The Alimond Show
Welcome to The Alimond Show --join us as we share our entrepreneurial guests' stories, uncover their secrets to success, and explore the unique paths they've taken to build thriving businesses in our community.
In each episode, our host, Aliyah Dastour, sits down with a diverse group of local business owners, from the corner cafe to the boutique shop, from tech startups to family-run enterprises. We peel back the curtain to reveal the trials, triumphs, and transformational moments that have shaped their entrepreneurial journey.
Discover the passion, perseverance, and innovative thinking that fuels these businesses, as well as the challenges they've overcome along the way. Whether you're a budding entrepreneur seeking inspiration or simply a curious listener interested in the stories behind your favorite local spots, The Alimond Show has something for everyone.
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The Alimond Show
Ritu Desai - From Construction Roots to Real Estate Success: Navigating Industry Shifts and Empowering Future Entrepreneurs
How do you turn gender biases and societal challenges into stepping stones for success? Join us as we sit down with Ritu Desai, a seasoned realtor and associate broker with Tamsen Properties, who turned her childhood exposure to her father's construction business in India into an illustrious career in real estate. Listen to Ritu’s empowering journey from overcoming societal hurdles to becoming a trusted advisor in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia markets. Her hands-on approach and deep understanding of construction have helped her build lifelong relationships with clients, offering personalized service and trustworthy advice that set her apart in the industry.
Ever wondered how a 22-year veteran navigates the ever-changing landscape of real estate? Tune in to hear Ritu Desai share her insights on industry shifts, from the 2005-2006 financial meltdown to the recent NAR lawsuit settlement, and the importance of adaptability. As Ritu reveals her personal life passions, including family, travel, and mentoring young women, she offers a heartfelt message to aspiring entrepreneurs: success comes from hard work, perseverance, and learning from setbacks. This episode is a goldmine of stories, advice, and inspiration for anyone looking to thrive in real estate or any entrepreneurial endeavor.
My name is Rita Desai. I am a realtor, associate broker with Tamsen Properties. I've been in real estate full-time for the last 22 plus years and I serve DC, maryland and Virginia all three DMV area and my specialty actually is pretty much everything residential and also I have a small team now that has gone into commercial. So if somebody's looking for commercial different warehouses to office space we can help.
Speaker 2:Love that, and can you give me a little bit of a background about yourself? Like where you grew up, was real estate always in the cards for you? What did you do to end up here today? Tell me all about that.
Speaker 1:Love that question. So for me, I grew up in India in a small city town I would say it's not a very major city but in a central India where I grew up. Real estate is in my blood because my dad owned multiple, multiple properties over the year and since I was 10 years old I was involved with my dad's construction business. So as a girl I can talk about plumbing, electrical, any sort of bones of the house. You can ask me and I can tell you I can fix things. So it comes with the natural talent of being in real estate.
Speaker 1:And then when I immigrated over here, either I had two choices. I have an MBA, either to go to New York or go to Wall Street that was my first love and first passion or stay here where most of my family is and me and my husband. We were recently married and we knew that we want to start a family, but we did not want to be in New York and go through the whole hustle bustle of New York life raising our kids. So we decided to stay, put over here and I explored real estate and fell in love. It was such a natural between new construction, seeing all the construction aspect of it understanding. Even with remodeling and renovation, my clients would ask me and I can pretty much design everything for them. So it was a great. I think it was opportunity just came naturally and I never looked back and raised two boys in real estate.
Speaker 2:That is awesome. I think that is so great the fact that you I think that actually makes you stand out to the fact that you had a father who was in the construction business and you were like hands on them. They're watching him like what's that, what's this, and you can like help your clients with that.
Speaker 1:I think that is very, very good and that came with negotiations to everything over down there. So it was pretty tough, pretty rough. So since I was 10, I've been in his business for all my life and even when I go back now I still. He's still active, semi-active, and I still get in and start digging up things that I should not be, but it's great.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I love that and represent for girls.
Speaker 1:right, that was my big thing back then. Talk to me about that, oh my God. So I've written very extensively about the challenges of growing up. In the times when I grew up, women were not given the same opportunities due to the respect of self-dignity. Well, one of the three sisters in the town where people looked down on my mom for not having a boy, I had a very, very rough upbringing, to a point where I had to constantly fight to earn a spot in everything. Academically. I was super driven to be an A-plus student, to balancing with my life, with helping my dad to prove that you don't need a boy. I can be your boy boy, I can be your boy.
