098. Purpose-Driven Investing with Steph Doblosky

Connect with the host:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-e-jenkins/

Website: https://www.birchprosper.com/

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About the guest:

Steph Doblosky is an entrepreneur, professional engineer, and real estate investor dedicated to building wealth to help end extreme poverty worldwide. She is the founder of Zelixer Capital, a commercial real estate firm offering impactful investment opportunities, and Forget  Poverty, a non-profit focused on sustainable development. Steph has a diverse background in civil engineering and project management, with extensive experience in the WASH sector. As  a speaker and best-selling author, she inspires others to create generational wealth and make  a positive impact on communities. Steph's vision is a world where everyone lives in health, abundance, and peace.

Connect with Steph Doblosky: 

Website: https://stephdoblosky.com/

Episode Highlights:

✔️ Having a massive impact on your community as an investor

✔️ From engineer to investor

✔️ The power of mentorship and coaching

✔️ Aligning and partnering with the right team

✔️ Having a consistent brand message

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

So, my solution is I help women-owned nonprofits build a steady income stream specifically so that they can survive and thrive.

SPEAKER_00 0:18

How successful would you be if you had the blueprint for building wealth as a real estate investor or as someone who acquires small businesses? If you want to move the needle financially in your life, then you need to understand one thing the capital stack. I'm your host, Brandon Jenkins, and this is where your journey to financial freedom begins. Hello everyone, what's up, and welcome back to the Capital Stack. I'm your host, Brandon Jenkins. Um, you know, one of the most effective ways to grow in this business is to build a stage and then share it. Okay, and our guest for today has built a solid community of investors on the principles of philanthropy and making a positive impact on the world, which is a very, very beautiful vision and mission. So I am delighted to welcome Steph Doblosky to the show. Steph, how are you doing today?

SPEAKER_01 1:07

Hello. Life is so good. It is what you create, and I'm so proud of what uh we're we're creating in this world. And I'm proud of seeing you grow as well. And it's just it's just an exciting time.

SPEAKER_00 1:23

It is, it is. Thank you so much and proud of seeing your growth and and um very, very happy to have connected with you. And so um, Steph is a multifamily syndicator, capital raiser author, and a thought leader in the multifamily investment space. She needs a women's multifamily investing network and is the host of an amazing meetup group where she encourages women to partner together, build relationships, get more deals done, and to live big. And so I just love that mission. Steph authored a book titled Forget Stocks: Billionaire Passive and Apartment Investing Secrets. In the book, she uncovers how anyone can uh own multifamily buildings with as little as$50,000. And so, Steph, I know I missed some things in there, but why don't you kind of fill us in with your background, your journey, and kind of what got you to this space?

SPEAKER_01 2:10

Yeah, sure. So it's kind of interesting. My whole background, even when I look back on it, I'm like, how did I get here? Because you and I we shared civil engineering and now real estate. And it's it's odd. It's like, how did I wind up on this journey, right? And for me, like I didn't come from a wealthy family, you know, I wanted and I saw this picture, and uh, you know, maybe your listeners won't necessarily see it if you're just listening, but I have this picture I saw when I was really young. And, you know, I knew that I was poor, but I didn't know like the extent of what poverty could mean. And when I saw this picture, um, I was just floored. Like people are like they can't provide themselves to the level where they're dying, you know, like that that created something so like deep inside of me. I committed myself, completely dedicated myself to learn two things. One thing is how do you create wealth? Like, how do you find it? And what is the best way to create wealth and for longevity, right? And then uh the second thing was how do you end poverty? So those were my two biggest things that I was chasing. And since this is more of a real estate investing podcast, we will not go down that poverty route because it is a lot, there's a lot that goes into it. Um, but I will say it really does start with you, and you know, it comes down to love each other. That's really like the big one. But I think the big thing about me and my journey is while my family was like in a state where you know we were living over somebody's garage at some point as a family favor, like we started there, and then my family, my dad joined the military and we moved around a bit, and um, we had the access to a VA loan. I saw over my life how real estate, when you like rent out a property, how it can turn from just all your no's, all your worries, it can slowly turn into wealth. And wealth meant peace, peace in our house. We meant more yeses, and it was just a calmness came over us, and I was like, wow, like there is a reason why people want to be wealthy, and it's because it provides that that peace. It's not only just about freedom, it's it's peace to some people. And when I saw like the level of difference just growing up from my own parents, I was like, there's something to this real estate, but I'm still not trying to figure out how to end poverty. So I found all these things, and during that time, I was tried all sorts of businesses. I tried, I you name it, I dug into it, and you know, it there was always a part of me that was like, I got this real estate thing though. And I went to school, I got a master's in uh commercial real estate. And what I found out was there was a way to play the game at a level way higher and much more sophisticated than what my parents played it at. And I was like, let's go because I was not ready to hit rinse and repeat on single family affordable housing, which I care very much about affordable housing. But at the same time, I was like, I don't want to be the landlord. That's not, you know, I want I want to grow it sustainably and be able to have an option where it's passive. So how do you do that? What are the wealthiest people doing? And that's when I was like, uh-huh. They're doing commercial real estate, they're doing what I learned in school. And um, and that's when I was like, that's it. I I have the answer after all the insane things I put myself through. You know, I I have the answer, and it's commercial real estate. And, you know, I started off with apartments, and you know, I have what 227 units right now, which I'm really proud of. And um, and that was, you know, I'm only my first year of doing this, and to have accomplished that so quickly has been just really amazing. And yeah, like I created a community of women who are just so supportive and amazing. Um I've just been so I just feel so blessed right now. And um yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:39

