CPI Podcast Ep. 29 - Brian Silvestry: How to Joint Venture with a U.S. investor

Adele Jn Baptiste is young; but still a veteran in the Caribbean Insurance Industry with more than 17+ years experience she now holds a Country Manager role with a regional market leader.

Hear her story from an Executive Assistant to a successful multi-family property investor and AirBnb multiple "Super Host" awards recipient. Learn how she was able get on the property ladder, weigh her investment options and ultimately begin her journey to Financial Freedom. 

Gain real insight into how she was able to deal with the choices and challenges of the property development process as a single woman and her ultimate SECRET on how anyone can achieve similar success.

Jade Hutchinson is a talented, customer-centric and solution-oriented Industrial Designer. He is on a mission to effect positive change through the use of technology, specifically in the areas of Agriculture and Renewable Energy. 

His career journey included leading multidisciplinary teams through complex infrastructure projects at the 2012 London Olympic Games, strategic brand implementation for a medical corporation in Qatar, and more recently the creation of at least three new businesses including Guru Marketplace and Noah Energy.
With longer, hotter summers every year and July 4, 2023 having been declared as the hottest day ever by leading meteorologists; the need and cost of cooling are now real issues for all. For Property Investors, especially short-term accommodation providers; it's vital that you understand how to manage and reduce your power bill, driven primarily by air condition use; if not your business will be at risk.

Jade takes us through the entire business case, explaining what is required to start, the application process, the diverse regulations across the islands, sizing based on needs/budget,  financing, installation, generating, storing, consuming, getting paid and everything else you ever wanted to know about solar panels and photovoltaic renewable energy systems. 

This episode is very informative and if you have ever had questions about renewal energy a must listen/watch! 

Odette Carey-Russell always knew that she wanted to own a home. More than that; she always wanted at least two units with the second helping to subsidize the other one that she would occupy. Follow her amazing journey with disappointments, twists, turns, lessons and ultimately, success.

Learn what to look for when selecting a location to purchase property. Get insider knowledge on where best to get information to discover the future hot spots in your country. Hear how she pivots many times to create opportunities for herself and how to start your journey if you can't do it alone!

Finally, if you have enough self-belief, get a clear understanding of how to go about building more than one home on the same lot and how to achieve the ultimate; not living for FREE; but getting PAID to live in your own house!!!   

10 years removed from being the first local CEO of Cable & Wireless TCI and originally hailing from South Caicos; husband, father, author, show host, educator, public advocate, patriot, and owner of multiple businesses including an Accounting firm, a Property Management business, a home goods store, as well as other business interests - Drexwell Seymour is a man on a mission.

Hear his real estate journey; learn how you create and grow property businesses in a booming and diverse market rich with a mixture of local and expatriate tenants, soaring property and construction costs, ballooning interest rates, an ever-changing landscape and still filled with enough opportunity to succeed.

Get exclusive insight and tips on how to "Rise up and take your position" and then  how to "Succeed in your position". PLUS ONE...BIG..SURPRISE ANNOUNCEMENT at the end....

Books:
https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Take-Your-Position-Cultivate/dp/B09JF3W26J/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

https://www.amazon.com/Succeeding-Your-Position-Essential-Ingredients-ebook/dp/B0C4N4J97P/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2RXBJ8NI4YU38&keywords=succeeding+in+your+position&qid=1690861372&s=books&sprefix=succeeding+in+your+position%2Cstripbooks%2C184&sr=1-1

Can Caribbean families create and run a successful property investing business? What challenges typically come up when deciding on embarking on such a venture? What will be the company's name? Who ultimately decides? What about shareholders; who gets more? Who gets to be in charge? Should non-blood relatives be invited to participate? What role does each person perform? What projects should they tackle? How do they deal with conflict which will inevitably arise? Can the relationships survive; cousin vs cousin, sister vs brother? Will the family unit thrive or be destroyed forever?

