Are you ready to embark on a captivating journey of entrepreneurship, mindset, and real estate investing?
Welcome back to “Inspired to Invest”! For today, we have Alejandra Moreno joining us. She is the co-founder of Honeybee Development Group and has an incredible story of success and wealth creation.
To tune into the episode with video, click here or click here for audio.
From her South American roots and her first foray into business with a high-end furniture venture, Alejandra’s resilience and determination led her on a path to prosperity through innovative real estate development.
In this heartfelt conversation, Alejandra shares how her family’s entrepreneurial legacy and her unique perspective on money have shaped her approach to financial abundance. With a deep understanding of the importance of mindset and management, she reveals insights on how embracing money as an energy and focusing on win-win opportunities can lead to long-term wealth.
Listen in as we discuss Alejandra’s definition of success, her advice on saving and investing, and the crucial role of having a supportive team to help you grow.
But that’s not all!
Alejandra also opens up about the power of purpose, gratitude, and taking action in the face of adversity. Discover her wisdom on aligning with your values, cultivating a sense of purpose, and manifesting success in your real estate investments and beyond. This episode is a treasure trove of motivation and practical advice for anyone looking to transform their financial future and achieve abundance in all aspects of life.
Don’t miss out on this enlightening conversation with the incomparable Alejandra Moreno of Honeybee Development Group!
To connect with Alejandra, connect on Instagram or Alejandra Mimi Rei on Facebook.
We also have a page dedicated to this podcast on Instagram and Facebook where we preview guests each week, highlight their episodes, top takeaways, tips, quotes and more.
Are you a full-time real estate investor with an inspiring story to share? Apply now.
Thank you again to our sponsors Francis Five Properties & Maynada Media for bringing us this episode! To learn more about them, go to:
* @francisfiveproperties on Instagram or LJ Francis on Facebook
* @getsocialwithaleks on Instagram or https://maynadamedia.com online
Tune back in on Wed., Jul. 19 for Episode Six with a special guest focused on land development, multi-family property conversions and so much more.
Thank you for your support – and remember, “when you invest in yourself, the sky’s the limit!”
Thank you to our sponsors Honeybee Development Group & Synergy Mastermind for bringing you this episode!
To learn more about them:
✨ @honeybee.development on social or online
✨ @synergymastermind on social or online
Tune back in on Wed., Jul. 12 for Episode Five with Austin James Neill, a real estate investor from Vancouver who is focused on impact investing and real estate development. He believes in making a positive difference in the world and is leveraging real estate investing to not only generate profits, but also make a meaningful impact on his community.
Are you a full-time real estate investor with an inspiring story to share? To be considered, apply here.
Interested in learning more about real estate investing, check out all of these great articles.
And remember! “When you invest in yourself, the sky’s the limit” 🚀
PODCAST TRANSCRIPT
Host
00:01
Welcome to the “Inspired To Invest” podcast, where we’re sharing stories from real estate investors and how investing has changed their lives. This episode of “Inspired To Invest” has been brought to you by Honeybee Development Group and Synergy Mastermind.
Host
Hey everybody, welcome to the “Inspired To Invest” podcast. I have a wonderful guest here today, Alejandra Moreno.
00:28
Let me give you a little bit of background on Alejandra.
She is the co-founder of Honeybee Development Group. She has a strong background in business creation, marketing and real estate development. In fact, she’s working on several really large projects right now that I’m excited to share with you. She calls herself a serial entrepreneur with a track record of building beauty from nothing, and she has multiple businesses In addition to her development company.
She’s very passionate about connecting with people and helping individuals find freedom through their investments. She considers herself to be a collaborator and structures of life around creating win-win opportunities for all parties involved. Alejandra created Honeybee Development Group with her partner, mimi Fey, and together they have a vision to create an impact-driven boutique development company with land development projects across British Columbia andOntario. So that further with you. welcome, Alejandra. Hi.
Guest
01:22
Serena, how are you today? I’m great. I’m really excited to be here And, yeah, it’s new to me And I was just trying to wrap my mind around everything that I would like to share today, and I’ll do my best to do it in 30 minutes, i promise.
Host
01:43
Yeah, no, i’ll keep you on track, I guess, just to get things started. Obviously you’ve got this really robust resume experience, but where did you start initially? Obviously, I’m sure real estate wasn’t always a part of your life. So what were you doing before you became this big, illustrious land developer?
Guest
02:02
Okay, so I’ve been doing business probably since I’m six years old. I’m one of those little kids that are selling everything that they can get their hands into, and I’m originally from South America an Ecuadorian and my environment was definitely different than what it is now, but my parents are entrepreneurs. My family is an entrepreneur In South America. There are people that know that here in the world, either you become an entrepreneur or you won’t eat a lot. It’s one of those things that, in order to survive, you need to have some kind of business to hold the family, and so I came to Canada in my mid-20s And things really changed for me, because this country, which I adore, gave me that foundation to be able to create wealth.
