How This Former Sales Director Went from 0 to 800 units in 10 months

Welcome ladies to The Real Estate Investor Show, providing inspiration, strategies, and insight to empower women investors to live balanced and financially free lives. Now here are your co-hosts, Liz and Andresa Guidelli.

So on today's episode, ladies, we have Jenny Gu. She is a syndicator, focuses on large multifamily. And we get into a lot of great discussions around how she was able to scale so fast. What I think you're gonna really appreciate from today's episode is we talk a lot about her leveraging her skillset from, you know, from her corporate life, how she was able to find a mentor, and quite honestly, how she was able to cut through the noise of getting going as well as scaling a portfolio so fast.

And we also get into the nitty-gritty for all of you that loves process. And systems get into how she recommend everybody to run their business as a Fortune 100 company by implementing hiring people before you need them.

Interest rates are sky high in 2023, and buying a rental property means you could get stuck with an 8, 9, or 10% mortgage rate. But what about a 2.99% rate with Rent to Retirement? Rent to Retirement has 2.99% seller financing available on turnkey properties. You heard that right. That's a seller-financed 2.99% interest rate with an average cash flow of over $900 per month. Plus, they've got options where you can put as little as 5% down with no PMI. As the nation's leading turnkey investment company, Rent to Retirement helps investors build headache-free, high-cash-flow rental portfolios. And since their properties are fully turnkey, newly built or renovated, leased and managed, anyone can invest, even those who aren't into landlording. So what are you waiting for? This 2.99% rate deal won't last long. To learn more, visit renttoretirement.com. That's renttoretirement.com. Or text REI to 33777. Again, text REI to 33777.

Top real estate investors love to talk about how they save so much on taxes, but how are they able to build rental property empires while skirting Uncle Sam? 1031 exchanges. 1031 exchanges allow you to defer capital gains taxes while you sell an investment property, exchanging your old property for a bigger, better one and avoiding the tax man while you do it. And that's where First American Exchange Company comes in. They're the leaders in 1031 exchanges. Whether you're a seasoned investor or just starting, First American Exchange can help you with simple rental property exchanges, complex commercial real estate investments, reverse exchanges, and more. Don't let your taxes eat into your profits. Visit First American Exchange Company at firstexchange.com or call them at 800-556-2520. That's firstexchange.com or 800-556-2520. Keep your money in your pocket and propel your portfolio further at firstexchange.com. First American Exchange Company does not provide tax or legal advice. Consult your financial, real estate, tax, or legal advisor about your circumstances. First American Exchange Company. Safe, smart, secure.

Welcome back, ladies.

This is Liz and this is Andresa.

Welcome back to The Real Estate Investor Show, where our mission is to empower women to live a financially free and balanced life. And we appreciate everyone being back with us, right, Andresa? Every week we produce 2 episodes and we, this is our interview episode. We have Jenny with us here today. Appreciate your time and excited to jump into your story here.

Thanks for having me.

Yeah, looking forward to, to getting into a lot of neat things and your trajectory and your growth. Very quick growth. So before we get going, we'd like to get connected to all of you, right, Andresa? And Andresa's got something to share that will be helpful, useful, real estate life. Where are you at, Andresa? What is happening for you, my friend?

Well, it's, it's funny that you were saying real estate life, right? I have a hard time separating them. And I think that when we talk about living a balanced life, I don't see as like, oh, this side over here is real estate and this side over here is personal. I think that they intermingle, if that's a word, and don't see it like, okay, from 9 to 5, I'm working in my real estate business. And then from 5 to— that doesn't apply. Days of the week also don't, don't apply. So, and that means balance to me. When I can choose what do I do and what do I do with my time. That being said, and I think that one thing affects the other, right? So this week I have quote unquote a lot of time on my plate. My son for the first time went on vacation with his dad and I don't have him. So from one side, I'm sad because I don't have him. On the other side, I am discovering a lot of time that I am, of course, looking into what can I do with the quote unquote free time, right? So as I look at my time, and there is a trap there that I am dealing with right now, because when I have the free time, what am I doing? Working, working, working, working more there. And yesterday night, when I looked at the clock, it was already 7 o'clock. And I was like, whoa, I just lost track of time. And I think that when we are in real estate, we love so much what we do that we keep going. So I just want to say that I'm more mindful of it. I don't need to fill that gap. I would like to do nothing and I will do nothing. And I'll do other things for myself besides working tasks and that type of angle. And I encourage you to look in your, in your schedule right now and create that solitude and create that nothing time for yourself instead of saying, well, I have time now, so let me jump in and do all the stuff. That I love doing it and then you lose track. So I just want to share my trap with all of you guys and maybe we can all together do nothing for a couple of hours and sit still doing nothing together.

