Better Than Success Podcast

In episode 127 of the Better Than Success Podcast host Nicole Purvy interviews Stephanie Somers. STEPHANIE SOMERS, Co-CEO of The Somers Team at RE/MAX Access, has been bringing her fierce loyalty, unrelenting work ethic, and constant pursuit of creativity to Philadelphia Real Estate for over a decade. Stephanie has propelled The Somers Team into a new and innovative sphere of the real estate field. Not only does she work to brand her team, but she is distinguished for her achievements in branding her Real Estate clients.   Together with her husband and Co-CEO, Chris Somers, 20+ sales agents and a full in-house marketing team, the thriving agency dominates in Philadelphia’s hottest zip codes. Stephanie is a Realtor, team leader and marketing expert. She is executive producer for The Somers TV, a channel telling the stories of Philadelphia’s vibrant communities, and is the host of Flipping in Philly, a series profiling her innovative renovations on exclusive projects in Philadelphia. Stephanie is fully involved

In episode #126 of the Better Than Success Podcast host Nicole Purvy interviews Kerry Faix. Kerry Faix is a founder of Stone Bay Holdings LLC (SBH) and serves as the Chief Operating Officer of the Company since 2013. She has extensive experience in business operations, finance and building companies from the ground up. Kerry owns part of a $130 million-dollar real estate portfolio which she oversees the operations. Her most recent accomplishment was partnering in the purchase of a $27.5 million, 558-unit apartment in GA that sold a little over a year later for $41 Million. As COO, Kerry develops and implements efficient operational systems across the loan acquisition, loan management, investor relations functions and directs personnel. Highly versed in all aspects of real estate, Kerry is also responsible for analyzing all investment opportunities. She performs routine reviews of all joint venture partnerships to ensure that all partners continue to meet the high standards that they had when they began their

In episode 125 of the Better Than Success Podcast host Nicole Purvy shares the quickest way to achieve your business goals. The Quickest Way to Achieve Your Business Goal After realizing that all books aren't super technical and learning through experience that self-help books almost all of the time you never have 100% success because they leave out certain strategies, Nicole learned the quickest way to achieve your goals. Wanting the answers to complete the full story, Nicole started to manifest success in her life by living through these four scriptures. In this episode, she takes you through a line of reasoning and how to achieve your personal/business goals. “You have to learn how to not allow what has/hasn't happened in the past to affect what is going to happen in the future” - Nicole Purvy 1 scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:7 7 For we live by faith, not by sight. Nicole explains the fact of what you  physically with your eyes should not affect how you live. Understanding that people can play tricks on your e

In episode 124 of the Better Than Success Podcast host Nicole Purvy interviews financial consultant Curtis May. Curtis May, the principal of Practical Wealth Advisors LLC , He helps families and business owners learn to plan wisely for the future and to achieve financial independence. Much of Curtis’ time is devoted to hosting financial workshops where he lectures on financial literacy, cash flow management, managing home equity, and how to create a Private Family Capital Reserve System that lets families operate their personal economies like banks and financial companies operate theirs. He also teaches small business owners The 7 Steps to More Sales System – how to increase revenue from existing business assets with an effective marketing system. Curtis believes education has become an integral part of his work as a financial consultant. How I Became My Own Bank? After growing up in a self-employed family, Curtis explains why he grew up with a self-employed mindset. Curtis’s grandfather had his own business

In episode 123 of the Better Than Success Podcast host Nicole Purvy interviews Real Estate Developer Leslie Smallwood-Lewis.  This episode was recorded live during the 2nd Annual Women in Real Estate Summit on Nov 3, 2018. Leslie started her real estate career at the Goldenberg Group, a regional mid-sized real estate development firm located in Blue Bell, PA, as an Associate Development Director. During her 7-year tenure, she was promoted three times ultimately achieving the position of Senior Vice-President of Development. Leslie led the development of a $50 million, 342,000 square foot shopping center, the largest single development in West Philadelphia and the largest development in a Federal Empowerment zone located in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In 2008, Leslie and her partner Gregory Reaves, established Mosaic Development Partners. Since its founding, Mosaic has developed over $54 million in real estate projects and has created over 200 construction jobs and 100 full-time jobs. Leslie is a graduat