03:04
So, my first business, I decided to. Well, i have a business degree and an import expert processes major. So I decided to import high-end furniture from South America. And I didn’t have a better idea than find myself a heritage building in the middle of downtown Vancouver and it was destroyed. It was terrible but the landlord was beautiful. I love this man and he believed in me. I was this crazy Latin girl with this huge accent at the time And I’m like you know what? I can get this thing going for you. I’m going to renovate it, I’m going to make it look beautiful And I’m going to have a furniture store that’s going to compete with Italian furniture. And he’s like, okay, sure. So he got me a deal on the rent back in the day I’ll give you a reference like that place would have rented for 40, 50 grand a month. And he gave me a deal for 20 grand a month And I was like, okay good.
Host
04:09
That’s pretty significant when you’re starting out.
Guest
04:12
Yeah, but I never. I knew that the product was strong and I knew I could compete with Italians because I was fortunate enough to start this operation in my own country. So I had my mentors that created this product in South America And so I knew the operation from like the inside out, because I was the right hand back in the day, and so I had saved 100,000 at the time And this business needed half a million to get started. And then I woke up one day and I told my husband, super excited Oh my God, we have the product, we have the place, we only need the money. And my husband laughed and he’s like you’re crazy.
Host
05:00
I’m sure he’s still saying that today. Yeah, he keeps saying the same.
Guest
05:03
It’s just that the projects are different and definitely I’m not sure, I’m not sure, I’m not sure, I’m not sure. It’s just that the projects are different and definitely on a larger scale. But he keeps thinking the same. He still loves me up to 20 years of marriage. So that’s good.
05:18
And so within a week, the universe, or the energy of Mother Earth, whatever you want to call it, helped me reach people that would believe in my project the way I did, and I raised my first half a million dollars And up until now, my partners are amazing and we had an amazing journey together. So, story short, we only had three months of money for operations and it was a super high risk endeavor. So from like bringing all the inventory from South America, customs thought that they caught half of my furniture in the beginning, all the showpieces, because they thought I was bringing drugs or something. It was hilarious. So I have so many stories you know, serena, my storyteller, I can tell you like a bazillion stories on that end. But we pushed through. We were profitable within a year and a half.
06:15
A lot of work. I can one day show you all the pictures. So I put my hands and soul and everything that you can think of, on that project. I remember I did the count and I worked for seven months straight, 16, 20 hour days, like I didn’t even feel it, because for me it’s not even work. I love what I do, so that’s how it started, and I’m going to fast track because we have half an hour, so yeah, and what I wanted to do was like how did you bridge?
Host
06:43
obviously, That’s how that’s the furniture store into real estate.
Guest
06:48
Exactly right. It’s incredible because you can transfer skills. Any skill that you have. you can transfer it into real estate, like you can be an accountant, you can be a furniture store, you can be an entrepreneur, you can be in marketing, you can be in sales, you can be in underwriting. It doesn’t really matter what your superpower is. I call them your superpowers. All of them are transferable into real estate.
07:13
So, fast tracking a little bit, i was able to conceive children And I know it might not seem as having a correlation in there, but it does. So I created a lot of businesses until I was able to be a mom, and I wanted to be a mom. I couldn’t. So that mother energy that we all have. It was all put into this project And, god bless me, i have a lot of energy. So I created a lot of trouble And then, when I was able to conceive, I decided to stop And, looking back, i realized that I had enough real estate to support that decision. I wanted to be a full-time mom and stop.
08:02
And when you come from where I come from, you don’t stop. You’re just this person that keeps growing, keeps like because, in a way, you don’t feel safe, like you’re always in the sense of, oh my God, i’m scarce, like I need to make sure that I have enough, i need to keep growing, i need to protect everybody, like it’s the mindset that you have to be really careful, and so when I was able to be a mom, I had to stop. That’s another story And I’m not going to go into that one. But I said, holy cow, i can’t. I actually have enough resources that will allow me to have a choice. And it changes everything When you have that realization. It changed everything for me And that’s what I did. So while I wasn’t working. So I put my operations down and then I started playing with some short-term rentals, i started playing with conversions, and because I wasn’t working And it doesn’t- require.
Host
09:01
You just replaced it with other work.
Guest
09:02
essentially, But it wasn’t work because I was doing it at a different scale, let’s say right, and I’m used to a lot of work, so when you’re just doing one conversion or one SDR, it’s just not a whole lot of things. And then, and then something clicked and I said, okay, I’m gonna start another master’s. So I went back to my husband again God bless his heart, oh my gosh And I’m like I woke up and I’m like, okay, I’m gonna study counseling because I want to help people understand the importance of having the mind and the spirit aligned to create abundance. And we didn’t even realize that we did it.
