Two-time Emmy and three-time NAACP Image Award-winning television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Dr. Justin Lee, Sr.
Here’s a summary and analysis of the interview between Dr. Justin Lee, Sr. and Rushion McDonald on Money Making Conversations Masterclass, including its purpose, key takeaways, and notable quotes.
🎯 Purpose of the Interview
The interview aims to:
- Highlight Justin Lee’s journey from a young real estate agent to a multifaceted entrepreneur.
- Inspire listeners—especially from underserved communities—to pursue financial literacy, real estate ownership, and entrepreneurship.
- Share actionable insights on building wealth through real estate, construction, and strategic partnerships.
🔑 Key Takeaways 1. Overcoming Age Barriers in Real Estate
- Justin entered real estate at 24 and embraced being the youngest in the room.
- He used his youth and tech-savviness (e.g., TikTok, Instagram) to bring value to veteran professionals.
“I started to network more in rooms that had more experienced people… let me break some of this new millennial technology into your business.”
2. Education and Credentials
- In three years, Justin became a licensed broker and earned a doctorate.
- He emphasizes continuous learning and certifications as keys to growth.
“I also finished my doctorate degree, so I'm now Doctor Justin Lee.”
3. Social Media as a Business Tool
- He leveraged platforms like TikTok (90K followers) to market real estate and educate clients.
- He stresses that online presence must reflect professionalism.
“Some people look better online than in person for a reason… make your business look the same way online.”
4. Addressing Homeownership Gaps in Communities of Color
- Justin discusses systemic barriers like lack of financial literacy and credit education.
- He offers free resources like Motivational Mondays and a podcast to educate aspiring homeowners.
“Most of the time, our parents… would say, ‘Don’t use no credit card.’ Great advice, but kind of bad advice at the same time.”
5. Real Estate Syndication & Group Investing
- He formed a private investment fund with fraternity brothers and family to buy properties collectively.
- Focused on affordable markets like New Orleans East for high ROI.
“Let’s develop a fund… Now we own over 150 apartment complexes and units.”
6. Amazon DSP Partnership
- Justin owns an Amazon Delivery Service Partner business with 42 trucks and 200+ employees.
- He recommends minorities apply for the program, which offers a \$10K grant.
“They want someone who is willing to commit… not someone who has all this business experience.”
7. Construction Ventures
- Inspired by his mother’s post-Katrina property acquisitions, Justin entered construction.
- He now leads major commercial projects including schools, restaurants, and celebrity studios.
“We ended up building out a restaurant… 10,000 square foot… I love this. This is my passion.”
8. Family Legacy & Early Exposure
- Raised in New Orleans by a single mother and grandparents, Justin learned property management as a child.
- His mother’s real estate investments post-Katrina laid the foundation for his career.
“I knew how to write a lease at ten… file eviction at 12… manage property before high school.”
🗣️ Notable Quotes
- “If you don’t plan, you plan to fail.”
- “Let’s teach you to do it right. Let’s do it together.”
- “Knowledge was power… the one thing nobody can take.”
- “You learn a skill, you’ll eat forever.”
#STRAW
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Welcome to the show. I am Rashwan McDonald, the host
of Money Making Conversations Masterclass, where we encourage people to
stop reading other people's success stories and.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Start planning their own.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
Listen up as I interview entrepreneurs from around the country,
talk to celebrities and ask them how they are running
their companies, and speak with NOD profits who are making a.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Difference in their local communities.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Now, sit back and listen as we unlock the secrets
to their success on Money Making Conversations Masterclass. Hi, I
am Rashan McDonald. I host this weekly money Making Conversation
Master Class show.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
The interviews and information that.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
This show provides offer everyone It's time to stop reading
other people's success stories and start living your own. My
next guest is not just constructing buildings. He's traded a legacy.
Whether you're I in a real estate deal a groundbreaking
construction project, this member of the million dollar Club in
real estate is your go to guy for guidance and
unmatched service. Taylor just for you, Please, Welcome to Money
(01:05):
Making Conversation Master Class. Justin Lee Senor how you doing,
sir man, I'm amazing, blessed?
Speaker 2 (01:10):
How they feel?
Speaker 1 (01:11):
How about yourself. Well, it's been about three years since
I talked to you justin and when I talk to you,
I mentioned the fact that you was in a real
estate business and you were young, and being a young
person talking to people generally maybe twice as older than you,
maybe feel that a young person what does he know
about home ownership? Tell the people of being a guy
(01:32):
over the last three years. Now you do a twenty four.
I believe when I met you, now you're twenty seven.
Talk about the experience being a person who didn't allow
age to stop them from being successful in real estate.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
I think that you know, going into rooms often when
you're the youngest in the ring, that kind of makes
you a little uncomfortable, but also makes the other people
around you a little uncomfortable. So what I did was
learn to embrace down comfort and make you one of
my biggest strengths. So I started to network more in
rooms that had more experienced people, and I said, Hey,
instead of y'all standing over there and I'm standing over here,
(02:06):
let's work together. I need to learn something from you
and let me break some of this new millennial technology
to your business as well.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
So developed a lot of.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
Great relationships branched off into commercial real estate, which was
an amazing experience as well. It also led me back
to school, so I became a real estate broker. Now
in the last three years, I have my own brokerage.
I also finished my doctorate degree, so I'm now Doctor
Justin Lee, which is also an amazing the commie graduation.
(02:34):
Thank you, I appreciate that, man. So it's been amazing.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
I'll say.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Using the youth for my advantage and continue to grow
and develop over the last couple of years has been amazing.
But I said, I think the most thing I did
in the last few years was go back, learn more
and kind of owning on getting those certifications of education
in those key areas that I wanted to develop and growing. Now, okay,
you say you're a blending young guy. What did you
bring to the table that would enhance veteran person of
(03:01):
the real estate game?
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Two words? Social media.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
So that's something that most people don't know about.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
Do you have a TikTok? Absolutely? I Dodos the United
use it though. Absolutely. If I'm my baky, that's why
I use my TikTok for well, you're different.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
You are one of the rare people from your generation
that know how to use TikTok, Instagram, threads and so.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
On and so forth.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
So when I realized that we're going it to lead
where everything is online. You know, some people look better
online than in person for a reason, So you have
to make your business look the same way online, you know.
So I started to develop with older developers, older real
estate companies and brokers that they're not ever sold some
presence in the presence businessmen.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
We were charged to be honest.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
People on their phone more than anything. Yeah, that's true
because ninety percent of the people who use social media
are using their phone, which means that that's a generation
that's usually for more than just taking pictures of food
or getting direction of GPS. Is a lifestyle and also
social media is a Some people say they are addicted
to social media, but we're in a real estate game.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
You know.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
In the African American community of community of color usually
are left behind. We are usually renters. Why is that
justin I think that it just comes from socioeconomical knowledge, right.
So typically in European aging other cultures, they are taught
(04:34):
financial literacy within their own your tough financial literacy within
their house, Whereas when it comes to African American people,
I think that we often have to figure it out.
