“I’m ready to work hard, I research, learn, keep my ears open, try to leverage what’s around me and work towards a goal. Those would be the skillsets that have served me really well over the years and the many different pivots that I’ve had over time.” – Colleen Matthews 

Sponsored Links:

Entrepreneurs Edge

SHIFT Program

Selected links and people mentioned from this episode:

The51

Homes: A Refugee Story by Abu Bakr al Rabeeah with Winnie Yeung

The Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates

The Biggest Little Farm documentary

Kiss the Ground documentary

 

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[0:42] Patrick introduces his next TEDM guest, Colleen Matthews.

[01:47] Colleen and Patrick get the show rollin’. Colleen succinctly shares what she does and the high-level story of what brought her to real estate including some international stops!

[05:09] One of those stops was 12 years in the Cayman Islands working in finance, which proved to be far more fruitful than expected. Colleen’s time spent working there opened up some exciting doors in her professional life.

[07:18] Originally from Calgary, Alberta, Colleen grew up with a curiosity about life outside of what felt like a city too small for her entrepreneurial spirit. Although Colleen was always supported by and is grateful for her parents, as a self-described risk taker, she was also interested to take on life differently from them and try new things.

[11:43] Colleen describes the underlying drivers behind taking on a new experience in the Cayman Islands. Working with exciting top performers in a male-dominated industry helped to motivate and inspire Colleen to show up fully and sharpen her game.

[13:54] We can’t see opportunities, until we see what’s possible. Working as a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Financial Analyst in an international environment offered Colleen a far more diverse perspective. Learning from her team, role models, clientele and the nuances and attributes of different cultures helped to inform her own values.

[17:39] While a beneficial learning experience, Colleen explains why next achieving her CFA certification and working in the hedge fund industry was ultimately not a good fit.

[19:42] Colleen’s interest in real estate started back in Calgary after graduating from her CA program, with a hot market for apartment to condo conversions. Her first condo purchase proved to be a great investment, and due to the circumstances of being unable to buy in the Cayman Islands, buying a couple more condos in Canada made sense.

[21:41] Colleen recounts the history of an international life with her husband, and two kids, and then the tragic loss of her husband 10 years later. After a few years had passed, she found love again, which brought a beautiful, blended family. Eventually they all returned to Canada, but Colleen needed a change from the demanding hedge fund world and real estate simply ticked all the boxes.

[25:00] Set the 5-year plan, but no surprise, it changes. Colleen explains how she re-entered the Calgary real estate market, what her plan was, and when the realization came that she could leverage her time in a far more advantageous way. That a-ha moment allowed her business to grow monumentally.

[27:15] Guidance for someone interested in moving their life to live and work in a whole new environment, be it a different country or a different city. [hint: if you get the right opportunity, do it!] Colleen fully embraced and learned from the ex-pat community around her.

[30:14] Patrick and Colleen reflect on the courage and adversity quotient required to move to a place where a person does not speak the native language and the customs and experience of...