Transcription

Jordan Hansen [00:00:00] Hello and welcome everyone. I'm here today with Janine from Simplending Financial. Janine, thanks so much for being here today. I appreciate your time.

Janine: [00:00:08] Yeah, thank you for having me.

Jordan Hansen [00:00:10] So Janine is the CEO of Simplending Financial, Simplending Financial. If, as I'm understanding, it really focuses on helping real estate capital and focusing on closing those deals. Is that accurate, Janine?

Janine: [00:00:23] That is accurate.

Jordan Hansen [00:00:25] So I would love just for, just to start with, can you give us like a background, your background and kind of what led you to here where you are today?

Janine: [00:00:34] Yeah. So, um, you know, I went to college. I have an accounting degree, uh, so I minored in finance. Um, I played soccer, and then after college I kind of moved to New York City. Um, and then when I turned 25, I worked for. Uh, I would say like my first career based job, uh, because I was like modeling and waitressing and doing all the fun [00:01:00] stuff in my young twenties. Um, but I worked for a private lending company. Um, it was a family office and they lent out their own money. And yeah, I'm super grateful for that experience because I really did have the hands-on experience. I worked very closely with the CEO because it was such a small knit family office. Um, so I was able to learn all ropes of the business, um, and I traveled with them, went to conferences nationwide, and, um, that experience really, I think gave me everything I needed, um, to, you know, one day jump off and do my own thing.

Jordan Hansen [00:01:39] So they were already doing investing. I, i familiar somewhat with FA family offices. My background's in accounting as well. So love that back the accounting degree. Um, but you took it from there and went to the family office. They invest often in businesses or real estate, all different kinds of things. Did they have a focus on real estate?

Janine: [00:01:58] Um, yeah. Their, their [00:02:00] focus is exactly what I do here at Simplending Financial. Uh, we back, you know, business purpose real estate investors. So our go-to client looks like a fix and flip investor or, uh, they're, you know, home builders, um, kind of more mainstream, um, doing more like one to 10, uh, units and, um, smaller, you know, renovations. And then like the bigger developers that go. Get institutional financing, we cater to more like mainstream investors.

Jordan Hansen [00:02:34] Got it. So that was in the New York area, is that correct? Yeah, that was in the New York area. And they were doing a lot of these fix and flips. So commercial style properties. And at some point you left there and then took your next steps. Where did you go from there?

Janine: [00:02:49] Yeah. So, um, you know, I was always an entrepreneur even when, um, I was working for that family office, um, I started [00:03:00] Lifestyle Nest, which is a boutique concierge firm. Um, and we still, uh, have clients. It's not like my main focus, um, but it's something I've built off of my network where. We kind of cater to high net worth individuals and help with parties. So, um, we help, you know, throw parties in the Hamptons in Miami and New York City. Um, and these parties, you'd be shocked, like these clients are willing to drop like a hundred K on like a backyard party. So it's like you come in with a theme and all of that. So, um, that's just been kind of like a hobby and a passion of mine. Um, but when I moved to Houston, Texas is when I had the mindset to grow and scale simple ending financial. Um, so that's been my baby and my child and for the past three years we're gonna be three At the end of August, we're actually throwing a big three year party for that. Um, and being that I have that concierge style in my pocket, uh, we do that every year and it's a lot of [00:04:00] fun and it's only been getting bigger and bigger. And I like rent out pretty much wedding venue type. Uh, places and throw this big extravaganza. Uh, so it's a lot of fun. Uh, I intertwine a lot of my own, like, authentic, unique self. Like, um, you could probably see this chair, it's very pink. My office is like fully pink because I'm just a female in a man's world. I, I'm running a finance company. Um, so I use like my unique abilities to my advantage. Really, really differentiating myself.

Jordan Hansen [00:04:33] Yeah. You even go to your website and you kind of get that feeling and I think that's part of like your, a lot of your staff is female. Um, and that's really something you stand by it and, and seems to do really well with.

Janine: [00:04:44] Oh yeah. I take that and I run with it just because. I think like men want to scare women out of this industry. It really like, and I've been that woman, right? I've been the woman that, um, prior to starting my company, I [00:05:00] was nervous to speak up. I was nervous. Uh, even when I was thinking about leaving my last firm, I've applied to a few firms and, um, it was either like a, just a no or like. They just didn't take me seriously for the positions I was applying for. Because I wanted a VP role, I wanted an executive role. I wasn't looking for, you know, entry level. And a lot of my, you know, applications got kicked back to like entry level things. Like they'd like come back to me with like, here's loan officer assistant. I go, excuse me. Um, so I felt that and I was like, you know what? I go off and do my own thing if I truly believe, you know, of my worth and my value that I bring to the table. And it's been honestly been the best decision I've ever made. And, um, through that experience and overcoming the limiting beliefs that I've put on myself, I have. I [00:06:00] wanted back. Um, so I started, she Funds Academy. I'm currently writing a book. She thinks she believes, she acts and she receives. So a lot of like, my passion is really centered around, um, empowering women in, in the financial sector.

