September 13, 2025 • 14 mins
First impressions happen in seven seconds or less, making your personal style a critical but often overlooked component of business success and wealth-building.
• Professional men's stylist and real estate investor Patrice Milord shares how dressing well directly impacts business opportunities
• Personal experiences demonstrate how clothing choices can help or hinder professional relationships
• Quick style upgrades include investing in three essential suits: light grey, charcoal, and blue
• Basic shirts in white, light blue, and light pink provide versatile options
• Clean, polished shoes are crucial as they're often the first thing people notice
• A sport jacket over even casual clothes instantly elevates your appearance
• Fashion connects to wealth-building by attracting better deals and business connections
• Looking professional increases credibility when seeking investment partners
• Dressing well boosts confidence, helping you speak and act more assertively
• When attending professional events, the rule to follow is "when in doubt, overdress"
• The rule to break: ties aren't always necessary with suits in today's business environment
• Being mindful of your audience and researching events helps determine appropriate attire
Connect with Patrice:
Instagram: @patricemilord
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pat.milord
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
It only takes seven seconds or less for someone to
make an impression on you.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Welcome to the 5 Questions Podcast, where we
unlock real estate and businessinsights one question at a time.
Welcome to the 5 QuestionsPodcast.
I am your host, Mario Lamar.
Our guest on today's show is aprofessional men's stylist and
(00:35):
real estate investor on amission to help others build
generational wealth whilelooking sharp doing it, From
custom suits to rentalproperties.
He believes that firstimpressions and smart
investments both start withintention.
Welcome, Patrice Millard.
Patrice, welcome to the showtoday.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Thank you, Mario.
Thank you for having me.
Super happy to be here.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Patrice, the concept of the podcast is real simple.
I ask five questions, eitherabout business or real estate,
and we get straight to the point.
You ready, born ready, allright, first question I have for
you.
You believe that in business,clothes absolutely makes the man
.
Can you share maybe a personalstory where dressing well
(01:21):
directly impacted either aclient's success or maybe a
success of your own?
Speaker 1 (01:27):
Well, it's not just towards real estate, it's in
life generally.
Because we are humans, we tendto judge.
We always judge, despite whatpeople say.
People say it's what's on theinside that counts, but I
disagree with that, because wetend to judge based on what we
see.
We perceive people based on theway they dress, and it only
(01:50):
takes seven seconds or less forsomeone to make an impression on
you, so why risk it?
So I've had, even in my personallife, experiences where I've
had opportunities that I'mconvinced that I wouldn't have
because of the way I dress.
I've also helped my clientsincrease their sales, build
(02:14):
their confidence, because it'sall part of personal development
, because the way you dress, ifyou feel good on the inside,
you're going to be moreconfident.
You're going to be more, you'regoing to speak more uh, be more
confident, you're going to bemore assertive.
People are going to tend to saywell, this person is
intelligent, successful.
People will even be nicer toyou based on the way you dress,
(02:36):
like opening doors,complimenting you and getting
some benefits that others wouldnot uh, would.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Yeah, and do you have top of your head a story of a
client or one of you thatdirectly impacted your success?
Speaker 1 (02:54):
Yes, I can tell a personal story about one of my
rental properties that I wasrenting a few years ago and
there was a bunch of people thatcame because it was available
for a new tenant.
So we had a bunch of peoplethat came because it was
available for a new tenant.
So we had a bunch of peopleover and there was this person
that came first.
She had all her documents ready, but, as I said, humans tend to
(03:18):
judge, so I didn't really payattention to her because of the
way she was dressing and because, in the back of my mind, I'm
like, if it's the way shedresses, how is she going to
take care of my property?
Now, to make a long story short, I ended up selecting her, but
(03:39):
I think people lose out onopportunities.
So it's not about opportunitiesthat you get, but opportunities
that could be lost.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Yeah, you're absolutely right.
You never know what you missed.
Maybe you'll find out later inlife, but you want to put all
your chances on your side togive the best first impression
you can get to other people.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Yes, and people need to just give it a try, because a
lot of people undermine it andthink that people don't judge or
it doesn't matter.
But it does actually matter andI would encourage people to
just give it a try and see howit's going to impact their life.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
Brings us to our second question.
And for someone just startingto improve their appearance, OK,
we all start somewhere.
What's the quickest upgradesomeone can make without maybe
breaking their bank account, youknow?
Speaker 1 (04:29):
well, I work mainly with men, because I do believe
that men need help, lots of help, and I'm here to help them
become the best version ofthemselves.
So what I would say is alwayswear a sports jacket.
