Her Incredible Journey—From Homeless Waitress to Land Developer

Britnie Turner is an International real estate investor, developer and humanitarian. In 2016, Forbes recognized her company, Aerial Development Group, as the sixth fastest-growing woman-owned company in the world. As a young girl, she had an experience that she could only describe as being from God.

Britnie recalls, "I was sitting at youth group, not really even paying attention, and God, just showed me this vision of doing this work in Africa. And so, I worked five jobs at a time from 13 on, so I could save and go on these mission trips every single year."

It's always been important to Britnie to be faithful in tithing and giving.

Britnie says, "The best download God's ever given me is to give first. I always gave to things I wanted to expand in my life. When I was very passionate about helping orphanages, I gave to orphanages."

To create wealth to finance what she referred to as her "holy ambition", Britnie started studying real estate every hour she wasn't waiting tables.

Britnie explains, "I bought a house at 18 and desired to learn how to flip houses so I could have cash flow and live in Africa and build my own orphanages."

In 2007, she bought a fixer-upper and rented out the spare rooms for income. Two years later, Britnie remembers one 9-hour waitressing shift when she was short $350 to cover her mortgage. So far, she had only made seven dollars in tips.

Britnie remembers, "And I threw my hands up at God, and I said, 'God, why am I here?' And I heard Him say loud and clear, 'Because I want to bless you.' And I was like, 'Really? Really!'"

She ended up waiting on a group of real estate investors that invited her to their seminar. Britnie ultimately negotiated a job with one of the speakers. She quickly packed up, rented her house, and moved to Nashville. That was 2009, and the real estate market was still reeling from the 2008 housing crisis.

Britnie recalls, "In less than two months, they're like, 'Yeah, we don't need this position anymore. Real estate is doing really bad.'"

Worse yet, the first month's rent check from the new tenants bounced.

Britnie exclaimed, "And I've got a mortgage payment, and I've got to evict these guys, and so I did the only logical thing, which was to move into my car." 

She looked for reliable renters to move into her property back home while, for nine months, she lived in her car.

Britnie remembers, "I felt pretty abandoned when I was living in my car and working for free, trying to learn the business. And many times throughout my journey, I thought God had left me. The biggest lie I ever had to face was this constant worry that I was off track because I was hitting obstacles."

After finding reliable tenets, she took an unpaid gig with another investment group. There Britnie learned every aspect of the real estate development business.

Britnie states, "I was able to eat by getting my real estate agent license and finding properties for them. No matter what's going on in your life, you still have to give first, and that's why tithing works so well. It's literally proving that you believe you have more than enough to where you can show the action of giving as a result of your faith."

With that experience, Britnie launched her own company. 

Britnie says, "But after a year of almost everything that could possibly go wrong and went wrong, I became the biggest rehabber in Nashville." 

Next, her company revitalized downtown neighbourhoods by removing blighted and burned-out properties and building homes.  

Britnie says, "I had no idea that God was teaching me how to take the most broken places -- where there's no job, no opportunity, there's high crime, and make them thriving economies. And then, over the next year, I became one of the biggest urban developers in Nashville."

Above her personal tithe, Britnie's company sponsored an orphan in Africa for a year for every home that sold in the new homeowner's name. With her success in urban renewal in Nashville, now she was able to focus her attention on a special project in Africa.

Britnie reports, "We're building an orphanage! We picked this area because parents were selling their 2-year-old little boys and little girls for $25."

Now over 600 hundred children have been sponsored through Britnie's humanitarian work. Her husband, Jeremy, a Green Beret Veteran, also shares Britnie's compassion for others, whether rebuilding a remote school ravaged by a flood or delivering emergency supplies during a volcanic eruption.  

Jeremey reports, "As we were coming out here on the boat, we saw another gigantic eruption. Us being X-Military, we come in to map out what sort of infrastructure been affected and what sort of items are needed." 

Britnie's newest business venture is a Caribbean resort in the British Virgin Islands. 

Britnie states, "The success that I have experienced has been 100% tied to giving. So, as you grow, again, like your tithing, you're giving grows with it. And the more resources you have, the more God can use you to be His hands and feet."