D1 Dreams to Real Estate Developments - Williams Rojas #04

It can be said that William Rojas’ path to entrepreneurship was laid out for him long before he was born, and that it’s even in his DNA. His grandfather immigrated from Mexico to the United States with a Worker’s Visa working as a landscaper. Over time, his grandfather saved up enough money and bought several rental properties along the way. Then, growing up, William got to see his own father venture into many various businesses, both failing and succeeding, and ultimately settled into general contracting.  Yet, William explains that his course in life wasn’t always the straightest. He was a football jock and didn’t do all that well in school. He hung out “with the knuckleheads” and being a minority didn’t help. Yet despite all that, he found himself playing for the USC Football Team as one of their defensive backs. It was his experience there on campus, as well as the network he built, that projected him forward in his real estate business years later.  Up to date, William enjoys the fruits of financial freedom, but shows no sign or desire to let up off the gas pedal. As a matter of fact, his sole focus now is to figure out how to scale his business sustainably. He is the Head of Operations for his family-owned company TRG Investments. He also owns four properties totaling a (soon-to-be) 18 units and is looking to expand his portfolio into the Texas market.   Highlights and lessons learned from William: 1) Find your unfair advantage. William, for most of his life, found himself as one of the only Latino people around in his social groups. But he didn’t let that hinder him. He let that unique perspective fuel his interest in others and allow himself to experience the world (and business) through various different lenses. And ultimately, that wisdom pays him dividends now in his goal to empower his community through real estate. Create value where no one sees opportunity.  2) Cash flow then profit. When William (and his family team) purchased their first few properties, they focused solely on being cash flow positive, despite all the equity they created through appreciation. While many investors would have taken out that cash and reinvested elsewhere, the reason they continue to hold onto these properties today is because they know what their financial goals are. Collectively, they knew they would be in a better financial position if they simply collected cash flow from rental income in order to cover their expenses and overhead. In doing that, they were able to leave the rat race and focus on more risky ventures, while simultaneously not losing the security in being able to pay their bills on a monthly basis. Know what your financial goals are. 3) Where, not when. Going back to his upbringing, William always knew entrepreneurship was going to be the end goal for him. But reflecting back on his younger, high school days, he admits that he just didn’t know when it would be. In January of 2020, he got his answer. He left the corporate world and jumped headfirst into growing his real estate business. And since then, he has not looked back. Which brings us to the next point. 4) “Be long term greedy.” Figure out what your end goal/vision is and always keep that on your mind.   To get in touch with William, follow him on Instagram @warojas or on Twitter @RojasTRG  To learn more about the Rat Race To FI Mastermind group, head over to: go.ratracetofi.com/optin and join our waiting list!  You can join us in conversations such as this one, and receive so much business related knowledge when you are part of our mastermind community. SEEKING MENTOR-SHIP?  Join our Mastermind:   https://www.ratracetofi.com   Send Us A DM On Instagram:  Diego Corzo:  https://www.instagram.com/realdiegocorzo  Felipe Mejia:  https://www.instagram.com/felipemejiarei