I was thinking about how life can take us in unexpected directions. Years ago, all I wanted was a free apartment, but fate had other plans for me. My career in property management and consulting started as a side hustle. Some of my favorite stories are those that happen by accident, and mine is no exception.
Growing up in a lower-income predominately Latino neighborhood in the San Gabriel Valley, a community just northeast of Los Angeles, I faced numerous obstacles and hardships. But I was determined to persevere. Books helped me in my determination and played a pivotal role in shaping my worldview, enabling me to dream big despite past hurts.
I refused to allow those experiences to hold me back. Instead, I chose to view them as lessons I can share with others. Hardships are part of life, but I firmly believe it’s how you overcome them that shapes your character. If I could help just one person with the wisdom and guidance that served my path, then all the struggles I faced were worth it.
I started from the bottom working as an onsite manager, assistant, leasing agent, and assistant property manager. I continued climbing the ladder and took on more responsibility as a regional leasing manager, property manager, and asset manager to commercial and residential real estate investors for small and large corporations.
I loved learning every aspect of this industry. That sincerity drove me to reach higher heights. But amid that came my ah-ha moment. A family crisis forced me to reevaluate my personal and professional life and inspired me to take an internship that eventually propelled me into more leadership roles.
Even as I navigated the challenges of co-parenting and healing from a breakup, opportunities arose for me to teach clients how to create their own property management companies. This is how The Vine Advisors came to be.
People began to turn to me for help and by 2022, I had trained and coached hundreds of employees on how to use the AppFolio property management software and managed my first billion-dollar portfolio.
The Vine Advisors manages assets, trains, and coaches CEOs and corporations on data management systems and consults commercial, residential, and industrial property management companies globally.
As of late, we’ve expanded our services. We not only teach business owners, recruiters, and corporations the ins and outs of property management, but we’re teaching an eight-week course at an East Los Angeles Women’s Shelter helping women in crisis learn how to get into property management. It’s not just important to teach current leaders but future leaders as well.
As we know, women are the leaders within their households and communities and when they elevate, their families, and communities elevate along with them. I want to give women the opportunity to not just survive, but thrive as paying it forward is part of my personal philosophy.
I came from a single-parent household with a mom who did her best. Like many single moms who’ve experienced a setback, these women are full of courage and are ready for a new start. Everyone deserves a chance to change their lives for the better. Shared knowledge, an opportunity to learn new skills, a little compassion, and a sincere heart is key to helping women help themselves.
This endeavor has been a dream of mine for longer than I can remember and aligns with the mission of the Vine Advisors, which is to encourage and empower.
While my journey career-wise and personally is far from over, I’ve learned quite a few lessons. One of which is how life is full of opportunities to say yes to. I said yes to a free apartment and the responsibilities that came with it, leading me to this very business.
I’ve also learned life is made up of dualities. Light and dark. Right and wrong. Black and white. But it’s that place in the middle of those dualities, that gray area, where opportunities for growth and success are found.
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