From Bored to Booming: The JV Queen's Real Estate Transformation

In this episode of the WealthGenius Podcast, Alfonso Cuadra sits down with Mandy Branham, known as the "JV Queen," to explore her path from a stable yet unfulfilling career to a thriving life in real estate.

Mandy opens up about her early days in network marketing, the pivotal moments that led her to embrace real estate investing, and the valuable lessons she learned along the way. She shares candid insights on the power of joint ventures, including the importance of transparency and setting realistic expectations with partners.

Tune in to hear Mandy's inspiring story of transformation, the mindset shifts that fueled her success, and how staying true to her mission has impacted both her life and the lives of her partners.

About Mandy Branham

Mandy Branham, known as the JV Queen, is an expert in the Real Estate Investing Industry. With more than 350 Units in her portfolio, and 50+ Joint Venture partners; Mandy is constantly providing opportunities for people to grow their wealth through passive investing strategies. Mandy is a female leader in her industry holding her role with confidence in an industry that is mainly male-driven. Mandy is an inspired investor with a global vision to positively impact housing in the world. As a coach and mentor, Mandy is passionate about changing the trajectory of every person's financial future with real estate as the vehicle for generational wealth.

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Transcript

SPEAKERS

Mandy Branham, Carl Richards, Alfonso Cuadra

Carl Richards  00:05

Welcome to the WealthGenius Podcast brought to you by the Expand Wealth Real Estate Fund. Expand your wealth by investing in apartment buildings. Go to ExpandWealthFund.com to book your info session. 

The WealthGenius Podcast, strategies for multifamily real estate investing mindset, community success. The WealthGenius Podcast with your host, the Godfather of Real Estate, Alfonso Cuadra, who has expansive experience in business and massive success as a real estate investor. The WealthGenius podcast, let's dive into today's episode.

Alfonso Cuadra  00:45

All right, my friend JV Queen was happening. 

Mandy Branham  00:48

You know, all good Life's good. 

Alfonso Cuadra  00:51

Looking great!

Mandy Branham  00:53

I know, thank you, thank you.

Alfonso Cuadra  00:54

 Let's start there. Let's start there. Through this, uh, transformation.

Mandy Branham  00:58

Oh gosh!

Alfonso Cuadra  00:59

Like you just woke up and you said, I want to transform my body, my mindset. Like, kind of-

Mandy Branham  01:05

No! 

Alfonso Cuadra  01:06

Like, kind of-

Mandy Branham  01:07

None of that!

Alfonso Cuadra  01:07

Yeah, no? What was it?

Mandy Branham  01:07

None of that, yeah. I was bored because my portfolio is- I'm optimizing and maximizing, is my choice of words. So I'm optimizing and maximizing my portfolio. And in that, I realized that my doing wasn't the same, and so I had time, and I was like, "Dude, I need deals!" Right? Remember, I was putting out there. I need deals. I want big deals. 80 to 200 units. 80 to 200 units. 

This is what we want to do, what we- and I said, "I'm bored!" Because the deals weren't coming. I was marketing to all the people, talking to everybody. And then Adriana says, "Only boring people are bored." And I was like, Oh, I'm not a boring person. So I reflected, I was like, "if I have time in my calendar right now, what is the best way for me to optimize my everything, my life moving forward, if my portfolio is in this state of hold and I allowed time for myself?" 

And there was this lady that came on, you know, those infinite moments and and she dropped the F bomb. And I was like, "Oh, if I drop the- people are attracted right now, because they they want the truth." And this lady was offering me the truth, and I just said, that's who I need to follow. And I did. I'm super healthy. I'm doing all the right things. Larry is loving it. And guess what? In this time, we've attracted a deal now that's 72 units we're creating. I just got offered an 83 unit opportunity to be able to go in the GP side. And I'm like, there's my 150 so as I was distracted with this health and learning, along comes the next phase of deals.

Alfonso Cuadra  02:39

I love it, because a lot of people put that on the shelf. I've done it, 

Mandy Branham  02:39

Uh huh. 

Alfonso Cuadra  02:41

I've done it many times, and I try to make my way back to it.

Mandy Branham  02:47

Yeah. 

