We recently connected with Katherine Langevin and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Katherine, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

The idea for my business came from my own story. I didn’t grow up around money or know anything about investing. I was raised in Colombia, and when I moved to the U.S. at sixteen, I had to figure everything out from scratch. No one in my family had ever owned a home, and I definitely didn’t see myself as someone who could ever be an investor.

Before I even became an accountant or graduated college, I worked for a real estate investment firm. It was my first real exposure to the industry, but the people I worked for came from wealth. I remember thinking that investing in real estate was something only people like them could do. I didn’t see myself represented in that world, so it didn’t feel possible for me yet.

Later, after becoming a CPA, I realized I was still stuck financially. I was making good money but living paycheck to paycheck. I knew something had to change. The more I learned about real estate and personal finance, the more I realized that what separated me from those investors wasn’t money, it was knowledge. Once that clicked, everything shifted.

I started buying properties, learning from experience, and building systems that worked. Over time, people began asking how I did it. That’s when I realized there was a huge gap. So many people wanted to invest but didn’t understand how to manage the numbers or structure their business properly. That’s where my background came in. I could teach both sides — the financial foundation and the real-world strategy — in a way that actually made sense.

What excites me most is helping people see what’s possible for them. I know what it feels like to start from zero, to feel like you don’t belong in those rooms. And now I get to help others step into that confidence and create freedom for their families too.

Katherine, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Today, my work centers on helping investors treat real estate like the business it truly is. I teach people how to build systems, understand their numbers, and create long-term freedom through intentional investing.

Over the years, I’ve built a portfolio that includes Section 8 housing, long-term rentals, fixers, and new development projects. Each season has taught me something different. From managing affordable housing and navigating city inspections to breaking ground on new construction. Those experiences shaped the way I teach today: I focus on helping investors build strong financial foundations, create organized systems, and make confident decisions rooted in good financial literacy.

Through my brand Beyond Just Numbers, I blend my accounting background with real-world investing experience. I help people understand cash flow, operations, and the structure behind a scalable portfolio. The parts that often get overlooked but make all the difference in the long run. What sets me apart is that I’ve been hands-on at every level. I know what it’s like to handle tenants, manage contractors, and balance business growth while raising a family.

Now my family and I are living in Colombia for a year-long sabbatical, and it’s been such a full-circle experience. Stepping away from the day-to-day grind has given me space to reflect, grow, and live out what I teach: that financial freedom is about having options and intentionally designing the life you want. For me, this chapter is about connection, clarity, and showing others what’s truly possible when you build your foundation right.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

One of the biggest pivots in my life came when I decided to leave my corporate career as a CPA to go all in on real estate and entrepreneurship. I had worked so hard to build that career, years of studying, long hours, and climbing the ladder, but deep down I knew it wasn’t the life I wanted. I felt stuck in a cycle of working, paying bills, and never really moving forward.

Real estate started as a side project, but it quickly turned into something bigger. I saw the freedom it could create, not just financially but in how I lived my life. That realization was both exciting and terrifying. Walking away from a stable career wasn’t easy, especially when most people around me thought I was crazy for giving up security. But I trusted that the skills I had, the systems, the financial knowledge, and the discipline, could be applied to build something of my own.

That decision completely changed my path. I went from helping companies manage their books to helping everyday people build wealth and confidence through real estate. It opened doors to things I never imagined, including the opportunity to live abroad with my family. Now we are in Colombia for a sabbatical year, and that has been another kind of pivot, slowing down after years of constant growth, reconnecting as a family, and redefining what success really looks like.

Each pivot has required faith and a willingness to start fresh, but every time it has led me closer to the life I actually want, one built on purpose, freedom, and alignment.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

When I started in real estate, I didn’t have investors or a large amount of capital saved. I had very little savings and used a combination of mortgages, personal loans, and credit cards to fund my first deal. I also tightened up my personal finances so that every dollar had a purpose. It wasn’t the traditional way to start, but it taught me early on how to be resourceful and strategic with money.

At the time, I was working full time as an accountant and learning everything I could about leverage and financing. That first property opened my eyes to what was possible when you understand how to make your money work for you. From there, I continued to use creative financing tools like home equity and business lines of credit to grow, eventually using profits from one property to fund the next. That’s how I built momentum.

When I launched my education brand, Beyond Just Numbers, I took the same approach. I bootstrapped it completely, using what I already had, my laptop, my experience, and my story. I focused on creating value and sharing what I had learned about financial literacy, systems, and real estate. The business grew organically through authenticity, community, and consistency.

Looking back, I’m proud that I started that way. It forced me to get clear on my numbers, build strong systems, and stay disciplined. I tell my clients all the time that you don’t need a lot of money to begin, but you do need a plan, creativity, and the willingness to take the first step.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://beyondjustnumbers.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kat.invests/?hl=en
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@beyondjustnumbers