I love it.

I love it. And it's so important, right? I told you about the solitude hour. You know, it's so helpful that I've been doing too. It's just so powerful, right? When we regroup and think. And reflect. We're so busy. So I love that. So what did you do last night besides working? What did you do?

Listen, I do like binge time on TV.

All right.

A long time since I don't watch TV. I watched so many like mindless shows. I was like, this is so ridiculous. This like, that's what we're like wasting time talking about, you know? But then I was like, this is so funny. I started looking at behaviors, right? People are like, oh my God, I have so much bigger fish to fish than talk about what are you guys getting into?

Right.

But it was cool to see like what's going on out there. They barely watch any TV. So it was fun too.

So you had fun, enjoy getting into a show. I love it. I love it.

Well, we're doing Mindless Show.

Mindless Show.

Yeah.

Yeah.

All right.

Yeah.

Offline, I'll ask you about those shows. Jenny, thank you so much for being on our show. So appreciate you and you making the time to connect with our audience. So we always like to kick things off by asking, where did this begin for you? What propelled you? What inspired you to get involved in real estate investing?

Yeah, actually it was my husband. So he was the guy in the family that started the idea. We were both in Cincinnati working for Procter Gamble, and both of us had all of our retirement in the company, which, you know, as many of you guys know, it's good to diversify slightly and not rely on one means of retirement. He just one day said, hey, you know, I met somebody at my CrossFit gym. She's in real estate. Let's take a look at this and dabble. And then 10 single-family homes later, we said, wow, this is the next best thing ever. And so we said, how do we scale and grow faster? And that's when we discovered multifamily. So I give him all the credit for jumping in. Then I told him he was crazy from wanting to jump from single-family to an apartment building. And here we are, you know, 1,800 units later in our personal portfolio. So it's been a wild ride.

That's great. And I'm sure he appreciates all the love and all the credit, but I want to know, what did you bring to the table and what was your role within this?

Yeah, that, you know, I love that push because we typically don't take a lot of credit as women. I give him credit for helping us jump on the train, but I actually left P&G in February of 2020. He stayed behind and worked the full-time W-2 job and I launched and started Vertical Shrew Ventures with a mentor and partner. And for the last, you know, over 18 months, we've scaled this business to over $300 million of assets under management from a multifamily standpoint.

Was there a strategic reason? Because I, you know, it's funny because I think about me and my husband and who was going to quit their job or who was going to focus on real estate full-time and who's going to be the person paying the bills for the foreseeable future. And yeah, when we did it together and Was there a strategic reason why you quit your job and not your husband? Just curious.

Yes, there's always strategy in our decisions. There has to be. And so when we balanced and looked at our calendars and workload and stress level, and then also level of happiness, we said, okay, you know what, Jenny, as much as I love the company and I appreciate my time and training there and the people I worked with, I was so much more stressed. I was, I would say, slightly more unhappy with what I was doing, and it made more financial sense. He was paid, he had a, he was a, you know, almost a VP level. I was a director level, so it made financially sense for me to leave first with the intent of him potentially joining me in the future. And that's what he did last October.

Got it. Leaving a corporate job, right? It's no easy task, and a lot of people are navigating through that right now. And majority of people that I talk to that are looking to quit their job, they have this like master plan that will take 3 years, 5 years. And once they have the number of doors that they intend to have to switch their income, then they quit. What you're recommending here is jump headfirst. Before buying a single family. Dissect this to us. Why would you recommend that instead of— because I think it is a possibility, 100%, but I want to make sure that we're dissecting what do you really mean by you don't need to wait 2, 3 years in order to get started in real estate.

