excellent question. And for me, you know, I started. I went to San Jose State University in the year 2000 and I went to that university. I was attempting the play football, and I was invited to walk on and football didn't work out. But when I got to settle the State University in the year 2000, that was the height of the dot com boom. And so I was very excited about business and entrepreneurship because I was first. I was in the middle of the Silicon Valley at the height of the Silicon Valley, and I got a first taste of what you know, business was like and so when I wasn't able to play sports, I was accepted into a real estate, or I'm sorry about a real estate but a business internship program. And so that internship program called College Works Painting got me involved into business, and they got and I never looked back. I've had a lot of bumps bruises, but that that initial internship and I think a lot of students might be considered whether they should do an internship or not. That was a pain internship. It was competitive to get into it and it changed my life. So that was the beginning of it. And fast forward from there in the year 2001 to where I'm at today. You know, I bought through a journey of exploration of what business works, what other work without, what's my role? In 2000 and three, I got into real estate while I was still in school, and I never looked back. I got into investments, a little in investments, and in 2000 and nine, I started my own brokerage company in the middle of the great recession here in Oakland, California in the Bay Area. Very competitive, very expensive. But it was a great time. So I want to say to the students as well is, I started my company in one of the worst time, that one of the worst markets and was actually the best time to start a company. My costs were low and opportunities were abundant. And so, as we may be entering to are already into, I guess, a very difficult time. Don't let that discovered you. That's actually one of the better times to pick your path. Figure out what you want to do and you know and go after. And so here we are today, me in 2020. Company's been around of 11 years in November, and we are excited, you know, even during this pandemic. It is a very difficult time, especially for commercial Wednesday, but we're excited to lead people through this process. So it all started with an internship, and I've spent a lot of time in education in school but also outside of school, reading books, attending seminars, networking with thought leaders in my industry and other industries. Teoh home the craft, and I think that's very, very important because who is the beginning? When you get out of school, your education really begins and you want to take what you've learned from school and implement that into your career because learning never, never stopped. It just was school, really just the beginning. So, in a nutshell, that's how I got where we are. And I talked a little bit about some of the incidents of the experience. We'll talk about some of things. I want to give you an example. One incident that help me to start my company in 2009 the market was down. I was working for a brokerage firm and there was a selling a large building and anyone units, it was It was foreclosed upon by the bank Chase Bank. So many people that don't want to touch the property. But the property was half of what it previously so four minutes over 3.6 million and had previously sold for 8.1. And so I know that there was an opportunity. It's a long story short. I got any contract we're working on. It is the very tough part of town. During the escrow period, there were four police officers who were killed there in a gun battle with the guy right up the street from this problem. And so the middle of this property in the middle of this crazy time, this crazy event and incident happened and it was a very I almost lost the deal. But my car persisted and we were able to hold them together, and he went forward and closed the transaction for $3.6 million and only later, a year later, one year later to that attended, refinanced over $4 million got all his money back it's through the property he owns. It today is worth about 14 $15 million. He bought 3.3, and in that time I was a libel went off because I've always had entrepreneurs hardhearted mine. I was worried about starting a company. I always wanted to do it. But when I sold that property, it was one of the bigger transactions that it never happened in my brokerage, and it inspired me. I said, If I can do this now, during this time in these circumstances, ought to be able to start my own company. And so that was a very, very critical incident. And I say incident, because at the time when that event happened, I thought surely this transaction was gonna fall apart, But it didn't, and it showed me that it was time. That was the time to press forward. So if you guys see or experienced incidences of trauma or difficult situations many times, it's that situation that, if you persist, will catapult you to where you want to go.

question. I actually started before I got into real estate. I actually started in a direct sales network marketing company. Well, believe it or not, it was very popular at the time of our campus, and I got involved with a company that probably was Quick Star, and I didn't make much money in that company. But what? And they had a variety of products and services website What the the independent business owners role was to go and sell the products and recruit other business owners. What I learned how to do there is I learned how it's a pretty thing. We would do these presentations on the people. It was very scary at first. You know, you're talking very smart people about joining your business or buying different products and services. We have a Web services. We had a fight again. We had everything. So it was in that process that I learned how to spell. I learned how toe, you know, sell myself. I learned how to sell a product. I learned how to deal with, you know, issues. I learned how to deal with people, and more importantly, I learned how to deal with rejection and in 2003 when I found the real estate business then then that business WAAS what attracted me the most. I've always been a math person, so I was able to take my mathematics number skills and apply that to a business in commercial and invincible. So realize they I started with apartment buildings. Um, and I started investing into apartment building at a young age, and I to this day I broke her meeting on cell apartment buildings and I invest in apartment boots now. So that is my core expertise. Is multi family apartment. Now that has evolved. Question. How does that service house that it evolved? It has evolved over time because I have developed a niche for myself in a level of expertise in the commercial real estate industry, which also includes other properties such as office properties, retail properties, hospitality, hotel type properties, industrial properties, research and development properties. The list goes on north, so I developed that skill set to work on those properties through a program called the C. C. I am too. C. C. I am stands for a certified commercial investment member, and it is a designation that you can get in the course rules that industry more than a designation. It is education and exposure to the business. In order to get the designation, you have to go through a series of classes. These classes are masters, you know, MBA level classes in the professional world. And after you make the classes, you have to present a portfolio business, meaning that you you've done several transactions in the commercial real estate field in order to sit for the exam and will knew what I sat for that exam in 2012. I earned it. You see, I am designation and that knowledge and that X. That knowledge gave me expertise on how to analyze commercial properties, how to understand the value of commercial properties, how to network with other people in the industry and how to really, you know, having operate with the level of expertise in the industry that really evolved my business from just doing apartment buildings to do other types of cultural state office movement, retail and hotels, you name it, and in a way where I'm able to operate with from from a area of expertise in the sense off when we're dealing with clients. A lot of archives were smaller firms. A lot of our clients want to work with us because they want individual guidance and advice through their transaction, not simply just the scale of their property or investment into a little properly. They were expert guidance and advice. So it started with just apartment buildings in, you know, going after deals and in advanced into a level of expertise where you're able to guide and advise people in the cars. Real estate industry. We're looking to buy selling investment, so I hope that you know that at that answers that question.