Well, that is incredible. And I just uh I really appreciate you for uh sharing your background and and your passions, you know. And I think that really what I'm getting from that is that you invest and you put your energy and effort into uh the things that you're passionate about, into solving a real need and um and into something that can make a real difference. I like that at one point you mentioned that it kind of starts with um with you, it just starts with you know taking some action. And I think that you know, it's it's critical for all of us to remember that. So, yes, the what you're what you want to solve is is big and will take a huge concerted effort, but I I like that you didn't view that as a deterrent. You know, instead you said, well, you know, when how can we end poverty? What's something that I can do to help end poverty? You know, too, too, too often uh we um you know commit ourselves to an effort, but then we step back and say, Well, what could I possibly do to even put a dent in this you know gargantuan problem? And we we end up doing nothing, and that's the wrong answer. So I like that you said, Well, I could do something. Here's what I can do. And um, and so you followed your heart and your and your passion. Um I just think that's that's incredible. You know, and there's so many things to kind of talk through um there. One of them is your your background, your professional background. Um, how were you able to use maybe some of the things, the skills that you've learned as a civil engineer? Um, were you able to use some of those skill sets to help you in in commercial real estate? Or um or yeah, just in general, how has that maybe helped you?

SPEAKER_01 9:14

Yeah, it's really interesting. They completely overlap and then they don't overlap at all. It's very funny how it works. Because in like civil engineering, all you're doing is like moving land around, you're making sure the buildings work, you know, doing the utilities, you you grading the land, making sure nothing's flooding. You know, so there's so many aspects. So when I see a piece of land, I'm sure same as you, you know, there's a lot when you see a piece of land, when I see a piece of land, as opposed to someone who's just been doing real estate investing, because it's there's a whole different set of eyes on it. But also, like similarly to you, like I'm not scared of numbers. Like, give me spreadsheets. Oh, yeah, yeah, spreadsheet junkie.

SPEAKER_00 10:08

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 10:09

Spreadsheet junkie, but I like I'm a weird engineer that I don't want to be behind spreadsheets all day either. I want to go out and talk to people, and that's why you know, I out of all of the things and all the roles I could do, I chose specifically to do capital raising because I know that the best thing that I can do, even if at the end of the day, I don't get as many investors as I want to come in because you know, I just I know I can help so many people. So I have I have a big fat goal. I'm not even gonna say it out loud. I mean, you already know one of my goals is to help end poverty. So I won't say this other goal out. I just I want to help so many people. And um, even if I don't meet that goal, like at least I would have gained the skill of fundraising, which to me, I love working with nonprofits. Absolutely love working with nonprofits. And I just looked at this uh capital raising skill as, you know, I can fundraise for nonprofits at the same time as finding investors. And how do I combine those? So that's really my secret, quote unquote, evil goal in all of what I'm doing, right? Like I just I want to help as many nonprofits as I can, uh, and as many women in this space as possible, uh, because there's not enough women investors really happening uh behind the scenes. And, you know, there's when there's a gap, anywhere there's a gap in um in women not making the same, that's also where poverty is happening. So that's the reason why I chose women and I care very much about um just diversity as a whole as well.

SPEAKER_00 12:08

Yeah, absolutely. And and we'll we'll kind of get into your um your your community and your platform in a moment because I think it's really fascinating. Um and I want to maybe just kind of expound a little bit a little bit on the nonprofit, right? So so um how what would you do to sort of approach and then um offer a solution um to some of the nonprofits who, you know, there might be some folks even listening to this who who could maybe um who who their ears would perk up and hearing it. So so what are some things that you would you would do to sort of offer a solution to them and how would it help a nonprofit?

SPEAKER_01 12:40

Yeah, so as a nonprofit, you are able to invest your nonprofit funds. And I know like one of the biggest things about being in a nonprofit, it's like you are a business, but you don't get to operate like a business. And you know, I thought about having my own nonprofit, but the fact that I felt so restricted, I got so frustrated because like you're not donors don't really want to donate to help you thrive. Like they want you to do your mission and they want you to live kind of mid. And I'm like, look, if you're you own a nonprofit, you have you got a heart already to go do the mission, but you shouldn't be out also doing some kind of business just so that you can survive in your nonprofit. So my solution is I help women-owned nonprofits build a steady income stream specifically so that they can survive and thrive. Like I want your nonprofit to thrive. Like one big thing that I learned. Um, well, I guess too. So there's one thing I learned about myself. I love nonprofit work, but while I'm digging deep in this one issue, when one issue I care very much about, um, I love this organization. It's called Water for People. Providing water and sanitation can change people's lives, and there's so many issues intertwined, and it's like the first run of the ladder of helping poverty um BAB eradicated. So I care so deeply about this issue, but also in the back of my heart and my mind, I care so much about you know women's rights, I care about diversity. I like there's just so much I care about. So I'm like, how can I have the most impact? And so the most impact that I can have is something else I learned about how to help end poverty, and that was don't like help as many people as you can around you. Like don't make it about you, be the supporter. And so when I put those two together, I was like, oh my goodness, I have something, I have this investment where I can help every single nonprofit, you know, thrive. Maybe it might not be like overnight, but over time, you know, I can easily, like, it's easy for me to get you 5% of your money every single month. Like, and we can rely on it because it's backed by real estate. So it's something where I just like, okay, not many people even know how to do this, know about this avenue, that they can even invest their nonprofit funds. So I I have a lot of um a lot of messaging to put out there because I really do want um the these people to thrive because they need to be able to do their mission, but they also need to be able to pay for you know their mortgage, their food, and their family. So that's that's my heart.