Yeah, so let me, let me add a little bit of context. When I left P&G in February of 2020, we had zero apartment doors. So it's a little bit backwards of what we typically tell, you know, our friends and family and other people interested is before you burn the bridges, make sure you have, you know, a level of stability and all of that. And we did. Our single families provided enough passive income for me to retire and still, you know, also have a backup plan in terms of Ronnie staying behind at his job. Shouldn't say the word staying behind, just staying with the company. It's not like I left him behind. So there was math involved from the get-go. Okay. We didn't just, Jenny, leave and not have a plan. You know, it all went out the window because what happened in early 2020, COVID shut everything down. So I literally left the week after the kids were homeschooled, everything shut down. Nobody was lending. Nobody was selling. That put a little bit of a wrench in the plan, the grand plan. But I would say, you know, For those interested in the same path, just make sure that you do the financial exercise with your significant other, then map out what you would like to see the next 12 to 3 to 5 years to be, and just make action steps and take it. Because the problem you and I see a lot in the industry is, you know, a lot of people and women especially have these grand goals, but there's so much fear and there's so much hesitation. You just need to just go do it. Like Nike says, just do it. And believe it or not, with the right mentors and the right partners and support system, there's so much more. The grass is absolutely greener on the other side.

So that's helpful to relate that you had the single-family homes and then the transitioning. That transition's a big one though for a lot of women, right? I mean, it's for a lot of people because they just, they want to be able to jump in. So tell us a little bit about how those first you know, that first deal that you got under your belt, how you did it, and also what skillset you brought into, to this venture. I mean, you were a director of sales for a major Fortune 500 company. Those skills must have helped you, I would imagine, on some level. So if you can tie that up as you ventured into this multifamily space with the skills you had too, that'd be great.

Yeah, great. So, you know, again, 2020, things are just unknown in general. So I spent the first, call it 6 months of my newly free time, Andresa, if you will, just diving headfirst into learning. So I found a mentor who was still working a W-2 job and I said, look, I will be willing to intern for free. Like I just want hands-on experience, learn from somebody who's been successful. And that's what he allowed me to do. I helped him manage his portfolio in Arizona while he still worked his W-2 job, attending the property calls, running the asset management, underwriting deals. And so for the first 6 months, there was really, it was rough. There was nothing, there's nothing good to buy. But it wasn't until, let's see, 7 months into the year that we finally found something that we wanted to buy. And that's when we decided to partner together. So it was essentially a 7-month interview with my mentor who then became now my partner. So his name is Steve Louie and, and that's how I found my first deal. I leveraged someone else's success their brand, their name to get into a difficult market. And we know Arizona, Texas, et cetera, they're very hard competitive markets. Use that leverage to get into the market, build relationships. And that's how I found the first deal that we partnered together. And then from then on, when he decided to leave his W-2, we partnered. And then I would say the majority of ultra successful people in this industry that I've met, have had some sort of corporate project management, people management experience in their back pocket. So I ran sales strategies for some of our billion-dollar brands, managed cross-functional teams. You know, all of that lent itself to a smoother transition into running an apartment building, running a syndication. Someone on your team needs to have that level of skillset to make sure that it's successful.

I love that, that you worked for him first. You brought a lot to the table and then you partner up after. So as you say, it took a lot. It was a 7-month interview. And I think that a lot of people jump in too quickly into partnerships. Oh, you like orange? I like orange too. You like real estate? Me too.

Let's go.

Let's form an LLC. What's the name of it? Right? It's super quick. And I'm not joking when I say that people meet at conferences and at end of the conference is they are discussing the name of the LLC. Not joking. And I think that is daunting to see that happening. And I'm not saying that is a disaster to happen, but the level of due diligence that you probably got to know him and vice versa in a completely different level within this 7-month period. What would you say was the secret sauce or the recipe that worked? What does he bring to the table that you didn't and how did you merge both worlds?