Alfonso Cuadra  02:47

And I'm inspired by you, and what you're saying right now reminds me of, you know, that couple that wants to have a baby, they're trying, they're trying, they're trying, they're trying. And then they adopt, and then they have, they have, they become pregnant.

Mandy Branham  02:59

That's right, they start a business, they Yep, yeah. And then when you're not really paying attention to it is when it happens.

Alfonso Cuadra  03:05

Yeah, no, I love it. So look, a lot of people know you as the JV queen.

Mandy Branham  03:10

Yep, yep!

Alfonso Cuadra  03:11

And you know you've been on many shows, and I've watched a lot of your podcasts, and of course, we've been friends for a long, long time.

Mandy Branham  03:18

I know.

Alfonso Cuadra  03:19

And you know, you're one of my favorite humans, and I love you to death, but I never really get to know, like, kind of, like the background, you know, I do remember the story of when you broke your neck, or you, is it dislocated your knee? 

Mandy Branham  03:35

No, I broke my neck. 

Alfonso Cuadra  03:35

You broke your neck, yeah. And that was a really interesting story, but I want to go deep on on this podcast. I want to, kind of like, get to know you, the person, and kind of what shapes you, what shapes you right, shapes me. What's the story? What's the origin story, if you will.

Mandy Branham  03:51

What shapes me?

Alfonso Cuadra  03:51

What's the story? What's the origin story, if you will.

Mandy Branham  03:52

You know, when I had a I had a good childhood. My parents are still married. They were working, working class. My mom stayed home with us for many years, she was the first entrepreneur that ever was in my life. I've reflected on that she made skating dresses. We never went without anything.

Alfonso Cuadra  03:53

Did you know that she was an entrepreneur at that time?

Mandy Branham  04:11

No, no. I never really saw it that way, until just before I climbed Kilimanjaro, I did some deep dives and realized that she was the first entrepreneur that I ever that I had experience around, but she did it because she needed her own her own income, her own money, not that her, you know, her, my dad's money was always one, but she just wanted her own money. 

And so that was really interesting. But I had a good life. And I tell you, I would say to people that you know someone who has a rags to riches, you are sleeping in the bank, in the ATM machine. I was like, "Oh, well, that's why you had the drive." I had a good life. I was never I, you know, no, like, no crazy stories. My dad slapped me when I was 16 because I called my mom bitch, but that was it, right? Like I deserved it. I looked back and I was like, I deserve that. 

Alfonso Cuadra  04:57

Yeah.

Mandy Branham  04:58

But, you know, so breaking out of good was hard. I had a good life. We had a house, we had two kids, we had two cars and and I just kept saying, Larry, there's more to life. Larry, there's more to life. 

And Larry has, you know, husband of 22 years. He's had the rags to riches, and he so, he so I'm out continuously breaking him out of wanting more, because he's like, I got more than I ever thought I would have. And so, you know, I think it's just kind of, you know, come from. What else do I have to offer? What else do I want to be able to give back? And it's not for a lack of love. I have a beautiful family, but I needed to break the mold. I was a breaker of molds.

Alfonso Cuadra  05:40

And so was it a transition from you're saying good, I'm going to equate it to average.

Mandy Branham  05:47

Yes. 

Alfonso Cuadra  05:48

So that's how I'm going to translate the word, because that's the way when you're saying that, that's how I perceive it. What was the first thing that you did that was different, that felt uncomfortable, that was outside of the norm.

Mandy Branham  06:04

So I worked in a dental office, and we were part of a network marketing company, and there was different tiers that you could meet. And when you met this one tier, you received the ability to buy a black BMW. So I showed up at work and somebody said, "Hey!" The doctor came in, like, my boss, and he said, "Is there a patient here?" And I said, "no, why?" And he goes, "Well, there's a BMW parked in the staff parking." And I was like, "that's mine." And he was like, "yours?" And he gave me this look of like, "Who are you to have this vehicle?" So that was the first one that I was like- 

Alfonso Cuadra  06:40

And how did you feel at that moment, like, when he's saying that to you? Was it like condescending? Was it like "you can buy a BMW?" Or was it more like envy, like, like, "Whoa, you got a BMW!" Kind of thing?