Speaker 1:But the times I grew up in 80s especially 80s were very rough, where society just did not accept having a blessing to be daughters in the house and my parents faced a constant challenge from a lot of people, from family to people everywhere around us. So it was pretty rough. But you know what you can. You can fight it absolutely. You're living proof. Look at you, you're doing it successful.
Speaker 2:You know the ropes and it helped build your character to be a strong woman, so I think that's wonderful yeah, no, that's where it is.
Speaker 1:you gotta look forward and not back, and not be weighed down with the baggages that people throw around in life. That's what it is about, absolutely.
Speaker 2:Yeah, now tell me a little bit about how your experience are with your clients, like. What experiences do you hope that you can help them with, and what do you think that you bring to the table for them?
Speaker 1:So, as a sole realtor, I call my clients that I'm a boutique shop over here. It's all customized to their needs. I am there in their life from the day they call me to the even past, like I've been invited to clients' daughter's weddings, their baby showers, to being part of such an honor and privilege to be part of their life. Beyond selling real estate, I have clients forever. Their generations have bought their kids, have bought the home with me. Now I'm helping their grandkids. Some of them feel old but at the same time I'm not that old but it feels very honored to be able to be part of the people's life and the biggest thing is that they trust you.
Speaker 1:I've been on the emergency contact list for clients kids so I'm like, don't put me there because I may not answer the phone. I'm always busy but it is just a service. The communication is a big thing for me to be able to communicate timely and support them post-closing during the transactions. Any hiccups, every problem has a solution. I have a huge network of local realtors to resources that I have, so it's one-stop shop for them that they know they can count on Ritu and that's the biggest asset I give it to my clients that they can trust me. I'm going to talk them out of buying something if I don't think it's right. I think they get my honest opinion. As and because I get to know my clients at a personal level, it really helps to build that trust on each other that they can count on me to giving them honest opinion. Absolutely no, and that's very valuable.
Speaker 2:You always want someone to be honest with you and not just be looking out for their own best interests, and I think sometimes people can lack that, and so when people see the genuine advice that you give to them, it shows through and they just have that trust. They're like she's looking out not just for me but for herself too in our relationship.
Speaker 1:Exactly, it's a long term. I've learned this early on from my dad that business is not the one-time transaction, it's a building block of. Each brick is so important that if you want a strong foundation, you've got to build it with the trust that they know that, even if they're not standing next to me, they can trust me. I'm not going to do things. It's not one-time transaction. I'm going to come in your life. You're not a number of sales. I wanted a year. It's about just a relationship in order to build that long lasting relationship. So that's the biggest difference. I feel like I bring it to the table with so many great realtors around us.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, and you have a great personality, you're easy to talk to and you're fun and you smile like, okay girl, love it.
Speaker 1:You know life is too short, short, it's better to laugh it out. We make the most out of the time you have on this earth and just enjoy. It's a great journey.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely, I love your outlook, man, I need to like drink the coffee that you're drinking or something I don't know. Oh, love it. Um, and now talk to me about marketing. Um, I know you like social media. We have um business owners, entrepreneurs, who are listening. What kind of tips and advice could you give to them, and how did you dabble into the social media video world, and what resources did you use?
Speaker 1:So I feel like as an entrepreneur, business people, we do have to adapt and survive. It's like every time it's a new technology, new things out there. I used to write blogs when nobody even wrote the blogs, because I felt like knowledge is such a powerful tool that people need to know, even if they don't hire me as a realtor for me to communicate and let the world know, make a right decision, especially real estate. People have so much emotion and most expensive purchase of their lifetime, so I want them to make that right decision. So education has been a big part of it and I used media whatever it needed to be. Back in old days I used to write an article on Loudoun Eastmore if somebody remembers that old newspapers and also I've written blogs from as early as 2005 and 2006, when I started blogging on different platforms.
