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Life in the Woods

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." –Henry David Thoreau

Walden Monterey

A community on a small and intimate scale.Room to roam. Art to inspire us. Idyllic places to meditate.A group of people who think seriously about net-zero living and a belief that we can all benefit by creating a space that brings us closer to nature… and to ourselves. 600 acres on the Monterey Peninsula. 22 home sites. A landscape that seems to dissolve the boundaries between lot and open space. Here nature will be the inspiration for all that we do.

Imagine... What if there were only two rules? 1. Don't take down any trees 2. Use only renewable energy sources The rest is up to you…

The Homes

From conception to execution, each home becomes a part of a larger ecology across the entire site.

The Community

Hiking & Biking Trail System Playhouse in Nature Solar Array Sytem Fellows Cabin Art Park Enchanted Forest Community Table Walden Gathering Community Garden Nature Inspired Playground Sunrise & Sunset Yoga Platforms Roving Room Walden Phone App Social Membership at Teháma

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Walden Monterey Brochure

Walden Gathering

To schedule an appointment, please contact Zak at 831.915.2082

Zak Freedman 01956633 zak.freedman@sothebyshomes.com 831.915.2082 | View Website

Sotheby's International Realty 3775 Via Nona Marie Ste 100 Carmel CA 93923 (831) 624-1566 | View Website

© Sotheby's International Realty, Inc. All rights reserved. Sotheby's International Realty® is a registered trademark. This material is based upon information which we consider reliable but because it has been supplied by third parties, we cannot represent that it is accurate or complete and it should not be relied upon as such. This offering is subject to errors, omissions, changes including price or withdrawal without notice. If your property is listed with a real estate broker, please disregard. It is not our intention to solicit the offerings of other real estate brokers. We are happy to work with them and cooperate fully. Operated by Sotheby's International Realty, Inc. Real estate agents affiliated with Sotheby's International Realty, Inc. are independent contractor sales associates and are not employees of Sotheby's International Realty, Inc. Equal Housing Opportunity. This email was sent to jekogian1.postceoblog@blogger.com. Don't want to receive content from Zak Freedman anymore? Unsubscribe here. Powered by ActivePipe

Laura and Lisa Ling - A Story of Passion and Determination

Never underestimate a passionate person. The Ling sisters showed me an example of that the other night.

These women pushed way past the edges of personal safety to document the atrocities happening in the world that we do not pay attention to. They made their life mission to expose sex trafficking, horrible health and living conditions and leaders that care more about celebrity handshakes than their people.

In doing this they put their lives at risk. This is true determination and courage! If only everyone else could find something in their lives that they would care so much about that they are willing to go to such lengths to help fix.

You can read Laura’s story here.

Why I Invest In Early Stage Companies

I have been investing in start-ups for almost 20 years. These investments have not changed my life financially but they have given me the opportunity to see the world differently and that in itself has changed my life. Here is my perspective on early stage investing as a non-professional investor.

It is important to note that my tech investing is not my primary business. My investments in Real Estate and distressed assets, which is my primary business, follow a very different strategy, risk level and business model.

My macro investment thesis:

1.  Disruption - One of the companies we invest in hopefully will disrupt an industry, maybe even my industry. I can either be part of the disruption or watch from a distance.

2.  Playing the odds - Early stage companies have a very high failure rate but also high payouts to winners (10x - 100x). Therefore, you need to make lots of micro bets to see what happens. 

3.  Diversification play - Industries are changing fast and the lines are blurred between them. Making investments in numerous areas provides coverage for when a company pivots into another industry.

4.  Consumer demand – It’s impossible to predict. Only way to create luck is to be invested in various areas. I have a 12-year-old daughter and I have no idea what she is going to like next month let alone 5 years from now.  

5.  Timing - I invest for the future and not for today. In an exponentially changing world we need to focus on what the world will be like 5-10 years from now, and exponential change creates chaos that we cannot always comprehend. Industries move linearly while tech/early stage companies move and think in exponential terms. 

6.  Teams – important, yes, but never under estimate the power of a passionate leader. They can find smart, experienced and skilled followers to get them to a successful place.