SPEAKER_00 16:15

No, that that's beautiful. And I think um, again, the the good thing is be with your platform uh that you can sort of put the message out there unfiltered in your way and reach and reach your audience, which is uh very powerful, you know, um, and it's something that I think is just very important. You know, I talk I talk with people a lot about um you can how you can make a difference, but how the magnitude of the difference that you can make um also is important, right? Because the reality is no attracted to that.

SPEAKER_01 16:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:46

I mean, and it's the truth of it. The thing is, the reality is yes, we can all do um something to help someone who's you know in our close circle and to help improve the lives of someone. That that's very true. But if you can make a huge impact, which is what you're talking about, right? Because you can buy through uh this vehicle, um, through investing in in commercial real estate, where you know you're able to make a huge impact, not only on the people you're serving directly and in the property, you're making a huge impact on your investors, on yourself, so that you can uh make an even larger philanthropic um effort. And um, and because that's what it takes, it takes resources to do these things. And so um, that's that's one thing that for me is also very appealing to you know, with your your message and your vision, is because now you unlock this ability to say, okay, we are multiplying not only our resources, we're multiplying the the firms and the nonprofits resources that we care about. And so this is a way of certainly like that ripple effect, it's certainly a way of addressing poverty within a certain circle, but then has a multiple effect because then they're going off and impacting other people. So um I just I just love that. It's always it's just really this chain of sort of positivity um that only gets realized when someone like yourself comes along and says, I'll I'll be the catalyst. Um, so I think that's a beautiful thing for sure.

SPEAKER_01 18:08

Um I'm just I've always been about impact. And even like very young, I was thinking about generations of impact, you know, and I'm like, okay, well, how do I have generations of impact? Kind of a weird figure in that way. And then I'm like, well, how can I have the most impact and the most generational impact? And I'm like, I'm so outside of myself. So I've I think in a way I've also been studying like how do you magnify impact? And this was so far the best way I can even think about it. And you know, as a professional engineer, um, too, like even in in civil engineering, providing clean water, like doing that every day. Like I have an impact on uh what four million people every single day.

SPEAKER_02 19:01

Wow, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:02

So I'm just like, I I love what I do because it's just I know I'm helping people, but not just one person. And they'll never necessarily know my name, but I'm not about the credit. I'm about making the impact for generations and being so large.

SPEAKER_00 19:24

Yeah, yeah. I I again I just think I think that's really powerful. And you're and you're right, it's it's um the impact is felt regardless of you know whether they know kind of who started it, but it definitely feels good to say I'm, you know, and and it's fulfilling to say that I'm making an impact on, you know, so many people and enriching people's lives. And I think it comes down to you know, people in the end, which is why, you know, for me, it's kind of a good segue to your your platform. Um, you know, I I think you have an amazing platform and you have what I call stickiness because you have like a very focused theme. And so you have your tribe, so to speak, to where it's like, you know, the people who are in your community, they're gonna stick with you because you guys are very much one message and everyone's aligned, which I think is the key to building a powerful community. Um, so how what what prompted you? Well, it sounds like sounds like you, you know, you've gone into your passions quite a bit. So I'm sure that that's what prompted it. But I'll say, for the sake of completeness, what what prompted you to start that? And then um, for someone who's maybe thinking about this, you know, launching their own community and platform, how can they go about doing something similar?

SPEAKER_01 20:29

So when I first started, um, you know, I wasn't sure if I was gonna get into this the space I just described, and I just knew that I wanted to support women. Like that was as far as I went, I'm gonna support women. And I think the biggest thing, there's not really like a how-to or anything like that. You just do it and you figure it out as you go along. You just get the guts and you you just execute. I I know it sounds like, oh maybe, she just didn't give me the right thing, like which platform, which where do I go? How do I know? It's guts, it's it's literally listening, listening to your guts and then pulling the trigger and having the guts. Yeah, and it's it's something I'll tell you. Um, I heard Tony Robbins say it, and I I like I went to his Unleash the Power Within event, and it totally I didn't, I didn't even know what to expect by going there. I was just like, Oh, bro, win, I'll go.

SPEAKER_00 21:38

You're walking on Kohl's.

