Real Estate Industry Leader: What It Takes to Win in Any City

Summary

Podcast Summary: Living The Red Life Episode Title: Real Estate Industry Leader: What It Takes to Win in Any City
Host: Rudy Mawer (with guest host Ray Gutierrez)
Guest: Justin Colby
Date: December 4, 2025

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Overview

In this rich, reflective episode, Ray Gutierrez (guest hosting for Rudy) interviews Justin Colby, a seasoned real estate investor, coach, and host of "The Science of Flipping." The conversation centers around thriving with authenticity across different cities and cultures, building resilience as an entrepreneur, and what it truly takes to create lasting success in real estate and beyond. Throughout, Justin’s commitment to transparency, adaptability, and personal growth stands out, providing invaluable insights for entrepreneurs and business owners.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Entrepreneurial Beginnings and Mindset

• Justin’s entrepreneurial spirit began in childhood—hustling baseball cards, washing cars, and finding creative ways to earn rather than rely on his parents.
• Quote:
  "If I didn’t have something and wanted something, I knew I had to go get it...the best way to do it instead of steal it was to go make some money so I could go buy it."
  (Justin Colby, 03:24)
• As an adult, he gravitated toward real estate for its wealth-building potential, learning early on that persistence and creating opportunities are essential traits.

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2. Resilience Through Setbacks

• Justin is candid about his failures and setbacks, emphasizing that making mistakes is part of the process.
• Quote:
  "Big mistakes have happened in my career, for sure. But it doesn’t mean I’m done or I failed. It just means, okay, how do I move on from that? What did I learn from it?"
  (Justin Colby, 00:00 & 04:29)
• The importance of giving oneself grace and a “runway” in entrepreneurship: success is often a product of endurance.

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3. Cultural Differences: Hustle on Both Coasts

• The dialogue explores the contrast between West Coast (California) and East Coast (especially Miami) cultures.
• West Coast: More relaxed, “copacetic,” and community-focused.
• East Coast/Miami: High energy, “hustle” culture; entrepreneurship is dynamic and opportunity-driven, but also demanding.
• Quote:
  "There’s a lot of hustlers here. And as long as they’re doing it legally, I like that attitude...if you just hustle your way, you can usually hustle your way almost to the top."
  (Justin Colby, 06:15)

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4. Adapting and Thriving in Miami

• Justin moved to Miami for family reasons and embraced its unique energy and blend of influences.
• He discusses balancing high-energy business pursuits with family life, and the appeal of adaptability: “nothing’s permanent.”
• Quote:
  "Nothing’s permanent. As bad as it gets, as good as it gets. None of it is permanent ever."
  (Justin Colby, 10:44)
• Views Miami as a hub for growth, but acknowledges the challenges (traffic, raising children in a big city).

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5. Authenticity in the Social Media and Content Era

• Staying authentic is Justin’s north star amidst the noise of social media, influencer culture, and AI-driven content.
• Emphasizes the importance of real connection over just going viral:
  • Quote:
    "The way to be successful is authenticity...People that appreciate that join my tribe and follow me. And those that don’t, who cares?"
    (Justin Colby, 19:01)
  • Podcasting, not Instagram, has brought more meaningful growth for him.
  • He highlights the resonance and power of storytelling, especially when showing vulnerability and sharing real struggles.
  • Memorable Insight:
    "What I get comments on all the time is...my personal side gets way more traction than my business. Because people want the authenticity."
    (Justin Colby, 21:51)

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6. Navigating Change and Defining Success

• Justin is reflective about the notion of “enough” and the pursuit of more success versus fulfillment.
• Looks to transition toward a connector role in business in coming years, seeking more time with family and being present.
• Quote:
  "If I can create a financial life where I could be at every single one of my kids' recitals, practices, sporting [events]...that’s where I want to play."
  (Justin Colby, 15:51)

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7. Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

• Commitment and Clarity: Decide exactly what you want, know who you need to become, and fully commit—through ups and downs.
• Quote:
  "Don’t quit, and commit. Committing means the good and the bad. The first thing I tell everyone is you first, decide what you want...and then who do you need to be to get the thing."
  (Justin Colby, 16:25)
• Avoid the excuses when things get tough. Treat your business commitment like “a marriage.”

