The 5 Questions Podcast
Join us as we unlock real estate and business insights, one question at a time.
The 5 Questions Podcast
The Power of a Laser-Focused Why: Theresa Beneteau’s Secret to Real Estate Success
Theresa Beneteau shares her 35-year journey from struggling first-time homeowner to real estate powerhouse who helps build $150 million portfolios through her signature coaching program. She reveals the mindset shifts and practical strategies that create real estate freedom, emphasizing that a powerful emotional "why" is the cornerstone of lasting success.
• Started investing at age 20 when a real estate mentor taught her about wholesaling
• Built her success on having a laser-focused why that's emotionally powerful
• Helps clients clarify their true goals rather than forcing them into rigid investing strategies
• Creates remote systems allowing her to do deals while four-wheeling or caring for family
• Recommends focusing on just three priority tasks daily to overcome overwhelm
• Suggests saying no to distractions that don't serve your ultimate freedom goals
• Uses the question "Does this get me closer to what I truly want?" to evaluate opportunities
If your, why doesn't make you cry? It's not strong enough.
Speaker 2:Welcome to the 5 Questions Podcast, where we unlock real estate and business insights one question at a time. Welcome to the 5 Questions Podcast. My name is Mario and our guest on today's show is a Canadian real estate powerhouse with over 35 years of experience and hundreds of deals under her belt, from mortgage broker to full-time investor and now coach. She now leads others to financial freedom through her signature program, unleashing the Trailblazing Within. I present you Teresa Benito. Hello everyone, welcome to the show today. Thank you so much, teresa. The concept of the podcast real simple I ask five questions, either about real estate or business, and we get straight to the point you ready.
Speaker 1:I'm ready.
Speaker 2:Okay, first question I have for you. You've been in real estate for over 35 years, as we mentioned in the intro. What was the moment you knew this was the path to freedom?
Speaker 1:Well, I started when I was 20 years old and I had bought my first house and it didn't take me long. It took me like less than a month to realize that I was now going to be broke because I had all these mortgage payments and taxes and utilities and everything else. And so I reached out to a real estate agent and I, just I I called him up cause I said I need some options. I'm 20, 20, I don't know what I'm doing wrong. Do I have to go back and live in my parents basement? I don't know what it's gonna look like.
Speaker 1:But I did something wrong and I really thought that. You know that there was a dream of getting into real estate. I just didn't know how to do it. And this gentleman came over to my house. He showed up in a white sports car, showed up, you know, got knocked on my door. He was sitting at my kitchen table, he was wearing a brown suit, white collar shirt, he had the Rolex watch with the bling bling going on, and he's going over my options. And you know, and I just said to him like how can I get into real estate? I must be doing something wrong. And he said have you thought of wholesaling?
Speaker 1:And I said, well, what do you mean? Like Costco, like buying groceries at wholesale prices? And he said, no, he said putting properties under contract, selling them and getting paid and never having to get a mortgage. And I was like, oh my goodness, I'm hooked. If this is legal, I'm in. So, really, that's where the moment started was when I really uncovered or discovered the part of being able to get into real estate without a down payment and without qualifying for a mortgage. I knew that was something that I could do in long term.
Speaker 2:And I love your answer, and one thing I want to point out that most investors that I talk to their life changed the moment they spoke to someone who had done it before them or longer than them. That's. We cannot stress it enough. If you don't know or you're stuck, please reach out to someone who's doing it, because it might blow your mind, it might change your life. That brings us to our second question, and now fast forward 35 years. You've helped build $150 million portfolios for your clients. What's one common trait that you've seen in people who actually succeed? Because you've helped many who succeed. So what's the one trait that you see that pops out in people?
Speaker 1:I would say the drive. And what fires up and fuels up the drive is their why is when people would come to me as investors when I was a mortgage broker. They came up and basically what they want is they wanted time and money, freedom, and they had dreams of wanting to retire early, wanting to take care of their parents, wanting to take care of their spouses, wanting to raise their family, wanting to be able to, you know, to leave the country six months out of the year. So they really came to me with these whys that were very powerful for them to understand the importance of cash flow, the importance of equity. So when I was building their portfolios, it was always with the end in mind.
