Moneeka Sawyer: A Paradigmatic Woman Entrepreneur Known for Her Undaunted Attitude…

With women choosing different entrepreneurships as their career pursuits, the motive is usually very different from that of their counterparts. Most of the time, women enter the business landscape to add a new perspective to any business community by facilitating more women’s empowerment and equality in a particular industry. Though patriarchal dominance exists across the majority of industries, the daring ‘Sheprenuers’ are shoving the needle in every possible field to prove their power and visionary approach to creating a difference. One such challenging industry is real estate investing which is heavily dominated by men. But, a handful of women entrepreneurs have plunged into the space with their audacious attitude to add significant value and crucial changes to the real estate industry. And this narrative is of such a bold businesswoman, Moneeka Sawyer, who is a highly-acclaimed radio show and podcast host at BlissfulInvestor.com. Let’s unveil her success story based on the conversation held with her. Here are some excerpts of the cherishable chat we had with her.

Pre-Destined for Real Estate

Before Moneeka was even born, her adventure with real estate was already destined. After being married in India, her parents made the decision to leave their country and go to the United States in order to follow their higher calling and create a new life. They barely had $200 in their pockets, but they had heard that purchasing real estate was the path to fortune in the United States. In a few years, Moneeka was born, filling her parents with love, happiness, and optimism. After she was born, they were determined to make real estate investments in order to provide her with the finest possible quality of life.

Through Moneeka’s early years, her parents began to save their nickels and dimes which led to purchasing their first home. But, they still needed to save enough so they could invest, even though her mom, a doctor, desired to have comfort and convenience in their lovely new home. For their windows and sofa, she stitched the drapes and cushions on her own. They exerted every effort to provide a comfortable living for their new family as well as create future plans. They were able to purchase their first rental home when Moneeka was three and were elated to embark on this thrilling adventure.

After fifteen years, they were able to use the proceeds from real estate to pay for Moneeka’s college tuition. The same thing was done for her two sisters, and their real estate investments kept providing their way to a better lifestyle.

Though life was running at a perfect pace, Moneeka had an epiphany in which she quotes, “When I was a young child, I observed my parents’ real estate investing and saw the wonderful benefits it brought to our family. But I could also see how stressed out my Dad was as a result. He dealt with all the issues that landlords complain about. They occasionally struggled to make mortgage payments due to late rents. They often dealt with broken leases, toilets, and late-night phone calls. I could see that real estate required a lot of dedication to be truly successful, and I didn’t want to spend that much time on something that would drain the life out of me as it had for my dad. So, I decided very young that it wasn’t for me and told my dad as much.

Fast forward a few years, there was a recession when I graduated from college, and I struggled mightily to find a job. I was under a lot of stress and it paid very little when I finally got one. When I was talking to my dad about my anxieties one evening over the kitchen table, he said something to me that forever changed my life. He said “Moneeka, everyone has stress, everyone has fear, and everyone has money problems. Do you want poor-people money problems, or do you want rich-people money problems?” She was completely silenced, and she pondered this statement a lot.

Her dad’s words of wisdom gave her the realization that if she was going to face money problems, she’d rather have rich-people money problems! Hence, she decided to invest in real estate investments from that day. Getting there, however, was not a cakewalk. Her father was not able to help her financially as her two sisters were in college and the family budget was tight. Therefore, she decided to save on her small income only. Then when she got married two years later, the couple asked for money towards their down payment as a wedding gift from everyone. They got enough to put 5% down on a very humble home, so they bought it. Moneeka and her husband still couldn’t afford the mortgage so they got a roommate. The newlywed couple was focused on making their way in the real estate world and Moneeka’s vision for the future became clearer to her day by day. And the rest is history!

The Stirring Ideology

Moneeka happened to realize her potential at quite a young age. Yes, she was bullied and humiliated frequently due to racism in her hometown, which pushed her towards depression. Gradually, her zeal to seek her ultimate joy and well-being propelled her to start questioning life from different angles. And all of this began at the young age of 6! She started her journey to find her happiness.

