In this episode of Growing Empires, I share one of the biggest shifts in my journey as a real estate operator: moving beyond building businesses and stepping into the world of funds, syndications, and larger investment opportunities. As market conditions changed and competition increased, I realized I needed to create a solution that would continue helping investors grow, even when traditional deal flow became more difficult to access.

I walk through the thought process behind launching the Empire Capital Fund and explain why I chose a hedge fund structure instead of traditional approaches. As outside capital began flooding into our market and competition for properties increased, I knew I had to think differently. Rather than telling investors to sit on the sidelines or wait for market conditions to improve, I focused on creating access to opportunities that most investors would never see.

I also pull back the curtain on how I source off-market deals and why relationships have become one of the most valuable assets in my business. From direct-to-seller opportunities and estate properties to bank relationships and distressed assets, I explain how creating a strong network and staying ahead of market trends opened doors to opportunities that continue to benefit our investors today. At its core, this episode is about adapting, staying resourceful, and creating solutions when the market changes around you.

In this episode of Growing Empires, I talk about how I watched both the real estate market and investor behavior evolve over the years—and how I evolved right alongside them. When I first entered the industry after the housing crash, most investors were buying small properties with cash: single-family homes, student rentals, and small multifamily buildings. But as I gained experience and helped clients grow their portfolios, I started to realize we were building much more than transactions. We were creating a repeatable system for long-term wealth building.

I share how investors began using equity, tax strategies, and leverage to scale beyond small investments and into larger opportunities. I explain how selling properties, deferring capital gains through strategies like 1031 exchanges, and reinvesting into larger assets created a cycle of growth that allowed many clients to dramatically increase both their cash flow and overall net worth. What started as helping people buy investment properties slowly became a roadmap for building wealth over time.

I also walk through one of the most important lessons I learned along the way: how smart investors use leverage and “other people’s money” to expand opportunities far beyond what cash alone can provide. Real estate is constantly changing, markets shift, and strategies evolve, but the people who continue to grow are the ones willing to adapt. Sometimes the biggest opportunities come from understanding when to shift your strategy instead of stepping away from the game.

In this episode of Growing Empires, I continue sharing the story of how my businesses came to life, and the truth is, none of it started with some perfectly mapped-out master plan.

Every company I created came from real experiences, real frustrations, and real client needs. What started with helping one investor achieve his goals slowly evolved into an interconnected ecosystem of businesses designed to create better outcomes and better experiences.

I talk about some of the pivotal moments that shaped the way I operate today, from tenant situations that led me to implement quarterly property inspections, to frustrations with title companies, contractors, and vendors that pushed me to create entirely new solutions. Instead of accepting the way things had always been done, I kept asking myself how I could improve the process and better serve my clients.

This conversation is really about more than real estate. It is about listening, adapting, owning mistakes, and using challenges as opportunities to build something stronger. Looking back, many of the businesses I run today were born from moments of frustration, feedback, and lessons learned along the way, and together they became the ecosystem I now use to help investors build long-term wealth.

In this episode, I share the real origin story behind my property management business and how it all started with a single phone call I almost missed.

What began as an end-of-day situation in a traditional real estate office turned into a defining moment in my career. I didn’t have expertise in investment properties at the time, but I did have a willingness to respond, figure things out quickly, and follow through without hesitation.

That one client introduced me to a completely different way of thinking about real estate through the lens of investment, cash flow, and long-term strategy. As I stepped into managing his properties, I found myself learning on the fly: researching unfamiliar concepts, building systems from scratch, and paying close attention to how experienced investors actually evaluate decisions.

What followed wasn’t just one transaction. It was a shift in direction. Through referrals and ongoing work, I began managing a growing portfolio and quickly learned what it means to operate at scale in property management. More importantly, I started to see the gap between transactional real estate and true investment-focused service.

This episode is about that turning point; the call, the mindset shift, and the early lessons that reshaped how I approach real estate entirely.

In the next multi-part interview series with Terry Pappy, I share the real story of how I got started in real estate, and it definitely wasn’t part of some carefully planned career path.

Before real estate, I spent years in the beauty industry building a successful career, eventually moving into upper-level salon management, training, and expansion work. But everything changed when I was unexpectedly downsized while seven months pregnant with my third child. At that moment, I realized I never wanted my financial future controlled by someone else again.

I talk about the mindset shift that pushed me toward real estate, the early lessons I learned from watching my parents build stability through property ownership, and the brutal reality of starting from scratch during the aftermath of the 2008 housing crash. This wasn’t a glamorous beginning. It was uncertainty, rejection, financial pressure, and months without a paycheck while trying to support a growing family.

I also share the early struggles that nearly made me quit, what kept me going, and the unexpected phone call that would ultimately change the direction of my career forever.

This episode is the foundation of everything that came later: the failures, the lessons, the resilience, and the beginning of what would eventually become Growing Empires.

Growing Empires 2.0 is a reflection of how my business and the conversations around it have evolved.

Over the years, as I’ve acquired, operated, and structured real estate investments, I’ve shared that journey in real time. But as the deals have grown, the capital has become more sophisticated, and the ecosystem I’ve built has expanded into a fully integrated platform, the content needed to evolve with it. This show is that shift.

Going forward, each episode will fall into one of four categories: lessons from real deals, in-depth breakdowns of how transactions are structured, focused conversations with experienced operators and capital partners, and tactical investor insights you can apply immediately. My goal is simple. To give you a clearer view into how real estate actually works at scale.

We’re starting this new chapter with a series of conversations where I step into the guest seat and walk through my full journey. If you’re going to take insight from me on deploying capital, building an operation, or evaluating opportunities, you should understand how I think, what I’ve built, and the decisions behind it.

If you’re a serious investor, operator, or someone thinking about your next move in real estate, this show is built for you.