Episode Details

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Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Dr. Justin M. Lee.

Purpose of the Interview

• To showcase Dr. Lee’s journey from a young real estate agent to a multi-industry entrepreneur.
• To inspire listeners with strategies for wealth-building through real estate, construction, and logistics.
• To encourage financial literacy, ownership, and collaboration within underserved communities.
• To issue a call to action for minorities to explore opportunities like Amazon DSP and real estate investment.

Key Takeaways

1. Early Career & Education

   • Started young in real estate, embraced discomfort in rooms dominated by older professionals.
   • Leveraged millennial tech skills (social media marketing) to help veteran brokers grow.
   • Earned a doctorate degree and became a licensed real estate broker.

2. Social Media as a Business Tool

   • Built a strong presence on TikTok (90K followers) and other platforms.
   • Helped older real estate firms thrive by creating digital visibility.
   • Emphasized that “business must look as good online as in person.”

3. Financial Literacy & Homeownership

   • African-American communities often lack foundational financial knowledge.
   • Key barriers: misunderstanding credit, fear of debt, and lack of exposure to ownership benefits.
   • Advocates teaching the difference between good debt (real estate) and bad debt (consumer credit).

4. Real Estate Process

   • Initial onboarding: credit score, income, tax filing.
   • Connect clients with lenders, secure pre-approval, then negotiate and close within 30–45 days.
   • Uses property tours as motivation even for those not yet approved.

5. Pooling Resources for Wealth

   • Industry dominated by white men and foreign investors who use syndication.
   • Dr. Lee created a private family fund with fraternity brothers and friends.
   • Acquired 150+ apartment units and commercial properties by pooling resources and forming LLCs.

6. Amazon DSP Opportunity

   • Owns an Amazon Delivery Service Partner business (42 trucks, 200 employees).
   • Offers minorities a chance to apply for DSP with $10K grant.
   • Taught him true CEO skills: HR, payroll, compliance, and scaling operations.

7. Construction Business

   • Entered construction after experiencing exploitation in fix-