SPEAKER_01 21:39

I was like, Oh, I walked on Kohl's, which is oddly like a to-do list, something in my to do list, and I didn't know what's gonna happen there. I was like, Okay, that's cool. I'm walked. I heard just a little, but yeah, I I um I think he you know he told. Everyone in the room, but you know, when he speaks, he'd be like it's just for you. He said everything you need is already within you. And you know, I'm gonna tell you the truth. That um the first time I heard that, I'm like, he's full of you know what I was like, ooh. What was that? What was that resistance? Instead of being like and then pass it on, I was like, what is that resistance inside of me? And when I started to question the resistance inside of me, I realized I had a couple more limiting beliefs that I needed to hang out with and crush. And honestly, that when I started doing that more, started paying attention to the resistance within me, that's when I wrote a book. That's when I started a community, that's when you know, I started going to the gym and getting the body I had dreams about, you know. And it was it was just amazing because I I realized, and it was funny enough because I was like, how do you end poverty? And I'm like, oh, okay, well, this is interesting because it's coming back to that same thing. It there is like we have to eliminate our our limiting beliefs if we're going to even elevate to the next step, whatever that step looks like for you. So I would say if you're passionate about something, then start a group and that's something. And if you choose Facebook, where go where you think your people are. I chose a WhatsApp group because a bunch of WhatsApp groups were showing up, and I said, I'll be one, why not? There wasn't much thought to it, and we tend to overthink things, especially as an engineer. And analyze, analyze. But there's definitely like guts, listening to your heart, listening to your gut, ignoring your brain, sometimes, not when you're looking at the numbers for investing. Do not do it then. Um, is it a good um do I want to I don't know, start a group, for example? If you just ask the question and your heart or your gut says yes, then do it.

SPEAKER_00 24:57

Yeah, yeah, I I would agree with it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:59

So where where you're listening, uh, I I learned to like since since that Tony situation.

SPEAKER_00 25:10

Tony situation. That Tony situation.

SPEAKER_01 25:14

You know, I learned to recognize am I listening to my head, am I listening to my heart, or am I listening to my gut? And generally I've learned that my heart and my gut, unless I ate something bad that day, they're generally aligned.

SPEAKER_00 25:32

Yeah, yeah, you know, um, I have to say, I really like the way you there's a phrase or a term that you used in there. You said um, oh, you that you had to challenge the resistance inside. You know, I I think that a lot of us need to do that. Um, and it's really interesting that you mentioned that you had to do that at that event in particular. So I actually went to a um unleashed the the power within in um two years ago. And um, it was I think it was the first in-person one after because it was 2021, I believe.

SPEAKER_02 26:06

And so um, it might have, right?

SPEAKER_00 26:09

We jumping around in that same uh in Florida. Um and so um before so I I looked up a few videos before I went because I mean naturally everyone's heard of uh Tony Robbins, but I I wasn't sure what to expect with the event because my first time going. And so I looked up some videos and I saw everyone jumping around and hugging and all this kind of thing. And I was thinking before I went, I was like, oh man, it's you know, I want to have to try and get into get in that mode, you know, and get in that zone. And and but before I actually accepted that that was what I was gonna have to do, um, I had some resistance inside of me, you know, and it's because the first my first time going to that kind of event. But I told myself actually before I went, I said, you know, I'm gonna fully embrace it, and I got so much out of it. In fact, um, that was uh shortly before I launched my podcast. And um, and so I got a whole lot of things from it that were really positive. But I think that I like the way you phrase that because too often, you know, we will be presented, we're presented with information that is extremely beneficial to us. And sometimes it might be in the form of something that is simply stated or that we've you know heard before. We always like to say that to ourselves. Oh, I've heard that before, oh, that's so simple. And because and we think that because it's so simple, we can ignore it. But um, you know, so too often we're presented with information that is directly of uh of use, immediate use for us, but we we put up a barrier, you know, and we resist arbitrarily. Um, and so I like that you said that because I think we need to all do that. You know, sometimes these these events where they're sharing information is purely positive. You know, when you go to one of uh to a Tony event, there there's nothing that's negative that comes out of it. It's pure you he gives you so many different pieces of information, something that will resonate unless you manage to go through and resist every single thing that's said. And so at that point, it's like, well, now you know, people have to do some self-reflection, like like you know, like we've done, just to say, okay, well, I need to be receptive to this because it can help. Um, so I just think that that's a very powerful way to phrase it, you know, is challenging that resistance inside. And I'll even kind of ask you because you because you've also gone to a few other um, like you've been in mentorships and in different coaching programs, and just wanted to get your take on what were you able to get from those, um, and how has that sort of helped your your you on your journey?