Ditch those t-shirts withgraphics of animes and all that
(04:50):
stuff, especially as you're anolder and you want to enter in
the professional space.
Just wear plain t-shirts andyou can throw a sport jacket
over.
Wear nice dress shoes, laced upshoes, clean, because it's the
first thing that people payattention to when they look at
you.
Also, you need to have at leastthree suits.
(05:11):
Three suits light grey,charcoal and blue.
As for shirts as well, samething white shirt, light blue
and light pink.
Those are quick, little stepsthat you can take in order to
improve your wardrobe, and youdon't need to break the bank.
You don't need to buy thedesigner clothes and you can
(05:32):
take in order to improve yourwardrobe and you don't need to
break the bank.
You don't need to buy thedesigner clothes, and you can
also use those clothing to domix and matches.
It's going to give you a numbermaybe over 20 to 30 different
outfits that you can wear, soyou can get started right away.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
So basic colors, specific colors you said three
of them.
Clean shoes take that 15seconds, 20 seconds to just
polish your shoes before youleave the house.
And a jacket, even over aT-shirt, will upgrade the
appearance.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
Correct, you can even wear jeans with a sport jacket
on, a blazer and a shirt under.
It's going to bring you abusiness casual look.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Okay, well, certainly going to try that next time I
go out.
Good Brings us to a thirdquestion.
Yeah, brings us to our thirdquestion, and how does your work
as a stylist connect with yourmission to build generational
wealth?
Because, we mentioned, you're areal estate investor, so you
know you're taking fashion andbuilding generational wealth.
(06:43):
How does those two connecttogether?
Speaker 1 (06:47):
connect together.
For me, fashion is a personalpassion of mine.
I can do this in my sleep.
I just did a lot of researchand worked on it myself, so it's
a way to help people become thebest version of themselves,
whereas real estate it's thevehicle that I chose to be able
to help me build generationalwealth, because there's other
(07:09):
vehicles that are great, but Ido believe in real estate for
what it provides, because itprovides something that is and
especially when you do it theright way that is sustainable
and that can last to futuregenerations.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
And then how do you match the two together?
Speaker 1 (07:25):
Well for me, the way I address, I can attract deals
that may not be available toothers, better connections with
realtors or other professionals,because it helps level up your
credibility.
Also, in terms of personalbranding the way you present
yourself you're going to betaken more seriously.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Yeah, absolutely, and that's for sure.
I mean, if your name is notmade out there as a long term
real estate investor, maybe youcan take the luxury to dress a
little bit more like you as youwish.
In you want to put all thechances again on your side.
(08:08):
A lot of people need to attractcapital right Financial
investors or partners to investin their deals.
How better way than to looksharp, you know, to attract that
capital, that money?
Speaker 1 (08:26):
That's absolutely right, because people think that
you're successful, intelligent.
Just those little things make abig difference.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
Yeah, all right, let's go to our fourth question.
And what role does confidenceplay in both style and
entrepreneurship?
How can maybe upgrading yourwardrobe elevate your mindset?
Speaker 1 (08:54):
Well.
Again, as I mentioned, dressingand dressing well and proving
the way you dress as part ofpersonal development, because it
helps you feel better.
When you feel better and youthrow on that jacket like I do,
like I feel more confident.
You walk a certain way.
People perceive you a certainway.
When you speak, you're more.
Speak from a place of authority, you're more assertive.
(09:16):
It really affects the way youperceive yourself and how others
perceive you.
Yeah, so it's a byproduct ofbecoming giving you confidence.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
I completely agree with that.
You know, feel good aboutyourself mentally, in your
mindset, without even knowing it.
You're going to be moreassertive.
Like you said, you're going totalk with more confidence and
people are attracted to that.
Nobody wants to make a dealwith someone who's unsure of
themselves Absolutely.
That nobody wants to make adeal with someone who's unsure
(09:51):
of themselves absolutely.
If you show up in all thedifferent types, in your
personality, in your delivery ofyour message, in your, like you
said, your, your, your, yourwardrobe.
Well, guess, guess who's goingto get the business?
You are 100, I agree, all right.
Well, this brings us to ourlast and final question for
(10:11):
today.
If someone's listening rightnow, who wants to stand out in a
room full of professionals,because we know real estate is a
competitive ground, what's oneclothing rule that you should
follow and one they shoulddefinitely break?
Speaker 1 (10:38):
Well, when you're about to enter a room you're
being invited to in aprofessional setting, when in
doubt, overdress, overdressDon't undermine the appearance.
The way you look and show up asthe best version of yourself,
it doesn't matter if you'reoverdressed.