Mandy Branham  06:53

It was disbelief. It was like, Who are you to have this? And then the building came for sale, and I said, "You should buy the building." And he was like, "why would I ever buy the building?" I was like, "because you don't want me to buy the building and you to be my tenant." And I already knew that I was like-

Alfonso Cuadra  07:08

Burn, burn!

Mandy Branham  07:08

 "I'm like, I'm leaving here." You know, I'm not going to be here for much longer, but it really did suit the life that we needed at the time. Kind of gave me that confidence to be able to go and do something else. Network Marketing changed my life.

Alfonso Cuadra  07:21

I believe it. You know, my daughter, when she was 21 she asked me,  there was some company. I can't remember the name of it, hair product, whatever. And she- it's an MLM.

Mandy Branham  07:31

It didn't work for you. 

Alfonso Cuadra  07:32

No, I didn't. I want my money back, by the way, for a long time because I was supporting her, they were still shipping. Yeah, the thing to my house. Yeah, and I try to cancel it multiple times. I don't have time. It's like years that just went by. I'm just getting boxes and stuff. I'm like, Thalia, I have no hair. Tell them I have no hair, you know. But she asked me, should I do this business, or should I get into this company? I'm like, absolutely. 

Mandy Branham  07:57

Yes. 

Alfonso Cuadra  07:58

Especially if you don't have any experience being an entrepreneur, knowing what it's like to be self motivated, connecting with people, being consistently under- uncomfortable presentations, you know, talking about your product being out there, it's the best, it's the best kind of training.

Mandy Branham  08:14

Jim Rohn, Darren Hardy, like these are the first, John C Maxwell, we- our car became a university on wheels. And my kids will still they would, they would request, mummy, mummy, play the play the CD that has the Walt Disney story, "Mommy, mommy, play the story-" like so they were. They loved the stories that these success audios would give to us.

Alfonso Cuadra  08:36

I still remember that. That was in the Success Magazine, 

Mandy Branham  08:38

The Success Magazine.

Alfonso Cuadra  08:39

And I would just get it, just for the CD.

Mandy Branham  08:41

Uh huh!

Alfonso Cuadra  08:42

Yeah.

Mandy Branham  08:42

And then you listen to it, some better than others. Others were just, yeah, just crazy. So, so that was like, Really, just kind of, I think it was the first time that I was like, "Oh, I have the ability to change the trajectory of where I want to go." And then just put all the energy behind it. And we asked ourselves, what industry that the harder we work, the more direct our results were, because we were really great staff, really great employees, and Larry and I wanted an industry that we could have the direct results. And that's why the real estate industry came into our awareness.

Alfonso Cuadra  09:17

And so how did- the first of all, you have this job? 

Mandy Branham  09:20

Yep.

Alfonso Cuadra  09:20

You're doing this MLM company. You're driving this Beamer. 

Mandy Branham  09:23

Yep. 

Alfonso Cuadra  09:24

So you're you're change- you're evolving, right? I'm not saying that you to buy a beamer. You evolve, but you're obviously stepping outside of your norm, your average, you're good.

Mandy Branham  09:33

Yep. 

Alfonso Cuadra  09:34

And so at what point do you leave the MLM, and at what point do you leave the job? At what point does real estate become your full time focus in everything?

Mandy Branham  09:45

Yep, so 2000 and that was 2012 we did the MLM until about 13, and then I realized that it was like, oh, like the MLM was good. And the company, there's some people part of WealthGenius that we've had some great conversation about. You know, but the company just wasn't the right company. So that piddled away 2013 we were done with the MLM. We still at the BMW, of course. And then we joined our first, you know, ability to learn about real estate full time. And that was 2014 so 2012 was the MLM wither pitted away a year later, and within a year, Larry and I knew like we were already looking for what that next industry. So 2014 was when we were like, Oh, this is where we're gonna go next and- 

Alfonso Cuadra  10:32

And what's the first move? 

Mandy Branham  10:33

Education. We went to buy a property without any support behind us, and the mortgage broker at the time, said, "no, no, no, you won't need to cash your RSPs, we just need to show the bank that you have them." And in the moment, you know, three days before closing, she was like, "oh, sorry, the bank wants to see you cash those RSPs." So it wasn't the end of the world. We cashed them, we did the deal. And I thought there has to be a better way. Like, I know people are buying more than two single family homes, that would have been our third property at the time. I know there is a way, and that's why, of course, and then up on the radio, pops into your Ras filter, pops the information that you ask for. And we just, we literally plugged in and followed this, followed a system. 

