Staying focused and networking created a Vancouver real estate empire

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TRANSCRIPTION WITH SPEAKERS
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[00:00] SPEAKER_02: Welcome to Canada's podcast.
[00:05] SPEAKER_02: Hello, this is Robert Smigel coming to today with Canada's podcast where we talk to the entrepreneurs who are making it happen here in British Columbia.
[00:13] SPEAKER_02: Today's guest is Susan Aiyang, a senior mortgage broker, raising Vancouver most of her life.
[00:19] SPEAKER_02: Susan is very passionate in working with people and develop the net for helping clients understand the many financial risks and opportunities they face while providing a vast wealth of products through Canada's largest banks, credit unions, trust companies and financial institutions.
[00:40] SPEAKER_02: Well Susan, welcome to Canada's podcast and thanks for taking the time today to be here for all our listeners.
[00:46] SPEAKER_01: Thanks so much Robert. I'm so excited about all the initiatives that's happening around the world, let alone be able to share some of my insights and personal stories as well.
[01:00] SPEAKER_01: I actually grew up in Vancouver. I'm a Vancouver right yet my family, my parents have come from a little township one hour ferry north of Hong Kong, which is called June, so I'm very industrial area in the last 20 some years.
[01:20] SPEAKER_01: I myself was born, I would say export, an export, an export meaning that my I, I'm not born in China or Asia, I get I get what I was growing up, I was asked, are you from Japan, I go, no, are you from Singapore, Hong Kong, no, and you know, so I'm actually born in Trinidad West Indies.
[01:45] SPEAKER_01: I'm a Trini as and I speak my first two languages is one of my Chinese dialect, which is called Jun Sang, and it's very, it's not the most common dialect in the Chinese dialect, I've been told, and I speak mainly English, but to my parents and now to my mom only I do speak my own dialect to her, because she's more comfortable with that, even though she speaks a bit of broken English to her.
[02:15] SPEAKER_01: Her, her grandkids, okay, I'm basically would consider my parents are considered, I believe how the train of generation is, they're considered the first generation, I'm a considered second generation, okay, my family's been in Canada for over 50 years, and we came, my parents have come to the first stop was Trinidad, because my grandfather had gone to Cuba and ended Trinidad to set up.
[02:45] SPEAKER_01: Small business, so my family has always been very auto-pronural themselves, so I guess I transit a lot of the attitude, trades, you know, some of the learning things I transferred to my work today.
[03:03] SPEAKER_02: Okay, good, so you're a mortgage broker, what does that look like for you, and I think, you know, obviously we've got a really hot Canadian real estate market now, and a lot of people are buying selling that kind of thing, but what I want you to do is I want you to give me a key piece of knowledge or information about your industry that our listeners can learn from, or they may want to know that they're unaware of regarding real estate, mortgage brokers, things like that.
[03:34] SPEAKER_01: I've been asking last couple of days, it's been, yes, it's been a very hot market, and I was just even saying to some in the last while I get all kinds of contact referrals, because we got a very strong existing client base, repeat customers, referrals, recommendations, I get a lot of calls in from the realtors, oh Susan, you know, can I put the deal through today, because my client is not going to be able to do that.
[04:03] SPEAKER_01: I think it's very nervous about the whole thing.
[04:06] SPEAKER_01: We're subject to financing, you know, so let tell me a little bit more, how can I encourage the client, I said, honestly, the client is in a very good position today, depending on what their situation is, most really want to get into their homes, maybe their first home, maybe they're selling and second, they're existing home, they've been in for over 10 years or five years or three years, and you want to get a little bit more.
[04:33] Speaker UNKNOWN: So, I think that's a great way to upgrade.
[04:35] SPEAKER_01: It's still a very good market, because after four months from now, my personal take on it would be that fact that we don't know what the, no one knows what the outcome will be in terms of rate after December, but for me, and many other mortgage brokers out there in Canada, Vancouver, Ontario, Alberta, maybe,
[04:58] SPEAKER_01: possibly in Quebec, are really driving in terms of December has been the hottest time and the most busy as time.
[05:07] SPEAKER_01: I may even just take Christmas day off and New Year's Eve afternoon late, late evening, basically, yeah, it's busy.
[05:15] SPEAKER_02: Is it just a client, a man, is that what's going on in Canada?
[05:18] SPEAKER_01: Yes, I feel personally taken, I've seen it after talking to so many different clients and what I've seen. Yes, it's a bidding war, but to some others, some homes are not on a bidding war, so I get, I get both feedbacks.
