Today we’d like to introduce you to Isabel Alcántara
Hi Isabel, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My father migrated from Cuba to Miami in the 1960s and joined the U.S. Air Force when he was merely 16-years-old. He was later stationed in Berlin, Germany where he met my mother. When I was still a small child, we moved to the U.S. and I would visit my extended family in Miami from time to time through the years. After completing my undergraduate studies, I moved to Madrid, Spain where I taught English to elementary and middle school students. I was commended for the improvement in my students’ testing scores in their English classes, as compared to their scores prior to my arrival at the school. I also attended NYU Madrid to obtain a Masters degree in Literary and Cultural Studies of Spain and Latin America. I obtained a second Masters degree from the Universidad de Alcalá de Henares in Madrid in Bilingual and Multicultural Education. Later, I attended law school at St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens and subsequently obtained my real estate licensure in Florida and Virginia. I am a LL.M. candidate in Banking and Financial Regulation with a concentration in securities law at Boston University online. I have worked in both the private and public sector in various capacities. As the Founder and Principal Attorney at Alcantara Law, LLC, I focus primarily on investment adviser registration and compliance and foreign investor visas. As a bilingual Realtor (English/Spanish), I primarily serve foreign investors searching for residential or commercial properties. By belonging to two brokerages–KW Capital Realty in Coral Gables, FL & KW Metro Center in Arlington, VA–I leverage an extensive international network of incredible Realtors and service providers to provide the most value to my clients. As my business grows, maintaining the small-business customer experience will always be my goal.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The journey of life has not excused me from facing adversity. Over the last year, I have been intentionally changing the way I look at setbacks. I still allow myself to feel disappointed when the initial problem shows its face, but once I am past that, I reflect on the problem and identify how to pivot from there. People often say, “when one door closes, another opens,” but I believe that even from the closed door itself, new ideas can emerge. There is no need to wait for another door to open when you adopt this perspective.
Professionally speaking I have been very fortunate because my businesses have steadily grown with time. When I was launching my companies, I had the same worries that most business owners have. I wondered whether I would continue to generate income on an ongoing basis. Some people around me also contributed to my fear by making statements like, “Most small businesses fail within two years.” I don’t experience those thoughts and worries anymore because I am confident that for as long as I am healthy and able, I will hit the ground running.
Had it not been for the profound influence and support of my family, my husband, friends, and mentors, my life thus far would have been marked by far greater turbulence. Without their insightful counsel, my life might have taken an entirely different direction. I am also very thankful for the fact that I can be an attorney, a Realtor, and a business owner as a woman here in the U.S.. It really was not that long ago that it would have been unheard of.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about (See below)?
Alcantara Law, LLC provides registration and compliance services to investment advisers registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Exempt Reporting Advisers. We provide a range of services relevant to financial advisors, such as SEC exam support, compliance policy drafting, annual updating amendments, other-than-annual amendments, and investment management agreement revision. Generally speaking, these services are available to financial advisors globally because the SEC allows financial advisors based abroad to register with the SEC as a Non-U.S. adviser. I draft private fund documents for funds meeting exemptions from the Investment Company Act of 1940. Alcantara Law provides comprehensive E-2 and EB-5 visa services. Alcantara Law, LLC also provides USCIS audit compliance services to EB-5 Regional Centers.
Severin, LLC provides registration and compliance services to investment advisers that are not eligible for registration with the SEC. Instead, Severin serves advisers that are eligible for registration with their State Securities Division. We serve advisers based in any State or U.S. territory.
I also serve clients looking to buy or sell residential and commercial property in any state and across the globe. As a Realtor with Keller Williams, I leverage an extensive international network of Realtors and service providers. At the end of 2022, KW was home to 174,019 agents in the United States and Canada and 17,858 agents operating outside of the United States and Canada, for a total of 191,877 agents worldwide.
United States and Canada (production in full year 2022)
As of Dec. 31, KW agents closed more than 1.1 million transactions.
KW agents closed $472.9 billion in sales volume.
Keller Williams Worldwide (KWW) (production outside U.S. and Canada in 2022)
KWW agents closed 77.8 thousand transactions in 2022.
KWW agents closed $15.7 billion in sales volume in 2022.
Outside of the U.S. and Canada, KWW’s regions include: Albania; Argentina; Aruba; Belgium; Belize; Bermuda; Bolivia; Bonaire; Cambodia; Chile; Colombia; Costa Rica; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Dominican Republic; Dubai, UAE; France; Germany; Greece; Guyana; Honduras; Indonesia; Ireland; Israel; Italy; Jamaica; Japan; Luxembourg; Malaysia; Mexico; Monaco; Mongolia; Nicaragua; Northern Cyprus; Panama; Paraguay; Peru; Philippines; Poland; Portugal; Puerto Rico; Romania; São Paulo, Brazil; Saudi Arabia; Serbia; Sint Maarten; Slovenia; Southern Africa; Spain; Suriname; Switzerland; Thailand; Turkey; Turks and Caicos; United Kingdom; Uruguay; and Vietnam.
I am specifically licensed in Florida and Virginia (USA), but I partner with other Realtors across the United States and in the countries listed above, depending on my clients’ searches. We also help investors buy or sell businesses.
Finally, I am bilingual (English and Spanish) and I am passionate about diversity and inclusion. I look forward to creating relationships with my clients and welcome people of all faiths, national origins, sexual orientations, gender identities, political opinions, and races, to consult with me.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
My grandfather on my mother’s side is from County Cork, Ireland and my mother celebrated our ties to Ireland. I suppose you could say I have the luck of the Irish on my side. I do believe in the principle of causality, meaning that no effect occurs without a prior cause that triggered it, but I think I embrace the idea that luck exists because it adds a whimsical element to causality.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.alcantara-law.com and www.severinglobal.com
- Instagram: Handles: @isabel_alcantara_realtor @alcantara_law_llc
Image Credits
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