Alex Leveto | Young Entrepreneurs of America | Exeleon Magazine

ALEX LEVETO

JACOB BOYLE

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YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS OF AMERICA . . .

Alex Leveto

VP & COO | Realty Companies

Entrepreneurship is at the heart of the American spirit. Leading industry experts describe entrepreneurship to be creative, risk-taking, innovative, dynamic and growth oriented. They believe that focusing on your ideas and expertise is what really matters when it comes to path-breaking entrepreneurship.

In the Land of Opportunity, entrepreneurship is perpetually in vogue and the only way to become more entrepreneurial is to improve productivity and compete more effectively in the global marketplace.

For Alex Leveto, entrepreneurship is truly the lifeblood of the country. As the COO of Realty Companies, Alex offers his perspective on the anatomy of entrepreneurship. For him, it is a “creative outlet to express who you are in the world through your work ethic and product.”

Inspired by his personal vision of being a master of one, rather than a jack of all trades, he has earned a reputation in his favorite niche: Land. “I push myself through business to become the best person I possibly can be. I put my blood, sweat, and tears into my career and am extremely thankful to live in a country that supports capitalism, entrepreneurship, and the American Dream,” he shares.

Alex Leveto started his journey as a young leader, selling energy drinks and health products. This venture encouraged +him to take charge of his life and envision his own business.

All of 16, Alex operated with such clarity and candor so that he could grab every opportunity that came his way. So later when his cousin approached him to join a network marketing company called Vemma, he did not miss a beat.

This company's mission was to help others build inancial freedom by providing a platform for members to create their own business. The team established a medal ranking system for each of the future entrepreneurs and encouraged a “sky's the limit” mindset. This is also where Alex discovered the fun and the strength in thinking of business as a game.

“I wanted to become the best as I am a ierce competitor by nature. The business taught me that if I worked hard and smart, I could reach my goals and create inancial freedom for myself at a young age.” This singular mission resonated with Alex's personal mission statement.

He continues, “I quickly realized that no matter what business I ended up in, I was going to work harder than anyone else and become the best at whatever I set my mind to.”

HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH EARLY SUCCESS

In the beginning of his entrepreneurial journey, Alex struggled with the notion that someone senior to him would take the advice of an “18-year-old kid with little-to-no real estate experience.” He confesses, “I, for a moment, allowed this hardship to put me into a box and restrict me from success.”

For Alex, his vision mattered, regardless of his age. He feels it is important to just go for it, while you have time on your side. Whatever you're looking to build, just do it, try it, even fail at it. The sooner you realize that no one is looking at or judging you, the better off you'll be, especially when there's so much opportunity out there in this world.

So, after investing 6 months into his career, Alex decided he had to overcome his “fear of age”. “I decided to embrace my youth and take ownership over my skills rather than my setbacks. The only two things I knew I could control were how hard I worked, and how fast I learned. I realized I was an anomaly, but no one ever gets anywhere without facing a degree of adversity,” he adds.

Gradually, Alex changed his way of thinking and focused his energy on succeeding instead of dwelling on the reasons to fail. He learned everything there was to know about sales, land, and

CHANNELING AN ABUNDANCE MINDSET

EXELEON SHORTS

One Book Entrepreneurs Must Read – Rich Dad, Poor Dad (The first business book I ever read)

One Productivity Advice That Everyone Should Use – Use the 80/20 principle to establish your to-do list based on your goals. 20% of what you do equates to 80% of your success. Focus on those things. Write these down every day.

One Podcast / Course that you would Recommend –

Bigger

Pockets

One Movie / Show that you would Recommend –Million Dollar Listing New York

One Quote that Motivates you the Most – “Expansion always, in all ways.” - Ryan Serhant

One Investment Advice that you Follow – When there is a down market, it presents a large opportunity to come in and buy for pennies on the dollar but you must be patient and well funded.

development. He realized that if he presented himself as a true professional with an arsenal of conidence in his abilities, no one could stop him.

“I discovered that money and freedom do not care what age you are. I now relect on my accomplishments as a young man and take pride in the fact that I am building success off of my start as just a kid; it inspires me to do more and to keep striving towards higher places,” he says.

STIMULATING ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND TECHNOLOGY

Alex attributes a growing surge in entrepreneurship to the evolution of technology and the digital age that young individuals now live in.

He feels that “the internet has allowed people to connect virtually through endless software and resources that are cutting-edge. When my grandfather and father were in the prime of their careers, they did not have the internet. My father shares stories of using paper maps and having to go to courthouses for hours to look through property ownership logs.”

He also believes that being in the land brokerage business and having resources such as Google Maps is a game-changer. The ability to do things such as virtually “drop in” on a street and view a property is a luxury our

generation takes for granted.

These advancements are extreme timesavers that allow his company to be in many places at once rather than having to drive everywhere to do business.

ON GOAL-SETTING & ACHIEVING SUCCESS

Passion propels ideas forward. You need it to tell a good story to your audience about the problem you are trying to solve — and to ind the right people, who are equally excited about addressing the pain points you care about.

Alex used his perspective and distance to help and determine the feasibility of his idea. Along with being an anomaly in the real-estate space, he wrote a book “Why Stop at a Million” when he was just 18 years old.

The reason he wrote this simple, 50-page book was due to the encouragement of his peers at school. “I was approached with interest in my story and for advice on goal setting to achieve success in the next chapter of life after graduation. After meeting around 50 people over time, I decided it would make sense to write a book covering some of the most successful tips I knew at the time and applied to my own life,” he says candidly.

It has been 8 years since the book was written and he has certainly

learned a lot since then. However, he would still recommend it to any new entrepreneur out there. “I think hearing the voice and perspective of someone likeminded at such a young age is what an earlier me would have needed at the time,” he quickly adds.

Through his diligent efforts and timeless resilience, Realty Companies (RC) has continued to grow its business footprint as well as its brand. Alex believes that their expansion across Southeast in the past few years is primarily due to their rebranding initiatives in 2020, jolting the company ahead into the modern day.

“We have changed our logos, signage, website, look and feel, strategy, and hiring techniques. We have hired smart and strategic team members that have given us new perspectives and propelled us forward,” he says.

His team has a lot of interesting new strategies up their sleeve coming to the marketplace soon, and he is excited about what the future holds for RC.

Exeleon Magazine features some of the leading players in business and shares their journey of excellence to inspire aspiring leaders across the globe.

YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS OF

AMERICA . . .