Jordan Hansen [00:06:18] Oh, there's a lot to go through. We're gonna go through this little by little, but first, so you were in New York. And then you started Lifestyle Nest at the same time, kind of on the side, is that correct?

Janine: [00:06:28] Yeah. So, um, I was working, you know, nine to five job in, in the finance industry and on the side I was helping, uh, I even helped book an event for my boss at the time. Like it was very well known that I had this company, um, because it was a lot of my social, I'm a big social media person, I think, you know. Old fashioned way is cold calling, but now's generation is if this video can get 30,000 views, try cold calling 30,000 people, [00:07:00] you know? Yeah. Mm-hmm. Um, so I, uh, sorry, I'm kind of lost track of what, where I was going with this, but through my social media is how I built lifestyle. This is like just networking and posting on social media.

Jordan Hansen [00:07:15] And so you're doing that on the side and then at some point you made the decision to go to Houston. Why leave New York? You had a good spot there. You already said you were running parties over there in the Hamptons. Um, plus you had a good job there. Why move to Houston?

Janine: [00:07:29] So COVID happened, um, COVID happened and I'm not, I don't wanna say I left for political reasons, but I'm just not someone you tell what to do and in New York at the time. Is like you just felt at least, okay, I won't say you. I felt very told what to do. Like you can't eat at restaurants, you can't do this like even my building at the time, because I lived in a luxury high rise. Was like, don't leave your apartment. I was like, excuse me, like don't [00:08:00] leave my apartment there. Don't touch the elevators. The elevators might have COVID. Like I was just like, I need to get out of here. And luckily my lease was ending in May. Um, I had two New York girlfriends going to Houston and I was single at the time. I still wanted to go out and have a social life. Was just my home. And honestly, I thought I'd be there just on a month to month basis until things maybe, you know, uh, got back into action. But my job gave me a remote position. My, it just, it just worked out that I could just pick up and go and I, I ended up just choosing Texas. Um, and I ended up looking at homes and seeing how much the home prices were a lot cheaper than New York. And I was like, you know what? Lemme buy a house. Even if it's not my forever house. It's an investment.

Jordan Hansen [00:08:49] I see. So you are, you still have the same job, so it wasn't like you were quitting your job. You were able to get a remote position to move over to Houston. Now did you say, are you from Texas? Is that where you're from [00:09:00] originally?

Janine: [00:09:00] No, I'm from Long Island, New York. Yeah.

Jordan Hansen [00:09:02] Okay. So you said Texas is your home, but you kind of just felt like it became your home, is that what you're saying?

Janine: [00:09:07] Yeah, at the time, um, at first it was month to month, but then I bought my house and then I just. I created it as my home at, at, at that moment, just like felt right of like, you know, I enjoy the people here, I enjoy the environment here. And then kind of when COVID settled down and everyone was going back to the offices, my job at that time was calling people back into the office. Um, I even got like offered, um, a raise with like housing provided. Uh, to move back to New York and, uh, run like a VP spot for my company. And that's when I kind of like ultimately made the decision not to go back to New York, um, and just go off and do my own thing.

Jordan Hansen [00:09:56] Got it. So that was the time. This is when Simplending Financial really [00:10:00] started.

Janine: [00:10:01] Yeah. Um, I didn't wanna go back to New York. You know, I pitched maybe three or four private lending companies for an executive job or partner of some sort. Um, wasn't really having much luck. I wouldn't say I was like fully in it be just because like the, the few people I talked to, I just got so undermined that I got so turned off. Um, but I have this one friend that I actually reached out to for a job. His name is, he runs, um, rock Capital. And I remember him kind of being like, Hey, why don't you just, I, I think if you trust yourself and believe in yourself so much, why don't you just start your own company? And then I was just like, I will.

Jordan Hansen [00:10:46] So that's scary. I mean, it's right, obviously no matter what. It's a scary thing to do to go start your own thing at the beginning. What would you say was the most difficult part that first year, that first 18 months?

