The Most Dwanderful Real Estate Podcast Ever!

Remote Investing with Trailblazers Jen and Stacey Conkey

• Dwan Bent-Twyford • Season 5 • Episode 371

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Sip a cool drink in the warm Florida sun and join me as I chat with Jen and Stacey Conkey, the dynamic duo revolutionizing multifamily investing. We're not just toasting to health and wealth; we're celebrating their 'people before profits' philosophy and dissecting how it's changing the real estate game. They don't just talk the talk; they walk it, sharing strategies that have propelled them from house flipping to managing significant multifamily projects. Lock in as these mavens spill their secrets on nurturing a mindset that shatters limiting beliefs and the educational tools critical to sidestepping costly missteps.

When it comes to real estate, size matters—but maybe not the way you think. The Conkeys and I reveal why smaller deals, particularly those charming 50 to 100 unit properties, are the unsung heroes of the investment world. These hidden gems offer the stability and cash flow that can weather economic storms, making them the perfect stepping stone for anyone looking to scale their portfolio. Listen to our collective experiences, where we've learned that the right mentorship is worth its weight in gold and can mean the difference between a costly flop and a soaring success story. And if that's not enough, we're throwing open the doors, inviting you to take that first confident step into the multifamily realm with practical advice you can act on today.

But what about when the investing landscape extends beyond your backyard? I open up about venturing into remote investing for juicier returns, breaking down why geography should never limit your ambitions. We'll talk strategies for spotting lucrative markets, leveraging research tools, and assembling a dream team that can make distant investing feel like a walk in the park. The Conkeys and I also share our personal revolutions, from overcoming initial doubts to embracing the freedom of remote opportunities. It's all about resilience, persistence, and a little bit of that Conkey charm—elements that you'll find can transform not just your portfolio but your entire approach to life's ventures. Don't forget to swing by warriorsofwealth.com for an extra dose of wisdom from Jen and Stacey, who are always ready to guide fellow warriors on the path to wealth.

Thanks again for listening. Don't forget to subscribe, share, and leave a FIVE-STAR review.

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Make it a Dwanderful Day!

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Hey everybody, welcome to another exciting episode of The Most Dwanderful Real Estate Podcast Ever.. I'm your host, Dwan B bent-Twyford. I'm America's most sought after real estate investor. I'm super excited that you're with us today. You can look at my background. I am at my house in Florida and this is my backyard. So you always hear me talking about being on the lake riding my paddleboard, going on my kayak. This is it so. This is my first one this year, actually back in Florida, so I'm super excited. I have such awesome guests today and our motto here at Dwanderful is people before profits, so if that's something that resonates with you, then you're at the right place, right time, and we are the right girls.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

So that's something that resonates with you. Then you're at the right place, right time, and we are the right girl. So, ladies, how are you today?

Stacy Conkey:

Fantastic. How are you?

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

I'm so great, I'm so excited to talk to y'all today. As soon as you came on, I was like, oh, I already like have mad love for both of you, and this is Jen and Stacey, and I should have asked you. It's Conkey.

Jen Conkey:

Yes, okay Jen and Stacey.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

I should have asked you. It's Conkey. Yes, okay, Jen and Stacey Conkey. I thought, oh, I should have probably asked the pronunciation before I started, but that's all right, we're all here, as you all know. We just start off, we have a toast and we get right into it. Cheers, ladies. Thank you all for being on my show today.

Jen Conkey:

Thank you.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

All of you grab your drink, everyone, take a big stretch, Take a breath, let go of all your stress. You can just have fun and you can laugh and you can enjoy the next 45 minutes with all of us. So, jen and Stacey so we kind of just throw you straight up into the deep end I'd like you to tell us just very briefly who you are and what you do, and then we're going to ask questions to find out how you came to be, jen and Stacey, so whoever wants to go yeah, I'll go.

Jen Conkey:

I'm Jen Conkey. I am a multifamily investor, a peak performance coach focusing on mindset and helping people smash through their limiting beliefs.

Stacy Conkey:

Oh, that was very brief Okay.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

No, that was great.

Stacy Conkey:

And you know what? Okay, I was like. Oh, anyway, I am. I am Stacey Conkey of the Jen and Stacey Conkey show, and I am also a multifamily investor and an educator that's passionate about helping people have a little easier journey than I had when I was, when I was new.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Oh man, amen to that. I started 30. You know, it's funny. I turned 65 last week and I at first I was like, oh my God, when did I turn 65? Like how is that even possible? And then it's like I've been investing since I was 30. It's like dang. I'm like as OG as you get. I'm so old, I've been doing it so long and I didn't even realize, like I don't know. You just don't realize how much time went by, you know. Now I also want to make sure we have up on the top of the show notes we have how everyone can reach you. So give us your website, your socials, however you want people to find you the best website's warriorsofwealthcom.

Jen Conkey:

Warriors of wealth. I like that Warriorsofwealthcom. We have a curated playlist, like seven to eight, of our best trainings for acquiring apartment buildings.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Nice, okay, I love that.