Creating a Future of Hope

Alina Su

It is said that there is no better exercise for the heart than reaching out to lift people up. It is liberating, empowering, and transformational. It is powerful!

With the same intention of lifting people up and create a better future, Alina Su is spearheading a transformational vision through her company

NovaXS Biotech Corp .

NovaXS is a smart medical device startup building a drug delivery platform to make it easier for

people to get access to quality healthcare.

In this Exclusive Interview, the young and powerful entrepreneur talks about her journey, challenges, and her vision for the future.

What according to you makes one a powerful entrepreneur? How do you integrate the same thought into your leadership?

A powerful entrepreneur is someone who takes responsibility for human beings' wellness and

creates a better future. Powerful entrepreneurs design the future, align their own vision and act on it daily. Rome wasn't built in a day and building our future will not be any different.

Creating positive change in the world is what powerful entrepreneurs do every day. As a leader, I am an action-oriented type. I outline and execute a strategy that

makes my vision a reality. Instead of sitting around and philosophizing about how to change the world, I focus on creating real changes like the many patients we help every day at NovaXS.

Talk to us about your growing up years. What is your earliest memory as an entrepreneur that you can remember?

Growing up, I remember being very curious and always asking questions. I love school and being in the lab. Since starting my company NovaXS, I've considered myself a researcher and student before a businessperson. That being said, I am also a problem-solver and a good entrepreneur who focuses on solving a problem, not selling a product.

My earliest memory of this is when I had to balance three different roles as an entrepreneur, researcher and student. My , morning started with attending my classes and simultaneously inishing my breakfast while reading industry-related news and improving the company's product design. I would brainstorm in the afternoon, go to the lab to research regenerative medicine and discuss , drug-device combinations with my professor and our scientiic , advisory board from Harvard, exPizer, UC Berkeley.

I would then talk to investors about new updates and receive feedback and make a second round of edits on my pitch deck. I would sit in MBA classes in Biotechnology Entrepreneurship and Business Case Analysis at 9 PM.

Finally, I get to go home to think back and summarize all that I did today. I always ind myself sleeping with my glasses on, with a pen and book in my hand since I barely have time to sleep. I learned how to become a good business leader from my dad and grandpa, who were serial entrepreneurs their whole lives. They had a large impact on me being the entrepreneur that I am today.

What prompted your interest and subsequently your foray into healthcare and tech space?

My inquisitive nature and imagination worked hand in hand with my love for science. Wanting to understand my sister's medical condition pushed me to study bioengineering at the University of California, Berkeley, and obtain a

degree in Public Health and Bioengineering. Today I am a Ph.D. student at Harvard Medical School, furthering my education in Biological and Biomedical Sciences. As a student, I lourish in the lab studying gene editing and degenerative diseases. Throughout my lab work, I've noticed how people navigate the healthcare system and often cannot access the necessary care.

What led you to start NovaXS, BioTech Corp.? What was the pain point you wanted to address through this platform?

When I was growing up, my sister was diagnosed with a chronic condition requiring her to make a one-hour round-trip to the nearest hospital every day for three years to get multiple shots.

Looking back on my childhood, I relect on the time I spent inding ways to support my sister through her treatments. I am naturally curious, and I remember thinking of ways to improve such an agonizing process.

When I realized my sister is not alone in the struggle to access quality healthcare, I wanted to use my expertise for good and take action.

Did you know that one in four adults and two in three children have a needle phobia and that 50% of medications for chronic diseases aren't taken as prescribed? My goal is to make healthcare treatments more accessible.

I assembled a team of my classmates, professors, mentors,

and friends to start NovaXS Biotech Corp, a smart medical device startup building a drug delivery platform to make it easier for people to get access to quality healthcare.

What have been some of the biggest challenges in your journey as a young Entrepreneur, Investor, and Inventor?

One of the biggest challenges has been ighting the stereotypes people have about me. As a young female entrepreneur, my ability is often questioned, and I have to go above and beyond to prove that I deserve a seat at the table.

But I remind myself that these stereotypes are not true and are projections of others' insecurities in themselves. I acknowledge when I am being treated unfairly and do not let it prevent me from doing my best work. I am determined, strong, and capable of doing anything I set my mind to.

What does a day in the life of Alina Su look like? How do you ensure work-life balance?

A goal of mine is to have a longlasting career helping people access quality healthcare, so I realize the importance of a healthy work-life balance. To start my day on the right foot, I meditate with a peaceful mind and catch up on the latest news.

Creating a ritual for my morning routine sets me on the right track and keeps me motivated. I am the most creative in the afternoons, which I set aside for collaboration with my team. Since my team is all

around the world, I usually have meetings with our partners overseas in the evenings. After those meetings, my workday ends, and I get to indulge in my guilty pleasures. One of my favorite things to do after a hectic day is to read a good book and escape for a while.

What would be your advice for entrepreneurs and business leaders in the healthcare space?

I would tell entrepreneurs to connect with others and prioritize building relationships with clients and investors. It requires time and patience, but if you can create longlasting relationships in this industry, you will be able to ind ways to make your business relationships mutually beneicial. I also recommend enrolling in

accelerator programs like mHub MedTech Accelerator and Berkeley SkyDeck, which give business leaders access to resources and mentors to help ine-tune product development, leadership strategies, and much more.

Finally, what does the future look like for NovaXS? What are you most excited about in the coming years?

One day our app will help people with chronic illnesses selfadminister treatments and provide their doctors' data on treatment monitoring. The app will connect to an injector that doesn't require needles. You just hold it to your skin, and pressure pushes the medicine into your body.

More injectable therapies are looking for more effective and convenient delivery methods that improve the patient experience. NovaXS is taking a patient-centric approach to make self-injections easy and centering our work around remote healthcare optimization.

For the millions of people who deal with chronic conditions like diabetes or growth hormone deiciencies or for hopeful families going the IVF route, I hope that NovaXS will play a role in making their lives easier.

Alina Su Founder & CEO NovaXS BioTech Corp.

YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS OF AMERICA

. . .

GRAB YOUR BRO-RITOS

Interview with Entrepreneur

Marcus Crawford

What is necessary to be an effective

and prosperous entrepreneur? How do you integrate the same thought into your leadership?

To be an effective and prosperous entrepreneur, you must have foresight, determination, and patience. Your success will take time and a solid strategy. Lots of people want to crush it quickly, but when you understand that your path is a process that requires calmness, clarity, and endurance, then it will be easier to win.

