SANTO DOMINGO – Sarah Alzugaray, from Guatemala, was the speaker who brought a unique touch to the Innovate 2024 congress of the Association of Real Estate Agents and Companies (AEI). The challenges she has faced in her life formed the basis of her inspiring presentation.
“Never give up, don’t be afraid to start, have faith, a purpose, shine even with a broken soul,” said the businesswoman from Alzugaray Real Estate.
He stated that he is where he is today because he has never tired of dreaming and because every wound has been nothing more than a reason to become stronger.
Three broken marriages and a long list of ventures and businesses that failed left him with enough lessons to share with the more than 600 real estate agents who attended the meeting, held at the Catalonia Hotel in the Dominican capital, seeking to inspire vulnerable souls by telling his story without holding back.
Through hard knocks, Alzugaray learned resilience and that crises represent opportunities. “Nothing lasts forever,” she declared. “You have to be grateful to God, to life, and to people,” she continued.
The motivational coach, creator of the famous "crazy snot" game, reviewed with the audience her various jobs undertaken: from bartender, soccer player, restaurant owner, bar "El Monasterio", gas station, toy store, clothing store franchise in several countries to her current job as a real estate advisor, experiences that have led her to understand that "failure is a natural and obligatory process and that life will test us again and again.".
Sarah Alzugaray. (Fidel Pérez/El Inmobiliario).
Real estate, their salvation
Alzugaray revealed that after a string of failures, she turned to real estate, a business that lifted her up and catapulted her to success.
“After losing everything, I applied for a job at RE/MAX, which I love. There I won every award and averaged $300,000 a year in sales. At that time I had everything I wanted and I bought several properties.”.
It was during that time that the businesswoman learned "that I couldn't do anything in life without leaving something for others." She began speaking and mentoring to share how she lost three and a half million dollars along the way, and also to help entrepreneurs. "I share my mistakes and how I got back on my feet, because my life is thanks to real estate. The only thing that lifted me up and catapulted me was real estate," she told the audience, who rose to applaud her.
After leaving RE/MAX in 2020, she went to Spain because she wanted to be close to her children, but after six months she had to pack up and return to Guatemala due to the arrival of the pandemic.
Once the COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, he assembled his team and began selling properties, with a projection that to date allows him to have an inventory of more than 2,500 properties for sale and rent.
The warrior Alzugaray suggested that real estate agents invest in personal branding, after assuring that most companies are investing in their managers to build a brand, because that is what will generate money.
Starting from scratch
On more than one occasion, the Broker Owner of Alzugaray Real Estate had to start from scratch. "I lost my empire. Everything disappeared overnight, even my husband. I was able to graduate from university when I already had my three children, and I did so with honors, Magna Cum laude," she recounted.
“Women have always been successful in everything we do,” the speaker declared, leaving many in the audience amazed by the many setbacks she has faced, the lessons learned from which have led her to a position of stardom. Among those in the audience was the Guatemalan ambassador to the country, Javier Antonio Zepeda, who attended to hear her presentation and went up on stage to express his admiration for the courageous warrior.