Speaker 1:And coming back to today's time, being relevant where the clients are, social media is the greatest asset. It doesn't cost money. Everybody owns a smartphone. Just start, don't overanalyze. It's better to be done than not be perfectionist At some times. It's just be yourself, honestly, be authentic, like sometimes I'll be, like I don't like the way I sound or I wish I had said something. I love the way she sounds, by the way, but it's just that.
Speaker 1:Do it. Don't just sit on the sideline. Don't be one of those people who are nervous. You may not build the overnight success in the social media. You may not have 10,000 followers. You're not Kim Kardashian or somebody. Just be who you are and the impact you will make. There are times where I'll run into people and they're like I know your voice. I'm like where do you know from? It's like oh, I knew I watched you something. They may not have done business with me, but that's okay. It's not about every time, about getting that next business to you. Don't bet that as a goal. Have your intention be what do you want to be out there and what do you want to convey to the people? If you were out there looking for being successful in the industry or if you were going to hire somebody from your trade, what information you'll be seeking out there? And just speak to your audience. Be authentic.
Speaker 2:Absolutely Amen.
Speaker 1:Amen sister.
Speaker 2:Now can you talk to me a little bit about what's going on in the real estate industry, like anything that we should be aware of? Like I don't keep up with it that much, so I don't know. Maybe I might learn something new. I only know what realtors like share with me. So if there's anything out there that buyers, sellers, real estate agents should know about, just yeah, Well, we have a lot of changes going on.
Speaker 1:Even as a 22-year veteran realtor in this industry, I feel like every year is new year. Every decade changes something. Back 2005 and 2006, when the financial meltdown happened, we had to learn how to handle short sales, foreclosures, and just I feel like it's being able to be understanding and keeping up with the times. Right now, the biggest change is the NAR lawsuit settlement that's been going around and it's a new way of doing business. It's just the new changes that we have to adapt what we have been mindset and tuned to what we were doing, the way the commission structures were done and honestly, I feel like this is what the rest of the world does.
Speaker 1:I grew up in India and that's what in our settlement. What the new policies and rules are in place, the way commission splits are that's what my cousin in Australia I helped her to buy a home down in Australia and she was telling me how they were doing and I'm like, oh, we do it this way, but I understood and that's how they do it. We are just adapting the new way of what the rest of the world and a lot of part of the world was doing. So it's all about not to be drained by the noises around you. You got to focus on what's important, how you can serve your client and stay ahead in the business, Because these noises can either bring you down or you can just shake it off and move on and learn new skills and be out there helping what you do the best, what you know the best.
Speaker 2:Absolutely Well said and what do you like to do when you're not dabbling in the real estate world and your job Like? What do you do to relax, Jeez?
Speaker 1:I don't have any time to relax. Oh my God. My family thinks that I am a very early riser. I work 15 plus hours I would say average. I work from every vacation. So if you are thinking about getting into real estate, understand that grass is greener on the other side. It's not AGGTV or selling sunset. We work really, really hard, being recording videos to social media, as to keeping up, staying in touch with the clients. So there are a lot of hats we wear, but family is a priority for me. I do take time off to make sure that I'm spending quality time with me. It's not about the quantity, it's about quality. I take up a vacation with my family and that's my biggest, my gift to myself on the time out. I just came back from Vietnam for three weeks I was almost three weeks. I was out.
Speaker 1:I've traveled extensively. I'm a very avid traveler. I have a travel bug. I have traveled a lot of part of the world and I want to continue doing it. Another big thing I passionately love is hiking. I love all the trails around here and love going, exploring different hiking, being an early riser, I can wake up early, go get my hiking done and be back before the first. I'm a full of energy, as you can see. Yeah, that's why I say what coffee is drinking. And I'm full of energy, as you can see, yeah, that's why I say what coffee is she drinking. I don't need that kind of a crazy sleep hours. I can function very well and just hiking and travel is my thing. I love reading. I love especially biography, and stuff is my big thing. I want to learn, be inspired by everybody around us. I think there are so many legends that we can look up to in different genres, different books, that I will pick it up and just read it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, awesome. I think you should write a book. I think yours would be interesting. What happens to humor? Knowledge sass grit.
Speaker 1:I have it in my books.
Speaker 2:Okay, tell me about that.