In terms of leadership, I try to continually motivate my team. When things go right, I let them know they did a good job and that's what we expect. When things don't go right, I let them know it's ok because not all efforts always go as planned, but I then require everyone to igure out how to prevent a similar negative outcome from happening again. Being able to support and encourage your team is essential so that they understand how

their actions and output affect our overall picture, yet at the same time I don't want them to be afraid to make mistakes. Believe it or not, mistakes are a necessary part of the journey in order to come out on top.

Talk to us about your growing up years and your association with food.

As a kid, I always looked forward to the holidays because the presentation of amazing food was always so vast. Everyone showed up with different homemade dishes that we all savored and bonded over. I didn't begin cooking until years later, but I always understood how important vibrant lavors were to the eating experience.

With that appreciation of and emphasis on lavor in mind, my goal with Bro-Ritos was to excite the palate, overjoy our customers, and provide them with an experience that inspired them to want to talk about our food –especially among their friends and on social

media!

This emphasis on serving menu items with outstanding and memorable lavors was crucial to gaining customer loyalty, generating excitement, and locking

in a big competitive edge.

What led you to start Bro-Ritos? What makes the brand stand out from the crowd?

I was working a 9-5 job and legit

hated it. Being an employee was never my goal, and I wanted to ind a way out. I always wanted to own/operate a company in the hospitality ield and eventually found my way to a food truck. It was an affordable way to start a

Owner, Bro-Ritos Food Truck

business that I could learn and earn from.

As an astute student of restaurants, I always tried to understand how my favorite eateries created an outstanding customer experience. From lavoring to interior design, to branding, and to staff greetings – it all adds up. I took note of which approaches were most impressive and kept them in mind for when I would launch my own business.

I wanted to create a vibrant, fun, and dynamic brand with a superior menu to match. We discovered there weren't any dedicated burrito trucks with a strong branded presence in New Jersey when we started Bro-Ritos, so we used that opportunity as our niche to gain market entry. It became the perfect brand and business for us to develop and we have been gaining and growing since we launched in 2016.

As a young entrepreneur, what have been the biggest challenges when it comes to running a food truck business?

Our toughest challenges have been unexpected: blown engines and transmissions, a glitchy generator, distributor caps needing replacement, and – oh yeah: a GLOBAL PANDEMIC!

In each case, I sat back, focused, and responded with action and patience. I prefer to move quickly and methodically to ind solutions, but I don't want to defeat myself by dissecting and overthinking the issue at hand. Each of our challenges has cost us thousands of dollars, but hey – that's simply part

of doing business.

What does a day in the life of Marcus Crawford look like? How do you ensure work-life balance?

In the beginning days of Bro-Ritos, my days were from 7/8am to 8/10pm. I would handle admin work when I woke up, then I got the truck ready, took it to the serving location, worked the event, moved to the next location, then headed back to the commissary to clean up (both me and the truck).

When I inally got home, I did more admin work then collapsed! Now, I'm able to have a regimen in the morning where I work out, read, and make sure to have breakfast before I handle anything business related (unless it's an emergency).

My partners facilitate most of the truck operation, while I continue to handle admin (scheduling, client communications, paperwork, inances, etc.) and some operations. I'm able to start my day around 7:30am and thankfully I'm not always stuck doing stuff into the night because I've created a system where I'm on top of it all.

What would be your advice for entrepreneurs in the everchanging and demanding QSR market?

Do your research. Understand your market. Learn from your customers. Analyze your competitors to see where they're ignoring, overlooking, or not understanding opportunities. Things change quickly in this industry. Big companies close daily, and others ind innovative ways to stay open,

expand, and superserve their customers.

How do you plan on continuing to expand and scale the brand in the coming years?

We're going to stick to our winning script. We want to continue developing our hub and spoke model and expand beyond NYC and NJ to Atlanta (which we're currently working on).

Our long-term goal is to create a nationwide Bro-Ritos food truck network. Once we prove the eficacy of our model in the Atlanta market, we'll be able to roll it out to other states across the U.S.

Exeleon Shorts

One book that entrepreneurs must read: Rich Dad, Poor Dad

One productivity tool that entrepreneurs should use: Google Calendar

One mobile app that you use the most, and why: Email – it's a must for keeping a healthy communication low with clients

One movie or TV show that you would recommend for entrepreneurs: Shark Tank

One quote that best describes you, your outlook, or your business philosophy: As a great lyricist once said - Stay down until you come up!

ENTREPRENEURS OF AMERICA .

. .

Meet MARCo

A Mental Health Assisting Robot Companion

Jacob Boyle, Founder and CEO of MARCo Technologies LLC, has created a one-of-kind mental health assisting robot.

Fueled by his own struggles with

mental health and inability to ind proper counseling solutions, Jacob Boyle decided to change the way we address mental health struggles.

MARCo is an interactive robot that can not only help young adults and teens as an innovative, reliable, and affordable solution, but it can also help drive the industry forward by introducing new technologies and solutions.

In this Exclusive Interview, Jacob Boyle talks about mental health, entrepreneurship, and MARCo.

What is your earliest memory as an entrepreneur that you can remember?

When I was in elementary school, I had a “company” I called “Wallet Full of Businesses, Inc.” It was just me making various things - hand-drawn comic books and children's books, cookies, clay models, etc. - and selling them to family, friends, and our neighbor Ed.

At that age, I just saw it as something fun to do and get a couple dollars out of, but looking back I realize how much of an entrepreneur's journey I went throughpitching to my parents Shark Tank style to fund my latest venture, doing customer interviews to learn what would make my classmates be willing to buy my books, pivoting when a bigger opportunity came along, and choosing the freedom of the entrepreneurial life over a 9-5 job (i.e., chores for an allowance).

Talk to us about your personal experience with mental health and your struggle when it came to inding a helping solution.

I've struggled with my mental health since late middle school, early high school, primarily with depression, anxiety, and self-

harm. I irst noticed depressive symptoms in middle school, and started harming around sophomore year of high school, but I couldn't understand what was going on or that these were parts of a bigger problem.

I didn't get help until senior year of high school, and even then, it required a lot of people to notice what was going on, understand this was serious, and ind the help for me. I never would have known how to navigate getting help on my own, and when I spoke to most people my age, they didn't understand and got angry with me for the ways I was acting - there was just a lot of stigma around it at that time. And once I graduated high school, I lost access to the care I needed.

