Episode 4: Fear of Finance? The CFO Secrets Every Developer Must Know

Most developers don’t fail because of construction delays, bad contractors, or market shifts.
Wrong.

They fail because of their numbers.

In this episode, Katie Kim sits down with CFO Cheryl Heller of Pillar One Consulting, who doesn't just crunch numbers - she shows entrepreneurs how to weaponize them - we unpack:

🔥 The rookie mistakes that bankrupt businesses
📊 The KPIs that actually matter - bankable or doomed?
🏦 How to make your business bankable
🧮 Why saying "I'm not good with math" might be the most expensive lie you're telling yourself
💡 Why “slow down to speed up” is the secret to scaling

If you’ve ever said “I can’t do math”—this episode is your wake-up call!

💡 This isn’t about accounting. It’s about survival. It’s about growth. It’s about building a legacy without getting burned.

👇 Drop the word "bootcamp" in the comments, and we'll DM you the link to the Real Estate Developer 101 Bootcamp where you can start doing "real reps" on real - real estate deals!

🫳🏻🎤 Show Quotes (Mic Drops)
🥧 “Don’t sell me the pie in the sky—show me the real numbers.” (08:48)
✅ “Part of being a leader is knowing which risks to accept and which to mitigate.” (12:13)
😱 “If the customer isn’t buying, it’s not their fault—it’s your numbers.” (21:06)
🟢 “Make your active decision. Don’t just end up somewhere because you didn’t choose.” (39:02)
🛑 “Stop saying ‘I’m not good at math.’ That excuse is costing you millions.” (13:58)

🕓 Timestamps
00:00 – Why most developers fail (hint: it’s not construction)
00:20 – Meet Cheryl Heler: the CFO who makes numbers work for developers
04:29 – The deal that almost broke her (and what she learned)
06:54 – The art of underwriting: how to run real numbers, not wishful math
09:22 – Risk tolerance, gut instincts & knowing when to shut fear off
11:02 – Data vs. risk: the twin protectors of your legacy
12:52 – Slow down to speed up: math before momentum
18:39 – KPIs that matter most (gross margin, cash flow, bankability)
21:06 – Product-market fit: your customer doesn’t lie—your numbers can
25:39 – Rookie mistakes that bankrupt businesses before they scale
29:08 – Bankable growth: how to make lenders say YES
37:22 – Visionaries & focus: reining in idea overload without killing creativity
43:12 – Pivot with power: making active decisions vs. drifting into failure
47:03 – Cheryl’s 3 ways to work with her (CFO in a box → fractional CFO → full strategic partner)

🔗 Connect with Katie Kim

🌐 Website
www.katiekim.com – The Katie Kim Educational Platform
www.thekimgroup.com – The Kim Group

📱 Instagram
@thekatiekim
@thekimgroup

💼 LinkedIn
Katie Arnholt Kim, CCIM
The Katie Kim Educational Platform
The Kim Group

📘 Facebook
The Katie Kim Educational Platform
The Kim Group

▶️ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@TheKatieKim

#TheKatieKim #CherylHeller #PillarOneConsulting #FearOfFinance #RealEstateDevelopment #WomenWhoBuild #BuildYourLegacy #ProtectionByNumbers #NoPermissionSlipNeeded #NoPermissionNeeded

🎙 REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER DISCUSSIONS WITH KATIE KIM

EPISODE 3: The Real Estate Game You Didn't Know You Were In!

🔥 You’re not just flipping houses. You’re playing the real estate development game—and this episode proves it.

👉🏼 Drop the “just.” Every time you say, “I just build,” “I just flip,” or “I just buy and hold,” you’re shrinking your role in one of the most powerful wealth-building strategies on the planet.

Katie Kim is here to expand your vision—and your vocabulary. In this can’t-miss breakdown of the 7 Stages of Real Estate Development, Katie walks you through what gets produced in each stage, how to align your time, talent, and treasure, and why staying in your lane can lead to game-changing growth.

🛠 You’ll learn:
What each stage of development actually produces
Why mastering ONE stage is the real unlock
How to build a product-type-specific network
Why clarity = capital (and how to get both)

🎯 If you’ve been playing small, this is your invitation to scale your strategy and step into your power as a real developer.