It's going, you're going tofeel good and people are going
(11:00):
to be attracted to you.
They're going to be coming toyou.
They're going to be coming toyou.
You're probably most likelygoing to get it's a great
conversation starter.
You're going to stand out.
So that's what I would say tothat Rule to break.
I know sometimes when people,when you wear suits, people
always recommend that you wear atie, and but some rules are
meant to be broken.
(11:20):
I know we're kind of a bitlooser now with the way we dress
, but you can look very goodwith just a suit and you don't
need to wear a tie.
And, of course, if you're goingto a wedding, you're gonna wear
at least a tie and no sneakersat at a wedding.
So that's what I would say tothat yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
I was gonna ask you like a sub question of question
five, what?
Speaker 1 (11:43):
do you think?
Speaker 2 (11:43):
What do you think you know?
Because some people go to theextreme and they'll show up in a
tuxedo and you know, or superbright colors and attract, like
eye attention versus you know,like you said, maybe you wear a
nice clean jeans with a blazeron it, maybe a shirt or a
(12:05):
T-shirt underneath, like wheredo we find the middle ground?
What's not enough, what's toomuch?
What's your take on that?
If you're?
Speaker 1 (12:13):
going into a professional setting in a
business event.
You got to be mindful of youraudience, so don't show up with
a flashy suit with all the bling.
It's not the appropriatesetting for that.
If you want to let yourselfloose, maybe when you go to a
wedding or a fashion show, butfor business events, wear navy,
(12:35):
blue suit, those neutral colors,because you don't want to
appear too flashy.
You're going to appear out ofplace and you're going to make a
fool of yourself.
I can get away with thatbecause it's part of my style
and I wear it and I'm aware of.
I pay attention to these thingsas well when I go to events.
There are certain suits thatI'm going to wear, depending on
(12:55):
the nature of the audience orthe nature of the event.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
Know your surrounding , make some research before what
type of event you're going toattend and address accordingly.
That's right, Patrice.
Thank you so much for all yourinsights today.
I certainly think that some ofour listeners can take a piece
of your advice to elevate theirstandards and to stand out in a
(13:22):
room full of investors, toattract not only the business
but differentiate yourself fromthe competition.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
Yeah, the information is out there.
People can Google thisinformation.
I'm not creating anything thathasn't been, that's not out
there already.
So there's no excuse, literallyno excuse.
Speaker 2 (13:42):
Thanks again for being on the show today, patrice
.
It was a pleasure talking withyou and we'll talk soon again.
All right, thank you, it's beena pleasure.
Thanks for tuning into the 5Questions Podcast.
If you enjoyed today's episode,don't forget to subscribe, like
and hit the notification bellon our YouTube channel so you
never miss an episode.
Stay tuned for more insightsand tips to transform your real
(14:05):
estate and business game.
See you next time.
It only takes seven seconds or less for someone to
make an impression on you.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Welcome to the 5 Questions Podcast, where we
unlock real estate and businessinsights one question at a time.
Welcome to the 5 QuestionsPodcast.
I am your host, Mario Lamar.
Our guest on today's show is aprofessional men's stylist and
(00:35):
real estate investor on amission to help others build
generational wealth whilelooking sharp doing it, From
custom suits to rentalproperties.
He believes that firstimpressions and smart
investments both start withintention.
Welcome, Patrice Millard.
Patrice, welcome to the showtoday.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Thank you, Mario.
Thank you for having me.
Super happy to be here.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Patrice, the concept of the podcast is real simple.
I ask five questions, eitherabout business or real estate,
and we get straight to the point.
You ready, born ready, allright, first question I have for
you.
You believe that in business,clothes absolutely makes the man
.
Can you share maybe a personalstory where dressing well
(01:21):
directly impacted either aclient's success or maybe a
success of your own?
Speaker 1 (01:27):
Well, it's not just towards real estate, it's in
life generally.
Because we are humans, we tendto judge.
We always judge, despite whatpeople say.
People say it's what's on theinside that counts, but I
disagree with that, because wetend to judge based on what we
see.
We perceive people based on theway they dress, and it only
(01:50):
takes seven seconds or less forsomeone to make an impression on
you, so why risk it?
So I've had, even in my personallife, experiences where I've
had opportunities that I'mconvinced that I wouldn't have
because of the way I dress.
I've also helped my clientsincrease their sales, build
(02:14):
their confidence, because it'sall part of personal development
, because the way you dress, ifyou feel good on the inside,
you're going to be moreconfident.
You're going to be more, you'regoing to speak more uh, be more
confident, you're going to bemore assertive.
