Brooke Ceballos-Pinero is the CEO and co-founder of Empower Capital, which empowers people financially where they live, work, and play via passive investment opportunities through multifamily real estate acquisitions focusing on women and marginalized communities.
In this episode, Brooke speaks the truth about why there aren’t more women in commercial real estate and how we can change that. She also discusses the power of mentorships and why showing up in person for yourself at events and masterminds can make all the difference in your career.
Brooke Ceballos-Pinero | Real Estate Background
- CEO and co-founder of Empower Capital
- Portfolio:
- LP of 676 units
- GP of 581 units and one NNN lease
- Best Ever Book: Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss
- Greatest Lesson: No deal is better than a bad deal. Investors are your lifeline and your reputation is everything. Don't risk it.
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TRANSCRIPT
Ash Patel: Hello, Best Ever listeners. Welcome to the best real estate investing advice ever show. I'm Ash Patel, and I'm with today's guest, Brooke Ceballos Pinero. Brooke is joining us from Rocklin, California. She is the CEO and co-founder of Empower Capital. They empower people financially via passive investment opportunities through multifamily real estate acquisitions, focusing on women in marginalized communities. Brookes portfolio consists of being an LP on 670 units and a GP and almost 500 units, and one triple net property. Brooke, thank you for joining us, and how are you today?
Brooke Ceballos-Pinero: I'm good. I am gonna respectfully correct you - I'm passive on 676 and I'm a GP on over 581.
Ash Patel: Alright, that number's gone up. Good.
Brooke Ceballos-Pinero: You're fabulous! [laughs]
Ash Patel: Well, good. Hey, while we're at it, can you give the Best Ever listeners a little bit more about your background and what you're focused on now?
Brooke Ceballos-Pinero: Yes, sir. My background is corporate, to be fully transparent with you. I have had 20 years of sales marketing negotiations, which when COVID hit I met with Grant Cardone for a sales and marketing mentorship. And after that mentorship was over, he said "Hey, you guys, most of my success comes from real estate. I had three grand in my hand, and I was able to tackle some units in San Diego. I'm gonna give you a real estate summit", and the rest is history. I showed up in July, it was my 40th birthday, and I got to meet Grant. And because I was leaving AT&T at that time, I had a lot of money from my 401k sitting in my account, and I went all-in and went for broke. I liquidated all of my 401k, put it in passive investments with people that I trusted, along with Grant Cardone, and then I did a mentorship with him, which was originally only about 40 people, but it has grown very quickly. And then from there, I took a lot of my knowledge from Grant and I expanded and I work very closely with Michael Blanc and his team, and do YouTube interviews for them, First Time Dealmakers, and I'm part of [unintelligible 00:03:20.11] mastermind. We have a Bay Area investor group, we have InvestHer that I'm a part of, as well as [unintelligible 00:03:26.06] awesome private Facebook group, and she's fabulous. Another woman in this space; if you don't know who she is, google her, look her up. But that's a quick snippet of my background and where I'm at today.
Ash Patel: Just so I have this timeline correct... All of this started during COVID.
Brooke Ceballos-Pinero: Correct. My relationship with Grant, correct.
Ash Patel: Okay, so we're in June of 2023. It's only been three years, and you've accomplished a tremendous amount. What I kept hearing repeated in here was the number of mentors that you've had.
Brooke Ceballos-Pinero: Yes, sir.
Ash Patel: Why did you go that route?
Brooke Ceballos-Pinero: Because there are no shortcuts in business other than a mentorship. For those of us that truly want to scale and accelerate their growth, you need to have a coach or a mentor, somebody who is decades, or way further along than you are. And for me, being in sales, marketing, negotiations and doing public speaking for a AT&T and the Chamber of Commerce, this was just another avenue to take for a way for me to start my own business and eventually lead the corporate hustle and bustle of the corporate world. And as you're aware, with our bodies, we have a physical trainer, and I'm big into health and fitness. I have played basketball, [unintelligible 00:04:36.03] football, CrossFit for three or four years, I got hurt, and I'm now getting back in the flow of things... So you have a coach there, and then you have a spiritual coach, whether that's church or meditation, or however you choose your spirituality... And then you also have financial coaches; you have your CPAs, and your financial mentors, right? So when you're taking a business endeavor, why would you not work with people who are further along than you? You should never be the smartest person in the room, and I live by that. My circle consists of people that are multimillionaires and billionaires, that are way ahead of me, and they give their information so freely. So this field is really a pay to play game. You don't need your own money to be a syndicator and to grow here, except to show up. But you do need to show up in the room with the people who take this venture seriously. So again, there are no shortcuts in business other than a mentorship.
