“Being grateful, staying humble, and creating financial freedom for other people – these are my three passions” .

A few years ago, I was interviewed about what made me tick. If you’ve ever had that experience, you might learn as much about yourself as the interviewer does! I certainly found the answers that came out of my own mouth illuminating as I realised what I really thought.

I thought you might also find the interview interesting to read as you might find a lot with me that you can resonate with:

Wendy, you run a successful mentoring programme. What made you decide to start helping others to invest in HMOs?
I think mentoring and coaching really does change people’s lives. I think there is something deep within me that loves to see people’s lives changed. I think that’s really important that they take that step of faith in thinking, “Wow, this is quite a big investment. I hope it’s going to work. I don’t know if it’s going to work. I’ve got Wendy’s guarantee, and I’m trusting her.” They put their trust and their faith in me. I decided to start my own mentoring business because three people came up to me after a networking event where I was a speaker and asked whether I would mentor them. I thought, yes, okay. I had no idea really what that meant. But quickly I realised I needed structure and a system and I was already developing my Five Step System into a book. So I started there. I’m not Richard Branson. I’m not Oprah Winfrey. What I have is hope. Perhaps I offer people hope. That to me is something spiritual. It’s deeply spiritual and deeply fulfilling. I think that’s what I love. When I see my clients get results there’s no better feeling in the whole world.

What frustrates you about people?
I think it does frustrate me that some people have a mentality of expectation and that somebody else should do something for them. As an entrepreneur, I’ve always found a way to make money or to make ends meet even when things were terrifically tight. When I was literally as poor as a church mouse, I had nothing, and times were so difficult for me.

When I had two young children. My husband was in a low paid job, and I was at home with the boys and life was grim. It was hard work. Never did I expect to get state handouts or help from other people. I always worked hard. I think that hard work has never left me. I think I’ve learned the power of self-motivation and application. I get really frustrated by people who expect to have handouts and expect to be given stuff for free when they’re done nothing to earn it.

What do you love about this business?

Actually, I love learning about learning. I love learning about education and how people learn. If there’s a new theory about people learning. I love things like NeuroGym and Brain Gym and all this stuff about how the brain works and how we learn. How we interact. Those aspects of mindset and brain stuff that’s what I geek out on. That’s what I find deeply stimulating and enjoyable because I find that once I’ve learned it I can apply it to my own life but also I can help other people. I can share that knowledge with other people. That knowledge about how we, as human beings, have evolved, we’ve grown, we’ve learned. I think anything to do with the human species, I find deeply, deeply fascinating. I also love learning about property and mixing with people who are brighter, better and more creative than me – that is one incredibly stimulating aspect of property. You are always learning.

What changed for you when you realised you wanted more freedom?
I had an epiphany moment when I realised I had to stop swapping my time for money. I knew my slow property journey wasn’t going to make me financially free so I had to start taking more risks and that’s when I got into HMOs. I started to raise money from investors to develop a portfolio and then I started a lettings agency. I do feel that we offer good value to our tenants. I do try and make sure that we have a good value set within the business. I’m energetic about it and I’m focused, and I love to see the team perform – I get very excited about leverage (both of time and money)! It’s funny – I do have more freedom now, but also more responsibility.

What are your top five values?
I’d have to say probably the top one is freedom and independence. This brings enormous amounts of energy. I mean the whole thing about energy, including money as it is a form of energy. Anything where there’s this energy transfer energy that’s give and received energy. Love, and care, compassion, open-heartedness, focus, and application. I could use the word hard work, but I really mean application. I think that’s great when people apply themselves and when I apply myself, I value that very highly. I also have high standards – high standards and expectations of yourself, self-motivation. I think I value that very highly as well. Self-motivation and taking responsibility. That’s probably about seven values isn’t it? (Laughs).

What is your passion?
I love being able to help people become financially free because I think that’s really the first step, but also emotionally free, spiritually free. Free from the chains that they believe bind them, but actually they don’t. Taking responsibility and taking action to change their lives. For me, it’s about enabling and empowering others to believe that they can do something for themselves. They do not have to rely on other people or be a victim. I think that mentality is so damaging and I think it is a lie and I think that’s my vision for the world as people realise that their lives are important and valuable and they can do something themselves to change their own lives. HMOs are one strategy to make this happen but they can be immensely powerful – which is why I wrote my book ‘Extraordinary Profits from Ordinary Properties’ – to show that with only a handful of houses you really can change your life forever.

For more information about Wendy’s mentoring programmes and her HMO Intensive Event on 16th September 2023 please go to www.hmosuccess.co.uk