[05:34] SPEAKER_01: So you cannot tell to you work carefully and with your realtor and with your mortgage broker.
[05:41] SPEAKER_01: So I do specialize in the small business and some self-employed in small business area, and that's why I love to came on to share my experience, personal take on it as well.
[05:58] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so the key key word of advice would be keep looking, get into the market, what would it be if you were to.
[06:05] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, the rates are really good in the next four months. We don't know when it comes and it's cold and, you know, we really don't want to go out there, right?
[06:14] SPEAKER_01: It's the mentality, right? I mean, I myself may jog through the rain sometimes or golf through the mud, right? But some people just don't want to go out there when it's cold and, and things are getting better.
[06:29] SPEAKER_01: So, you know, it's just, it's all your personal take and your lifestyle and working closely with the experts in the field.
[06:40] SPEAKER_02: Okay, good. Let's talk a little bit about Vancouver, what that looks like for you.
[06:44] SPEAKER_02: Where are the biggest benefits for you and being an entrepreneur here in Vancouver, BC?
[06:48] SPEAKER_02: I want you to give us some of the good points about starting a company here, but I also want you to give us some of the tough things or challenges for our listeners so they can keep an eye out for them.
[06:56] SPEAKER_01: Okay, growing up from parents that are very auto-printer on start from scratch and board money from their friends, not with the mentality in the late 50, 60s or so because they don't speak English.
[07:12] SPEAKER_01: They learned a part time at, you know, at educational centers, someone to teach them, but even then my father was just just wake up at five o'clock in the morning.
[07:27] SPEAKER_01: He's out there the wholesale companies because he ran a mini supermarket and he had everything you can possibly think even the spices in bulk.
[07:36] SPEAKER_01: So he was very, even those days, they were very into the organic type of business, right?
[07:45] SPEAKER_01: Those that are starting today, extremely competitive.
[07:50] SPEAKER_01: I have spoken, just got off of phone with a long time client of mine of 27 years.
[07:56] SPEAKER_01: And I said, you know, what's a good place to go for to show so and so how I can, you know, because it's not my expertise, right?
[08:07] SPEAKER_01: I'm not a marketing company or, you know, to spend that kind of money.
[08:10] SPEAKER_01: It really depends really financially, financial, environmentally, sustainable, sound, marketing plan, a communication plan is really going to be important.
[08:26] SPEAKER_01: You know, there's other resource centers that can really help the first time person getting into the type of business that they want to operate, especially when a small business, extremely competitive.
[08:38] SPEAKER_01: I get asked so and so for resources, context, you name it.
[08:44] SPEAKER_02: I, you know, so are you saying competitive because it's a lot of Marcus brokers out there's a lot of real estate agents.
[08:49] SPEAKER_01: Anything, any industry, even super, super berries, I was taught, got off phone with my client because you wanted the first one in the first, the first one in the blueberry organic blueberry.
[09:02] SPEAKER_01: And I want to say hi to her out there.
[09:05] SPEAKER_01: And I said to her, I'm getting asked because I want to volunteer for a community garden.
[09:11] SPEAKER_01: And I was asking for donated seeds and plants and whatnot and someone came across and wanted to donate an aroma plant to me.
[09:19] SPEAKER_01: And erronea plant, I have no idea it's a super, super plant, right? For example, and I'm saying to him, you need to network, you need to be very diverse in what you're doing.
[09:29] SPEAKER_01: You need to have a game plan. If you don't have it written, you might not be promising yourself the next day. You're just going to be all over the place.
[09:40] SPEAKER_01: You need to focus on exactly because I keep repeating to him on the phone and he came all the way from Germany about in in the 2012 sometime.
[09:54] SPEAKER_01: And you know, and it's just a growing business for so any any auto printer out there, whether you're in the food business, whether you're in any type of small, small electronic device or something, you know, doesn't really matter like it's like you, whatever business you're in.
[10:14] SPEAKER_01: And you smart, you obviously have to focus start somewhere, but that marketing plan has to be in place and a combination plan.
[10:23] SPEAKER_01: And you may need a mentor, you may need a coach, but you've got to find those resources and obviously, and you, you may have to speak to a lot of people within your industry circle.
[10:35] SPEAKER_01: It's huge because if you're not going to go out there to network and speak to others, you may not, you may fall into a thing that you can't get yourself out of.
[10:47] SPEAKER_01: So, so, yeah, so I always tell the builders, the people that want to build up, you know, tear down their homes or something.
[10:55] SPEAKER_01: Seriously, you need a project manager, you have no idea how to build that house, you're not hands on, you have no experience whatsoever.