Speaker 1:So it was literally, it was the mindset, mario, to be honest with you, it's. They had to have the strong, powerful mindset of what did you know first of all was what do you want? That's great, you want $150 million portfolio, but why? Why do you want that? And if it's just because that's not going to get you out of bed in the morning? So these were investors that literally looked at it and said I want to do it, and this is specifically why this is my goal in five years. This is my goal in 20 years. This is what I want to do. So I'd have to say to that is it definitely mindset and a solid, 100% laser focused? Why?
Speaker 2:Yeah, and when you say you know solid and the word laser focus, you're 100% right. You cannot have a why that, like you said, won't get you out of bed. It needs to be so strong that there's nothing that can stop you, as if your life would depend on it 100%.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Brings us to our third question and let's talk about your program Unleashing the Trailblazing Within. It sounds like a movie title almost. It's really good. How do you help young professionals with that program go from zero to their first deal with confidence? How does it work?
Speaker 1:Yeah, and basically walking them through and it goes right back to what do you want? Why do you want it? So that's the first thing it's always going to start with mindset, mario, is where are you, where are you now? Where do you want to go and where do you want to go and why do you want to go there? And once I can determine that and they can I can help them delve deep into that. Now we can get them to where it is that they want to go.
Speaker 1:So some people will come to me because they want to learn about wholesaling. And yet there was one gentleman who came into my program and I put him into the one-on-one coaching and he went from literally wanting to get into wholesaling and actually within 10 and a half months became the CEO of a company and he was 50% equity partner. And it was based on his why and his was going and navigating the program and as I was giving the assignments, that literally that's where he, that's where he spit out to, so to speak. Is that, you know? I almost call it like a funnel that I'll put people in, but I don't put people in a box. Is that you know? You're going to come to me with one dream. I'm not. Who am I to tell you can't dream that, yeah, but I will. I will say okay, if this is your dream, then we're going to work towards that. And if, as we're shaping and as we're sculpting and as you're growing, you may realize that maybe that's not what you wanted. Maybe what you wanted, you know, on monday, all you know, month one one, all of a sudden, two months in, you might say you know what I'm thinking that this might be better for me, though, because they may use they may use wholesaling as a catapult to get something else.
Speaker 1:That, a lot of times with my students, is that we start them off in wholesaling and what happens is that next thing, you know they're doing, you know fixing and flipping, and they're owning because they're like no, I don't want to wholesale this deal, I want to keep it. So it's literally navigating with them and being beside them, of what they want to do, because there's a lot of people that don't have the self-confidence, maybe even the self-worth we'll call it that. As they're navigating, they feel like imposter syndrome, they feel like they're inadequate, and it might be because of childhood issues, it might be because of grown-up issues, it might be because of themselves, I don't know, but I do know that people have a lot of fear. So my job is to literally mow down the grass, cut down the trees, get it out of the way so that they can see. So that's where the ultimate trailblazer comes into play is literally giving them a clear path so that now they can determine what it is that they want, and I help them get there.
Speaker 2:Helping them to to not only dream about their vision but, like you said, clearing the path. If you want this, this is the road you got to follow. That's right.
Speaker 1:That's amazing.
Speaker 2:And then you work with beginners and people that also are already investing in real estate and you're helping them go to the next level.
Speaker 1:Absolutely 100%.
Speaker 2:So that program is for everyone.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:That's amazing. Now let's go to our fourth question. And you've built wealth for yourself, you built freedom for yourself, but a lot of people think, okay, this person is successful and a lot of people think that successful people are robots. But you're also a wife, you're a mom and a daughter. And how do you balance building a successful business like this while living life on your own terms?
Speaker 1:Great, great questions, mario. And that's the thing is, as I'm navigating and as I'm being able to do things remotely and that's the power of my programs is teaching people how to be remote you're not stuck to one city, one province or one country, and that's where it makes the difference that I can do deals while I'm out four-wheeling somewhere. Because I've done that. I can even do deals while I was taking care of my parents when they were aged and they were living with me, and I was also able to do deals while my son was going through his trials and tribulations as he was growing up. So it's given me the freedom to be able to do them at the same time.
Speaker 1:And were there events that I missed? Yes, that's the truth. Were there things that I missed? And were, there were big sacrifices. And that's what I say to everybody is how bad do you really want what you want? Because if you don't want it, bad enough, I often said if your why doesn't make you cry, it's not strong enough, and so for me, that was my thing. So I think, mario, when we're saying balance, I don't believe that I have a balance per se. I can tell you that if my family needs me, that I can drop what I'm doing and I can be there. That's the difference is that I can manage that while I'm doing my business I can still be part, like I can celebrate Mother's Day for three days. I have that freedom to do that but I can still do my business and still take my calls because I've these systems in place so it can eventually give you the freedom, because I don't think that anybody will have the freedom from day one.
