Episode 428: Building Bigger Deals Without Capital with Arta Dawkins

In her early twenties, with no capital at all, Arta Dawkins built her first business in Albania by sourcing packaging from abroad for factories that couldn't produce without it, using prepaid deals to fund the orders.

Arta is an entrepreneur, luxury real estate realtor, and author based in Toronto. With RE/MAX Professionals Inc., she has earned Circle of Legends and Hall of Fame honors and previously ranked among the top one percent of Toronto real estate professionals. Her book is Add the Zeros (How to Create Value, Earn Trust, and Make Bigger Deals).

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

You'll learn how to create a deal by identifying a real need instead of starting with money, why prepaid structures can help you avoid giving up control to debt or equity partners, how one real estate listing can grow into a land development opportunity, and why confidence in negotiation comes from preparation and due diligence.

ARTA'S JOURNEY:

Arta grew up wanting to be an actress and writer, and her poems and articles were published in Albania, but her father steered her toward business accounting. Working in the business development office at the mayor's office, she saw factory owners stuck without packaging, quit after six months, and built an import and export business that grew to seventy-eight employees.

In 1999, amid political tension in Albania, she immigrated to Canada with two small children and left that business behind. She started in Toronto real estate in 2007, sold a home that hadn't sold in three years within three weeks during her first week, and helped the owner subdivide his land into three lots, which led to larger development deals.

KEY INSIGHTS:

Money is not the only form of capital. Arta built her first business on prepaid deals, and she says the key is to identify a real need and create value from there.

Prepayment depends on trust. Outside capital can cost you power and control over your company, but customers will only pay in advance when there is a real relationship behind the deal.

Due diligence protects your biggest deals. Arta lost more than forty million dollars in pending sales when a private lender foreclosed during escrow on homes carrying a blanket mortgage she hadn't uncovered.

Confidence comes from preparation. Arta says knowing what you're facing and who is on the other side gives you the confidence to ask for your value.

Detachment is a strength. People can spot desperation, and she believes that if a deal isn't meant to be yours, you're worth more to another deal.

Perfect for entrepreneurs without much capital, real estate professionals, and dealmakers who want to grow from single transactions into larger deals.

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON DEALQUEST?
Apply here: https://beaguestondealquest.com/guest

FOR MORE ON THIS EPISODE: 
coreykupfer.com/blog/artadawkins

FOR MORE ON ARTA DAWKINS:
linkedin.com/in/arta-dawkins-ab5042101
Website: artahomes.com
Book: addthezeros.com

FOR MORE ON COREY KUPFER
https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreykupfer/ 
https://www.coreykupfer.com/

Corey Kupfer is an expert strategist, negotiator, and dealmaker. He has more than 35 years of professional deal-making and negotiating experience. Corey is a successful entrepreneur, attorney, consultant, author, and professional speaker. He is deeply passionate about deal-driven growth. He is also the creator and host of the DealQuest Podcast.

Get deal-ready with the DealQuest Podcast with Corey Kupfer, where like-minded entrepreneurs and business leaders converge, share insights and challenges, and success stories. Equip yourself with the tools, resources, and support necessary to navigate the complex yet rewarding world of dealmaking. Dive into the world of deal-driven growth today!

• 03:05 Arta's first deal, sourcing packaging for factories through prepaid orders
• 10:06 Leaving a seventy-eight person business in Albania and immigrating to Canada
• 15:12 Her first real estate deal and the one-stop-shop approach
• 19:29 How a blanket mortgage and a foreclosure derailed more than forty million dollars in sales
• 29:33 Why confidence comes from preparation and due diligence
• 37:19 Why deals happen in good markets and bad markets
• 39:59 What freedom means to Arta today

Arta Dawkins is an entrepreneur, luxury real estate realtor, and author based in Toronto. She began her dealmaking career in Albania, where she built an import and export business without relying on personal capital by identifying demand, securing customer commitments, and structuring prepaid transactions. After immigrating to Canada, she rebuilt her career and became a recognized luxury real estate professional with RE/MAX Professionals Inc., earning Circle of Legends and Hall of Fame honors and previously ranking among the top one percent of Toronto real estate professionals. Her book, Add the Zeros (How to Create Value, Earn Trust, and Make Bigger Deals), teaches entrepreneurs and sales professionals how to recognize opportunity, create value, negotiate with confidence, and structure larger deals.

• Josh Emington on the due diligence layer that decides whether a deal is real. A natural follow-up to Arta's foreclosure lesson.
• Corey Kupfer and Sara Mostafa on what makes a true dealmaker. Expands on the entrepreneur versus dealmaker mindset discussed here.
• Jens Nielsen on building real estate freedom. Another view of real estate as a path to freedom.

Arta Dawkins, Add the Zeros, Corey Kupfer, DealQuest Podcast, dealmaking, prepaid deals, bootstrapping, deals without capital, luxury real estate, Toronto real estate, land development, one-stop-shop real estate, negotiation, due diligence, detachment in negotiation, immigrant entrepreneur, cross-border business, personal branding, deal-driven growth