[11:04] SPEAKER_01: We wouldn't we wouldn't even touch it unless you had some professional in that industry to help you along the way.
[11:11] SPEAKER_02: So access your professionals and use that to your advantage.
[11:15] SPEAKER_02: Okay, awesome. Okay, let's talk about your routine, which is the first hour, look like for you when you get up the morning, do you have a specific routine or ritual to help you get motivated to start your day.
[11:25] SPEAKER_02: I imagine your days are pretty long, but there's some of the things that you do to stay healthy so you can kind of keep that momentum going.
[11:32] SPEAKER_01: I came from a background where I do play a bit of tennis and I've been doing it for pretty much all my life, let alone learn something new because I, I've been injured before because I've been injured before I've learned to get a cheap, a colletti machine reformer and I have that in my, that's collapsible in my area that a space that I have in my in my, in my little office.
[12:01] Speaker UNKNOWN: I have a lot of space space.
[12:03] SPEAKER_01: You know, so I would actually go jogging a jog the jog around the neighborhood for say 20 minutes and I come back and use the machine to do the stretches.
[12:16] SPEAKER_01: Some people say you do the stretches, but some and then go jogging.
[12:19] SPEAKER_01: So it really depends how you feel that day.
[12:22] SPEAKER_02: Okay, do you think entrepreneurs have to be weird or unique in a positive way or wire differently? Look at light differently.
[12:32] SPEAKER_00: Everyone's wired differently.
[12:34] SPEAKER_01: And I meet everyone all walks of life. You have to have that positive motivation to tell your story, to share with others.
[12:44] SPEAKER_01: The more you share, I think in terms of when you're speaking to someone about your, who you are and what you do.
[12:53] SPEAKER_01: The more you give back, the more value you become, because people will know that you they can really trust you, because they're going to get they're going to get to know you a little bit more.
[13:05] SPEAKER_01: You're so and you're be able to see the bigger picture, because if you can't see the bigger picture and you're just setting one mind, okay, I'm going to go out there and set up a business and that's all I need.
[13:17] SPEAKER_01: You need a lot of.
[13:20] SPEAKER_01: Handholding in the beginning, but if you're great at say a certain trade and you have a special eyes, then then there's.
[13:28] SPEAKER_01: A bit of a fact that you you you're more knowledgeable in in what you do, I've seen others that start off say the example, the blueberry.
[13:40] SPEAKER_01: No one knew anything too much of a blueberries, for example, you went back to say organics in in BC or lead loan in Canada, who knew about organic is going to be a big thing in this world, right?
[13:52] SPEAKER_01: And this was this was probably the mid-ninie early 90s that I knew about the blueberry organic and this this came to me by talking to someone right?
[14:05] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, well, I think anything health related now people realize that especially entrepreneurs, I think have to stay very healthy, exercise eating right because the longer you stay in the game, the better chances you are that you're going to succeed.
[14:21] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so that's some of the things that come up frequently.
[14:24] SPEAKER_02: Let's talk about some other things going on your life. If you weren't doing what you do now, what would you like to do for profession?
[14:33] SPEAKER_00: Good question. I come with a background, first of all, always been able, even as a child.
[14:41] SPEAKER_01: And helping others is because I always try to find an activity to not just my work.
[14:50] SPEAKER_00: So I would say ideally, if you, I guess I originally wanted to go into nonprofits because my background was accounting nonprofit certification.
[15:09] SPEAKER_01: My educational background, marketing was a big piece for me and fundraising.
[15:18] SPEAKER_01: So if I, I'm very passionate what I do, but it's been transferable to other things, I would love to one day maybe open open up my own nonprofit organization or can carry on my grant writing.
[15:32] SPEAKER_01: So, but because I love what I do right now, I transition is something, I think I would, like it took me a while to do the golfing team to join a ladies league, for example.
[15:51] SPEAKER_01: I don't think it's my time to transit into this because I've been able to give back to the community already in a bigger way this time, because I found something else that I, that would help my sister for example, because she's in poor health.
[16:06] SPEAKER_01: So I got into the community garden within my community and I met some extremely nice people along the way in the last couple of days. So I basically happened to go visit two different gardens to see what that really is, because I have no idea about community gardens.
[16:23] SPEAKER_01: I know understand gardening vegetables and fruits, because that's something that I grew up with, you know, so I'm passionate about a lot of things. So if you're passionate about something, you're going to do good for yourself and for others.
[16:38] SPEAKER_01: And you know, so anyone that starts in a new business, if you're passionate about whatever that type of product or service you're doing, you're going to do good for yourself and others.