And when it comes to being able to purchase real estate,
the most important thing is going to be credit. Most
of the time, our parentsing and articles and our teams
and say I don't use.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
No credit card.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
You don't want to know debt, right, They'll they'll they'll
give us that advice, which is great at but kind
of bad advice at the same time when you're trying
to actually grow, because it's a difference between bad debt
and good debt.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
Real estate is always going to be good debt.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
Bad debt is the Mason's card, the Amazon call when
you just buying everything. But it comes really from that
foundation of knowledge.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
I know so.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
Many people that have worked the job as a janitor,
a school bus driver, a teacher, secretary of I Burier
thirty years, never missed the day on holiday, but don't
own a rent because they're scared and they don't know what.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
It takes to rent and versus purchase.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
And most of the times that they ring is more
hard than purchase, and they want three times to amount
of money they're rent when and purchase and it's not
even the same right now. So that's the fear we
look at. You know, they are known. How do you educate?
Do you have courses available to people that they can
reach out to you that can educate them and show
them the value of ownership or home ownership.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
So ultimately on Mondays every Monday, I do a lot.
It's called Motivational Monday. Do it at seven o'clock Eastern
Standard time on my Instagram. Jamie the Realtor on that
I allow what to call it chew in a where
allow people to come in and ask questions about whatever
it is that they want to know when it comes
to real estate investing and where to start. I think
that that's always resourceful. I think that another place that
(06:17):
people can look for is going to always be their.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
Local home buyer Associating.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
I also have a podcast that I have that released
every Thursday that we talk about these topics of business growth, credit, taxes,
financial literacy, and so on and so forth. So we
always give out, you know, the information to the community
to help them to develop and grow, and you know,
in any questions that they have, we're always open ascent
no matter where they are located in the nation. The
information is society pretty much. Okay, let's just go through
(06:46):
some steps here, doctor Lee. When we talk about real estate,
if someone comes to you, what is the process? Do
you get them clear for a long pride to you
taking them I was looking for a home? Or how
does that process work? That's an amazing question.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
See, it just depends.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Right if I see someone and I can kind of
have a quick conversation with you and say, hey, you know,
what is your credit score? What is your income before taxes?
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Did you file taxes after?
Speaker 1 (07:17):
I know those three essential questions that tell me if
you're approvable today or if you're approvable in the future.
But either way, I'm going to take you to see houses.
And the reason I do that is just because you're
not a provable today doesn't mean you can't go get
a job that is your salary job baby, or work
these amount of hours or fix this credit score. But
I want to show you what's possible and say, hey,
this house is worth two hundred K, this is an
(07:40):
eight year hod more if you're paying twenty two hundred
for a seven hundred square feet apartment, this is what's
out here. So we try to motivate them. So that's
always the first step. It's going to be an onboarding
call where we discussed, like I said, your credit score,
your did you file taxes, and do you have income?
The most important thing is going to be income documented income,
and that's either through a job or through taxing signs
(08:02):
as entrepreneurs. Sawing that you made money the last two
consecutive years. Credit scores a little bit more flexible, and
there's ways to increase your credit square. We can actually
help you all with. But once we do that, we
connect you with the lender that album. Step two, the
lender would go through the same thing that I just asked,
but more in depth. They want to know your job,
your social your birthday, employment history, so on and so forth.
(08:25):
Then they say, okay, justin yourope two for three hundred thousand.
Here's a letter, go buy whatever you want. And then
from there we go out see the house that you like,
negotiate with the sellers on your then within thirty to
twenty five days going on the contract, you will be
moving it to your new house too.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
I was speaking that doctor justin Lee.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
Three years ago, I interviewed this young man who was
twenty four years old in the real estate game. His
legacy because he learned from the family on how they
understand HPCU Guy Warehouse that he's a doctor. That's what
I call him, Doctor Lee. He's a single father, three
year old child. Importantly, he's in the game of real estate,
(09:02):
which we know is dominated.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
By white people.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
It's gonna be real because you said that in your
first interview, and you said it was important that you
step over each other side of the lay. How is
the real estate industry three years ago as it is
today for you?
Speaker 2 (09:18):
So Mike Ferre has been at full three sixty. I
think it's a three sixty because three years ago I
was newer to the industry. I was learning from.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
It's a lot of YouTube, and I decided to say,
you know what the best experience is time and learning.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
So I went out.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
It starts to do deals. And as I got into
the industry, I realized that it is not as hard
as we think. The industry was dominated back then, and
primarily it is dominated by white men europeonns on and
so forth, and foreigners. To be honest, because they have
learned to have a unified front. See what's going on
in the industry, and it's the same thing going on now.
(09:54):
They're pulling together what you call syndications and say I
make ten thousand, you got ten thousand, you got forty thousand,
Let's pull it together. Let's go buy an apartment complex.
They're then purchasing properties together and growing wealth together at
a quicker pace. So what I did in the last
couple of years was I went back to my line brothers,
my chapter brothers, my more House brothers, friends and family
(10:15):
and saying, hey, let's develop a fund, a private fund,
not public that anyone can just jump into, but a
family fund if you will, to invest in and acquire properties.
And since then we'll crowd over one hundred and fifty
apartment complexes and units, commercial real estates, on and so forth.
And it really was no different than what I was
doing back then, except I was taking I would wait
(10:36):
and try to say thirty thousand and forty thousand, versus
connecting with everyone that might have ten and ten and
going to the table together. And when I really learned
that it's really strengthening these groups, these really investment trust
their groups. It's not one person, there's groups of individuals.
It has shown me how far we can go on
how fast we can go? But together. Wow, that's a
(10:58):
very powerful statement because of the fact that getting people
to understand the value of poorly money versus standing it
out there?
Speaker 2 (11:06):
How did they come together and did it?
Speaker 1 (11:09):
And everybody, when you start talking money, you have dollars,
you have people who don't trust. How were you able
to pull it together to get a group of people
even though you knew them, to pull their money and
get into real estate game. Because somebody out there should
be hearing this very intently, because it can be used
in other models around the country.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
So what I was able to do really was I
went out and did the full work and said, Okay,
these are some properties and areas that I identified that
we can develop and grow in. I targeted New Orleans,
where I'm from. I targeted the New Orleans East more specifically,
which is one of the more dangerous parts of town.
Will run down, but to me, that means opportunity because
(11:50):
what's already down, let's go back up at some point.
So I connected with people and showed them the numbers.
I said, okay, even though I reside in Atlanta, the
numbers in Atlanta for four plex is about four hundred
and five hundred K, and New Orleans the same four plex, it's.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
Like one hundred k.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
But the rent numbers balance out because if it's fifteen
hundred in Atlanta for a three bedroom and it's three
thousand in Atlanta for a three bedroom, it's the same numbers.
You're paying five hundred versus one hundred. So why not
get into the game with the lower start to make
the same amount of profit. The numbers are bigger, but
the profit margins are the same. If that makes sense,
(12:28):
So let's go where we can get in, where we
can actually afford. We don't got to be here as
it's cool. Let's go where it makes sense, right right,
Because with bit I have a math degree. That number
made a lot of sense to me. Okay, very fast,
because sometimes we get caught up in the big numbers.
