From Door-to-Door Sales to Multi-Million Deals: Justin Colby’s Brutal Entrepreneur Truths

Summary

Podcast Summary:

The Level Up Podcast w/ Paul Alex
Episode: From Door-to-Door Sales to Multi-Million Deals: Justin Colby’s Brutal Entrepreneur Truths
Host: Paul Alex Espinoza
Guest: Justin Colby
Date: December 8, 2025

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Overview

This dynamic episode features Justin Colby, a seasoned real estate investor and entrepreneur, sharing his journey from humble beginnings—hustling as a kid and enduring a turbulent home life—to building multi-million dollar businesses and becoming a leading real estate educator and podcaster. Justin gets candid about the mental battles of entrepreneurship, brutal setbacks, the real estate landscape, and what it takes to not just survive but thrive as an entrepreneur in 2025. The conversation overflows with practical strategies, mindset shifts, and hard-won truths about business, money, and personal growth.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Justin’s Backstory: From Hustler Kid to Real Estate OG

[02:09–04:26]

• Justin details his Bay Area childhood in a dysfunctional family, developing hustle early on—flipping baseball cards, collecting recycling, and turning small profits.
• He never saw himself in a typical job; the entrepreneurial itch was always present.
• After UCLA (which, he admits, he never used his degree for), he went into door-to-door sales.
• “My childhood was difficult… alcoholic mom, dad and stepdad. Moved out when I was 14…But it’s not a woe is me. I hope people hear some of that and can relate and say, ‘Okay, if I can make it, I can get there.’”
  — Justin Colby [02:37]

2. Education, Insecurity, and Fueling Ambition

[04:51–08:16]

• Justin reflects on academia, noting he had to work much harder than his friends just to get into UCLA.
• He shares a humorous yet honest story about plagiarizing a paper at UCLA, getting caught, and being forced to retake the class—a turning point in realizing that personal and academic failures aren’t catastrophic if you confront and learn from them.
• The root of his drive: “I wanted to be seen… I was never seen as a kid… So I wanted to create something to be seen."
  — Justin Colby [05:42]

3. The Entrepreneurship Cycle: Thriving Despite Setbacks

[14:27–17:02]

• First sales job was almost accidental, followed by the grind of door-to-door work in Boston’s winter (which led to pneumonia and a business collapse).
• Reconnected with his old friend and started a real estate brokerage in Northern California—a business that still thrives today.
• Justin emphasizes the non-permanence of setbacks: “Nothing’s permanent… I weighed 170 pounds. I’m 6’4”. My family was like, you are not good. But this is where God works, bro. God is so good.”
  — Justin Colby [16:15]

4. Real Estate: Then and Now

[17:19–19:09]

• Reminisces on buying a $550,000 condo with $3,000 to his name during the era of “free money” (100% financing).
• Warns that similar government-backed easy lending may return soon, echoing serious concerns for the market.
• Paul and Justin discuss today’s real estate challenges: high interest rates, unreachable prices for “middle class” buyers, and the looming “housing crisis.”
• Justin’s actionable tip: “If people start paying their mortgage twice a month… you will save yourself a lot of money.”
  — Justin Colby [18:59]

5. The Cost of Living, Money Management, and Social Pressure

[20:18–23:27]

• They unpack the reality that in expensive cities like Miami, it’s nearly impossible to live well on less than $500K/year.
• Justin and Paul tell cautionary tales—like a young sales star blowing $40K in 45 days just trying to “keep up” in Miami’s scene.
• Justin: “To have that life by design and create it… you gotta be making $500 grand or more to really have that level.” [22:54]

6. College, Competition & Parenting as Entrepreneurs

[24:03–25:48]

• Paul and Justin debate college’s value for their kids, agreeing it’s less about the degree and more about discipline, network, and confidence.
• Justin: “It forced me to level up my education because my friends got into incredible colleges… I proved it to myself I could, which is a huge confidence boost.” [25:33]

7. Mindset: The Duality of Drive and Self-Sabotage

[28:27–29:47]

• Justin openly discusses his tendency (diagnosed by his therapist) to “create some level of a downfall… so I can prove to myself I can get out of it.”
• Recognizes the need for healthy competition, purpose, and the double-edged sword of being driven by wounds from the past.

8. Scars, Vulnerability, and the Price of Business

[32:05–35:02]

• Justin stresses that authentic entrepreneurs have “scars”—if a coach or mentor says everything was easy, don’t trust them.
• He goes “full steam vulnerable” on social media about business battle wounds and mistakes, including a recent year-long (and counting) ordeal caused by misplaced trust in a contractor.
• “If you don’t have scars to prove it, I don’t trust you… If you’re going to tell me how good business has been… and you don’t have scars of the wars that you’ve been in, I will not trust you.”
  — Justin Colby [32:14]
• Key lessons shared: “Trust but verify” and “Inspect what you expect.”

9. The “Trust Era” of Online Business & Brand Building

[36:29–40:57]

• Both Paul and Justin stress the importance of authenticity in coaching and online business—people are “tired of being sold to”; real connection and trust are what converts.
• Praises industry peers (particularly Pace Morby) for leading with genuine care and accessibility.

10. Real Estate Advice for Beginners

[41:16–46:44]

• Justin’s #1 advice to new real estate entrepreneurs: “Go find the deal, first.”
  • He created his community, REILive Co, which goes live every day to practice calls, deals, and underwriting—"done with you" for $297/month.
  • Beginners should focus on being the "personal shopper" for hedge funds, as large institutional investors are now coming back to buy.
• For those with a 9–5: just 1–2 hours a day (including weekends) is enough to land that first deal—if you execute consistently.

11. Justin on Podcasting, Connection, and Expansion

[47:09–50:31]

• Justin’s original show, “The Science of Flipping,” focuses on real estate, while the newer “Entrepreneur DNA” explores the “real shit” of entrepreneurship: wins, losses, mindset, and business mechanics.
• Podcasting is promoted as a powerful networking and brand-building tool.

12. How to Level Up in 2025: Justin’s Formula

[50:56–52:48]