Janine: [00:10:59] Honestly, I [00:11:00] was just prepared for it. You know, I went in with a mindset of like, I might not pay myself for a year. I might, you know, I'm, I'm building a company. I truly don't know what I'm doing. Um, I'm gonna take it day by day. And I went in with like a beginner's mindset and someone that was just open to growth, open up learning. Um, so, you know, I had enough connections where I was just like. Let me leverage that. So I joined National Private Lenders Association, which is like, uh, top executives, um, in the private lending sector. And then through that, I, I met someone that I was asked to be my mentor. Um, th within 30 days of opening, I probably made more money than I did as a loan officer and with my last job. And I just knew. From there, um, that I could scale this company really well. And when I had the mindset of being able to scale this company is kind of when the [00:12:00] lights turned on. Uh, and all my focus kind of went into this.

Jordan Hansen [00:12:05] So what happened with Lifestyle Nest at this time? Did you leave it behind when you moved away from New York, or did you keep doing it here, or, or how does it work now?

Janine: [00:12:13] So, I hired someone to, um, manage the social media and that was mostly what I was doing is, was curating the content and like keeping my audience engaged. Um, so leveraging that and having someone run that kind of pulled me away. Um, so I don't wanna say I left it in a dust, but we keep, keep very good. Connections with our clients and you know, if new clients reach out, we cater to them. Um, it's just not something I'm looking to grow and scale just because it's so like client heavy and relationship heavy that it's hard to scale because when people come to lifestyle on us, they want to Janine and they wanna talk to Janine. And uh, a lot of it is my relationships. Um, so it's just, yeah, it's just not [00:13:00] something. Um, and ended, ended up just being a hobby of mine more than like the passion I have to teach women in the private lending sector that is more, you know, male dominated. Um, and it's just been my, my child. So it's all mostly Simplending right now, so

Jordan Hansen [00:13:20] it's kind of there, you do it, but you're not pushing hard on it because again, that's not where you feel like your future is.

Janine: [00:13:25] Mm-hmm. Exactly.

Jordan Hansen [00:13:28] So you mentioned earlier two other things, I think you said. Uh, is it a fund you called the SHE fund or, or something like that? Is that what you said?

Janine: [00:13:35] Um, oh yeah. So we have, she Funds Academy.

Jordan Hansen [00:13:39] She Funds Academy. Tell me more about that.

Janine: [00:13:41] Yeah, so you know, my focus has mostly been on supple lending Financial because I think I can make the most impact here. I feel like I could change lives in the fact of just opening the door to more women in this space. Um, I think a lot of times.

Jordan Hansen [00:13:56] Is that what you mean by hiring,

Janine: [00:13:57] hire them or just teaching them or just [00:14:00] being a leader and an example for them? So. I want to be the person that people look at and like, if she could do it, I could do it. Um, and I just felt like this space is where my passion lies and like I mentioned is where I can make the most impact. So she, funds Academy is a webinar I host virtually, uh, once a month. We had our first one last month. Um, and we had about 40, 40 to 50 women on the call. So, um, that's something I feel like I can really grow and peak interest, um, in. And I just feel like, you know, I have this vision where I'm getting a thousand people to come on to these webinars and. Learn about the private lending space and, you know, Excel, whether that's through brokering to Simplending Financial, working with Simplending Financial, or another lender in this space because they built their confidence through she Funds Academy. Um, I also see it eventually having like, [00:15:00] you know, retreats and women's seminars and things like that. So, uh, that's kind of the vision which she funds. And

Jordan Hansen [00:15:07] so the idea is you run this webinar, you teach them maybe how to get into the business, get maybe every, I don't know, monthly I think was, you said your goal each month. Maybe talk about a different tactic, but all focused around helping women in this specific industry. Right. Funding, uh, yeah. Real estate, commercial real estate deals, yeah. Oh, that's very gratifying. So where do you, where do these people hear about it? Where do those 40 people come from?

Janine: [00:15:29] Yeah, so we're on Instagram and LinkedIn now. She funds academy. Um, but like I said, I'm very social media heavy, so I've been posting it throughout our channels. My personal branding channel, which is Janine Castio, but also my company, Simplending Financial, uh, Simplending Financial has a few brand ambassadors, so they promote it as well. Um, but yeah, the, the whole point is to, um, just really make an impact and teach people about the private lending space.

Jordan Hansen [00:15:59] And you get [00:16:00] the bone of, if they happen to broker and send you some deals, that's great, but otherwise you're just happy to do it. Yeah,

Janine: [00:16:06] a hundred percent.

Jordan Hansen [00:16:07] That's awesome. And then you also mentioned a book. Tell me more about that.

