who want to grow is this: creating SOPs. Standard Operating Procedures. We all have our processes, right? But getting them out of your head and into a format that your assistant or VA can actually use? That's where most people get stuck. It's tedious. It takes forever. So we just...don't do it.

Enter Loom. And specifically, Loom's new AI features that have completely changed the game for creating SOPs.

If you don't know Loom, it's a tool that lets you record your screen and your voice at the same time. It's been great for quick video messages for years, but now it's become a legit documentation machine. Here's how it works: Let's say you want to teach your new assistant how to do a market analysis in your MLS. Instead of spending hours writing it all out, taking screenshots, trying to explain every little detail—you just turn on Loom, do the task once while talking through it, and you're done. Loom handles the rest.

When you finish recording, you click one button—literally one button that says "Create SOP"—and Loom's AI goes to work. It transcribes everything you said, but it also analyzes what you actually did on screen. Then it generates a full step-by-step SOP with headings, numbered lists, clear instructions. It picks up on stuff like "clicking the search button," "typing in the address," "exporting the data"—and turns all of that into written steps you can copy and paste anywhere. What used to take hours now takes minutes. It's insane.

And the quality is actually good. It's not just a transcript dump. The AI understands the flow of what you're doing and organizes it logically. It breaks things into sections. It catches the important details. It's like having someone watch over your shoulder, take notes, and then write it all up professionally. Except it happens automatically in the background while you're just doing your normal work.

Think about all the processes you have locked in your head right now. How you handle difficult clients. Your workflow for complex properties. Your system for managing revisions. Your tricks for finding the best comps in tricky markets. All of that knowledge is valuable, but it's useless if it dies with you or if you have to personally train every new person who joins your team. Loom lets you capture all of it without the pain of actually sitting down to write it out.

Now here's where it gets even better. Take that SOP you just created and paste it into NotebookLM. This is a Google tool that lets you build your own personal AI trained on your documents. So you paste in all your SOPs—client onboarding, report writing, handling revisions, whatever—and you end up with this fully searchable, AI-powered manual for your entire business. It becomes your company's brain.

Now when your assistant has a question, instead of bugging you, they just ask NotebookLM. "What are the steps for a market analysis in the Northwood subdivision?" And because it's trained on your specific processes, it gives them the exact answer in your words, based on the video you recorded. You save time. They get answers instantly. Everyone wins.

The cool part is that NotebookLM doesn't just spit back what you wrote. It actually understands the content and can answer related questions, make connections between different processes, and even help troubleshoot when something isn't working right. It's like having a really smart assistant who's read every manual you've ever written and can recall any of it instantly.

Loom plus NotebookLM is the combo that lets you actually scale. You can delegate with confidence because your team has clear, consistent instructions they can access anytime. You can onboard people way faster. And you finally get all those processes out of your head and into a system that actually works. If you haven't checked these out yet, do it. They'll change how you think about running your business.

Point #1: Moonshots Podcast with Peter Diamandis

If you want to stay on top of what's happening in AI, check out the Moonshots podcast with Peter Diamandis. He dives into the latest AI developments, predictions, and where all this tech is headed. It's perfect for drive time and keeps you ahead of the curve on what's coming.

Point #2: "Who Not How" by Dan Sullivan

This book flips the script on how you think about getting things done. Instead of asking "How do I do this?" you ask "Who can do this for me?" As appraisers, we get stuck thinking we have to do everything. This book shows you how to delegate, leverage other people's strengths, and focus on what you're actually good at.

Let's talk about drive time. For most of us, the time we spend driving to inspections, comps, whatever—it's just wasted. We're listening to the radio or stewing in traffic or just zoning out. But what if you could turn that into some of your most productive time of the day?

That's what I've been doing with conversation mode in AI. I'm talking about the voice feature in ChatGPT, Gemini, whatever you're using. And I'm not just asking it random questions. I'm having actual conversations with it like it's a strategic partner. I do this almost every time I get in the car now, and it's become one of my favorite parts of the day.

Here's what it looks like: I get in the car, pull up conversation mode on my phone, and just start talking. "Okay, I need to figure out my goals for next quarter. Business is moving, but my health has taken a backseat. Let's talk through some realistic KPIs I could actually hit." And then I just...talk. I brainstorm out loud. I work through my relationships, my fitness, and most importantly, my business strategy.

I'll say stuff like, "I'm thinking about raising my fees for this type of client, but I'm worried they'll push back. What am I not thinking about here? How should I frame this?" Or, "I'm struggling to get traction with estate attorneys. Give me some creative marketing ideas I haven't tried." The key is treating it like a real conversation. Don't just ask a question and wait. Push back. Ask it to explain. Give it more context. The more you engage, the better it gets at understanding you and giving you actually useful insights.

And here's the thing—it's not just for business. I use it for personal stuff too. Working through relationship issues. Thinking through health goals. Processing stuff that's on my mind. It's like having a therapist, a business coach, and a really smart friend all rolled into one, and they're available 24/7 in your car.

The other day I was driving to an inspection and I was stressed about a difficult client situation. Instead of just stewing on it, I opened up conversation mode and talked it through. "Here's what's happening. Here's why I'm frustrated. What am I missing? How should I handle this?" And by the time I got to the property, I had a clear plan and felt way better about it. That's the power of this tool.

Now, fair warning: conversation mode uses a lighter, faster model to keep things real-time. So it's not as powerful as the full version you'd use on your computer. But for brainstorming, working through problems, getting a fresh perspective? It's incredible. It's like having a board of advisors in your car with you all the time. And honestly, it makes drive time something I actually look forward to now instead of just dead time between appointments.

Quick story about masterminds. I've been in a local mastermind here in Idaho Falls with about 15 other business owners for eight years. This fall, I was pretty much done with it. I felt like I'd gotten what I could, and I was planning to start a new group with different people.

Then it was my turn on the hot seat in November. I showed up with this half-baked idea for a new business. In 45 minutes, the people in that room helped me turn it into something real. We mapped out the business model, the target market, the marketing plan, my first three steps. It was a reminder of why masterminds matter, even with all the AI tools we have now.

There's something about being in a room with people who actually want to see you win that AI just can't replace. AI is amazing for information and analysis, but it can't give you the accountability, the creative energy, the shared experience of people who get it. It can't look you in the eye and tell you you're playing small. It can't share a story from their own life that suddenly makes everything click.

If you're not in a mastermind, find one or start one. If you are, lean into it harder. Be real. Share the hard stuff. Listen to what the group tells you. It might be the thing that takes you where you've been trying to go.

Now go create some value.