09:54
It was this aha moment and I’m like, oh, my God, I can teach this. So then I was so excited I went to my best friend and I said to her hey, this is what I’m going to do. And she’s like no, no, no, no, no, you’re going to suck at this thing, you’re going to kill this. People Like you’re not, you’re not a counselor, you build things from nothing. And I repeat that a lot, because that’s what she told me that day and they kind of stuck with me.
Host
10:14
Yeah, And that’s kind of like your catalyst, Like when you think about that moment and that defining opportunity where like no, like this is it, you know it was exactly.
Guest
10:25
And I was like, okay, no, you got a point there. I will probably kill this person if, by the third time, I tell them to change something and they don’t change it up. I’m just, I just realized that it wasn’t my superpower. But I can put structures together, i can put business together. I can build teams together. And I said, okay, what I’m going to do is I’m going to help people in that process. Yeah, well, i do what I know how to do it And that’s how this whole thing started. So I said, okay, what’s the best avenue that I know that can help people reach that abundant state? I don’t know anything better in my life. Again and again, i like brick and mortar. I come from a family like. My brother is one of this crazy tycoons in South America that are all about like tech and he’s gone public with different things And I love it. I love what he does and he’s amazing, but I like to be able to touch what I create and it’s the tangibility of it.
Host
11:27
Right, i think that’s one thing that I’ve found, and I mean there’s obviously people that have done well in things like the stock market or crypto or a book point, but there’s just something about the fact, like people will always need homes and places to live, and there’s obviously too many people. So I just think that when people perceive real estate sometimes as risky, i’m like well, risky compared to what? Like to me, all of that other stuff is risky, like to me. I like it just so, same way that you do, absolutely.
Guest
11:54
So one of the beautiful things about why I love brick and mortar so much is because I’ve seen what it does Like. I’ve seen the lift, i know how to create and I’m not leaving it to the universe alone. I know the universe will match inflation to it Like, okay, fine, but you can create many different avenues where you can force that appreciation into the asset. And by that I mean when you buy something that is horrible and you make it look pretty, when you sell it, it will have an added value. That’s what I mean by forced appreciation into an asset, and asset is any house, it can be a bungalow, it can be a building, it can be so many things, yeah.
12:35
So when I decided to do that, i really wanted to be able to condense the knowledge of 30 years of work And if you combine my partner, like Mimi Fay and I, i mean there’s I don’t even know how many stories where we decided to put them into that brick and mortar, but also make it understandable. So my goal today is to have a very simple explanation of how you can get started here in real estate, because if I can do it, anybody can do it. Yeah, so if I need to do it.
Host
13:22
The whole point of this podcast is inspiring other people to invest so that they realize that no, like you can do this too. You don’t have to have come from an, an affluent family or something like that. There’s so many people that build this from nothing, and that’s where they collaborate and bring other people into the fold. So obviously you’ve had this illustrious career, and it’s also pretty wide ranging. When you look back at everything, what do you think would be your definition of success and something that you’re the most proud of?
Guest
13:50
I would probably say, Aerena, success is your capacity to integrate you, your abundance and every aspect of life. So, yes, i specialize in abundance of money and that’s my thing. Now would I tell you that money will fix it all? No, it won’t, but it helps. So I love money and I receive money and I’m very good friends with him, and it’s an entity. Money is an entity, but it’s also abstract and it’s also energy. So you want to make sure that you really embrace and love and whatever blueprint your parents taught you around money, and by blueprint I mean what you perceive or like the things that you would put next to money. So when I say money, i think about abundance, I think about freedom, I think about connection, I think about growth, i think about teamwork, I think about healthy ecosystems, I think about all these beautiful things around money. So if you don’t have that particular thought next to money, careful, because that energy will be tied to that perception of what money means.
Host
15:10
Yeah, no, i understand that. I took a course years ago with someone I introduced to you recently, but it was called Agents of Change And that’s what they would talk about. So if you’re always thinking of money is bad people have money or bad, I don’t have enough money You think you don’t have enough money. You’re never going to have enough money And you know that’s why they, statistically, they talk about you know the lottery winners that go back and they’re broke again in five years.
15:32
And just a lot of it comes down to mindset and management and things like that. So I think it’s important to obviously have that right approach. But yeah everyone’s got their own, their own ways of looking at it, but it’s important to kind of check yourself and make sure your mind’s in the right place?
Guest
15:46
Oh, absolutely. And how do you get started today? So I’ll tell you a very simple recommendation for people out there that are like, okay, great, This sounds amazing And it’s all wooing. It sounds great Like and it’s not. It’s not like that, It’s very simple. There’s this bank that did this marketing ad And I love what they say.