⏱ TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – This Isn’t “Just” Flipping: The Truth About Your Role in Development
01:11 – The Real Developer Secret: Master One Stage, Don’t Do Them All
02:31 – Why “Just” Language is Hurting Your Strategy
03:52 – The 7 Stages of Real Estate Development (Breakdown Begins)
04:12 – Stage 1: Land Banking – Holding Land with Purpose
05:34 – Stage 2: Land Packaging – Making Land Shovel-Ready
06:53 – Stage 3: Land Development – From Entitlements to Infrastructure
07:15 – Stage 4: Building Development – The Go Vertical Phase
07:46 – Stage 5: Building Management – Add Value Through Operations
08:10 – Stage 6: Building Repurpose – Adaptive Reuse in Action
08:48 – Stage 7: Full Redevelopment – Wipe the Slate Clean
09:13 – Why Smart Developers Stay in Their Lane (And Crush It)
11:28 – Pick Your Product Type + Stage – Become a Master in One
12:08 – Tier 1, Tier 2, Niche: Building the Right Network
14:27 – Real-Life Example: Redeveloping Keller Station
15:08 – Next Up: Financing & Taxes with Cheryl Heler
17:01 – Pick Your Lane. Build Your Legacy. Let’s Go.

📞 Book a strategy call: https://www.katiekim.com/booking-page

🎯 Join Katie’s FREE Live Master Class: https://www.katiekim.com/masterclass

#TheKatieKim #RealEstateDevelopment #BuildYourLegacy #DeveloperForFee #TheDevelopersDeveloper #UrbanInfill #WomenWhoBuild #SmallBusinessStrategy #GenerationalWealth #RealEstateEducation #DROPthejust

EPISODE 2 - "Why Your Messy Season Might Be the Blueprint!"
🎙️ REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER DISCUSSIONS WITH KATIE KIM

Ever feel like you're stuck remodeling regret instead of building the dream?

This episode is your call to stop scaling down your purpose just because the process got painful. Katie walks you through the raw truth of what it really takes to stay in the game when you've been burned—and how to know whether it's time to renovate, rebuild, or abandon. From layup pressure to blueprint breakthroughs, she’s giving you the tools to decode the mess and step back into the mission.

🔥 What You’ll Learn:
👉 Why small thinking is often a trauma response
👉 How to reset your vision after setbacks
👉 The mindset shift between a fix-up and a full build
👉 What real faith looks like in the middle of construction chaos

⏱ TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – Palace Purpose Only
03:27 – Messy Season? It's Just the Blueprint
05:24 – The Layup That Shakes You
07:03 – Renovate, Rebuild, or Abandon? Know the Difference
10:54 – Why the Mess is Where You Find the Lesson
13:42 – Your Network is the Reinforcement
15:03 – You’ve Got a Palace to Build

📣 Sign up for Katie’s FREE Live Master Class at https://www.katiekim.com/masterclass

📞 Ready to build? Book a strategy call with Katie’s team at https://www.katiekim.com/booking-page

#YouveGotaPalaceToBuild #PalacePurposeOnly #BuildThroughTheBurn #MessyMiddle #RealEstateDevelopment #WomenWhoBuild #FaithDrivenEntrepreneur #DeveloperForFee #EntrepreneurMindset #LegacyBuilders #BuildYourLegacy #TheKatieKim #RealEstateEducation #MindsetShift #FromBurnToBlueprint #PurposeDrivenBusiness

🎙 REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER DISCUSSIONS WITH KATIE KIM
🎙 EPISODE 1 - How My Parents Turned Grit Into Generational Wealth

🔥 Episode 1 of Real Estate Developer Discussions with Katie Kim doesn’t tiptoe in—it kicks the damn door open! This is where it all starts!

Katie Kim goes poolside with her parents—yes, real talk, real deals, and one of the last conversations with her dad—to unpack how they turned nothing into generational wealth. No trust fund. No cheat codes. Just sweat, smarts, and stories that will have you gasping, laughing, and taking notes. This isn’t a highlight reel.

It’s the unfiltered playbook:
✅ Managing 50 apartments as newlyweds—for “free”
✅ Turning a literal fire into equity on their first deal
✅ Running 134 units at 20 years old (with a waitlist)
✅ Negotiating with mobsters, banks, and family (no fluff, all facts)
✅ Structuring legacy deals that passed wealth before the will If you’re looking for permission, stop.

If you’re looking for proof, press play. Legacy is built, not born—and this episode shows you exactly how.

