Janel Muhammad is a licensed realtor in the state of Pennsylvania. While traveling, she fell in love with the idea of searching for and purchasing real estate in vacation destinations. She turned her love into a business when she founded Destination Own an international real estate and travel company. She now spends her time helping people realize their dreams of international living, collaborates with real estate professionals from around the world in real estate endeavors, as well as contracts with major cruise lines to host real estate excursions. 

Can you tell our readers about your background?

Funny thing, my background actually has nothing to do with my current business. I grew up as a very quiet little girl with artistic tendencies, very creative. I always wanted to go to fashion school and become a famous clothing designer. I actually did end up going to Parsons school of Design, but like many little quiet girls I was not groomed to follow my dreams so instead I ended up getting married young and had children.

So as an adult I found myself divorced with two children and basically in survival mode. Then one day after several failed attempts with little businesses, things that were like cutting edge at the time, no one was really into at the time, like affiliate marketing, drop shipping, bitcoin (that one hurts) you name it I did it. It wasn't until I had remarried and found some stability that I was able to really sit back and think about what I wanted to do with my life. Real Estate had been something that I had tried in the past and I decided to give it another go, but this time I was gonna do it on my own terms and in my own way.

What inspired you to start your business?

I had always been an entrepreneur at heart starting a few businesses here and there but what inspired me to stick with it the most, was actually my husband. Seeing him start his business made it real for me. Like, this actually happens, you can actually do this as a regular person.

 

At this time, I was working in the film industry and making great money so on one of our vacations we took a cruise to Bermuda and I noticed so many for sale signs. We explore the island on our own, and real estate being my first love I wanted to look at every property I could. That's where the idea and concept of Destination Own was born. My first thought was I want to sell real estate internationally, and I was gonna figure out how that could happen. My second thought was, I truly believe that other cruise passengers would have the same feelings that I did that day, and that I was going to create an excursion for real estate so that people could view real estate while on vacation.

Where is your business based?

My business is actually an international business. I am licensed in Pennsylvania and soon to be New York, but my business is completely remote. I work with other real estate professionals around the world which keeps me going pretty far and sometimes pretty fast. When working with individual clients, my business stretches wherever they are looking to invest.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

The first thing that I needed to do when I decided to start my business was to get my real estate license, so I started in the state of Pennsylvania and from there I had to figure out how I could sell international real estate without living in those different destinations. I researched for several months before taking my real estate exam and one day I came across this Certified International Property Specialist Designation (CIPS), in which agents in the US we could collaborate with agents from different countries and when I saw that it all clicked. I got my CIPS designation over the next year, then I began reaching out to agents within that network and just building relationships from there in order to make my dream of being an international agent come true as well as make the dreams of my future clients as property owners in different countries come true.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

Honestly, I would say most of my recognition has come from me travelling and just speaking to people, doing small speaking events, and joining expat groups in the locations where I frequent. I would find a lot of clients that way, they are trying to figure out how to actually make it happen, go from the dream phase to the action phase and that's where I would step in.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

My biggest obstacle or challenge with the international real estate was of course COVID. Even though my company was new, I was gaining momentum through a few real estate tours that I had done, and just that feeling of this is working! I was on a high and when I reached out to different cruise lines through the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) it was like a spark had been lit. I was on my way. I had three cruise lines actually interested in having discussions about real estate excursions on their cruise lines, and around the same time the world started to secretly close down around us, and by March my business was pretty much a unfulfilled figment in my dreams.

How do you stay focused?

I stay focused by reaching out to real estate professionals around the world hearing their excitement of wanting to work with me and just thinking about all the possibilities that are ahead of me. I've got a lot of plans. We plan on doing real estate open house festivals in different countries, educational initiatives for local people in the destinations that we visit, an international renovation show, and of course doing the real estate tours and excursions that we've been focused on since the beginning.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

The way that I have modeled my business is actually the biggest differentiator, where the other Certified International Property Specialists focus on referring clientele to real estate professionals around the world, I actually take on the client as an International Buyers Agent. Now this is not an official role, however, I feel that when taking such a big step the client usually needs more handholding then just shove out the door. With that in mind, I created a system where we interact with the client, set up their travel and accommodations, refer them out to a real estate professional, as well as providing support throughout the transaction. That support could look a few different ways, it could be engaging in phone conversations, looking over paperwork, or even traveling with them to the destination country. In fact, that's how we got our start, doing real estate tours.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

Wow, so that is a tricky question for me because I feel like we are still at our baby stage. Partly because of the world shut down during the pandemic, there was not a lot of growth in our company. we kind of had an incubation period. We had gone back to shore up some of our policies and procedures and reworked a few things that we wanted to make sure were sound once the world started to open back up.  