College was better, as my school had a great on campus counseling center, but once I was out of school - whether it was for a semester or post-graduation - inding external support was near impossible. I had no money, had to pay out of pocket, and got placed in months-long waitlists with no hope of getting any support when I needed it. And I wasn't alone - most of my friends were going through similar struggles and didn't or couldn't get any help when they needed it most. I knew something needed to change in the way we address mental health struggles.

You created MARCo to help teens and young adults struggling with mental health. What was the innovation that went behind creating this interactive robot?

The two big innovations behind MARCo were its conversational design and its physical form factor. Work had been done before on developing chatbots for mental healthcare, but what we've tried to do is step beyond a simple chatbot interaction. We designed MARCo's conversations to be long-form to mimic real human interactions.

Chatbots have had the limitation of one phrase input and one phrase output, but MARCo's dialogues are more dynamic. If the user wants to talk to MARCo for 30 minutes straight without interruption as they rant about their day, they have that option. We've pushed the envelope in terms of the limits of conversational AI to make it as intelligent as possible.

Beyond that is its physical form. Whereas others in our ield have taken costly, existing robots and added their own software at a signiicant price markup, MARCo's hardware was designed from the ground up based on hundreds of customer interviews to make it optimal for our target users and keep the costs as low as possible to the end customer. This has taken years of design optimization and user testing.

Do you think robot-assisted therapy is the future? Can it replace traditional therapy services or stand as an alternative?

I'm a irm believer that the best technology never replaces human skills and services; it either augments them to be better than ever or ills a gap between those skills and services.

Likewise, with MARCo, we are not trying to replace any traditional therapy services but accomplish those two goals. For those currently receiving some degree of care, robot-assisted therapy can augment care to deliver better outcomes to the client, reduce wait times and gaps in care, and enable providers to deliver care in new and more

eficient ways.

For those who are not receiving any degree of care, robot-assisted therapy can ill in the gaps created by lack of access, high out of pocket costs, stigma, mistrust in services, and seemingly endless wait times. This combines not to form a replacement, but a “therapeutic alliance” between traditional services and robot augmented services.

More and more people are talking and discussing about mental health in recent years. What would you attribute this change to?

COVID's been a big item that's shifted the conversation to be more open. It has affected everyone in some way and has created an unprecedented mental health crisis. Rates of mental illness rocketed, and typically as something becomes more common, it also becomes more normalized to talk about.

Aside from that, there's been a big generational shift. Older generations grew up in very stigmatized times, whereas younger generations, especially Gen Z, have grown up with mental health services, groups, clubs, and media much more prevalent in their lives thanks to the hard work of service providers and advocates. As these younger generations enter the workforce and dominate social media platforms as they emerge, they are much more comfortable sharing their own experiences and stories, even if it's anonymous, across all kinds of media.

Finally, another big shift has to do

with the money. Mental health startups and unicorns have been around for years, but over the past couple years they've seen tons of funding pour in from VC's and investors who see the growth potential in mental healthcare. As that money lows into these companies, it enables them to get higher proile sponsors, get their messaging out further, and drive the conversation not just about their company but about mental health in general.

Being a young entrepreneur, what would be your advice for aspiring and emerging entrepreneurs?

To me, there are two primary reasons people might become entrepreneurs. The irst is that they themselves love the entrepreneurial lifestyle and all its perks and challenges and want to live it.

The second is that they have a vision of a way to make a signiicant impact or change on the world or some industry and the only way they see to do that is by becoming an entrepreneur to bring their vision to reality.

My advice is to know which reason you're getting into entrepreneurship and stay true to that purpose. I got into it for the second reason - I had no intentions of getting into entrepreneurship in my life at irst, but when I saw a problem with the state of mental healthcare and had a vision for how it could be better through technology, I saw starting my own business as the way to make my vision a reality. But there's so much pressure to switch, to look for the

quickest path towards personal success that it can become overwhelming.

My advice is also to stay true, no matter what, to what you want to do. Because if you don't feel like you're doing the right thing for you, you're going to be miserable the whole time.

Finally, what does the future look like for MARCo? How do you plan on expanding its reach and usability?

MARCo is currently great for supporting people with their mental health, but our vision for MARCo is to help the people at highest risk in the most serious situations with it. This means a medical device MARCo for treatment of those with chronic mental illness, suffering immensely as the result of major depression and comorbid diseases.

This MARCo would be at irst prescription only, but as the technology, science, and regulatory

Jacob Boyle

Founder & CEO MARCo Technologies LLC

environment improve, eventually it could be something that anyone suffering from severe mental illness could get over the counter, covered by insurance as soon as they needed.

To get there, we are doing a combination of real-world tests and clinical.

“I’m a firm believer that the best technology never replaces human skills and services; it either augments them to be better than ever or fills a gap between those skills and services.”

ENTREPRENEURS OF AMERICA . . .

COOKING AN UNMATCHABLE EXPERIENCE

What according to you

makes one a powerful entrepreneur? How do you integrate the same thought into your leadership?

Personally, a powerful entrepreneur is someone who has a social responsibility and leaves a positive impact on society and the industry they are in. If one can achieve that, it creates a powerful entrepreneur.

They also must be dedicated and responsible to the overall industry,

their team, stakeholders, and the community they serve. I am an advocate of servant leadership, which is putting people irst and I've done that since day one and will continue to do that in the future.

What is your earliest memory as an entrepreneur that you can remember?

The earliest entrepreneurial memory that I have was working with a friend of mine. He started a

Interview with Leonardo De Aguiar

small coffee sales operation where we lived, and I remember being around the age of 15, and thinking that I wanted to help him sell coffee. When I hit my early 20s, that is really when I irst dipped my toe into the entrepreneurial world with a digital e-commerce shop on social media.

What prompted your interest and subsequently your foray into the food and dining space?

My family has always been rooted

Leonardo De Aguiar, Founder & CEO of INTUEAT

in the food and beverage space as well as hospitality. From an early age they exposed me to the inner workings of the service industry and piqued my interest in food and beverage. Ultimately, it led me to my foray into food and dining.

However, what fortiied my interest was the date night gone wrong with my now wife, which was the trigger point. My experience and family history led me to ind that opportunity and niche within the market space which gave me an “ah ha” moment of incorporating technology into food and beverage.

What was the idea behind INTUEAT? What makes the platform innovative?

The idea behind INTUEAT came from my former catering app called Chef Connect, which was a smallscale company in Denver that provided upscale in-home dining experiences. When the pandemic hit, I had to pivot and the idea of INTUEAT came to be. Because it became unsafe to go into clients' homes, we found ourselves needing to come up with a different approach.