SPEAKER_01 28:23

Well, I will mention I mean I went to uh Grant Cardone event before and talking about um big mindsets, I was like, oh, I think I can connect with him for mindset alone. Now I'm not fully on board with everything he says. You can go down some windy paths sometimes. I'm like, don't mention his name. I don't know. But there is other times where I'm just like, thank you, thank you so much for reading or for writing 10x mentor. Thank you so much for just being a big thinker that I don't know how to execute like he does, which I'm like, I would love to have a course to just learn from him how he executes things and it not be like a million dollars. I don't know how much it is, but his stuff is expensive. And I'm like, oh, I don't know. Like I want just more investments, guys. I mean, so um it was actually like you know, billionaire, passive investment secrets. Like I wouldn't even put billionaire unless I had talked to Grant, you know, because 10X. 10X is like it blows your mind up in a good way, you know, because we're so used to living small and um kind of going back. Like I I remember like go going to visit these villages, and you know, like it's a family of seven living in a hut, and you know, they're happy. And I'm like, you don't you guys don't need to be rescued. I want to give you some toilets though. You don't need to be rescued, you're perfectly happy. Um, but there was also like this, well, they felt like they had need, you know, and they wanted it to elevate, but they they weren't able to get past the mindset, you know. It was like the idea of a like helping a neighbor or like a community coming together to come together and help each other so that you have a loan, so that somebody can get some rice, so you can make more rice meals for the whole neighborhood. Like there were just like some steps missing. There is just like we're used to this, and so we're gonna stay here because there's no other option. Yeah, but no one's being creative enough, and I can I can so easily see that from where I was, because I'm like, oh, there's solutions for this, you know, and I'm going somewhere different. And I'm not, I'm not saying by any means they needed that, you know, they were they were content, like I'm not trying to solve their issue. They're they're they don't have an issue, they're happy, they're very loving people. Um, but when I came back and I looked at it myself, I was like, oh, you know what? I live small. You know, you realize when you're like maybe you're living the American dream, or maybe you know, you have lots of degrees on the wall, or whatever it is that you feel like makes you feel successful. Like you can get to that level and just think, I'm good. You know, even he talks about this. He's like, Oh, you're good, I feel good. It's hard to push myself to like the next level of mindset in my thinking, and it has nothing to do about like elevating out of poverty for like this example. It's just more of how far can you push yourself to think for the impact that it can provide other people? Like, I I just love that. So I think um I get most of my mentors, I think, from books these days. And I think 10x Mentor is like one of the best books recently for me to really start like now that I've had Tony to help me with you know unlocking those limited beliefs, having somebody to come along and be like, oh, by the way, do you think this big? Those two together are kind of a bit of a powerhouse for me. And um, between them, them and Oprah, I just I wasn't listening to Oprah all day.

SPEAKER_00 32:48

So you know something, you're you're actually um you're you're touching on something that's very interesting. That um for people who who have maybe never been to um a mentorship program of the of uh like what we're talking about now, or they or they've never been to seminars or these kinds of things. And so from on from the outside looking in, you know, it sounds like oh, they're there are people who are just you know they're brainwashed and all this kind of thing that with but without really fully understanding. And what you're talking about is important because there are um there are pieces that you can pull and pick from each each of them that will help round you out. So you just mentioned how Tony will kind of help you break through your self-limiting beliefs, and then grant is someone who would then challenge you to think much bigger than you ever would have thought possible. And if you had never read 10X or never been to any of his um programs, then most people, most of us are just taught to think small. And and it's and it's really other people's fear that gets projected onto us, and eventually we think that's how it is. You know, people say, you know, if you'd have put millionaire on your book, then you know, other people would have said, Oh, yeah, you're good, good, good. You know, keep start there, keep it there. But you're like, no, I want to think big, I want to take big action. So it's you know, billionaire secrets. And so um a lot of times, you know, just that little bit of a push is enough to get you to say, I'm gonna start my own community, I'm gonna reach out to nonprofits, and I'm gonna do these things. I want to increase my brand and my exposure so that I can elevate to that next level. But it's because you know, you've you've gone and sought out, you've invested in yourself. You've gone and you sought out different different pieces of the puzzle that can help you um elevate to a level that the people who who are sitting on the outside and and will never ever even look for ways to learn and grow, they there's a strong chance that they won't be there. And you know, that's that's the truth of it, you know.

SPEAKER_01 34:35

Yeah. And I learned like education, it's not just the education, it's like who you're learning from. Like you you gotta find somebody who's at the level or beyond the level where you want to be, and find a way to provide them value. Don't just be like, come teach me. I made this mistake for years. I don't teach me, I want you to teach me, and they'd be like, Well, I don't have time for you, I'm off being my amazing self. But that's true. We have so much like time in a day, and it's not reserved for just handing it out to people. So if you provide value to somebody that you want to learn from, there you go. That's your solution. Then you have it.

SPEAKER_00 35:30

Absolutely, absolutely agreed. Um so let me ask you um about the deals now that you um and congrats again on the amazing progress. Um, so how are you able to then make the connections, find the deals? Like maybe let's talk a little bit about kind of the next uh the next phase. So how'd you how'd you actually get get started and take action?

