Vicente Valencia

🤔 Risk-Averse Renegade 💪 | Helping others take the leap of faith | Entrepreneur & Investor | Personal Growth, Business. 🐭 Join the free rat race 🐭

If you need PPP Advice or Training that you WON'T get from the World Bank go to: https://vicentevalencia.com.

I love infrastructure delivery and I have good reasons for that. 

I still remember my third day working in PPPs, around 20 years ago. 

I was put on a Board meeting, and my boss told the rest of the board members that "I was the new PPP advisor". 

Not bad for the third day. 

I didn't know what a PPP was, nor even a what a Board was, or shareholders, or construction contracts, or back-to-backs... and there I was. 

Now, after having tendered, managed, delivered, refinanced, sold, a few PPPs in Europe, North America and New Zealand, as a COO, CEO and Board Member, I can tell you many more stories... some of them, "terror stories": extra costs, claims, delays, incompetence, bad clients, terrible contractors, evil designers, etc. 

But I can also tell you many great stories about people. 

Happy people enjoying a new and fantastic piece of infrastructure. 

These assets have transformed for the better lives, cities and even countries. 

I’ll never forget the 15 December 2012, when I opened as the COO, the A30 Project in Montreal. 

I put my beautiful and very patient Spanish wife on a toll both to enjoy. 

Many nights working at night and she supported me all the way long, and I wanted her to live the experience. 

During a break to have diner – it was a long day – she told me that users thanked her saying “Gracias”. 
I’ll never forget the joy and happiness of thousands of people that wanted to cross the bridges that we built.
 
This is the power of great infrastructure, properly delivered. 

This is why, I love that business. 

I also have two secret passions: Real Estate Investing, and a popular newsletter. Everyday, I send a free tip about business, project management, investment, motivation and personal growth. All this comes with Spanish spice. Subscribe, join other +2k free minds and enjoy.

Co-Founder and Investor

Love the challenges, the design and changing spaces and cities for the better. 

We give a second opportunity to old buildings and houses creating unique homes.

The model is not the failure. Execution is.

PPP Executioner | Providing Clarity to PPP Professionals, Agencies and Investors | Join the PPP MOVEMENT for Infra tips and stories

Founder & Director, Infra Advisors | Driving Innovation in Infrastructure

Metro Line 14 received zero bids. Honestly, not surprising.
PPP works when risk and reward are allocated fairly. It does not work when it becomes a way to move a difficult project off the government's plate. Private players understand the difference, and they act accordingly.

Urban metro projects in India have rarely been kind to private capital. Fares you cannot control, ridership you cannot predict, clearances that can change the entire calculus. Walking away from that is not hesitation. It is good judgment.
Infrastructure funds and lenders look for predictable cash flows and bankable structures. Regulated fares, uncertain ridership and environmental clearance risks do not offer either. The numbers do not close, and no amount of strategic intent changes that reality.
What is harder to ignore is that this has been seen before. The pattern is not new. Each unsuccessful bid process carries a real cost in terms of time, resources and delayed infrastructure that cities genuinely need.
The pivot to EPC makes sense. But the harder question is whether project structures are being evaluated honestly before they go to market. That is where the real work lies.

Hopefully, this time the lesson travels upstream.

#PPP #InfrastructureAdvisory #UrbanInfrastructure

If you’re interested about personal growth, you should read this, and of course, follow Matt Gray 

#personalgrowth

Founder & CEO, Founder OS | Proven systems to grow a profitable audience with organic content.

Being surrounded by the right people is the best hack for ultimate growth.

Your circle determines your ceiling.

Everything shifted when I found mentors who were 10x my level.

Their "normal" became my new baseline.
Their problems became my new targets.
Their thinking became my new standard.

Environment is stronger than willpower.

Here are 6 ways to upgrade your circle today:

1. Join Communities of High-Performers

Seek environments where excellence is the minimum standard, not the exception.

I've found that when you're the least accomplished person in the room, your growth accelerates exponentially.

High-performance communities create natural accountability that no app or system can replicate.

2. Attend Events Where Your Heroes Gather

The magic rarely happens during the presentations, it's in the lobby conversations, the dinners after, the unexpected connections.

I met one of my most influential mentors not during his keynote, but while waiting for coffee at an event I almost didn't attend.