Get the answers to all of these questions and much more in the case of Amenola Investments Ltd. a company based in St. Lucia with shareholders being part of the St. Lucian diaspora, all residing in the US. Hear their unique, inspiring story and learn strategies to help you create a successful family-owned and operated property investing business intended to create intergenerational wealth.

If ever there was a survivor or "overcomer" story this is it! Episode 23 with Kieran brought a number of listeners to tears but this one potentially can redefine our definition of struggle and humble beginnings. 

Raised by his grandmother, Hervin Thomas, a self proclaimed "praying man" had to fend for himself growing up. Scarce resources in the household would force him to learn how to make and sell what we call "paimie" in St. Lucia, "conkies" in Barbados and "blue draws" in Jamaica. A sustained blow to his pride would see him approaching neighbors and the public to offer this sweet Caribbean delicacy made from coconut,  cornmeal and pumpkin as his primary means of earning income as a teenager. That still was not adequate to help him achieve regular attendance at school, often forcing him to miss classes every other week  in search of odd jobs.

This struggle would continue throughout high school forcing him to miss his final (CXC) exams because of the inability to pay for the entrance fees.

Learn how he would teach himself how to read and write, find regular work and even capitalize on a gap in his former employer's service which would lead to him ultimately leaving and starting his own business. Track his creative journey in property investing and exactly what it took for him to secure his property portfolio and how he leveraged his core competencies to achieve economic independence and current success despite starting from "less than $0".

Raised by entrepreneurial parents, St. Lucian-born Natalie John has business in her DNA. From the early days of helping her mom in their family-owned restaurant and boutique as well as seeing her father operate a number of businesses ranging from furniture manufacturing to real estate. 

After having completed her college degree and settling into a Government job at home helping small businesses; a suggestion from a friend  would see her packing up her life and taking up an opportunity at the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank in the northern Caribbean twin-island Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis for what was supposed to be a 3- 5 years sojourn. 

Fast forward 24 years later and she's still in St. Kitts...well mostly, as the CEO of Dreamy Group (among other roles) and proud recipient of numerous (destination weddings) industry accolades as well managing a successful property portfolio. 

Find out how her own curiosity while on a work trip would lead her to weddings and all of the challenges she would have to overcome as a young professional woman working away from home. Always ever so present - the learnings from watching her parents operate their business hear her secret tips to business and real estate success!

Paul Campbell is a well travelled and accomplished Hospitality Accountant. He has over 25 years experience working in the top Hotel chains in the region - most of these jobs taking his family away from home. 

What happens when they finally decide to build an investment property back home in Jamaica, manage remotely, long-distance via telephone calls, video calls and emails? 

Hear their property journey, their challenges, the hurdles faced and ultimately the keys to ensuring you avoid bankruptcy and achieve your financial freedom dream!

Courtney "Curty” Louis knows all too well the line from Drake's song..."started from the bottom, now we're here!" A student of visual art from high school; his interest also extended to music, specifically writing and later musical production. 

Hear his amazing story as a CREATIVE who started recording in his bedroom as he juggled life with seasonal income largely around carnival season; to him securing a highly coveted international publishing deal with a major label. 

He didn't stop there; he needed a home for his mom and himself, a proper studio and property income to cover expenses outside of the festive season. Get the tips that changed his life and also helped him become a successful property investor.

Sheffield Douglas and Urica Primus are co-founders of Stabroek Solutions - a women-founded and operated real estate relocation company providing comprehensive services to expats in Guyana. 

We chat  with "Sheffy" as she prefers to be called, one half of the dynamic duo and get a real sense of what their business entails. Gain insight into the intricacies of successfully re-settling a foreign worker and their families in this South American country. 

Ultimately we will get first hand information as to why Guyana truly has the hottest economy in the Caribbean for 2022 and how this boom is driving real estate growth. Get a better understanding of their unique landscape and how you too can still get a piece of the action through property investing.