On episode 122 of the Better Than Success Podcast, hots Nicole Purvy talks the Top Accounting Tips that Could Save You Millions in Your Real Estate Business with Yvette Mitchell.  How can you save millions in your real estate business? After doing taxes since she was 16 years old, Yvette Mitchell shares her knowledge and tax advice that can save any business owner millions.  The first thing Yvette expresses before going into depth about the top tax tips to save you millions is knowing the difference between a tax accountant and a tax preparer. This is super important to know the difference in especially if you are a business owner of any sort. Yvette shares that a tax accountant is someone who has unlimited practice rights in front of the IRS and a tax preparer is someone who is trained to use the tax system but not necessarily someone who can represent you in front of the IRS. The importance of knowing the difference will help you understand the tips for saving you money running a business. During this episo

In episode #121 of the Better Than Success Podcast Host Nicole Purvy interviews, iRoofPA co-owner and real estate investor Steven Reyes.  After listening to episode #118 with Courtney Richardson, Steven felt compelled to write in a 3-page letter to our podcast arguing his case for effectively investing in real estate tax auctions.  We decided to bring him in and let our listeners hear what he had to say themselves.  Listen to see what we discussed. Below is a copy of Steven's letter. ______ 9/7/18 Hello BetterThanSuccess, Hope all is well. I was at the better then success meeting yesterday and was so blown away with the community and resources on display, I had to join today. I look forward to participating and learning from this dynamic community. I am an active investor, landlord, and owner of a local contracting company so as I’m sure you could imagine your community has quite a lot to offer, and I look forward to adding anything I can. Warning: This is long. Its only my two cents so feel free to take it

In episode 120 of the Better Than Success Podcast host Nicole Purvy talks How to Develop Your Strategic Plan for Your Real Estate Empire. How to develop you plan for your real estate empire? Starting off with what she has recently concluded and that is the challenge many people face after deciding to invest in real estate.  Nicole says “One of the biggest things stopping people from doing deals is not having a strategic plan for your real estate empire”. She goes on to explain that idea that people are afraid to define exactly what they want. As you start to develop your plan you need to understand that short goals are good in the process. You also need to understand that your short goals need to be the platform to something big… Nicole references her very own self-help book, The AntiHustle: Starting a Sex-Figure Business in One Year. Nicole explains everything she is referencing in this episode is more in depth in the book.  Moving on, as you begin the process of developing your plan you need to grasp the i

In the 119th episode of the Better Than Success podcast Nicole Purvy talks The Easiest Way to Do Your First Real Estate Flip without Wholesaling or Your Own Money.  We go into details about credit, rehab budgets, hard money loans, rehabs, the 65% rule and much more... What is the easiest way to do your real estate flip with none of your own money? After doing a recent successful real estate flip, Nicole shares some game on a strategy to use to flip a property in one of the easiest ways. She begins with sharing an experience of starting real estate one on one development with the members of the BTS Real Estate League. Being able to idenitfy the top 3 things that keep people from doing deals, Nicole shares what they are and how you can use the information to do your future real estate deals. Top 3 things that keep people from doing deals: #1- Mindset -Nicole explains the importance of being able to change your mindset. In order for real estate investing to work for you, you have to realize that you do not have

In episode 118 of the Better Than Success Podcast, host Nicole Purvy interviews Courtney N. Richardson. Courtney N. Richardson, Esq., LL.M, is the Founder of The Ivy Investor, a resource for women seeking to navigate the investing world in simple terms. When most people think of investing, they only think of the stock market. However, Courtney encourages diversification through investing in real estate. Courtney started in real estate as an Oil and Gas Title attorney in Appalachia (southwestern Pennsylvania, West Virginia) and Ohio during the Marcellus Shale boom. Her current practice area includes defending real estate property assessments and real estate tax enforcement with the City of Philadelphia. Before becoming an attorney, Courtney was an investment advisor for one of the top brokerage firms in the world. She is passionate about teaching how to create and retain wealth in the community through investing. Understanding Real Estate Tax Auctions After working in finance since she has been out of college,

