An Interview With Edward Sylvan
My mission is to help inspire the next generation of diverse entrepreneurs. I have included a diversity of people from the LGBTQ community and various leaders from the Latinx and communities of color. I hope every reader can find a piece of themselves represented in the book. I didn’t see enough leaders who looked like me when I was young and I hope my work helps to change that for the next generation.
For every underdog, under-represented student, and seeker out there, the book Brand with Purpose was written with you in mind and has something for you.
As part of my series about “authors who are making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Ivan Estrada.
Ivan Estrada, a first-generation college graduate, wildly successful media personality and CPA-turned real estate mogul has something to say about building a life that is as genuine as it is passionate. As a sought-after keynote speaker on branding, personal development and real estate investing, Estrada has been featured in print, television and online, including NBC, HGTV, and BRAVO. His newest venture, “Brand With Purpose,” hits shelves as a book and coaching series by Fall 2021.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive into the main focus of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?
My first ventures in entrepreneurship started when I was a six-year-old selling two-dollar drawings to my neighbors so I could have a college savings fund.
At that young age, I knew college was expensive and my parents might not be able to afford it. My Mexican immigrant parents worked hard, but I knew I wanted to earn money and save it. So I recruited my sister to knock on our neighbors’ doors and sell our drawings for two dollars each. I knew we were cute kids, told people we were saving money for college and was so excited that people actually bought our drawings! It’s not that the drawings were so excellent, it was that I had a purpose and a story that people bought. I brought home the money we had raised, so proud to give it to my parents so we could save for college. My neighbors gave me two dollars to support this goal. Instinctively, I have been good at marketing and selling ever since I was a kid.
When you were younger, was there a book that you read that inspired you to take action or changed your life? Can you share a story about that?
Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki helped me learn more about finance and business in a way that we didn’t learn in school. And I studied accounting at the University of Southern California and I have a CPA! Like Kiyosaki, I needed mentorship from a “Rich Dad,” the education he provided in his book. I have so much respect for my parents who provided the best they could for me and my sister, but as immigrants from Mexico, they didn’t really know how the system works here in the U.S. Other students I met in college had advantages I didn’t have, and it is through reading a lot and meeting mentors that have given me more opportunities. I have the strong work ethic my parents taught me and you need to combine that with creating new opportunities for yourself.
Kiyosaki really is an inspiration to pursue entrepreneurship. In order to build wealth and financial freedom, you must have the mindset of an entrepreneur. While building my career in real estate, I have also built an incredible social network that keeps supporting me in the different things I do. Getting interviewees for my book Brand with Purpose was a challenge and a testament to how people showed up to help give advice and inspiration for young entrepreneurs. Everyone needs mentorship and education that is outside your regular school education and I hope my book becomes the inspirational book to help people find their purpose and make bold choices.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting mistake that occurred to you in the course of your career? What lesson or take away did you learn from that?
I was cleaning out my closet recently and found that old pair of shoes, the ones with the hole in the bottom of the duct tape. These dress shoes with the duct tape on the bottom of one sole were the only shoes I wore for my real estate work when I was trying to get my career started. Seeing them for the first time in years took me on an emotional whirlwind — it made me remember where I started.
When I was working as a caterer to make ends meet and also starting in real estate, I had only two pairs of shoes: a pair of running shoes and these black work shoes. At that time, I could not afford more. It was either pay my phone bill or buy a new pair of shoes; I couldn’t do both. Even though I wore out my work shoes on both jobs, I always made sure that the tops of the shoes were polished, black, and shiny. These were the shoes I would wear when I walked miles to door-knock at homes. In real estate, I was always door-knocking, and then, as a caterer, I was on my feet zipping from one table to another.
I put so many thousands of steps into those shoes that I created a hole in the bottom of them. I remember needing to make that duct tape repair and feeling sorry for myself. I was so embarrassed about the hole, I didn’t even tell my partner, whom I was living with.