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8. Surviving Industry Shifts & Market Noise

• In a “post-Cardone era” of real estate and influencer content, Justin remains steady through focus and authenticity.
• Shares lessons from his hardest real estate year (2024)—emphasizing “trust but verify,” and “inspect what you expect.”
• Notable Transparency:
  "2024 was probably the hardest real estate year I've ever gone through...because there were two key principles I didn't adhere to: trust, but verify; inspect what you expect. And I lost my way."
  (Justin Colby, 21:51)

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9. Balancing Ambition and Emotional Intelligence

• Justin and Ray discuss the importance of emotional steadiness and not overreacting, especially in high-energy environments.
• Justin’s California upbringing and spirituality help him keep things in perspective amidst Miami’s intensity.
• Quote:
  "Just go along with things. Like, nothing’s that dramatic. We don’t need to traumatize every little thing that happens. It's just chill. Just, like, go with the flow."
  (Justin Colby, 27:10)

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• "Big mistakes have happened in my career for sure...What did I learn from it?" – Justin Colby, (00:00, repeated theme)
• "There’s a lot of hustlers here [in Miami]...and that’s a lot of times what it takes." – Justin Colby, (06:15)
• "Nothing’s permanent. As bad as it gets, as good as it gets. None of it is permanent ever." – Justin Colby, (10:44)
• "The way to be successful is authenticity...People that appreciate that join my tribe and follow me. And those that don’t, who cares?" – Justin Colby, (19:01)
• "If I can create a financial life where I could be at every single one of my kids’ recitals, practices, sporting [events]...that’s where I want to play." – Justin Colby, (15:51)
• "Committing means the good and the bad...Decide what you want and who you need to be to get it. Then just go commit to it." – Justin Colby, (16:25)
• "Trust, but verify; inspect what you expect. I lost my way and it made 2024 my hardest real estate year ever." – Justin Colby, (21:51)
• "Just go along with things. Like, nothing’s that dramatic. We don’t need to traumatize every little thing that happens..." – Justin Colby, (27:10)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Entrepreneurial Roots & Early Hustle: 02:36–04:47
• Cultural Differences: East vs. West Coast: 05:45–07:55
• Why Miami?/Adapting to New Experiences: 10:11–11:56
• Authenticity Over Social Media Hype: 18:00–21:13
• Hardest Real Estate Year Lessons: 21:51–23:32
• Advice for New Entrepreneurs: 16:25–17:58
• Parenthood, Emotional Intelligence, and Chill Philosophy: 26:10–27:59

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Episode Takeaways

• True success isn’t about perfection or always winning—it’s about consistently showing up, learning from mistakes, striving for authenticity, and staying committed even when things get tough.
• Legacy and fulfillment come from balancing ambition with presence and connection—especially with family.
• No matter the market or moment, authenticity and resilience will win out over flash and fleeting trends.

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Connect with Justin Colby

• Instagram: @thejustincolby – direct DMs, real conversation
• YouTube: Justin Colby Channel – podcasts, interviews, business insights

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Transcript

[Justin Colby]

Big mistakes have happened in my career for sure. But it doesn't mean I'm done or I failed. It just means, okay, how do I, you know, move on from that? What did I learn from it?

[Ray Gutierrez]

And so how are you thriving with your authenticity?

[Justin Colby]

I'm not trying to be perfect. I'm not perfect. They're not always printing money in my house. Like, there's shit that goes wrong, and that is usually what the people really want to see is like, yeah, all looks good. And, yeah, I have a lot of followers and a lot of people listening, but what they really appreciate is like, dude, you're a real guy.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Yeah, real.

[Justin Colby]

You're real.

[Ray Gutierrez]

How does one start their journey? What advice do you give them, especially since they're coming to your. To your talks?

[Justin Colby]

So the first thing I tell everyone.

[Rudy Moore]

Is my name is Rudy Moore, host of Living the Red Life podcast, and I'm here to change the way you see your life in your earpiece every single week. If you're ready to start living the red life, ditch the blue pill. Take the red pill. Join me in wonderland and change your life.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Welcome back to another episode of the living your legacy podcast, the Red Life edition for Inside Success. I am Ray Gutierrez. Joining me today is Justin Colby. Yeah, Justin, before you said anything, you already said something. I have an intro for you. My guest today is Justin Colby, real estate investor, coach, and host of the Science of Flipping. He's flipped nearly 3,000 homes rebuilt after the 2008 crash and now helps others create freedom through the real estate. Through real estate. Justin, welcome. Welcome to the show.

[Justin Colby]

There you go. There you go. Well, thanks for having me back. Thanks for having me back.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Thanks, bubba. I appreciate you indulging me in that intro. Welcome back. It's. It's literally your sequel episode. But what's different is that we got to film a Legacy makers episode with you today.

[Justin Colby]

Yeah.

[Ray Gutierrez]

How do you feel?