• “There’s three things. Focus on your brand is the overarching theme. I’ve interviewed several billionaires… they say there’s two things that mean anything moving forward: your personal brand and AI.”
• “Let people know what you do, who you are, and what you need… If you do that on a consistent basis, your brand will explode… Be very aggressively patient with your level of success, but focus on content that creates the brand of you.”
  — Justin Colby [50:59]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Paul Alex: "If you haven't been through adversity, if you haven't been through actual, like, real-life pain, dude, business... it will break you." [31:53]
• Justin Colby: “I will not trust you and I won’t do business with you [if you haven’t been through it].” [32:14]
• Justin Colby (on building trust): "My mess is my message. And people will endear the fact that you’re not perfect." [32:58]
• Paul Alex: “The belief of some people, the reason why people can't afford their own house, is maybe stop eating out so much, dude.” [21:29]
• Justin Colby: “Trust but verify. Inspect what you expect… the damage was already done. And now for the last nine months, I've been working basically to repair the damages.” [34:06–34:18]
• Justin Colby: "If you're listening to this... you want to be an entrepreneur... You need these three things: Let people know what you do, who you are, and what you need." [51:00]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Time | Segment | |--------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:09 | Justin’s background and early hustle | | 04:51 | Mental drive: Invisibility, therapy, and academic struggle | | 09:41 | (Sponsor content—skip) | | 14:27 | Door-to-door sales, rock bottom in Boston, pneumonia, and comeback | | 17:19 | First boom/bust in real estate; $3k down on a $550K condo | | 18:59 | Real estate crisis, creative mortgage hack | | 20:18 | The cost of living and income realities in Miami/similar markets | | 24:03 | College, competition, and the parenting debate | | 28:27 | Healthy competition and self-sabotage cycles | | 32:05 | “Scars” & the necessity of adversity in entrepreneurship | | 34:06 | Trust but verify—Justin’s recent business learning | | 36:29 | The “trust era” and creator authenticity | | 41:16 | Justin’s beginner real estate playbook | | 45:37 | How much time a 9-5er needs to get first real estate deal | | 47:09 | Justin’s podcasting journey and mission | | 50:56 | Justin’s “three things” to level up | | 52:54 | Connect with Justin on Instagram |

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Action Steps & Takeaways

• Real Estate Beginners: Focus on finding deals, not buying—partner with those who can fund/buy them. Consider a community/coaching program with "done with you" features for real-time learning and partnerships.
• Brand and Content: Share who you are, what you do, and what you need—consistently and vulnerably. Brand and trust building are paramount.
• Endurance: Business setbacks are not permanent—those who succeed in entrepreneurship embrace the scars, confront mistakes, and keep moving forward.
• Trust Era: People buy from those they know, like, and trust—authenticity and accessibility are real advantages.
• Leverage Podcasting: Consider launching your own podcast to open doors and expand your network.

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Where to Find Justin Colby

• Instagram: @thejustincolby – “It’s really me. Reach out and say you heard me on Level Up Podcast.”

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This summary captures the spirit, language, and tactical wisdom shared by Justin Colby and Paul Alex, distilling an inspiring, practical roadmap for ambitious listeners at any stage of their entrepreneurial journey.

Transcript

[Commercial Announcer]

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[Justin Colby]

Every style, every home. I literally came to the table with a $550,000 condo with three grand.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

To close the transaction.

[Paul Alex]

Isn't that insane? You guys are probably listening to this like they're lying.

[Justin Colby]

I think in next 18 to 24 months, the government gets back there.

[Paul Alex]

Trump just put something out saying like, yo, I'm gonna try to pass this bill to surpass Congress.

[Justin Colby]

So we're able to expedite this one little hack. If people start paying their mortgage twice a month, you will save yourself a lot of money. I'm gonna go full steam, vulnerable. All the dirt and the wars I'm in, I'm go expose it. Here's what happened. Here's the reason it happened. Don't do the reason.

[Paul Alex]

Hey, guys, and welcome back to Level Podcast. This is Paul, Alex. Guys, we are currently ranked top three in all categories, and we are currently number one in business because of you guys, the viewers and the listeners. Guys, we are trying to reach 5 million downloads this month. We have some special guests coming on board as well, some special interviews, and it's all because of you guys. Okay. I'm pretty excited about this. People that I've never, ever would have been able to talk to if I didn't have the podcast. But once again, it's all because of you guys. With that being said, I want to introduce you guys to a very special friend of mine. He's kicking ass right now in his own podcast, which we're going to be talking about. And just in life in general, guys, as you guys know, we bring special people that come from special backgrounds that are going to inspire you and help you level up in life. Justin, welcome to the show, brother.

[Justin Colby]

Man, I'm excited to be here. This is going to be good.

[Paul Alex]

No, it's going to be good, dude. So, Justin, for. For my listeners and viewers that do not know you, who are you, brother, and exactly what do you do right now?

[Justin Colby]

Yeah, I've been in the real estate space for almost 20 years, 44 years old, so it's funny to say that right. You don't even go to school for that long. So I've been doing real estate since I got out of college. Went to ucla. Born in the Bay Area. So you know, I love that lid the second I saw it.

[Paul Alex]

That's it. That's it.

[Justin Colby]

Went to ucla. Never used my DEGR ever. Went straight into door to door sales, selling credit card processing.

[Paul Alex]

Love it.

[Justin Colby]

And so wish I knew you. Then I would maybe not even be in real estate.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

But yeah, so then I went. I've been an entrepreneur through and through. My childhood was difficult, as many people have it. I had alcoholic mom, dad and stepdad. Moved out when I was 14. So I have the story, but it's not a woe is me. I hope people hear some of that and can relate and say, okay, my can make it, I can get there.

And so I've always had this entrepreneur. Like I need to go make it myself.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

So as a kid I would borrow money from my mom. Borrow, you know, like I would say, hey mom, let's go to the credit card. Or not the credit card, the baseball card store, give me 20 bucks, I'll be back in 20 minutes. So she would. And I'd buy a box of cards that was only $20 NAT then. Now it's like 300 or something crazy. I would open it in front of the store owner, wholesale him wholesale prices the cards he wanted so he could sell them at retail. And I would give my mom $20 back and I would have 20. And I didn't realize then what I was doing and I was just hustling. But I had this like entrepreneurial spirit. On the day of recycling, I would go drive my bicycle around. I would take the cans and the bottles. I would take them from all the neighbors instead of the truck. I would go drive them down to the recycling bin. I would get the penny or 5 cents for it. And I have all these different stories of how I did that. And so when I got out of college, I realized I wanted to go crazy. It was like I didn't have a dream to have a W2 job. I didn't want to be an accountant or whatever. And so I went into sales. That led me into the real estate space back in 2007, which was a tricky time to get started in real estate.

[Paul Alex]

Oh yeah.

[Justin Colby]

And. But here I am now in 2025. And so I. I've done thousands and thousands of real estate transactions. I've been teaching how to do that for over a decade as well. I run several different Companies, a tech company, and I have a bunch of different entrepreneur ventures that you and I were talking about off camera.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

But through and through, I've been real estate forever, always been real estate, and my real passion is people. So stuff like this, my podcast just, like, you know, has made so many introductions, opened up so many doors, brought me so many places, and so now, like, I'm all in on the podcasting thing as you are. Right. Like, you're number one, I'm number seven. Like, it's great to make this much impact on people and see what comes from it.

[Paul Alex]

No, it's huge, man. And I like that very.

You basically summarized the entire interview, brother.

[Justin Colby]

We're done here. We hope you guys liked it, which is good.

[Paul Alex]

Which is good, because it gives us a lot of things to talk about. So let's start off with, like, you as a kid actually taking that step as being an entrepreneur, dude.

[Justin Colby]

Yeah.

[Paul Alex]

Did you have anybody, like, mentor you or tell you to actually take those actions as a kid that led you to become an entrepreneur?

[Justin Colby]

Yeah, I didn't. None of my family really did anything big. Right. I don't want to say we were, like, broke or destitute. Like, I always had Christmas presents. Right? Yeah. I didn't come from money either.