Proximity creates possibility.

3. Create Value Before Asking

The moment you shift from "what can I get?" to "what can I give?" everything changes.

I spent six months helping others in my industry before ever asking for anything in return.

This approach built a reservoir of goodwill that continues to overflow years later.

4. Share Your Work Publicly

Building in public isn't just about transparency, it's about signaling.

When you openly share your journey, values, and systems, you naturally attract aligned people while filtering out those who don't resonate.

My most valuable relationships began when someone reached out after seeing something I'd shared.

5. Be Genuinely Curious

Curiosity is the hidden superpower in relationship-building.

I've found that asking thoughtful questions and truly listening creates deeper connections than any amount of impressive talking.

People remember the person who made them feel understood, not the one who tried to sound intelligent.

6. Invest in Relationships

The relationships that transformed my business weren't built over a single coffee meeting, they developed through consistent investment over time.

I block time every week specifically for relationship nurturing, treating it with the same importance as any business-critical activity.

I've seen this play out over and over with founders in our community. When they upgrade their circle, their business transforms almost automatically.

Your network isn't just your net worth. It's your thinking, your standards, your opportunities, your energy, and ultimately, your future.

Who are you surrounding yourself with?

__

Enjoy this? ♻️ Repost it to your network and follow Matt Gray for more.

Want to learn how to build a profitable personal brand that grows even when you’re not around?

Join my free live Workshop on March 24th (7 days away) to steal my homework: https://fos.now/eIBmtB

Your Circle Determines Your Ceiling

Senior Construction Project Manager @ VareCo

My company is Investor Acquisitions. 

In short, I help real estate executives attract LP investors. 

What I've found is the best operators in real estate often neglect marketing. 

Marketing is important enough to wish you were better but not important enough to take it on on your own. 

Put another way: If operations fall apart? 
You don't have a business to market. 
If marketing falls apart? 
You've survived this long without it. 

However, there's a catch 22 to this approach to marketing. 

The modern real estate sponsor, broker & lender needs marketing. 

They need to be known. 

Social media expedites 2 key aspects of deal making: 
1. Building awareness of you. 
2. Building trust in you. 

My business is taking the hard work of figuring social media out off your hands, & replacing it with all the benefits. 
1. Being trusted and known at scale. 
2. Generating quality leads. 
3. Raising capital/closing deals. 

The fun stuff that comes from being known. 

Whether you're the CEO, an executive team, or a broker, our team at Investor Acquisitions can level up your brand & content on LinkedIn. 

Our business is telling your story.

If this resonates with you, DM "Intro" to schedule an introduction call.

Cole Baker

Rondale Moore passed away today. 
We attended Purdue at the same time. 
The most electric player I've witnessed live. 

My favorite memory ever in college involved Rondale Moore. 

It was October 20, 2018, Purdue University was 3-3 and facing off against the undefeated number 2 team in the country, Ohio State University. 

It was the 4th quarter of the game. 

Terry McLaurin had just scored a touchdown to bring Ohio State within 2 scores with 4:40 to go in the game.  

For context, Purdue isn't that good at football. 
So when we have a lead?
I never really expect Purdue to keep that lead. 

But on 3&7, on the Ohio State 43 yard line, 
Rondale Moore made one of the most spectacular plays I've ever seen in my life. 
Breaking 2 tackles & spinning out of another for a touchdown. 
To all but seal the game for Purdue. 
Absolutely electric. 

I've never experienced the feeling of pure elation quite like I felt that night with Purdue vs. Ohio State. 

& Rondale was a huge part of that night. 

Rondale, you're an inspiration to me. 

Thank you for giving us your all. 

I pray for your family & friends. 
I pray for your soul. 
May God bless you, Rondale Moore.

I help real estate executives attract investors & build their brands | Trusted by 50 Firms | DM “Intro” to schedule a meeting with Investor Acquisitions

I did some door-knocking today. Did 13 doors. 

Here was the script I came up with in the car: 

"Hello my name is Cole Baker, I buy industrial buildings like this one, who can I speak with about submitting an offer to buy the property?"

Most conversations lasted less than a minute. 