The idea was to create a platform to attempt to reincorporate these wonderful and passionate chefs that were being furloughed by doing buy-one-give-one meals from a local restaurant offering consumers takeout and delivery.

From there, we thought of how we can incorporate all these chefs that have been furloughed, so we pivoted Chef Connect to become accessible and scalable, which led to the rebrand of INTUEAT. Our

mission behind the platform was to put a spotlight on independent chefs and highlight them as artists.

We wanted to ind new ways to assist these wonderful chefs by providing an avenue to deliver their artistry and showcase their skills by interacting with diners, which led to the overall concept. As far as the platform being innovative, it comes down to our unique positioning of celebrating each chef and their skillset and putting them irst. Additionally, what makes the platform innovative is the seamless book process, which puts the chefs in the driver's seat by controlling their schedule and what events they accept.

We also streamlined the process so it's quick and eficient for clients. Finally, not only are we spotlighting the chefs, but we are in it for helping them build a better quality of life.

What according to you are the biggest challenges that a young entrepreneur faces running a startup?

The biggest challenges I see in young entrepreneurs is having selfconidence, getting into that entrepreneurial mindset, exposure to the space, not being afraid of making dificult decisions and burnout. I have seen a lot of people in my generation struggle with these challenges when becoming an entrepreneur.

Going from graduating college to being an entrepreneur is like being thrown into the deep end of a pool and going for it. With entrepreneurship becoming less

mainstream nowadays, we don't get a irst-hand look into the hurdles, decision-making process, and the failures that you'll endure along the way. This lack of exposure hinders how we as entrepreneurs view the space.

We should talk about our failures and how we overcame them. Additionally, entrepreneurs need to remind themselves that just because it didn't work out that one time, they shouldn't give up and always have conidence in themselves.

When it comes to making dificult decisions, I've seen in the space and my personal experience the fear of make those heavy decisions. I still struggle with this challenge, but I remind myself that this job isn't easy and there will be decisions that need to be made, but overall, you need to have that clear vision of what your business is and making strategic and beneicial decisions in order to succeed.

Lastly, being an entrepreneur whether you're just entering the space or have been in it for decades, can lead to burnout. It's important to be mindful of this and make sure to carve out time for yourself.

What does a day in the life of Leonardo De Aguiar look like? How do you ensure work-life balance?

Work-life balance as an entrepreneur is extremely hard and brings long hours. An average day begins at 4:15 a.m. when I start off getting ready for my day and making sure to take care of all household responsibilities until I

have to leave around 6:00 a.m.

From there, I'm at the ofice typically from 6:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m., depending on the day. When I get into the ofice, I handle admin work and high-level work for INTUEAT until roughly 8:30 a.m. The team comes in around that time, which is when I start working with them, take meetings, try to do more work and any collaborative work as a team until 1:00 p.m.

After that, I come home either between 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. depending on my workload for that day. When I get home, I take some time to relax and then between 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., I'm answering emails and inishing other meetings that may be scheduled later in the day.

Where the work-life balance comes into play is being aware of where the energy is going and being mindful of the other responsibilities I have outside of work and tending to those responsibilities, so I can take care of myself.

What would be your advice for young entrepreneurs and business leaders struggling to take that leap of faith?

Any advice I give to a young entrepreneur all goes back to my favorite quote from Reid Hoffman, “an entrepreneur is someone who will jump off a cliff and assemble an airplane on the way down.” Taking the leap of faith is one of the hardest steps of becoming an entrepreneur, really leaning forward is terrifying, but once you do it, it becomes signiicantly easier over time.

ABOUT INTUEAT

Established in 2019, INTUEAT is an innovative luxury brand & digital marketplace that provides discerning diners access to an elite portfolio of hand-selected private chefs who are passionate about providing bespoke in-home culinary experiences.

Comprised of the best in the industry, INTUEAT's Chef members are highly respected culinary professionals whose skills are unique, reined, and held in high esteem among their peers. Each of the company's chefs demonstrate qualities that surpass their colleagues in every aspect of their artistry.

The best advice I could give to a young entrepreneur is to think about Reid Hoffman's quote and embrace that spirit and mindset. You have to build your wings on the way down and not be afraid of what comes along the way.

Finally, what does the future look like for INTUEAT? What are you most excited about?

The future of INTUEAT is for continued growth, not only internally, but our expansion into other markets. Additionally, our development into our platform and our chefs that make up our roster through our recruitment efforts for the chefs. INTUEAT is also making it a priority for an empowerment effort to local communities that we provide our offerings in such as Denver and the surrounding mountain towns, and the South

Florida and Dallas, Texas areas.

We are focusing on giving back to causes that the INTUEAT chefs are passionate about to help make a difference and tying that into our overall messaging of being a brand with a purpose. We're going to continue to grow in the states we are currently, our processes and our brand to make a bigger impact and footprint. INTUEAT is continuing the positive momentum and working on the niches that we found work for us.

We are excited to continue our services with the wonderful and passionate professional chefs and continue to build our community.

YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS OF AMERICA

. . .

THE DOWNTURN OF THE AMERICAN DREAM

Written By: Michaela Green, Licensed Realtor in Houston, TX

“ IN – FOCUS

The American Dream” is

widely heard in big speeches and is a selling point for the public to aim for big and avail the opportunity of becoming successful. However, over the years, the American dream has become a nightmare for young adults, especially millennials and Gen Z –leading to the downturn of the American Dream.

The general trend among the younger generation is to acquire as many 'assets' as possible. While this releases dopamine and creates a sense of achievement in their minds, it is essential to realize that the American Dream has been deined only in terms of material possessions, encouraging Americans to go beyond their limit and eventually face a inancial crisis.

Since 2014, the average household income has decreased by $2000 in middle-class families, with an average household debt of around 130% of the salary. Alarmingly, the household savings rate is nearly zero!

The last great recession happened in 2008 that had a lasting impact on Americans. Millennials are drowned mainly in student loan debts; unfortunately, the median income is the same as in the 1970s, after considering inlation. Although a lot more people are employed today compared to the 1970s, still a fewer percentage of them own their houses. Even so, a third of them are currently living with their parents.

homeownership among young adults.

HOUSING BUBBLE

If you're aware of the Great Recession of 2008, you must know what a housing bubble is. For those looking to investigate this matter, let's make it simple for you to understand. As the house demand increases, the prices follow an upward trend. This is exactly what a housing bubble is.