Speaker 1:I already started planning this is about. I would say about eight years ago I started making sort of a cheat sheet for my future book and I don't know what the name. One time when the Fifty Shades of Grey was popular, I said Fifty Shades of Real Estate. I was naming my book. But I don't think I'm going to name that book. But so many experiences with all these 20 plus decades of being in real estate and being able to share different experiences of meeting people from drug dealer to crazy stories, to being able to represent the client that made an impact in their life because she was in a shelter being abused by the women, by her husband, and then how I could get out of that woman's shelter for her and her son and be able to put her in the house. So a lot of heartwarming stories to madness of the others extreme that I was able to help people.
Speaker 2:The journey of a real estate agent, something like that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so I got to figure. Let me ask you a GPD on the title. Yeah, there you go, I gotta figure. Let me ask you a GPD on the title. Yeah, there you go. But definitely it's something in my cards in future whenever I'm ready to a little bit downsize my time and write it up. So absolutely no.
Speaker 2:I think that's great. I hope you do. I will buy that book because I'm going to support you. And I already like the story you told me about, like you know, when a movie is really good and it starts and it just gets like exciting. Already there I'm just like, yeah, this is a good movie. And sometimes you watch a movie and you're just like when is something supposed to happen?
Speaker 2:I feel like you're the good movie because right when you come in you're like you know what it was hard being a girl and you just like got to the point and I was just like, damn, I like this girl already.
Speaker 1:Oh, thank you. And her work ethics and that's my other big thing is trying to get be inspiration for the other future Realtors too. I mentor agents I'm passionate about. I have high schoolers that mentor you know they are mentees and they intern with me, and especially all these young girls. I go to high school for the career stuff and inspire these young women. They need to be entrepreneurs.
Speaker 1:You don't have to be stereotyping to nine to five. Women can handle work-life balance. My husband was a great chef. He cooks. I don't even know how to cook. Same, I'm not into cooking. That's not my thing. It's an art. Yes, exactly yes, it's an art. It's not my art. I'm good at what I do. I being a foodie, I love eating. I love eating the food, but not cooking. Yeah, me too, not cooking. So that's the balance and I think that's what I want to share with the world and especially the young women that don't be caught up in this rat race, because there's so much to life than just be caught up and being stereotyped, and especially the cultures that I come from being an immigrant to being a brown woman in this area, immigrant to being a brown woman in this area that when the times I was in real estate, I did went through a lot of um, hardships, hardships in regards to being um, what's the right word?
Speaker 1:um, oh my god different and also, um, being a brown person, being racially discriminated a big time. I had somebody call me brown poop one time when I was short. What? Yes, there was a seller sitting there and it's like sell this home, you brown, shitty people. Oh my God, oh, yes, that's what I'm telling you. That's awful. My roasted book is going to be including all this stuff.
Speaker 1:The journey I've gone through, it's just. We've changed a lot in this area. Gone through, it's just. We've changed a lot in this area. We're more tolerant than we were 20 years ago when I was young and trying to make a mark in this industry. But I'm blessed. I broke a lot of glass ceiling. I represented myself in being part of the Northern Virginia Board of Directors. I got a seat in there. I'm a believer in having a code of ethics and holding the standard. I chaired the professional standard and arbitration. I sit on Virginia also with the risk management committee. So I volunteer a lot of my time in the industry. That has given me so much, so much to be putting my chin up and being able to survive and thrive a business.
Speaker 2:I love that. Powerful women, we need you seriously. And I totally relate to like that where it's like women have to be a certain stereotype, like oh my gosh, you don't know how to cook, like how are you going to ever? I don't like to cook, I'm sorry, it's not my thing, and it's like okay, I'm 30 and I don't have kids, but that's okay, I don't want to, just because I was like 25 and I need to start having kids now. It's not for me, I don't know, and I love that you are letting other girls know that you don't have to fit into a mold. You can be yourself, you can be successful, you don't have to follow the same path that everybody's shifting, for women or girls to be bingo golf.
Speaker 2:You nailed it exactly.
Speaker 1:You nailed it very well because that's the message I always try to convey with everything I these kind of podcasts or somebody's interviewing me for the magazines or news or something I'm like be yourself, understand what you want in your life. For me, because of the background and the hardship I grew up in proving myself, financial independence was so important as a young girl. I made sure that even when I was meeting guys, when my parents were introducing me, I just asked them would you let me have my own career? And if they said no, I'm like next, because for me that was so important. I knew that that would be a biggest thing, that I wanted to give it to my own kids. Even if I had daughters or son, doesn't matter.