Yeah, great question. I would say this applies to whether you're finding a mentor or a business partner or a life partner, but you know, what really worked was understanding strengths and weaknesses. Okay. So I had a unique skillset in terms of, and Steve would argue he's organized too, but I just take it to the next level so I can project manage. The skillset that I brought from P&G, he recognized as something very valuable. I also had time. So he was still working his W-2 job. I was newly retired, had somewhat of a new time, was still with homeschooled kids due to COVID, but I was able to provide something he didn't have at that time. So that's how you find a mentor. Don't just go to someone and say, hey, I like what you're doing. I want to follow your footsteps. Can I be your mentee? With no value add to them. Always have a value add to them. So it's a win-win. And then, you know, once you start kind of working together, understand what complementary skill sets and working styles. So a lot of people talk about complementary skill sets. You know, you have this strength, I have this strength, we complement because my strength is your weakness and vice versa. That, of course, you have to hash out, but nobody ever talks about what is the complementary work style. Right? So does your partner run at 150 miles an hour, but you're working at 35 miles an hour, or they prefer communication over phone and you prefer chat and text? So all of that, use that time to work through some of those dynamics because that will dramatically impact any relationship. And to your point, you know, divorces are messy in anything. In a business standpoint, it's messy for you. Your partners, your investors, your, you know, everybody. So you just need to do the diligence.

I wanna move, make sure we move to your first deal, then the next deal and how you were able to scale so fast in 10 months, right? Well, I'm curious though, in the 7-month dating, however you phrase that, like that, the 7-month kind of process, what were the things that when you look back, you think these are the conversations that we had, this is the, the proactive things that you did with him that made all the difference? Because it's not just about deal flow. We all know that really great partnerships, really great relationships, right? That sustain. Mm-hmm. You do different things with that relationship. And I think that's the key to building with anyone, right? So as women are listening to this and they have a few mentors or potential mentors, we should say, and they start getting their feet wet, there's a recipe, right? As Andresa is saying, there's a strategy. So I'm curious, as you look back, What were the things that you were like, was it a certain type of meeting, a certain type of conversation? Was it a time on your calendar that you had every other week talking about what's working, what's not? I don't know what it is, but I'm curious to hear that. What do you think was the key to the growth of your relationship with him?

I would say the right conversations at the right time and meeting the right people. So what I mean is, you know, because he was still working, he and I would connect at night. So there were multiple nights during the week where we talked from 10 to midnight, because that was the time available. And I had small kids. So when they're in bed, that's when I'm free. So those— that happened literally for months at a time before we found something together. But when you do your diligence, also, we got to know each other on a personal level. So his daughters actually babysat for my kids the whole entire summer. I understood how— and it was super granular, but you know, how his girls are. It's an indication of how they were raised, you know, what is their background, how do they, you know, treat others. And then he and I, we went out to lunch, you know, at least once a week or once a month just to get out and talk about stuff other than real estate. So it is truly dating somebody, not just understanding what makes them work professionally, but what are their values, what's important to them, you know, understanding what they do. They go to church, do they do, you know, community service, all of that is so important for the entire partnership.

I love that. And that sounds like the honeymoon, right? I'm sure there were times that there was a breakdown or something didn't work or there was a disagreement. How did you guys navigate that?

Communication style, right? So as you get to know somebody, You need to understand how do they digest an issue and how does a solution come about? And so the great thing is we've, yes, we've had differences, but because we've been able to understand communication styles, we've been able to navigate how we talk to each other. So small example, right? So if something comes up, you know, we always accept feedback. Feedback is a gift. We give lots of gifts. And so when there's an issue that comes up, we give feedback and typically we say it should be instant. So that we can digest the problem immediately. And then for, for Steve, for example, he needs time to digest and internalize and then come back, right? Whereas, you know, I know that, and I know for me, I like to just, okay, what's the problem? Let's find a solution. Let's move on. Right? So understanding those dynamics helps us solve through issues. And then we can say, no, I just need time, or I need to solve this right away. And again, that works for any type of relationship. Yeah.