Giving a brief history lesson, investors shied away from stock investments and turned to economical mortgage rates, increasing the demand for st property at the start of the 21 Century. Also, to incentivize nonstock investments, fewer regulations were put in place, which implied that a high income was not required to get a mortgage; however, the turmoil was not anticipated as those payments accumulated with interest rates rising at the same time.

The investments were such that when the buyers couldn't pay, the lending organizations went bankrupt, and the lending structure crumpled.

This proved to be one of the primary reasons for the slowdown in the real estate market. Even as America regained control of its economy, property building did not become as normal as it was.

THE GAP BETWEEN PROPERTY PRICES AND INCOME

In the modern era, property prices are insanely high. Additionally, the average household income is failing to maintain a constant ratio with the rising prices. According to bankrate.com, the median price of houses grew 30% as opposed to an 11% increase in median household income in the last ten years.

At the time, homebuyers enjoyed the privilege of property costs ivefold the mean salary. But after the market collapse in 2008 – aka the Great Recession – that ratio increased to sixfold, that stabilized eventually. Recently, the average property costs have soared again and are seven times greater than the average household income.

For instance, the national median home price was around $121,500 in the 90s. That was around twice the average income of around $50,000. Whereas in 2020, home prices rose close to $359,000 while the median income is limited to around $67,500.

This is one of the reasons why the younger generation is inding it extremely challenging to buy a new property in the current era.

HIGH DEMAND, LOW SUPPLY

As of now, the millennials are the most populous adult generation, outnumbering boomers in 2019. As the population of these young adults increases, the need for homeownership grows simultaneously. To give some perspective, before the COVID-19 pandemic, homeownership was ever-increasing among millennials.

On the other hand, the older generation have kept their ground and continued residing in their old homes. This creates a negative supply and an increasing demand for houses as fewer homes are sold in the market, and more buyers are looking for relatively affordable homes.

The boomers are also cognizant of the fact that the prices have signiicantly risen, and taking advantage of that, they are making competitive offers which makes it harder for the younger generation to buy new property.

STUDENT LOAN DEBT

According to several research, millennials are drowned in college debt which is correlated with a delay in homeownership. If we take in to account the inlation, the millennials are far behind boomers in homeownership rates.

72% of student debt holders believed their debt would delay them from purchasing a home for several months up to 8 years. More speciically, 19% of student debt holders believed their debt would hinder them from buying a home for more than eight years!

Although we saw an increase in homeownership among millennials during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is still a void in homeownership rates that needs to be addressed. To ill this gap, incentives should be given, such as the Transforming Student Debt to Home Equity Act of 2022. This act provides leverage to students who have cleared their student loans,

such as subsidized mortgage loans, and discounts on government-owned homes along with inancial aid for making down payments.

FIRMS & ORGANIZATIONS STEPPING IN

Considering the increasing home prices and the harder it is to afford a new place, large irms and organizations have seen a business opportunity. They have bought single-family properties for rental purposes.

This is not new, but seeing the recent trends and lesser affordability, the phenomenon is growing. Smartly enough, the investors have bought singlefamily homes because that is the type of irst-time house buyers goes after.

CONCLUSION

Conclusively, homeownership among the younger generation has a sluggish rate compared to the boomer generation due to the pertinent factors that affect it. We have discussed ive essential elements that have caused this gap in the market, and we hope this helps you broaden your perspective on the downturn of the American Dream.

About Michaela Green

Michaela Green is a licensed real estate agent with half a decade of experience representing investors in buying and selling property in the Greater Houston area. Through her extensive knowledge of the marketplace, Michaela is able to represent investors in finding properties that produce the highest return on investment. Michaela founded 'The GreenCollective'in2022,acompanythat alignshercorevalueswithherpassionfor real estate. Michaela has with National Assistants Ministers (NAM) to help survivors of Hurricane Harvey start fresh by selling their distressed properties and helpfindanewhomes.

YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS OF AMERICA . . .

FULFILLING YOUR Trading Dreams

Angelo Ciaramello

Founder and CEO

The Funded Trader

Trading has always been an industry that offers a lot of opportunities of

growth and inancial success. However, the capital requirements to get started in the industry has always been a subject of concern for new and emerging players.

To address this situation, Angelo Ciaramello founded The Funded Trader. He explains, “I wanted to level the playing ield and give everyone a chance to achieve their trading goals, regardless of their inancial situation. That's why we created Funded Trader.”

Today, under the leadership of Angelo, the company is reaching heights of success and helping a wide range of people realize and achieve their trading goals.

In this Exclusive Interview, Angelo Ciaramello talks about his journey, trading, and much more.

What according to you makes one an innovative leader? How do you integrate the same thought into your leadership?

An innovative leader is someone who is willing to take risks, think outside the box, and challenge the status quo. In order to be an innovative leader, you must be open to new ideas, willing to experiment, and comfortable with change.

You must also be able to inspire others to think creatively and work together towards common goals. Integrating the same thought into your leadership means that you prioritize innovation and creativity in your work. You encourage others to think differently and come up with new solutions to problems. You are also willing to take risks yourself, which shows others that it is safe to take chances.

Ultimately, being an innovative leader means that you create an environment where new ideas are welcomed and encouraged. This can lead to better outcomes for your team or organization as a whole.

Talk to us about your growing up years. What is your earliest memory as a leader / entrepreneur that you can remember?

I grew up in a small town in New Jersey. As a child, I was always very interested in business and entrepreneurship. I can remember setting up a lemonade stand in my front yard and being so excited to make my irst sale. From that moment on, I knew that I wanted to be my own boss one day.

I also have fond memories of being involved in various extracurricular activities in school, such as student council and debate club. These experiences helped me to develop my leadership skills and taught me the importance of hard work and dedication.

In college, I started my own businesses and quickly learned the ropes of running a successful operation. Looking back, I am grateful for the experiences I had growing up, as they laid the foundation for my success as an entrepreneur.

What prompted your interest and subsequently your foray into the forex trading space?

I was initially introduced to forex trading by a friend who had been doing it for a while. He showed me how he was able to make money by

buying and selling currencies, and I was immediately hooked. After doing some research and taking a Forex course, I decided to open my own account and start trading.

Since then, I have enjoyed the challenge of trying to navigate the ever-changing forex market. While there have been some ups and downs, I am conident that my skills have improved over time, and I am looking forward to continued success in the future.

What was the idea that led to the start of Funded Trader? What was the pain point that you wanted to address?

The idea for Funded Trader came about when I was working as a day trader. I saw irsthand how dificult it was for people to get started in the industry because of the high capital requirements.