16:06
It’s like you’re richer than you think. You have no idea how many people I talk to every week And I can find them in their own financial structure like thousands of dollars available That they could actually leverage on what they have built. And it battles my mind, Like it’s just absolutely mind blowing to see that they just don’t know how. So when I say you’re richer than you think, I’m not only talking about assets, which, of course. So if you have a house and then you have a little bit of equity in your house, that’s gold. And you, Serena, know very well the power of private lending. So for people that don’t know much about what private lending is is basically having the capacity to lend your money to somebody that can work it for you and you have a particular percentage or interest in a particular term or time, right? So that becomes a contract where you say okay, I’m gonna give this person $10,000 and this person gonna pay me 15% simple interest for a year. So a lot of people don’t know that that’s available.
Host
17:24
Yeah, yeah, i mean, i would say, when I first learned about it, i was like what You know and like we were talking about earlier I forced appreciation on my primary residence not that I even I wasn’t even on my mind.
17:35
It was just we bought this house. It was kind of dated. We just wanted to fix it up for what we liked and I think we spent $30,000 or $40,000 in rentals. We had it reappraised a couple of years later and it raised $150,000 higher than what we bought it for. Then I was able to use my home equity line of credit and I used that to buy my first rental property and then obviously it’s time passed that doubled in value. I used that to pay off my mortgage. Then my key luck went through the roof And that’s what I’ve been using to invest with for the last five years. So it’s not that I had a giant chunk of cash sitting in the bank, but I used what I had access to and I think that’s important. Like people should, obviously you wanna have the good debt. You wanna be in debt on purpose and as long as it’s income earning debt, then obviously that’s smart and also the interest is tax deductible.
Speaker 2
18:23
So I think all of that’s important but it’s all been learning right.
Host
18:25
So I mean when I first bought that I never would have even realized that you could access the equity to invest in that way. So I think sometimes people just through learning and through networking and stuff like that, those opportunities will become clear.
Guest
18:39
Absolutely so. I’ll give you an example. I was talking to my son’s teacher the other day, okay, and I think a lot of people really can’t quite put one word into me like they just they’re very puzzled about me and they’re rambuctors and like I’m everywhere and I have this persona right. And so they’re like so what is it like you’re doing? again, I’m like, oh, I help people create abundance through real estate. I’m like what does that even mean? And I’m like okay, so you want more money, right? Yeah, okay, do you have savings? Not a whole lot.
19:25
I’m like okay, do you have a house? Oh, yeah, yeah, of course I have a house and it’s almost paid out. Can you imagine I’ve been paying this thing for 20 years. And I’m like okay, and I’m grabbing my hair. like you know, right now I have a ponytail, but I wanted to grab my hair. And I’m like okay, so how much is your house worth? Oh, yeah, it’s somewhere about like 2 million. And I asked how much do you have like in your mortgage? And she’s like oh, i think I have like a hundred thousand, yeah, and so for people that don’t know why, if I could I would pull my hair out, and she’s super concerned about having to sell her house because she’s reaching retirement and she loves her house and she wants. she thinks that she needs to renovate it a little bit and downsize.
Host
20:09
Yeah, and she doesn’t want to do it. People really just don’t know. They just don’t know. Oh, and I mean I say what you’re talking about reminds me of something that I was at my daughter’s ballet class And this woman’s talking to the receptionist kind of complaining I work part-time, they keep looking around, dates don’t work and her kids are really busy and this and that, and I couldn’t. I listened and she’s complaining and complaining and like 15 minutes past, and finally I was like do you mind if I just talk to you for a minute, like I’ve been listening to what you said?
20:36
I said the same thing. I was like she’s a little bit older, she’s obviously working part-time. Her kids were maybe in their teens. And I was like, do you own your has been on your home? Well, yeah, and I said, well, there could be ways you could be making money. You don’t have to go worry about like scheduling your part-time job or on your kids’ activities, and they just look at you like you’re crazy. But I think that’s the thing It’s like. I think there’s something really beautiful about being in this position where you can share those opportunities and share that knowledge and just let people know that there is an easier way And obviously you have to start with something you know in some way or another.
21:13
But there are options out there And for people that can’t be active maybe they don’t have the skills that they don’t want to Like there are options to be that active person like you are, or the people that want to be the passive, And they obviously intermingle and support each other right.
Guest
21:28
Of course. But you know what the funny thing was that day, and I love doing this. Everywhere I go, I’m like, okay, you just need to know a little bit more And you did the hard work. Now let your hard work help you reach your goals. If you want to be passive because I have a lot of people around me that they are not particularly interested in working the real estate side but I do have a lot of people on the passive side that they would love to benefit from that, and so there’s one side of that. Now there’s the other side, where I know a lot of incredible people that do what I do. So they are super active in real estate And they want to be that person like creating that forced appreciation in the assets. So if you are one of those amazing crazies like me, then there’s so many different ways to get started, so I didn’t start building high rises from the beginning.
Host
22:31
And no one just like walks into that and they’re like, oh, this is what I’m gonna do today. But I think it’s a matter of bridging that gap for people, right? So I think, with that being said, i’m just gonna have a little very quick break. We’re just gonna have a word from our sponsors. We’re gonna come right back Introducing Honeybee Development Group.