Jen Conkey:

And are you on any social media? Yes, all of them. If you go on Facebook, it's Jen Conkey or Stacey Conkey. On YouTube, we have a what is it? Apartment Investing with Jenna Stacey on Facebook. Apartment Investing with Jenna Stacey on Instagram, it's Remote Multifamily Investing Academy. We're everywhere. It's everywhere, definitely everywhere, but the best place is, yeah, warriors of wealthcom.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Okay, I love it. Warriors of wealth. You know, I really sometimes I hear these like great names of a website and I was like, oh, I should have thought of that. Warriors of wealth, like that's so great.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Like that's oh, I wish I would have thought of that one. Sometimes you have such good names. I was like dang. I wish I would have thought of that. Mine's so bad. It's like Dwan-der-ful. I took Dwan and wonderful, and I made a new word and we have the most Dwan-der-ful real estate podcast, so I made a new word. That's great, I love it yeah it's wonderfulcom Got the purple hair.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

That got the whole thing going on, so. But warriors of wealth is great, okay. So I love the fact that we're in multifamily. I feel like multifamily is one of those things that, like everyone thinks they want to do it oh, I'm gonna buy a big apartment, I have 150 units and they want to do something like that, but they have no idea how to start and without proper guidance, you could really get yourself in trouble on such a big project like that. So how did you guys start? Did you start someplace else and go to multifamily, or were you just like we're just starting off at the top?

Jen Conkey:

No, we definitely did not start off at the top. I started back in 2002 and I started in single family flips, doing single family flips, then moved into single family home buy and and holds and then getting into plexes for buy and hold. So that's that's how I started. It was a 12 year journey solo before I even met Stacey. Wow, I didn't. I didn't get into apartments until I met Stacey. I was all small multifamily up until then.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

OK, nice. So then, stacey, then what the heck were you doing?

Stacy Conkey:

My journey was kind of similar. I started in 2003 and also started with single family and small you know, small multis doing all the different strategies and then eventually I ended up. I started a property management company in Detroit where I was investing and through that started some of my clients were buying apartment buildings, so I was getting familiar with apartment investing through through the management side of it and um, and then ended up moving into you know, just investing in them myself. So yeah yeah, so you were jen.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

You were investing for like a decade before you met stacy, stacy. How long were you decading before you met?

Jen Conkey:

about a decade, about the a little bit longer Jen started the year, just one year before me.

Jen Conkey:

It was actually only three months before her, it was December of 2002, you know and she was in 2003. But it actually was my September is when I started, but I didn't close on anything until December of that year. But yeah, I was doing it by myself the whole DIY approach for about 12 years, while in corporate America for 22 years. And by the time I met Stacey, she was already doing apartments and she was doing small apartments focused on joint venture, and I was like I need to learn how to do that. And by the time we got together and combined forces and figured out a system to do that remotely. I also wanted to go bigger and get into syndications and we went to commercial training, got trained on syndicating and left there really excited because I was like, oh my god, I'm going to go make myself an $800,000 acquisition fee. I can't wait, I'm going to go do all these things.

Jen Conkey:

And when it came to implement, it was difficult and it was harder than it seemed. I did not have a long list of accredited investors that were just ready to slap down a hundred grand and and help me complete my race. So I had asked Ace. I said you, you've been doing joint venture on apartments, we, we. How can we do that same exact model but still get those acquisition fees? And, looking at the entire process, how can we factor that into underwriting or something to, to make it still similar, but not with all the red tape? And that's how we molded our entire strategy.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

See, I love that when I, my husband and I. February is a big month for us it's my birthday, valentine's Day and it's our wedding anniversary. So we just had our 22nd wedding anniversary just also this week. And I had been investing for a decade by myself, single mom, investing for a decade. He had been investing for a decade by myself, single mom, investing for a decade. He had been investing for a decade. So when we met, we were like you know what same thing, like let's just join forces instead of, like you know, dividing and conquering. Let's just like join forces and take your knowledge and my knowledge and put together and just like be the power couple. So it's always interesting because you get, you know you started individually and I don't know. I just find it, having been in investing for such a long time, I don't find a lot of women that start on their own. It's more like don't you guys still find this like? Like the boys club?

Jen Conkey:

Not really anymore, like in our, our academy, we in 2019, we we launched the remote multifamily investing academy and and we seem to attract women. Maybe it's because they believe yeah maybe it's because they believe about that it's. It has been a male dominated industry, but we have about 49% of our students are women.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Oh no, mine too. I attract a lot of women too, because I was a single mom. I was like a dead broke single mom, fired from denny's with a baby eight months old. My husband took off and I was like, ah, like how could anything be any worse right, this very moment? And then I did it and I was like you know, I'm gonna just teach people. So I really like to see, I especially like to see women in the industry, especially in the multi-family and the spaces, because I feel like there's not enough women in it. They're like you attract them and I attract them and so I love that. But I feel like on the whole, it's still kind of like all the guys that run all the big things, like no man, we got to have a girl power thing over here. So I love that about both of you. I really do. I love that. So now do, yeah, we do, we do both yeah, oh, yes, yeah yeah, we can.