Alfonso Cuadra  11:18

And so now transitioning into the JV Queen, yep. And it's a beautiful title, but it means you've done a lot of JVs.

Mandy Branham  11:27

Yeah, I have.

Alfonso Cuadra  11:28

How many? 

Mandy Branham  11:29

Probably, probably 65.

Alfonso Cuadra  11:32

65 JVs.

Mandy Branham  11:33

Yeah. 

Alfonso Cuadra  11:34

And all kinds, right, all kinds of different JVs. What attracted you the most about joint ventures? 

Mandy Branham  11:41

I wanted a way to be able to help other people, but I felt that it was a way that was fair and equitable. You know, I know somebody was like, "Well, why would I give you 50%?" He is actually one of my students. He was so funny. He's such a cutie he was like, "I would never." 

And he crosses his arms like, "I'd never give you 50%". When he first met me, or now he's my student. I love them to pieces. And he was like, take my money, Mandy! take my money. And I was like, see you get it now. And so this aha of, how can I help other people kind of see what I what I'm doing. I remember saying to a mentor, like, "how do I attract for my partners?" And he stood back, and he kind of smiled. He put his hands right. 

He's like, "keep doing what you're doing because the partners are watching." People are watching. And I think it's just becoming authentic. I stayed in my lane, I stayed consistent. I stayed small. Like, I mean, I say small, but I mean boring old, right? Duplicatable, again and again and again. 

So, you know, they would, people would come on the call and they're like, I know that we're going to talk about joint ventures. Excellent. So my messaging was the same. The properties were it- just became really repeatable, which creates confidence in what you're offering to to other people.

Alfonso Cuadra  12:53

What's the most challenging part about joint ventures? People that are listening to this podcast are probably getting excited. I mean, JV Queen, yeah, she's on the podcast, like, I need to listen up. But, you know, what's challenging? What are things to look out for?

Mandy Branham  13:08

Setting expectations up front, you know? Oh, I'm going to give you monthly reports, and I'm going to get all your money back in four months. And you know, you won't have to worry about, you know, oh, no, tenants in toilets, right? You know you really have to be able to let them know that. You know you're not, you're not promising the moon and the stars. So it's- 

Alfonso Cuadra  13:28

Over promise.

Mandy Branham  13:29

Over promise under No, under promise over- 

Alfonso Cuadra  13:32

No, yeah, but that's what I'm saying. Like people tend to over promise and under deliver.

Mandy Branham  13:35

And under deliver.

Alfonso Cuadra  13:36

Yeah. 

Mandy Branham  13:36

And they're not in control of interest rates, and you're not in control of what the appraisal comes in at, and you're not in control if a contractor necessarily shows up again, you know, on time and in budget. 

So, you know, being able to have the hard conversations up front. And then the biggest thing, and I mean, I should thank these JVs at some point, because the story of why, of what they've taught me that I'm sharing again and again and again is get the paperwork signed. Get the agreements signed, get them signed. Get them signed. 

As much as they're nice. And I went to these people's houses, and it was Christmas, and we had this nice meal, and we appraised the properties a year later, and both properties had gone up by $100,000 so I made them 200 grand in a year. Half of that should have been mine in a 50-50, and they said, thank you very much. You'll hear from our lawyer. 

Oh, because I made, I get made. Made it look so easy that they were, you know, stepping away. So, so anyways, they did end up paying me $40,000 of my 100. And so really, in another way, I made 40 grand. And I have this amazing story, to keep talking, to keep sharing about the power of getting things signed. 

Alfonso Cuadra  14:46

Yeah. So it's like, Oh no, I trust him. He's a nice person.

Mandy Branham  14:50

Yeah, oh, we did it. We talked about that. 

Alfonso Cuadra  14:53

I'm a handshake person.

Mandy Branham  14:54

Yeah, that's right, that's right. But what about the real details, like, even right now, you know, we're talking now I split my partnerships, you know, still the person that will come in with some capital, but now I have, you know, working partners. 