Alejandra
22:47
Hi everyone, my name is.
Mimi
22:49
Alejandra And I’m Mimi, and together Alejandra and I lead Honeybee Development Group, where we deliver exceptional results for properties and projects in the development sector.
Guest
23:01
So as co-owner of Honeybee Development Group. I’m here to inspire you. I’m here to give you all the words of encouragement to say, yes, you can do it and start today. Don’t wait until tomorrow.
Speaker 2
23:13
Build a strong support system and a network around you. Real estate is not a one person game. It takes a lot of minds to collaborate, so have the right accountants, lawyers, the network of support that can help you and answer your questions so you don’t make some very expensive mistakes.
Guest
23:31
Every real estate investor started somewhere. So please visit our website honeybeedevelopmentcom, and then let’s see where the universe is gonna take you. Just give that first step.
Host
23:44
Thanks again for following along with this episode of Inspired to Invest. In addition to real estate investing and running my own brand experience agency for 18 years, I also published a book called The Accidental Entrepreneur in October of 2021. This is my story and it chronicles how I turned tragedy into triumph to embrace my destiny in entrepreneurship. If you’re interested in picking up a copy, you can find the link at serenahomesrealtor.com and you can also find my link tree with all of the retailers in the details below. Thanks again for your support.
Synergy Commercial
Are you interested in taking your real estate investing business to new levels. Do you want to be a part of an elite group of real estate investors from across the country.
Would you benefit from a network of highly motivated individuals to help you with the resources and accountability you need.
24:39
Enrollment is now open for Canada’s number one real estate investing mastermind, Synergy Mastermind. For more information and to secure one of our remaining spots for Synergy Mastermind, apply now at synergymastermindca.
Host
Hey everybody, welcome back to the “Inspired to Invest” podcast. We’re here with Alejandra Moreno and she just had to move to get out of the sun. She obviously moved around a little bit, but now we’re back inside. We’re just going to continue along. Now we’re talking about abundance and mindset and just using what you have access to really put your money to use and start working for you. And I think, as Robert Kiyosaki would say, an asset is not truly an asset unless it’s making you money.
25:26
So I think that’s always very interesting that people look at their homes as their assets and you’d have to ask them well, how much money did your house make you last month, You know, in terms of actual cash flows? I think it’s just a mindset shift in terms of what’s possible.
25:39
Now obviously it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. I think when you are taking risks and you’re an entrepreneur and you’re an investor, there are lessons to be learned and obstacles that you face. So when you think about those situations, what would you say are a couple of the biggest lessons that you’ve learned so far?
Guest
25:56
I would probably say you definitely want to know with who you’re working with. You want to get to know the company, you want to know a little bit of the strategy that you’re investing in. I wouldn’t go blinded and I would like to have the best informed decision possible. There’s always going to be a leap of faith And I know I think you know that very well, so you’ve done so many different deals And at the end of the day, there’s always risk associated with an investment. Now, there’s many, many different ways of mitigating that risk.
26:35
So when I choose a project, that’s the first thing that I look at. How many exit strategies do I have? What happens if the market shifts? What happens in the interest rates shift? How much like meat in the bone do I have? How much contingency do I place in each project? So I answer those questions to myself before I even decide to jump in it. So, story short, i wouldn’t set up a project that I wouldn’t invest in. Yeah, and I do. I don’t think that’s So, and all my family does, all my friends do Like I hold not only my financial future, but friends and family, and I call my investor family my gang.
Host
27:26
Yes.
Guest
27:27
So I have a beautiful, incredible gang that I adore And so every time I look at a project I think on all of those people that have trusted in us And I don’t take that slightly. And so Mimi to tell her is like her mom call her, calls her like Mimi’s mom’s friends. They call Mimi the like the mom’s ATM.
Host
27:55
Oh, that’s so funny.
Guest
27:58
And it’s the cutest thing because, in a way, we are that. We are that entity that was created to create abundance for everybody around us.
Host
28:09
Yeah, but I think that’s a very beautiful approach because I think oftentimes when the outside looking in, when people think about land developers, they think of these huge corporations that I think a lot of people think like, oh, they’re greedy and there’s gonna be this old white man at the top and they’re just making millions of dollars. And there’s obviously the philanthropy side And there are a lot like. I’ve even met, for example, one of the big developers here and he’s given like tens and tens of millions to various hospitals and stuff like that because he’s done so well for himself. Yeah, and you know, obviously I think money amplifies what you naturally already are. So if you’re kind and giving and good hearted, it will just multiply. And if you are that other kind of person, then, yes, it’s gonna take you down that direction as well.