Speaker 1:I'm blessed with two boys. I want my boys to see that women can do everything and anything they put their heart and soul in. It's a lot of work. There's no joke to it. The balancing is very, very difficult being a woman, but at the same time it is doable. It is absolutely. Yes, you have to put yourself through a lot, but if you are passionate, you can do whatever you want to do, absolutely.
Speaker 2:Go for it. Yeah, great message. Where do you see yourself in the next five years as a person and with your business?
Speaker 1:So business I do. I was choking my husband because we're empty nesters. Now almost there, my youngest is off to college, so we're almost empty nesters. And I was telling my husband maybe I should start talking about my exit strategy. And obviously when I say that my clients are like, nope, you're not leaving, no, but I do have exit strategy that I started about five years ago. I want to talk, I want to pass the torch to the young generation. I think it's good, but I'm not going to exit completely. I'm going to be more like a consultant or be available as a mentor to people, start coaching more or be there for whatever comes next for these young. I don't feel like shutting the business and just vanishing and saying who's Ritu next? So I do want to be there for somebody who needs me. I'll start coaching. I'll start be more part of um and helping the next generation. Take um, take a bigger role in this.
Speaker 2:I love that now yeah, good hands the next generation. Yes, hey, if somebody wants to be my mentee, I'll be more than happy to take them love that, um, and is there anything maybe that I have not touched on that you would like to share with the audience while I have you here, like maybe any upcoming events that you'll be doing? Um, maybe something new, a new website?
Speaker 1:um, so for me, um, volunteering is a big thing. I volunteer at the, at this kitchen called anasuda kitchen. Uh, we're having a big event this saturday, um, at the dollar small. It's a big event this Saturday at the Dallas Mall. It's a free event, so if you are free, join us. It's an Indian Independence Day event.
Speaker 1:And apart from that, for me, the biggest message I want to convey to other entrepreneurs is be yourself, be authentic, support each other man. We are not out there for each other's business, but as a community and even with all the macro stuff, with the economy, everything going around, we're such a micro market. Every little movement makes a big difference. And understand and, as a first-time homebuyer or somebody who wants to buy or sell a home, speak to at least two or three realtors, see whom you connect with, work, with somebody who is going to put their interest before your interest. Just interview people and not make jump that irrational decision. And try to make and be a homeowner. Don't try to get caught up just because the interest rates are high or this. In 20 years you will look back and you'll be thankful that hey, I'm glad I bought something.
Speaker 2:Absolutely Well said.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And now for my last question. If you could leave our listeners with a message, what would that message be? It could be in regards to anything, or maybe if you want to share a mantra that you'd like to live your life by, just as an inspiration, you can take a moment.
Speaker 1:I know because there are a lot, a lot of pops up in your head yeah, um. So I've always believed in um doing what is true to you and to what, what you're passionate about, and even if there are so many obstacles that will come in front of you, honestly those are just what makes you stronger and I feel like do not give up just because some setback came and be there because people have. You know, there will be a reason why you're in somebody's life and it's I truly believe in. Just just don't stop yourself. Even if you fail, failures are great. Actually, failures are my biggest victory.
Speaker 1:I call it sometimes because if I didn't fail, I would not have learned, and sometimes you know those success are great. What you see on social media is wonderful. We need to portray that, but behind the scene, the hard work that goes into it, understand that it didn't come from anywhere, but with the passion and all the work and failures and the lessons we have learned over the years. So I feel like if you're a new entrepreneur or somebody who's just starting out, don't stop yourself. Do what you would like. You guys over here, you guys are thriving in what you guys have started over here for our community and I'm so grateful that you give us a platform as an entrepreneur to come here and share our passion and speak over here. So I really appreciate what you are doing. It and and this is what I mean is helping each other out as a community, and just just that's the only I would say passionately I would leave it behind.
Speaker 2:No, thank you so much and thanks for saying that. We thank you too for being on the show and sharing your story and giving us your spunk that we can share with the world. I just love it, so thank you so much.
Speaker 1:It was enjoy having lovely and I really appreciate it. Thank you so much, absolutely.