Stacy Conkey:

We continue to do joint ventures on the smaller, on the smaller apartment buildings, but obviously, when you get into the little bigger ones, you there's no, there's really no option. Yeah, it's a syndicate, so yeah, so we do both. We're syndicators. We just closed the one on december yeah, we closed the 48th.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

I'm sorry say it again, I was just going to say.

Stacy Conkey:

We closed a 48 unit, uh, right at the end of the year, december 27th, and then we ended up closing a 13 unit with 20 storage units on January 8th and that was a joint venture. So the 48 unit was a syndication because that was more like a $5 million deal, and then the other one, 13 units, that was a joint venture because it was smaller.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

It was smaller.

Stacy Conkey:

So we do both.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Sitting around. They've got some extra money. Hey, I want to give some money to these, to this team over here, to do they have to be accredited? Does there a minimum people would have to invest to be able to work with you too.

Jen Conkey:

What's your? Yes, we, we do. We work with accredited investors in our capital company, but you know we also have an entire academy of students that they're looking for non-accredited investors and anybody that crosses our path. We've got some really good students that have graduated and they're just a part of our Warriors of Wealth network and they know what they're doing. We even do deals with them, so anybody that's non-accredited we share that pool with our students so that they have access to capital. Also, we personally work with accredited investors, but if you're not accredited, you can still reach out and we still have opportunities for deals for you too.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

See, I think that's important because a lot of these joint venture people you have to have so much money to work with them and I was like, yeah, but you know, not everybody has that much. But they have something and they just want to put it somewhere and they have someone else like do all the work and you know, get benefit or interest or whatever they're getting. So so tell me about some of your deals so how big of multi, how big do you guys go with the multifamily? You do multifamily multiunits. How big do you go?

Stacy Conkey:

So our largest property was 419 units. We sold that one, but I'd say and we have a couple that are in the 250 to 300 range.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

You know what? Right now it's different. Yeah, it's so big yeah.

Stacy Conkey:

What we are working on acquiring, like those we already have. I don't really love the really big deals. It's okay, but especially right now where it's a little bit more challenging to raise capital. As soon as the economy started getting a little bit shaky, a lot of people were like so we've just found, like the deals that are have a smaller raise, that are, between you know, whatever a million and a half and $3 million, are much easier to pull across the finish line compared to those, you know, those big, those big deals that have, you know, 10 to $15 million raises. So I don't know, 50 to a hundred units kind of is our sweet spot in the, in the syndication, you know world. And I know people say, oh well, you know, we might as well have 150 units if you're going to buy 15 units, and I don't know, there's just it's just a preference and the ability to control.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

I agree, I am just like that. I like little, smaller deals. I like things more. You know, if you're dealing with someone that owned like the 15, the 13 or the 48, something like that, you might still be dealing with like an actual person and not some big like mega company, and I don't know. I personally still like dealing with like smaller deals, I feel like it's just easier and there's more of them, but the big investors just ignore them.

Jen Conkey:

I definitely like. The sweet spot for me is 35 to 100 unit, and it's mostly about how much do we need to raise for it? Because you can book a win. You can close more deals right now in today's economy, so I definitely prefer it that way.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Yeah, I do too. Now, when, before, when you guys said you were working a decade each before you met, you were doing single. So were you doing fix, flips, rehabbing what were you doing?

Jen Conkey:

Yes.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Wow, all of the above.

Jen Conkey:

Wholesaling single family home flips, managing about 12 a month really just grinding another job. And I think that that's why I wanted to make that leap into multifamily because you buy it, you hold it and you start actively and it's not passive income unless you're LP, but actively getting some consistent rent money coming in, some consistent cashflow. It's way better for me personally than having the full-time job and the full-time flipping. So I like to flip for profits, grab that and then put it into buy and hold. That was my first strategy when I was first starting out.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

I love that. Now, did you figure it out on your own? Did you train? Did you?

Jen Conkey:

learn from somebody. I figured it out on my own.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

I was all seat of my pants learning. I mean, that's why I teach. I was like, listen, let me show you all the things not to do.

Jen Conkey:

For me. I learned, I learned by you know fire ready aim. But Stacey actually paid for my education.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

I didn't pay for education. Until it came to apartment investing. And it was funny, my husband was a real estate agent and he trained with a company called the Mike Ferry Organization, so he was already like a coach and like doing like 500 deals and then he would got into investing and I was just all seat of my pants and we started working together. I was like dang, some of the things he did. I thought I wish I would have known that five years ago.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

But then a lot of things I did. He never did because he was just really regimented and he went from an agent to an investor. So there I was like, did you not ever struggle and make mistakes? And like, flip a house that had issues or buy something that was terrible and you didn't know? I was like, no, I was like, oh my God. So I always tell people you learn from mentors or mistakes. But I feel like mentors are cheaper. That's true. I mean, down here in Florida I bought houses with foundation issues, fire damage, termites. I didn't even know like about termites.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

It's like I had so many hard lessons in my first decade but I did really good and I was like, hey, you know, look at me, rock, I got a house in the water, I'm killing it. And then now it's like now I look at that and it's like gosh, I was barely doing anything compared to all the stuff we have now. Now we're rehabbing the whole town and we have, like all this crazy stuff. It's like how are we working on a whole town? Like how did that happen?

