Two relentlessly positive books by Kirsty Dunphey
Advance to go - collect one million
Author: Kirsty Dunphrey with Lynne Payne
Publisher: Speaker Direct
Price: $19.95
Retired at 27 - If I can do it anyone can
Author: Kirsty Dunphey
Price: $24.95
Publisher: Inconceivable Enterprises
Reviewed by: Kate Carr
Relentlessly positive, these two books by Kirsty Dunphey document her rise and rise in the real estate sector, and transition from property investor to motivational speaker and trainer.
From humble beginnings, Dunphey became Tasmania's youngest registered real estate owner and manager in 2001 after launching her own firm M&M Real Estate in Launceston at the age of 21.
Success quickly followed with M&M Real Estate clocking up almost $20m in sales in its first 18 months, helping net Dunphey the Telstra Young business woman of the year award in 2002.
At that time she was the proud owner of 10 investment properties, and well on her way to achieving her goal of being in a strong enough financial position to be able to retire at 26.
Advance to go - collect $1 million tracks Dunphrey's life up until this point. In it she outlines her property investment strategies, including a description of each of her 10 properties, as well as her broader approach to business and life.
With each chapter ending with a motivational call to arms like: 'Anything is possible if you find your passion', and 'Anything is possible if you put yourself forward' the book touches on many well worn themes, such as the power of positive thinking, the importance of learning from failures, and the need to embrace change.
What sets Dunphrey's story apart however is her youth, and the poverty she experienced as a teenager, after her parents were ripped off by a business partner. "I didn't need any motivation to try and get out there and make money," she writes. "I wanted it and like my parents I was constantly thinking of ways to get it."
And 'get it' she certainly did, becoming a millionaire at 23, a multi-millionaire at 25 and retiring at 27.
According to Dunphrey, she now works when she wants doing what she wants. In Retired at 27 - If I can do it anyone can, Dunphrey offers advice for those wishing to emulate her success.
If not earth shattering, these books are refreshingly down to earth with Dunphrey peppering advice on entering business partnerships with stories about making hotel beds in an earlier job, dropping out of university and her propensity to talk in her sleep.
However, despite such lighter asides, there is no doubt Dunphrey has always been a very driven individual, who approaches the act of selling with an almost religious fervour.
From regularly shouting "sold, sold, sold" in her sleep, to espousing the importance of 'selling yourself', Dunphrey's books are in some ways an old fashioned 'pulling yourself up by your bootstraps' type story.
Short on the virtues of work, life balance and the need to pursue outside interests, she returns again and again to the importance of drive, focus and hard work.
If you are looking to ramp up your commitment to being 'always up', look no further.
