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Show Summary
In this episode of the Real Estate Post podcast, host Kristen interviews Janine Cascio, founder of Simple Lending Financial and creator of She Funds Academy. They discuss Janine’s journey into the lending industry, the challenges she faced as a woman entrepreneur, and the importance of building a values-aligned team. Janine shares insights on transparency in lending, the creation of a supportive community for women in finance, and her new book, ‘She Believes, She Receives,’ which focuses on mindset and personal growth. The conversation emphasizes the significance of mentorship, community support, and the ongoing journey of self-improvement.
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Janine Cascio (00:00)
And really being that place that people can feel safe to do financial transactions with. I think in the private lending space, it gets a little hairy and people have a lot of like contingencies on like people doing fraud in this space. Like fraud is one of the main topics. Talk about ⁓ factors and market factors, like especially in the private lending space, you’ve got to be careful because people aren’t going the traditional route. They’re coming the creative route.Kristen (02:01)
Welcome back to the Real Estate Post podcast. I’m Kristen and I’m here with Janine Cascio, she is the founder of Simple Lending Financial. She also has a book coming out. She also has a She Funds Academy. We have a lot to talk about, especially women in the lending space. So I’m excited to get into it. Thanks for being here.Janine Cascio (02:18)
Thank you for having me.Kristen (02:20)
So let’s talk about how you got into the lending industry and kind of, you know, what you saw about the environment and the challenges.Janine Cascio (02:30)
Yeah, I think the lending industry is very cutthroat. I think you have to have a certain personality to ⁓ live in this space. But I was in New York City. I worked for a family office. I really like was able to learn hands on, which I’m very grateful for that experience. And then when COVID took a turn, you know, I ended up moving my life to Houston.⁓ And that’s when I kind of started the idea of maybe I could do this, everything I learned in New York and kind of push it here in Houston. So yeah, created in August, 2022 created Simple Lending Financial, which is a direct private lender for fix and flip DSCR ground up construction and rental loans across the country.
Kristen (03:18)
Amazing. I mean, that’s so impressive. And you were able to start your own thing in just a couple of years. What were some of the challenges you had just starting a business? And how did you kind of hire out your team?Janine Cascio (03:31)
Yeah, I think just starting out, you you come across a lot of like self limiting beliefs and a lot of these doubts like, do I know enough to do this? Or, you know, do I know enough clients? Do I have a good enough book of business? And I think it’s just really just putting all that doubt aside and just knowing that you’re a constant student and you’re just here for growth and to learn. So I did a good job of like,joining networks ⁓ and really putting myself out there and all about surrounding yourself with mentors. And I do highly recommend getting a mentor, especially ⁓ if you’re an entrepreneur, just always good to have people with a like mind mindset because you you start out growing ⁓ people around you sometimes not in a way, not in a bad way, but just in a way of like how you could talk about business and growth and
I think only a certain handful of people really understand what it’s like to be an entrepreneur and have that mindset and power through because I do believe it’s truly a mindset being able to overcome so many obstacles. ⁓ But for me, yeah, I think just being a woman in this space as well, I think I have a lot of like internal feelings that people don’t take me as seriously or feel like I know as much.
and things like that, so just constantly overcoming that as well.
Kristen (05:47)
Yeah, I think you bring up such a good point that there are external threats and internal threats kind of based on what your belief system is and how you were raised and all of that. You’re, you know, even just trauma you’ve experienced growing up. It all plays into how you can move in your career. I love how you talked about ⁓you know, overcoming those limiting beliefs for yourself. So once you kind of got rolling, how did you build out your team to kind of make sure that everything was aligned with, you know, your values?
Janine Cascio (06:22)
Finding the right people is key, especially what you said with the values is key as well. And knowing that when you hire someone, like not to hang on to potential for too long, like if there’s someone that you don’t feel like is a fit to kind of, you know, trust your intuition. But my first hire was a personal assistant. She pretty much did all my admin tasks.actually has worked her way up to be my chief operating officer. So she’s been with me for the full, almost the full three years since I’ve created Simple Ending Financial, finding people like her, people that get the mission, they understand what the business stands for. They understand that we’re representing, you know, a woman owned business in a male dominated space. And then we back ourselves by customer obsession, proactive transparency,
Kristen (06:52)
I’m going toJanine Cascio (07:17)
And really being that place that people can feel safe to do financial transactions with. I think in the private lending space, it gets a little hairy and people have a lot of like contingencies on like people doing fraud in this space. Like fraud is one of the main topics. Talk about ⁓ factors and market factors, like especially in the private lending space, you’ve got to be careful because people aren’t going the traditional route. They’re coming the creative route.So blocking that from brokers, from clients, from appraisers, from title companies, it’s all over the place. So really holding our intuition and knowing that we’re not just deal chasers, we rather do clean, good deals that my investors are going to be happy with ⁓ and keep our credit line facilities open.
