Building A Real Estate Portfolio With Private Money
What does it really take to go from working as a corrections officer to becoming a full-time real estate investor, operator, and developer? Welcome back to Inspired To Invest.
This week, Belen Hipskind is joining us for episode 128.
Belen is a hands-on real estate investor based in Ponca City, Oklahoma, who has rehabbed, rented, and sold 50+ units in just six years — while raising a family and building a legacy-driven business.
Belen shares her raw, real-world journey:
Leaving a demanding, male-dominated career
Starting as a DIY rehabber Learning painful lessons with out-of-state investing Discovering private money through Instagram
Building her own construction team
Scaling into mixed-use commercial redevelopment This conversation goes far beyond theory.
It’s about:
✔️ cash flow
✔️ systems
✔️ mistakes you don’t want to repeat
✔️ working with contractors
✔️ navigating city permits
✔️ being a woman in the trades
✔️ and creating freedom without sacrificing family
🏗️ What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
How Belen transitioned from DIY renovations to larger commercial and mixed-use projects
Why private money became the key to her ability to scale
The real cost of skipping inspections (and how to avoid six-figure mistakes)
Why building your own construction team can be a massive advantage
How Instagram unexpectedly became a capital-raising tool
The realities of working with municipalities, permits, and inspectors
Why real estate isn’t passive — but can still create freedom
What it takes to build a business that supports your life (not the other way around) This episode is especially powerful for:
🎯 women investors
🎯 parents building legacy wealth
🎯 operators ready to scale
🎯 anyone stuck between “doing it all themselves” and building real systems
To connect with Belen, go to @belen_the_builder on Instagram or trivestdevelopment.com online.
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Inspired To Invest proudly supports the Beyond Success Program, a not-for-profit financial literacy initiative for students, launched by More To Give & MAK Investments. Learn more at @more2give.ca.
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