Because, you know, the very things that make us different are the very things that can frustrate us. Exactly. Right. And it's the very things that we are attracted to, to people. So, so let's talk about that first acquisition was what, how big of an acquisition when you mentored under him and then you both were GPs in the project?

Yes. Yes.

So share that a little bit with us and then we'll talk about how that huge growth happened very, very fast.

Yeah. So I actually, my first deal, I closed 2 deals on the same day. One was a 28-unit. In Glendale, Arizona. The second was 176-unit in Tucson, Arizona. And we worked with a couple of different partners on both of those projects. But as time had it, we ended up closing on the same day. So that was a very big day for us. So sure.

And that, that was your first kind of deal though, like your first deal together?

Yeah. Yes. First deal together. The 176-unit, both of them first syndication. So we did all of that at the same time.

You're trying to close on your next rental, so why is your insurance company dragging its feet? With long lead times and never-ending paper forms, it's no wonder it takes forever to finally get a policy. Modern investors deserve better. They deserve Steadily.com. At Steadily.com, you'll get fast, affordable landlord insurance available online 24/7 in just a few clicks. You can even get next-day coverage, which It takes just minutes, by the way, to obtain, and you can do it all from your phone. Steadily was founded by landlords who created insurance products tailored to the unique needs of this industry. It's their sole focus, and that's why landlords nationwide consistently rate them 4.8 out of 5 stars. So whether you've got a single-family, short-term, or multifamily portfolio, Steadily.com can secure the best coverage at the best price to protect your properties. Discover how Steadily can save you both time and money on your rental property insurance. Visit steadily.com for a commitment-free quote tailored to your needs today.

When you're ready to pop the question, the last thing you want to do is second-guess the ring. At bluenile.com, you can design a one-of-a-kind ring with the ease and convenience of shopping online. Choose your diamond and setting. When you found the one, you'll get it delivered right to your door. Go to bluenile.com and use promo code POD to get $50 off your purchase of $500 or more. That's code POD at bluenile.com for $50 off your purchase. Bluenile.com, code POD.

Jewelry isn't a gift you give just once. It's a way to remind your loved one of a beautiful moment every time they see it. Blue Nile can help you find the gift that says how you feel and says it beautifully with expert guidance and a wide assortment of jewelry of the highest quality at the best price. Go to bluenile.com and experience the convenience of shopping Blue Nile, the original online jeweler since 1999. That's bluenile.com to find the perfect jewelry gift for any occasion. bluenile.com.

And which one— you said that you bought the apartment that you lived in during college. Where was that?

Yes. So fast forward a couple months. So we purchased that building in February of 2021, and that was always a fun story to tell because you never can say— I've yet to meet somebody else who can say they purchased a building they lived in, in college. So I went to school at U of A in Tucson, Arizona. My senior year, I lived in this apartment complex. And fast forward to late in 2020, we found this apartment, my partner did, and he said, "Hey, I found apartment." He described it to me and I said, "Oh yeah, I used to live at a building very similar to that back in college." And it just didn't click because we look at so many deals, you don't always merge two and two together. And it wasn't until we rolled up for due diligence, believe it or not, that I said, hold the line. I lived in this building my senior year of college. And the reason I didn't recognize it is because, you know, the name had changed, the colors had changed, so things looked different on paper. But yeah, it was a fun journey to actually do the inspection, walk in the unit that I, I lived in, I, I slept in, and then go ahead and purchase it. So we still have that today.

That's neat. I'm thinking about the building right now that I lived in. I'm like, would I have purchased that? I'm not sure about that, but it's a neat concept, right?

Yeah.

Wish we knew what we knew in college that we know now, right? Absolutely. So, so let's talk about the 28 and the 176 closing on the same day. What was your role in that? This is your first multifamily project. You're kind of a, you're on the GP side, but you know, you're mentoring under someone who's kind of the lead.

Yeah.

