Episode Details

In this episode of Burning the Ships, I sit down with Julian Rivera — Virginia Beach-based DJ, realtor, and co-owner of Iron Valley Real Estate. Julian has never waited for permission to get in the room. He has just kept showing up, adding value, and letting the opportunities find him.

Julian walks us through one of the most layered career journeys we have had on this show — from managing retail stores at 20, to driving comedians like Kevin Hart and Chelsea Handler around Hampton Roads, to burning the boats on corporate radio in January 2020, just one month before COVID shut everything down. Through all of it, one thing has stayed constant — his likability, his consistency, and his refusal to stop evolving.

Key Talking Points of the Episode

00:00 How Jason and Julian met at the TRIG ambassador summit

00:41 You are the brand — whether W-2 or full-time entrepreneur

04:15 Growing up in Virginia Beach and going all in without a plan

05:49 Turning down a Jimmy Choo opportunity in New York to stay local

06:37 DJ'ing since high school and building it into a real business

07:08 Working every role at the Funny Bone Comedy Club and what it taught him

07:51 Driving Kevin Hart, Chelsea Handler, and Tom Segura on press runs before they were famous

10:16 Winning Commercial of the Year for Virginia and going to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

14:31 Burning the boats on January 30th, 2020 — and COVID hitting one month later

15:07 Pivoting to real estate during COVID with zero distractions and total focus

17:13 Rookie of the Year in 2021 and Diamond Awards back to back ever since

19:30 The leadership lesson that changed everything — stop fixing weaknesses, build on strengths

28:11 The go-giver approach that opened every door in his career

29:43 Why you never know who is watching and why showing up is half the battle

32:04 What comedians grinding the circuit taught him about consistency

36:00 Why likability and relatability have been his biggest superpower in real estate

44:38 Announcing his upcoming book — The Road

46:08 Family as his north star and the legacy he is building

Quotables

"Likability is a superpower. If I don't have haters, I'm not doing something right."

"You are the brand. It doesn't matter if you're W-2 or independent."

"There's never a right time to do anything. You just have to go."

"Showing up is always half the battle. Always."

"Stop trying to fix weaknesses. Build the strengths and delegate the rest."

"I want to be the painting of Grandpa Julian on the wall that every generation sees."

"Little did I know that everything I did in entertainment is pretty much the same thing you do in real estate."

Links

608B Capital https://608bcapital.com

Your Peak Life Podcast Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube

Julian Rivera Instagram & Facebook: @julianrivera | djjulianrivera.com