DiscoverWealthTalk - money, wealth and personal finance.Creating Community and Cashflow: The Story Behind Girls in Property with Athena Dobson
Creating Community and Cashflow: The Story Behind Girls in Property with Athena Dobson

Creating Community and Cashflow: The Story Behind Girls in Property with Athena Dobson

Update: 2025-11-19
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Key Topics Covered:

1. From Furlough to Property Freedom

  • How COVID and furlough ended Athena’s high‑performing travel career overnight.
  • Using that pause to ask, “Is this the life I want for the next 5–10 years?”
  • Buying her first flat in Bournemouth, getting the numbers wrong, and why she still calls it her “baby” and best teacher.

2. Rent‑to‑Rent, Burnout and Pivoting Strategy

  • Moving into rent‑to‑rent HMOs and serviced accommodation to generate cashflow.
  • The reality of late‑night calls, guest issues and stress – including the Sunday night window incident.
  • Handing back all rent‑to‑rent properties and feeling as free returning the keys as when she first got them.
  • Pivoting to simpler, long‑term strategies: buy‑to‑lets and buy–refurbish–refinance, with flips and land development as future options.

3. Building Girls in Property: Community, Recurring Income and Support

  • Walking into a networking room of 45 people with only three women and thinking, “That’s a shame.”
  • Finding no UK‑based female property networks or podcasts, then launching Girls in Property in 2023.
  • Growing from a passion project that made no money for over a year into:
  1. A sponsored weekly podcast.
  2. A £30/month online membership (two live calls a month: “prosperity” and property strategy).
  3. A national community hosted on Circle, plus summer/winter parties and an annual training event.
  • How Girls in Property now replaces and exceeds her old salary as a recurring revenue stream.

4. Education, Strategy Choice and Market Opportunities

  • “Don’t rush to buy a course”: only invest if you can implement from day one.
  • Use free education first (podcasts, YouTube, books) and do due diligence on paid training.
  • Choosing strategy based on four resources: knowledge, money, time, energy – plus personality and end goal.
  • Example of a mentee who came for rent‑to‑rent but was better suited to partnering with an investor on flips.
  • Why today’s market, with older landlords exiting, offers opportunities if you talk to people and build relationships with agents.

5. Health, Wealth and Your Own Version of Success

  • Athena’s view of financial freedom as choice – the ability to respond to life, travel and allocate time where it matters.
  • Burning out twice and realising “health is wealth” – long‑term wealth is pointless if you destroy yourself getting there.
  • Her guiding question: “What does your version of success look like – and who’s standing next to you on that hill?”
  • Current focus: simplifying businesses, building cashflow and wealth, and aiming to be retired by 50 with businesses that don’t rely on her daily presence.

Actionable Takeaways:

  • Assess your knowledge, money, time and energy before choosing a strategy.
  • Use free education first; only buy courses you’re ready to implement immediately.
  • Document your journey from day one to build trust with future investors and partners.
  • Avoid shiny penny syndrome – simplify down to strategies that fit you and your goals.
  • Protect your health and pace yourself; wealth building is a long‑term game.

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Creating Community and Cashflow: The Story Behind Girls in Property with Athena Dobson

Creating Community and Cashflow: The Story Behind Girls in Property with Athena Dobson

Athena Dobson, Kevin Whelan, Chris Rodwell