Ash Patel: Brooke, what did you mean by pay to play?
Brooke Ceballos-Pinero: So what I mean by that - in the syndication world... So that is a big part - I'm a capital raiser, I also do due diligence, negotiations, etc. It is put out there all over the place, which kind of irks me a little bit sometimes when I hear this, that "Oh, my God, you can get wealthy with other people's money, and this and this, and you don't need any money of your own to do this and syndicate." Okay, yes, that is partially true. However, you need to pay to be in the rooms with the people that have the money, that are serious investors, and that are comfortable investing with people, whether that is actively or passively. So stop thinking that you can just be on a bunch of Zoom calls and never show up and pay to be in the rooms. There's a reason why people spend thousands of dollars; the average mastermind is 25k to 30k, if not more, just to be with serious people and investors that know the game and how to play. So that's what I mean by that statement.
Ash Patel: How much have you spent on mentors, education, masterminds?
Brooke Ceballos-Pinero: Oh my god, over a hundred thousand dollars.
Ash Patel: What's the yearly average?
Brooke Ceballos-Pinero: So for example, Grant's to start - which now went up - that was $25,000. [unintelligible 00:06:39.24] was $25,000. Michael Blanc, if you want him to help you close your first deal, that's about 25 to 30 grand to guarantee it. However, because I was a little bit further along in my journey with Michael Blanc I paid for his $99 a month deal maker mastermind, which collaborates with a lot of people... And in full transparency, I have gotten the most value out of Michael Blanc $99 a month. And this relationship both ways has accelerated both of us, than some of my $25,000 ones. And keep this in perspective, people... The reason why I was able to spend all of that money the first year that I started this - because I've only been in this for two years, but I am relentless when I want something... It's because when I left AT&T after 18 years, I had thousands of dollars in my bank account. And that funded my first year relentlessly. Brad Sumrok, because I was investing so much and spending so much money traveling, because I don't invest in California, I had to make payments to him. So I did that as a payment plan. So where there's a will, there's a way. So don't say that you don't have money. There's multiple ways to get money if you're serious about this game.
Ash Patel: You're one of the success stories that come out of masterminds... But there's so many people who have spent a tremendous amount of money and never accomplished anything. Why do you think that is?
Brooke Ceballos-Pinero: Fear, and analysis paralysis. I think a lot of people get caught up in the camaraderie of the masterminds, because there is absolutely fantastic people, y'all. Amazing people. And it's so easy, like, "Oh my god, they're so great." And they are, they're fabulous. And then you come back home, and if you don't have a supportive environment... I'm very grateful. We're a family of six, we're a very diverse family, and I have immense support at home. So I'm very grateful to my husband, David, Mikayla, Marissa, Jay and Layla. However, that's not the case for most people. They're either afraid of what people are going to say - because you are going to lose friends in this. Your circle will get smaller, but quality over quantity, y'all. And they don't have support. And analysis paralysis, like "Oh my God, I have to know everything." Especially women. Women, stop the effing madness. I swear I was a Latino man in my previous life, so I can't really always relate to women sometimes. I'm kind of cutthroat a little bit; not cutthroat, but I'm very direct, no bullshit, it is what it is. I don't want to hear your excuses, type of mentality. Maybe that comes from the military perspective. But you can learn half of this and have a high-level of understanding, and then learn the rest from experience. You can't just be steady, steady, steady, steady, steady, non-stop, and think that once you get onto the field, "Oh, I know everything." It's like these college kids that come from Harvard, and all of these colleges, and they go into the corporate world and they're like "Oh, well, I have a doctorate from Harvard, and this and this. I'm going to kick ass in the corporate world." And you get there and it's nothing like what you expect. It's nothing what the textbooks tell you.
So your experience will always trump education. So if you really want some success, learn, collaborate, break bread with people that are way further along than you. Take notes and learn what they're doing and execute. Learn, soak it in and execute, and make sure that you are surrounding yourself with people that are supportive of your endeavor.
Ash Patel: Alright, Brooke, you've been in this industry for just over two years, and you got in by accident, right? You went to a sales seminar, and somehow became hyper-focused on real estate. Can you give us a very detailed timeline of the start of the two and a half years ago till now?