Here were the results: 
• 1 firm no. 
• 3 properties didn't answer the door. 
• 3 phone numbers of owners.  
• 1 "come back tomorrow, the owner just left."  
• 5 "here's who to talk with but I don't have contact info." 

I even got a tour of one of the properties from an employee. 

My favorite interaction though was with an owner. 
Larry. 

Larry wasn't looking to sell, but here's what I asked him: 
"Are you looking to buy other buildings?" 

Larry perked up, & emphatically said "yes."

I got his number & will follow up. 

Day 1 in the books. 

About 2.5 hours of walking the streets of Denver. 
About half of that was hyping myself up to do the first knock. 
Then the second. 
But after about 5 I was getting excited about it. 

Means nearly nothing doing it 1 day, but figured I'd share. 
Looking forward to Day 2.

I spoke with an investor who replaced his $450,000/year tech job with a $50,000,000 real estate portfolio. 

Here's how he did it: 

1) He didn't want to rely on a boss

• There was not "accelerating" retirement. 
• He had to put in the time.
• This unsettled him pretty early on. 
• He had the stock options. 
• So he diversified. 

2) He didn't start small. 

• His first deal was a $1,000,000+ 8-unit deal. 
• He took the knowledge from conversations. 
• He took the knowledge from podcasts. 
• He took the knowledge from books. 
• Then...
• He implemented a value-add plan. 
• He remodeled the interior. 
• He updated the exterior. 
• He raised rents. 
• & refinanced. 

He still owns the asset today. 

Builds up the appreciation. 

Collects the cash flow. 

& the best part? 

No longer works a 9-5. 

P.S. What's the first thing you'd do when you achieve financial freedom?

Warren Buffett bought 49% of Berkshire Hathaway for approximately $8.3 million. 

60 years later…

The company is worth $998 Billion. 

Warren Buffett credits most of his early success to a mentor. 

Benjamin Graham. 

Buffett summed up Graham’s influence in 3 ways: 

1. Graham taught Buffett compassion for shareholders.
2. Graham taught Buffett the importance of generosity.
3. Graham taught Buffett the intricacies of investing.

Buffett credits Graham having been his greatest teacher. 

The greatest investor of our generation credits a mentor as the greatest influence for his success. 

Don’t overthink it. 

Find a mentor.

P.S. Tag your mentor in the comments below! Show 'em some love!

It took 1 year posting on LinkedIn to raise my first $1. 
It took 9 years before I started a profitable business. 
It took 24 years to find the woman I'd marry. 

All the good things we want take time & patience. 

Give yourself the grace to take that time.

I asked a lender (who has originated $23,000,000,000 worth of commercial real estate loans) 3 red flags to avoid in a general partner.

Here's what he said:

𝟭) 𝘼 𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙣𝙚𝙧 (𝙂𝙋) 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙣𝙤 𝙘𝙖𝙥𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙡.

- In his opinion, a GP must provide capital in the deal.
- It’s this simple: If a GP has no capital in the deal,
- They don’t have your best interest in mind.

𝟮) 𝘼 𝙂𝙋 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙣𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚.

- You don’t want to hear what they promise.
- You want to hear what they’ve done.
- If they haven’t done very much, &
- They promise great returns?
- Run.

𝟯) 𝘼 𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝟱+ 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙨

- In his opinion, teams shouldn’t exceed 3 GPs.
- When there are too many partners on a team,
- He questions the team’s ability to manage.

There’s no need to take on unnecessary risk.

Dismiss all GPs with these red flags.

P.S. What would you add to the list?

Dave Ramsey was a millionaire by the age of 27.
He owned $4,000,000+ in real estate in 1987. 
The next year? In 1988? He went bankrupt... 
He didn't stay there long though. 
Now? 
His company grosses $300,000,000 a year. 

Here's 2 lessons I've learned studying Dave Ramsey: 

1) Don't let your failures define you. 

• When Dave was bankrupt? He had a wife & kid too. 
• He had $0. No income. & a family to provide for. 
• BUT...
• He didn't let his failure define his story. 
• He got back to work. 

LESSON: 

To be great at anything, you will fail. Many times. 
If you want to build financial freedom?
If you want to build a business? 
Learn to fail. 

2) Sell what you believe in. 

