Sponsored by:
Rodrigo Afanador
Rodrigo Afanador founded Asheville Cash Buyers in 2012, since that time he has been part of 100's of transactions in the Asheville area. He is a past President of the CREIA (Carolina Real Estate Investors Association), a non-profit education group for real estate investors. Rodrigo is also the host of the Who Is Asheville podcast; a podcast about the people, business, and ideas that make up Asheville.
Rodrigo has primarily focused his marketing efforts on direct mail and SEO/PPC. Although, he did build his business through cold calling before multiline dialers were common. In 2021 Rodrigo sent out over 55,000 pieces of mail. From his PPC/SEO efforts he generated just over 100 leads.
Zacory Ruiz
Zac is the author of the Ruiz Report, the most widely read real estate market report in Western NC, and he is the founder of remc - real estate mission control. remc is dedicated to revolutionizing how data-driven real estate is done with their industry leading Agent Performance Management system (look up any agent in CanopyMLS's report card here!).
He's also a local broker, landlord, a real estate investor, and he's happy to share his expertise on all sorts of things you shouldn't do from his adventures in DIY home renovations.
Zac has lived many lives - he was a Marine Infantry Sgt with two tours to Iraq, he spent some time on Capitol Hill with Florida International University's Office of Federal Relations, and he had a fast-but-furious career at JPMorgan's investment bank in NYC before going all-in on entrepreneurship.
Since making the leap he's started a business in the short-lived temporary gold foil tattoo industry with the artists from Miami Ink ("it was a good idea at the time!"), designed, patented and produced a product in the plastic mold injection industry, and put his experience to work for others as a business consultant for clients ranging from realtors/brokerages to yoga studios to weighing solutions resellers.
Every step along the way made it increasingly clear to him that data and automation were the keys to any business' success at scale, so he began programming in 2019 and now focuses exclusively on real estate technology.
Kim Winters
Kim Winters is the Founder of Power of Women World and the owner of The Kim Winters Team powered by Movement Mortgage. After receiving her BA from University of North Carolina Asheville, she started her career in the financial industry in the banking realm. With a career spanning 20+ years, she is passionate about helping others and has successfully helped thousands of clients over the years navigate through the mortgage process. Kim has built a team that promotes and empowers women to succeed in this field while focusing on helping clients with their purchase and refinance needs. Kim is consistently in the top 10 loan officers at Movement Mortgage nationally and has earned both the Presidents Club and Changemaker recognition since 2014. Additionally, she is recognized with multiple awards: Top 1 Percent Mortgage Originators in America, Scotsman’s Guide Top Women Originator, Top 40 Under 40 Business Professionals Asheville Honoree, and the prestigious Mortgage Banker of the Year honoree for 2011. Her tireless efforts to serve her clients and the realtors in her community set her apart. Kim prides herself on giving back to her community with time given to Habitat for Humanity, Haywood Street Congregation, Eblen Charities, and the Cancer Society of America. When not working, Kim can be found at the beach with her husband, 5 children, and two dogs. The Kim Winters Team is licensed in NC, SC, FL, TN, VA, AL, IL, GA, and KY. Advice for other women - As a female leader, I would share that people value authenticity, strategic thinking, and expertise. Work hard to empower other women around you. Sit at the table! As women we have superpowers due to our ability to show empathy, to be nurturing and passionate. Giving back by mentoring and elevating people around you builds’ influence, raises the level of play, and creates a ripple effect of change. Make sure people know they can rely on you and always strive for consistency. One of the most significant barriers for women has been mindset and leverage. Growing in your career while being a mom is like walking a tight rope. Gender bias is real. Women are much more likely to avoid delegating. I struggled working excess hours after bedtime so that I could outperform my male counterparts. Once I surrounded myself with mentors, I was able to hire folks to support my business. I do feel that women are constantly left to prove their worth and until we shift the institutional mindsets in our corporate world, we will continue to face this. Inspirational Quotes – Nothing is impossible, the word itself says I’m Possible. Attract what you expect, reflect what you desire, become what you respect and mirror what you admire. Mindset is everything