Brooke Ceballos-Pinero: So back in -- when did COVID Start? 2020. Maybe it was March 2020, I had just finished reading Grant's 10x. I was a fiber sales manager, implementing fiber into office buildings that nobody was at. And I'm like, okay -- I had a low base and a real high commission structure. And I went from making six figures annually, 60k [unintelligible 00:10:29.29] So I'm like, "What the hell am I going to do?" And Grant was marketing. I started social media stalking him after reading his book, "Sell or be sold", "10x" etc. and he was offering this mentorship for like a monthly cost. I was like "Okay, I can do this." And he helped me with sales and marketing, do video text messages of emailing and calling people, personalizing things. I learned a lot, and I knew I wanted to meet him when I was driving to the Bay Area and I was listening to his book on Audible, and he said, "Listen, y'all, don't be a little *bleep*." That's so my mentality. Stop complaining, suck it up. You want it, get it done, right?
And a few months later, when our stuff was wrapping up, he said, "I'm gonna give you this ticket." And this was July 2021 was the first Grant Cardone's real estate summit. I had a free VIP ticket from being in his mentorship for sales and marketing. And at the end of it, there was this gut feeling in me... Jared Glandt, who I believe is the president, is "How serious are you about this?" And after hearing about all these stories of actual real people - not just Grant. Grant can be kinda like loud and out there. But when you get more one on one with him, he's not so crazy. And I just had this [unintelligible 00:11:42.02] "Brooke, if you don't do this, you're gonna regret this. You've always wanted a business..." And whenever I wanted to make a change in the corporate world... Like, "Brooke, if you want to make a difference, work for a startup." And I'm like, "I want to be me. I'm tired of conforming and being the only woman at the table", and like "Cover your tattoos." I'm a tattooed professional. "Don't do this. Don't do that. Don't do this."
And I went, and Anthony Sisson was my sales guy. He came up to me -- because when you raise your hand at a Grant event, if any of y'all been to it, they watch you like hawks. "Oh, her hand's up. His hand's up. Her hand's up", and they are on you like [unintelligible 00:12:12.19] if you don't want them to come out.
So it was lunchtime, and I get hangry, and I was like at the end of my 16-8 fasting, which is great, y'all. I've been doing it for about five years. Trim it up a little bit... And he's like, "So, any questions?" "Nah, Anthony. Just run my card. Let's get this done. I'm hungry. Sign me up." So we did the wire, set it up, and I have a very short learning curve. My husband calls me the honey badger. I am relentless, I am dedicated, I am fearless, I'm ferocious. I tune out everybody. Either they're on my side, or get the eff out of my way, because I am a pit-bull on the jugular. And after being motivated by Grant, because he's a phenomenal cheerleader, and I've taken all these notes, and I executed what he did... And I think my biggest accomplishment - there's two of them working with Grant on my first year, was our first deal was $131 million, these 364 units... And out of 15 people, I made it in best and final. And there was two of us going up against it. However, I believe Tuesday morning they hardwired money or something right on the interview, and they were gangsta. I wasn't liquid like that to be able to do that. But having Grant's coaching mentality to give us the confidence to take something down like that was fabulous... And then Grant and I actually both went against each other on the Hayworth in Texas. And needless to say neither one of us got it, and that was a lot of fun, talking s**t to Grant, because I don't care who you are, I'm going to treat you the same way I treat the CEO. You treat the janitor the same way you treat the CEO. I don't care if you're Mr. Fabulous Grant Cardone, who I love, Mr. Billionaire, or you are the wonderful, beautiful - Mollina I think it was her name, is the janitor at my daughter's school. [unintelligible 00:13:56.14] Everybody is human, right? So I don't know how granular you really want me to get. You said detailed.
Ash Patel: Okay, listen, we've got a limited amount of time. Let's focus on bullet points. So Grant Cardone was an inspiration to you... Let's keep going. The 364-unit property. Was that your first deal?
Brooke Ceballos-Pinero: We didn't get it closed. That was our first deal, but our first deal that was actually closed was 481 units at 68 million.
Ash Patel: Okay, how did you come across that property?