I have the operational side, and I've needed to take my own medicine here, get that shareholders agreement written. What are your roles for the next 10 years? What are my roles for the next 10 years? Because everything's all fine and dandy up front when there's nothing going wrong, but when you get into the weeds, when you get into the hard times, that's when these agreements kind of come back. 

And somebody said you should have a good relationship. And on the other end of the spectrum, you should have the agreement you want to kind of stay here, but you have to be able to know that you can have a good conversation and go out for dinner, but you have to know there's an agreement in place. 

Alfonso Cuadra  15:45

What do you love about joint ventures? 

Mandy Branham  15:48

Knowing that my partner's financial trajectory has changed. People have lost children, gone through some health diagnoses, relationship changes. And they kind of call and they say, the only thing I don't have to worry about right now is my real estate. I said, "Yep."

Alfonso Cuadra  16:06

Love it. Love it. Well, you're definitely passionate about it. I know that people are going to want to reach out to you, because you want someone, you want an operator that is passionate, that it's not. You know, on this podcast, we had Kyle, and he reminded me that, you know, when you witness OPM, 

Mandy Branham  16:24

Yep.

Alfonso Cuadra  16:25

It's not a gimmick. 

Mandy Branham  16:26

No.

Alfonso Cuadra  16:27

You know what I mean? It's your act. These are people. These are real people with real savings and real lives. And what you're saying is like, you know what? I got this.

Mandy Branham  16:37

I got this. We, we so we've had some transition in our portfolio. You're well aware of our optimization, maximization of this portfolio. And Larry and I, you know, we're like, what do we need to do right now? Right all hands on deck. We head up, we pack the truck, and we go into this empty unit that we knew needed to be painted, and we're putting- we brought mattresses up, and our tenant called us. 

She goes, "I'm going to call you squatters." And I was like, "Can the owner of the building be a squatter?" And she's like, "you move mattresses through the window." And I was like, "Okay, fine." But what I love about the story is, you know what I will do, what I need to do to get it done. And in this time of people going, where do I invest and who do I invest in? 

You want an operator that you know is gonna, like, clear the thing, nothing's above you. Get in the car, have the hard conversations, fire the people, roll up the sleeves, and get in there and do the stuff. And I, you know, if anything, of all of my like, angst and, you know, partners that "I shouldn't have to do this." 

And you get all angry, and then you're like, but there's nothing that's going to stop me from doing what I need to do, because my partners and what they've bought into what what I said, was going to happen. That's my reputation, right? 30 years to create a reputation in 30 seconds and done. And I'm like, This is my reputation. So we are true operators, and that is, that's the cream that's rising to the top right now.

Alfonso Cuadra  18:05

Beautiful. What inspires you?

Mandy Branham  18:07

I think my kids, my kids inspire me. Making a Difference inspires me. Seeing "Ahas" you know, you're standing up talking to a room full of people, and you can see light bulbs go on. Oh, that just like that. Fills my cup. 

Alfonso Cuadra  18:24

Love it. Love it. So they're gonna be able to get a hold of you. All the information will be in the show notes. Thank you for stopping by a few times. You couldn't make it, but now you're here, so I love it. Before we go, what's the quote that that you live by. What's the one quote that really resonates with you? 

Mandy Branham  18:43

Work harder on yourself than you do on your job. You know, this is a personal it just never stops. Personally developing, reading, health, life, wealth. You know, it's, uh, it's all about. It all starts. It's all starts with you. It all starts here. So-

Alfonso Cuadra  18:58

Whoo!

Mandy Branham  18:58

Thank you. 

Alfonso Cuadra  18:59

Thank you. Thank you guys, that's it. Alfonso loves you and we'll see you at the top! Whoo!

Carl Richards  19:07

Thanks for listening to The WealthGenius Podcast, presented in part by Expand Investor Conference, December 13 to 15th at Western Harbor Castle, Toronto. Get your tickets now at WealthGenius.ai/expand. If you have a question or comment about something you heard today, reach out to The Godfather via social media or email him anytime. All that information is in the show notes, and of course, don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode of The WealthGenius Podcast. The WealthGenius Podcast, until next time see you at the top!