This is the story of how one person changed my life and how I will never forget where I came from. All it took was one major client giving me a listing to get me out of my economic tough times. I remember sitting in her living room and talking about the proposed transaction, which was yet to be processed. And then I crossed my legs, revealing the duct tape on the bottom of my shoe. I was instantly embarrassed and felt a pit open up in my stomach, but it was too late. She saw the duct tape, and then she looked at me. I’m not sure if she felt sorry for me or what her look meant, but that was the moment she confirmed her contract with me. It was the biggest transaction of my career up to that point, and it gave me a year’s worth of salary. Maybe this deal happened because she saw the shoe and realized how hard-working I was. Her deal was the turning point at the start of my career when I could finally quit the catering job and just focus on my passion for real estate.
This story shows how important it is for all of us, in whatever career we go into, as an entrepreneur or not, to remember where we came from — that every little thing matters, from keeping those shoes polished to doing your best to work with pride. The butterfly effect, this one action of one client, changed my circumstances single-handedly. She enabled me to focus on my real estate career. To show my gratitude, I have put this pair of shoes in my entryway, so that every time I leave my home and every time I walk back in, I have a reminder of my journey. I can keep myself humble and never forget.
Can you describe how you aim to make a significant social impact with your book?
My mission is to help inspire the next generation of diverse entrepreneurs. I have included a diversity of people from the LGBTQ community and various leaders from the Latinx and communities of color. I hope every reader can find a piece of themselves represented in the book. I didn’t see enough leaders who looked like me when I was young and I hope my work helps to change that for the next generation.
For every underdog, under-represented student, and seeker out there, the book Brand with Purpose was written with you in mind and has something for you. That’s why we recruited community partners and sponsors to support this community outreach program where any student can ask for a free book. People can read about my community outreach program on my website: IvanEstrada.com
Can you share with us the most interesting story that you shared in your book?
This is an interesting story not shared in the book, but about the process of writing the book! The lesson I have here is: as long as you have intention combined with action, you never know how the universe is going to surprise you.
From the start, I knew I wanted to interview Wilson Cruz, who was one of the first openly gay Latino public figures I knew of in my younger years. It made such a big difference for me to see a public figure I could relate to. He is now the first gay character in a big TV show, Star Trek.
I tried to get an introduction to him through five different people for several months and no leads. We were near the deadline of getting the first draft to the publisher and running out of time. It seemed I might not be able to get an introduction to such a famous and busy person.
The truth is, you never know where you’re going to meet people. Funny thing is, my friend met him over the fence as she was picking up her clothes from the back patio laundry line! And the timing had to be perfect. They met when he wasn’t working on a show yet, right before his flight from Los Angeles to Toronto. He was available to interview with me from Toronto during his prep time before he started filming for Star Trek.
What was the “aha moment” or series of events that made you decide to bring your message to the greater world? Can you share a story about that?
When I first met my newborn nephew, Luca, at the hospital on December 23, 2019, I knew I had to want to be a good example for him. Every time I see him, I see an opportunity to teach him everything I know and to help make the world a better place for him and the next generation. The global pause of the pandemic was a moment to go inward and reflect. I had wanted to write this book for two years before the March 2020 shutdown in Los Angeles. These two factors, my nephew’s birth and the global pause, gave me the cue to start writing this book. Stepping into my power as an author and leader is to be a good example for my nephew and my hope to inspire a new generation of diverse entrepreneurs.
Without sharing specific names, can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
So many LGBTQ youths have been bullied, treated as outsiders, or not accepted by their families. My cousin who is struggling with his relationship with his parents because of his gay identity has been very discouraged. I know how that feels and I wanted to show him it gets better. Recently, I shared with him a photo of me in 8th grade where I had glasses, acne, and a bad haircut. He couldn’t believe he was looking at such an unexpected photo, that I was such a sad kid. He said it looked nothing like me. I told him that everything is better now. By seeing that I am successful now, I hope he continues to persist in his journey, to know he doesn’t need to hide and that there are opportunities waiting for him. This is why my book has many leaders and mentors from the LGBTQ community and other people of great diversity so that young people can find someone they can relate to and keep learning to find themselves, to find a career they love.