Brooke Ceballos-Pinero: Partnership. We are very partnership-heavy with Massive Capital. So Mike Bailey, Shahriar Khan, we were all in the same masterminds, we were showing up to all the events. The first year I started this I was in 19 in-person events. And because Mike Bailey was in the Grant Cardone mastermind and he saw how well I was doing - his words, not mine - he came up to me at [unintelligible 00:14:47.17] which is a Brad Sumrok event... "Brooke, I love what you're doing. I want to partner with you. I know you need to be able to go full-cycle." I hadn't gone full-cycle yet, and I didn't have the liquidity, and so I was relying on partners, and some of them weren't working out. You have to trust, but you really need to validate. That's why now I'm very picky with who I work with.
Ash Patel: Hold on. Brooke, why would somebody say "I want to partner with you", if you haven't done a deal yet?
Brooke Ceballos-Pinero: Because they know me personally, and they saw how far I got on my own. I had been in best and final seven different times, but I was struggling, because what Grant tells you is when you have a good deal, get the deal; the money will come. That's not true. Not if you've not gone full-cycle, not if I don't have the liquidity and the bank account to make sure there's no capital calls. So when I had a massive investor network, I'm working with all these people, because I've been to so many events, and after these events you're following up with people. So my group was growing, but then as we started spending time, they're like "Brooke, you haven't even gone full-cycle." And what that means, to the audience, is "You have executed the business plan, you're past due diligence, you've refied or sold and you've paid out those returns to your investors." However, Massive Capital had done it seven times, and they had the liquidity. So that what I lacked, they had. I had the ability to execute and raise capital, and I was able to raise 1.2 in six weeks, and they provided what I lacked. So they saw everything, because we were all in the same ecosystem, and they reached out for us to collaborate.
Ash Patel: I love that story. Good. So you've found your limiting factor, and you've found partners to compensate for that. How did you get in front of some of these people? Liz Faircloth, with InvestHer, Veena Jetti - great people in our industry. How did you come across them and how did you get to use their name on a first-name basis?
Brooke Ceballos-Pinero: So Liz Faircloth I wouldn't say I know her on a first-name basis. I'm a part of her InvestHer Sacramento Chapter, which is ran by Jasmine Rosing here, and I attend the investor events. I did get to meet them in Arizona, which was absolutely fabulous. Probably one of my favorite events. So her and I - we have emails, and there's like closed groups, and we've only met once. But Veena Jetti is my major girl crush. She had helped me when I was tackling a portfolio in Montrose. We had a clubhouse, we had an open forum, and I was asking for advice. So her and I were working together, helping each other for almost 18-20 months before I actually got to meet her just a couple months ago. And our relationship has grown so quickly that I have a book coming out that we collaborate with, "Real women and real estate." All women, of all walks of life. She did our foreword for us, which is absolutely fantastic. And that's coming out August 1st, a little plug there. And it's more because of people. Even though this is a very large industry, the ecosystem and the people involved are very intimate, and small. People talk. It's a very large, small, intimate group. And I was able to meet her, and we connected, and we chat, and she's absolutely fantastic.
Break: [00:17:48.28]
Ash Patel: Veena's a great personality. A fun individual.
Brooke Ceballos-Pinero: Yes.
Ash Patel: Do other people have a hard time getting a word in when the two of you are together?
Brooke Ceballos-Pinero: [laughs] This is so funny, because me and Veena are like -- we went out to go eat, and I'm [unintelligible 00:19:57.03] I hosted the red carpet for him at the Dealmaker Live, and then I was a speaker. And I was asking for tips, because I've done podcasts, I do YouTube interviews for Michael Blanc for First-Time Dealmakers, but to be on stage, I wanted to make sure I provided value, what should I do... And she just sat there, from the first time we met, with a bunch of people, and we were eating, and she's like "So girl, pull up a seat." And my daughter was with me, my 15-year-old... "This is what you've got to do, this is what you've not gotta do." It was like the world shut down. So she's a wealth of information, and... Kind of, yes, you can get a word in.
Ash Patel: But Brooke, I've got to ask you - why is there not more women in this business? Look, there's plenty of women, I think, early on, in some residential fix and flips, wholesaling... But once you get to these higher-level real estate investors, there's just not that many women. Why is that?
Brooke Ceballos-Pinero: A couple of things. One, it's confidence. We're not very confident. People ask me "Brooke, where the hell do you get your confidence?" I don't call it confidence. I call it being fed up. I've done 22 years hard time corporate. Whenever I had to go give presentations to clients, mid-market, enterprise clients, rarely did I see women at the table, let alone black, brown, Indian, Asian. So a lot of this comes from frustration, and having a single mom bringing me up.