Guest
28:54
And so, again, get to know the person that is on top of the project. So you get to understand how the and I see it every time I have a project in my hands. It’s interesting because I can see the persons through the numbers, i can see how they structure the deals, i can see the like equity release. There’s so many things that, and we can do another podcast on that, on how I look at numbers and how I structure them. And so if you guys, like probably many of you guys, haven’t been in an info session it’s a different demographic, i think but for people that have been in our info sessions, you’ll know that our structure is incredibly generous to everybody, because if the financial partners and the working partners are not growing apart, it’s not gonna last. And then so we have right now nine development projects and every single one keeps getting bigger and bigger because our family or gang is getting bigger. That’s all. And they can see that the soul, like every company, every entity, has a spirit and a culture.
Host
30:12
But I think that that, to me, is smart and very strategic, because at the end of the day, if you have all these investors that, for example, say you offer an estimated return, you come back and you double that return, well, they’re gonna come back and they’re gonna bring everybody that they know with them right.
30:28
So I think it’s very, very wise in that sense where there have been some instances where people have been almost held hostage in deals and they run on for so long and everyone’s getting anxious around them And I think in those cases that company could probably cash them out, bring in other investors or take money from other projects or do something, and they don’t, so is anyone gonna invest them again?
Guest
30:52
No no.
Host
30:52
I think how you handle your investors will really make or break you in the long run, based on how you treat them And, again, just having that level of integrity with them.
Guest
31:00
Absolutely, and at the end of the day, you realize very quickly that this is a people’s business. We deal with a lot of brick and mortar, yes, and that’s the end asset, but at the end of the day, you’re creating a culture, you’re creating a town of people that we work together towards growth And I think that is where you want to be. You wanna find that person that you feel at your part and you are So in our community and you can see it because for people that don’t know, like Serene Invest in our company quite a bit. So it’s another layer of another way of doing business. So we do bring this differentiation around. Having that proximity to the people that are creating these beautiful structures And that energy is contagious.
31:57
So when you’re telling me, it’s true, like right now we have a lot of referrals coming from all our investor gang town And it’s another entity that’s growing on its own And for me it’s humbling to see that our work is able to support so many families. So I don’t see the money, i see the people, i see the person and their kids, i see the impact And I see like I have this incredible investor friend. She has lived out of our operations last year. She’s like I don’t wanna work right now And she has enough money invested with us that allows her to have this incredible lifestyle. So she’s been skiing for the past year in every single continent. She’s following the mountains and I get to do that.
Host
32:51
And I think that’s a great feeling. I think a lot of times. People think about the money, but the other thing is the time right. So I think that that’s huge. But I guess we’ll move on to my next question. Obviously, you’ve got all this experience. What do you think is some of the best advice that you’ve ever been given? Say that again What’s some of the best advice that you’ve ever been given?
Guest
33:11
Oh, i have two very good ones. So when I just started my furniture store in downtown, i was so lucky. Well, stars align and I think I have two beautiful, like garden angels, that kind of oversee all of what I do. It’s incredible I see them actually operating in my world. Story short, i had this millionaire I think now he’s a billionaire, but staying in my house for a month. So this person could have gone to the best hotel in the whole world And it just so happened that his wife is related to my husband And I’m very good friends of her and we’ve gone to many meditation seminars together and we are just very close And I adore this woman. She’s another angel in this planet, and so I wanna come and hang out with you with my three kids And I’m like I have a tiny like two bedroom apartment in like Kami N16, but yeah sure, why? Why I have a bunk bed Like and no why. But they came in, they spent a month in my house.
34:36
So this person and I’ve been thinking about him a lot he doesn’t even know what he created in me, and so I was talking about my project and like working seven months straight and all this and that, and you know, and I was so proud of that hard work because I was taught to work that hard, so it was almost like a sense of identity, like if you don’t work that hard, like your sense of worth is just not there. So you have to be careful with, like, what you think really. And this guy came to me and he was so kind And he said you know, your business will be as big as your brain, and as your brain gets bigger and you have a bigger envelope where you can hold more, then your business will grow more. And it hit me like a brick, like I can’t explain what happened, that it was this moment where I’m like everything that I was taught everything, like the poor dad, rich dad, it’s a thing. Okay, i love this. You know, guys, people don’t do this. Okay, so if you do this, okay, just try to, it’s gonna come off again and I’m gonna do this again, okay, guys.
36:02
So when I realized that my blueprint, or how I was raised, what I was taught, was limited And yes, i did, well, i was in my mid-20s, i was people think. My husband always says I don’t know if you were brave or stupid or something, probably in the middle And thank God, it turned out okay, right, and all the work behind it and all the brings behind it. But So, whatever you have in that head of yours, like, really look at it and see what are your beliefs. So for 20-something years, my prayer in the morning it’s always lift the veil of what I can’t see. So I create more and I help more, and I see it every time. So that was one of the most powerful things that were taught to me And I will be forever grateful for that one conversation And the other one when I started this.
