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

Alright, Pam thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

I took an unconventional jump into real estate. I graduated school with a Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, and worked as an aeronautical engineer at Lockheed Martin, Boeing and United Technologies for over 10 years. As an engineer, I was making good money and steadily climbing the corporate ladder. However, despite the comfortable compensation and technically challenging work, in the back of my mind I desired to have more control over my future, both from a financial point of view and also from an influence perspective. I had seen peers spend 30+ years saving a nest egg for retirement, and hold off on retirement plans with the trepidation that they didn’t quite have enough to leave. In my mind, there had to be a better way. So I started researching ways to generate passive income. Eventually I came across “Commercial Real Estate Investing for Dummies” and the topic of investing in apartment complexes resonated with me. When I found out that one of the authors of this book (also a former engineer) offered mentoring/coaching services, I was thrilled and jumped on the opportunity to learn from an expert. The rest you can say is history! I closed on my first deal in 2011, retired from engineering in 2013, and started The C.R.E.A.T.E. Wealth Network in 2020. C.R.E.A.T.E. stands for Commercial Real Estate Association for Training and Education. Since closing my first deal in 2011, I have been involved with acquiring, disposing of and forming syndications – helping many men and women across the USA generate passive income. My passion is in helping others become “job optional®.”

Pam , 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?

Beyond my entrepreneurial passions, mentoring the next generation of leaders is extremely important to me. It’s exciting to see others have their “ah-ha” moment when I share tips and best practices with them that I’ve gathered from syndicating over 100 properties for investors in California, Arizona, Oregon, and Washington. I currently serve as a CREW Network Global Board Director, Forbes Council Member, CREW Orange County’s Mentorship Co-Chair, and Cal State Fullerton’s Center for Real Estate Director. The next step for me in bringing my “job optional®” knowledge to others became clear to me a little over a year ago. I decided then, after leading countless workshops and speaking engagements, that it was time to write my first book! While at first, the idea of writing a book seemed daunting, when I got started, it literally just flowed organically. This reinforced the fact that I was on the right path! I am now preparing to launch “Create Wealth: How You Can Ditch the 9-5 with Multi-Family Investing,” and am both nervous and excited. This book includes my top tips for developing a solid foundation to begin investing in commercial real estate and addresses all of the questions I had when I first got started. I wish this book existed when I was starting my real estate investing journey!

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I think in life, many times by the time we reach adulthood, we think we “have it all figured out,” or at least we should. We try to hold ourselves to unrealistic ideas of perfection and we become married to the idea that things “have” to be a certain way. I am very type A, being an engineer by trade, so the idea of things not “fitting in a box” all the time was foreign to me. I had to learn how to embrace the beauty of imperfection and realize that there are no absolutes. One thing that taught me these important life lessons was the experience of motherhood. I have two beautiful boys who are full of life, energy, and their own ideas on how things should be done. As any mother would share, your kids become your teachers and for me, I am still learning! But in life, if we are learning, we are living, and that makes it all worth it. Once example I love to give is of bamboo. It is strong and sturdy, but when the wind blows, it knows how to sway with effortless flexibility…and that is part of what gives it longevity…its ability to be flexible.

Have you ever had to pivot?

My major pivot was when I decided to go from my “safe” career as an engineer to my career as a multi-family investor. Safe is a funny word in many ways as often times it comes with a false sense of security. A corporate job can seem safe but it comes with a lot of sacrifice. In our world we live in today, many of us crave the ability to decide how and where we want to spend our time as it is our most valuable currency. For me, I wanted to spend my time, my own way, to live life on my own terms. I wanted to travel while I was still healthy and able to experience life, not when I was in my golden years with age-given physical limitations. It was also an identity shift for me – I went from working for someone and their brand to building my own brand and working for myself. It was a whole new playing field that was full of opportunities. Today, I am so glad I did not let the fear of the unknown hold me back. I am proud to say that I have built my career to my specifications, and I challenge you to do the same – the time is now.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.letsgocreatewealth.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pamscamardo/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/letsgocreatewealth
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pam-scamardo
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRJfUgHCmmo7UHecULvxL8w

Image Credits
Frank Salas