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
We need the education to speak to a diversity of students, by having more diverse representation. We need to develop spokespeople from all walks of life. We need to have the media be more inclusive so people can feel represented.
How do you define “Leadership”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?
Being a leader means I had to be vulnerable and courageous. I took a risk being a leader to use video in my industry when no one else was doing that. I didn’t have a marketing budget and built my real estate career on social media and creating videos. Being a leader means doing new things. Doing things uniquely means you have to be brave about being different. I depended on my inner circle and mentors to encourage me to be my authentic self and try my new endeavors. That’s why my book Brand with Purpose has chapters about being bold and building yourself a team to help propel you forward.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
I ask my interviewees what they would like to tell their younger self and offer that advice in the book too! These are the five things I would tell my younger self:
· Find good mentors
· Read a lot and a variety of books
· Circle yourself with people who support you
· Practice meditation daily
· Get clarity of mind
I know it’s not that easy to find mentors and I hope the interviews in my book provide virtual mentors for readers. If you don’t meet mentors in regular life, there are so many ways to get mentored, like listening to podcasts by inspirational speakers and reading a lot. And speaking of reading, I had trouble reading during a period of my life because college was overwhelming with homework of reading so many pages. But now with audiobooks, there are so many ways you can get more reading done!
We all need a social support system and I remember being shy about networking. Sometimes your friends are not entrepreneurial or have the same career goals and you might need a new friend network to support you as you grow in your career. I have a chapter about how to learn to network. It is a process to get over being shy, but if you keep your goals in mind, you can get good at anything you put your mind to. I still have my ride-or-die friends from when I was young and they are like family to me. Having a strong inner circle can help you through highs and lows.
I really wish I knew to meditate earlier in my life. So many successful leaders meditate and it is one of their keys to success. Meditation helps you listen to your inner wisdom. It helps you get clarity of mind. Through meditation was when I recognized my bad habits, to see that my clarity was clouded by my use of alcohol. I talk about my journey of sobriety in my book. I am so much more productive and clear about myself now that I am sober and have a sobriety support group. Figure out how what daily habits and lifestyle choices you need so you can be your best self.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Whenever I was discouraged, my parents would encourage me with “Sí, se puede!” They encouraged me to dream big and believe that I can do it. It so happens to also be the rallying chant for farm workers and others who are underdogs. Even though my parents are not farmworkers, this phrase is something we all need to rally ourselves when we need to believe we can do it, that we can do what’s right, do what our goals and dreams are driving us to go for. I have tackled big goals, and that is part of the reason why I’ve decided we need to raise money to give away 7,000 books to students and entrepreneurs who need the encouragement of mentors and lessons from Brand with Purpose. Anyone who has been an underdog, feels under-represented, gone through financial need and wishes for a better career deserves to get access to the education I am providing in Brand with Purpose.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
I would love to meet with Robert Kiyosaki! He changed my mindset. He taught me about entrepreneurship through his book Rich Dad, Poor Dad. I want to thank him for being courageous. He’s the reason I was able to leave my accounting career when I got laid off from my accounting job. Even though my schooling in accounting told me I should have a career as a CPA, I knew I had bigger dreams. Robert Kiyosaki’s inspiration started my real estate career.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Please connect with me using the resources below:
Email: ivan@brandwith.com, ivan@ivanestradaproperties.com
Website: www.ivanestrada.com, www.ivanestradaproperties.com
Instagram:
@therealbrandwith
@ivanestradaproperties
facebook.com/IvanEstradaRE
youtube.com/ivanestradaproperties
linkedin.com/in/ivanestradaproperties
twitter.com/ivanestradahome
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
Social Impact Authors: How & Why Ivan Estrada Is Helping To Change Our World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.