• Dave is controversial for one main reason: 
• He hates debt. 
• A belief formed by the impact of the bankruptcy. 
• It also formed a passion for financial literacy. 
• More specifically, teaching others about it. 
• This passion?
•  It's the foundation of his business. 
• (A $300m per year business)

LESSON: 

Starting a business is really hard. 
But if you want to make it easier?
Believe in what you're selling. 

P.S. Which lesson sticks out most to you? 
P.S.S. What are your thoughts on Dave?

No alternative text description for this image

I spoke to an operator who replaced his finance job income with income from a $3,000,000 real estate portfolio. 

Here's how he replaced his W-2 income: 

1) He was fed up with his current role. 

- He had invested in 8-units prior to his discontent. 
- But the discontent motivated him to step up. 
- & the motivation led to 3+ more deals. 

2) He was willing to take lots of risk. 

- At one point, he had $250,000+ in CC debt. 
- Between labor & material costs for projects. 
- He went ALL in building his portfolio. 

SIDE NOTE: 

This was back in 2019, 2020, 2021 where interest rates were low. He had 3-4 credit cards giving him 0% interest for an entire 12 months! WILD!

3) He leveraged the BRRRR method. 

- At the time, he wasn't utilizing any mentors. 
- Just podcasts, books and good ole action. 
- After each renovation, he'd refinance. 
- & redeploy the capital. 

I wouldn't recommend taking on that kind of credit card debt. 

But one thing was very clear speaking with him: 

He would do anything to make it happen. 

P.S. To what lengths would you go for financial freedom?

I knocked on 10 more doors today. 
Yesterday, it took 2.5 hours to do 13 doors. 
Today, it took me an hour & 15 minutes to do 10.  

Here were the "objective" results from today: 
• 2 firm "no's" from building owners who's own businesses were in the building.
• 2 businesses who rent, but who's key people in the know weren't around.
• 2 phone numbers of business owners who know the building owner.
• 4 properties no one was at I'll circle back to.

Here were the "subjective" results from today: 
• I noticed a measured improvement around the anxiety I felt yesterday about door knocking. 
• I was genuinely excited about the opportunity to meet people. 
• For the first time in a long time, 
• I noticed myself counting the small wins rather than focusing on losses or rather than focusing on the ultimate win I didn't have. 
• It's day 2, there's plenty of challenges to come. 
• But I'm feeling good about knowing that I am doing the work I need to do. 
• Which is also new to me. 

Day 2 in the books. Looking forward to Day 3.

I spoke to a GP who’s acquired $300,000,000 of CRE.
The last 10 years, 
He’s acquired every deal below 30% LTV. 
Here’s why:

In his career, the GP has acquired over 100 properties. 
During the GFC, 10 of his deals lost money. 

Here’s the exact reasoning he gave why:

- 9/10 of the assets were not his usual niche asset-type.
- 9/10 of the assets were not his usual business plan.  
- 3/10 of the assets were not his typical market. 

In other words:

- He tried to do deals he wasn’t familiar with.
- At the exact wrong time in the market.
- with investor capital. 
- He & his investors paid for that. 

LESSON:

- This goes for both limited partners and GPs. 
- Invest in assets & business plans you know. 
- Jon Gray of Blackstone put it this way: 
- “You don’t outsized returns without taking risk.”
- “But we take risk we understand.”
- Debt will amplify that risk. 

P.S. Did this lesson resonate with you? 
If so, comment below why it do! ⬇️

I spoke to an investor who owns a ~$250,000 SFR. 

The catch?

He & his wife are JV's with family members. 
He & his wife want to sell the SFR. 
Family wants to keep it. 

The way the deal is structured, they can't just sell the property...

They're stuck. 

This is a major downside to the JV structure. 

Here's 3 tips to avoid this in future deals: 

1) Identify the long term plan for each JV member. 
2) Have your attorney draft clear exit provisions.
3) Create an exit plan aligned w/ expectations. 

BONUS: 

4) Don't ever do deals with family???

Will this guarantee you avoid issue?
No. 
But it will provide options.

Curious to hear your experiences with JVs. 

Have you experienced something similar?

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦; 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢 𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴.

$400,000,000 in transaction volume as a broker. 
30,000+ followers on LinkedIn. 
0 leads. 

A (now) client approached me with a question: 
• "Can you improve my LinkedIn results?"
• "I get 15K impressions each week."
• "I post content every single day."
• "I already have a following."
• "But I don't get leads." 
• "What do I do?"