[Paul Alex]

Right.

[Justin Colby]

Right. There wasn't, like, extra money for vacations and extra money for nice dinners. The things that you and I now, as adults were able to provide, I didn't have.

[Paul Alex]

Right.

[Justin Colby]

And I think it was that drive, that chip on the shoulder of. I just knew there was more. I just. I was like, this isn't it. Like, you know, coming home in the middle of the day at school and your mom's passed out drunk on the kitchen floor at 2pm like, this isn't it. There's more. And so it just kept driving me, and the chip on my shoulder created this. Like, it started with, like, I wanted to be loved. Right. As a kid. Like, I want to be seen. Yeah, Right. Like, I was never seen as a kid again. This is not a woe is me. Like, I know everyone has a story. It's just that's where I came from. Through a lot of therapy, I realize this. Right. And so I was like, okay, I want to be seen. So I wanted to create something to be seen.

[Paul Alex]

Right.

[Justin Colby]

And then, you know, I was never the smartest in school. I know I went to ucla, but I had to work my face off to get there.

[Paul Alex]

Dude. And props, man, because I always tell people, like, college, don't knock college. You know, when I have My kid coming in like two months, dude. And like, he's gonna go to college. Like, it's mandatory. Like, if he wants access to me, he's gonna have to go to college, dude. I'm like, yo, okay, we can start your business after, or we can do whatever the hell you want. I don't care. But college, it's just. To me, it's the principle of it.

[Justin Colby]

I love it.

[Paul Alex]

It's a flex, dude.

[Justin Colby]

Well, especially in today's world. Right? It shows that you can accomplish something. If nothing else, you're disciplined enough. Right. That you did it. Right. And so.

To me then it was a function of all my friends were going. Like, I had the smart friends, so they went to Stanford, ucla, Brown, like, and then I ended up going to a junior college out of high school. Cause literally my GPA was like a 2.8.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

So then I felt bad. I was like, oh, I'm the dumb friend. So that put a chip on my shoulder and let me show them all I'm not the dumb friend.

[Paul Alex]

And at the age of 18, when you're getting out of high school to be separated from her friends, dude, that gives you more encouragement because you're like, why me? Everybody else was able to do it, but I wasn't.

[Justin Colby]

Yeah. Yeah. And it gave me that chip. So now I kind of have these two chips on my shoulders, which. Which explains my journey. But, like, one is I want to be seen. I want, like, I want people to notice me. Two, I know I can go achieve it. Let me go show them I can. And so I started this, like, I'm worthy, like, drive. And it just never stopped. And so once I got to ucla, then I had to keep grades at ucla, which is brutally difficult. Right, right. And then I had to graduate ucla, which is another fun story. My last final, so I was an English major. My last final was like a 15 page paper.

[Sponsor Voiceover]

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[Justin Colby]

Close your eyes, exhale, feel your body.

[Meditation Guide]

Relax and let go of whatever you're carrying today.

[Commercial Announcer]

Well, I'm letting go of the worry.

[Justin Colby]

That I wouldn't get my new contacts in time for this class.

[Commercial Announcer]

I got them delivered free from 1-800-contacts. Oh my gosh, they're so fast.

[Paul Alex]

And breathe.

[Commercial Announcer]

Oh, sorry. I almost couldn't breathe when I saw.

[Justin Colby]

The discount they gave me on my first order.

[Commercial Announcer]

Oh, sorry.

[Meditation Guide]

Namaste.

[Justin Colby]

Visit 1-800-contacts.com today to save on your first order.

[Commercial Announcer]

1-800-Contacts.

[Justin Colby]

I was done, bro. I was like, alright, I don't care. So my last, like, I'm graduating, I fully plagiarize it word for word. Now I thought I was trying to be smart, so how I did it was not from the Internet. I went to the library and I took books, real books, and I wrote down word for word. So I like try to be smart. Like they're not manual way. Yeah. I was like, they're not gonna catch me. All that software is for the online stuff, right? They're like, bro, I'm in Europe, like on a UCLA had this thing when you're poor enough, you get like grants.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

So I had this grant for like summer education, whatever. So I took them up on it. So I'm in Europe, like having a great time and I get an email from the dean asking to come into the office.

[Paul Alex]

And you don't get emails from the dean, bro, unless you're in trouble. So what happens at that moment, that day you get that email, you're just like, oh shit, you're probably sick.

[Justin Colby]

I freak out. I literally like lose it because I know exactly like the dean So I know what it's for. So there was a sense of calm. Like, I got caught. Right? Like, okay, I know what it's about.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

But, like, just my whole life, you think you're over, right? At 8 or whatever. I was, what, 21. Like, you think it's over? Like, I'll never get a job. No one's gonna want me. This back to. No one's gonna want me.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

I'm not seen. Now I'm the idiot that, like, you literally think it's catastrophic, and it's not. Nothing happened. They basically said, hey, we're gonna fail. You take the class over again. Okay. So I did.

[Paul Alex]

They actually helped you out, dude. Because it could have been worse.

[Justin Colby]

Right. And so it gives you a learning lesson to say it's not catastrophic. You can make it catastrophic. Like, I could have went in a tailspin and turned into a full idiot. And whatever. I didn't.

[Paul Alex]

Could have played a victim. Why me, Right?

[Justin Colby]

And started drinking and driving. I didn't. I just said, okay, let me just go do the class over again. It kind of sucks. So. But that's a fun story. And then I just have always had that, like, I got to show everyone I'm good enough.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

And I've always. I mean, even as I sit here today sitting with you.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

That ship doesn't really just go away.

[Paul Alex]

No.

[Justin Colby]

And so it's. It's always there. It's even something that, like, today, I still want to push harder and go bigger. I'm more mature now, and I realize internally what it is.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

But I still have that.

[Paul Alex]

No. Which is good, because you know, what makes you. And I always tell this to, like, my wife, dude. I'm like, babe, I know exactly the type of man that I am. If you would have met me in my 20s. Because she always says, I wish we would have met earlier. I'm like, no, you don't.

[Justin Colby]

No, you don't.

[Paul Alex]

No, you don't. Because I was a completely different person when I was 21, when I was 25, even when I was 28, dude, I didn't start changing and really started having some real common sense into my 30s.

[Justin Colby]

Oh.

[Paul Alex]

And I was. Dude, I was a detective. I was doing all these great things.

[Justin Colby]

Yeah.

[Paul Alex]

But I. I'm telling you, like, I just. I didn't know myself, dude. I was hiding behind my work. I was avoiding a lot of shit to help myself level up. And a lot of it. A lot of people need inner work. I needed a lot of inner work. I need a lot I still need a lot of inner work, dude.

[Justin Colby]

No doubt.

[Paul Alex]

It's a continuous job to do.

[Sponsor Voiceover]

Right?

[Paul Alex]

So, okay, that's good, man. So out of college, I mean, you go ahead, you take the class again, you graduate. What does your family feel about you being a college graduate, especially from ucla?