You know. It's like I remember when I was offered
an opportunity to get a franchised, like a franchise like
(12:48):
a Burger King or like a McDonald's. And then it's
not the only one of them, it's owing multiple that
you really generate the revenue you might own one. This
is just a fact might want enfranchised. It might just
pay you profit wise fifteen thousand dollars a month. You go, wow,
fifty thousand, I expected to make more money. Well, how
(13:08):
about getting three of those? Then you hit forty five
thousand dollars a month, then you multi a lot of
that time is twelve and you over a half million dollars.
So that's two with five hundred thousand dollars. Then it
was five hundred five hundred million dollars.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
Don't you tell it right?
Speaker 1 (13:25):
You're five hundred thousand dollars. And so I just said
I was a math guy with a math degree. And
so that's that's scary. And so that's why you are
able to be able to live better when you understand
how the numbers build out. Now, getting your friends involved,
was it one?
Speaker 2 (13:39):
Was at two? Was it several of them?
Speaker 1 (13:41):
And when you get started, get more and want to
jump in.
Speaker 3 (13:44):
Please don't go anywhere. We'll be right back with more
Money Making Conversations master Class. Welcome back to the Money
Making Conversations master Class hosted by Sean McDonald. Money Making
Conversations Masterclass continues online at Moneymakingconversations dot com and follow
(14:07):
money Making Conversations Masterclass on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
Absolutely, man. So initially I started off.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
It was my brother and I and a couple of
our cousins, right, and we all pooled together. You know,
I might have had ten, he had five, he had two,
he had one. He might have had the job that
we needed to personal guaranteed a loan, but you didn't
have CAD. One might have had a eight hundred credit
score with no cash either. We pulled together and use
the strengths of each other to purchase.
Speaker 2 (14:38):
And the way we.
Speaker 1 (14:40):
Really secure each other was that we formed a LLC
and the LLC took title to the property.
Speaker 2 (14:46):
So at that point, we had an operating agreement.
Speaker 1 (14:49):
That we all drafted that said, okay, each of us
own x percentage of this business, so based upon our
respective percentages, we will receive x min out returned. And
that's how we did it. We all have faith in
each other. We knew that, hey, if this don't work out,
we could sue each other. We already ain't got nothing anyway,
so we gotta make this work. That's what we got,
(15:11):
you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
So we made it work. And man, it's been growing.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
So many people come to us and say, hey, we
will have this amount of money for you can't INVESTI
can't do it, can't do it. And our response says, hey,
we don't want to do it for you because we're
crippling you. Let's teach you to do it. Let's do
it together. Well justin let me just talk about this.
I would call you the you know you triple header
when I met you. You know you just in real estate.
Now you're in the construction. Now you have a contract,
(15:38):
your griblear with Amazon. Let's chart your contractor gribboard Amazon.
Speaker 2 (15:43):
What is that?
Speaker 1 (15:44):
So that came about two years ago. I have what
you call an Amazon DSP. I'm a delivery service partner.
And what that means is those great Amazon bands that
come to your front door, that works seven days a week,
three hundred and sixty three days a year. Those are
owned by somebody. And I was blessed and fortunate to
be nominated to own a DESP from one of my
(16:07):
amazing brothers Morehouse Brothers, Fraternity brother super Bowl Chap Vermon Hairwood.
He owns one as well. Out in Cincinnati. I learned
about opportunity. I said, man, you're crazy. I'm not delivering
no packaging.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
It's too out outside.
Speaker 1 (16:24):
He said. He said, Man, you're sure, He said, when
you see these numbers, you're gonna want to put your
vest on, your boots, hey, your hat if you're there
just crack of water.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
I said, you might be right, So I.
Speaker 1 (16:35):
Could be numbers mean sense anything. Amazon, surprisingly, they want
the average person. They want someone as willing to commit.
They don't want someone that has all this business experience,
this person that's super duper smart and hey, didn't want
the average person to develop and grow into these businesses
and make you ultimately financially free in a millionaire. So
(16:58):
I was blessed to go through the process. I launched
my business in September twenty twenty two. Since then, we
started off with five trucks, and as my work was
good and I continue to grow, we got to forty
two trucks today. Will be two years next month. It's
been an amazing experience to lead and learn from a
(17:20):
business like Amazon. It is a major powerhouse. Man, but
the way it runs is so efficient and smooth and
every day man only.
Speaker 2 (17:28):
Two days off per year, seven days a week.
Speaker 1 (17:31):
You know, it's.
Speaker 2 (17:33):
Impressive, man, of how it grows.
Speaker 1 (17:34):
But that actually taught me really how to be an
actual CEO. Because you've got w two employees, You've got
eightp payple, You've got four White King tuition reimbursement, health insurance,
life insurance.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
You know.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
So I have a team of about two hundred people
HR accounting, legal, you got a old nine, a lot
of compliance, you got dot regulations from the state. I mean,
it's just so much that goes into it, man. But
like I said, I'm so blessed a fortunate in the
precip of the opportunity. That opportunity actually allowed me to
jump start more financial investing because of the liquidity that
(18:09):
they created for me and my family.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
It's just been an amazing experience.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
Man. I highly recommend everybody to look at it. You
can find out more information about that if you type
in logistics dot Amazon dot com. It is free to apply.
They give you a grant for ten thousand dollars. If
you're a minority so African American people listen to me,
go out and apply. You will never go wrong with
the program. One hundred percent recommend it. You have nothing
to lose applying, so definitely go out of the fly.
(18:34):
So this is an opportunity they just have to put
forth their airfoot to apply.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
I'm gonna look at over it at my producers. Y'all
heard that, young man. They on the website right now,
because that's all I'm saying that. That's why I love
about you justin because of the fact that they are you.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
They see you, you're their age. But wealth can be
created at different levels. And that's why I always admire
my conversation with you, because that was saying, Okay, I
gotta be thirty to start thinking like this, I gotta
be farty, just start thinking like this because that was
instilled in you through your family. Tell us about your
background and your family before we get to the construction call.
Talk for sure. So, like I said, I'm from New Orleans.
(19:15):
I grew up really during the Katrina era. My mother
was a single mother. I was raised by my mother
and my grandparents. They were very old school. My grandmother
was born in thirty three. My grandfather was born in
twenty two, So that can kind of tell you how
old these people were. Military. My father, my grandfather, was
in the military. He didn't go to school, he didn't
(19:36):
go to college. You know, imagine to being born in
nineteen twenty two. He didn't really have opportunity to go
to college. He went to the military, but what he
did do was every day read the newspaper, wash the news,
stay abreast with everything going in the world, and made
sure that me as well as my brother was the
same way and his kids as well. So my mother
taught us very early on sometimes it's not what you know,
(19:58):
is who you know and to yourself in the right rooms.
Speaker 2 (20:02):
So I learned early that.