37:14
I have my mentor, i have multiple mentors actually. Yes, get a mentor. Yes, hey, get a mentor, or two or three or four. And one of my mentors. I was like, oh, my God, i’m so tight and I’m doing all this and you need a team so higher. Oh, but I’m so tight, my budget is so tight, and then you need to hire, but I’m talking about like every bit. And then, from in my perception, my mindset at the time was just a bad stage where I said, no, i’ll pull enough, and then I’ll make sure that we’re okay. And then they’re like no, it works the other way. You don’t have money, you need a team to make money.
Host
37:58
Yeah, and you need to free yourself up to bring in more opportunities. So that was one of the biggest changes that I had in my business when I had one of my coaches And he was very generous with his time. We actually spent eight hours at his cottage for our first meeting and he deconstructed my entire company And he’s like everything like finance business And my first task was to hire a bookkeeper because he’s like you know, you’re spending anywhere from a couple days a week on this, like I’m not even a bookkeeper, so I’m like suffering and struggling through it because I don’t even know how to do it the right way.
38:30
And my challenge was how do I communicate all these people that were paying Cause? it could be a couple of people or it could be hundreds of people right? So we developed a system to basically communicate that to the bookkeeper And then, you know, there was a little bit of growing pains with it. But then I went from hours to days a week to like hitting a button and just transferring money.
38:50
So our sales doubled that year And then they continued to grow like 30, 40% year over year for every following year, because I wasn’t wasting time on something I could be paying someone to do And I was freed up to focus on the things that really matter, like building my team and bringing in sales right. So I think that’s incredibly important. You’re not the first person to talk about the importance of team right.
Guest
39:09
Absolutely. And then I think, the third one he was the kindest person to teach me about investments, okay. So one day he said you know what I do with my kids? He didn’t tell me to do it, he told me what he was teaching to his kids. And so what he said is okay, i helped them to grow $1,000. And I told them if you save this money, it’s saved, but if you invest with me and grandpa, we’ll give you $100 every three months. And then it was this whole thing. It was this beautiful game, and I do this with my kids now.
Host
39:59
Yeah, yeah, but that’s. it comes down to financial literacy, right, And I think that’s one of the things that’s right now with not only just children, but society in general. Right Like it blows my mind that we’re not teaching this in school. People are coming out and they might know about they have no idea or geometry or like all these things. It really like unless you’re in a very specific niche, you’re never going to need any of it. but they don’t know how to budget, they don’t know how to manage money They can’t pull the money.
40:29
They don’t even understand the concept of investing in some instances right.
Guest
40:32
The concept is so foreign and it was to me And I told me this one day and we were talking about it. It was like so funny in my 20s, In my family, like my nook my nook they never taught us this Like. They were always like surviving, Like a lot of like My family’s the exact same way.
Host
40:52
Yeah, I mean, I don’t think that that’s uncommon right.
40:55
It’s not So I think that people that can be the trailblazers, in the sense that you want to inspire people to continue to invest and learn and grow, because otherwise, you know, you can’t, in this day and age, really depend on a job to serve you. And if you lose your job, if you get sick, if the life event happens like you know, it’s investing that’s going to support you, not your job, and just like a regular place of employment. So I guess, with that said obviously we’ve talked about a lot of different things What is next for you, like, where do you see your path going with Honey Bee?
Guest
41:27
So my goal is super simple And I’m completely laser focused towards my goal and I don’t budge goals. So my goal is I will build 10,000 doors and 10 hotels in 10 years, and so that’s the goal. So that’s next for me. So I have multiple projects that are in place and multiple projects that are coming that are aligned with that goal. And the reason why I decided to put that particular goal is I love brick and mortar. I love the people that are in brick and mortar. I can support humans in the process, and not only the suppliers, providers, employees, investors, but also the people that will live there. I’m an immigrant, i’m first generation friend, so I see how many people come in here and they don’t have a place to live or they have bidding wars for rents or there’s just not enough inventory, and I just saw this thing and it’s like where did all the houses go? Like there’s this whole question Where.
Host
42:41
So I think we can’t keep up with the population that we’re creating immigrants to service, i think, certain parts of the economy that maybe people who are here already don’t want to do, or they’re losing some of those skills and those trades and stuff like that. So I think there’s so many real estate for people who are interested in investing. I think development is probably one of the best courses of action that you can consider taking just because there is such a need for it, more so than just flipping a property or even-.
43:11
It’s not only Yeah, it has their niche, but that’s really where the huge, huge opportunities are.
Guest
43:17
And, i think, from depending on where your journey is. So and I see this a lot So when somebody is in a state of scarcity or need, you can’t see more than you, so the first thing that you need to do is put the mask on and help yourself. So, yes, you’re richer than you think. So with your assets that you have, do something I don’t care what it is And learn Like Do something. that’s right, it’s simple shopping, yeah, no.
43:47
You need to create wealth, like so, you need to learn. So put that mask on and then get to it. And then, when you come into this place of comfort, right, you can choose to stay there and just cruise. And then what happens is that there’s a sense of purpose And that’s an incredible place Because, yes, when you’re comfortable, you get a choice. And I was there when I was 36. And that was an incredible, amazing feeling And I was so grateful, like gratitude is so powerful, but you can only drink so many margaritas, man. Like it’s crazy.