[Justin Colby]

It was great. It was great. Well done. The videographer knows what he's doing. Producer knows what he's doing. So it was a great, great experience to be able to kind of tell my story in a way that is genuine, authentic, and just comes off the right way.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Yeah, yeah. We like to say that insight success is essentially catered to the entrepreneur. If you're looking for Netflix for entrepreneurs, we're hoping Inside Success is that. That destination, that platform for you. Thank you for sharing your story. I'm sure you've said it a thousand times because it's something you do on stage.

[Justin Colby]

Yeah, it is. And, you know, listen, if I Can just make some more impact through what I've gone through. As I said on the recording, it, you know, none of it was easy. It's all hard. And you just got to keep going. And as long as you give yourself enough Runway, then ultimately you can achieve some pretty good success. Sometimes meteoric, sometimes okay. But for sure, you can achieve that success.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Now, I know some of your story because we were literally in a room together, and I was asking all these questions about your life. But for folks that don't know who you are, where does your Runway begin?

[Justin Colby]

Yeah, I think it started really when I was a child. So I've always had this entrepreneur spirit, going out and hustling baseball cards back to the store owner where I'd open a box and sell them back the cards all the way to picking up, you know, bottles and cans. So as a kid, I had that in me. And then when I graduated ucla, I really didn't know what I wanted to do. And I just. My friend talked about real estate. I thought that was really cool. And I really liked making money. And so I knew that that was a good trajectory to make a good amount of money.

[Ray Gutierrez]

You know, making money is. It could be a very strong positive. But you're young and you're. And you're. You're hustling. Did you feel at any point that you were being, you know, disingenuine? Because you're essentially hustling now. You're. You're being a little dece. Needful because you're hustling. Did that come into play early on in your. In, in your childhood?

[Justin Colby]

Not particularly. I think it was just a function of. Of if I didn't have something and wanted something, I knew I had to go get it right on. And so the best way to do it instead of steal it.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Sure.

[Justin Colby]

Was to go make some money so I could go buy it. Right. And so I, I would walk around my neighborhood and offer five dollar car washes and just stuff like that, that, like, I could go create from nothing. Just all I had to do was have the idea and I would go do it.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Why not just go to your parents?

[Justin Colby]

I wish, I wish my parents had this much money. Right. I mean, you know, I never was without. I don't ever want people out to think like, I was destitute. Right. But did we have extra money to play with? Not really. Right. And so I remember them getting, you know, arguments over tax time and. Sure. There's just never enough money to have kid want because kids want all the time. I have two, and they want at all times. Right. I had to go create, and that stayed with me to this very moment. Even sitting here with you is always about creating, for sure. Opportunity and what doors open. And a lot of people get discouraged when doors close or mistakes happen. And big mistake is big mistakes have happened in my career, for sure. But it doesn't mean I'm done or I failed. It just means, okay, how do I, you know, move on from that? What did I learn from it? And so if those out there that are looking to be an entrepreneur or aspiring or maybe just getting started, you just got to keep going and give yourself some patience and grace, because you will win if you keep going. You just got to keep going.

[Ray Gutierrez]

The entrepreneur journey is very different from an east coast kid like myself from Miami. You grew up. Where would you grow up?

[Justin Colby]

Born and raised in the Bay Area. San Francisco. Bay area.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Hell, yeah. Right on.

[Justin Colby]

Yeah, so that was great. Spent my entire, you know, younger life there. Ended up going to ucla. So the whole trajectory was. Was California.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Your life was my TV shows.

[Justin Colby]

Yeah, that's right. Saved by the Bell. The whole thing. Absolutely. Yeah. I get it. I get. Dude, I wish I actually had that life. Yeah, I know it wasn't exactly my life, but, you know, it was, it was great. And then it was time to move on. And what I've always enjoyed was new experiences. And so when I had the opportunity to move, different cities, different states, Texas and Houston and Boston and Massachusetts and, you know, so I've, you know, I'm here in Miami, and I've lived in a lot of different places, and I just love the new experience. I'm never afraid to move. I'm never afraid to try because it's kind of like going to new restaurants. Like, it could be phenomenal, for sure. It may not be so good. Right. But that's the, that's part of the joy.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Can you talk about the cultural differences? Like, when you immediately say the bay? Like, I, I reminisce and go, God, I lived 10 years of my best life. So we're living in the bay. I worked at PlayStation. My commute was amazing. You know, I, I, I missed Loris Park. Like, all of these little micro climates. You don't find that kind of majesty or, like, that magic in the east coast. Out here in Miami. Talk about, like, you know, being an entrepreneur, but in a different coast. Like, there's definitely something in the water and. But you still create an entrepreneur. But it's a different journey, isn't it?