⏱ TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – Poolside with My Dad: Why This Episode Matters
01:12 – Deals, Grit, and a Box of Kleenex: My Parents' Origin Story
03:49 – Managing 50 Units as Newlyweds: The Real Bootcamp
04:51 – Fire, Insurance, and Sweat Equity: Our First Duplex Deal
07:19 – Screening Tenants Like a Pro (Even When They Light Fires)
08:22 – The 35-Year Tenant: What Longevity Really Looks Like
10:06 – Time, Talent & Treasure: Your Strategy Shifts With You
11:01 – 134 Units and a Full Rehab: Enter Sherry Apartments
14:31 – Free Amenities, Full Building, and the Art of the Ask
17:23 – The Hitman Tenant: Yes, That Happened
19:02 – Creating Community with Intention
21:08 – Coffee with a Mobster and a Paid-Up Rent Check
23:36 – Family Boundaries and Running a 134-Unit Operation
25:27 – Development School: From Boutique Failures to Lot Buys
29:06 – Legacy Leverage: Free Legal, Strong Partnerships
33:06 – Homebuilding Hustle and Lessons from the Road
36:26 – What We Wish We Knew: Negotiate Like You Mean It
39:14 – Strategic Land Buys: From Empty Lots to Cashflow
44:18 – Creative Closings and Generational Wealth Transfers
46:08 – Advanced Game: Developer Moves & Investor Positioning
50:03 – Deal by Deal: Why Each One Made Us Smarter
54:25 – Construction Is Your Billboard: Marketing the Build
55:32 – Lions, Lawns & Wells Fargo: The Relationship ROI
57:04 – Million-Dollar Yeses: What Trust from a Lender Looks Like
59:06 – Meeting Deadlines, Even in a Snowstorm
1:00:40 – Land Puzzles, Joint Ventures, and Win-Win Deals
1:03:22 – No Money Down: Bank Trust + Rehab Sweat = Equity
1:08:17 – The RSVP That Sealed the Lease

🎯 FREE LIVE MASTER CLASS – Learn how to structure your first development deal → https://www.katiekim.com/masterclass

📞 Book a strategy call – https://www/katiekim.com/call

#TheKatieKim #KatieKim #TheDevelopersDeveloper #RealEstateDevelopment #BuildYourLegacy #WomenWhoBuild #DeveloperForFee #GenerationalWealth #LegacyBuilders #RealEstateEducation #TheKimGroup #HoranConstruction #JohnArnholtJr #SusanArnholt

🎙 REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER DISCUSSIONS WITH KATIE KIM 🎙
EPISODE 0: BUILD WHAT THEY SAID YOU COULDN’T

If you think real estate development is just numbers and blueprints, think again.

Episode 0 of Real Estate Developer Discussions with Katie Kim isn’t just a launch—it’s an invitation into the room! Katie Kim strips the fluff and shares the real story: growing up on job sites, climbing the corporate ladder, walking away, and building a business that’s closed $170M+ in deals to date —and changed communities in the process – from launching The Kim Group, The Real Estate Development Academy, The Development Collective and now this podcast.

She lays out the Developer’s Five—the hard questions every developer has to face—and answers them herself: the deal that almost broke her during COVID, the moments faith mattered more than spreadsheets, and the non-negotiables she uses now to protect her legacy.

Katie Kim's unfiltered origin story - from pouring concrete with her dad to rewriting the rules of real estate. This is where underdogs become builders - developers!

🎧 If you’ve been sitting on the sidelines, here’s your sign: you don’t need permission. You need your first step. Write your own permission slip. Let’s Go!

⏱ TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – Welcome to the table: why this podcast is different
01:13 – From job sites to boardrooms: my origin story
02:52 – Leaving corporate, finding fulfillment
04:50 – Why small business owners need real estate strategy
05:38 – Building the Developer for Fee model & the Academy
07:43 – The Developer’s Five: the questions I’ll ask every guest
08:38 – The deal that almost broke me
10:59 – Lessons learned & risk mitigation
12:33 – Leaning on faith and gut instinct
15:00 – Protecting yourself & your legacy
19:22 – Who needs to hear this story
21:13 – Development is like a coloring sheet
23:37 – The mission for this podcast & what’s next
24:37 – An invitation: be a guest, share your scar
25:03 – No permission slip needed—your time is now

#TheKatieKim #KatieKim #TheDevelopersDeveloper #BuildYourLegacy #RealEstateDevelopment #WomenWhoBuild #DeveloperForFee #FaithDriven #RealEstateEducation #PermissionSlipsAreDead #BuildWhatTheySaidYouCouldnt #BelieveInYourself #NoPermissionSlipsNeeded #LetsGo