Jen Conkey:

that's cool it is.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

It is fun, it's cool, it's a it's a fun thing, but I'm just like I don't even know how that happened. We just started buying a building and then a building next time building, and then we had 26. It's like, okay, so now we have a town. That's amazing, but it's fun that it can get that way. So if someone was listening today and they don't know you guys and, by the way, I'm super happy that I got a chance to know you and talk to you I've interviewed a few people that do multifamilies and syndications and not to like, I love men. They're all guys. So it's like it's so refreshing to see like women doing this, but like it's, my heart already loves you too for that. So if someone is listening and they're like hey, you know I love these two, I'm interested in going to warriorsofwealthcom and I'm thinking about getting involved. Like what is an actionable tip? Like, what's a tip someone could take from you today and think on it and figure out a way to like, put it into action. What's an actionable tip?

Stacy Conkey:

I think, you know, one of the things that we do and that we teach is about remote investing, which is kind of a bit of a mindset shift for a lot of people. But let's just say, you know, sometimes you live in an area that just it doesn't cash flow, like we lived in San Diego for many years before we moved to Florida and it's just like there's nothing that cash flows there. So you don't really have any choice but to learn how to invest remotely or just not invest at all. So I think that once, once people have made that, that decision that they're going to invest remotely, I think from an actionable standpoint is, you know, start looking at markets and just getting familiar with what's out there. And one of the things that you can do just to just to narrow the field a little bit like I just go right to the Midwest because that's where the numbers are a little bit easier to work. But if you're going to look up two things and you're looking at market research, you want to find markets that have positive population growth or at least holding steady and ideally holding steady or positive job growth. So as far as population growth, you can literally use Google and just say, population in whatever city, and it pulls up a graph and it shows you between 1990 and 2021. I don't know why it's not to 2023 yet, but between 1990 and 2021, and it shows you what the population was on a graph, but also at different points in time, so you can see, like, what's going on there.

Stacy Conkey:

Because there's certain cities where, if you look at it, the population's actually getting smaller and you need a 20-year span to have enough time to actually see a trend. But in areas where the population's going down, in my opinion you want to stay away from those when you're doing anything. That's like a long term, because if we all have a certain number of apartment buildings in any city, there's a certain number of units and that's the supply, and now there's fewer and fewer renters because people are moving out, the population's dwindling, you have your demand shrinking and so that, as a landlord, that doesn't do good things for you. So I'd say, from an action standpoint, just start checking out some areas that have some good, solid population growth If they're, if you're really, really you know, know excited about doing research, you can go to the bureau of labor and statistics and start looking at job growth um trends that's a good tip, the bureau of labor and statistics.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Now see, I never knew that. I never. That's a brand new thing for me. I never even thought to even go there and look at things.

Stacy Conkey:

That's awesome, yeah I think it's bls. gov, um, and I can't remember where it is. It's like if you scroll to the very bottom of the page or some little link, but you can get like month by month data from 1990, you know, to current, and it shows you exactly what the employment and unemployment was every month. So if you, you know you're looking at a particular area, you can, you know, filter through excel and pull up the things and you can just see like how is it going, as far as trending, and that just helps to narrow the field a little bit.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

That's a great idea. And the thing I love what you said remote. I feel like remote investing is so hard for people to wrap their minds around it. I mean, we live in in Colorado and here in Florida, but in Denver I mean to buy a house and I'm talking like a hood house. They're like $500,000. Well, what are you going to rent that for? So we invest in Iowa. So when you said that that's exactly what we do Because in Iowa I can spend 60 grand on a three bedroom, two bed, two story house that runs for a lot of hundred bucks, it's like why would I take 500,000 and buy one?

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

I could go over here and buy like eight or ten where they had a cool amount of money and you make so much money back. Yeah, but people have such a hard time with remote investing.

Stacy Conkey:

They feel like they have to go look at all their stuff, yeah it's funny because when, when jen and I met, because she was investing, like locally and doing it, I was one of those people. Yeah, and I and I I was only in Florida right now.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

I invest in, I live here, I work here, I do only Florida. And I was like we're going to invest around the country and I'm like, no, we're not, we can't see anything. Okay, so how did you convince her? Because that was our same thing.

Stacy Conkey:

Yeah, and that's for most people. It's like wait what? And I think it's just because when we're growing up and we're seeing our parents going and buying a house, you're getting in the car with the realtor, they're driving you around and you're physically going and you're seeing things. So that's like the only model of the world that people usually have when they're thinking of real estate or real estate investing. But the analogy I like to give that usually helps to drive the point home is, even if we're sitting right here and all of a sudden we're like oh, there's water dripping. Oh no, I got a leak in the roof. I don't know why. I can't think of the word leak.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

I got a leak in the roof Like, oh, like.

