Having and eventually conquering a dream always starts with an infant vision. Something that’s normally instinctive while we grow up.
As a child, we either cultivate this mental picture through social motivation or with an innocent consciousness of achieving things head on.
There’s a huge array of ingredients on how a person can be successful. And the chunk of that process doesn’t even focus on how you carry out responsibilities. Or how you grow your identity in the market with a strong digital structure.
Most of the times, it takes "human connection". The meaningful ones that you create within the community.
In this Conscious Investor Podcast episode, Elsa Nguyen reveals how she arrived at the realization of her ambition despite being a novice in the real estate industry.
How it Started for Elsa?
“I immigrated to the US in 1991 at the age of 13. I came from Vietnam in a very small village where we had some sort of education, but of course, I was never exposed to English. So, it was always a challenge for me coming here, learning to speak the language.”
Elsa grew up in a difficult environment with lack of education due to poverty. When she had the opportunity to immigrate, her unwavering pursuit of ‘making it’ in an alien country is what kept her motivated. She wanted to make a difference in her own life and the lives of others, especially those in third-world countries.
Real Estate Investing (REI) was the outlet of hope for that dream. She was committed.
In 2016, she left her 15-year corporate career as a Controller to become a full-time Real Estate Entrepreneur. She now has an Undergraduate Degree in Marketing and a Master’s Degree in Business Management.
“I got into real estate in my late thirties, starting out just selling real estate and then, I got into syndication. My first syndication project was a purchased piece of land with investors, and we got it in Tido.”
The business was attractive and while Elsa kept pace and treaded on projects, it wasn’t all sweet experience. Especially when the pandemic hit. However, that also introduced an exciting endeavor she never thought would open a lot more opportunities.
“It took a turn on my career at that point. I was facing a lot of difficulties and I needed to look for a different asset class that could sustain my business. After doing a ton of research, multifamily was always on top of the list. I decided to join Rod Cleave because even though I had some syndication experience, I didn't have any in multifamily. And that was really the starting point for my life. I think that was the best decision that I've made.”
She amenably recognized the challenges as she pursues this new-found journey. She recalled wanting to purchase real estate properties for herself and get into development. So, she learned underwriting encompassing the formulas with the commitment of doing them manually at that time, even when it meant long hours of work. Her enthusiasm wasn’t fazed.
It was a great learning experience. Looking back, it was never a waste of time of the journey that I've been through for having my real estate license.
It is never too late for anyone to learn something new especially if it influences your growth. Elsa was confident about this perspective.
You may say you’re behind time accomplishing things having to compare yourself to others, on the side, who have had the edge of learning from the get-go, but that’s totally okay. Life is a journey for everyone, and we traverse differently
Elsa knew her mission doesn’t stop from securing her own dream and acquiring the skills and knowledge to back it up – she wants to reach out to the community and establish meaningful connections. So, she came up with the idea one day to harvest likeminded people who also aspire to share and give back.
…it came (along) after the first Women Warrior get together in September of last year. I saw that there were a lot of men and there were women, but nobody knew each other. I wanted to get to know them more. I just started to mesh with those people and said, Hey! Let's just get together. So, we can support one another, learn from each other while growing in this business.
Her primary goal was to interweave these connections to build a tight-knit community whose members know and understand each other at a deeper level. She remembered pitching the idea without guidelines other than what they would need to do was reunite, create, and have fun. Eventually, she started incorporating learning experiences and inviting key people to speak. This created a strong and positive influence within the community which helped inspire other women to organize meetups.
Giving back to the community
Elsa loves giving back. Especially now that she’s the woman she is today. Poverty did not make her lose confidence in her dreams. She chased them remembering her roots and the hard work bore fruit. She put together a project aiming to help the local community in Vietnam where she grew up.
God bless me with my business right now. I feel like it's time for me to go back to the place where I came from and help the people. I didn't have that opportunity (before). So, that's kind of what I'm doing right now. I partnered with a local church as well as the hospital where my aunt works. So, we cook and distribute free meals every Monday and Saturday. We make about 500 a week. And the hospital provides free checkup and medication.
Elsa’s upbringing was not the best. She had to ask for rice from her neighbors just to get by. But that’s what kept her from passionately tailing her ambition. Which is why she has always been a risk taker. The fear of the unknown does not shape how she lives life. She takes the leap of faith in all that she does, knowing that the feeling that comes after the uncertainties and disappointments, is amazing.
I'm a risk taker by nature. I got into real estate the same way. I left my W2 job and went into real estate full time. It was a commissioned job and I sold four homes the first year. So, that wasn't enough to pay for my gas. But I (still) went in!
Coming from a place of poverty helped a lot because it reminds me that things couldn't get any worse than what I've been through. I told my mom about how we first came to this country. We got nothing. But we survived. We do well right now, we have so much. I have so much more right now compared to me, 30 years ago. I speak English. I have a master’s degree. What's there to worry about? It's only going to get better from here.
Truly, Elsa has an amazing spirit. She exudes optimism in life. An extraordinary Community Builder who creates a network of women that get together to support one another, and connects people to other opportunities so that they can grow and increase their knowledge in real estate investing.
Connections with good people are one of the most valuable things in existence especially in a world of algorithms, hashtags, and followers. Know the importance of connections in optimizing your life and finances. Three Keys Investments helps you grow your wealth without the ups and downs of other investment classes.
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