I also saw how many people with talent and potential were unable to pursue their dreams because they didn't have the money to do so. I wanted to level the playing ield and give everyone a chance to achieve their trading goals, regardless of their inancial situation. That's why we created Funded Trader.

We provide prospective traders with the capital they need to get started, as well as the training and support they need to succeed. Our goal is to help people realize their trading dreams and reach their full potential.

As the Founder and CEO, what role do you play in the day-to-day proceedings of the company?

As the Founder and CEO of Funded

Trader, my primary responsibility is to provide strategic direction for the company. I work with our executive team to develop longterm plans and ensure that we are meeting our inancial goals. I am also responsible for making major decisions, such as whether to enter new markets or launch new products.

On a day-to-day basis, I spend a lot of time meeting with traders, potential partners, and other stakeholders. I also stay abreast of industry trends and changes so that we can adapt our business strategy as needed.

In addition to my role as CEO, I am also the face of the company. I represent Funded Trader at industry events and in the media. And, when necessary, I make public statements on behalf of the company. As you can see, my role as CEO is both strategic and operational. I wear many hats, but ultimately my goal is to ensure that Funded Trader is a thriving and successful business.

Looking at your journey, what would you have done differently if you were to start again?

I was always interested in Forex trading, but I didn't start until a few years ago. I wish I had started sooner because it has been a great way to make money and learn about different cultures. If I were to start forex trading again, there are a few things I would do differently. First, I would make sure to have a solid plan in place. This plan would include my goals, risk tolerance, and strategies for entering and exiting trades. Without a plan, it is all too easy to get caught up in the

excitement of the market and make impulsive decisions that can lead to losses.

Second, I would make sure to educate myself thoroughly before starting to trade. There are a lot of resources available online, and it is important to understand the risks involved in forex trading before putting any real money at stake. Finally, I would start with a small account and only trade with money that I am prepared to lose. By following these steps, I would be better prepared to navigate the forex market and hopefully achieve success.

What according to you is the future of forex trading and how the integration of technology is bringing in new market players?

The future of forex trading looks bright, with the integration of technology bringing in new market players and making the process more accessible than ever before. In the past, forex trading was primarily the domain of large banks and inancial institutions. However, the advent of online trading platforms has opened up the market to a much wider range of participants. Today, anyone with an internet connection can trade forex, and the increased competition has helped to drive down costs and improve liquidity.

Looking ahead, the continued development of technology is likely to bring even more changes to the forex market. For example, the use of artiicial intelligence and machine learning could help to provide traders with real-time insights and analysis, making it easier to identify proitable

opportunities. Similarly, blockchain technology could help to streamline the process of settling trades and reduce counterparty risk. The one downside of this is that it may also make the market more volatile. However, this is something that experienced traders will be able to take advantage of. Overall, the future of forex trading looks very bright; with so many exciting developments on the horizon, it is only going to get better with time. Finally, what does the future look like for Funded Trader? On a personal front, where do you see yourself standing in the coming years?

In the coming years, I see Funded Trader continuing to grow and expand its reach. We will continue to provide traders with the capital and resources they need to succeed, and we will keep improving our platform to make it even easier for traders to get funding and connect with banks.

On a personal front, I see myself continuing to lead the company and help it grow. I am passionate about what we do, and I strongly believe that we are making a difference in the lives of our traders. I am also committed to continuing to educate people and staying up to date on all the latest developments in forex trading.

In the future, I see myself continuing to invest in and support Funded Trader. I believe strongly in our mission of empowering traders, and I am excited to see what the future holds for us. Thank you for your support, and I look forward to continuing to work together to make Funded Trader the best it can be.

ENTREPRENEURS OF AMERICA . . .

Authenticity ↘ Lead with

Authenticity

A go-to Guide for Entrepreneurs

As a leader, it can be easy to think that the best

approach to leading your team is by being strong, insistent and showing that you always have certainty. While these qualities are helpful for the people that you lead, the reality might look a little different.

THE OLD WAY OF LEADING

When we think of leaders, we usually imagine someone who has conidence in every decision they make, has unwavering certainty and is willing to push through every dificulty and challenge that arises.

We also imagine them having no personal issues, nothing setting them back and that they never lose heart in the depths of challenge. Think of the polished character Harvey Specter from the drama series Suits.

That type of leadership may have worked in the past, culturally we're on the doorstep of a lot of business and leadership changes. One of those changes is moving from having a hard style of leadership to a new kind of human leadership.

THE 21ST CENTURY LEADER

Today more than ever, honesty and transparency are valued in the workplace. Especially when in the throws of dificulty and adversity.

As a leader, you might think to yourself that you need to hide all of the dificulties and challenges you're facing in the business as a way to protect your team from knowing everything that is challenging. But what if keeping them in

the dark about what you're wrestling with is actually setting them up for confusion?

Think about how many times you've been left to make assumptions about someone or a situation because you didn't have enough information. That's when your imagination kicks in and colours the image with all kinds of wild imaginations and personal issues being projected onto the matter.

The issue with not showing your vulnerable and honest side is that you leave your team to make assumptions, leaving them guessing and colouring the situation with their own brushes of personal stories.

BE YOURSELF

It's important to be yourself instead of trying to be someone that you're not. We all inherently have an honesty radar that goes off whenever someone is not telling us the truth. Those alarms go crazy when our leaders are trying to spin a story or sugarcoat a dificult issue.

What your team want from you is honesty and transparency. They want to see a human being lead them. This makes you more relatable and easier to connect with. For example, in the Marvel ilm, Iron Man 3, Tony Stark experienced deep fears and panic attacks, which showed a vulnerable side to this lawless superhero. It made his character much more relatable to audiences because it demonstrated a human side that we all share.

BE WILLING TO BE VULNERABLE

It's common for leaders to have moments of doubt, confusion, and worry. It's equally common for leaders to hide these feelings from their teams.

When I encourage my clients to lead with this vulnerability, their team step up to the plate and tackle the challenges alongside their leader.

In one particular case, I was working with one of my clients who is the CEO of a growing business. He was facing several challenges in his personal life, and it was affecting how he was showing up in the business and how he was leading his executive team. After working through the underlying issues he was wrestling with, I suggested that he share it with his team so they could get a clearer picture of why he wasn't delivering his best.

They immediately responded with empathy, understanding and most importantly, respect. What followed was inspiring. The team stepped up and took on extra work with more enthusiasm while my client sorted through his personal life. His personal challenges brought the team together and formed a closer bond. Their productivity had grown and so had the inspiration in the company. This resulted in them having the biggest month in sales in the following month.