Speaker 1 (20:04):
Knowledge was power, and that that's the one thing that
nobody can take. They can take their house, they can
take your cars, they can take your clothes, but they
can't take their mind and what you know. So after
going through something like Katrina, it was such a traumatic
experience that I said, Okay, I want to learn more
about how I can be someone to help my people,
how to help my people grow developed. A lot of
my family were Section eight rentals, where I thought my
(20:25):
it house was her house because she'd been there my
whole life. But it ain't her house. It's a Jewish
man house. And when Katrina came, I got nothing. She
can no FEMA, no insurance, no no nothing. You know
what I'm saying. It's in a super dome. Scared for
all lightey because she has nothing to do. So I said, man,
I want to learn how to help my people. So
my mother was a very big pioneer in that. After Katrina,
(20:47):
she started to purchase city blocks of properties after the
Stone where people kind of was just letting them go
and held onto our portfolio. So when we got FEMA checks,
we still live like we was broke. But my mom
had so many properties that when she got her checks,
she didn't spend any money on anything but going.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
To acquire more properties. And these are the properties now
that we're still.
Speaker 1 (21:09):
Fixing and currently developing and grown to help out, and
they're all paid for. So she understood the fundamentals of that.
And I also admired my mother for her ability to
be present. My mother was present at everything. She had
no reason to not be worked for herself, so she
didn't have to miss events, miss awards, miss school parent
(21:31):
teacher congress, is football games's. She was there, but it
was because of real estate. She was able to be
there because of the income she made passively. So as
my brother and I grew up, we had to learn
how to paint, We had to learn how to lay floors,
how to linked tile, how to demo, so on and
so forth, because my mother said, look, I'm gonna teach
you all this game, and you're gonna learn this skill.
Speaker 2 (21:52):
You learn the skill, you'll eat forever.
Speaker 1 (21:54):
So I said, man, you're right, and we learned the
skills from her, and as we grew older and got
into the space, we were just beat. You know, I
knew how to write at least at ten, I was
collecting rick eleven years old. Twelve years old, you know,
following evictions, like I knew the whole process before I
even was in high school of how to manage property, develop, renovate, build,
(22:16):
blueprints everything. So it's just amazing to be able to
grow in that error. Wen. I appreciate you justin I
really do, man, not only from your knowledge, but if
your honesty and you willing to share success. In other words,
you're not afraid somebody else will contact that website and
they have a bigger truck.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
Line than you.
Speaker 1 (22:36):
It's about sharing information and that's what this show money
making conversation is all about. Now. Construction, now that was
something I didn't see your life, young man. You're out
there building homes. Tell me how did that part and
come into your life? I know, you talked about your
mom getting blocks y'all, learning how to lay tile and
all that stuff. But construction, that's a whole new game
(22:58):
that's definitely underserved in the black community.
Speaker 2 (23:02):
Man.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
So it really came to me by really faith. God
bought construction to me. It wasn't something I was looking for,
It wasn't something I.
Speaker 2 (23:09):
Really desired to do.
Speaker 1 (23:11):
I entered the market and started to do fix and
flips with my family, with my group of friends with
tiny brothers. As we've begun to do the business, I
realized that it was a heavily white industry ran. So
it's once again white man is running the construction industry.
And if it wasn't the white man, it was the Hispanic.
(23:31):
So I said, well, where are we at in this place?
And how do we make our footprint in this space. So,
after going through a couple of projects of being taken
advantage of because I understood construction from a work standpoint,
I didn't understand construction from a paperwork standpoint, I said, okay,
I'm going to immerse myself in this to understand what
a change order is. When you change your mind about
(23:54):
this floor and that floor. It come with a cost.
I didn't understand it. I thought, you put the floors
down on the floor, because that's why I had to do.
But the business side of it is what intrigued me.
So my partners and I all agreed that it would
make sense for me to go. So I said, Okay,
little cousin, you go get mortgage license. Brother, you go
get insurance licesn and other cousins getting property management license
(24:15):
and inspect the license. I'm gonna go get construction licensed.
So we all deployed and had to get our license
within a year.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
So you did the Lebron James model. That's the Lebron
James model.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
You know all these balls around here that you go
to college.
Speaker 2 (24:29):
You go to college, you go manage this agency, you
go manage my career. That's what he did. But that's
what we did marriage.
Speaker 1 (24:35):
We all went through and got our licenses, and everybody,
everybody made it to the finish line, no matter what
their background was or what they were doing. We waded
to the finish line, started to do this thing, started
to do construction, pick and flips, doing content, posting our
content online. Then, like I said, we got the license
to just do our ideals. Pull permits, you know, not
have to build a middleman.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
And now as we were.
Speaker 1 (24:58):
Posting, people started saying, hey, can you help me with
this and that? And we were like, we really don't
want to do it. We don't even how to price it.
We're doing it for us. But after a while, you know,
we said, you know, we'll take a leap of faith.
Speaker 2 (25:09):
We started doing it.
Speaker 1 (25:11):
We ended up building out a restaurant called New Orleans
Crild Cuisine downtown Atlanta. It was a ten thousand square
for a restaurant and took it from Michelle to full completion.
That said, man, I love this, this is what I
want to do. This is my passion. Doesn't feel like work.
And you know we've saind grown. So now we've done
a ton of ton of commercial products. Man, I've done
(25:31):
Chase Banks. I'm doing ten Atlanta public schools right now.
I'm doing the athletes for corporate head quarters here in Atlanta.
I've done Little Caesars, J James Fishing Wings. I work
with a ton of celebrities on houses and studios.
Speaker 2 (25:44):
And man, it's been amazing. It's been amazing. Hey man,
look at it, man, your realities show. Baby, We're gonout
to sit down.
Speaker 1 (25:51):
Man, I want to tell you the real reality to
show man, you and your little lord, your lord, it's
your son, right, you have a son or daughter? Yeah,
my little boy, little boy Justin. Do you now this
is great? Man, I'm gonna tell you something. Y'all do
me a favorite Justin. I've interviewed you twice.
Speaker 2 (26:07):
Remote.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
Hey, I want you to come in studio and sit
down with me in September. Man, I want to take some.
Speaker 2 (26:12):
Phone calls what you make because I'm gonna tell you
some Man.
Speaker 1 (26:15):
I'm blessed the fact that I know you're you're my
fraternity's brother, younger version of meat. But the hero stories,
they all are very simple. They're very simple. Man. You
don't complicate the process, and anybody who listens to it,
all they have to do is develop the plan because
the plans are all similar.
Speaker 2 (26:33):
But they have to be consistent. That's what your secret
to success is.
Speaker 1 (26:37):
Yeah. Literally, if you don't plan, your plan to fail.
So all you gotta do is stick to the plan. Again,
I want to thank my man, Justin, my young frat
brother making side fire. Are you know we're saying Fred,
let's go put it out there, making side fire out there.
You got Kamala Haron's out there talking about it, akas
you know what I'm saying. We got here doing the
Big Dog Country and my producers. His dad is a
(26:59):
make a man too, so you know it's cues right there.
They purposely gold.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
Hey, Justin, Man, thank you for taking the time.
Speaker 1 (27:04):
Man.
Speaker 2 (27:05):
We're gonna get this out here.