A lot of women are told, "You should be seen, but not heard it." It comes back to society as well. A man growing up - you guys are taught how to invest in the stock market, invest here, invest there. Women are taught "When it comes to money, learn how to manage the household income, and make sure you know how to balance a checkbook." F that. Hello? We need to take care of our own financial future, because a man is not a plan. I think it really depends on their upbringing and their culture. And have you really been pissed off enough? Because I know I have. I'm fed up. And having four girls of color, they need to see what's possible regardless of your upbringing.
Speaking with women, there's like "Oh, I don't know..." Women feel like everything needs to be perfect first. "Oh, I need to have all this stuff together. This, this, this, this and this. Oh, and my hair -- oh, my God. And if I break out, I can't put myself out there." And one thing I've learned from Rachael Rogers - if you don't know who she is, she's the author of "We should all be millionaires." Fabulous woman. She goes, "You have to put yourself out there to inspire other people." And so many women don't see other people out there. So even when you're having a bad day. "Oh my god, there's gray hairs. Oh my god, I have a double chin" or "I just look like s**t today", I make myself do it. Because at the end of the day, it's not about you, it's about the message. What is the endgame we're trying to inspire? I hope that answered your question, but it comes down to culture, society and lack of confidence.
Ash Patel: It did. Two of my business partners are females, and they're two of the strongest women that I know. And I see the things that they encounter; when they show up to meet a broker, or when they're on the phone with a broker for the first time, it's Mr. Patel, or Mr. Shah. And it's like, "No, I'm a missus." There's just a lot of stereotypes. They handle themselves very well, but again, they just have strong personalities. What's your advice to women who are starting out in this industry, and are encountering a lot of that? It's a predominantly male-dominated industry. What's your advice to them early on, so that they don't get frustrated and they push through?
Brooke Ceballos-Pinero: One, give yourself grace. We're all humans, trying to figure everything out. You're not going to know everything all at once. You're never going to know everything. So make sure you're surrounding yourself with people that are supportive of you. Two, when I started on this journey, I was scared shitless to call brokers. They've been around longer, [unintelligible 00:23:42.27] However, I was very organized prior to calling, because sorry, ladies - and I know I can be long-winded too sometimes, especially if I'm thinking out loud, which I try not to do... I try to speak in bullet points. But women tend to lack confidence. The high-pitched voices - sorry, they even turned me off. So use your diaphragm, y'all. Speak with authority and confidence, first of all.
So when I call on a property, I call -- one, I have my notes in front of me. And I have napkin underwriting. What is the most, at a high level, that I can pay for? And when I call them, I'm saying "Hi." They answer. "Hi, this is Ash." "Hey, Ash, this is Brooke Ceballos-Pinero of Empower Capital. How you doing?" "I'm fabulous." "Cool. I've found the Hayworth on here. I have a couple questions. One, is it available?" First thing, is it available? Because they will post things that have already been sold or in negotiations, in the hopes that if it falls through the cracks, somebody else is going to pick it up. Sometimes these properties aren't available. One, is it available? Two, what's the whisper guidance price? Okay, awesome. Perfect. Well, then, you know what? That fits my criteria. I'll have my team dig in the weeds and we'll go from there.
You control the conversation, and if they ask additional questions, "Well, what questions do you have?" or this or that, or who did you get to? Well, I'm showing 22 point million, you're telling me 25 point million. I'm a little bit more conservative. However, I have an underwriting team, and I will get back to you on that. So essentially, when you call, introduce yourself, "Hi, my name is Brooke Ceballos-Pinero of Empower capital. How are you doing today?" "Great. Fabulous." "I saw Hayworth on here. One, Hayworth in Fort Worth, Texas. Is this still available?" "No, it's not." "Okay, fantastic. Alright, no problem." If it is, beautiful. When is best and final? When are your call for offers? When are your LOIs due? Keep it to three sentences. And then like, "Okay, what's the whisper price?" "Oh, we're gonna based it off the market." "Okay, understood, thank you for your time. We'll look in to dig deeper, and we'll be in touch." End the effin call. Don't open it up for 21 questions that you're not prepared to handle.
Ash Patel: I like that. So here's my opinion on what you said. If a guy gets on the phone with me, very aggressive, to the point... And you were pretty aggressive there; you were very confident and aggressive. I would think, "Man, this guy's *bleep*." However, when a female does that, I'll be like, "She is awesome." I don't know why that is, but I'm just being honest with you. So I love that approach.