SPEAKER_01 35:52

Um I just zone out through those pathways, but I'm gonna keep it really real with you, okay, because a lot of people are like, oh yeah, you can get into this game, it won't cost you any money. You can just do it, you'll find the people and it will be amazing, and you won't be stressed out, don't worry. That's all lies. It's not easy, not easy, but it is worth it. Um I'll say I was on calls nonstop, non-stop. Um, just like networking, networking, networking. Like I'd get on a call, I get to um meet some people on that call, I'd follow up with another call to meet each of these people. I'd have um, you know, every single lunch period, like I wouldn't eat alone, I'd have somebody scheduled on my calendar, getting to know them. And you know, it takes it takes a lot of connections before you find the person that you want to partner with, you know, or the plugging into a team you want to partner with. And what I always say, the very first thing you want to do, because I I see so many people make this, I'm gonna call it a mistake. Well, I'll just say it's risky, right? Because people come in and be like, I want to get an old deal, I want to be a GP. And they don't think like, oh, it's like a marriage, and so they'll just wind up going to like the first person who says, Yeah, you can come do this with me. And you know, you should probably date before you get married, but yeah, it's a good idea. Yeah, I mean, it doesn't happen for everyone. I mean, there's love at first sight, but I learned like it's good to have some simmer times, like go and invest in a couple of other people's deals as an LP, understand how they work, understand how they operate. Um, get to know their temper. You know, do they work well with your style? Can they handle you like basic things like this? Um, but yeah, you want to know how they act in stress, how they act just in general. Are they somebody who's a go-getter all the time? Or are they a go-getter and then they stop and they're go-getter again? Or you know, maybe they're just tired a lot and don't have the capacity to help and but you're gonna deal with them, like you you just don't know what that's gonna be. And if you're the person bringing investors into the deal, you like there is like a vibration, like energy is real. And so if you do not believe personally that you're fully on board with your team, people are gonna feel it. And you're not providing value to them, and you're not providing value to yourself. So you really want to make sure that you are on um on mission and you you're providing what you really want to provide by assigning aligning yourself with the right team. So, yeah, I found um I'm aligned with two different teams right now, which is really exciting, and I invested with another, which I have uh faith in. So it's it's been really a fun ride. And you know, it's taken me almost a whole year just to find the team that I'm like, okay, I've seen you, you've closed deals quickly, you're legit, and your investors love you. Yeah, like I want to be on a team where I can see investors be like, I love you, you know, I love my payment, you know, or get that check fast every time they're getting their K1s on time. So like I that's that's the kind of team I wanted to be a part of. And you know, it's it's it's great to be aligned with that.

SPEAKER_00 40:25

Yeah, I mean, those are excellent points. You know, I think it's very, very important to make sure that you have an opportunity to feel someone out, you know, understand. I think you mentioned their temper or their or their temperate, um, their nature, you know, kind of how they respond to people, you know, um, how they treat their investors. That's why, you know, for me, before I invested in my first um deal, I took a little bit longer than I tell most people they need to, but I mean, it took me about a year and a half or a couple years of going to meetups when I lived in Houston. And so I would go to meetups and things like that, and I got to uh meet different groups and see how they all work together and you know, see them close deals and some some of the exited deals, you know. So I got to see a good amount before I actually said, okay, you know what, I'm gonna partner in one of these opportunities. Um, and I'm glad I I did that, but that's you know, I wouldn't advise, you know, two years is a little bit long. Um but but uh but I was resistance inside. I had some I had to challenge my resistance inside. And I think that um, but it's very, very important to make sure that you know who it is you're partnering with, that's whether you're an LP or a GP. Um, you know, and because especially in in either scenario, regardless of where you fall on the in the deal, um, you will want to get with someone who you'd want to invest with on you know a future deal that fits you your profile again. So if you're in a deal with them, then and you go through and they go full cycle, you get into a hopefully get into another one with them if everything works out well, but you have to do the upfront work to see whether this person is even the kind of or the team is the kind of team that you want to invest with. You know, are they honest? Are they trustworthy? You know, are they gonna do that will they do what they say they're gonna do, which is a very important aspect of this? So I want to ask you something too about um about attracting capital, raising capital. You know, what what are some key tips that maybe you can share with someone who, you know, as as far as you know, brand strategy, putting your your brand out there so that people even understand that oh yeah, staff is is involved in this space. So what are some things that someone can do to maybe help it make it easier to raise capital?

SPEAKER_01 42:29

Yeah, so branding, branding, branding. You think you're in real estate, but if you become like more into capital raising, surprise, surprise, you're in marketing.

SPEAKER_02 42:40

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 42:41

Because this is all business, and at the end of the day, it's marketing. If you don't have marketing, you're not going anywhere, no one knows you. And this is actually a grand thing. He was like, You want to go somewhere, you care about something, and you want to like help people, you gotta get famous. I said, that's a big resistance in a big way. And I was like, but how am I gonna have impact if nobody knows me? Yeah, yeah, I better get over it, you know?

SPEAKER_00 43:12

Yeah, that's right.

SPEAKER_01 43:13

So having a consistent brand message is very important, and I think too, like when you're first starting out, it's okay if like I did it. I started with women. I didn't know I was gonna be helping women own nonprofits. I had no idea. I was still like it's stewing, right? And when you're starting out, allow yourself to stew. You get better with time, you know? It's just gonna happen that way. So, you know, just a little tastier.

SPEAKER_00 43:47

Yeah, so a little more seasoned. That's right. I mean, but yeah, you're you're right.

SPEAKER_01 43:50

Because it's seasoned, that's a better word.

SPEAKER_00 43:52

Yeah, yeah, because it I think you know, it's um too many people want it to be perfect before they execute, and it's like, well. You know, you could be waiting forever for everything to be perfect. And and and not to mention, by the time you have it perfect, the strategies and everything else and the methods and the philosophies will have changed or adjusted, and then you'll have to wait even longer to perfect those. And so it's like, well, just you know, understand who you want to serve, understand their pains, understand the solution that you can provide, and then move forward with it. And so um, I like that you mentioned that. I think that's the best, in my opinion, the best way to get started is to start.