People are going to tend to saywell, this person is
intelligent, successful.
People will even be nicer toyou based on the way you dress,
(02:36):
like opening doors,complimenting you and getting
some benefits that others wouldnot uh, would.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Yeah, and do you have top of your head a story of a
client or one of you thatdirectly impacted your success?
Speaker 1 (02:54):
Yes, I can tell a personal story about one of my
rental properties that I wasrenting a few years ago and
there was a bunch of people thatcame because it was available
for a new tenant.
So we had a bunch of peoplethat came because it was
available for a new tenant.
So we had a bunch of peopleover and there was this person
that came first.
She had all her documents ready, but, as I said, humans tend to
(03:18):
judge, so I didn't really payattention to her because of the
way she was dressing and because, in the back of my mind, I'm
like, if it's the way shedresses, how is she going to
take care of my property?
Now, to make a long story short, I ended up selecting her, but
(03:39):
I think people lose out onopportunities.
So it's not about opportunitiesthat you get, but opportunities
that could be lost.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Yeah, you're absolutely right.
You never know what you missed.
Maybe you'll find out later inlife, but you want to put all
your chances on your side togive the best first impression
you can get to other people.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Yes, and people need to just give it a try, because a
lot of people undermine it andthink that people don't judge or
it doesn't matter.
But it does actually matter andI would encourage people to
just give it a try and see howit's going to impact their life.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
Brings us to our second question.
And for someone just startingto improve their appearance, OK,
we all start somewhere.
What's the quickest upgradesomeone can make without maybe
breaking their bank account, youknow?
Speaker 1 (04:29):
well, I work mainly with men, because I do believe
that men need help, lots of help, and I'm here to help them
become the best version ofthemselves.
So what I would say is alwayswear a sports jacket.
Ditch those t-shirts withgraphics of animes and all that
(04:50):
stuff, especially as you're anolder and you want to enter in
the professional space.
Just wear plain t-shirts andyou can throw a sport jacket
over.
Wear nice dress shoes, laced upshoes, clean, because it's the
first thing that people payattention to when they look at
you.
Also, you need to have at leastthree suits.
(05:11):
Three suits light grey,charcoal and blue.
As for shirts as well, samething white shirt, light blue
and light pink.
Those are quick, little stepsthat you can take in order to
improve your wardrobe, and youdon't need to break the bank.
You don't need to buy thedesigner clothes and you can
(05:32):
take in order to improve yourwardrobe and you don't need to
break the bank.
You don't need to buy thedesigner clothes, and you can
also use those clothing to domix and matches.
It's going to give you a numbermaybe over 20 to 30 different
outfits that you can wear, soyou can get started right away.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
So basic colors, specific colors you said three
of them.
Clean shoes take that 15seconds, 20 seconds to just
polish your shoes before youleave the house.
And a jacket, even over aT-shirt, will upgrade the
appearance.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
Correct, you can even wear jeans with a sport jacket
on, a blazer and a shirt under.
It's going to bring you abusiness casual look.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Okay, well, certainly going to try that next time I
go out.
Good Brings us to a thirdquestion.
Yeah, brings us to our thirdquestion, and how does your work
as a stylist connect with yourmission to build generational
wealth?
Because, we mentioned, you're areal estate investor, so you
know you're taking fashion andbuilding generational wealth.
(06:43):
How does those two connecttogether?
Speaker 1 (06:47):
connect together.
For me, fashion is a personalpassion of mine.
I can do this in my sleep.
I just did a lot of researchand worked on it myself, so it's
a way to help people become thebest version of themselves,
whereas real estate it's thevehicle that I chose to be able
to help me build generationalwealth, because there's other
(07:09):
vehicles that are great, but Ido believe in real estate for
what it provides, because itprovides something that is and
especially when you do it theright way that is sustainable
and that can last to futuregenerations.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
And then how do you match the two together?
Speaker 1 (07:25):
Well for me, the way I address, I can attract deals
that may not be available toothers, better connections with
realtors or other professionals,because it helps level up your
credibility.
Also, in terms of personalbranding the way you present
yourself you're going to betaken more seriously.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Yeah, absolutely, and that's for sure.
I mean, if your name is notmade out there as a long term
real estate investor, maybe youcan take the luxury to dress a
little bit more like you as youwish.
In you want to put all thechances again on your side.
(08:08):
A lot of people need to attractcapital right Financial
investors or partners to investin their deals.
How better way than to looksharp, you know, to attract that
capital, that money?
Speaker 1 (08:26):
That's absolutely right, because people think that
you're successful, intelligent.
