Ricardo Rosales came to Miami when he was 17 years old after living his entire life in Venezuela. When he left the military at 25 years old, he worked in the oil and gas industry, and although he was making a good income, he had golden handcuffs. Ricardo had been doing real estate as a side hustle for 10 years before he got laid off from his job and decided to go 100% into real estate. It was the best decision ever, but it definitely didn't come without its challenges. Ricardo shares his real estate journey on this week's episode! Key Takeaways: Ricardo has been listening to Alex's show for many years! We need podcasts like this show more than ever. It opens the doors for many people. Ricardo had a good job when he got into real estate and it was a struggle balancing between leaving his safety net to do real estate full time. Who is Ricardo and when did he first come to the United States? Ricardo was an alcoholic by the time he was 15. What motivates Ricardo? Ricardo loves his dad. He wanted to be like his dad, but when he moved to Miami, he and his father started bumping heads. Ricardo had no interest in pursuing a college education, instead he joined the military. When Ricardo left the Navy, he had multiple $100k job offers in the Oil and Gas business, but he ended up picking the lowest paying job offer. He shares why. Ricardo is so grateful for taking that job. He basically took a $24k offer vs. a six figure offer because he could see a better future with the company. If you have a job, you need to invest in real estate! How did Ricardo get into real estate? Ricardo wished he had a mentor while he was trying to learn real estate. People were getting foreclosed on in 2008 and people were looking for places to rent. Ricardo shared some of the expensive lessons he's learned in real estate. What is the BRRR method? Ricardo got laid off from his job in 2015. This was a blessing! What did Ricardo's contracting and rehabbing company look like? Ricardo talks about Hurricane Harvey and the devastating effects it had on Texas. Ricardo nearly lost his business because of the disaster. All of his bank accounts were in red a year later. Ricardo could have freaked out, 2 lawyers told him he needed to file for bankruptcy, but he knew there was a better way out. When you have a big problem, your brain is working 24/7 to fix it. Reinventing yourself is part of life. Nothing is perfect. Your perfect plan will never go according to plan. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Connect with Ricardo: Moredealsthanthegurus.com ASCEND: Don't Wait To Enjoy Your Life Tomorrow, Live It Today! How To Grow Your Business, Expand Your Impact, and Experience Your Perfect Life: 🔊 LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE TO THE FLIP EMPIRE SHOW (PODCAST) on Apple Podcasts ▶︎ http://www.flipempire.com/podcast 📺 SUBSCRIBE TO ALEX PARDO'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL NOW ▶︎ https://www.youtube.com/alexpardo 🚀 How To Grow Your Business, Expand Your Impact, and Experience Your Perfect Life Don't Wait To Enjoy Your Life Tomorrow, Live It Today ▶︎ https://www.AscendYourSuccess.com/ FOLLOW ALEX ON: ★ INSTAGRAM → http://instagram.com/alexpardo25 ★ FACEBOOK → https://www.facebook.com/alexpardo15 ★ LINKEDIN → https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-pardo★ YOUTUBE → https://www.youtube.com/alexpardo. . TWEETABLES: "There is a better way. It's just a lot of people don't know. I didn't know for many years because I had the golden handcuffs." "If the environment that I have is not serving me at the time. I change it completely." "I was getting paid on my results. I wasn't getting paid on a salary anymore. So I knew the more I worked and the more I leveraged other people, the bigger we'd grow." ASK ALEX A QUESTION: Have a question you want featured on an upcoming Flip Empire Show? Head over to the Ask Alex page, and record your question. We've made it super easy for you, so let us know what challenges you are having, and Alex will answer it personally! SUBSCRIBE To The Flip Empire Show, and Leave a Rating & Review!