Today we’d like to introduce you to Trachele Shields.
Hi Trachele, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Real estate has been a part of my professional life for almost two decades. I became licensed in Florida in 2008, and what started with traditional real estate eventually grew into experience across mortgage lending, underwriting, foreclosure, condo project review, property preservation, loss control, and other areas of the real estate and financial services industries.
Working in so many different areas gave me a very different perspective on the industry. I began to realize just how many careers, businesses, and income opportunities exist within real estate that most people never hear about. When people think about making money in real estate, they usually think about becoming an agent, flipping houses, or owning rental properties. My own career showed me that the industry is much bigger than that.
That experience ultimately became the foundation for Create Real Estate Wealth, or CREW.
CREW is a real estate education and wealth-building brand focused on helping people discover different ways to create income, build wealth, and find opportunities through real estate. Through CREW Academy, I have developed educational resources and training that go beyond traditional real estate sales and investing to highlight some of the lesser-known opportunities within the industry. The larger vision for CREW is to create a platform where people can gain practical knowledge, explore new opportunities, and discover different ways to use real estate as a tool for building the life and financial future they want.
I am also expanding my vision beyond the United States. As I prepare for the next chapter of my life, I have been exploring ways to connect opportunities between the U.S. and Nigeria. That includes real estate, education, property services, and eventually resources for people interested in living, investing, traveling, or doing business between the two countries.
What excites me most about CREW is that I am building it from actual experience. I didn’t learn about these different sides of real estate from the outside looking in. I have worked in them. Now I am taking everything I have learned over the years and putting it under one umbrella.
The name Create Real Estate Wealth really represents the bigger mission. Wealth doesn’t have to come from one path, and real estate doesn’t have to mean one thing. I want CREW to help people see just how many opportunities exist within this industry and give them the knowledge and resources to create a path that works for them.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely has not been a smooth road, and I don’t think I would tell my story honestly if I made it sound like it has been.
I entered real estate in 2008, right in the middle of one of the worst housing markets our country had experienced. So from the very beginning, I learned how quickly industries can change and how important it is to be able to adapt.
There have been several times throughout my career when I have had to reinvent myself. I have experienced career changes, layoffs, industries shifting, business ideas that didn’t develop the way I originally envisioned, and moments when I had to go back to the drawing board and figure out what came next.
In the beginning stages of building my business, I also maintained another career while trying to grow something of my own. That meant long days, working after work, and using evenings and weekends to build the bigger vision. I think that part of entrepreneurship gets left out sometimes. People see the business once it has taken shape, but they don’t always see the years of learning, sacrificing, experimenting, and figuring things out behind the scenes.
One of the biggest challenges has been learning how to navigate ambition while living with lupus. I was diagnosed more than a decade ago, and that changed the way I had to approach my life. I am naturally someone who will keep going, keep pushing, and keep trying to figure things out, but lupus taught me that my body doesn’t always care about my plans or my schedule.
For a long time, I measured success by how much I could accomplish. Now I think much more about what it costs me to accomplish it.
That has influenced the kind of business and life I want to build. I don’t want to create financial success and then realize I have built something that requires me to sacrifice my health, freedom, or the ability to actually enjoy my life. I want freedom and flexibility to be part of the business model, not something I hope to find after I become successful.
There have also been times when my path probably didn’t make sense to other people. My background spans real estate, mortgage lending, legal services, education, property inspections, loss control, and entrepreneurship. At different points, those changes may have looked like I was starting over. Looking back, I don’t see them that way anymore. Every one of those experiences gave me knowledge, perspective, or skills that I use today.
CREW continues to grow and evolve, and so do I. I haven’t reached some magical point where everything is easy or completely figured out. I don’t think entrepreneurship really works that way.
What has changed is that I trust myself more. I know that I can pivot. I know that I can learn something new. And I know that one chapter ending doesn’t mean the story is over.
If anything, the difficult parts of my journey are a big reason CREW exists. I wanted to create more options for myself, and through CREW, I want to help other people recognize that they can create more options for themselves too.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Create Real Estate Wealth (C.R.E.W)?
Create Real Estate Wealth, or CREW, is a real estate education and services brand created to help people build wealth, create additional income, and discover opportunities through real estate.
At the heart of CREW is education. Through CREW Academy, we focus on making real estate knowledge more accessible and introducing people to opportunities that go beyond the traditional paths of becoming an agent, flipping houses, or buying rental properties. There are so many ways to earn income and build a business within the real estate industry, and many people simply don’t know those opportunities exist.
That is what I want CREW to be known for: helping people see possibilities they may not have considered before and giving them practical information they can actually use.
What sets CREW apart is that the brand isn’t built around one definition of real estate or one definition of wealth. Creating real estate wealth can mean owning property, earning income through a real estate-related business, developing a new skill, creating multiple streams of income, or using what you already know to build something of your own. CREW is about helping people find the path that makes sense for them.
The vision is also bigger than the U.S. market. As CREW grows, I am developing opportunities that connect the United States and Nigeria. The long-term vision includes resources and services related to real estate, relocation, travel, investing, and doing business between the two countries. I want CREW to grow into a brand that can help people navigate opportunities on both sides.
What I am most proud of is the meaning behind the brand itself. CREW stands for Create Real Estate Wealth, but wealth to me is bigger than a dollar amount. It is also about having options, ownership, flexibility, access to information, and the ability to create the kind of life you want.
Ultimately, I want people to hear CREW and think opportunity. Whether someone wants to learn, earn, invest, build a business, or eventually explore opportunities internationally, I want CREW to be a resource that helps them see what is possible and gives them the tools to move forward.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
One of my favorite childhood memories is playing Monopoly with my family. It was my favorite game, and I loved the competition, buying properties, collecting rent, and trying to be the last person standing. Looking back, it is funny that a game centered around real estate and building wealth was such a big part of my childhood, considering the path my life eventually took. More than anything, though, I remember the laughter, the friendly competition, and just enjoying that time together as a family.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://learnwithcrew.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatgirlchele/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/trachele.shields
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thatgirlchele
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@thatgirlchele?lang=en