Speaker 1 (27:06):
Man. If you know anything, how can they get in
touch with we do? As we close out the show.
Speaker 2 (27:10):
Man, definitely appreciate the time. I love the love that
I get from you all.
Speaker 1 (27:15):
If anybody has any questions about anything that I can
help you with, from real estate to business. The easiest
way to access all of my different businesses, it's gonna
be my website www dot justin. That's j U s
t I n M. For Michael Lee, that's l e
e sr dot com. So j U s t I
n M l e e s R dot com. That
reads justinimly senior dot com. All of my links are there,
(27:39):
podcast interviews, content all free.
Speaker 2 (27:43):
Tap in there.
Speaker 1 (27:44):
Check out our upcomingy visit Atlanta area and around the nation.
Speaker 2 (27:47):
Man, thank you so much for the time.
Speaker 1 (27:49):
Man. I look forward to the interview in September and
coming in and really chopping out with you.
Speaker 3 (27:54):
Rick.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
Appreciate you man, Thank you for coming on Money Making
Conversations Masterclass.
Speaker 2 (27:58):
Doctor Just and leg send y'all.
Speaker 1 (28:03):
This has been another edition of Money Making Conversation Masterclass
posted by me Rushaun McDonald. Thank you to our guests
on the show today and thank you our listening to
the audience now. If you want to listen to any
episode I want to be a guest on the show,
visit Moneymakingconversations dot com. Our social media handle is money
Making Conversation. Join us next week and remember to always
(28:24):
leave with your gifts.
Speaker 2 (28:26):
Keep winning.
Welcome to the show. I am Rashwan McDonald, the host
of Money Making Conversations Masterclass, where we encourage people to
stop reading other people's success stories and.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Start planning their own.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
Listen up as I interview entrepreneurs from around the country,
talk to celebrities and ask them how they are running
their companies, and speak with NOD profits who are making a.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Difference in their local communities.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Now, sit back and listen as we unlock the secrets
to their success on Money Making Conversations Masterclass. Hi, I
am Rashan McDonald. I host this weekly money Making Conversation
Master Class show.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
The interviews and information that.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
This show provides offer everyone It's time to stop reading
other people's success stories and start living your own. My
next guest is not just constructing buildings. He's traded a legacy.
Whether you're I in a real estate deal a groundbreaking
construction project, this member of the million dollar Club in
real estate is your go to guy for guidance and
unmatched service. Taylor just for you, Please, Welcome to Money
(01:05):
Making Conversation Master Class. Justin Lee Senor how you doing,
sir man, I'm amazing, blessed?
Speaker 2 (01:10):
How they feel?
Speaker 1 (01:11):
How about yourself. Well, it's been about three years since
I talked to you justin and when I talk to you,
I mentioned the fact that you was in a real
estate business and you were young, and being a young
person talking to people generally maybe twice as older than you,
maybe feel that a young person what does he know
about home ownership? Tell the people of being a guy
(01:32):
over the last three years. Now you do a twenty four.
I believe when I met you, now you're twenty seven.
Talk about the experience being a person who didn't allow
age to stop them from being successful in real estate.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
I think that you know, going into rooms often when
you're the youngest in the ring, that kind of makes
you a little uncomfortable, but also makes the other people
around you a little uncomfortable. So what I did was
learn to embrace down comfort and make you one of
my biggest strengths. So I started to network more in
rooms that had more experienced people, and I said, Hey,
instead of y'all standing over there and I'm standing over here,
(02:06):
let's work together. I need to learn something from you
and let me break some of this new millennial technology
to your business as well.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
So developed a lot of.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
Great relationships branched off into commercial real estate, which was
an amazing experience as well. It also led me back
to school, so I became a real estate broker. Now
in the last three years, I have my own brokerage.
I also finished my doctorate degree, so I'm now Doctor
Justin Lee, which is also an amazing the commie graduation.
(02:34):
Thank you, I appreciate that, man. So it's been amazing.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
I'll say.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Using the youth for my advantage and continue to grow
and develop over the last couple of years has been amazing.
But I said, I think the most thing I did
in the last few years was go back, learn more
and kind of owning on getting those certifications of education
in those key areas that I wanted to develop and growing. Now, okay,
you say you're a blending young guy. What did you
bring to the table that would enhance veteran person of
(03:01):
the real estate game?
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Two words? Social media.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
So that's something that most people don't know about.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
Do you have a TikTok? Absolutely? I Dodos the United
use it though. Absolutely. If I'm my baky, that's why
I use my TikTok for well, you're different.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
You are one of the rare people from your generation
that know how to use TikTok, Instagram, threads and so.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
On and so forth.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
So when I realized that we're going it to lead
where everything is online. You know, some people look better
online than in person for a reason, So you have
to make your business look the same way online, you know.
So I started to develop with older developers, older real
estate companies and brokers that they're not ever sold some
presence in the presence businessmen.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
We were charged to be honest.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
People on their phone more than anything. Yeah, that's true
because ninety percent of the people who use social media
are using their phone, which means that that's a generation
that's usually for more than just taking pictures of food
or getting direction of GPS. Is a lifestyle and also
social media is a Some people say they are addicted
to social media, but we're in a real estate game.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
You know.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
In the African American community of community of color usually
are left behind. We are usually renters. Why is that
justin I think that it just comes from socioeconomical knowledge, right.
So typically in European aging other cultures, they are taught
(04:34):
financial literacy within their own your tough financial literacy within
their house, Whereas when it comes to African American people,
I think that we often have to figure it out.
And when it comes to being able to purchase real estate,
the most important thing is going to be credit. Most
of the time, our parentsing and articles and our teams
and say I don't use.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
No credit card.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
You don't want to know debt, right, They'll they'll they'll
give us that advice, which is great at but kind
of bad advice at the same time when you're trying
to actually grow, because it's a difference between bad debt
and good debt.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
Real estate is always going to be good debt.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
Bad debt is the Mason's card, the Amazon call when
you just buying everything. But it comes really from that
foundation of knowledge.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
I know so.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
Many people that have worked the job as a janitor,
a school bus driver, a teacher, secretary of I Burier
thirty years, never missed the day on holiday, but don't
own a rent because they're scared and they don't know what.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
It takes to rent and versus purchase.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
And most of the times that they ring is more
hard than purchase, and they want three times to amount
of money they're rent when and purchase and it's not
even the same right now. So that's the fear we
look at. You know, they are known. How do you educate?
Do you have courses available to people that they can
reach out to you that can educate them and show
them the value of ownership or home ownership.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
So ultimately on Mondays every Monday, I do a lot.
