We had the good fortune of connecting with Ricardo Torres and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ricardo, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I believe risk is a concept that stands in the way of either failure or success. How you approach the risk dictates what outcome you’ll get. If you simply take risks, you might achieve failure. Further, if you avoid risk, you might also achieve failure. However, if you calculate risk, that’s different. Calculating risk means weighing pros and cons, seeing what similar competitors are doing, how experts in the industry perform, and looking at the big picture, not just once or twice, but studying it ’til you know it cold. I believe that when you’ve done this, you can appropriately analyze a situation, and either choose to accept the calculated risk or not. And if you choose a calculated risk that is well thought out, chances are you’ll succeed and come out winning. In my life and career, I’ll spend time assessing whether my time is worth a risk or not, and I’ve gotten pretty decent at quickly being able to tell if a risk is worth it for me.

I think a big takeaway here though is this: not taking (calculating) actually ends up being riskier in the long run, then taking the risk and learning from it. How will you know what your true ambitions and endeavors in life are if you don’t take that risk? Knowing yourself and taking calculated risks helps us all better navigate the waters of life, and if you work hard enough, and are consistent enough, you can achieve anything. This is a philosophy I subscribe to.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Vectored Equity is a company that specializes in purchasing multi-family investments, or apartment complexes. What I’m most proud of is our unwavering ability to take action, reassess our progress, learn from mistakes, and consistently move forward, breaking down barriers and scaling the business. In the same manner we approach a combat mission for the military, we approach delivering the highest levels of asset management, investor relations, refined underwriting and tenant care.

The success of any business is generally not easy. It requires hard work, dedication, consistency, and an unrelenting mentality. You have to be willing to continuously feel uncomfortable as you scale, recognize that if you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room. You need to recognize that being uncomfortable doesn’t mean failure, in fact, maintaining this state is equivalent to growth and expansion.

In a nutshell, we pooled money together to purchase a 14-unit apartment complex in Tucson, subsequently spending a good deal of time, effort and money to reposition the complex, improving the interior and exterior. Marrying together hours of study, interviews, podcasts, books, discussions, we were able to put into action what we learned, carefully calculating our risks and consistently executing our business plan. This small start into the industry coupled without a no quit, no fail mentality opened up opportunities to raise capital and syndicate our next deals. We did just that, and now own over 163 units in multiple states across the U.S.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Tucson is a diverse city with a beautiful culture, and plenty to do! Being a pilot, here’s a nerdy gee-whiz fact that I like to show friends and family when they visit: the standard lapse rate in aviation is that as you go up in altitude, for every 1,000 ft of altitude gain, you lose 3.5 degrees Fahrenheit. So, even though it might be a scorcher in Tucson on a July afternoon, you can escape that and go up to Mt. Lemmon, where the peak is close to 9,200 ft, or a temperature drop of a little over 20 degrees!

On the way back down, I’d stop by BK Tacos or Guero Canelo and snag some delicious carne asada tacos and a cold horchata.

Tucson is known for some of its beautiful hikes and scenery. We might hike Sabino Canyon or scale A Mountain and get a beautiful view of the city. An area near and dear to my heart is the Boneyard, where all military aircraft retire, because Tucson is so dry and rust doesn’t occur as easily as other, more humid states, it’s the perfect sunset tour for any aircraft. I enjoy visiting the Boneyard and showcasing to friends and family some of the coolest airplanes in our inventory.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My success as a father, husband, son, Air Force Officer, Real Estate Investor, could not have been accomplished without the love and support of my wife, Abigail Torres. She helps steady my foundation and is with me every step of the way, encouraging me and sharing this journey with me. I owe a tremendous amount of gratitude to my business partner and great friend, Patrick Reven. Pat and I co-founded Vectored Equity with a simple concept in mind: create generational wealth for our sphere of influence while improving quality of living for the residents who live in our apartments. Simple as that. Since our inception, we have remained true to our vision, and are excited about a bright future!

Website: www.vectoredequity.com

Instagram: VectoredEquity

Linkedin: Ricardo Torres

Twitter: Vectored Equity

Facebook: Vectored Equity

Other: Very open to chatting with anyone who is interested in anything we’re doing. No kidding, we will spend time chatting with anybody. I truly believe that in order to network, a value has to be given, and we strive to add value to every relationship we encounter.

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