[Justin Colby]

It's a totally different journey. It's funny. So we just talked about hustling.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

Like, specifically to Miami. There's a lot of hustlers here. And I'm in. In as long as they're doing it legally. Like, I like that attitude.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Sure.

[Justin Colby]

Statitude I have, like, I'm willing to hustle and go and create. And that's a lot of times what it takes. Right. Like, if you just hustle your way, you can usually hustle your way almost to the top and use the reality. Right. And you know that the age old, like fake it to your make it is. You're saying sometimes not fake to make it. It's just. You just got to keep making it, making it until it becomes the thing.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Especially now with social media. And it's just so easy.

[Justin Colby]

And so I, you know, it's funny because.

There'S definitely a different feeling from the east coast to the west coast. Like, whether it be Northeast and then New York and Jersey and Philly all the way down to Miami in the Southeast, there's this sense of like, drive and push and hustle that honestly, I know I spent my younger years in California. I don't feel like that is there. I feel like everything's a little more copacetic. Kumbaya. Ish.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Yes.

[Justin Colby]

And you're just like. And by the way, people make literally billions of dollars out of the Bay Area. So I'm not saying I was in very worried. I just as a whole, the culture is so different. Oh, it is much more Kumbaya. Peaceful surfing, you know, enjoy. Which there's a lot of great in that, dude. Sometimes I say to my wife, I'm like, honey, like, why don't I just go be like a barista on a beach and like, maybe we have a one, one bedroom apartment. But like, enough is enough. Right. There's days that I definitely consider it.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Oh, for sure. Sometimes I kind of want to talk to you about this offline. Sometimes I just want to sell my house and just move to New York and live in a tiny closet and be like, I just want an intern at snl. I don't care.

[Justin Colby]

And there is a certain, like, when's enough? I just did this incredible, you know, documentary with you. And like, sometimes you still do go, like, yeah is enough.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Yeah, yeah.

[Justin Colby]

And. And I've been asked that recently. And. And I don't have an answer. Like, some point, I'm assuming. Right. And. And for me, it's not necessarily buying stuff money. Right. Like, it's more just like I have the internal drive, for sure, dude. And it's funny because I, I talk a lot about Europe and they don't have the same work ethic, but man, do they seem a lot happier now. They like, if you Italy or Spain.

[Ray Gutierrez]

It'S like, look, for a year. Yeah, I know what you're talking about.

[Justin Colby]

Even happier. But yeah, they don't have the same type of drive. So would I go nuts over there? Maybe I enjoy visiting, you know what I mean? But for sure, you look at that and be like, it's always family and fun and coffee and some wine and chill. Nothing stresses them out. Meanwhile, I'm bald, right? You're like, but I live tired. Yeah, I live a little easier in nature. Don't know if I'd be happy.

[Ray Gutierrez]

I lived in Switzerland for a year across Lake Le Mans. Like, like Le Monde was my view. And there was always a joke that no one likes the French because they're just lazy. And like there was like some sort of missile crisis or something. And they called up the French and they're like, I will take care of it on Monday. It's a holiday. I'm like, dude, really? And the Swiss had to jump in something. Yeah, it's a, it's an Easter European joke that I'm clearly botching. Anyways, what got you to, to Miami? Like, I can tell you what made me to go to the Bay. It's very, it's, it's, it's, it's a no brainer. But like, I grew up in Miami, but I was quite a late bloomer. I didn't party until I got to the west coast, if you catch my meaning. And that's what really exploded to the reality of what is reality. And then when I got to Miami, I was like, y', all, you're all 2008. Like, it is, it is a sense of like that greater than dow. But everyone's coming to Miami. The Bezos Brickles booming. The art district has become beyond Art Basel. There's very much a little bit of the bay, a little bit of New York, a little bit of Austin, A lot of the, the, the, the. The Caribbean islands hodgepodged here in Miami. What drove you here? What do you think is going on?

[Justin Colby]

So I, I came here because I met my wife ready. She is Cuban, from Miami. Started having kids. She wanted to be around family. Awesome. And so I lived in Scottsdale, Arizona at the time.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Cool.

[Justin Colby]

And so when I first met her, I said, someone's gotta move. And I was happy to move to Miami, but she's like, no, I want to. I've lived in Miami my whole life. I want to go experience something else. There's one everything in Scotto. We got married. We were going to stay in Scottsdale. Then we got pregnant, and she was just like, you know, I. I just think I want to be around my family. And I was like, you know, it's Miami. That's not a hard sell for me. Right. Let's build in Miami.

[Ray Gutierrez]

You'll do fine here.