Stacy Conkey:

what do you?

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

now, what am I going to do?

Stacy Conkey:

I'm going to go walk out my front door and start screaming down the street I need a roofer. I need a roofer because I'm local, so I must just go outside and do it because I'm there. But realistically, what am I going to do? I'm going to open my computer, I'm going to get on the internet and I'm going to look for roofers, and then I'm going to get on the phone and call them. And it's literally identical process when you're investing anywhere.

Stacy Conkey:

The very first thing we do when we have a market that we've identified and we've started, was to start getting some deal flow in Cause. Sometimes we say, oh, this is a great market, but we just can't get any deals coming in to save our life. So once we have deal flow coming in, the next thing we immediately do is start building out our team. So there's a whole, you know, we have a whole team of professionals who that's all that they do. They are professional real estate broker, professional property manager, professional inspector, professional contractor, and basically doing the same thing we would do if we were at home is find them, find them online, get on the phone, interview them and vet them, and we build our team. And when you start to realize that it's actually the same thing that you do at home. When something goes wrong in your own house, it's like, oh, I guess I can, and as far as needing to see it like, what are you looking?

Jen Conkey:

at like that was, that was how she got me. I was like, but what? I gotta be able to see it, I gotta be able to make sure it's right. And she was like are you a certified contractor?

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

I said I know I was like you. What are you looking for?

Stacy Conkey:

I know yeah, so it's. I know I think it's more of an emotional thing because that's just and you don't know any different. It's like, well, how is that even possible? But if you start to realize that if you'll set checks and balances in place in those markets, you really can leverage people who are way better than you at whatever the thing is I'm not an inspector. I'm going to look at that and go, yeah, I guess it looks okay. I don't know, but someone who's been like that's what they professionally do. So in my opinion, it's almost safer. When you're doing it remotely because you're nervous about it, you'll actually put checks and balances in place to make sure that things are done right. And when you're doing it at home, we tend to rely on ourself, and that's not a good idea.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

I don't think I've ever heard anyone explain it just like that. But that is true, because if something, if right now, like my roots are leaking, I wouldn't climb up there and fix it. I would find and hire and get a couple of quotes, and so what does it matter? Where it's at?

Stacy Conkey:

Exactly Cause it's the same. It's the same thing. So the very first thing is just that mindset shift and recognizing oh yeah, especially now. I mean the Internet with FaceTime and like everything. Technology makes it so doable and so easy. Not that real estate is easy, but you know it's. But it's completely doable to do it remotely and to see. You can see your assets, you can walk through the property without having to be there.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Yeah yeah, I am a big believer, but I had never done anything other than the state of Florida. So I met Bill and then we were doing stuff in Tennessee and doing things in Texas and I'm just like, oh, we can't see anything. So I went through that, that phase of like I need to see everything.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

And now I'm just like, and we just get on, now we just get online, we take pictures, just google earth, whatever and it's like, oh, yeah, we'll buy that. So it's like we bought 10 bills and never even saw them. And it's like, yeah, that's okay, we got people working on it. It's like why I hope they're there, we show up because I've never been there yet, so I know I just it is. It's just, I think you're right. It's like getting in the car with our parents and looking at houses and we're just like everything needs to be nearby. It is a mindset. So now you said you do some coaching and mindset change, jen. So do you help people with being able to let go and get things other places and not have to just work in there, because I think working in a new backyard is extremely limiting.

Jen Conkey:

It is. It's not scalable. So one of the first things that we do when someone enrolls into our academy is that I have a mindset course that they go through so that they can break through those limiting beliefs and really just start to scale Because it it's all in the mind. So we definitely do that and in the in the academy I also train and develop mindset coaches. So it's not just me, it's like I've got my god, the five people that that went just last month and we're training a whole army of mindset coaches for inside the academy. As new people come in, they need to have that fresh perspective and kind of get the F over themselves and realize that the programming from my childhood is actually holding me back. And if I reprogram myself because you can, to look at what's possible and actually step into and remember who you are, you're going to be okay.

Jen Conkey:

So we've definitely focused on that. For the first 90 days they're inside the academy and then they break through and they go.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

I agree. I mean I'm a little older. I'm assuming I'm older than you guys. I'm 65. So like when I graduated high school it was in the 70s and we were never told as a woman, go to college, get out of high school, work at a factory because it was in Ohio where all the General Motors factories were and get married and have kids. That's all.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

I heard my whole entire life. So my first job out of high school, I got a factory job and like a week in I thought, oh my God, why would my parents want me to do this? This is awful. I'm on my feet, it's hot, it's sweaty, it's filthy, dirty. It's like, oh why, why would someone tell me to do this for the last 18 years of my life? And and I was engaged and I was like I don't want to get married and have kids, I don't want to do any of that stuff. So I was like you know what? I just left the job. I really had a lot of balls. Looking back, I was like 19. I left and I was like I'm gonna go to florida for vacation. And when I got down there I called my family and my boyfriend. I said, listen, I'm just gonna live in Florida, I'm not coming back at all. Like y'all be back in two weeks, it's like. But now it's like 45 years later. So I'm pretty sure I'm all right. I was so happy for that.