Janine: [00:16:11] Yeah, so the book I, um, actually finished writing it. It's all more in the production and marketing phase now. Uh, but it's called, she Thinks, she Believes She Acts and she receives. Um, so it's really just about, you know, positive thinking. Starting to think about the things you desire, the goals you wanna achieve, um, and start believing that you can achieve them. Um, so it's really the four steps of manifesting. Um, but I intertwine it and mix it into being an entrepreneur and, and being able to break into spaces that. You know, society doesn't really tend to look at, you know, women leaving financial companies. Um, but it's really just about, you know, thinking, believing, turning that belief into action. And then there's also the act [00:17:00] of receiving. Um, because sometimes people are able to think about these big goals and act on it, but then parts of them don't actually truly believe they deserve it. So it's overcoming all of those things, um, so that you could really, truly live out your goals and live out your desires you, you have for yourself.

Jordan Hansen [00:17:23] Yeah. That's awesome. And it's ready. Is it out right now because someone go buy it right now or is it still

Janine: [00:17:28] No, it's not ready right now, but, um, it should be out in a few months.

Jordan Hansen [00:17:31] So where, where, where can people find it?

Janine: [00:17:34] It's gonna be on Amazon.

Jordan Hansen [00:17:36] It'll be on Amazon. That's awesome. Uh, and then tell me more about Simplending Financial. Now it's been, what, three and a half years, four years almost now. Mm-hmm.

Janine: [00:17:49] We do private lending nationwide. So we have four main programs, which are, you know, doing fix and flips, uh, new construction bridge loans, and rental loans, mostly [00:18:00] for business, uh, investors looking to, you know, be in the real estate industry. You know, we, we lent to entities, so they have to go create their entity or corporation a business for themselves, and we help them scale that. So, you know, I've seen people start off with doing one fix and flip a year. And then with us, they're doing 10, 15 a year. Um, so scaling that and being their capital partner so they could focus on the deal and we help them with the financing.

Jordan Hansen [00:18:29] Got it. And you said when you first started, within that first 30 days, you felt like you had made more money than as a loan officer. What do you feel like is your secret? Why do you feel like you're doing so well?

Janine: [00:18:40] Um, I think I'm just good with client, you know, relations. Um, and I think having the value, like one of our five values at Simplending Financial is customer obsession. Um, I'm a big documentary girl for any startup, so I've watched, you know, blackberries documentary, I've watched Spotify's [00:19:00] documentary, Uber's documentary. All of those startups have something in common. I do believe that, um, it was customer obsession and being innovative and, and on top of that game. And, you know, some, a lot of them, uh, uh, startups also have documentaries of ones that have failed. So, uh, I try and live vicariously through books and lessons of other people's lives, um, so that I can lead. Uh, my company to be successful. Um, so, you know, good To Great is a great book by Jim Collins to read as an entrepreneur. Um, but yeah, customer obsession has been such a strong value for us because if your clients are happy and they're coming back and you have repeat clients that, uh, truly build a book of business, um, that's, that's the key.

Jordan Hansen [00:19:52] Yeah. So. The world's changing a little bit with like AI technology. How do you feel like it's impacting you and [00:20:00] this industry?

Janine: [00:20:01] Yeah, I mean, I think AI is gonna be a game changer. Um, I think people that are, aren't open-minded and have a beginner mindset and ready to adapt to technology and AI and what it's gonna do for us, um, I think those companies are gonna eventually die out. I, I truly believe that it's either implement or die. Um, so I'm currently building out a software in the background. Um, I've partnered with a company here in Houston, Texas that's gonna. AI software tool system that will hopefully, you know, speed up our processing, be able to automate things and, uh, keep up with the speed of technology that's gonna change the private lending sector.

Jordan Hansen [00:20:43] Yeah. Well, Janine, this has been awesome. I really appreciate your time. One final question though, if you were to go back in time and talk to young Janine, you know, let's say that 25-year-old just getting outta college in New York, what would, what would you tell her?

Janine: [00:20:58] I would probably tell her [00:21:00] to just pause more. Um, I'm someone that is a go, go, go over achiever, always trying to look what's next. Um, and the more you like pause, the more you like self-reflect. Um, it's almost that line, like slow down and speed up. So it's so important to slow down, see how far you've come, pat yourself on the back, keep your head high and you know, discipline and consistency and grit and resilience are gonna take you very far in life.

Jordan Hansen [00:21:31] Yeah, that's awesome. Again, Jean, thank you so much. Have a wonderful day.

Janine: [00:21:35] Thank you.