It's called Motivational Monday. Do it at seven o'clock Eastern
Standard time on my Instagram. Jamie the Realtor on that
I allow what to call it chew in a where
allow people to come in and ask questions about whatever
it is that they want to know when it comes
to real estate investing and where to start. I think
that that's always resourceful. I think that another place that
(06:17):
people can look for is going to always be their.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
Local home buyer Associating.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
I also have a podcast that I have that released
every Thursday that we talk about these topics of business growth, credit, taxes,
financial literacy, and so on and so forth. So we
always give out, you know, the information to the community
to help them to develop and grow, and you know,
in any questions that they have, we're always open ascent
no matter where they are located in the nation. The
information is society pretty much. Okay, let's just go through
(06:46):
some steps here, doctor Lee. When we talk about real estate,
if someone comes to you, what is the process? Do
you get them clear for a long pride to you
taking them I was looking for a home? Or how
does that process work? That's an amazing question.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
See, it just depends.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Right if I see someone and I can kind of
have a quick conversation with you and say, hey, you know,
what is your credit score? What is your income before taxes?
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Did you file taxes after?
Speaker 1 (07:17):
I know those three essential questions that tell me if
you're approvable today or if you're approvable in the future.
But either way, I'm going to take you to see houses.
And the reason I do that is just because you're
not a provable today doesn't mean you can't go get
a job that is your salary job baby, or work
these amount of hours or fix this credit score. But
I want to show you what's possible and say, hey,
this house is worth two hundred K, this is an
(07:40):
eight year hod more if you're paying twenty two hundred
for a seven hundred square feet apartment, this is what's
out here. So we try to motivate them. So that's
always the first step. It's going to be an onboarding
call where we discussed, like I said, your credit score,
your did you file taxes, and do you have income?
The most important thing is going to be income documented income,
and that's either through a job or through taxing signs
(08:02):
as entrepreneurs. Sawing that you made money the last two
consecutive years. Credit scores a little bit more flexible, and
there's ways to increase your credit square. We can actually
help you all with. But once we do that, we
connect you with the lender that album. Step two, the
lender would go through the same thing that I just asked,
but more in depth. They want to know your job,
your social your birthday, employment history, so on and so forth.
(08:25):
Then they say, okay, justin yourope two for three hundred thousand.
Here's a letter, go buy whatever you want. And then
from there we go out see the house that you like,
negotiate with the sellers on your then within thirty to
twenty five days going on the contract, you will be
moving it to your new house too.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
I was speaking that doctor justin Lee.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
Three years ago, I interviewed this young man who was
twenty four years old in the real estate game. His
legacy because he learned from the family on how they
understand HPCU Guy Warehouse that he's a doctor. That's what
I call him, Doctor Lee. He's a single father, three
year old child. Importantly, he's in the game of real estate,
(09:02):
which we know is dominated.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
By white people.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
It's gonna be real because you said that in your
first interview, and you said it was important that you
step over each other side of the lay. How is
the real estate industry three years ago as it is
today for you?
Speaker 2 (09:18):
So Mike Ferre has been at full three sixty. I
think it's a three sixty because three years ago I
was newer to the industry. I was learning from.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
It's a lot of YouTube, and I decided to say,
you know what the best experience is time and learning.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
So I went out.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
It starts to do deals. And as I got into
the industry, I realized that it is not as hard
as we think. The industry was dominated back then, and
primarily it is dominated by white men europeonns on and
so forth, and foreigners. To be honest, because they have
learned to have a unified front. See what's going on
in the industry, and it's the same thing going on now.
(09:54):
They're pulling together what you call syndications and say I
make ten thousand, you got ten thousand, you got forty thousand,
Let's pull it together. Let's go buy an apartment complex.
They're then purchasing properties together and growing wealth together at
a quicker pace. So what I did in the last
couple of years was I went back to my line brothers,
my chapter brothers, my more House brothers, friends and family
(10:15):
and saying, hey, let's develop a fund, a private fund,
not public that anyone can just jump into, but a
family fund if you will, to invest in and acquire properties.
And since then we'll crowd over one hundred and fifty
apartment complexes and units, commercial real estates, on and so forth.
And it really was no different than what I was
doing back then, except I was taking I would wait
(10:36):
and try to say thirty thousand and forty thousand, versus
connecting with everyone that might have ten and ten and
going to the table together. And when I really learned
that it's really strengthening these groups, these really investment trust
their groups. It's not one person, there's groups of individuals.
It has shown me how far we can go on
how fast we can go? But together. Wow, that's a
(10:58):
very powerful statement because of the fact that getting people
to understand the value of poorly money versus standing it
out there?
Speaker 2 (11:06):
How did they come together and did it?
Speaker 1 (11:09):
And everybody, when you start talking money, you have dollars,
you have people who don't trust. How were you able
to pull it together to get a group of people
even though you knew them, to pull their money and
get into real estate game. Because somebody out there should
be hearing this very intently, because it can be used
in other models around the country.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
So what I was able to do really was I
went out and did the full work and said, Okay,
these are some properties and areas that I identified that
we can develop and grow in. I targeted New Orleans,
where I'm from. I targeted the New Orleans East more specifically,
which is one of the more dangerous parts of town.
Will run down, but to me, that means opportunity because
(11:50):
what's already down, let's go back up at some point.
So I connected with people and showed them the numbers.
I said, okay, even though I reside in Atlanta, the
numbers in Atlanta for four plex is about four hundred
and five hundred K, and New Orleans the same four plex, it's.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
Like one hundred k.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
But the rent numbers balance out because if it's fifteen
hundred in Atlanta for a three bedroom and it's three
thousand in Atlanta for a three bedroom, it's the same numbers.
You're paying five hundred versus one hundred. So why not
get into the game with the lower start to make
the same amount of profit. The numbers are bigger, but
the profit margins are the same. If that makes sense,
(12:28):
So let's go where we can get in, where we
can actually afford. We don't got to be here as
it's cool. Let's go where it makes sense, right right,
Because with bit I have a math degree. That number
made a lot of sense to me. Okay, very fast,
because sometimes we get caught up in the big numbers.
You know. It's like I remember when I was offered
an opportunity to get a franchised, like a franchise like
(12:48):
a Burger King or like a McDonald's. And then it's
not the only one of them, it's owing multiple that
you really generate the revenue you might own one. This
is just a fact might want enfranchised. It might just
pay you profit wise fifteen thousand dollars a month. You go, wow,
fifty thousand, I expected to make more money. Well, how
(13:08):
about getting three of those? Then you hit forty five
thousand dollars a month, then you multi a lot of
that time is twelve and you over a half million dollars.
So that's two with five hundred thousand dollars. Then it
was five hundred five hundred million dollars.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
Don't you tell it right?
Speaker 1 (13:25):
You're five hundred thousand dollars. And so I just said
I was a math guy with a math degree. And
so that's that's scary. And so that's why you are
able to be able to live better when you understand
how the numbers build out. Now, getting your friends involved,
was it one?
Speaker 2 (13:39):
Was at two? Was it several of them?
Speaker 1 (13:41):
And when you get started, get more and want to
jump in.
Speaker 3 (13:44):
Please don't go anywhere. We'll be right back with more
Money Making Conversations master Class. Welcome back to the Money
Making Conversations master Class hosted by Sean McDonald. Money Making
Conversations Masterclass continues online at Moneymakingconversations dot com and follow
(14:07):
money Making Conversations Masterclass on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
Absolutely, man. So initially I started off.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
It was my brother and I and a couple of
our cousins, right, and we all pooled together. You know,
I might have had ten, he had five, he had two,
he had one. He might have had the job that
we needed to personal guaranteed a loan, but you didn't
have CAD. One might have had a eight hundred credit
score with no cash either. We pulled together and use
the strengths of each other to purchase.