[Justin Colby]

So they were so proud. And one of the things that I loved. Right. So my mom passed early. Mama passed when I was 22.

[Paul Alex]

Sorry, that.

[Justin Colby]

Yeah. But she saw me graduate, so that's great.

[Paul Alex]

Okay.

[Justin Colby]

Okay. So I really love that. And it gave a sense of pride to my family. Like, wow. Like, literally, my family to this day, like my aunt, my uncle, like, we were just so proud. Like, you got to ucla. Like, we did not expect that out of you. Like, I was never a dumb kid, but like, never a high achiever either. Right. So to hear my family even just how proud they were. So that was really good.

But to kind of go all the way to the point of, did someone give me an example? There wasn't that. And it just came from, like, I knew I wanted more and then just like when my friends got into colleges that were really hard to get into, it drove me. So to some extent, my answer is this. Like, I saw them do that. I'm like, I could do that. Yeah, I can do that. They did it. I can do it. So I did. Then I went to ucla. And then we graduate college and I go into sales because I don't really know what I want to do. I'm doing door to door sales, selling, credit card processing, all this stuff. Right?

[Paul Alex]

What made you go into sales, dude? Did you have like a friend at the time? I was like, hey, bro, I'm about to go to sales. You want to go? And you were like, fuck it.

[Justin Colby]

My buddy UCLA was going to go start a real estate brokerage, but his point was like, let me go learn it first. Don't. Just let's do it together because I don't know what's going to happen.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah, smart.

[Justin Colby]

I was like, all right, just go get a job for a little bit. Like, go get any job, doesn't really matter because then we'll start this brokerage together. So I kind of didn't care what job I initially got. And so I went and interviewed for this company who basically was like a training company to start your own company.

[Paul Alex]

Right?

[Justin Colby]

And basically they give you the clientele, you run your own company.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

And I love that. And that kind of started this like, oh, bro, I can go build it and it can be about me. Back to the Ego and the like, chip on your shoulder. I can do this and I can. And so I did that really well until I didn't. Because that, that also brought me to Boston, Massachusetts. Try going door to door as a California boy in Boston, Massachusetts, during the winter.

[Paul Alex]

They ate you alive, bro.

[Justin Colby]

Bro. Well, bro, I'm wearing tights, thermals, wool suit, wool jacket. Like, door to door all winter. I. And so it was brutal. I caught pneumonia. And of course, at the age of 24 or whatever, I was like, I didn't have health insurance.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

And the doctor was like, bro, you're like, you're in deathbed. Like, you need to be revived. This is not a joke. Like, you're not going to outlast it because you're young. And so basically, I let go of my company, moved back home to California.

[Paul Alex]

How'd you feel?

[Justin Colby]

I mean, at the time, like, just trying to survive.

[Paul Alex]

Well, like the world was ending. Like.

[Justin Colby]

Yeah. Again, back to that. Like, not victim, but like, why me? Like, I didn't make it.

[Paul Alex]

Exactly, dude.

[Justin Colby]

Damn it. I didn't make it.

[Paul Alex]

A soul crushing.

[Justin Colby]

And it doesn't have, like, it doesn't have to be forever. Right. So one of the big things that I. I talk about a lot is like, nothing's permanent.

[Paul Alex]

Yep.

[Justin Colby]

So I went through it and part of that was because I was also sick. So I was just like. Like I weighed 170 pounds.

[Paul Alex]

No way.

[Justin Colby]

I'm six four, bro.

[Paul Alex]

Dude, I was gonna say you're pretty big guy, bro.

[Justin Colby]

Like, my family was like, you are not good. So that took a little while. But simultaneous, this is where God works, bro. God works so good. God is so good. Like that same friend I talked to you about. Had no idea. Moved back to California. Really holds me like 30 days into me, like, recovering. Hey, dude, you ready to start this real estate brokerage? He doesn't know I'm there. I'm not talking to anyone. I'm like literally recovering. And he says, I'm ready for. To make it happen. I go get my license, we go do the thing. It's still one of the best or highly recognized boutique brokerages in Northern California still to this day.

[Paul Alex]

I love that.

[Justin Colby]

And so I got my start then. But as we just talked, the market crashed. Yeah. And so then I go through another dump. So then I'm making all this money. I buy my first home, I buy my first hundred thousand dollar car. Things are rolling.

[Paul Alex]

At what age were you when the market crashed?

[Justin Colby]

25, 26.

[Paul Alex]

25, 26.

[Justin Colby]

Yeah.

[Paul Alex]

That's a good Age to be in, man. And then at that time, I still remember that time I ended up buying my first condo at that time.

[Justin Colby]

Yeah.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

That's what I did.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

Yeah.

[Paul Alex]

FHA or no.

[Justin Colby]

Yeah. I don't even think it was during the 100% financing days. I literally came to the table with the $550,000 condo with three grand.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

To close the transaction.

[Paul Alex]

Isn't that insane? You guys are probably listening to this. Like, they're lying. That's not the truth.

[Justin Colby]

It was free money. Like, and by the way, the scary part, because I'm still in real estate very heavily. Like.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

I think in next 18 to 24 months, the government gets back there, bro.

[Sponsor Voiceover]

No.

[Paul Alex]

Yes.

[Justin Colby]

No, no, no.

[Paul Alex]

Because Trump just put something out saying, like, yo, I'm going to try to pass this bill to surpass Congress. So we're able to expedite this because they're saying there's a home, a home crisis, right?

[Justin Colby]

Oh, it's a huge crisis.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah. Dude. I actually got blessed that I got my house sold, bro. It's actually closing this Friday here in Miami. Thanks, bro. But I, I was scared.

[Justin Colby]

Yeah.

[Paul Alex]

I was scared because I had just moved to Puerto Rico like five months ago, and I was like, dude, I got to move this house. Like, no one's living in it. It's just collecting dust.

[Justin Colby]

I'm assuming it's a nicer home. So that is why. That's what.

[Paul Alex]

And that's my real estate.

[Justin Colby]

Because the people that. Yes, People that can afford it. Can afford it. Correct. So if I saw it, I could go buy it.

[Paul Alex]

Correct.

[Justin Colby]

It's, it's the more challenging part is in that 300,000 to like a million price point.

[Paul Alex]

Yes.

[Justin Colby]

Those people want it, but they can't.

[Paul Alex]

Afford it because the interest is so high. So it's saying that a house that's $400,000 in value right now with interest in the way it is, dude, over the 30 year span would be like 1.2 to $1.5 million. Which is insane.

[Justin Colby]

Yeah.

[Paul Alex]

The price.

[Justin Colby]

Yeah. Well, in one little hack, as you say that if people start paying their mortgage twice a month.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

So if your mortgage is four grand, pay two grand on the 15, two grand on the 30th.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

You'll actually reduce the amount of mortgage payments by like a boatload. You will save yourself a lot of money, dude.

[Paul Alex]

Which is great advice, but let's be honest, Justin, who right now, if they're looking at houses around the 300 to a million range, could afford. No, that is the challenge.