[Justin Colby]

Because I actually, like I said, I like new experiences for sure. Like new things. And I really live my life a little bit more by the like, nothing's permanent attitude and mantra. Nothing's permanent. As bad as it gets, as good as it gets. None of it is permanent ever. Right. And so I was like, okay, let's go to Miami. If for one reason or another I really dislike it or something, it's not permanent. I'm not stuck there. So. And I love it here. Partly I live in the burps, so I live down in Pine Crest, which is nowhere near here in the hustle bustle Miami. And. But, you know, so I love it. I love the hustle nature. We just talked about that. I love that energy. I hate the traffic. Hey, terrible. Like this morning. Took me almost an hour and a half to get here, but not that long to get here. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But you know, listen, the only reason I'd probably leave, frankly, is just raising children. I don't know if I'm in love with being in Miami as a big city. Yeah, there's always know, listen, drugs are everywhere in any city or smaller. But it's just the Miami is a hustling city and it. Everything you could ever want, +10 is here. And I'm like, ah, wouldn't be terrible to have a little bit calmer city to live in.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Yeah, yeah, I'm. I'm. I kind of live in the burbs. Like, I know your home girl here lives out in the Grove or. Or the Gables. I'm. That's kind of lar hood. That's what I refer to. Like old Miami before it became Miami of the 2000s. Like it's still with Will Smith Miami out there or like, I would say Cuban Miami. But it's interesting to see how Miami's progressed. And a lot of this energy is down here. I'm not sure what your philosophies are do. Is it what guides you? Is it energy? Is it money? Is it opportunity? Is it prayer? Is. Is it the frequencies of the day?

[Justin Colby]

Yeah. I think some, I'm from California, so I was definitely the energetic side of me that can go like woo, woo on woo.

[Ray Gutierrez]

For sure. That's absolutely necessary here in Miami. I didn't grow up with that philosophy.

[Justin Colby]

Yeah, no one does that here that much here.

[Ray Gutierrez]

So it's absolutely necess necessary. Yeah, yeah.

[Justin Colby]

And so, you know, you kind of mentioned like whether it's Jeff Bezos or all this big money is coming here. I think there's a reason for it. A, weather. I mean, you literally can go on a boat almost every day, arrange for 15 minutes, the rain goes away, sunny again. B, politics. I think people are just worn out with certain level of politics and so they go to a place 3 Let.

[Ray Gutierrez]

The men play golf.

[Justin Colby]

That's right. You know, taxes playing to some of it. Income taxes playing another part of it.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Sure, sure.

[Justin Colby]

Affordability to some extent. Miami is not affordable by any stretch, but Florida in general, affordability parts. You know, for me, like what keeps me going here in Miami is, is. I know it's just cliche, but I just, I'm a dad at this point, like being able to keep my companies going and running at a high level, but at the same time being able. Like all day yesterday, we were in the Keys all weekend.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Right on.

[Justin Colby]

You know, I took my 4 year old daughter in a jet ski going 62 miles an hour. Don't judge me parents. She loved it.

[Ray Gutierrez]

She was wearing two helmets.

[Justin Colby]

You know, we swam in the pool all day yesterday. So like, I mean, that's it. Like I've, I love what I do and I run a high energetic life. Like I personally am high energy and like, I leave tomorrow. I just got back yesterday. I leave tomorrow, I go to Dallas for three days, I come back, I leave the Phoenix for a day, then Dallas again. Like, so I just go, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And so for me, Miami, like I'm a homebody to some extent.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Cool.

[Justin Colby]

I just sit in the pool and play with my kids.

[Ray Gutierrez]

It's crazy how it's Miami. It kind of reminds of what Casey Neistat did when he was going through his peak. His wife was very much New York woman and he wanted to move out to the west Coast. They ended up moving back to the New York.

So what's next for you now? Like, I know we've kind of softly touched upon it, but what's, what's the forecast for you in the next five, ten years?

[Justin Colby]

Yeah, you know, listen, I don't know if I have a total agenda. As I was mentioning. I don't Put time expectations on what I want. But there's probably some level of like, financial benchmark I want to hit here in the next five years and, and then to kind of create options that might be different than I currently have. Because right now, 44, I would say I've worked just as hard now as ever, if not harder. Part of it is because the real estate economy is, is changing and fluid and, you know, there's challenges to it. But the other part is I do push and I do want more. Right. And so I think there's a phase in five years where I'll probably have a little bit less work. Sure. At least how I know it today.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Right on.

[Justin Colby]

I think I'll be more positioned in a way where I can create.