Kristen (08:09)
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, there’s a lot of protection there. And I think with finances, people are very nervous to talk about it, deal with it. ⁓ And I love how you said transparency is a big part of the business. Can you talk more about that and how that’s important in this line of work?Janine Cascio (08:27)
Yeah, I just think even like in being told no, like telling people no upfront that like this isn’t a deal that fits our box because I think people try and be people pleasers and they want to say yes so bad and they want to help everyone but helping everyone ends up hurting you. having those boundaries of what you’re accepting and not accepting is really important because you know, you don’t want to drag someone on for long process.in this ⁓ when they’re trying to get financing where it could really screw them. They might lose their deposit on the house that they put down. They might lose out on their time, their money when it could have been a simple no up front and then they could have had a deal that fit their box, fit your box better that they come back to you. And I think people get scared to say no or they want to push deals so much for that paycheck, but ⁓ like
It’s truly a blessing sometimes to just work with the clients that you know are clean sailing.
Kristen (09:35)
Yeah, I think people really appreciate having people around that are able to push back on them because that’s how you can make sure everything you’re doing is safe. I would love to talk about She Funds Academy, which you’ve also founded. Talk about kind of what led you to starting this and what it is.Janine Cascio (10:27)
Yeah, even as a CEO now of a company, like I always said, like my biggest mission is to go back and help my younger self. And that’s really what I wanted to create with She Funds Academy is like talking to myself that was just getting started in this industry. I was afraid to ask questions. I was afraid to look dumb. I always wanted to carry this, you know, confidence that I knew what I was talking about whenAll I really wanted was a community of people that looked like me, that was going through the same experience as me. So I wanted to create that for others. I want to create a space that people feel like there’s part of a community. They could ask questions. They know others. Like SheFunds Academy already has over 50 members and we just started a few months ago, but ⁓ I’m talking people that are attorneys in this space, title companies, women that are
real estate investors, home builders, people that are real estate agents. So it’s really becoming an ecosystem. Like you could find a title person, you could find an attorney, you could ask questions. And it’s just a safe space for a woman in the industry to grow and learn. And from She Funds Academy, we’ve already successfully hired some
remote sales people. if people want to get onboarded to Simple Lending Financial and start brokering deals and make side money, like one of the women in our academy is a nurse and she actually closed the deal just on the weekends. Like her dad’s a GC, she’s very connected in real estate and she’s able to do that. My sister, for instance, is a stay at home mom with two kids.
and she referred like three deals already over just in the last few months. So it’s exciting to see everyone being able to prosper from the community and grow and learn.
Kristen (12:26)
That’s amazing and I think, you know, just the founding principle, I think you hit the nail on the head where people, I think especially women, we feel like stupid asking questions, which, you know, obviously you have to learn somehow. So this seems like a very, I’d love for you to talk about kind of like the safety people feel and maybe the community you’ve built within the academy.Janine Cascio (12:50)
Yeah, it’s just nice to hear feedback always. And this one woman, Pamela, she’s actually a home builder. We’ve closed on a few homes she’s built. She was just like, I love community. I love being able to, you know, come in here and, ⁓ you know, be able to be on calls with my capital partner. Like people⁓ I think have such a transactional relationship, but our relationship is really built on growth and the long-term success. So opening that door for SheFunds Academy, as well as being the private lender, it just creates that safe space because people know that they could come to us and ask all the questions and be a part of the community and learn. I ⁓ think just giving the value of education and learning, I think that’s also why
our clients are repeat clients and they keep coming back to us because there is that open window where I think others may just be transactional. Like call me when you have a deal. Like, you know, don’t I don’t have time for questions. Like, and I don’t, I don’t want to carry that ⁓ persona throughout the company. So.
Kristen (13:54)
what we’re praying.Yeah, absolutely. And I think it’s cool that there’s the option that this can be supplemental income, not even your full-time thing. There’s the flexibility to do that. ⁓ So let’s definitely talk about your book. She believes, she receives. It’s all about mindset. Talk about when you started thinking about this book and how you’ve put it together.
Janine Cascio (15:06)
Yeah, I mean, I’m just such a little manifestor. Like I’m not afraid to like talk all the woo woo. But like I’ve gotten really into yoga prior to starting my company, which just opened doors for patience and growth within myself. And I do think that everything is a self development type of role, especially when you’re out being an entrepreneur, starting a company.You gotta constantly look inward and realize self-growth. And this is what that book is for, once again, doing a book that was for my younger self that maybe I could have referenced in many times. But, you know, it’s supposed to be just like a handbook, a handbook that people going on a journey of really looking to achieve their dreams, they could constantly come back to. Because as human beings, we…
our habitual creatures and we get into these habits and sometimes we forget the basics. And I wanted to put things very simple. I wanted to put exercises in there that people could do. And it’s really just a handbook. it’s the first part is all about positive thoughts. And then the next part is all about believing in those positive thoughts. then
Kristen (16:08)
Mm-hmm.Yeah.