But now the flipside of that question - my partners at times will find it very advantageous to play simple and naive in situations. Are you capable of that? Because I see you as very domineering.
Brooke Ceballos-Pinero: Yes. So before I tour a property, one, our team has done a ton of digging, I've already did rent comparables, I've already done all of this work. And I've already went and looked at the Google reviews. I'm looking "Okay, what are the reviews?" Apartment.com, Rent.com. What are the tenants saying about this place? And I get it, some of those reviews, people just talk smoke; they had a bad day, whatever, fine. But if there's a common trend, I know about it. I'm going to do my digging.
When I go to the tour, I'm like, "Oh, hey, how are you?" This is a time to build rapport, build relationships with people. I'm a lot more relaxed, I'm taking notes as I go... And I'm like, "Okay, so what would you say are the pros? What do you like about this property? What do you not like about this property?" And also, "Okay, okay, so what are their thoughts on this?" I'll play dumb in that aspect, or when I am at a lunch with a broker or something, if it's a new relationship, and they're talking about the properties they have, and I've already done my work on what the rent comparables are. He's like, "Oh, well, you know what? We're at $900, and you could totally put it up to like, $1,200 or $1,350." And I know they're blowing smoke. I'm like, "Okay, you're at $900. I just stalked four or five different websites. People within a five mile radius are charging $1,100, so don't tell me I can bump it to $1,350 when leases are over." But I just take that as a mental note.
The reason why I'm more assertive on the phone - because women, we tend to be like [unintelligible 00:27:34.15] We're like this cheerleaders, and it drives not only me nuts... I swear a lot, as I said; I'm a Latino man in my previous life. But men, too. When he's like [unintelligible 00:27:45.17] nobody cares. We're here to do business. Get to the point, we are busy. So on a phone call - introduction, two to three questions max. "Awesome. Thank you for your time." One, it shows you're serious, you know your s**t. Don't waste my time. In-person, you have more time to be like, "Hey, what's happening, how you doing? Thanks for your time today." Bring a gift. Bring them coffee, whatever it is. A really nice pen if it's a super-bougie property, or whatever. And just let that have your personality show through. Speak direct, know what you want to get out of it, lead with the end in mind, and cut out that [unintelligible 00:28:20.07] If you have a high-pitched voice, get a voice coach. It works. AT&T, we've done it. Speak from your chest. And learn to think before you deliver.
Ash Patel: Kind of like Elizabeth Holmes, huh?
Brooke Ceballos-Pinero: I don't know that name.
Ash Patel: She was the Theranos CEO, one of the youngest female billionaires ever. She had a very, very deep voice, but she was caught on camera in her normal voice once. She was very good at putting on the deep voice, and that was part of her persona. Fascinating story, by the way. Okay, so look, I'm a believer in that women honestly do things much better in business than men. But I was also in the corporate healthcare arena for 15 years. So 95% of my co-workers and people that I manage were women. Now, my two business partners are women, my company is predominantly women. I have one male who is my nephew. What is your advice to leaders of companies in real estate, on hiring women, promoting women, cultivating women to grow in this industry?
Brooke Ceballos-Pinero: One, you want to see your ROI, your return on investment accelerate exponentially? You need more women. And the reason for that is one, we have a reputation for being very thorough and an attention to detail, which can make you or break you in some aspects. In conversations it's not necessary. However, when it comes to documentation, doing tours, looking at things in real estates, due diligence etc. That's extremely important.
Two, we are more attuned to -- I would say more empathetic to the diversity around us, making sure everybody has a voice. Call it that motherly instinct, or whatever that might be, that we want everybody to have a place at the table, so to speak... Where in my experience, where it is dominantly men, "It's about me, and this, and it's my way. No, no, no, this is how we're doing it." Where when I've had leaders like Anne Chow, who used to be our CEO of business, and she was a mentor of mine - okay, what are your thoughts? Okay, noted. And what are your thoughts?"
So women overall are a little more empathetic, we're a little bit more thorough, we will do our best to make sure people are feeling included and inclusive, and in that it allows people to be more open with their feedback and what they may see, were in some situations where men dominate, they kind of tend to take over, where we will make it a priority to make sure their voices are heard. "Did you notice this? Did you notice there's mildew right there? Did you notice that this is here?" Where the men will kind of look at the bigger picture and the women will kind of tune it in. Or something that may be small now, could grow to be something bigger later. I hope that answered --
Ash Patel: Yeah, it certainly does. I'm going to ask you another question, and I want you to take a minute to think about this, because there is a politically correct answer... But I want your true answer. As your company grows, and you start hiring more people, I know you want to be a champion of women. I'm sure you're going to hire as many women as possible. Would you make it a point to have men in the company as well?