Walk us through what you did. To get to clothing? What would you do differently? Like what, what was the biggest ahas that you got from those first two purchases that set you up quite honestly for a pretty big growth the rest of the year?

So for the 28-unit, I essentially led the, the process itself under the guidance of, you know, Steve and my other partners from acquisition. So the fun story about that one is, and this is an example of how to build good relationships with brokers, you know, I had started working with a broker that Steve had worked with before and throughout the whole summer stayed in contact with him, wanted this deal actually back in the summer, went into contract with somebody else very, very quickly. And the second that it fell out of escrow, I was the first person the broker called and said, hey Jenny, this deal fell out of escrow. I know you're super interested. Are you still interested? I said, absolutely. Got it under contract within the next week. So that's the power of building and maintaining relationship. But from the loan process, the capital raising, the webinar, all the way down through closing was a process that I led with the help of the, the other partners, because they all still work full-time. So that project, super hands-on. The 176-unit in Tucson, that one I signed on the loan and was essentially more of a background shadow because we had another lead sponsor. But through that process, I was still listening in, working through all the paperwork, doing all of that work. And throughout the length of the hold, still on all the property calls, helping make decisions, et cetera. We actually just sold that 176-unit last week, just under 20 months, and had significant return on that one. So that was, that was an excellent project.

So it's interesting, right? You know, you mitigated your risk very strategically, I should say. The one that you ran point on was the 28-unit, which makes, makes a lot of sense, right? You kind of used your, your knowledge of your investing and, and then you had mentorship along the way. If it was the other way around, you would've been, it would've been more of a risk, right? The 176. And so that's an interesting approach. So sometimes I think so many women, and especially in our community and our, our Strive membership, and they kind of shoot for the stars sometimes and they, they want the numbers, right? And maybe like a really large multi versus, you know, a 28-unit's a large multi actually. And getting, you learn there and then that sets you up for success. So many people would actually suggest that you just go big. And I, I'm so grateful that we started with a 10-unit and we made such a progression, 5-unit, 10-unit, you know, and that set us up for that 100-unit, that larger, that larger complex. 'Cause you're learning the recipe, you're just doing it with more units. You know, I think that's, you mitigated your risk. I'm sure you figured that out or had that knowledge, but I think that's a really important point I wanted to make. So, okay, so you close on these two, walk us through the next couple of deals. How'd you get to that 800 units? 'Cause now you're at 7 months, and you did it within what, 10 months? So, so walk us through how you close on that many units with the rest of that 10-month timeframe.

Yeah, so those are the two first active deals that I participated in and led. The next couple deals were passive deals that I invested in across other states. And then Midtown on First, the one I stayed in in college, that one was a 93-unit I purchased with the team back in February of 2021. So between, I would say, the last quarter of 2020 through the first quarter of 2021 is where all that acceleration happened. Nothing in the first half of the year because of COVID but then all of a sudden the floodgates opened. And it's so true when you, you know, just get your feet wet with that first deal, all the other subsequent ones just kind of happen so quickly and that much faster. So I always tell folks, just get the first deal done, successful, out the door, and then the floodgates will open for more.

And when we talk about scaling, right, a lot of people, you have the extremes, scaling and like, oh, I scaled my portfolio within the past 20 years, 15 years, whatever. Or I just went from zero to you name it in a short period of time. There's pros and cons on both. There's risk tolerance on both. There is a, a list of different things that we can start naming here as, okay, now I understand the whys behind it. In your case, right? When you are talking about scaling fast, you suggested that anybody that is looking to scale, that they start running their company as a Fortune 500 company. Tell me, what do you mean by that? And let's dissect it, what they should do first.

