"Never give up, I am big about mindset and positivity and it's true, 98% of success is mindset."
Christopher Salerno Tweet
Meet Christopher Salerno, an Experienced Chief Executive Officer with a demonstrated history of working in the real estate industry. Skilled in Sales, Management, Teamwork, Leadership, and Project Management. A strong business development professional in the Multi-Family Real Estate industry.
Chris attended Wharton Business School and Winthrop University. Chris successfully transacted more than 40mm in real estate volume and helped lead the #1 real estate team in the Carolinas to produce more than 140mm in annual sales prior to creating QC Capital. Named to Charlotte’s 30 under 30, Charlotte NC best Investment Company, Elite 50, Elite 50 entrepreneurs, 30 under 30 entrepreneurs, and nominated for Forbes 30 under 30, 2018 and 2020. Chris has quickly gained recognition, and notoriety for his hard work, and dedication.
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Table of Contents
Let’s learn a little about you and really get to experience what makes us tick – starting at our beginnings. Where did your story begin?
Christopher Salerno: I dropped out of college to get into the residential real estate industry. After becoming the top agent for KW in Charlotte and growing a company. I then merge the company with the number 1 team in the Carolinas. I fell into their operational role and their COO. From there I was able to grow the company 46% in a year and a half compared to their 3 years of no growth. After doing that, I decided to create QC Capital a private equity company focusing on acquiring large multifamily assets and investing in early-stage fintech companies. Within 3 years we have acquired around 85m AUM. In 2022 we are on track to grow 100m AUM alone.
Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey? Did you ever consider giving up?
Christopher Salerno: NEVER GIVE UP. As an entrepreneur there will be a time when you are going to think about slowing down, giving up, giving in, and not working as hard. That is when you find your big WHY and dig deep down inside. You do not give up. There was sometimes I questions what I was doing but then told myself to shut up and keep going. Keep taking action and adding value to people in the space.
Often leaders are asked to share the best advice they received. But let’s reverse the question. What’s the worst advice you received?
Christopher Salerno: Not to buy real estate. We had a deal that seasoned investors said don’t buy it, it is a bad deal. But we saw something in the deal and we purchased it. Now, those investors that passed wish they were in the deal with us. When it comes to real estate it’s a necessity, we need shelter and always will. The value of multifamily assets will always be raising and now is a great time to purchase.
Is there a particular podcast you listened to, or business thought leader that you find helpful while maneuvering this pandemic?
Christopher Salerno: Yes, I listen to the Mindful MultiFamily Podcast, Capital Allocators and We Study Billionaires. Both have very good information that is relevant to the current market and the market cycles that we are seeing.
When you think of your company, 5 years from now, what do you see?
Christopher Salerno: I think of our company managing multi-billion dollars of real estate throughout the South East. Also, helping accredited investors invest in these larger properties.
You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success?
Christopher Salerno: I’d say these traits help the most:
Listening– I think it is important to listen to your clients and employees. As a leader, you want to have control, and sometimes giving that up is scary but it is the right thing to do to grow the business. Clients and employees may see a situation or a business idea from a different perspective so it is good to listen to what they have to say from their angel.
Staying on top of your market– I think it is super important to stay updated with your business and what can impact your business positively and negatively. For us, we focus on multifamily investing and I still stay updated with the stock market and current trends. Our partners( investors) like to know even though we don’t focus on investing in the stock market just real estate that I am a well-rounded person.
Having Options– I am an options type of leader. I like to know all my options when I have presented a situation. I ask a lot of questions. My team knows this about me is when they bring me an idea, a situation I need to fix that I will ask a lot of questions and I want to know all my options if I say yes or no.
What have you learned about personal branding that you wish you had known earlier in your career?
Christopher Salerno: Don’t be afraid to put your brand on social media/ email campaigns, I think it is very important to put out as much content you can, and don’t worry what people say just take action. Social media is and can be free marketing to kick start your company. I think that is a very important platform to grow a brand.
What’s your favorite leadership style and why?
Christopher Salerno: I like to lead by example, I like to show my team how dedicated, passionate and hard-working I am for the company. Showing them that there is nothing I wouldn’t do. This helps motivate them and kinda creates the FOMO for them to work hard, smart, and have the passion I have for the company too.
Do you think entrepreneurship is something that you’re born with or something that you can learn along the way?
Christopher Salerno: I think you are born and taught it. I am very different from my family as they all work corporate jobs and are scared to take any risk. I think if you are raised in a corporate family you tend to follow their footsteps compared to if you were raised in an entrepreneurship family. Not all entrepreneurs succeed and can handle the pressure of being a business owner/leader.
What’s your favorite “life lesson” quote and how has it affected your life?
Christopher Salerno: Never give up, I am big about mindset and positivity and it’s true, 98% of success is mindset. You have to understand the laws of attractions and build a positive mind. You will have a lot of times you will fall and to get up you will need a very strong mindset to do so.
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Christopher Salerno for taking the time to do this interview and share his knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Christopher Salerno or his company, you can do it through his – Linkedin Page
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