I'll talk to you guys specifically when I started my cup and that was in November 2009. Now the market was the worst part, and that was the worst part of the market. But I objects in November, I believe was November 2nd 2009. I received my broker's license in the state of California. So what I did is immediately I left my old brokerage and I establish my own firm now. This was scary because not many clients were buying and selling buildings at that time. The economy might not. Many lenders were lending at that time. The economy of all sectors was extremely affected. And I I was married at while I am married, and I had my first kid, my daughter, my oldest kid, and I have three Children, and at that time we were two months away from having our first child and and this was a very, very scary time. But again, I knew that this also was the time for me to move forward. I was definite about that. It wasn't a Should I do this? Should I not do this? I was definite, So I want to make that clear When you figure that you especially want to start a business or you figure I'm gonna go into this field, there's gonna be out. You know, there's gonna be doubt. There's going to be challenges for sure. Even if the economy is great in the markets and whatever market your head, you're gonna be faced with a challenge. So what helps you out to deal with that is to have a definite purpose. And I knew that I wanted to start this company because I wanted to grow something bigger than myself. It wasn't about me in my career and my money. I could make it about building a legacy for my Children, for my community, for my family, in general and for the marketplace. And so I knew that I must take this step at that time and what I did at as I negotiated for release, you know, toe occupy a commercial office for my building, my business, and it was the one that it was probably the scariest thing I've done in business. But at the next month, all of that was in November. In January, we actually opened up the office and we had a grand opening of source and there were about 30. 35 people came. And I got to tell you that that was that was huge because, you know, I I I was two weeks away from having my daughter at that time, but that gave me energy to deal with the chapel's. You asked about challenges that gave me the energy. Because one thing business, especially in entrepreneurship, is energy, physical energy, mental energy, spirituality. Energy is critical. And if your energy is low, you're not gonna be able to compete with people whose energy or is higher than you. Even if you're very smart, you're just energies important. And so that that meeting, where 30 people came out were one of the first. I think the only real estate offices to open up in that quarter or maybe that whole half a year in Oakland, California, was pretty. You know, it was a big city. It gave us the energy to deal with what was coming next. Because I was working on two transactions, those transactions fell apart that was put together. I love some of money about $50,000 that completely went away. I had spent the next two or three months. Luckily, I negotiated two months. No rent payment, because I you know, I was expecting it. A lot of money, but it didn't happen, so I needed those two months of no rent. I had to get back on my feet, have to figure out our clothes. Deal. I eventually closed. Uh, small trends, smaller transaction that brought $9000 in and let the march. I would make my on a rent payment at my office. I was able to make my rent payment at my home. I was able to continue growing into the business. And then that gave me energy. Then to persist through tip 2010 to the very difficult year. I think I only closed five transactions made about many $1000 which is probably the lowest of my made in the last 56 years. But it But I showed myself Hey, I can pay. At the time I had to rinse my home in my office. I had to gas and electric bills. I had to you till you know, phone and Internet bills. I proved myself that I could do it and that just getting in the business, starting something that at least very scary having a grand opening much people can give me the energy. Then I had some setbacks with deals falling apart by their scramble. But I scrambled because I had energy. If I didn't have that energy, I wouldn't have been able to, um, act just the way I did know I want to bring that home to you guys because energy is key. You know, taking care of yourself physically is important, you know, and and mentally as well, making sure you have your engaged and locked in. That was what helped me as we were starting to overcome some of the challenges and then get on the road. 2011 was when our bed one of my best years, you know, per I've closed more deals in and made more money, but I was I got on a roll and we may I close. One transaction made over 100,000 on that one transaction. We saw several buildings are company was getting noticed and and we kind of took off now that that never would have happened if we would have got into those deals that didn't close and put our head down to say, Well, the market stuff might as well just call it quits and go, Go get a job somewhere Well and what Help me. There was there wasn't a lot of jobs at that time, so I felt like I have to do this. And that really helped me out. And so having a resolute and definite purpose within what you're doing will help you when the going gets rough because it will get roast. And how do you adjust? How do you react when that Tonko?deliver. It is It is hard is hard to do, Yes.