By the age of 28, Raphael Vargas has done what few people ever do—he’s been able to retire his family off of his passive income. This incredible achievement has only been possible through his faith, determination, and adaptability. He has taken life’s hardships and turned them into lessons to grow from. And above all, he has remained humble, recognizing the value in everyone he interacts with.
Since the age of 11, Raphael worked a variety of jobs from car washes, to landscaping, and restaurants. Beyond building a strong work ethic, Raphael learned that every person in a company adds value, regardless of title. At age 20, he was working full time to support his mom while trying to make it in the music business. One day, while he was at work, a stranger started telling him about the success he has experienced flipping houses. Seeing Raphael’s immediate intrigue, the stranger offers to teach him everything he knows for $3,000. After receiving the money, the man disappears, and Raphael is left with a financial burden. However, the values he has built up over the years create in him a drive. Instead of allowing defeat to take over, Raphael is determined to take his understanding of this new opportunity and turn it into his reality. “I said I’ll do anything to learn, and he charged me $3,000 to learn, and he robbed me. [But] from there he gave me the idea. And I went to YouTube and studied,” he says.
To get back some of what he lost, Raphael sold everything he had. He sold all of his music equipment and his prized Spizzikes Jordans. From that moment forward, his focus shifted to learning how to break into the real estate industry. He devoured all the free resources he could find. He read books, listened to podcasts, watched YouTube videos, and read everything Google had to offer. Finally, he found a mentor who taught him to look to God for guidance and never deny the value of hard work. After 9 months of cold-calling, Raphael finally landed his first deal, making $30,000. Through more cold-calling and networking, he landed his second deal by the end of his first year.
Once Raphael got the support he needed, things started to move quickly for him. In three years, he generated over $1.5 million and decided it was time for a team. Raphael formed “Real Empire,” a place for him to not only work in real estate, but to offer a mentorship of his own. He says that if he had been able to take advantage of a program like his when he first started out, it would have made a huge difference. Raphael was dedicated to offering people a better beginning than what he had received from that stranger so many years before. “Creating
leaders is a passion of mine. That’s the reason I started. It takes real heart and clarity in public speaking to be a good teacher,” he says.
In 2019, Raphael’s friend approached him with a warning and an opportunity. As they watched the progression of the spread of COVID-19 throughout other parts of the world, the spread to the US was inevitable. Raphael’s friend, Dylan Baker, warned him about the potential negative impact it could have on the real estate market. Heeding Dylan’s warning, the two created a partnership in e-commerce. They took Dylan’s existing earnings in Amazon Automation of $5 million every two years to $10 million per year. Through “Real Ecom,” Raphael now teaches people the same principles he teaches in real estate to make them successful in Amazon Automation Stores. “Now we are able to help families have an online passive income business which is recession free and allows them to have comfort in any situation,” he says.
Raphael has learned that he can go into any business with the skills he has learned in real estate. All he needs is vision, determination, and faith. Even though he has experienced a life of trials, he has never forgotten that God saw him through everything. “I was able to do all of this and now inspire other people to find their own purpose in life through God,” he says.
You can follow Raphael on Instagram @realraphaelvargas.
