MY STORY
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One of the things that really impacted me as a child were my grandparents. They were immigrants on both sides. My mom’s side; they came through WWII as refugees. They had travelled from Europe (former Yugoslavia) with their families. They both experienced having to leave their home; to flee with just the clothes on their backs. As a kid you hear the stories and they leave an impression. I would hear “we’re working hard to give you and your brothers an opportunity.” That’s always been really important to me. Work hard to be able to give your kids, your grandkids and future generations options in life.
My grandma was one of 5 kids, and what they did was work together to get the oldest established and in a home, then focus on the next, and the next. Their family was always helping each other out. Those are the things that shape you and your experiences when you’re older. It’s where my passion for helping others has come from. If you’re established in life, it only makes sense that we shift our focus and help the next person. We’ve all been helped along the way, so it’s a way to pay it forward and keep the chain going. I aim to actively participate in changing the societal “every man for himself” attitude. I believe we would all have more health, success and happiness if we shifted our thinking to “how can I help others?” |
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I’ve always studied personal finance and was super nerdy as a kid. I’m pretty sure I picked up my first book on wealth building in grade 7. It helped having entrepreneurial parents and grandparents! I watched my parents build their business over the years with the ups and downs. What I learned was money wasn’t everything, but it’s important. If you want to accomplish the goal you set out for yourself, your family and who you want to help and impact in the world, you need money to do it. I just decided at an early age that I don’t need to wait until I’m 18 to start learning how to master money. I would ask my mom to buy me personal finance books. I am so thankful to have the opportunity now to help people get in control of their finances!
My husband was one of the first people who helped me understand and be inspired by the wealth building potential of real estate investing. We were dating, and I drilled him with a hundred questions, because as an analytical person, I needed to know if there was compatibility before investing a ton of time and energy into the relationship. Eventually he brought up these rental houses he had, and how he purchased his first investment property when he was 17. The whole concept really intrigued me! It felt so natural and made sense, so I decided that’s what I wanted to do. The first property we invested in together was a 5-plex, and we just set our minds on figuring it out.
I also had an aunt growing up who was very career driven; single and ambitious who had gone to university, so I decided that’s what I was going to do as well. I was always good at math, so the plan was to go to university out of high school and take accounting. I quickly realized that I didn’t want to sit in a cubicle, be stuck at a desk or commute to downtown Winnipeg everyday. I thought I’d just work at bank and go into management instead. As a highly motivated person driven by personal growth, the bank route was just moving way too slow for me. I was much too impatient. So I became a mortgage broker which spurred my interest in becoming a realtor.
My husband was one of the first people who helped me understand and be inspired by the wealth building potential of real estate investing. We were dating, and I drilled him with a hundred questions, because as an analytical person, I needed to know if there was compatibility before investing a ton of time and energy into the relationship. Eventually he brought up these rental houses he had, and how he purchased his first investment property when he was 17. The whole concept really intrigued me! It felt so natural and made sense, so I decided that’s what I wanted to do. The first property we invested in together was a 5-plex, and we just set our minds on figuring it out.
I also had an aunt growing up who was very career driven; single and ambitious who had gone to university, so I decided that’s what I was going to do as well. I was always good at math, so the plan was to go to university out of high school and take accounting. I quickly realized that I didn’t want to sit in a cubicle, be stuck at a desk or commute to downtown Winnipeg everyday. I thought I’d just work at bank and go into management instead. As a highly motivated person driven by personal growth, the bank route was just moving way too slow for me. I was much too impatient. So I became a mortgage broker which spurred my interest in becoming a realtor.
- You just don’t know where life is going to take you, so stay open to opportunities! -
Life changes. Things change. Don’t be afraid to change.
The thing I enjoy most is helping business owners unload all the swirling to-do list items, map out a strategic plan and get honed in on the next step. I have a knack for untangling the overwhelming mess, prioritizing and reverse engineering from the end goal to the small steps it takes to get there. Their inner dialogue sounds like “I can’t do all this stuff! I can’t do videos and social media and building my brand, and I don’t know who to talk to”. The perception of someone who’s “successful” appears to do all these things on their own, and that’s just not the case.
It’s all about getting it all mapped out, cut out the unnecessary items, create a strategic plan for only the actions that will move you toward the goal, and taking the first small step. Essentially it’s Project Management for small business.
The thing I enjoy most is helping business owners unload all the swirling to-do list items, map out a strategic plan and get honed in on the next step. I have a knack for untangling the overwhelming mess, prioritizing and reverse engineering from the end goal to the small steps it takes to get there. Their inner dialogue sounds like “I can’t do all this stuff! I can’t do videos and social media and building my brand, and I don’t know who to talk to”. The perception of someone who’s “successful” appears to do all these things on their own, and that’s just not the case.
It’s all about getting it all mapped out, cut out the unnecessary items, create a strategic plan for only the actions that will move you toward the goal, and taking the first small step. Essentially it’s Project Management for small business.
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