In episode #117 of the Better Than Success Podcast, host Nicole Purvy interviews Claire Sulmers. Ms. Claire Siobhan Sulmers is the founder of FashionBombDaily.com, and the industry’s leading fashion blogger chronicling fashionistas of color. Her pioneering work ushered in a new wave of digital journalism that fed and fueled an under-served community of African-American and Latino style lovers wanting to know more about brand from the culture. Beyond developing and directing content for FashionBomb Daily and its affiliate sites, Sulmers has done extensive style writing for other platforms including Vogue Italia , Vogue Paris , and ESSENCE Magazine. Her body of work and online following - now numbered above one million - has made Ms. Sulmers the influencer of choice for major corporate brands who want to reach her audience including Toyota, Reebok, Verizon, and mother. Ms.Sulmers, who hails from Atlanta, Georgia, holds a degree in French and African American studies from Harvard University. In 11 years, Claire 

In episode 116 of the Better Than Success Podcast Nicole Purvy interviews real estate developer Rodney Ross.  Bio Rodney is an award­winning realtor working out of the Keller Williams Realty office in Center City, Philadelphia. Being a Philadelphia native and coming up on his 7th year anniversary in the real estate business has aided Rodney in developing a deep knowledge of both the real estate sales and development process. Rodney is not only a top agent, but an active investor as well. ​His first investment purchase was in 2009 with a single family residential home in Southwest Philadelphia. Since then, Rodney has bought and sold over 50 single family and multi­family properties throughout the city. Outside of his business, Rodney enjoys staying fit through cycling, weightlifting, and jumping rope. He believes in giving back to others and supports several nonprofits including the American Cancer Society, the KW Cares Fund, and Drexel University financially and through participation and organization of event

In episode 115 of the Better Than Success Podcast host Nicole Purvy talks her top 7 Real Estate Rehab Mistakes. Nicole Purvy talks about her most recent real estate "flip" investment. She explains some things she learned during this journey that could be helpful to anyone who is interested in/or currently doing real estate flips. Top 7 Mistakes on Nicole's Real Estate Rehab Project Knowing the process of buying a REO property When buying a REO (Real Estate Owned) property/bank owned property, you have to be prepared to not close for a while. The process may take up to 6 months just for the bank to process the deed properly.  In Philadelphia, it can take 4-6 weeks to get gas services turned on In this episode, Nicole shares her experience of not being able to get the gas turned on right away slowing up the process of closing on the projected closing date. Understanding the importance of getting a mortgage commitment date When rehabbing a property it is important to push a mortgage commitment date simpl

In this of the Better Than Success Podcast host Nicole Purvy talks with real estate developer Raffaellina Merlino.  With over six years of residential development, property design, and land acquisition experience, Raffaellina's journey into real estate began alongside her business partner and husband as co- founders of the Cityscape Development Group.  Raffaellina came into the industry after leaving the corporate world as a client development manager for high luxury fashion brands such as Dior. Her recent venture into mix-use commercial building has sparked a new passion for community development and small business initiative. As a North Jersey native she believes that she has the “newcomer “ advantage, where she sees so many positive opportunities and attributes that Philadelphia has to offer.  Raffaellina is a leader of a top real estate sales team serving as a liaison between the millennial home buyer and dream home builder in both NJ and PA. When she’s not building or selling homes in Philadelphia, you c

In this episode of the Better Than Success Podcast host Nicole Purvy shares how she chose her personal board of directors that influenced her biggest business decisions of her life.    How to chose your own personal board of directors? Having a personal board of directors can be a huge part in your individual growth as well as business growth. A personal board of directors are a group of people who have a influence on how you do business.  These are the people that help guide you when making decesions. In this episode of the BTS podcast Nicole explains her very own personal journey within her own business (Better Than Success and the Better Than Success Real Estate League) and the transition it is currently taking. Nicole exaplains “Sometimes you have to stop doing things you dont like to do in order to get to where you want to be”. As real estate has taken off, she had to shift her business with the help of her board of directors. Using a personal board of directors to guide and help make important decsions