[Justin Colby]

That is why the crisis is very real. Right. I like. And I know now we're going to real estate, which is great because that's my strong suit. But, yeah, I think Trump's next 12 months is going to cause a lot of pain. Continuously 100% needed, in my opinion. We need to go through this pain. Right. It is a. It is. We are not rectifying, but we are adjusting to what needed to happen.

[Paul Alex]

Right.

[Justin Colby]

But then what I think's gonna happen is he'll get done some of the good things, people will be able to afford the houses again. We'll kind of get out of it. The challenge with that is after Trump is gone, what happens? Because he will make it all right through his term, and then he'll only have one term, and then what happens? So that's where it gets a little question mark for me. But I think we have another 12 months of some financial pain. I think a lot of people are feeling it. I don't think the government or the news are talking about it right now as much as they should be.

[Paul Alex]

Of course not.

[Justin Colby]

When I go out, I can't go to a normal dinner with my wife for less than $200. And I'm not talking about all night. I'm saying food, glass of wine. Glass of wine. Like, $200. Like, there's not a lot of people that can just do that.

[Paul Alex]

Do you know what's crazy? You're going to laugh. So I had just made a post, like, last week, and, you know, it's not an allowance. Like, my wife's a kid, guys. But that's the way my marketing team put it out there.

[Justin Colby]

Sure.

[Paul Alex]

They're like, he gives his wife an allowance.

[Justin Colby]

Yeah.

[Paul Alex]

So anyways, you know, I. I hope.

[Justin Colby]

Don't get it. Don't get it twisted. I have a. Yeah. Text right now. Hey, honey, can you throw me some money? I'm getting my hair done today.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah. And that's just the way we are, guys. We're providers, right?

[Sponsor Voiceover]

We're.

[Paul Alex]

We're husbands, we love our wives, they're our best friends. So we want to go ahead and, like, let them live life by design as. As a man should.

[Justin Colby]

Right?

[Paul Alex]

So on the real, we got so much hate for this dude. You check out the page after and then look at it, you're gonna be like, what the hell? People said it's not realistic that my wife spent $200 on going out to eat for one dinner.

[Justin Colby]

And I just said it right now. Not real.

[Paul Alex]

You just said it right now?

[Justin Colby]

Yeah.

[Paul Alex]

Isn't that insane?

[Justin Colby]

It's insane.

[Paul Alex]

The belief of some people, the reason why people can't afford their own house, is maybe stop eating out so much, dude.

Especially here in Miami. I call it the Miami Tornado, dude. I had one of our guys. And not to stop your story, dude, but we're gonna dive into it. And I just have to out there, because I'm thinking about it. One of my young guys. He's like, freaking 20 years old, okay? Doing great.

[Sponsor Voiceover]

He's.

[Paul Alex]

He's such a killer in sales. He's like, hey, dude, I'm going to have to move back home for. For the next three months. And I was like, why? You just got here. You just moved to Miami. Yeah, dude. And you're making multiple tens of thousands of dollars a month in commissions. What's wrong with you? He goes, I'm broke. I was like, how are you broke? And he tells me, dude, I spent $40,000 the past 45 days on just living out here. And I was like. I look at him and I'm like, are you stupid?

[Justin Colby]

There's not much else.

[Paul Alex]

I was like, bro, what the hell are you spending money on? He goes, well, going out to eat. I bought some shoes. Like, going out, guys, keeping up with the Joneses.

[Justin Colby]

He probably not bought a couple nice things. His shoes probably weren't $80 Nike.

[Paul Alex]

No. They're probably a stupid freaking $2,000 Louis Vuitton shoes or junk like that, trying.

[Justin Colby]

To keep up with all the people in Miami.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah, dude.

[Justin Colby]

But it is a very real. I would argue, like. And I know there's a lot of people that don't make this kind of money, but if you make less than 500 grand a year in Miami, you're gonna struggle. It's not. Now, I know there's a lot of people in Miami that don't. Right. So obviously it's doable. Yeah. I'm just saying, with. In relative to being able to take your wife out to dinner for my wife to get her hair done, like, these things, obviously, if I didn't make the money I made, then I can't do that, and we can't do this. But, like, to have that life by design and create it. Correct, you got to be making 500 grand or more to really have that level that you want.

[Paul Alex]

And it really goes back to what we were talking about, guys. And they're like, is Justin Paul talking about this? Well, it goes back to exactly what Trump's doing, okay? And I'm not trying to push the agenda here getting political but it's just what it is. It's current right now. Trump stated that to live in these major cities like New York, San Francisco, dude, like freaking Miami. It's like almost 8x the amount of anywhere else in the United States. So something has to change.

[Sponsor Voiceover]

Right.

[Paul Alex]

And it's crazy, man. But yeah, it's gonna be very interesting to see what goes on in the market.

[Justin Colby]

But I think the best thing in my opinion. I know we just talked about your kid going to school. I'm going to take a little different approach because I didn't go to school.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

And it did nothing for me.

[Paul Alex]

Right.

[Justin Colby]

It did push me. So I don't want to say that it did a lot for me. It didn't do it in the traditional sense. I didn't get a W2 job and that kind of thing.

[Paul Alex]

Right.

[Justin Colby]

But it did a lot for me. That's why you would have your, your kid go to school. You know if it's a boy or a girl.

[Paul Alex]

Boy.

[Justin Colby]

Okay. Okay. And I didn't know if you're going to announce it on here, so. Congratulations.

[Paul Alex]

No, thanks, man. Yeah, no, yeah, it's, it's been on the, on the socials for, for a bit market teams, like, so what's going on in your life, bro? You know, you tell them, you know, I'm having a kid.

[Justin Colby]

Okay, cool.

[Paul Alex]

You got pictures, you got video. That's how the marketing works, guys.

[Justin Colby]

They want to know you.

[Paul Alex]

That's it. They want to know.

[Justin Colby]

And so, but what I would tell you is, I mean, I have two kids. I have a year and a half old boy and I have a four and a half old girl.

[Paul Alex]

Nice. Man.

[Justin Colby]

My girl is smart as whip. Like, I already know. Like, I'm gonna need to bring her inside of my entrepreneurial life quick. So she learned the real shit.

[Paul Alex]

Yes.

[Justin Colby]

But I'm gonna let it be up to them. Yeah. And I'm gonna say, listen. But I'll also say, if you decide not to go to school, then here's what you're gonna be doing. Right. You will be going and getting a job and you will not be living off my dime. And. Right. So there'll be some, like, you get to go to school or you don't have to. But if you don't, then this. Right. If, then, then this, dude.

[Paul Alex]

And that's the approach I was talking about. Like, you know, I, I'm gonna tell my kids, go to college and I'll, dude, I'll take care of your bills.

[Justin Colby]

I'll finance it.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah. Like, I'm gonna take care of it. Just focus on, like, the certificate or the diploma and whatever. Just. Just to say you did it.