Jen Conkey:

I literally just ran away, right, right.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

That's awesome.

Stacy Conkey:

That sounds pretty familiar. I did the same thing.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

I like ran away from home.

Jen Conkey:

Yeah, I was a 19 and I did the same thing. I left California and I went to Arizona and I was like bye, and everyone thought I was a little bit crazy. I left with $200, got a flat tire on the way there, paid for the tire, which was 150. So I arrived with $50, nowhere to live and no job, and figured it out. I figured it out, you know. So it's like that fire ready aim approach. I, I'm a fan now I'm a fan too.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

You have to figure it out, you know all I heard like you'll be back, you'll be back. I'm like no, you guys don't seem to understand. It's freezing in Ohio. I hate it. The fact it was unbelievably awful, like I couldn't even imagine how awful it really was. And then I look at my parents. It's like why have you guys worked like that for 30 years? Like why would you do that? That's why would you?

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

do that. It's not even worth the money. And so I just like I called from her pay phone I'm coming back, I'll be, I'll be back. I'm like no, seriously, I don't get to sleep in my car.

Jen Conkey:

I, I can't do that, and so with every with every, because I also got the you'll be back. And with every, you'll be back. It just gave me even more. There's no way. There's no way. Yeah, I am going back, you know, because, god forbid, I prove them.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Right, right I know that's how I was. Like I said, and I thought, man, I better make it, because if I have to go back with my tail tucked, it's like no. So I remember even telling my boyfriend, like, just take all my stuff and take it to my dad's and put it in the garage. Now I gotta go back. I'm like no, really seriously, I'm so out. It's like I made sure I raised my kids like you can do anything, you can live anywhere, you can be anything. You don't need a man, you don't need a woman, you don't need anything. You just do, just be your own. The whole world is your oyster. Dip your toe in all the pools, do everything you want to do, because I was just raised one thing Grow up, get a job, get married, have kids, work in a factory, retire when you're 60, work for the man and that's my whole life. And I mean it only took me like two months. I was like no, this is this is not my story. This is not going to be my story.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Yeah exactly the mindset is really important because it is ingrained so deep in us from our family aunts, uncles, cousins, brother, whatever we have. It's so ingrained in to do this and then when you don't do that, people are like oh my God.

Jen Conkey:

Yeah, yeah, I was considered the black sheep of the family because I didn't follow the protocol. You know, and I'm like this protocol sucks. I'm not doing it. It's like the American dream you're pushing down on me. It doesn't make sense. It only makes sense to the bank. I'm out, you know, I know.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

I know my sister got married, had kids, lived on a farm like, grew vegetables and trees and I was just like God love you, good luck over there. But I'm doing that either. I don't need an orchard and goats and chickens. It's like, no, I don't want to work on a farm, I don't want to be dirty, I don't want to do that. And then I got into investing. It's like, oh, this is the greatest thing I've ever done. I fixed up a house. Look at me, you know, and I'm so proud of myself.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

So it's like I raised a bunch of little power girls and my son too, all my kids. They're just like, they'll tackle anything. They have no self-limiting beliefs. So mindset I feel like people really can't be successful until they change the mindset absolutely.

Jen Conkey:

If you don't change the narrative of your life, your life won't change. And you did. You change it very early. I changed it at 19. It's like this is not going to be for me, that the past is not going to be my future, and when you change that, there's power in it.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

So yeah, and I'm 19, I didn't really know any better and I didn't know anything. I'm from a little town in Ohio and we lived in the country. I didn't. We had cows and chickens and a pony and a guard. I didn't know any of that stuff, I just knew what I didn't want. But I don't even understand, like, what mindset was and what that stuff was. I just knew I didn't want that. So I'm like, well, where's that? That's not in Florida. So I'm going to go where it's warm and I'll figure. And here I still am. So but yeah, I just don't think, even at my age. I have friends my age and they still are worried about what people think. And you know, I don't want to do that and I'm like, oh my God, you can't even live a life until you stop caring what people think Until you get rid of that piece of mindset you can never be free.

Jen Conkey:

I like to just put that in perspective for folks that you know three generations from now, everybody that you're worried about and what they think of you, they're going to be dead and gone, and so are are you, and what will you have left on this earth?

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

yeah, no, I'm with you yeah, yeah preaching to the choir. I am 100. I just want to tell my kids I'm like, listen, you do what you want to do. You do whatever. Don't worry about anybody, don't worry about the grandparents or anything. I give you permission to go out and do yourself.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

We do the same thing with our court yeah yeah, it's, you have to not get a little grandkids. So, uh, and I'm a little more, I think, open than my daughter-in-law. She's like, you know, they're everything's perfect, they're the hair outfit. They come to my house and they run around. They're like you know, we're out riding dirt bikes, they're filthy, dirty, they're falling off and scraping themselves up. I was like, hey, listen, at Mimi's house all things are fine and danger is part of existence.

