We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Linda Terrelonge . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Linda below.

Linda, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

My entire life, I always wanted to be a communicator and create beautiful as well as meaningful things for people.

When I was a child I was in dance and theatre. I also grew up watching the news with my grandparents so I was always imitating the reporters.

It was no surprise I studied broadcast journalism and went on to become a television reporter at Univision 23 Miami.

I graduated college in 2019 and to my pleasant surprise, landed a tv job in such a large market, right out of college.

Shortly afterwards, the Covid 19 pandemic hit, along with many company layoffs. I being one of them.

No one really had a full grasp of how much Covid would change things. We all thought it would be something that would affect our lives for a couple weeks, then a couple months- and now it’s been a couple years and it’s still confusing.

I found myself extremely depressed because all I had been working and striving towards was being a reporter. I finally touched that dream, and I felt like it was ripped right out of my hands.

A lot of things happened to me during Covid, like it did to most. But I experienced a loss that lit a fire in me.

I decided I could no longer wallow in self pity. Survival of the fittest shows, that only the organisms that evolve with the new conditions are the ones that survive.

One of the things I wanted, was financial security and more control of where my life was headed. I had previously heard from a family friend who had originally built an in law corridor, was now Airbnb’ing it and was receiving good financial gains.

Something in me told me to jump. I was 23, living with my dad and had no money or job.

I told my mom how I wanted to start doing Airbnb and she told me I could rent the a section of one of her properties that was detached from the main house. So you have a mental picture, it was a bedroom with a bathroom in it. But no kitchen or anything. I immediately rushed to Ikea, bought some furniture and basic decor and listed that baby up.

I learned so much from renting that room. I did everything myself, including the cleanings. And when I saw how good it was going, I decided to invest in a short term rental course.

I opened up an LLC and business bank account and started seeking other properties to expand my business in rental arbitrage/ short term rentals.

The venture took me to Scottsdale, Arizona- which I had never even heard off. But I took the risk and it was the best decision I made.

Four years later, I’ve taken on several rental arbitrage leases, manage short term rentals for home owners that don’t want any responsibility, coach clients who want to get into the business, and my biggest accomplishment yet- am currently under contract in my first ever home that I’ll actually own in my business, which will also be a short term rental.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Like I mentioned earlier, I’ve always wanted to be a communicator and create beautiful/ meaningful things for people.

When I made the switch from television reporting to short term rental hosting, I still brought those dreams and talents with me.

Designing spaces is a way to story tell, so I take it seriously whenever I acquire a new property for my portfolio.

There’s a little piece of me in all my properties.

When I coach new clients, I also see so much of myself in them. Whether they’re looking to get into short term rentals as a side hustle or as a full time business- I was one day in their shoes, wanting to make more money, uncertain of the process but hungry for a better quality of life.

Investing in my short term rental education as well as a credit course that taught me how to use business funding with no interests were real game changers for me. So I make sure to provide that value to my clients and pay it forward.

Also, I created a business tiktok and I share on there all the crazy stories of things I’ve encountered with my clients, contracts, building management, etc- and it’s pretty wild because some of these stories/ experiences are things you’ll never be prepared for until you go through them- but I share my experiences to help any others that are either going through the same thing or will go through the same thing.

Entrepreneurship is a journey. The climb upwards is never steady. You’ll have your lows and losses, but that doesn’t define the success of your business nor should you let it discourage you. With perserverence, everything has a solution and success is inevitable.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

The first rental arbitrage contract I landed was in Arizona. The contract had a clause stating the landlord could terminate my contract at any given point with a 60 day notice. Unfortunately neighbors started complaining about the rotation of guests in the apartment, even though there was never any issue or violation with any of my guests. But in an attempt to make peace with the neighbors, my landlord terminated my lease.

Thankfully, since business was going well- I had been searching for new apartments in the area. I had actually just signed a lease for another apartment in a community nearby. So when my lease was terminated, I called the new community I had signed with and asked for another unit.

I felt like it was divine intervention/ protection to have found that community before my lease was terminated, because I not only expanded my portfolio, but never suffered a loss of income.

I was actually thankful for this experience because it taught me to always have a plan b and c, and to always be looking for solutions.

When a deal falls through, or you don’t get the job you applied for, it’s easy to say “well now what?” But- indeed, NOW WHAT? Look for solutions always rather than dwell on the issue at hand (that won’t get you anywhere). I’ve learned that every bump in the road is redirection and there’s a valuable lesson in every obstacle you face.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I had the privilege to be born in the United States, but I come from immigrant parents.

Every child of immigrants will tell you that their parents engraved in their head not just to go to school and get a career, but to save save and save money.

I don’t disagree with either lesson. My college degree taught me many valuable things, gave me world perspective and has been the base of all doors that have opened up for me.

And of course, you should always have some money saved in the bank.

But I feel that our immigrant parents took all the risks so that we wouldn’t have to. And the truth is, you have to take risks.

Don’t save your money- borrow money and invest it in things that will cash flow.

If you save your money before investing it, chances are you’ll spend years saving before you can do anything with it. And truth is that money sitting in the bank does not make you any money.

I thought I had to have a certain amount of money to open up a business, to buy a home, etc. None of it is true.

You need to educate yourself on finances and your options.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @lindaterrelongetv
• Other: TikTok: @dreamengineinvestments
  Instagram: @dreamengineinvestments