Almost opportunities that would create a certain level of income. Right. Where because of my resources, the people I know, those type of things, I can put two and two together and kind of just find a financial means between the two where I'm not actively running the business.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Sure.

[Justin Colby]

That makes sense.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Justin Colby]

I see myself a little bit more in that connector role in the next five years. I'll always be in real estate. I love it. It's just everyone needs a place to live and so it will always be here. No, AI can take absolutely no way. And then we'll see. I mean, you know, listen, if I can create a financial life where I could be at every single one of my kids, recitals, practices, sporting, like, that's where I want to play, I want to do this. And if that's where I'm at in five years, then who knows?

[Ray Gutierrez]

How does one start their journey? Like, I, I feel like there's a whole dichotomy of men like you and I in their 40s that are like going, I feel like I'm in my 20s. We definitely look like we're in our 20s. No doubt.

They'Re about to start their journey as entrepreneurs or 20 years late, but they're about to jump in. So it's never too late. What's, what advice do you give them, especially since they're coming to your, to your talks, they're signing up for your coaching, they're. They're showing up to the hotel suites, they're having the bougie drinks, they're networking, they're in your tribe. What do you tell to that? To that? To that? One day, one hour, one member.

[Justin Colby]

Don't quit and commit. Right. So committing means the good and the bad, like you are in it. So the first thing I tell everyone is you first, decide what you want. Entrepreneurship is very difficult. Very difficult. Sometimes I'm actually like, are we all just crazy? Like, why take this on? Why not go be cocktails and Tom Cruise and make drinks for a living? Right? So decide what you want and then who do you need to be to get the thing? Like, what you want is $1 million a year. What type of person do you need? What kind of work ethic? What are you willing to sacrifice? Decide who you need to be to get the one thing and then just go commit to it though. Because when it gets tough is when everyone's like, oh, the, the economy, the president. The what? And they just start creating excuses. But it's really. It got tough and now they don't want to stay committed anymore. Yeah, that's challenging. Right. And. And I'm happily married, but I got married later in life. The reason I got married later in life is because I Knew in my 20s and 30s I was an idiot.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Same.

[Justin Colby]

And I wasn't going to be able to keep a marriage. I just knew it wasn't because I needed to be, you know, a playboy environment, per se. I just didn't have the selflessness. Yes. In me. And I was still too selfish. And so it's the same thing. Now that I'm married, I'm fully committed, I'm all in. But it took me that late to get there, which is fine.

So when you do this, like, commit to it like it's a marriage, nothing's permanent. But that's why you got to decide what you want. Like, I would never go into a field that I genuinely didn't want. Right. Like, because then I'm going to quit. Cuz I'm like, I don't really even want this damn thing.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Right on.

[Justin Colby]

Right.

[Ray Gutierrez]

For sure.

[Justin Colby]

So do that.

[Ray Gutierrez]

How. How are things going? Like a couple years ago, like, I'm sitting in Austin and Covid's hitting and Grant Cardone's on my phone. Yeah, it's all Grant Cardone. He's sitting in his car, hey, check us out. And it's like, he's crushing.

[Justin Colby]

Yeah.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Now everyone's taking a page out of that book and things are a lot quieter now. How are you thriving in the post Cardone era? As I just made up. Like, how are you throwing.

[Justin Colby]

He was like the first to marketplace, like one of the few. And those that were the first to marketplace tend to reap the reward. But just like Uber came Lyft. Right. And Lyft is doing just fine. Right. But everyone calls it Ubering, even If you take lifts, you don't say, I'm lifting, I'm lift. You just say, I'm getting. You're going to their dreams.

So my point to all that is now there's so much noise. Everyone and their mother is an influencer right now. You lay in AI and the ability for not even to be humans anymore. And you can just make a video of a non human solo. Right.

[Ray Gutierrez]

I can build your avatar.

[Justin Colby]

There you go. So I say that just the. The way to be successful is authenticity. I was just gonna say so I was just with Ryan Sirhant in New York and his whole point to me was the reason why I've gotten so much traction in a very short window is because I'm just genuinely me. And people that appreciate that join my tribe and follow me. And those that don't, who cares? Yeah. And so the authenticity is what it is. And then again, you know, my growth in terms of socials.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

Funny enough, podcasting has more growth for me than like Instagram. Partly because everyone's on Instagram now. So the noise is so loud it all gets washed away. But the other part is because I just do what is me. And that doesn't mean I'm gonna become.

Viral. Right. Our whole thing right now is like becoming viral, trending, or just that. But why right now? Adley is incredible, but she created a business out of it. Sure. Right. Not everyone's gonna go create a business out of being viral.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Right on.