I can say, going forward, we will be utilizing the media a lot more. Spreading the word and the joys of international real estate opportunities. With the suffering of many economies around the world it is prime time to get into the real estate market and see what's out there not just in your backyard but anywhere you can imagine.

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

The best advice I could give to an aspiring entrepreneur is, don't give up. I know that might sound cliche or whatever, but it is true. If you were blessed enough and trusted enough with this idea, this concept from the great creator then you have to believe that there was a reason. The timing may not work out the way you think, it may not be as easy as you first thought it would be, but if you stick with it, it will happen.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

Actually, my favorite app, I'm not even sure if it's an app but there's a website, and I'm old school and I don't know if that means there is an app with it. The website is called From Rome to Rio. It is so accurate and informative. They can tell you how to get from anywhere to anywhere and they also give you pretty accurate price guides, which is a lot of help. I've actually used it frequently over the years since I've found out about it. I've used it in Brooklyn, and all the way in the Philippines it works anywhere. Now that’s range.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

I would have to say my favorite business resource is actually a role and not a tool. I think a capable financial planner is a great asset to my company. The right financial planner can really position you to be able to make the most out of your investments. International real estate is no different, working together we can create a solid portfolio of international assets that you can benefit from for years to come.

Who is your business role model? Why?

I would have to say my business role model is Barbara Cochran, just knowing that she was able to grow a billion-dollar real estate business from a $100 loan is amazing. I'd like to think I can recreate and even surpass that success within my lifetime.

How do you balance work and life?

So this one is actually a new one for me. I never had a work and life balance. When it was just me and my boys it was strictly the life part, the hard things. I let my dedication to my children and my unknowing dedication to my struggle, the fear, the unworthiness, all of those things that were kind of bred into me, they had full run. There was no work balance, I would quit jobs if I couldn't find a babysitter, I would not really start anything that was a beneficial for me because I thought it would interfere with what I needed to do for my children. It was completely one sided and irresponsible. At the time I thought I was doing the right thing for my children but overtime it just created and unbalanced depressed example of a parent. Which did not do them any good either.

After that time in passed, when I remarried and had more of a path in my life things changed. The work life took over. I had a new husband who basically took us on as a family, because he didn't have any children of his own, in my mind it's like “oh gosh he's taking on these three extra people. I cannot be a burden on him, and I cannot allow my children to be a burden on him,” so then I worked. Worked, worked, worked, and worked some more. At this time I was in the film industry, where I was doing 16 hours a day.

Easy. I was always signing up for work, so much so that it became a problem within the family. Now, I am a bit more balanced, I make sure that I take time out for myself and really nurture my being. I’m not just the worker bee, not just the wife, not just the mother, but I’m an actual being. I take time to honor that. Even if it's a few moments of the day because I'm busy with the project. I have to take that time out for myself and make my being a priority.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

My favorite way to decompress is watching TV. It could be a movie, TV show, or bingeing a series, but I really love seeing the stories picking them apart and because I've dabbled in the film industry over the years I feel like I have some insight on how things were done and that almost makes it like a sport. LOL. It's like my football. I actually think I will get back into the industry in the future but this time as a writer or producer. I believe I have that in me as my third or fourth act.

What do you have planned for the next six months?

We have been talking with major cruise lines and within the next six months we are planning on starting our real estate excursions in at least three destinations. We will be starting with Panama, Portugal, and Thailand. We are also going to continue to grow our base with and start offering land tours again. And lastly, this year we will be kicking off our first international real estate open house festival we are in discussion now and have been prior to the pandemic with Ghana and Panama. So, look out for that.

How can our readers connect with you?

I was lucky enough to get my business name on all social media platforms so you can find me and my team on all social media platforms @destinationown. For inquiries or tour requests you can email info@destinationown.com an of course you can check us out on our website www.DestinationOwn.com. We will also be making our rounds within the upcoming real estate and travel industry festivals, seminars, and conferences. So, if you see us out in the streets pull up!