[Justin Colby]

Yeah. You know, why not? I mean, it's my story too.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

And I would tell you just like we were just talking about, like, it forced me to level up my education because my friends got into an incredible college, so I didn't want to go to the state college or whatever because my friends in. So then I'm like, I have to get there. So then I worked my face off, proved it to myself I could, which is huge confidence boost.

[Paul Alex]

It's huge.

[Justin Colby]

Huge. Like, I just got shivers thinking about that. Because they don't say that a lot, but, like, prove like, brother, if you're.

[Paul Alex]

Not using that in your marketing, you're leaving money on the table team.

[Justin Colby]

If you're watching this, I'm just saying.

[Paul Alex]

Because I have a mentee. He went to Harvard.

[Justin Colby]

Yeah.

[Paul Alex]

And dude, ultra successful guy. He's in his 40s. Came to me six months ago and was like, hey, dude, I need to work with you. I was like, cool. Sit down, man. He's a Miami local. And then he goes and says, so what's your background? He goes, well, you're not probably not going to believe me. I went to Harvard. I was just like, okay, that's cool. That make. That's believable. He goes, but you're not going to believe what I did out of Harvard. He's like, I flew out with one of my fraternity brothers that I met in Harvard that was part of this secret society club in Harvard called the Phoenix.

[Justin Colby]

Sounds right.

[Paul Alex]

The co founder, the CFO of Facebook was his best friend.

[Justin Colby]

Stop.

[Paul Alex]

Then when he graduates Harvard, he calls one of his billionaire Harvard buddies. He hooks him up with staying in Shanghai in China.

[Justin Colby]

Wow.

[Paul Alex]

They open a nightclub, which was the only American nightclub that plays hip hop. He got to meet all the celebrities, the basketball players, everybody you could think about. I think he even got freaking. He showed me a photo of Kobe. Dude.

[Justin Colby]

I was gonna say probably everybody. Everybody, especially the Olympics over there, Right.

[Paul Alex]

Comes back to Miami, opens a bunch of pizzeria chains, ultra successful guy, and then tries to break into digital marketing. And he goes, yeah, dude, you know, I saw your.

[Justin Colby]

Your.

[Paul Alex]

Your concept, and I'm like, dude, I just. I don't know. I need to be around you. And I was like, all right, so what had happened? Why is he in my realm?

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[Paul Alex]

And I was like, what do you think is that? And we had this conversation over the weekend because he was in Dallas. And he goes, dude, I'm a big, big believer in healthy competition. So when you talk about healthy competition, I'm like, yes, some people need it.

[Justin Colby]

Yeah, I do.

[Paul Alex]

Some people need it, dude.

[Justin Colby]

And, you know, it's another level of this. And I just realized this now is I tell my story, I also create some level of a downfall. Mm. So I can prove to myself I can get out of it.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

And I. And this is what my therapist has told me, at least.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

And I do that. And I even think about, like, where I'm at today and where I'm at in business and why am I not at wherever and whatever is. Because that cycle continues to exist somewhere in my life where it's like, I don't just go here because I want to create an issue that I know I have to force myself to get out of so I can build the self confidence. Like, look at what I just was able to do.

[Paul Alex]

Exactly.

[Justin Colby]

That's not healthy, by the way. I'm not suggesting you guys go create, you know, chaos to show that you can get out of chaos, but it is part of me and it's in but that competition. Right. So I love being able to level up to where the people want to go. Like, you know him well, and Grant Cardone challenged me. Right. He says, colby, what the. Yeah. And I'm like. He's like, why are you playing so small with the single family, bro? So what did I go for? Bought four apartments in the next six months.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

Like, just went. Because I could.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

Right. Now when you just go the way I go, that's not always perfect either. Right. Because perfect action. You got to go, you got to go make it right. But then it goes back to this. Now I'm making it right to prove to myself I can make it right so then I can write. And so I say all this to say, like, being able to have something that you want to go chase after is really important. It is very important. And it gives you the purpose. Like your boy was talking about is like, I have a purpose to go be as smart as my friends that went to Harvard and Stanford and UCLA and all these places. Like, I'm gonna go get there. I had a purpose and a chip on my shoulder to show everyone I can make it. Even though I wasn't viewed as a smart kid or whatever that was. I can become bigger than you guys. Right. And that gave me purpose.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

But there, that, there's a. It's a double edged sword.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

Right. Because it also could take you sideways, dude. Right.

[Paul Alex]

It really can.

[Justin Colby]

And I think I was blessed because of my. What's the word I'm looking for? I'm very grounded in that sense. Like, I know it can take me left, so I do everything I can not to go left.

[Paul Alex]

Well, you probably learn from experiences. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I've learned everything through experience. I'm hard headed, dude.

[Justin Colby]

Yeah.

[Paul Alex]

I'm a Capricorn.

[Justin Colby]

I'm stubborn, bro.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah, dude, I'm stubborn. I haven't met one entrepreneur that's not. I mean, we're all stubborn in our own way.

[Justin Colby]

Yeah.

[Paul Alex]

But realistically, I've learned from my experiences. Experiences of my friends. Just like I was telling you, like a couple coos did some shady stuff, but at the end of day, dude, I know myself. I'm at the stage of the game where I know myself so well. I know exactly what levers I need to go. And I think it's the same thing for you, dude, because you, you went ahead and you took the imperfect action to learn the experiences and now you know what to do because you've been through it.

[Justin Colby]

Yep.

[Paul Alex]

And I always tell people that it's like, I'm not looking. Especially when I'm looking to work with people. I'm not looking for the best and best in every single niche, every single industry or I don't, I don't even look at people's resumes sometimes, dude. I look at more of like, okay, what have you been through?

[Justin Colby]

Yeah.

[Paul Alex]

Because if you haven't been through like adversity, if you haven't been through like actual, like real life pain, dude, business, it is one of the most painful things and Experiences you will go through for sure, bro. It will break you.

[Justin Colby]

You are speaking my language right now. Yeah, bro. I made a post a week ago, two weeks ago, whatever it was. I literally said, if you don't have scars to prove it, I don't trust you.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

If you're going to tell me how good business has been, you're this great and you don't have scars of the wars that you've been in, I will not trust you and I won't do business with.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

And to the point, right this very day, as I'm sitting here this morning, my team said do it. And what that meant to me was I'm going to go full steam vulnerable for my social media. Yeah, you should. All the dirt and the wars I'm in in what I'm doing and the bad side of being an entrepreneur, I'm going to expose it. Not because I'm exposing somebody.

[Paul Alex]

No.

[Justin Colby]

I'm exposing reality.

[Sponsor Voiceover]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

What really happens when you play at our level? What do you really go through? What mistakes really happen? What does that look like?

[Paul Alex]

It's huge.

[Justin Colby]

And the reason why I'm going to do that is because I was told recently by my good friend my mess is my message. And people will endear the fact that you're not perfect.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

Because if you're out there and you're looking for a coach or a mentor and they don't have scars and they're not willing to tell you that sometimes shit gets real, do not hire them. This man will tell you shit gets real, Hire him. Yeah, right. But if someone's going to be out there saying I'm going to sell you this coaching or come follow my community, whatever, and they haven't had a sandwich or ten, don't trust them. And so my team this morning said go. So I shot it. You'll see it. It's on this morning about some of the damage that was done in 2024 because of a contractor and the in the trickle down effect that this did and the stuff I'm dealing with still today because of this. Right?