7. Cool tech - I don't invest as a profession, so I am not solely focused on short term IRR or return on investment. I want to be cool and have something to talk about. The Uber of this or that or another subscription service is not great conversation, being ahead of the curve is.

8. Future deals and rounds - When you invest in a team and a product, many times both don't succeed but one probably will. I have invested in companies that completely pivoted into different areas and then made money and I have invested in teams that originally failed but made it on the second or third try. Think long term.

9. Scale - Always look for an opportunity that can be big.

For my micro view, I focus my fund on:

1. Industry Knowledge - I only invest in groups of 20 members or more that are in varied industries and can provide a qualified assessment of the investment.

2. Network - It is important to use the combined network effect of the partners to grow our investments.

3. Competitive – As a group we hate losing and will do what it takes to make these investments work.

4. Funds - We are connected to money and will make sure that if portfolio companies deserve it they will get their next round.

5. Multiplier effect – We invest with the understanding that our investment is an entry to further funding.

7. Existing businesses - One of the companies we see will be a disruptor to our businesses and we hopefully will pay attention and learn from them. This is probably more profitable for us then any investment.

8. Increasing luck - The more our funds invest the more opportunities we see. I currently see almost 100 deals per month and only invest in about 1 per month. 

Again, financially, these investments are not life changing but since many of the things we do, create a mindset, early stage investing for me has created opportunities to accept change, focus on growth and think about the future. That is why I invest early stage.

TED 2015: Truth and Dare.

Last week I had the opportunity to see the future. I attended the TED conference and watched speakers present incredible opportunities for the future. Some of my favorites are linked below:

• Fei Fei Li - How we are teaching computers to understand pictures.
• David Eagleman - Can we create new senses for humans?

While the future may include colonizing Mars, artificial intelligence as smart as the combined intelligence of humans, and the possibility of our conscience to live forever, the speakers also presented a world that is fraught with conflict. We have a very big disparity between people that are willing to pay $500,000 to travel to Mars and those growing up in poor urban neighborhoods where college education is not even an option and prison is a reality. Or countries where violence is still keeping the populace in a state of poverty.

I look forward to one day seeing some of the technologies presented last week become reality but also hope that many of today's realities (overcrowded prisons, violence, rampant income inequality) can be overturned by putting todays technology and human ingenuity into place.

As a father of soon to be teenage daughters I felt most compelled by Monica Lewinsky's talk about Cyber Bullying and mistakes that become all too permanent.

The Gift of Time

We could all use a few more minutes in each day, a few more hours in each week, and a few more days in each month. I haven’t discovered a way to add time to the calendar, but I have discovered some great apps that free up many hours per month for me by automating things I don’t have time for.  

Here are my top 10 time saving ideas this year. I hope you find some extra time in 2015 to spend with friends and family and to do the things you love most.

1. Moleskine notebook - Back to paper. Much easier to take quick notes.
2. 10 min daily focus - I take a page from my notebook every day and create 6 boxes. I label the boxes based on my primary life focus. Then I fill in one thing I need to do today in each area of my life.
3. Fill the calendar - After the step above I make sure each of those items is scheduled into my day.
4. Udemy - On-line classes. Great way to learn or enhance your skills in different areas.
5. Audiobooks - I was late to the game on this but it's a great way to fill your time on long car rides.
6. Speed reading - I have tried to learn many times in the past and this class finally worked for me. I am now reading almost 3 times faster than I was and with a higher rate of comprehension.
7. Meditation - 20 minutes every morning makes me substantially more focused and energetic. Check out Ziva Meditation for an awesome teacher.
8. Scalability - Think 10x and you will find ways to grow faster and do things quicker. I recently hired a young guy outside the industry and told him that within 6 months he needs to be doing what he does in 5 days in 1 day. He automated everything and it's working.
9. IFTTT and Workflow for iPhone - Automate common tasks.
10. 30 day goals - I do this with my kids with great results. Use 30 days to make something happen and anticipate a big reward at the finish line. Many things that seem impossible on the first of the month are easy by the 30th.