Episode 96: From Mom to 28 VAs Serving Over 70 Investors, with Elsa Palmer-Oden

05/22/19 • 30 min

The Smart Real Estate Coach Podcast|Real Estate Investing

She is a proud mother of two boys, wife of a great and supportive husband, and a business entrepreneur.

Elsa’s background ranges in many areas. She started like most working in fast-food in high school and then convenience stores and waitressing, while also working with her parents in robotics. She then went on to working in automotive service and parts, mortgage and auto loan processing, and then aviation maintenance planning. In 2007, she really wanted to find a way to stay home with her kids, but still make money. Her search came to virtual assisting.

She loved the idea of being self-employed and helping other small businesses succeed on a budget. In 2011, she started Virtual Office VA Staffing, in order to help other professional virtual assistants have an opportunity to be successful, while helping real estate investors (and other small businesses) be successful. The best of both worlds! She then created REIResources.com to better help investors be more successful. She loves helping others be successful!

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

How Elsa founded her virtual assistant service, why she chose to go into business to help investors, and what her business looks like today
What services Elsa’s business offers, what reservations investors tend to have about hiring VA’s, and how Elsa addresses those concerns
How Elsa’s company handles all the hassle of hiring, training, and firing VAs to make things easier for real estate investors
What important entrepreneurial lessons Elsa has learned in building and growing her own business
Why it is important to stick with a strategy and master it, rather than bouncing back and forth between strategies
How to get a discount on Elsa’s VA service and get a month of free access to Elsa’s REI Resources
What key activities Elsa follows each and every day to maximize her potential and prepare for the challenges of her work
What current projects Elsa is working on, including a book she is co-authoring and a program she is creating dealing with business automation
Why Elsa considers finding a great mentor to be a crucial step for building and growing your business
What advice Elsa would offer to new investors to help them build their confidence and focus on their success

Additional resources:

$100 Off Discount on VA Service: Use coupon code “VANOW” at www.virtualofficeva.com/smartcoach
REI Resources Website: www.reiresources.com
Smart Real Estate Coach Live Seller Calls: www.smartrealestatecoach.com/live-seller-calls/

She is a proud mother of two boys, wife of a great and supportive husband, and a business entrepreneur.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

How Elsa founded her virtual assistant service, why she chose to go into business to help investors, and what her business looks like today
What services Elsa’s business offers, what reservations investors tend to have about hiring VA’s, and how Elsa addresses those concerns
How Elsa’s company handles all the hassle of hiring, training, and firing VAs to make things easier for real estate investors
What important entrepreneurial lessons Elsa has learned in building and growing her own business
Why it is important to stick with a strategy and master it, rather than bouncing back and forth between strategies
How to get a discount on Elsa’s VA service and get a month of free access to Elsa’s REI Resources
What key activities Elsa follows each and every day to maximize her potential and prepare for the challenges of her work
What current projects Elsa is working on, including a book she is co-authoring and a program she is creating dealing with business automation
Why Elsa considers finding a great mentor to be a crucial step for building and growing your business
What advice Elsa would offer to new investors to help them build their confidence and focus on their success

Additional resources:

$100 Off Discount on VA Service: Use coupon code “VANOW” at www.virtualofficeva.com/smartcoach
REI Resources Website: www.reiresources.com
Smart Real Estate Coach Live Seller Calls: www.smartrealestatecoach.com/live-seller-calls/

Previous Episode

Episode 95: Joining the Family Business, with Zach Beach

In today’s Family Cast, Chris is joined by family members Nick Prefontaine and Zach Beach.

In 2003, Nick was in a snowboarding accident that left him in a coma for over three weeks. The Doctors told his parents that he probably wouldn’t walk, talk or eat on his own again. Less than three months later, he was running out of Franciscan. Now a Certified Infinite Possibilities Trainer, Nick speaks to groups that benefit from his message of overcoming adversity.

Nick grew up in the Real Estate industry from an early age. Most notably was his knocking on Pre-Foreclosure doors at 16 and 17 after getting his license. This experience helped shape Nick’s real estate career.

Now specializing in working with lease purchasers to get them into a home and on the path to home ownership. To get into any of our homes does not require credit. We look at your complete picture as a buyer and come up with a plan to get you into a home.