Speaker 2 (14:38):
And the way we.
Speaker 1 (14:40):
Really secure each other was that we formed a LLC
and the LLC took title to the property.
Speaker 2 (14:46):
So at that point, we had an operating agreement.
Speaker 1 (14:49):
That we all drafted that said, okay, each of us
own x percentage of this business, so based upon our
respective percentages, we will receive x min out returned. And
that's how we did it. We all have faith in
each other. We knew that, hey, if this don't work out,
we could sue each other. We already ain't got nothing anyway,
so we gotta make this work. That's what we got,
(15:11):
you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
So we made it work. And man, it's been growing.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
So many people come to us and say, hey, we
will have this amount of money for you can't INVESTI
can't do it, can't do it. And our response says, hey,
we don't want to do it for you because we're
crippling you. Let's teach you to do it. Let's do
it together. Well justin let me just talk about this.
I would call you the you know you triple header
when I met you. You know you just in real estate.
Now you're in the construction. Now you have a contract,
(15:38):
your griblear with Amazon. Let's chart your contractor gribboard Amazon.
Speaker 2 (15:43):
What is that?
Speaker 1 (15:44):
So that came about two years ago. I have what
you call an Amazon DSP. I'm a delivery service partner.
And what that means is those great Amazon bands that
come to your front door, that works seven days a week,
three hundred and sixty three days a year. Those are
owned by somebody. And I was blessed and fortunate to
be nominated to own a DESP from one of my
(16:07):
amazing brothers Morehouse Brothers, Fraternity brother super Bowl Chap Vermon Hairwood.
He owns one as well. Out in Cincinnati. I learned
about opportunity. I said, man, you're crazy. I'm not delivering
no packaging.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
It's too out outside.
Speaker 1 (16:24):
He said. He said, Man, you're sure, He said, when
you see these numbers, you're gonna want to put your
vest on, your boots, hey, your hat if you're there
just crack of water.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
I said, you might be right, So I.
Speaker 1 (16:35):
Could be numbers mean sense anything. Amazon, surprisingly, they want
the average person. They want someone as willing to commit.
They don't want someone that has all this business experience,
this person that's super duper smart and hey, didn't want
the average person to develop and grow into these businesses
and make you ultimately financially free in a millionaire. So
(16:58):
I was blessed to go through the process. I launched
my business in September twenty twenty two. Since then, we
started off with five trucks, and as my work was
good and I continue to grow, we got to forty
two trucks today. Will be two years next month. It's
been an amazing experience to lead and learn from a
(17:20):
business like Amazon. It is a major powerhouse. Man, but
the way it runs is so efficient and smooth and
every day man only.
Speaker 2 (17:28):
Two days off per year, seven days a week.
Speaker 1 (17:31):
You know, it's.
Speaker 2 (17:33):
Impressive, man, of how it grows.
Speaker 1 (17:34):
But that actually taught me really how to be an
actual CEO. Because you've got w two employees, You've got
eightp payple, You've got four White King tuition reimbursement, health insurance,
life insurance.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
You know.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
So I have a team of about two hundred people
HR accounting, legal, you got a old nine, a lot
of compliance, you got dot regulations from the state. I mean,
it's just so much that goes into it, man. But
like I said, I'm so blessed a fortunate in the
precip of the opportunity. That opportunity actually allowed me to
jump start more financial investing because of the liquidity that
(18:09):
they created for me and my family.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
It's just been an amazing experience.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
Man. I highly recommend everybody to look at it. You
can find out more information about that if you type
in logistics dot Amazon dot com. It is free to apply.
They give you a grant for ten thousand dollars. If
you're a minority so African American people listen to me,
go out and apply. You will never go wrong with
the program. One hundred percent recommend it. You have nothing
to lose applying, so definitely go out of the fly.
(18:34):
So this is an opportunity they just have to put
forth their airfoot to apply.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
I'm gonna look at over it at my producers. Y'all
heard that, young man. They on the website right now,
because that's all I'm saying that. That's why I love
about you justin because of the fact that they are you.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
They see you, you're their age. But wealth can be
created at different levels. And that's why I always admire
my conversation with you, because that was saying, Okay, I
gotta be thirty to start thinking like this, I gotta
be farty, just start thinking like this because that was
instilled in you through your family. Tell us about your
background and your family before we get to the construction call.
Talk for sure. So, like I said, I'm from New Orleans.
(19:15):
I grew up really during the Katrina era. My mother
was a single mother. I was raised by my mother
and my grandparents. They were very old school. My grandmother
was born in thirty three. My grandfather was born in
twenty two, So that can kind of tell you how
old these people were. Military. My father, my grandfather, was
in the military. He didn't go to school, he didn't
(19:36):
go to college. You know, imagine to being born in
nineteen twenty two. He didn't really have opportunity to go
to college. He went to the military, but what he
did do was every day read the newspaper, wash the news,
stay abreast with everything going in the world, and made
sure that me as well as my brother was the
same way and his kids as well. So my mother
taught us very early on sometimes it's not what you know,
(19:58):
is who you know and to yourself in the right rooms.
Speaker 2 (20:02):
So I learned early that.
Speaker 1 (20:04):
Knowledge was power, and that that's the one thing that
nobody can take. They can take their house, they can
take your cars, they can take your clothes, but they
can't take their mind and what you know. So after
going through something like Katrina, it was such a traumatic
experience that I said, Okay, I want to learn more
about how I can be someone to help my people,
how to help my people grow developed. A lot of
my family were Section eight rentals, where I thought my
(20:25):
it house was her house because she'd been there my
whole life. But it ain't her house. It's a Jewish
man house. And when Katrina came, I got nothing. She
can no FEMA, no insurance, no no nothing. You know
what I'm saying. It's in a super dome. Scared for
all lightey because she has nothing to do. So I said, man,
I want to learn how to help my people. So
my mother was a very big pioneer in that. After Katrina,
(20:47):
she started to purchase city blocks of properties after the
Stone where people kind of was just letting them go
and held onto our portfolio. So when we got FEMA checks,
we still live like we was broke. But my mom
had so many properties that when she got her checks,
she didn't spend any money on anything but going.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
To acquire more properties. And these are the properties now
that we're still.
Speaker 1 (21:09):
Fixing and currently developing and grown to help out, and
they're all paid for. So she understood the fundamentals of that.
And I also admired my mother for her ability to
be present. My mother was present at everything. She had
no reason to not be worked for herself, so she
didn't have to miss events, miss awards, miss school parent
(21:31):
teacher congress, is football games's. She was there, but it
was because of real estate. She was able to be
there because of the income she made passively. So as
my brother and I grew up, we had to learn
how to paint, We had to learn how to lay floors,
how to linked tile, how to demo, so on and
so forth, because my mother said, look, I'm gonna teach
you all this game, and you're gonna learn this skill.
