4 Ways Chasing Pirates as a Marine Helped Josue Velney Become a Confident Real Estate Investor

You have to get creative in a competitive market. We aren’t always high volume, but we are high profit.
– Josue Velney

4 Ways Chasing Pirates as a Marine Helped Josue Velney Become a Confident Real Estate Investor

Josue is a Carrot client, Carrot Camper, and a perfect example of someone who is doing things right. He has served our county as a Marine, shipping out on three combat tours. He then spent 12 years in the fire service, while building a rental portfolio.

Today, Josue has retired from the fire department and holds a portfolio worth 10’s of millions of dollars. With 50 units under construction or in the permitting and zoning process, Josue has become a master of bringing value, finding value, and controlling his mindset.

Today we’ll learn exactly how he has taken his military background and brought those lessons into his real estate business.

Read the Full Show Notes Below…

Josue has found success from hard work, knowing how to get in the right room and his tireless pursuit of education.

We’re inspired by the way he has taken lessons learned in Iraq and as a professional pirate hunter and applied them to the world of real estate. From teamwork to training to flexibility, these are the things Josue is doing to build himself an empire.

#1 – Never Stop Training

The Marine Corps is big on staying in shape and always being ready for war – mentally and physically. Josue learned leadership during his MP training, SWAT training, and martial arts training. He learned about body language, motivations, and focus.

These same strategies are also true for investors. It is important to never stop learning – whether it is about the industry, how to run your business, or yourself.

#2 – Stay Flexible

When Josue received the orders for his pirate chasing mission, he had no idea what he was getting into. He lived in tight corners, without bathrooms, and was put through more intense training.

He learned how to be resourceful and brought those skills into his first deals. Toward the beginning of his investment career, the focus was on being a buy-and-hold investor. However, Josue realized he was sitting in the wrong seat.

Today his focus is on construction management and his business’s main focus is on the development of raw land.

#3 – Focus on the Team

Chasing pirates awarded Josue his highest medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, but he wouldn’t have been able to do anything without his team. On this mission, the task force included Marines, Navy, Coast Guard, and civilians, who shared expertise to achieve a common goal.

The same is true for Josue’s business today. The focus is on creating the best team. Not just within the office, but a team that is made up of the best architects, engineers, insurance agents, lenders, attorneys, accountants, and subcontractors.

#4 – Sympathy, Empathy, and Understanding

When out chasing pirates we understood why they were kidnaping people and capturing ships. They also understood that we had a job to do. It was a surprising skill and mindset that has aided Josue in his business today.

As real estate investors/developers, we try to understand the seller’s motivation and situation. We try to solve the seller’s problems; however, we cannot jeopardize the health of our company to do so. If his team isn’t able to help, they will work to find someone who can.

At the end of the day, for Josue, it is about leaving communities better than he found them.

We loved hearing Josue’s story and motivations. Helping to improve his community while passing on his knowledge to those up-and-comers behind him is inspiring and something we never tire of seeing.