[Justin Colby]

So going viral does what for you? Yeah. And that's what I just say is like, listen, just keep producing the content. You know, you can produce that is. Is authentic, that's valuable and you're going to win over the long term.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Right.

[Justin Colby]

If you just want to be viral and have 8 million people see your one video. Yeah. Then ask yourself what's going to do for me or any of it? Because if it doesn't connect the dots and what's the point?

[Ray Gutierrez]

For sure. Yeah. Because when Rudy was sitting here, we had this brief conversation about you couldn't track on YouTube and I wanted to give you like a whole, like, barrier dissertation of, like, this is why you're not tracking. It's a whole philosophy. YouTube's algorithm works. Yeah. When. When it's not. When it's not reacting to your way. Just. You got to believe, you got to understand how it works and go, all right, it's not for me. I gotta pivot.

[Justin Colby]

Yeah.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Your audience isn't there. Like, not everyone can be Logan Paul. And everyone that follows Logan Paul cannot Afford a house. So it's just like, why? Why I go after this market. You're gonna. You've obviously found your way. You've obviously found your tribe. Gosh, it's like there's so many avenues we can take this conversation when. When it comes to like now where you're heading. Like my question with the post era of cardone and it's much quieter now. How is your authenticity a family man? Your struggles helped you rise. Because what I'm seeing is I'm throwing paint up against the wall and it's finally like fallen off. But there's the spots that have dried off you. Rudy, a couple of folks, you know that after all that noise, you're still here. Yeah. How are you thriving with your authenticity?

[Justin Colby]

That what you just said was the perfect segues. We're still here.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Okay.

[Justin Colby]

So we didn't do the growth or large as a grant card. Okay. But we didn't go away. We didn't quit because we knew this was the vertical and what we wanted to go do. And so that all just connects more of the dots. What I get comments on all the time is. And usually my personal side gets way more traction than my business.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Absolutely.

[Justin Colby]

Of course. Again, because people want the authenticity. Like, oh, I'm a family man, I'm a father and I'm a husband. That's me too. But they also, like, I will tell my heirs, I will share the heirs. Like 2024 was probably the hardest real estate year I've ever gone through ever in the last 20 years ever. Not because of interest rates, because there was two key principles I didn't adhere to. And they're key principles through and through on any vertical, on any business ever. Trust, but verify, inspect what you expect. H and I lost my way and I trusted, but I didn't verify well. And I expected without inspecting and the key principles for everything. And it made 2024 my hardest real estate year ever. Because I trusted too much. Ultimately, was the the answer. But I say all that to say when I do videos like that and I take that one clip that I just gave you right now, I will get more people comment, post, share because it's authentic. Oh, I'm not trying to be perfect. I'm not perfect. They're not always printing money in my house. Like there's that goes wrong. And that is usually what the people really want to see is like, yeah, whole looks good. And yeah, I have a lot of followers and a lot of people listening. But what they really appreciate is like, dude, you're a real guy.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Yeah, real.

[Justin Colby]

You're real. You're not invincible. You don't just walk around printing money. And I think people, honestly, I think. And I don't poll people, but I think people are tired of it.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Oh yeah.

[Justin Colby]

I think people are absolutely fed up watching people talk about being rich and having all these amazing things and then doing all that. Meanwhile, nothing happens wrong to them.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

Like there's never any. And if you start to look at the people that are really gaining traction, like in my world, in real estate, there's a guy I just recently heard of, but in the last like nine months, he's grown this massive audience because he was a felon. Wow. And he then got into real estate when he got out of jail and people love that. The comeback story radar. This guy is great. Does such terrible. And sells drugs and does all these things. Goes to prison for a long time. Gets out, genuinely gets out and recreates his life. And now is a really successful real estate investor. And now he has this huge audience. But it's because people get to say, okay, you know, he's the real story. Yeah. Right. He's not trying to fake it.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

Makes sense.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Absolutely. I think something that we. What makes us thrive here in Inside Success and to Rudy's credit is, you know, enough. Enough with the big Hollywood multimillion dollar disasters. Stories are being told and clips are being told on your phone nowadays. Like I watched F1 with Brad Pitt and we, we mentioned earlier photo shoot and it was kind of a bummer. I'm like, that's it. Like, I see content creators do something far more Captivating that in 60 seconds.

[Justin Colby]

Yeah.

[Ray Gutierrez]

As opposed in 60 minutes. Right. So it's the, the way the storytelling is being told is different. Thank God there hasn't been another social media platform launched in the next last two or three years. It's enough. There's no more social media platforms.