Speaker 2 (21:52):
You learn the skill, you'll eat forever.
Speaker 1 (21:54):
So I said, man, you're right, and we learned the
skills from her, and as we grew older and got
into the space, we were just beat. You know, I
knew how to write at least at ten, I was
collecting rick eleven years old. Twelve years old, you know,
following evictions, like I knew the whole process before I
even was in high school of how to manage property, develop, renovate, build,
(22:16):
blueprints everything. So it's just amazing to be able to
grow in that error. Wen. I appreciate you justin I
really do, man, not only from your knowledge, but if
your honesty and you willing to share success. In other words,
you're not afraid somebody else will contact that website and
they have a bigger truck.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
Line than you.
Speaker 1 (22:36):
It's about sharing information and that's what this show money
making conversation is all about. Now. Construction, now that was
something I didn't see your life, young man. You're out
there building homes. Tell me how did that part and
come into your life? I know, you talked about your
mom getting blocks y'all, learning how to lay tile and
all that stuff. But construction, that's a whole new game
(22:58):
that's definitely underserved in the black community.
Speaker 2 (23:02):
Man.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
So it really came to me by really faith. God
bought construction to me. It wasn't something I was looking for,
It wasn't something I.
Speaker 2 (23:09):
Really desired to do.
Speaker 1 (23:11):
I entered the market and started to do fix and
flips with my family, with my group of friends with
tiny brothers. As we've begun to do the business, I
realized that it was a heavily white industry ran. So
it's once again white man is running the construction industry.
And if it wasn't the white man, it was the Hispanic.
(23:31):
So I said, well, where are we at in this place?
And how do we make our footprint in this space. So,
after going through a couple of projects of being taken
advantage of because I understood construction from a work standpoint,
I didn't understand construction from a paperwork standpoint, I said, okay,
I'm going to immerse myself in this to understand what
a change order is. When you change your mind about
(23:54):
this floor and that floor. It come with a cost.
I didn't understand it. I thought, you put the floors
down on the floor, because that's why I had to do.
But the business side of it is what intrigued me.
So my partners and I all agreed that it would
make sense for me to go. So I said, Okay,
little cousin, you go get mortgage license. Brother, you go
get insurance licesn and other cousins getting property management license
(24:15):
and inspect the license. I'm gonna go get construction licensed.
So we all deployed and had to get our license
within a year.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
So you did the Lebron James model. That's the Lebron
James model.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
You know all these balls around here that you go
to college.
Speaker 2 (24:29):
You go to college, you go manage this agency, you
go manage my career. That's what he did. But that's
what we did marriage.
Speaker 1 (24:35):
We all went through and got our licenses, and everybody,
everybody made it to the finish line, no matter what
their background was or what they were doing. We waded
to the finish line, started to do this thing, started
to do construction, pick and flips, doing content, posting our
content online. Then, like I said, we got the license
to just do our ideals. Pull permits, you know, not
have to build a middleman.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
And now as we were.
Speaker 1 (24:58):
Posting, people started saying, hey, can you help me with
this and that? And we were like, we really don't
want to do it. We don't even how to price it.
We're doing it for us. But after a while, you know,
we said, you know, we'll take a leap of faith.
Speaker 2 (25:09):
We started doing it.
Speaker 1 (25:11):
We ended up building out a restaurant called New Orleans
Crild Cuisine downtown Atlanta. It was a ten thousand square
for a restaurant and took it from Michelle to full completion.
That said, man, I love this, this is what I
want to do. This is my passion. Doesn't feel like work.
And you know we've saind grown. So now we've done
a ton of ton of commercial products. Man, I've done
(25:31):
Chase Banks. I'm doing ten Atlanta public schools right now.
I'm doing the athletes for corporate head quarters here in Atlanta.
I've done Little Caesars, J James Fishing Wings. I work
with a ton of celebrities on houses and studios.
Speaker 2 (25:44):
And man, it's been amazing. It's been amazing. Hey man,
look at it, man, your realities show. Baby, We're gonout
to sit down.
Speaker 1 (25:51):
Man, I want to tell you the real reality to
show man, you and your little lord, your lord, it's
your son, right, you have a son or daughter? Yeah,
my little boy, little boy Justin. Do you now this
is great? Man, I'm gonna tell you something. Y'all do
me a favorite Justin. I've interviewed you twice.
Speaker 2 (26:07):
Remote.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
Hey, I want you to come in studio and sit
down with me in September. Man, I want to take some.
Speaker 2 (26:12):
Phone calls what you make because I'm gonna tell you
some Man.
Speaker 1 (26:15):
I'm blessed the fact that I know you're you're my
fraternity's brother, younger version of meat. But the hero stories,
they all are very simple. They're very simple. Man. You
don't complicate the process, and anybody who listens to it,
all they have to do is develop the plan because
the plans are all similar.
Speaker 2 (26:33):
But they have to be consistent. That's what your secret
to success is.
Speaker 1 (26:37):
Yeah. Literally, if you don't plan, your plan to fail.
So all you gotta do is stick to the plan. Again,
I want to thank my man, Justin, my young frat
brother making side fire. Are you know we're saying Fred,
let's go put it out there, making side fire out there.
You got Kamala Haron's out there talking about it, akas
you know what I'm saying. We got here doing the
Big Dog Country and my producers. His dad is a
(26:59):
make a man too, so you know it's cues right there.
They purposely gold.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
Hey, Justin, Man, thank you for taking the time.
Speaker 1 (27:04):
Man.
Speaker 2 (27:05):
We're gonna get this out here.
Speaker 1 (27:06):
Man. If you know anything, how can they get in
touch with we do? As we close out the show.
Speaker 2 (27:10):
Man, definitely appreciate the time. I love the love that
I get from you all.
Speaker 1 (27:15):
If anybody has any questions about anything that I can
help you with, from real estate to business. The easiest
way to access all of my different businesses, it's gonna
be my website www dot justin. That's j U s
t I n M. For Michael Lee, that's l e
e sr dot com. So j U s t I
n M l e e s R dot com. That
reads justinimly senior dot com. All of my links are there,
(27:39):
podcast interviews, content all free.
Speaker 2 (27:43):
Tap in there.
Speaker 1 (27:44):
Check out our upcomingy visit Atlanta area and around the nation.
Speaker 2 (27:47):
Man, thank you so much for the time.
Speaker 1 (27:49):
Man. I look forward to the interview in September and
coming in and really chopping out with you.
Speaker 3 (27:54):
Rick.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
Appreciate you man, Thank you for coming on Money Making
Conversations Masterclass.
Speaker 2 (27:58):
Doctor Just and leg send y'all.
Speaker 1 (28:03):
This has been another edition of Money Making Conversation Masterclass
posted by me Rushaun McDonald. Thank you to our guests
on the show today and thank you our listening to
the audience now. If you want to listen to any
episode I want to be a guest on the show,
visit Moneymakingconversations dot com. Our social media handle is money
Making Conversation. Join us next week and remember to always
(28:24):
leave with your gifts.
Speaker 2 (28:26):
Keep winning.
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