Just those little things make abig difference.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
Yeah, all right, let's go to our fourth question.
And what role does confidenceplay in both style and
entrepreneurship?
How can maybe upgrading yourwardrobe elevate your mindset?
Speaker 1 (08:54):
Well.
Again, as I mentioned, dressingand dressing well and proving
the way you dress as part ofpersonal development, because it
helps you feel better.
When you feel better and youthrow on that jacket like I do,
like I feel more confident.
You walk a certain way.
People perceive you a certainway.
When you speak, you're more.
Speak from a place of authority, you're more assertive.
(09:16):
It really affects the way youperceive yourself and how others
perceive you.
Yeah, so it's a byproduct ofbecoming giving you confidence.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
I completely agree with that.
You know, feel good aboutyourself mentally, in your
mindset, without even knowing it.
You're going to be moreassertive.
Like you said, you're going totalk with more confidence and
people are attracted to that.
Nobody wants to make a dealwith someone who's unsure of
themselves Absolutely.
That nobody wants to make adeal with someone who's unsure
(09:51):
of themselves absolutely.
If you show up in all thedifferent types, in your
personality, in your delivery ofyour message, in your, like you
said, your, your, your, yourwardrobe.
Well, guess, guess who's goingto get the business?
You are 100, I agree, all right.
Well, this brings us to ourlast and final question for
(10:11):
today.
If someone's listening rightnow, who wants to stand out in a
room full of professionals,because we know real estate is a
competitive ground, what's oneclothing rule that you should
follow and one they shoulddefinitely break?
Speaker 1 (10:38):
Well, when you're about to enter a room you're
being invited to in aprofessional setting, when in
doubt, overdress, overdressDon't undermine the appearance.
The way you look and show up asthe best version of yourself,
it doesn't matter if you'reoverdressed.
It's going, you're going tofeel good and people are going
(11:00):
to be attracted to you.
They're going to be coming toyou.
They're going to be coming toyou.
You're probably most likelygoing to get it's a great
conversation starter.
You're going to stand out.
So that's what I would say tothat Rule to break.
I know sometimes when people,when you wear suits, people
always recommend that you wear atie, and but some rules are
meant to be broken.
(11:20):
I know we're kind of a bitlooser now with the way we dress
, but you can look very goodwith just a suit and you don't
need to wear a tie.
And, of course, if you're goingto a wedding, you're gonna wear
at least a tie and no sneakersat at a wedding.
So that's what I would say tothat yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
I was gonna ask you like a sub question of question
five, what?
Speaker 1 (11:43):
do you think?
Speaker 2 (11:43):
What do you think you know?
Because some people go to theextreme and they'll show up in a
tuxedo and you know, or superbright colors and attract, like
eye attention versus you know,like you said, maybe you wear a
nice clean jeans with a blazeron it, maybe a shirt or a
(12:05):
T-shirt underneath, like wheredo we find the middle ground?
What's not enough, what's toomuch?
What's your take on that?
If you're?
Speaker 1 (12:13):
going into a professional setting in a
business event.
You got to be mindful of youraudience, so don't show up with
a flashy suit with all the bling.
It's not the appropriatesetting for that.
If you want to let yourselfloose, maybe when you go to a
wedding or a fashion show, butfor business events, wear navy,
(12:35):
blue suit, those neutral colors,because you don't want to
appear too flashy.
You're going to appear out ofplace and you're going to make a
fool of yourself.
I can get away with thatbecause it's part of my style
and I wear it and I'm aware of.
I pay attention to these thingsas well when I go to events.
There are certain suits thatI'm going to wear, depending on
(12:55):
the nature of the audience orthe nature of the event.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
Know your surrounding , make some research before what
type of event you're going toattend and address accordingly.
That's right, Patrice.
Thank you so much for all yourinsights today.
I certainly think that some ofour listeners can take a piece
of your advice to elevate theirstandards and to stand out in a
(13:22):
room full of investors, toattract not only the business
but differentiate yourself fromthe competition.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
Yeah, the information is out there.
People can Google thisinformation.
I'm not creating anything thathasn't been, that's not out
there already.
So there's no excuse, literallyno excuse.
Speaker 2 (13:42):
Thanks again for being on the show today, patrice
.
It was a pleasure talking withyou and we'll talk soon again.
All right, thank you, it's beena pleasure.
Thanks for tuning into the 5Questions Podcast.
If you enjoyed today's episode,don't forget to subscribe, like
and hit the notification bellon our YouTube channel so you
never miss an episode.
Stay tuned for more insightsand tips to transform your real
(14:05):
estate and business game.
See you next time.
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