SPEAKER_01 44:26

You know, so just start. And you know, um, I did have a brand coach because I was like, well, my my brand story, just like the story I tell people about myself, which I didn't go over because I have it so well rehearsed now. I'm like I go on podcasts and say the same thing every time, and I'm like, maybe I mix it up a bit, but you didn't get the rehearsed version. The she really helped me get a very rehearsed version of my story, where I don't know if everyone feels like this or not, but when I look at my story, just my life, and I think, okay, well, what are the key points that really resonate that really like I want to say to people, but also fits around the message that I carry? How do you do that? And then for me, it's like, you know, I tried so many businesses. Do I talk about those? I tried, you know, I'm a civil engineer. Do I talk about that? Do I not talk about that? Do I talk about like my family and where they come from? Do it like there's so many things in your life that you can talk about. And then also in my life, it's like, okay, I'm I'm doing things about ending poverty. Now I'm doing real estate, but in a different way. Now I'm doing wealth building. Now I'm trying to do business things. Now I'm doing poverty things again. Now I'm helping nonprofits. It's like, do I talk about that? The timeline's all weird, you know, and so you know, no one has a perfect story. And I think it took me forever. I was like, oh, I don't have a perfect story, I can't talk about it. And you know, my my I can call her my good friend Magana now. Like she's really been able to tell me, hey, you know, your story is all you need. You are the prize. You don't need to show up with a product, you don't need to show like you are the prize, like you're enough, you can just go and speak. Like you're you already have enough to speak to somebody to tell them who you are. That's enough, you know. So stop making up excuses. And uh, I just love that because I was like, that's so true. And I did felt help feel a lot more happy when I had my uh brand coach like iron it out for me. But after hearing that, I was like, well, what is there to fear? Because really it's a fear, it's a fear of public speaking, it's a fear of being unaccepted, and this desire for me, I've always had this people-pleasing thing that I'm like still trying to kick from time to time. I'm like, why do I care about you? You're not gonna help me if I'm not gonna help all these other people, you know. So it's um it's just interesting to think like, oh, okay, well, what is this brand? So it's it's coming up with your brand story starting, you know. It helps if you have just an idea of who you want to serve and start there, and then you can build on that slowly. I advise slowly, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 48:00

I I would agree. I think that makes sense though.

SPEAKER_01 48:02

Stephanie, too fast, not too fast.

SPEAKER_00 48:05

Take take your time.

SPEAKER_01 48:06

Take your time, be too stressed out if you do it too fast.

SPEAKER_00 48:09

Yeah, absolutely, absolutely. I think I think you're right. Though it kind of starts with who you're serving at the center of it, and then everything else kind of will fall into place. Um, and so uh, but I did want to get uh, you know, make sure we talked about your book a bit, you know, kind of go over kind of the the overview of the book and the motivation behind it and kind of who who the ideal, who who it's for, you know, let's let's talk about that for a bit.

SPEAKER_01 48:31

Okay, so um this is the book. It's called Forget Stocks Billionaire Passive Apartment Investing Secrets.

SPEAKER_02 48:41

Right.

SPEAKER_01 48:42

And this book, you know, when I wasn't sure necessarily who it was gonna be for, I just knew it was gonna help people. And I had to get it out there because I was going around like I already had a master's in real estate, like commercial real estate, and I listened to all of the gurus on money, you know, Susie Mormon, you got Dave Ramsey, you even grant talking about money, it's not, but none of them tell you about your IRA, and they talk about your IRA, but they don't tell you that you can't buy real estate with the IRAs that they're telling you to go get. And I just was livid. I buy real estate. Real estate makes people wealthy. How come I can't buy it unless it's uh Charles Schwab AOK Greek case? I'm not interested because it's not like it's not gonna help me to the degree I want it to, and also Mr. Schwaby gets paid off of that, you know. So I just want I want his commissions. Call me greedy. I want it direct, and um, yeah, I was like, I want to, I would just want to be self-directing, and I want other people to have that option. Like it's not talked about, it's not on the shelf somewhere next to rich dad, poor dad, you know, it's just not there, and so I was like, you know what, we're gonna make it there. And so um, yeah, another reason too is as a civil engineer, I just saw so many of you know, just hardworking my mentors, you know, during the real estate um recession, the great recession, they like I know there's this there's this terrible term. We go around and be like, okay, boomer, but really there was that true sentiment because they were they couldn't retire, they literally could not retire. Yeah, it's because everything was in stocks, and the whole stock market is rigged against us, in my opinion. And it's not until you buy true asset, an asset that is stable, it doesn't go away, it's strong, it's time tested, it's not until you buy into something like that. Like the only other thing besides real estate that I like is gold. It is time tested. Like I'm just done with stocks, and so I wanted I wanted people to be able to invest in something that was strong. And I had no idea this journey was gonna take me to the people that I serve now. And I'm just I'm thankful that I did this because if I didn't, I would never have gotten to the place I am in my journey, which I feel like I finally found my true calling, you know, and it's it you takes a lot of guts and a lot of I call them pinched peach moments. You gotta pinch that peach a mat before you can get to where you you're supposed to go. Um, so this book is for anyone really who they want to potentially use commercial real estate as a tax shelter because you're getting way too much money, and then the government decides, let me take it all.

unknown 52:36

And you're sick of that.