In the last few weeks alone, this same client set 35 meetings from 100K+ impressions. 

Only 12 weeks into working together. 

Even cooler? 

As a broker, he has 10,000's of people seeing the deals he's selling each week. 

(Talk about a competitive advantage for his clients selling a deal)

Here's the exact post schedule we use for his content: 

M: Deal Breakdown Post
T : Asset-Type Education Post
W: Promotional Post for an Active Deal
T : Famous Person Post
F : Personal Post/Deal Breakdown
S: Weekly Update Post
S: Personal Post. 

P.S. Was this helpful? Comment below with what was most helpful.

I asked an accountant (who managed the books for a sponsor with $200,000,000 in AUM) the best way an LP can identify a quality sponsor. 

What he told me actually blew me away: 

1) Ask the GP what % of their income from their investment firm is from acquisition fees. 

• If the GP answers over 50%, do not invest. 
• This GP is too reliant on acquiring real estate for their income.  
• & it's an indication they don't have sound operations. 
• You want the asset management fees, promotes, & other income to far out way compensation from acquisition fees. 

2) Ask the GP what their payroll is. 

• If the GP doesn't know the answer, run. 
• You track what you care about. 
• If they don't know their overhead cost, 
• & don't know the cost of their labor. 
• They don't care about the deal. 

3) Ask the GP what % of asset management fees they collect across their portfolio. 

• When an investment is in distress, the first bit of compensation to be turned off is the asset management fees. 
• If a sponsor owns 20 properties, & is collecting asset management fees from 95% of them? 
• That's a great indication the deals are being run well. 

I'm curious to hear your thoughts on these questions. 

P.S. I help limited partners place equity into real estate. 

If you're a limited partner & this resonated, let's talk.

I asked an investor (who owns $10,000,000 worth of mobile home parks) why they chose the asset class. 

Here's what she had to say: 

• Depreciation.
• A low basis.
• Cash flow.

1) depreciation

• The value of traditional real estate is in the structure. 
• With residential real estate, 
• The depreciation schedule is 27.5 years. 
• Within commercial real estate, 
• The depreciation schedule is 39 years. 
• For mobile home parks, it's a totally different asset. 
• Almost none of the value is in its structures. 
• Rather much of the value is in roads, utility lines, clubhouses, lighting, fencing, electrical, pads. 
• All items that have "shorter" lives in the eyes of the law. 

2) A low basis. 

• Everything is better when you buy at a low basis. 
• You have flexibility through market downturns.
• You have lower breakeven occupancy.
• Debt is cheaper.

3) Cash flow. 

• Especially if you structure the site in the correct manor. 
• Think renting the pad sites. 
• Rather than the mobile homes themselves. 
• Cash flow is what creates freedom. 
• & many investors want that. 

P.S. What's your opinion on invest in MHPs? 
I'm much more curious after the conversation with this operator.

I spoke to an investor with $120,000,000 in AUM. 
He raised $2,400,000 in equity this month alone. 
Is the "slump" over?

I've heard a lot of chatter about a lack of capital.
I've heard a lot of chatter about down markets.
I've heard a lot of chatter about a recession.

Yet, plenty of people out there are doing deals.

3 trends I'm seeing in CRE right now:  

1. Cash flow is king for accredited investors.

• I'm seeing more deals get funded with 1 focus. 
• Not value-add. Not development.
• Cash flow.

2. Development is king for family offices.

• The conversations I have with capital allocators. 
• RIAs, family offices, etc. 
• A lot of them are focused on developments. 
• I feel like this is contrary to the news. 
• Are you seeing the same thing? 

3. First time investors want to operate. 

• I've heard this a lot from experienced operators. 
• But I'm starting to experience it for myself now. 
• People who haven't invested in CRE before? 
• They want to buy, buy, buy. 

Curious to hear what's going on in your market? 

What trends seem to be bucking the news?

or what trends seem to be sticking?

taplio

The Battle

Vicente Valencia

Cole Baker

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreVicente Valencia's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreCole Baker's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Vicente Valencia

Cole Baker

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Vicente Valencia's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreCole Baker's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreVicente Valencia's LinkedIn Performance