Zach has been around the real estate business for over seven years. He has been a part of or has been mentored in a number of facets in the real estate world. Zach graduated from Shrewsbury High School in 2008 and continued his education at Bay State University to focus on Management/Marketing. He then took that knowledge and expanded it at UMASS Dartmouth to major in Marketing as well as minor in Finance. While educating himself throughout his college years he worked in the restaurant industry.

His current focus is helping our Associates from many backgrounds and situations, looking to start or continue their REI business. He specializes in speaking with sellers to find the best option for them. He helps acquire 5-10 properties every month between family business and Associates. It was a natural fit for him to be involved in this part of the business because at heart he is a problem solver and people person. His skills in marketing and finance have allowed him to thrive in such a short period of time in this business.

Zachary is always educating himself and is always striving to become the best he can be. He is constantly looking for ways to sharpen his skill set in order to educate others.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

Meet Chris Prefontaine’s son-in-law, Zach Beach, and hear what services he provides to the family business
How Zach had trouble finding his passion after college, and how he went from bartender and trainer to real estate
What difficulties Zach faced early on in his first calls, and what sort of learning curve he faced getting started in real estate
How Zach went from not knowing the scripts or knowing what he was doing, to becoming a big part of the coaching and training process
What major deals Zach has found success in, including a property he and his wife purchased for themselves to live in
What aspects of working in the real estate business Zach enjoys the most, and why he finds these aspects satisfying
What areas Zach focuses on in the family business and working with associates, and what his goals are in that role
Why being a coach has been such a fantastic experience for Zach, and how it has benefitted his own knowledge
What Zach considers to be his biggest stumbling block he had to face, and how he overcame it
What advice Zach would offer to anyone who feels trapped or wants to make a major change in their life

Additional resources:

Website: www.smartrealestatecoach.com
QLS (Quantum Leap System): https://www.quantumleapvideoprogram.com/now
Free Webinar: http://www.smartrealestatecoach.com/video-lessons/
Apply for Associate Level after completing the webinar: http://www.smartrealestatecoach.com/apply-now/
Email: [email protected]
Watch the 3 year, $1 Million Plan here: https://hugewhy.isrefer.com/go/1MDOLLARS/SWoessner/

Next Episode

Episode 97: Investing in Mobile Home Parks, with Jefferson Lilly

Jefferson is a mobile home park investment expert and educator. He is the founder of Park Avenue Partners (ParkAvenuePartners.com) and co-founder of Park Street Partners. Collectively he owns 25 MHPs coast-to-coast totaling over $56m in value.

Jefferson started the industry’s first podcast dedicated to investing in MHPs (MobileHomeParkInvestors.com). Prior to managing investors’ money in 2013, he spent seven years investing his own capital in mobile home parks.

Jefferson has been featured in The New York Times, Bloomberg Magazine, and on the Real Money television show. He holds a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the Wharton School of Business.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

How Jefferson got involved in the mobile home business and purchasing mobile home parks, after a successful tech career
Why Jefferson sees mobile home parks as a great source of passive income, and how to get started with little startup money
Why you should look at owning the real estate and not the “wheel-estate”, and why the business is flexible and has multiple potential strategies
How Jefferson structures his investments and operates his mobile home parks, and why he only owns 10% of the homes on his land
What options you have available if a tenant defaults on lot rent, and why default and eviction rates are lower than in the apartment world
What avenues you can use to find a mobile home park deal, and why finding a deal is sometimes difficult
Why mobile home parks are a niche that requires dedication, time, money, networking, and hard work
What daily activities Jefferson follows every single day to be his best and to maximize his business success
What books Jefferson recommends regarding the mobile home park investing niche, and what other investment books he suggests
What important advice Jefferson would give his younger self, and why outside capital has been key to his growth

How to connect with Jefferson Lilly:

Website: https://parkavenuepartners.com/
Podcast: www.mobilehomeparkinvestors.com

Additional resources:

How to Find, Buy, Manage, and Sell a Manufactured Home Community by George Allen: https://amzn.to/2VgoztR
The Snowball: Warren Buffet and the Business of Life by Alice Schroeder: https://amzn.to/2IdsS5s