Jen Conkey:

Yeah, I agree you got to do dangerous things safely. That's fun.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

One of them wrecked their bike and they were all skinned up and my poor daughter was like, oh my god, I'm like they're fine, we just rubbed some dirt on it. And we kept going Everybody's fine, I, I'm like they're fine, we just rubbed some dirt on it and we kept going Everybody's fine.

Stacy Conkey:

Yes, I love it. I agree. I feel like that's how we're going to be when we're grandparents. Oh my God, I'm going to be just like that yeah.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

I am. So I'm like they don't need Band-Aids, they don't need to just rub some dirt on we're busy, we, we're busy.

Stacy Conkey:

I love it.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Oh, my god, I'm telling you oh, my poor grandkids, they're gonna grab me a rock stars. All right, let's jump on something else. So since I have two of you, um, we'll start jim with you. What's your favorite band of all time?

Jen Conkey:

oh, led zeppelin hands down I love it. I love it yeah, led zeppelin, are you kidding me? Robert Plant, jimmy Page I grew up on them. I'm a child. I was born in 74. So it's not like I saw them when they were in their prime, but I definitely grew up listening to them and it's like music isn't music anymore. That was music when they played instruments, you know yes.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

But that's the best band of all time. I can't wait to hear Stacy's answer. What's your favorite band of all time? Pantera. Oh, she's so lying, she doesn't even know one fan's brand.

Stacy Conkey:

I don't, that's true. I was like what's a really hard metal? I think Pantera, that's a band, right. Anyway, I think Pink is my favorite artist. Yeah I love I just, I just love her.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

She's just spicy and unapologetic and just effing fabulous she is I agree she just lives her life if she, if people would just live their life like that, like when all their life be so much easier, so much easier, so so. But I like Led Zeppelin too. I mean I was a teenager in the seventies and so all those bands, I loved all that stuff. I loved all that kind of music. I had a lot of like fun music and it was so much better back then it just seemed like everyone could sing better and play better and everything wasn't so.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

you know, synthesized Today it's like y'all don't have any real talent thing without all that shit on your voice.

Stacy Conkey:

Right.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Right, okay, so what's your favorite food?

Jen Conkey:

Sushi pizza. I hate pizza but I eat it. If it's wood, that oven, whatever the fire. Yeah, that one, I'll eat it then, but I'm Eat it if it's wood, that oven, whatever the wood fire.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Yeah, that one, I'll eat it then. But I'm a sushi girl, I'm a sushi girl and what is your? Favorite part of the day, Like out of the whole day. What's your favorite part of the day that just you're just like, hmm, this is my happy time.

Jen Conkey:

Morning. I'm a massive morning person. I love it in the very early part when none of the kids are awake yet and I can go in the backyard do a meditation, have quiet time. That's my favorite part I get amped about it.

Stacy Conkey:

What about you? That's it. It's my. I don't like to wake up. I don't like to get up. I am not a morning person, Like I am more of a late night person. I'm a natural like body clock. But Jen's right, Like that morning time is just, it's the peacefulness and quiet Cause. Our backyard is similar to yours where, well, we have a lanai and then we have a like a pond lake thing out there, so it's just very serene and to be able to go outside when it's not freezing, Cause it does get really it does get pretty cold up here, which I wasn't expecting.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

It's been cold down here. I've had to wear a coat. Like the first three nights, I had to turned the heat on the first day I got here, oh wow.

Jen Conkey:

Oh, that's wow. That's different. Yeah, we lived in that area two years ago and it really got cold.

Stacy Conkey:

Yeah, we were like so when we came up towards our more, towards Orlando, we were like man, it's got. It's pretty cold on, you know, on certain days anyway, but once it's like, once that cold breaks and it's just nice outside, even early in the morning, that is my absolute favorite time. It's just, it's so beautiful and it's quiet and it's great.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

I like quiet, too. I like quiet. So what is one of the biggest goals that you both still want to accomplish, and how can we, over here at Dwanterful, help you make that happen?

Jen Conkey:

Raising $45 million this year to put it into investment opportunities for people, Specifically, not just multifamily. We've made some really strong relationships and partnerships with some operators that are doing mobile home parks, RV parks, self-storage Plus. We're obviously very connected to multifamily operators. But I just we have a goal. Our capital company wants to raise $45 million this year, put it to work and get a solid return for folks and it's, it's out there.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

That goal is big you know how can I help you make that happen.

Jen Conkey:

Any, any investors that you know that want to get into multifamily, whether it be active or passive, definitely send them our way.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Okay, stacey, you agree? Same goal.

Stacy Conkey:

Yeah, same goal.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Because I always want to find out what it is. You know, because all of us, no matter where we are in the ladder of success, we still have goals. I feel like I mean I still have bigger goals. You know, I'm 65. I was like I'm people like when are you gonna?