[Justin Colby]

Like, where else are you going to go? And even when YouTube shorts. Yeah, right. Which is great because. Because honestly, people want to sit for an hour. They just want the one little thing that they wanted to hear. Right. But again, how many more of those can you possibly have? Like, I don't, I don't know. Yeah. World.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

We produce the content. Like I'm a content creator. I just don't care enough about like, what's the newest, hottest, and maybe I should, I don't know. I was a tick tock train. I didn't jump on tick tock till it was quote unquote, too Late.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

Right. And so my growth on Tick Tock was not impressive and whatever.

[Ray Gutierrez]

I was a huge Internet influencer in video games from 2005 to 2015, and I haven't posted since.

[Justin Colby]

There you go.

[Ray Gutierrez]

I've been off the Internet. I've just retired. I don't care. I did this. I already did it.

[Justin Colby]

Yeah.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Like, everyone's like, now be trying to do what I did 10 years ago. I'm like, cool, whatever. I. I launched PlayStation Switch chat on Instagram. Cool, whatever. Move it on. Like, like, we all have our journeys and here we now. Like, what can you teach someone that's living in the bay and they walk up to you from. I mean, living in Miami and they walk up to you with that bay perspective. I'm. I'm a little biased because I know how it changed my life and how it really gave me a new perspective on everything. Yeah. Even as to why I'm so attracted to the color red. What can you tell to. To a Miami person that's walking up to you and goes, you must know a lot because you're tall. What's the first thing that comes out of your brain? And when you get that down letter rain hits me first, it's gonna rain sideways.

[Justin Colby]

You know, my. My upbringing and my spirituality and all that kind of stuff plays into who I am, like, even as a father and a husband. So we were just talking about this. We were with another family down the Keys this weekend and like, the dichotomy of my wife and me, and I'm like the chill California guy and then I have the spicy Cuban wife. And so it's just, it is a true, like, God always used to arrays and in, like, nothing to me is overly dramatic. Like, right on. Things are happening. It's rainy or what? And you go, all right, well, what's our solution to the thing? Like, I don't know. It's not that big of a deal. Right. But not everyone feels that everyone creates big deals if, you know, like, for example. But Sunday we were supposed to go out on the boat. It rained all day long.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Wow.

[Justin Colby]

Kind of a bummer when you have four kids in the house.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Sure.

[Justin Colby]

Not ideal. Right. But like, okay, so let's have as much fun as we possibly can. Like, figure it out. And so that's how I take it into, like, more of a high energy, high octane city. Like Miami is. I just always tell people, like, just go along with things. Like, nothing's that dramatic. We don't need to traumatize every little thing that that happens. It's just chill. Just, like, go the flow.

[Ray Gutierrez]

To your credit, I'm still currently learning that because, you know, born and raised here in Cuban, Nicaraguan. But I'm still working through the emotion of intelligence, where it's like, don't react. Just think. Like, everyone here just reacting, react, reacting. First of all, like, dude, chill, Chill. It's okay.

[Justin Colby]

Well, and that's. But that's the cultural way, right?

[Ray Gutierrez]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

And so that's why I never, like, get upset with my wife. But, like, it's not always a big thing. Not always. Right. Like, even, like, we have a year and a half. So when you start walking around a year, when they fall, like, yes, my heart fucking jumps out of my chest. Because you're like, did he hit his head off bar? Do not hit his head. A good figure. You sit there and you wait, wait.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Good for.

[Justin Colby]

Because if I'm making a big reaction.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Yeah, the baby's gonna freak out.

[Justin Colby]

And the baby freaks out. Right? And so, like, that philosophy is how I kind of go around the whole thing. Good old life is just like, is it really that bad? So.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Right on. Well, Justin Kobe, how can people learn more about you? How can people find you in case they haven't learned about you?

[Justin Colby]

I think Instagram's probably the best way that people find me because it's actually me on there. I don't use bots and things like, I will communicate with you. So if you go to the Justin Colby, also YouTube, all of my stuff with Ruby and all of my podcasts and all the influencers that I interview, go to YouTube. Just look my name up, YouTube.com Justin Colby and those two platforms. I'll engage with you on Instagram. That is by far the best way to actually communicate with me. Ask me questions. I'm here for you. And YouTube has all my podcasts and everything you could possibly want on there.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Right on. Justin, I hope you appreciate our time and energy and that I didn't ask a lot of real estate questions.

[Justin Colby]

I did appreciate it a lot. You've been great all day.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Right on, brother. Thanks, man.

[Justin Colby]

Appreciate you.

[Ray Gutierrez]

Appreciate you, man. That concludes another episode of the Living your legacy podcast, Red Life edition for Inside Success. That's Justin, and I'm Ray.