My real estate career began years before I entered the field with one key value in mind – financial independence. Not financial independence just for the sake of being able to say I have money, but financial independence for the ways I can use money to make a meaningful impact. Throughout my childhood, our family struggled to make ends meet. It was difficult to see the strain finances constantly put on us and in particular, my parents’ relationship. They worked hard and made many sacrifices to provide for us but the weight of the situation was always felt. From a young age, I knew that I wanted a different life for myself and my future family. I didn’t know how or what I was going to do to get it but those factors were unimportant. What I did know was I had a visionary mindset that created a drive in me to limitlessly chase after a goal until I had it.
‘Want new shoes?’ I’m going to work until I have the money to buy them.
I got my first job at 12 as a caddy and my first full-time job at 16.
‘Want better grades in school?’ I’m going to study until I am confident in the chapter.
I graduated high school with almost two years of college completed.
‘Want to become a better athlete?’ I’m going to learn discipline and hold myself accountable to a strict regimen.
I broke and still hold a track record at my high school.
Want to grow as a person? I’m going to confront my problems and push myself to copy the habits of successful people.
I’m proud to hold such accomplishments as they came out of a relentless grit. However, as I was getting closer to graduation, my primary focus shifted toward finding a career that would get me one step closer to my ultimate aim of financial independence. Shortly after my 18th birthday, I put my savings of 6 years into stocks and within 3 weeks, the amount nearly doubled. This experience opened me up to careers that existed outside of traditional schooling and one particular field seemed to offer the most opportunities – real estate. I decided this opportunity was worth the risk of taking a different path from all my friends, who were attending college. The following semester I enrolled in real estate school and became a licensed agent. I was soon offered an incredible full-time position as a property manager and leasing agent with a third-party management company. My career launched from there and I purchased my first property in Lakewood just before my 19th birthday.
For two years I was the “middle man” for anything from single family homes to high-rise apartment buildings, located anywhere from Euclid to Sandusky. Property management, like any “middle-man” position, is certainly not the most satisfying place to be in. It was especially intimidating for me, a freshly licensed teenager that had no experience and started at the beginning of a global pandemic. However, the perspective you receive from being the middle person and handling the needs of so many different types of people is invaluable. I have so much insight that I can now provide to each of my clients, insight that can’t be learned in a book but must be learned through hands-on experience. Though the property management position is behind me, I gained a wealth of knowledge that I will continue to carry forward with me throughout my entire real estate career.
More than anything, the experience allowed me to see that I was not just a naive teenager. It was proof that my hard work does pay off, even if it takes a long time (which it often does). It proved that I am not wasting my time chasing financial independence, and that the most limits I’ll ever encounter are the ones I place on myself. It made me look back on my life often, thinking about my past self and the ways I used to unknowingly hold myself back.
Most significantly, I began to think about more than just my own life. I began to think about other youth that have no idea how good their future can be. It broke and continues to break my heart to imagine all of the other young people out there that are held back by the ways their painful circumstances have affected their worldview and self-image. I often reflect on the self-doubt, doubt of others, and the learned helplessness that can come from being raised in poor circumstances. It has pained me to think about all of the youth out there that repeat negative cycles as adults simply because nobody taught them how capable they were and how to act on their capabilities.
I quickly realized that my real estate career was not just going to be about me and my family anymore.
Asmuch as it pains me to think about those things, it also motivates me.
It motivates me to know that even though so many are struggling, they do not have to be. It motivates me to know that in every suffering kid out there, there is an opportunity for healing and growth. It motivates me to know that my negative experiences can result in a positive impact. To know that there is a reason I went through what I did and a reason I am on the path I’m on. It motivates me to know that sometimes what young people need the most is consistent help from someone who truly cares. It motivates me to know that if I stay on the path I’m on, I can eventually be this person for many. It motivates me to know that I could eventually find a team of like-hearted individuals that want to collaborate toward this shared purpose, and together we could reach a large number of youth.
“Want to help others break their generational cycles and live a better life than they were ever provided and thought was possible?” I’m going to have to lead by example, set myself up financially and situationally to be able to truly dedicate my life/time to others, and stay rooted in my purpose when others around me have selfish motivations.
Well, here I am!
I saved enough money so that I could make the risky decision to leave my secure 9-5. Now, I have the freedom to spend my time doing work that will take me to my next level of financial independence and begin creating a nonprofit to help struggling youth.