Brooke Ceballos-Pinero: So to make sure we're on the same page, men are fantastic. However, the white man has had a place at the table for decades and years, and it was only until the '70s that a woman could go get a credit card or get a mortgage without her husband co-signing. So history is important. However, the group I'm creating right now is called "Our seat at the table." I'm uploading a whole bunch of content right now. It is for those who don't have a seat at the table, in marginalized communities.
One of the reasons I say "Women" is because we have four daughters. 11, 15, 14 and 18. We're a blended family. I have two and my husband has two. And it is a major priority for me to show them what is possible. I want women just to learn that some of the things that you're doing is not appropriate. Going into a business transaction looking like Friday night when it's Monday morning - not cool. Are you looking for a date or are you looking for a business partner? And I know that is kind of a side comment, but it is for women, it is as a focus, because we have four daughters, but marginalized communities as a whole, and men that support them.
So I do not feel that you should ever have just women somewhere. You might have a mentorship group, and that's great, but when it comes to acceleration, all voices need to be heard. I don't care if you're white, black, brown, a female. However, studies in history and facts have shown that the more successful people, whether it's Fortune 500 companies, whatever it might be, were dominantly white males. And we need to open up the doors, because representation matters. So my goal is to be that representation, having that family, Puerto Rican, Mexican, Hispanic, Black, all of that in one family, to show this as possible. You don't have to just be a woman. But that is a focus, because I am a woman, and I've seen women get pushed aside, my own mom growing up for years, and having to rely on a man... Because that man is not a plan. You want a man, but you don't need a man. If you're not happy, you need to be able to financially take care of yourself. So I hope that kind of clarifies...
Ash Patel: A one-word answer. Would you make it a point to have at least one male in your company?
Brooke Ceballos-Pinero: Yes.
Ash Patel: Got it. Okay. Awesome. Brooke, are you ready for the Best Ever Lightning Round?
Brooke Ceballos-Pinero: Let's go. Let's go. Let's go.
Ash Patel: Alright, what's the most valuable real estate investing advice you can give?
Brooke Ceballos-Pinero: No deal is better than a bad deal.
Ash Patel: No deal is better than a bad deal. Why?
Brooke Ceballos-Pinero: Because your investors are your lifeline, and your reputation is your lifeline, and if you get a bunch of people involved in a sh***y a** deal, you're going down with it. Good luck having people trust you.
Ash Patel: Okay, so having no deal meaning the absence of a deal. Sorry, I misinterpreted your statement. Yes, that's a great point. Brooke, what's the Best Ever book you've recently read?
Brooke Ceballos-Pinero: Recently? Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss, and "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill, by Sharon Lechter, because she geared it towards women.
Ash Patel: And Brooke, what's the Best Ever way you like to give back?
Brooke Ceballos-Pinero: Two ways: providing education to the masses through content creating, so people don't have to spend 100 grand a year like I had to spend on masterminds, and we sponsor Sophina Nina in Guatemala. She is a young girl. They only get up to seventh grade education. So I do it through a sponsorship for the countries and places that matter, along with free content for those that can't be in-person or afford these masterminds.
Ash Patel: And Brooke, how can the Best Ever listeners reach out to you?
Brooke Ceballos-Pinero: Instagram is my favorite handle, it is @Brooklynn0719.
Ash Patel: Brooke, I've got to thank you for your time today. You are certainly a champion of people that don't have a voice. You've got a great story, a fast rise, and just over two years, becoming one of the dominant women in this industry. So congratulations on your success.
Brooke Ceballos-Pinero: I appreciate you, Ash. It was such an honor, and I was so excited to be on here, because I've read the Best Ever Real Estate Investing Book. I have it on a hard copy, and I've actually taken different excerpts of it and reiterated it in my own words to help spread your guys's knowledge for people. So I love your book, too.
Ash Patel: Thank you very much. Best Ever listeners, thank you for joining us. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a five star review. Share this podcast with someone you think can benefit from it. Also, follow, subscribe and have a Best Ever day.
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