[16:50] SPEAKER_01: So, yeah, so I would say I continue to a time when I can give back to the community is something along that lines.
[16:59] SPEAKER_02: Okay, what kind of job could you not do, do not do this job.
[17:05] SPEAKER_01: That's a good question. I think in terms of when it comes to technology, I'm scared. I literally had to have be handheld on a one on one to be coach even for the mortgage platform application that we, because we can do in my industry, I've worked for four or five different banks in in over 30 years because I, I came about it because I needed a part time job originally.
[17:32] SPEAKER_01: But I have gone the only and I've gone to different areas of the banking now doing more commercial, some commercial and and and mainly residential.
[17:44] SPEAKER_01: But I'm good at both is because I have an accounting background. So I would say it would be a something to do with technical because I don't, I'm not a knowledgeable enough for say and and I'm always quite interested in that area.
[18:01] SPEAKER_02: Okay, in business, what is your favorite word quote or sentence that you like to use?
[18:08] SPEAKER_02: What do you say frequently to people, clients?
[18:11] SPEAKER_01: I really want stop shopping solution to try to cater to your to everything that you probably would like to be on your wish list.
[18:24] SPEAKER_01: So, yeah, so it really depends.
[18:27] SPEAKER_02: What's your least favorite word or sentence you don't like to hear in business?
[18:31] SPEAKER_01: The negativity would be the word never. I would always be able to find your solution.
[18:38] SPEAKER_02: Okay, that's a good one. Never give up. Find it. Make it happen.
[18:43] SPEAKER_02: Yes, well, I always like to say we'll find a way somehow.
[18:46] SPEAKER_00: That's right.
[18:47] SPEAKER_02: If you if you had to pick one or two words to describe yourself, what would it be and why?
[18:56] SPEAKER_01: Diversity comes to my recent resilience comes to mind because this is also a highlight the month of May.
[19:04] SPEAKER_01: And I've been involved and community wise and volunteer heavily with an organization that celebrates the month of May as Asian Heritage Month.
[19:14] SPEAKER_01: And we live in a beautiful country. Canada is so diverse yet.
[19:22] SPEAKER_01: There's so much lots to learn and to grow from that. I feel that we are very diverse in terms of ethnicity, languages, culture, art.
[19:39] SPEAKER_01: You name it. I used to do more in diversity arena yet yet.
[19:48] SPEAKER_01: I feel that today, where I if I go to the community garden, I'm pretty diverse in learning new things, whether it's meeting people or networking or educating myself in the types of maybe health, gardening, knowledge more about the food industry or whatever it is.
[20:08] SPEAKER_02: I find travel is what I've learned over the years is that I travel frequently and for work and stuff and work in many different countries.
[20:16] SPEAKER_02: And when I come back to Canada, because Canada is all about diversity, I can actually engage into a conversation, say, yeah, I've been there. I understand your culture.
[20:24] SPEAKER_02: I mean, I understand the language, but it is a essence. It's given me a dictionary of when I come home, you know, I can be gone for two, three years and I come home.
[20:34] SPEAKER_02: And I've got this encyclopedia sitting in my head to I can walk in Sky Train or I can be somewhere right my bike on false Creek and bump into someone if they say I'm from Italy or I'm from the day I, hey, I was just there and I was, you know, I know something about that background.
[20:51] SPEAKER_02: I can have a more in-depth conversation with that person other than G. I've never been there. I don't understand that. So that's why I feel that travel is in itself and encyclopedia.
[21:00] SPEAKER_02: Exactly. And bring that home to you. And, you know, not a lot of countries aren't like that. Like if you go to a country, say, India, you know, people are from there, you know, whereas, you know, I'm across Rica, people are from across Rica or by the America.
[21:15] SPEAKER_02: And so I explained to them that we could sit in a restaurant and I could go walk to each and every other and they're from a different country.
[21:23] SPEAKER_02: And they're like, wow.
[21:23] SPEAKER_02: That's the other day.
[21:25] SPEAKER_02: That's the, to them, that's weird. That's strange because I said, yeah, I grew up with that. You know, my best, my dad's best friend was Chinese. You know, I grew up with the Asian family.
[21:35] SPEAKER_02: You know what I mean? So, even though we're Polish or Ukrainian, whatever background is, it really is the melting pot. But I think being out there, like you said, being able to cross reference and being able to identify with that person, have an open mind and learn from them.
[21:52] SPEAKER_02: I think it'll help you in the long run.
[21:55] SPEAKER_02: That's true.
