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Stephanie Shojaee is the President of The Shoma Group, an award-winning real estate development company that specializes in residential and commercial projects. She has over a decade of experience overseeing marketing, branding, sales, operations, and communications.
In this episode of Motivational Mondays, she shares how being the child of Colombian immigrants and putting in the work led to the person she’s become today.
Stephanie is the daughter of Colombian immigrants who started their life in the US with nothing. And while Stephanie was born in the US, she was raised Colombian and didn’t learn English until she was 10. She remembers teaching her parents English so they could take the US citizenship test.
Watching them struggle made her realize she always needed to be a step ahead. She points out that when you grow up knowing you have to be better than the person next to you, it teaches you to work hard. She firmly believes that her Hispanic heritage is her superpower.
When Stephanie was in school for marketing, her dad was dabbling in real estate but he was losing money because he was forced to list properties with a realtor. So, Stephanie decided to get her real estate license and sell the houses for him so he could keep the commissions. She passed the test and had her license within weeks.
Stephanie remembers negotiating a deal with a male broker on the other side of the table who treated her poorly, but she loved every minute. Being underestimated lit a fire under her and helped her realize her passion for real estate.
Stephanie believes that women need to be more prominent in every industry. Her existence as a strong Latina entrepreneur in her position creates possibilities for younger generations. When a young girl hears about someone like her accomplishing goals, it allows her to dream about her future.
That’s why Stephanie is passionate about teaching girls to be confident. She points out that it starts with the way you speak to yourself. She empowers women to be authentic, to walk into a meeting as themselves, to stop pretending to be someone else, and to put in the work for success.
Listen to the bonus episode to learn the importance of having a clear vision and Stephanie’s advice for women entering the real estate industry.
Resources:
Follow Stephanie on Instagram
Read The Other: How to Own Your Power at Work as a Woman of Color
Check out other Motivational Mondays episodes