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

But I'm also laying in there the message of what I've learned. So the idea isn't to like just say, oh, this shit got fucked up, it's here's what happened, here's the reason it happened. Don't do the reason.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

Right. So in my example there was two main reasons. Trust but verify. Right. So I trusted, but I didn't verify.

[Paul Alex]

Right.

[Justin Colby]

And inspect what you expect. I expected the result, but I wasn't Inspecting it.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah, you assumed.

[Justin Colby]

And so. Because I trusted.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

And so those two main core principles in business and, you know, we talked about already, like, these are the core principles. You trust, but you verify, you inspect what you expect. So I trusted, so I didn't verify. I didn't inspect because I trusted. And by the time I realized what was happening because of my trust in the leash I gave him, the damage was already done. It was over. And now for the last nine months, I've been working basically to repair the damages, and I probably have another nine months involved in. In that is because these two main core principles after 20 years. Yeah, that's the shame I have is.

[Paul Alex]

Like, bro, it's not shame, dude.

[Justin Colby]

Well, it's just shame. Like, I know better, bro. Like, that's. That's crazy for me.

[Paul Alex]

I feel like it happens to everybody. It's happened to me, dude. It's happened to me where, like, you know, I've had vendors screw me over like. Like roles and, you know, they, like, they've literally bent me over and I've had to pay, I think, an excess of over $700,000.

[Justin Colby]

That's not a fun day, dude.

[Paul Alex]

Out of my own personal funds. Like. Like, not even company funds. Because if I was to go ahead and just let the company pay for it, deplete that company.

[Justin Colby]

Right.

[Paul Alex]

But at the end of the day, I'm a big believer that things come around. I'm a big believer in seasons. And, dude, like, like you said, we're the same person. Yeah, dude, you need your bay, dude.

[Justin Colby]

That's why we're here. That's why we're here.

[Paul Alex]

That's why we're here. But. But yeah, you. You need to go through those seasons, dude, and. And now you know better because you know what? God is creating something bigger for you, dude. I mean, you have so much energy. I can't believe you're. You're even over 40, bro. You look great. But yeah, it's not to gas you up, by the way, guys. It's not to gas. No, he looks great, but no, dude, I mean, like, I think you're. You're very intelligent guy. I think with everything that you're doing, you're doing it right. Yeah. And now you know who you are. And the biggest thing is, like, you're a family guy, dude, and you got good morals. And yeah, like we said, trust eras everything right now, dude. It really is, because especially in the online space, there's so many people out there, dude. We've seen this. You've been in the game for like more 12 years now.

[Justin Colby]

12 years educating.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah. 12 years in the online game, dude. So you've seen it all. You seen it when I was in.

[Justin Colby]

Wawa west, all that shit, you know, in the leader. One of the leaders in our space, specifically in residential. Pace is going to be here. I know he'll be on. So sorry if I broke the news.

[Paul Alex]

No, no good.

[Justin Colby]

You know, but bro, I watched him start. I watched him go basically bankrupt.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

He wasn't Pace the way we all know Pace.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah, yeah.

[Justin Colby]

Right. And he. I remember the day he came up and so when I say I've seen this is because I've just been. I'm like the og.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

Like he came. He knew exactly who I was. Hey, what's up? My name's Pace. Jamil knows me, whatever. And I met Pace that way.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

And fast forward six years, bro, and he's by far the biggest name in real estate by far. And in large part one of the biggest brands out there. Yeah, right. And so I've seen it in. He keeps going and I love that. And I support. And I'm his biggest fan because he does it the right way. Because he gives to the people. That's cares.

[Paul Alex]

That's cool.

[Justin Colby]

Like, he genuinely cares. And there's a lot of other people in our space that just want to sell shit.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

And people are tired of that.

[Paul Alex]

I have, I have one of his guys that is in his sub two community, Christopher Craig. Shout out Chris.

[Justin Colby]

What up, Chris?

[Paul Alex]

But Chris just crushed it at my event in Dallas, dude. And, and he was telling me about, you know, Pace's sub two community. And he was like, yeah, dude, sometimes Pace, he'll freaking show up to the community all day, every day and do. He's like, I'm not shooting you, Paul. A two to four hour question Q A with his audience. And I'm like, how's that possible, bro?

[Justin Colby]

He's told.

[Paul Alex]

He's making it happen.

[Justin Colby]

Oh, dude. He told me. He was like, Colby, don't, don't. I'm a lunatic. Yeah. So I was, we were, we did this road trip together. Him and I were keynoting at an event. Me, him and Jamil, S.C. so we all flew in later. Like, let's just go, bro out and road trip. So we jump in a car and so we're just talking business.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

I'm like, bro, what, like, what are you doing right now to have this meteoric, crazy success? Right? Like, I'm watching it, but like, what do you he's like, colby, you're not gonna do what I do. He's like, you can do what I do. Not doing anything special. You're just not going to. I'll jump on a zoom on a Sunday from 8 in the morning till 4 in the afternoon. All day with my community.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

Q and A deal, case study, whatever. Like, just. He does this.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

And I just love that about. I genuinely love it about him. Like, he's just a robot in. In the greatest way. Right. So, anyways, I say all to say, like, I've seen everybody. I've seen their goods, their bads. I think the marketplace is tired of people just selling. Yeah. I think the marketplace needs trust and they need the connectivity like they do. I will hold your hand. Come to my office. I will work with you. Like, I am not letting you go.

[Paul Alex]

It's huge.

[Justin Colby]

And that is what's going to separate me and you, because I know you do that for the next decade. Because that's what people need. They need to be able to trust somebody 100%.

[Paul Alex]

You know, a lot of the big names. You know one of the biggest names in marketing, Hermosi.

[Justin Colby]

Yeah.

[Paul Alex]

They started doing that when they opened their office in Vegas. Acquisitions Workshop. Right.

[Justin Colby]

That's right.

[Paul Alex]

Where they got basically almost every single marketer to go in there.

[Sponsor Voiceover]

Dude.

[Paul Alex]

But they know because they've seen that trend.

[Justin Colby]

Yeah.

[Paul Alex]

They're like, dude, we need to get people indoors in front of us, so they know that it's real.

[Sponsor Voiceover]

Yeah.

[Paul Alex]

You know, I'm pretty sure you've gotten this all the time, but have you ever met. And I'm pretty sure you've met hundreds because you've thrown a lot of events, but you've met a client that you've enrolled into your. Your coaching program, and they're like, dude, I didn't think you were real. And then they meet you in person.

[Justin Colby]

Yeah.

[Paul Alex]

And they're like, dude, you're actually like, the person online. This is awesome.

[Justin Colby]

And you're normal and you're easy to talk to.

[Paul Alex]

Exactly.