What does leading with vulnerability look like in actuality?

When you're experiencing concerns and worries about a project it's

valuable to express these worries to your team. Share your concerns and your thoughts with them. Communicate that you don't want to burden them with the worry but that you're sharing these concerns with them to see if they have any ideas or solutions to the problem.

Doing this does two things:

1.You'll earn their respect. While you might feel that being vulnerable will lose their respect, the reality is that they'll appreciate your honesty and transparency so much that they'll only respect you more.

2.It gives them a sense of inclusion. People want to feel valuable and useful. By sharing your concerns and worries with the people you're working with, they'll feel included and trusted by you. This will inspire them to help you solve the problem together.

We're living in a day in age when people appreciate and respect vulnerability and the human side of work. Too often we get caught in the trap of doing things the old way because it was the old way of doing things but in reality, being a vulnerable human, experiencing your fears and communicating them only shows how much true strength you have.

Leadership is not about pretending that you're superhuman. Authentic leadership is about being a human being. Nothing earns respect from others more than that.

About the Author:

Giorgio Genaus is a highly committed coach with a great deal of experience and expertise as a teacher, author, coach to leaders, and writer. His unique perspective on career and life, in general, has allowed him to help people ind meaning and fulilment through mindset-mastery. With a distinct voice, he is able to engage and create high-calibre quality content that entices readers with insightful and research-backed techniques from a variety of powerful approaches.

With over a decade of experience in the ield, he gained authority on the topics of mindset, coaching, and business development. Over the course of the year, he was able to successfully publish bestselling mindset books. One of his latest books is “How To Do Life: A Guide to Navigating Life's Challenges and Understanding the World Around you".

OF

IMPACT - PRENEUR!

INTERVIEW WITH RYAN NARUS

What according to you makes one a powerful entrepreneur? How do you integrate the same thought into your leadership?

Impact. A powerful entrepreneur is someone who can make an impact on the world. Taking a quote from Steve Jobs, “Let's make a dent in the world.” Anyone who can not only make a product or can provide a service, but can quite literally change the world, has power.

I remind my employees constantly that we are ighting to preserve and enhance affordable housing, an already scarce necessity. Together, as a company, we can preserve affordable housing raising the property value up to the highest and best use. And together we can enhance the product with our initiatives like credit builder and our partial college scholarship.

Talk to us about your growing up years. What is your earliest memory as an

entrepreneur that you can remember?

Stand UP Comedy for Charity. I went to Charlotte Catholic High School and as a senior, I wanted to be a standup comedian. As you can imagine, hosting a comedy show, even for charity, would be a tough task at a Catholic school. It took recruiting students to perform, securing teacher backing, and then all the things a small business would require from marketing, budgeting, accounting, sales, etc. It functioned like a non-proit. At 18 years old in 2005, I helped raise over $750 for charity, performed in front of hundreds of my fellow students on a Friday night, and took my irst step toward becoming an entrepreneur. While the standup comedy career path failed, my entrepreneurial journey began.

What prompted your interest and subsequently your foray into the investment space?

Financial freedom. From a young age, thanks

to video games, I learned the importance of money and how money serves as a tool to deliver what you want. While in video games, money might provide upgrades, in real life money can afford you material things but more importantly, time. The more successful I become, the more I realize the value of time. Once I hit 22 years old, I realized working for others wouldn't deliver inancial freedom, at least not quickly. I began reading as many books as I could about investing and quickly discovered entrepreneurship would likely be my best bet for wealth creation.

What is the approach followed by you to help people attain inancial freedom with Mobile Home Park Investing?

Give. I give my time, my knowledge, and my network all for free. When I started in 2015, I had no money, no network, and no experience. Most people wouldn't give me the time of day, few podcasts/blogs/training existed, and inding internships or jobs within the space felt impossible. To pay it forward, I look to give the incoming generation as much as I can, for free, in light of the struggles I had back when I got started. If nothing else, this is my way of saying, “stop making excuses. I didn't have anything like this when I got started. Look at me now. You can too. Here's free stuff”

What have been the biggest challenges and learnings for you being an entrepreneur from an early age?

Upgrading my inner circle. When I began my journey to becoming a

full-time entrepreneur, I didn't realize how much of my inner circle was holding me back. I had started plenty of entrepreneurial ventures in my early adulthood, but all were part-time gigs my friends and family thought were “cute”. Now that I wanted to make a full-time job out of, and invest everything I had into, a bonaide business, all of a sudden, all the naysayers in my inner circle outed themselves. The process of cutting people out, and inding quality replacements, was time-consuming and honestly, emotionally brutal. While the list of other challenges and learning is lengthy, the biggest and most painful, bar none, was upgrading my inner circle.

Looking at your journey, what would you change if you were to start again?

Go faster. I get asked this question frequently and honestly, it is dificult to criticize how I started because it ultimately worked out. The only real thing I would change is I would have put more effort into it upfront to hopefully learn, network, experience, and grow, but faster. Otherwise, I'm just nitpicking in hindsight.

What would be your advice for young entrepreneurs and business leaders struggling to take that leap of faith?

Bet big on yourself. When you are lying on your deathbed relecting on your life, are you going to say, “Wow I'm glad I stayed at that 9-5?” Heck no! Even if you fail, you'll probably say something like, “Wow as a young person, I had COURAGE!” I irmly believe you

take pride in bold decisions, even if they don't work out. So, in the worst-case scenario, you'll be more than ine. Oh, let's not forget, in the best-case scenario, IT MIGHT WORK.

Finally, what does the future look like for you and Mobile Home Park Investing? What are you most excited about?

I started with no money, no network, and no experience back in 2015. Flash forward to going on 8 years and I have bought 80 properties, spanning over 4,200 units and growing. I feel like I am just getting started at 35 years old, and before I have even reached my 10-year mark. What gets me the most excited about MHP investing is simply that I have a chance to be the change I want to see in the world. I want to see impoverished people given the chance to better themselves, hence my credit builder and a partial college scholarship. I want to ight to preserve and enhance affordable housing, serving as a beacon of hope for a class of people and an inspiration for change for everyone else. What gets me more excited than anything else is simply knowing that through my skills, network, and capital, I can not only protect and improve my own properties, but I can inspire and educate others to do the same. We have a long road ahead to truly make a noticeable difference in affordable housing, but I am so excited to be at the forefront of the incoming generation of property owners