By Michael Del Prete | AZREIA
I want to start this article by thanking Alan for all that he has done to build a foundation stable in the community.
With any transition comes change, challenges, excitement, and new opportunities.
Just in our first 12 months, AZREIA 2.0 has exceeded expectations. Here’s a quick recap of what we’ve accomplished:
New Training Center, revamped Podcast, new Website, Membership Referral Program, Online Forums, Faster check-in, and registration process, doubled online classes available, rolled out hybrid monthly meetings that are streamed live, Published two books, increased events from 100 to 200 per year, and increased membership by 20%.
See, as entrepreneurs, when we start a new project it’s natural for us to want to go big. The day I took over I didn’t know how we would accomplish this.
When Alan gave me the opportunity to start teaching at AZREIA four years ago, I don’t think he knew at the time, but I knew in my gut I would one day take over. Once again, I had no plan or idea how this would happen.
I’ve found that there is a bit of a method in my madness and here are two things I do know:
First, I know what I want and why I want it, but never how.
Before we dive into the future of AZREIA, the fundamentals of our mission are to serve our members –
which will not be changing.
What I Want:
- The largest and most advanced real estate investing education and networking platform in the world.
- An REI community with no borders, physical or imagined.
- An REI community that unites and impacts all ages, genders, social classes, and cultures.
Why I Want It:
- Financial Literacy: Every year Forbes states that the average American family doesn’t have $400 for an emergency. Imagine if we can teach people the fundamentals of money and they bought one or even two rental properties. How will that change the trajectory of their future?
- Women: This isn’t an old man’s sport anymore. AZREIA is a place where women can thrive. We’ve brought on more women educators and a women’s group. I personally can attest women have been the key ingredient to any success I’ve had. There is a reason the AZREIA staff is all women.
- Minority Wealth Gap: Income inequality, housing policies, limited educational opportunities, and a lack of support all contribute to the racial wealth gap. Wealth isn’t just money in the bank. It’s insurance against tough times along with access to better education and jobs. It has extra income to retire. Here at AZREIA, I want to be a springboard into more choices and opportunities.
So how are we going to do this? The answer is simple: I don’t know. The one thing I know about “How” is that when I share my vision – people step up to the plate and share ideas, resources, and energy. That’s how we’re going to get this done, together as an REI community.
Smarter Investing,
Mike Del Prete
Executive Director