[21:57] SPEAKER_01: Because I come from such a diverse background and my family on my, on my dad's side are interracial marriages and stuff.
[22:07] SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
[22:08] SPEAKER_01: It's me a huge perspective. You know, so when I go down to Trinidad or to Miami now, there is a considerer second home and my relatives.
[22:17] SPEAKER_01: So, we, although we're not speaking Spanish or are, are, are, are, are any form of Chinese dialect or something. Yes, we are communicating in.
[22:28] SPEAKER_01: But at the same time, we're, although we have so many diverse backgrounds, we, we, we have a very common commonality as you say.
[22:38] SPEAKER_01: Yeah. So, you're so right about the travel aspect because I do travel to Asia and, and to the States and to Europe. And, and, and they're, and you see the experience is, is, is, is, as if you're able as a small amount of printer and, and be able to take your business and go somewhere else to, to learn from another person within your own industry.
[23:04] SPEAKER_02: I think is a huge thing. Yes. Yeah. And to get, and also to understand their thinking and culture, religion, whatever that is. So I think that that's one of the things that is really critical.
[23:17] SPEAKER_02: Okay. Do you have any advice that you may have received as an entrepreneur that you can pass on to other entrepreneurs throughout Canada, something that you've learned along the way, someone said something to you or.
[23:31] SPEAKER_02: Along the way that you could say, you know what, this key little piece of advice really, really helped me. And I think others should know about this. You think like that.
[23:41] SPEAKER_01: The secret I feel to this wealth is really simply connecting with people and entrusting yourself, really believing that you, you can't, you're able to succeed from just starting out in your business and growing from there.
[24:00] SPEAKER_01: The network is going to be a huge piece of whether you're joint venture with someone, whether you're just doing it on a very beginning is like my parents did in a very beginning start from scratch. They're actually boring money from friends, because those days, you don't have a history of walking into a financial institution and being able to, to, to get, get any lending whatsoever.
[24:28] SPEAKER_01: But these days are hugely different. We're talking about 50 years later. We have things that so much more resources that we ever, ever had. So my thing would be that you've got to make sure you have someone that is able to support you mentally or physically, meaning that if there is a someone out there that you that can be a friend or associate to help you along the way your business is a huge piece of advice.
[24:58] SPEAKER_01: It's a huge piece of your business because mentally it's long, it's long hours, even for myself when I was going into even though I've been a banker for, for, for over 25 years to come in as a mortgage broker license.
[25:13] SPEAKER_01: I better, I better know what I'm doing.
[25:16] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so we better know exactly because no one's going to be out there to help me. So it was kind of nice. My transition because I had all the back, the mortgage background already with, with, with a few other financial institutions, right. So yeah, it's networking is huge.
[25:35] SPEAKER_01: That's the big one. You've got to like it, right. You've got to hold that. Yeah, you're, you're, you're, you're there enough of the short term. I don't want you to flip in your, your business within six months, right. It's a plan that you have in paper and mindset.
[25:49] SPEAKER_02: That's what that's funny because a lot of the interview, entrepreneurs that have interviewed that's one of the things they say if they're to do it all over again, they say I wouldn't network more, I would get out there more because I think they get focused on what they're doing and they're very good at what they're doing.
[26:02] SPEAKER_02: But there's a whole world out there of people that they could connect with and help them quicker faster.
[26:07] SPEAKER_02: That's right. And more impact. Okay, let's wrap things up. How can our listeners get whole of you and is there anything you'd like to add before you leave us today.
[26:17] SPEAKER_01: I would be able to connect on LinkedIn. It's Susan O'Young as a you middle-high fin young as an age.
[26:26] SPEAKER_01: Or you can call me at 604 551 8148. That's pretty much the biggest number 604 551 8148.
[26:36] SPEAKER_01: And I feel that very fortunate to be able to hear to sit with you to talk a little bit about what's it really like as a self-employed business owner as well.
[26:50] SPEAKER_01: And again, if there's any way I can say is take that opportunity. Don't look back.
[26:59] SPEAKER_01: Just just focus on what you're doing and really it's a lot of hard work, but it's going to be very worth it in the long run.
[27:07] SPEAKER_01: You've got to be really passionate about it.
[27:09] SPEAKER_02: Okay, Susan, thanks for coming on the show. I've learned a lot about you and I'm sure our listeners have as well.
[27:14] SPEAKER_02: And to all our listeners, thanks for listening to Canada's podcast today.
[27:18] SPEAKER_02: Like comment and subscribe to all our channels. Get the latest podcast from our producers across Canada like Susan.
[27:25] SPEAKER_02: And we'll see you next time.