Host
44:28
I think everyone needs a sense of purpose, right.
Speaker 2
44:30
You do.
Host
44:31
For both of us. When you have small children, you know that’s an appropriate time to take a pause.
Speaker 2
44:36
Yes.
Host
44:37
And enjoy that time, because it is very fleeting, absolutely. And then it will kind of regroup and then decide kind of where that next step is.
Guest
44:43
And that’s when I think, and I talk to so many incredible people that are in different seasons, And so I always ask somebody that I meet tell me what your season looks like. And so for me it doesn’t even feel like work, because I’m completely aligned with what my legacy is in this world. If I get to inspire one person to think that they’re richer than they think, that they are self-reliant and they can do things differently just by thinking and feeling different, The universe will align to a different type of living And it’s That’s like the whole purpose of this podcast.
Host
45:29
Podcast is to try to inspire people in that way. And I guess, when you think about you know, inspiration, are there any particular quotes that you feel like personally inspire you the most?
Guest
45:40
Inspiration Host. I would probably say I don’t know post like again, i’m ESL, right, but I can give you one that I would. It resonates with me and it starts with gratitude. So if you’re in the capacity to be, in whatever season you’re, in whatever life situation, there’s a lot of suffering, there’s a lot of sorrows, there’s everybody. And I’m going to tell you something that my great grandma used to say to me. I adore this woman. She passed recently.
46:20
So she used to say you walk into anybody’s home, you’re in the foyer and then if you scratch a little bit on the ceiling, a little bit of crap is going to come down. I love that, because you talk to all these people, you see all this social media. You saw this like amazing, crazy, wow. There’s always a little bit of crap under that roof, and so what I’m trying to say with that is suffering is embedded in the human experience, and you want to be kind to that. You want to accept that stage, wherever you are, because something will be not quite there, but being able to have gratitude and acceptance will help you catapult your life out of it, whatever that looks like. If it’s abundance in money, abundance in love, in peace, work, relationships Like it doesn’t really matter what it is. So if one say I could give you is find acceptance and gratitude within you And a lot of things will change.
Host
47:28
Yeah, yeah, mentor once told me focus on the roots, not the fruits. The fruits will flourish. That sounds cheesy, but obviously it may not. That’s a good one.
Guest
47:40
Yeah, no, that’s a pretty incredible one. I love that. I’m going to actually keep it And, yeah, i would probably just start there. Yeah, and the other one is you can learn a lot of things. You cannot unknown something like you cannot take knowledge out. So when you hopefully when you listen to this, you know already a few more things that have helped people that are in a state of choice or in a state of purpose. Yeah, so you cannot. I know something. Yeah, so do something with it. Just take action. Yeah. So I see a lot of people in this paralysis analysis stage. Well, there’s a lot of fear.
Host
48:27
There’s a lot of fear. I mean, there’s even people I know that I’ve talked to you know about the options available and it could really help them And at the end of the day, like they don’t trust anyone. There’s fear of loss And, you know, i think my answer to that is always just to educate yourself and diversify as much as possible. So obviously, don’t put your eyes in one basket, but the people that are also talking about you know the fear and the risk. You’re also the people working one job that have one source of income And it’s like well, you know what you get in a car accident or you get sick, you get laid off, That’s gone.
48:59
Life will teach you if you have funding sources of income coming from different streams of investment. I think that’s just the smartest way that you can protect yourself for those unknowns that happen to us in life. But I know we’ve already gone a little bit over our time, so I just want to be sure you follow the fact that you are very busy And obviously I want to thank you for being here today and for anyone that wants to find you. How can they lift you up on social You?
Guest
49:20
know what. Go to @honeybeedevelopment on Instagram. We post a lot of our journey there. We try to offer as much as we can And I always say I’ll give you everything I know and I mean it And I want to see you grow And so follow us on Instagram If you want to contact me directly. You can also go to Alejandra Mimi REI on Facebook. Alejandra Maureen on Facebook @alejandra.honeybee on Instagram.
Host
49:53
I’ll share some details below for everybody too, so that they can get with you.
49:57
And obviously thank you so much for being here today and thank you for anyone who’s joining in. If you’ve liked this episode, make sure you subscribe for future episodes as well and make sure you follow along at Inspired to Invest podcast on social Thank you. Thank you again to our sponsors, honey Bee Development Group and Synergy Mastermind, for bringing you this episode of the Inspired to Invest podcast. The views represented on this podcast are for general information only and does not constitute investment or other professional advice or an offering of securities. The hosting guests featured on Inspired to Invest make no representations as to the performance of any particular investment. Should you decide to make an investment, you are responsible for conducting your own review and analysis. It is recommended that you obtain independent legal, accounting and tax advice from licensed professionals.