Speaker 2:You will need to grind and you will need to work longer hours and do more things to achieve the freedom, but as you achieve it, that's where the big payoff is, is where you can get to spend more time with your family or on what you want really. So that's it's. You're an amazing example of that Because I see you at a lot of events, and for people to be able to achieve this time off to go to all these events, that means you know we have to follow what you're doing, so you're a really good example on that. Brings us to our fifth and final question for today.
Speaker 1:For someone listening right now who feels stuck, who feels overwhelmed in whatever they're doing. What's one simple action they can take today? To start we'll say it as you say it blazing their own trail? I would say get clear. Clarity is key, right? I went to an event in Texas and I had learned from Darren Hardy. Darren Hardy was one of my mentors and he was saying with Warren Buffett is Warren Buffett said write a list of everything that you want to get done today.
Speaker 1:And then he said take three things and put those on a new list. Take the first list and throw it in the garbage is because overwhelm is simply that you're trying to do too many things at one time and you bottleneck. And the problem with overwhelm is that chances are you're going to do nothing. Yeah Right, confused people do nothing. So when you get clear on three items a day and then I'm going to say it again is then you look at the three items that you've made out of, we'll say out of 20, you pick the top three, and then I would also invite you as break down those top three of why are they a priority today, on Tuesday, why are they important today? Because if they're not important, they won't get done. All they're going to do is overwhelm you as tasks, right and to-do lists. So I would just invite you.
Speaker 1:Clarity is literally. Key is what is the list? Break it down to the top three, take that list and say, okay, why do I want to do these three? And you might say, well, because one's is. Is one going to give you more time? Is one going to give you more freedom? I have an alarm that goes off on my phone that says what you're doing now. Does it get you closer to four wheeling and going fishing?
Speaker 2:That's amazing.
Speaker 1:And if it and so it'll it'll alarm me. Go, go, wait a minute. What I'm doing is that getting me closer to what I really want to do? Because if it's not getting you closer to what you really want to do, then all it's going to be is a distraction for you, and you know. Get clear on your why. Because I'm gonna, I'm gonna heart, I'm gonna really hone in on that. Get clear on your why I'm going to really hone in on that. Get clear on your why. Pick your three things. Your top thing will definitely surface because it'll serve your why. And when you're focused on your why, I feel I don't get overwhelmed. When I'm focused on my why, I don't. I don't.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because you know the end goal and there's nothing, like you said, that can get in your way to do what you want to do. I don't, I don't. 5.1 question Is it okay to say no to either some people, some tasks, some projects, if it's too much at that moment?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I have to say no to a lot of things to be able to say yes to other things. And if I wanted to be able to spend Mother's Day on Monday, then I had to say no to a lot of other distractions. If I want to be able to go on vacations eight weeks out of a year, I have to say no to a lot of things that are in. You know that, all of a sudden, the shiny objects, we'll call them right that I have to say no to this and no to this and no to this to be able to stay focused, because it's going to, it's going to take me away from what I really really want. So, yes, I I'll give a really good example.
Speaker 1:If you want to be married, you have to say no to being single. If you want to say yes to being self-employed, you have to say no to getting a paycheck every Friday. Employed, you have to say no to getting a paycheck every Friday. There's always going to be a no with every yes that you're going to give, and the more clear you get and the deeper your why becomes, easier it gets to say no to the other things, because the rest is just noise the other things, because the rest is just noise.
Speaker 2:Yeah, a hundred percent Right. Well, teresa, it was a pleasure talking with you today. You gave some really good insights. Uh, hopefully our audience can keep uh and take some pieces with them on their journey. Uh, but it's always nice to talk to you and, uh, thank you again for being on the five questions podcast. Thank you, thank you very much for being on the 5 Questions podcast.
Speaker 1:Thank you. Thank you very much for the invitation. Have yourself a great day.
Speaker 2:We'll talk soon. Bye-bye, okay, bye now. Thanks for tuning into the 5 Questions podcast. If you enjoyed today's episode, don't forget to subscribe, like and hit the notification bell on our YouTube channel so you never miss an episode. Stay tuned for more insights and tips to transform your real estate and business game. See you next time.