SPEAKER_01 52:39

You're sick of that, this looks for you, or you know, you're just tired of the volatility happening because all of your retirement is in stocks. And if you're nervous or you just want to diversify and get yourself out of stocks so you don't have to relive the lesson that I've learned through my mentors um who went through the Great Recession and could not retire. You if then you don't want to be that person, then this is another option for you. Just let you know it's an option. Let's it'll it'll tell you the whole basics of apartment syndication. And um, and I I'm gonna have a whole line of these. So we're gonna be talking about storage, we're gonna have one on triple net leasing. So a lot of great options. Um, but I released apartments first because um I just I love being able to give people shelter, and that's what we do.

SPEAKER_00 53:43

Awesome, awesome, awesome. And so yeah, which which again kind of goes back to your giving nature and the thing that things that you're passionate about, right? Is that you're now directly once again addressing and solving a need. And so that book is a manual of sorts and a guide for people who are looking for options and solutions so that they're no longer investing and putting their capital into a black box. You know, you now have something that it has a lot of clarity, and um, and you can, you know, one thing that always tell people is you know, if you invest in a mutual fund, you know, the vast majority of the time you cannot pick up the phone and reach your fund manager. You know, most of us, even if you know who your fund manager is, you know, good luck trying to get a hold of them. But with the syndication deal, you can certainly pick up the phone and get directly to them. And um, and so I say that a lot in the show. I'll keep saying it, you know, it's it's the it's the truth that that accessibility is very important. Um, but so we're getting close to close our investors today.

SPEAKER_01 54:38

They're like, What's what's happening? I'm like, oh here's what's up. Uh it's simple, it's it's very true what you're saying.

SPEAKER_00 54:44

Exactly. That's one of the beauty, the beautiful things uh about the business, you know, is that um it's very tangible, and and the people who are like yourself who are you're you're uh managing deals, uh you're very accessible, you know. And so um, but so so we're getting kind of close to close. Um here, Steph.

SPEAKER_01 54:59

And I want to go on, Brian, then we can just keep going.

SPEAKER_00 55:03

Yeah, we keep we could we can keep going, make this like a just a 24-7 uh around the clock, and maybe have people hop in.

SPEAKER_01 55:10

So that's not gonna happen.

SPEAKER_00 55:15

Well, um, so listen, if uh if someone's listened to this and they are uh juiced, you know, excited by by hearing what you're you're saying and your mission and your drive, um, and they want to get started, but they're they're hesitant, they're scared, they're nervous. What's something they can do to help them take action today?

SPEAKER_01 55:34

Well, just like you know, starting something, you just gotta start, you know, pinch peach moment. But uh besides the pinch peach moment, I would say um you can you can always just call call one of us, get on a call. Um, you can contact me at uh my website. It's www.stephdobski.com. It's spelled Steph S-T-E-P-H. And then my last name, Doblosky D-O-B, like date of birth, l-o, and the word sky. So um you can reach me on that website and uh book a call or just I'm around, you know, we can have a virtual copy even.

SPEAKER_00 56:23

There we go.

SPEAKER_01 56:24

Um, and we'll talk it through. And um, I'm working on getting um a license so I can help advise, and you know, I'll definitely advise. So I'm I'm just glad to help wherever possible.

SPEAKER_00 56:44

Well, that is awesome. I'll include those details in the show notes. Um, and before we wrap, is there are there any other platforms, anything else where the the listeners can get a hold of you and reach you?

SPEAKER_01 56:55

No, my website has it all because I just feel like platforms are changing every day.

SPEAKER_02 57:01

I mean, that can be ripped.

SPEAKER_01 57:02

Like, what's happening? TikTok is in, that it's out. So I just keep everything on my website because it's easier.

SPEAKER_00 57:11

Yeah. Yeah, I like that. So so um and you're right, but you're right though. There are new things popping up all over the place. It's like, you know, we need to get back to consolidation. So um get back to paper. Yeah, back to there we go.

SPEAKER_01 57:25

So I love technology, and then I I need to get away from it sometimes, but yeah.

SPEAKER_00 57:30

Well, look, I'll put that in the show notes. Um, but uh again, Steph, always a pleasure speaking with you. And I think that you know, again, it's just really uh my pleasure to kind of share your your story and your journey with the listeners and with the world. So thank you so much for your time.

SPEAKER_01 57:45

Thank you so much. I'm very thankful for your platform, and um yeah, just I I've really enjoyed um just meeting you in general. And I don't know, I just feel like we're kind of kindred spirits, and I I don't know why we are.

SPEAKER_00 58:00

We are, that's right.

SPEAKER_01 58:03

All right, cool. Well, have a great day, and um, I'll tell you how Barty is.

SPEAKER_00 58:10

All right, all right, you take care.

SPEAKER_01 58:13

Yeah, you see, bye.

SPEAKER_00 58:16

As always, thank you so much for tuning in to the show today, brought to you by Bridge Prosper. If you enjoyed today's episode and you'd like to learn more about commercial real estate investing, please like, subscribe, and share. And we'll see you again next week. I'm Brandon Jenkins, and this is the Capital Stack, where we help you learn, apply, and prosper.