Yeah, I'm huge on not doing any rework and getting systems and foundations right at the start. You know, your time is value, especially as an entrepreneur. It's good to make mistakes and there's definitely growing pains, but the sooner that you recognize what you need to do upfront, the faster that you can accelerate and not have to spend time doing rework. And what I mean by this is, I'll give you an example. When, you know, Steve retired, we launched Vertical Street in January of 2021. We had the skill sets in terms of corporate America, marketing ideas, thoughts, project management, but, you know, we bootstrapped certain things just to get out the door and running. And one of those things we bootstrapped was accounting. So we use good old Excel, right, to track our income expenses. And then halfway through the year, when we finally got around to, okay, we probably should make this more systematic, we had to go back and research and find things. And, you know, that was just a lot of rework that we unintentionally put on ourselves. And so when you can get the right systems, things like your, your, your website, your CRM, your investor portal, your newsletter templates, anything that you can do upfront that way. Because after, as I mentioned, you guys know the first deal, as 5, 6, 7 more deals come up, you don't have to go back and try to set something up and rework anything. So that's what I mean by set yourself up as if you're running a corporate business. What do you need to be successful? Hire ahead of the need. So when you do need it, it's not a bottleneck. Those are the types of things that will help you accelerate even faster.

Yeah, you want to piss me off? You want to force me to do rework, to rework on things. Jesus, it's the worst, right? And I think a lot of people can, can relate to that. And Liz and I started also our first hire, I think, or was a bookkeeper besides our CPA, of course, but not having to go back and look at and just adjust. Time consuming is so much. So for all the nitty-gritty people that are listening, hello, you are probably going to your head, ask her what are the tools and software she used for CRM and different things. So can you please just to feed their soul, what are the softwares and tools that you currently use to implement systems and process to run your company as a Fortune 500 Yes, I will be happy to share.

So first and foremost, from a company organization standpoint, we use Google Suite. So we're all on Gmail, Drive, Sheets, Docs, etc. So that one's very central, safe program we love. From a CRM standpoint, we love and use ActiveCampaign. That is very easy to use, intuitive, tons of capabilities. We're just scratching the surface, and I'm sure other programs have this too, but The analytics behind it, open rate, click rate, like all of that, we are just scratching the surface on. And then one tool we started using earlier this year that I wish we started with is Basecamp. So a similar program would be Asana or monday.com. It is a project management tool with now so many members on our team, a great way for us to organize projects, task lists, to-dos. I love to check things off. I make boxes and check things off just to check things off, but that's Another tool we've discovered this year I wish we had earlier on.

And are you at the helm of like creating all these and, and putting this together, or is that something that brings you joy and is in your skillset? Is that something that you kind of hone in on in terms of your own role? Like, I'd be curious to understand that. What is your role as you've grown and where did it start? Where is it now?

Yeah, so like other startups, you know, we did everything. We were a jack of all trades. As we've grown, we've now been able to segment and specialize. So Kyle has joined the company, Kyle Mitchell, last year. He is our partner and also specializes and loves to do acquisitions. So he owns a lot of that and leaves that for the company. Steve and my husband Ronnie specialize in investor relations and capital raising. Okay. So that's their niche. Between Kyle and I, we do a lot of asset management together. So we split that role across different properties and operationally I run a lot of that. So something's not working, things need to get done. I kind of map that out for the company and say, okay, here's what we have to go do to grow the next 6 to 12 months. So a lot of that operational planning and execution falls under my plate.

It's interesting on our DeRosa side, Justin, who's actually at the helm of asset management, has other people underneath him, same exact role. So I think that's an interesting, it's probably a very blended role where you're operationally able to look forward. but also kind of look at, especially 'cause asset management is the business, right? That's ultimately what you're managing your business planning against. So that's interesting that you, you have that set up the same. So then you go on to get what, 800 doors, right? Till what, middle of 2021 about-ish?

Yeah, a little bit over. Yeah.

So what were the biggest learned lessons? Like what were the things that, you know, somebody whispered in your ear you know, 8 months prior would've been really helpful, or just like, what did you learn from going through that? Because that's a very, you know, trajectory, right? Quick, quick growth. I'm sure there's pains there or, you know, frustrations and challenges, right? So what were those biggest learned lessons for you?