Janine Cascio (16:27)
on those thoughts and in the art of receiving. So it’s a four part book to really break down ⁓ what I believe is the four steps of manifesting.Kristen (16:37)
Yeah, amazing. And I think even just letting yourself receive is a big challenge for people. Can you go into that a little bit more?Janine Cascio (16:44)
Yeah, exactly what you said. think people get stuck with doing all the work and working hard and then not having that space of surrender and being able to just receive the abundance that they are worthy of. ⁓ And you know, you do really need all four parts of the potion to get all the magic. So being able to, you know, off like as simple as someone’soffering to open the door for you or carry something in for you. Like a lot of people will be like, no, I got it. Like, no, that people around you want to support you and help you ⁓ with achieving everything you want in life.
Kristen (17:30)
Yeah, I love that. ⁓ Yeah, I think that’s so important and I think that it’s a part that people kind of don’t even think about. What are some of your simple tricks just for people to start thinking more positively?Janine Cascio (17:45)
⁓ Yeah, I think just like if there’s like the growth mindset and then the fixed mindset So it’s a lot of ways of like how you’re even talking to yourself So instead of saying like I can’t afford that like this simple twist of I can’t afford that yet Like it opens this whole possibility of something actually eventually coming to you Yes, timing is a big part of everythingKristen (18:04)
Right.Janine Cascio (18:13)
But giving yourself that time, opportunity, instead of just constantly telling yourself like, like, 100 pounds, I can’t lift that. You might not be able to lift that yet, but you could work towards that and get there. So always just creating that open door where you could just change the way you think and talk to yourself and love on yourself. And it’s so important. Like, I think we’ve ended up being in a generation where people are like,Kristen (18:24)
Right.Janine Cascio (18:40)
you’re selfish, you’re narcissistic, whatever you want to label it if someone’s like all about them, but it’s like then you lose yourself if you’re not all about yourself. I mean, have the energy is everything. It’s like a give and take and it’s a flow. So you have to know when to give to yourself. But also once you’re full, you’re overflowing to be able to give to others as well.Kristen (18:47)
Right.Right, and have you always kind of incorporated these practices or was this something that you’ve
later in life?
Janine Cascio (19:13)
No, later in life for sure. would say around 28, 29, you ⁓ know, I went through a breakup and then I was moving and I didn’t have like a stable place at the time. And I just feel like what I was hitting was my rock bottom. And then at that point is when I kind of felt like a transformation and I felt like, you know, it’s me against me. I’m creating my reality. I’m creating everything I’m bringing into my life.Janine Cascio (19:42)
But yeah, from that point, I was just like, you I want to transfer this over to creating positivity in my life. I don’t want to play a victim role. I don’t want to be down on myself. I want to be empowered. I want to grow and I want to do all the self work I can to create the best life for myself.⁓ so I just started feeling good, you know, I’m also one year sober, so that also was another journey for me. ⁓ but I think just wanting to be your highest self, ⁓ is really important. ⁓ goals, especially when you’re out creating, ⁓ a business and, ⁓ opening the job, the opportunity of jobs to others as well.
Kristen (20:26)
Yeah, and I think it’s such a strong personality trait to be at a low point and use it to get better and use it to level up. I think that, yeah, for people who are kind of struggling, because I think people want to go from zero to 100. They just want to be healed. And it is a process. And if you’re making this step towards that, think that’s something that should be celebrated for sure. ⁓Janine Cascio (20:49)
Yeah, and I think that’s where peopletake a mistake is thinking that there’s a healed version. Like, yes, I’m better than who I was a few years ago, but it’s about every day. And then also accepting the setbacks. Like not every day, not every day I have is the best day and the positive day. Like people call me they’re like, you’re so positive. I’m like, not every day do I feel like this, but I have these small tools now.
Kristen (20:57)
rain.Janine Cascio (21:18)
that will get me on stuff quicker. And that’s where the magic lies. It’s like, okay, yes, you had a hard day, but if you have hard moment again tomorrow and you’re able to just, you know, be in it for a little while, let it pass through and then come out of that, then that’s where the magic starts lying. And that’s like the healing. It’s not like you’re fully, there’s not like a fully healed ⁓ picture perfect moment either.Kristen (21:22)
Yeah.Yeah, I think that’s important to mention too. It’s just about kind of the journey and getting better every day. Well, this has been amazing. Thank you so much. You’ve given great mindset tips, great tips for women trying to get in the space. Can you tell everyone where to find you, where to find Simple Lending, and how to join She Funds Academy?
Janine Cascio (22:07)
Yeah, so I’m allover social media just under Janine Cascio. I’m very responsive on my LinkedIn. Simple Lending Financial is also all over social media. We’re on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook. ⁓ And we have a landing page on our website, simplelendingfinancial.com for She Funds Academy. And you could just inquire there. We host our webinars ⁓ the last Wednesday at 4 p.m. Central time of every month.
So this one is October 29th that myself and Sydney are going to be hosting. And yeah, we look forward to people joining our community and reaching out to Simple Lending Financial.
Kristen (22:49)
Amazing, well thank you so much for being here, Janine. And thank you everyone for listening. I hope that you got some inspiration, maybe inspired you to kind of look at your life a little differently and be a little bit more positive. So we will see you back next time, bye.Janine Cascio (22:52)
Thank you, Kristen.
