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

Ricardo, appreciate you joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

Oh taking risks… I feel like that is what my life has been about the last decade. I usually don’t talk about it, but I come from a tumultuous family. Growing up in Honduras, I experienced a lot of business & family decisions, good & bad, so I got to see their outcome at a very young age. My grand father was the back bone of my family & has always been my roll model, I can tell I have a very similar personality than him. He was such an entrepreneur & I like to think I am the same way.
I think from the moment I have decided to move to the U.S. I already knew how much I was going to be betting on my own future. Probably the biggest risk I have taken in my life, that has been followed by many different big changes that I have enjoyed so much.
I have always been known for being an adventurous risk-taker, since I was young. Starting my life in the U.S. I decided to take a few serving jobs without speaking English, that later helped me to practice & learn conversational English that was at least related to my job. Choosing my career in real estate was no different; many friends & family told me to quit real estate as it didn’t make me enough money at the beginning & they didn’t believe in the results that I had later to show them, but I surely knew what I was capable of.
Real Estate is an industry that allow agents to connect with the people that like you & trust you with the biggest investment of their lives; and the brand I have built has helped me to be respected & accepted in a community where many realtors don’t even make it their first year in the business. I have never been afraid to be myself & sometimes I realize that it could be scary to some people, because it is natural to be afraid of what you don’t know. But I have always said that what makes you different makes you stronger… or not, it is entirely your decision. In my case, being a gay-hispanic realtor was scary at the beginning (to me), until I realize it is the one thing that sets me apart from the rest & helps me connect with the right customer that wants to work with me & wouldn’t feel comfortable to work with anyone else but me. It is truly an honor to be so different & yet make my clients feel so comfortable around me. If they’re smart, they will know that my personal life has little to nothing to do with my professional life; and let me tell you, in my professional life I wear many different hats.
I get it, as a leader or even as a realtor I might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but at the end of the day, I only want to work with the people that genuinely want to work with me, and it feels so good to know it & be able to say that, specially being in such a conservative city & state.

Ricardo, 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?

Well, I am just one more of many immigrant from Honduras trying to make a difference in a big country full of opportunities. I mainly dedicate my time to my real estate business, where I service buyers, sellers & investors with their real estate needs. I also am the General Manager of an easy-fine dining Latin Cuisine Restaurant in Downtown Chattanooga called Mayan Kitchen, in charge of the day to day operations of the restaurant. I am marketing freelancer, so I take care of the marketing of a few companies in town… If that wasn’t enough I also host shows with up and coming international celebrities, from EDM parties with well known celebrity DJs, to comedy shows with TV comedians, to drag shows & charity events with RuPaul Drag Race celebrities. It sounds like a lot, but is not as bad as it seems. I usually have a schedule for each business/event so they don’t interfere with each other. It is only impossible if you believe that it’s impossible, but. I like to keep busy.

In real estate, I started in a leasing office where I got promoted, but not promoted enough to the position I aimed for (thankfully), which prompted me to look for a bigger opportunity, and after reading “Secrets of a Millionaire Mind” inspired me to do my research in real estate & I jumped into it with no money or hesitation. It has been one of the wildest rides of my life, but a truly rewarding one. I have met so many professional of very different backgrounds that I admire & that have taught me so much.

The restaurant “gig” was a way to qualify for my first home in 2019, that gig later turned into a full time job for a while after COVID19 shook my world & the real estate industry felt so uncertain. It has been nearly impossible to leave after connecting with so many different people that have been working with me & that have become like my family.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I strongly believe in doing things with honesty, care & with the genuine good intention of helping & protecting your client. If you are worried about the commission more than you are about the experience you’re catering to your client, you will not have the opportunity to notice if they’re having a good experience or not. Being a good professional is the thing of value that you provide to the client & the reason you’re being paid so well.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

When I made the decision of becoming a realtor I didn’t have a lot of money & after I finished my real estate classes I knew I was going to need a few thousand dollars to be in business, so I took a loan against my car that was already paid for. I believed in my capability of making that money back and more, & I am glad I took that risk.      

Contact Info:

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/rickyleveron
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/rickyleveron