In episode 112 of the Better Than Success Podcast host Nicole Purvy talks with master artist, Ivben Taqiy. During this episode, Nicole and Ivben discuss how he went from being a server at a resturant to making a 6-Figure plus income being a full-time artist. Bio  Philadelphia born and raised artist IvbenTaqiy has been creating art for over 20 years. He started being an entrepreneur at an early age of 7 when he illustrated his first book, and hasn't stopped following his dreams to be a master artist.  IvbenTaqiy attended the High School for the Creative and performing arts and graduated top if his artistic class 2003. By then IvbenTaqiy started being commissioned to do portraits and  murals throughout the city, including family and friends. After High School he attended the prestigious Art College Maryland Institute College of Art for one year. He then proceeded to fulfill a full time career as a Freelance Artist.  Over the past 8 years IvbenTaqiy has accomplished working with and making art for people such as

Recorded live in front of a studio audience, episode #111 of the Better Than Success Podcast, host Nicole Purvy interviews Ash Cash Exantus. Ash Exantus aka Ash Cash is a 15-year banking executive, personal finance expert, motivational speaker, and the author of six books, including three Amazon bestsellers. He is head of financial education and financial empowerment coach at BankMobile; the largest and fastest growing digital bank in the country and a digital app that provides a financially empowering banking experience to 2million+ customers. He is also a Financial teacher as well as a Leadership Council member of the World of Money Financial Institute, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to empower youth with an immersive financial and technology education, creating financially responsible adults one child at a time. Ash has established himself as a thought leader and trusted voice with Corporate America, Colleges, Churches, and Community based organizations. Through his message of fiscal

In this episode of the Better Than Success Podcast Host Nicole Purvy interviews @Wallo267. Bio With his first criminal conviction at the age of 11, Wallo267 went on to spend five years in and out of the juvenile system. By the time he reached 17 the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections identified him as inmate #DG-2670. While serving his time he realized he was in prison for being someone he really wasn't. From that moment on he started embracing his individualism. As Wallo267 would say “he wasn’t in jail he was Yale, he wasn’t in prison he was in Princeton, he wasn’t in the State Penn he was in Penn State”. He ran into a cell phone as his sentence was coming to an end, that cell phone helped him see that the world was bigger than the streets that once dictated his every move. At the age of 37, he walked out of prison February 18th, 2017 after serving twenty years for multiple armed robberies and firearm violations. Fast forward to now, Wallo267 started his journey with no resources or capital. He has found

In this episode of the Better Than Success Podcast, Raffaellina Merlino of My New Philly Interviews the planning committee for Philly Real Estate Week: Nicole Purvy, Traci Powell, Mike Earley, Marc Brown, Art Lyons, and Jabbar Fairweather.  In the interview we talk about Why Philly needs PREW, what resources are currently available for investors to make sound investment decisions, urban planning, empowerment zones, investing advice and much more... Philly Real Estate Week is a citywide, week-long celebration honoring real estate planning, development, investing and wealth building all throughout the City of Philadelphia. Hosted by Better Than Success, this summit of events will take place during the first week of June. The week will be filled with dozens of educational, entertaining, celebratory and networking events, seminars, panel discussions, bootcamps, real estate tours, parties, and more. With the support of the Philadelphia councilwoman, Blondell Reynolds Brown, the 1st annual Philly Real Estate Week w

Delilah Dee is the founder of Delilah & Company, LLC- a digital content & events agency that pushes positive messages from influencers to the public. The Philadelphia born and raised, proud Latina serves as an embodiment of vitality in the lives of those she serves. Through this agency, Delilah and her team produce inspirational and digital content that conveys the concept of resilience. Majorly, the sole purpose of the agency’s aim is to help the public realize their purpose and maximize their potential. Delilah is able to do this by utilizing her networks within various industries to create a series of content or events to help mentally build a better community. Everything the agency produces is done with the sole purpose to give people a better understanding of the power they have when they take control of their mindset.  Aside from Delilah & Company, Delilah also launched Hermanas in Hustle. A project she uses she empower women to come together and shine together in true sisterhood fashion.