Episode #4 – Andrea Warkentin – Leaving Law Enforcement for Entrepreneurship

In this episode of The Everyday Millionaire I’m joined by my friend and REIN Member Andrea Warkentin to discuss her journey through policing, motherhood, real estate investing and entrepreneurship.

As a police officer Andrea dealt with everything from undercover work to drug crime to working in the riot squad, and during this time she realized two important things: she could not envision herself in law enforcement for the next 30 years and she could not count on a pension managed by the provincial government.

And so she took the lessons in unyielding perseverance from policing and channeled that attitude into building a financial foundation for her family’s future. Andrea studied everything she could, from Rich Dad Poor Dad to Real Estate Investing in Canada, to books about how the stock market works and then jumped into real estate investing with both feet.

Today, more than 10 years later, Andrea has and continues to thoughtfully build a financially certain future for her family. From being a woman in a male-dominated career to starting her real estate investing business to raising two children, Andrea has learned how to thrive in the face of adversity. She makes a conscious effort every day to contribute to the success of others and I am honored to have her on the show.

 

Selected Links and People Mentioned from this episode

Show Notes

  • [1:00] PF introduces Andrea
  • [4:50] Andrea describes what she does
  • [5:30] Andrea tells her story
  • [6:10] How Andrea ended up on the police force
  • [8:10] Andrea’s time with the force in Downtown Eastside Vancouver
  • [11:45] The shift from policing to real estate investing
  • [14:00] Don R. Campbell’s Real Estate Investing in Canada and the impact it had on her decision to invest in Canadian real estate
  • [14:30] Moving to Red Deer: jumping in with both feet
  • [15:45] Andrea’s first property
  • [17:00] Andrea describes the decision-making process to make the move to Red Deer
  • [20:00] Andrea on the entrepreneurial spirit and how her desire to succeed stems from her early life
  • [23:00] Your life is on the line every day and you cannot give up. Applying that policing lesson to her life
  • [24:00] What Andrea learned from her early police force trainers
  • [27:05] On coaching, being coachable and knowing vs. doing: take action!
  • [28:55] What confidence is to Andrea and the power of effective listening
  • [32:40] Mindset training: the highs and lows and how Andrea handles mistakes
  • [37:35] Andrea chats about her support network and on being or not being a “single-mom”
  • [41:30] Andrea’s advice for women entering the real estate investing game – it’s all about the numbers
  • [45:25] The power of systems: what role parents and the force had in managing emotions
  • [46:50] Andrea defines success
  • [49:20] What Andrea loves about real estate and what she doesn’t like so much
  • [52:00] Andrea’s “end-game” and what retirement means to her
  • [54:50] Why Andrea wants to make as much money as she can. Hint: it’s not to sit on the beach
  • [56:28] Andrea on failure in general and her biggest real estate failure
  • [60:00] Advice for someone who is looking to make a shift from where they are to a brighter, more successful life
  • [63:00] Laziness and its impact: Being 100% responsible for anything and everything in your life.
  • [65:50] Favorite curse
  • [66:10] Does Andrea ever get angry?
  • [67:09] If not real estate, what would Andrea love to do? And the rapid fire questions:
    • What is she not very good at?
    • Room, desk, or car?
    • Favorite tune?
    • Favourite movie?
    • What would she like to hear at the gates?
    • How weird is she?
  • [69:10] How Andrea wants to leave her children
  • [71:58] Andrea on work ethic and how young people learning life skills is an important part of becoming a contribution to society
  • [73:25] Obvious insights that aren’t so obvious
  • [78:10] The importance of the people around you
  • [79:00] Mentors, mentorship and masterminding
  • [80:00] Accountability partners and the impact they can have on your success
  • [83:40] Andrea on effectively using the mastermind model
  • [87:00] What Andrea is grateful for

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