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

retire it's like retire from what? Like I built my company? Yeah, I'm like what? Retire from what? I'm not working right, what I like to do? So the word would be never. So we all still have goals. You know, I think people think, oh, you've been doing it forever, you don't have any more goals. Like, yeah, you definitely do, all right, so raise 45 million and looking for investors. So anyone you're listening, assume you're new here or you're not new and you've been listening for a long time. Here you go, there are some people to invest your money with, and again, people reach you through Warriors of Wealthcom. Yes, okay, just make sure I said the S on there, all right, and everyone that's listening.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

If you had fun today, you enjoyed the podcast, you learned a little, you laughed a little bit with us. I want you to subscribe to my podcast, leave a five-star review. I also want you to go to my YouTube channel and it's Dwarnderville Real Estate Investing. Go over there and subscribe and hit the little bell so you get notified every time a new podcast comes up. If you want to watch this podcast and see how much fun we are in person instead of just listening, watch it over at YouTube and it's fun to watch. I know a lot of you listen, but look how much fun the three of us are. Like who doesn't want?

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

to see all this business right here, so go over there and watch it live and follow me on Instagram, facebook, tiktok. So go over there and watch it live and follow me on instagram, facebook, tiktok. Everything it's at wonderful. So, like you guys, I'm I'm literally everywhere, okay. So, um, first of all, I want to thank you guys for taking your time today and being on the show with me and sharing your time. I totally appreciate how valuable time is. There's our most valuable asset, because when we're out of time, everybody's at your funeral.

Stacy Conkey:

So I appreciate you.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

I mean that's the end of the road. When you're out, you're out, you can't buy more. So I appreciate when people take time with me, because time is really valuable.

Stacy Conkey:

Yes, thank you for having me.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

The more I realize, wow, I'm 65. Where did the last 35, years go? How many more do I still have to go? So I'm on the down inside. So I was like, okay, I didn't really pay attention to my time, what I do with my time now. But that is true, and you're not talking everybody's at your funeral. That always makes people laugh because they're like what, hey, when you're out, you're out, it's true, it's funny because it's true yeah, it's true, all right.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

So I want you guys, and you can do it together or individually, um, I like everyone to give a parting word of wisdom, but actually just a single word. So I think, jen and safe, each of you could a word, a one word, one word resilient, resilience, persistence, oh they're the same yeah almost, and you said persistence.

Stacy Conkey:

Yeah, persistence, that's mine okay.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Is that your word stacy for you? Okay, yeah that's mine um so, at the end of every show, I always ask the guests to give us a word of wisdom and then, for everyone that is a loyal follower, that is our word of the week. So, everyone, this week is going to be focused on resilience and persistence, but what I do want you to do is, jen, I want you to tell me what does resilience mean to you?

Jen Conkey:

Resilience is when you believe that there is always a way and you don't give up. You keep going for it.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Love it and Stacey, what does persistence mean to you?

Stacy Conkey:

It's funny, it's almost the same thing. It's just being willing to work through whatever challenges come your way. There is no quitting, that's not a thing. You must persist.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

You must. Resistance is futile.

Stacy Conkey:

It is.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

The Borg. Did you ever watch?

Stacy Conkey:

Star.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Trek.

Stacy Conkey:

I did.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

It really is, though I love your words. So, everyone, this week you're going to be focusing and meditating on resilience and persistence, and I like what you said about what those words mean to you. So you know everything means different things to everybody, so all right. So do you actually have a last parting word of wisdom? Anything you want to leave people with?

Stacy Conkey:

I don't know what do you? I think? Well, from the real estate side, I think, when people are, you know, wanting and wanting and wanting forever to get started in I'll say multifamily, because sometimes they're in real estate, just not multifamily. Sometimes people are intimidated by the word apartments or apartment building because you visualize just the big ones that you see there. But the reality is multifamily investing for apartments starts at five units, so it doesn't have to be something that is outside of your reach, it's totally doable.

Stacy Conkey:

So my biggest advice for people is, if you want to get started in multifamily, just make the decision and start. And if you're nervous, then start with something small. You can five to 10 units. It's a great little starter and you're going to learn a ton by doing that and then you're going to get confidence and credibility and then you can start stair-stepping into larger and larger. But don't keep waiting, because the years just they go by very, very fast. So that's that's my biggest piece of advice Like, just stop, stop waiting, like step forward and get started. Just start with something small.

Jen Conkey:

Yeah.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

I cannot agree more. I I've seen people go into workshops for five years. I was like, but have you actually ever done anything yet? Well, I'm still working on my website, my LLC. I'm like, oh my God, like you could have done 10 deals by now since the last time I saw you. What is wrong?

Jen Conkey:

with you. Yes.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

I'm all over people all the time. I'm like just do something. Like, for the love of God, do something, cause if you just keep thinking about it, you know next thing, you know you're going to be 80. Oh, I wish I would've done that. Like, do it. Well. I love you too, I love your heart. I appreciate you being on the show today and everybody, again, thanks for watching, like, subscribe, youtube, all the stuff, and we'll be back next week. We'll be back same bat time, same bat channel, and remember that the truth is in the red letters. All right, everybody, ciao. Thank you, ladies, thank you.