Later in life, she replaced the term happiness with the term bliss as she realized that happiness is a temporary emotional state that depends on outer circumstances. Contrary to this, she found bliss to be a state that is much deeper. It’s a deep sense of joy and contentment and emotional resilience. And no matter what occurs in your life, you can rely on that bliss as your emotional support system.

“This is such a core value in my life that it permeates everything I do. In everything, including my business, investments, relationships, and health, I aspire to attain joy. This does not imply that I don’t have problems or that I have never had to compromise in order to get the results I want. It simply means that whatever I do, despite the difficulties, it supports the happiness in my life and serves my bliss,” states Moneeka.

When she was asked to reveal her biggest strength as a leader today, Moneeka explained that sharing bliss wherever she goes is what she strives for. She finds it an archetypal behavior that allows other people to see the possibilities we hold as human beings. She continues by saying that people often forget that the ultimate goal of whatever they accomplish in life is to be happy. As a result, we frequently disregard our happiness. Most people search for happiness by pursuing objectives, goods, recognition, relationships, and a myriad of other things. They fail to understand that you don’t require all of that stuff to be happy. Happiness already resides inside of you. It simply needs to be set free. Ironically, so many of those things draw themselves to you when you live with joy and thankfulness. For Moneeka, her life and business serve as the best illustrations of this philosophy.

“People in my field often discuss success, freedom, wealth, statistics, and accomplishments. However, nobody discusses how to experience joy during the entire journey. How to build a business that brings happiness into your life. How to overcome difficulties without feeling overly stressed. How to put your happiness first while still creating a hugely profitable business. Anything is possible. You only need to decide to set up your life and business with this focus,” she remarked.

Defining Success on Her Own Terms

“I must admit that the stories I hear from my readers, watchers, and listeners about their successes after hearing or seeing me speak are what inspire me the most. I get teary-eyed with happiness every time I get an email or read a fresh review of one of my books or my podcast. Their success might come from buying more real estate, expanding a business, or finding more joy in life. Everyone has a different definition of success, but it genuinely makes my heart sing if I can assist others in realizing their version of success. That is what motivates and inspires me most,” conveyed Moneeka.

Great Feats Achieved By Her

Not just one but many accolades have piled up since she began her phenomenal journey as an entrepreneur. A few worthy of mention are as follows-

1. Moneeka has been recognized as an International bestselling author several times.

2. She has been acknowledged as an International award-winning Speaker.

3. Was chosen for the Spirited Woman Top 12 Pick List for 2020 for her book Real Estate Investing for Women.

4. Received the Woman of Impact Quill Award from Focus on Women Magazine.

5. Was honored with the Pinnacle Book Achievement Award.

6. Received the Readers Favorite 5 Star Award.

7. Was awarded the Quill Award for Best Literary Work by the Governor of the State of Maryland.

8. Was highlighted as a cover story for Unlimited Woman and Exeleon Magazines.

9. Has been featured on TV stations including ABC, CBS, and FOX, reaching over 150 million people.

10. Keynote speaker at Harvard Club of Boston, Nasdaq Marketplace, and Carnegie Hall

11. TEDx speaker

12. Has shared stages with Suzanne Sommers, Martha Stewart, and Ice T & Coco.

13. Her podcast has been acknowledged as a Top 20 podcast on Apple Podcasts for over 4 years.

Keen Advice for Next-Generation ‘Shepreneurs’

Moneeka concluded by sharing a message to the aspiring women entrepreneurs out there. She conveyed that never let society—men or women—tell you what kind of person you should be. You identify your ideal self and become that person. Live up to your own standards, and don’t compromise your personal values. Be genuine about who you are. You will build confidence in yourself in this way.

Moneeka remarks, “As women, we are becoming more and more powerful in society. We are more recognized for our talents and are climbing to higher positions of power. It’s an amazing thing. It’s also an amazing responsibility. I agree with Your Holiness the Dali Lama when he says ‘Women with power can bring a compassionate revolution. My mother first gave me the gift of a woman’s compassion. Now, the next generation of women must bring this compassion into positions of power.’ 

Remember as women to bring your feminine qualities wherever you lead. Don’t turn into a man and try to lead that way. No woman can be as good at being a man as a man can. The world needs more of the feminine. Empower that part of yourself, stand in that power, and lead with your natural gifts.”