I would say, you know, and I've mentioned this a few times throughout this, but finding the right mentor and team. So, you know, could I have done— a lot of people ask me this— could I have done all of this without a mentor? I would say yes. but it probably would've taken me 5, 6, 7 years versus 18 months. So without the right coach and teacher, you're not gonna get that acceleration that I think everyone's looking for. So find the right mentor and then build the right team is the next lesson. So you can't do all of this yourself, nor do we want to. We didn't leave one corporate job to run 100 miles an hour or work 100 hours on another job. We want that freedom. So build the right team so that you are still flexible and living the life by design that you wanted to create. Okay. So those are my big lessons for anybody who wants to do what we do. And then I would say, you know, it's okay to make mistakes, but make sure that those are mitigated, the risks are mitigated because we are managing lots of zeros and lots of other people's money. So leverage your team and your mentor to mitigate some of that risk, and then you should be on your way to, to successful career.

What do you think was your biggest mistake? If you had to look back on that timeframe, what was your biggest mistake?

I would say jumping in too quickly to either a project or hiring somebody too quickly. To your point, Andresa Guidelli, again, you have to find the right team members. And those two examples, the first one, you know, we are ambitious. I would say we as a team and I am ambitious. And so taking on You see the growth and you just want to keep going. So before the phrase is getting over your skis is what I hear a lot. So before you finish setting up those systems and processes, we were already trying to move on to the next thing. And so I think at sometimes, you know, we were growing too fast and we got a little bit over our skis and it's okay. We work through it and we're still successful today, but getting to that point and recognizing that was probably, I wouldn't say mistake, but just an aha moment that we had to go through in order to to pivot immediately and fix and maintain that growth. The, the hiring piece is another one. At some points, we did bring people on too quickly for the sake of growing and getting things done. I think the phrase, you know, hire slow, fire fast is very true too in this industry. Just make sure that you do the right interviews, do the right reference and background checks, and understand that style, not just with your partner, but even your W-2 or your employees on the company as well. So those are to learnings, I think was very beneficial to our trajectory.

Yeah. And, and it's funny cuz if you ask that same question to other people, they may be, you know, I move too slow here, or, you know, so the very issue that one person's dealing with could be the opposite.

So, right.

It sounds like it's a constant, right? You learn, you grow, and then you pivot. So Jenny, where can the ladies listening learn more about you and connect with you further? Sure.

You can find me on our website, verticalstreetventures.com. I'm on LinkedIn, all the other social media platforms. I just love talking to new investors and wanting to just meet more people in the real estate industry. So please reach out and connect.

Awesome. All this information you guys can find on our show notes. Now we're going to transition to our fabulous 3 questions. And the first one is, what's the most transformational book you ever read?

I would say Who Not How. I know that's super popular, but I read that last year and immediately the next day went to hire our first virtual assistant. Assistant. So it was very, very easy to read, but also very actionable. And so I recommend that to anybody right now that's looking for a good one to read.

Awesome.

The second question is, what's the most powerful routine that you do to create a financially free and balanced life?

I love Hal Elrod and the Miracle Morning process. I don't do all of it transparently, but I do pick a couple. So I love to read, so I'm going to make sure I read every day and I love to meditate and try to work out, but those top two, just silence, quiet time. I have an app. And then reading at least 10 pages is what everyone recommends, but I try to plow through as many pages as I can in the morning.

Awesome.

Last question. Which woman, famous or not, has inspired you the most?

My mom. Being a daughter of an immigrant family, story of coming to the US with nothing in their pockets to what she has accomplished and raised us to be today. So I attribute a lot of my success and my passion to do more to her and her journey to the US.

Awesome.

Awesome. So much, Jenny, thank you so much for being on our show. Appreciate your time and appreciate you sharing your journey with everyone. So thank you.

Absolutely. Thanks for having me.

If you enjoyed this podcast and want to receive updates on our next interviews, go to our website, therealestateinvestor.com. There you can subscribe to our show, become part of our investor community, and get updates on upcoming episodes.

If you like our show, please share it with other women who would benefit. And don't forget to leave us a rating on iTunes. We'd really appreciate it. And as always, we encourage you to take one action as a result of today's show and put it into motion so you can live both a financially free and balanced life. Thanks for spending time with us.

Ciao.