[Justin Colby]

I get that all the. And it's actually the biggest sense of pride. It is because it just shows, like, I'm not wearing a mask for you guys. It is the same reason. As of this morning, it's probably already up. I'm like, what are people saying? Like, I'm telling people my dirt.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

Like, that these deals didn't go well. Now I'm explaining what I could have done better so I can offer value in that message, but it's because I want people to always be like, oh, he's the real deal.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

Whether you like me or don't like me.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

At least you'll know I'm being genuine, authentic. I'm not wearing a mask. What. What happens in our space is people put on this mask and present it in front of social media and online and through their funnels. And then you meet them. You're like, oh, you're. You're not that fuck. Right. So it's always that, like, don't meet your heroes.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

I never want to be that hero that people like, damn, I met him and he sucks.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah. No, no. Absolutely. No. Absolutely, man. So let's get into helping beginners, dude. Like, what would you say as being a real estate expert right now in your niche, dude, that what is the best possible path, knowing what you know about what the market's at right now, that a beginner should do with real estate?

[Justin Colby]

Go. So I built it. And this isn't trying to be a promo, but reilive Co. Yeah. Is my community. Reilive Co. I couldn't afford the M. Yeah. Some bastard wanted, like five grand for the year. I'm like, I'm not giving you.co.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

Sorry. Live Co. Yeah. People need to focus on finding the deal.

So I've been around long enough again. I'm an old head. I have no hair. The hedge funds are back, and they're coming to me as of two weeks ago to say, I trust you to help us with the investment community. They don't love investors. Right. Institutional money would rather work with a realtor and just. Right. So I'm flying tomorrow morning to Phoenix to sit down with them again. Love it. Because they really want to buy more. You and I just talked about the real estate economy. There's nothing really for sale. Buyers are having a hard time buying, but there's opportunity. And they can't find it because the realtors don't know how to do what I do. So what I would tell everyone, go find the deal first. So I created reiliveco, because every day. This is a page out of Pace's book. I go live with my community every day. Live with them. Calling homeowners, calling realtors, underwriting deals, making offers, putting them into escrow with them. Done with you, it is. $297 a month.

[Paul Alex]

That's badass, dude.

[Justin Colby]

Now, you and I both come from a high ticket background. You might be thinking, Colby, you could charge $3,000 a month for that. I could, but what I want is I want them to get deals. Yeah. Because then we can JV on deals and all that kind of stuff.

[Paul Alex]

Smart.

[Justin Colby]

Go find the deal. I'll do it with you. REI lab. And then you have people in my buyer's world in the. In the hedge funds are back. Yeah. So if you can find the deal and understand that, just go hunt for them. You don't have to be the buyer. Go personal shop. You know, like, if you go to these nice stores, there's a personal shopper you have that goes around and brings you all the clothes. Go be a personal shopper for the hedge funds. I'll give you the data, I'll give you the criteria. All you have to do is go find it and I'll do it with you. It's not that hard. We do it together. Because right now, in the state of the real estate economy, the only thing that matters is the only thing with weight or value is the person that has the deal. You control it. They talk about.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah, yeah.

[Justin Colby]

And then you can do whatever you want, whether you wholesale it, where you buy it, where you flip it, where you keep it as a rental. It doesn't matter. You control the deal. And there's literally hundreds of millions ready to come into the streets from these hedge funds. They just don't have enough deal flow on the mls, so they have to start coming to us. Yeah. So this community, literally, I'm sitting down Tuesday to basically say, hey, I'm going to slowly leave this out to my community because they trust me because I did a lot of these deals with them in Phoenix.

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[Justin Colby]

They know Me, I'm a known entity. What they don't want is they don't want to just go wide to every investor. And then all these newbie investors, like, they wouldn't go into a community that has 12,000 people to say, hey, guys, go find us deals. It would, like, burn to the ground.

[Paul Alex]

No. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Because with beginners, they make a lot of mistakes. They don't move of urgency. You know, success, love, speed, man. So what would you say? Okay, if someone who say has a nine to five, Dude, I got a lot of first responders. I got a lot of nine to fivers that listen to this podcast.

[Sponsor Voiceover]

Yeah.

[Paul Alex]

How much time do you think it would actually take for them to land, like, let's say, their first deal based on, like, what you have on your community?

[Justin Colby]

If they do the things that I would advise them to do if they execute, dude, one to two hours a day.

[Paul Alex]

One or two hours a day?

[Justin Colby]

One to two hours.

[Paul Alex]

Not bad, dude.

[Justin Colby]

Now, I'm including weekends because most homeowners and realtors are going to be more available during the weekends than they are Monday through Friday. Yeah, right. They have. Homeowners have jobs and they have things. Right. So if you're able and willing to work one to two hours a day, every day, seven days a week.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

You can go get a deal relatively quickly and then combine that. Now I'm really focused on these hedge funds because now that they're back, bro, I made a killing when they were in Phoenix.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

Because they just have all the money, bro, and they buy it. Numbers that investors like the small mom and pops, like, we might have money, but we're not going to underwrite something at like, a 5% cap or like, you and I can go just go make more money. They'll underwrite at a number that's not reasonable for the mom and pop. So they'll pay more. That's all that means. And so now that they're going to be back in the game, I'm just like, get into real estate one to two hours a day, consistently, every day. Do not, like, not do it, because it's not hard either. And you'll have yourself a deal. Like, every month, you'll have yourself a deal.

[Paul Alex]

I love that, man.

[Justin Colby]

But it's the excuse, you know? This is what, like, everyone gives the excuse of kids, wife, work, blah, blah, blah. Fine. I mean, I will literally do this with you, but, like, you still got to do it.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

And if you do it, you're going to do it. But Anyway, so I'm fired up for what's to come. This next 12 months is going to be all ended.

[Paul Alex]

And then as far as. That's your real estate side of your. Of your life, brother. But let's talk about your podcast, man. When did you start your podcast?

[Justin Colby]

2012.

[Paul Alex]

So 2012.

[Justin Colby]

And going for it.

[Paul Alex]

And what. What is like the basis behind your podcast?

[Justin Colby]

So I have two. So I have one called the Science of Flipping All Real estate, Only real estate. So you will be on the other one called the Entrepreneur DNA. What I want out of that is the true shit about entrepreneurship.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

What do we go through?

[Sponsor Voiceover]

Yep.

[Justin Colby]

Right. Why. Why do we deal with it? What are the wins? What are the losses? How do we hire? How do we. What happens when a CEO does. You run? Like, that's the stuff. Right. Because what I want out of a podcast, I built my podcast for a platform for the guest, not for me. Very similar to why I'm here.

[Paul Alex]

Yeah.

[Justin Colby]

So I want this to be educational from someone else besides myself, because you have a lot of experiences that I may not have, especially in the credit card game, the ATM game, and all these different verticals that you've had so much success. Well, I want people to know that that's an option too.

[Paul Alex]

Right.

[Justin Colby]

And here's how you can go win. And here's my guy, Paul, that could probably help you go in. Right. And so I made this more of a PR branding play for guests so that they can actually go help others break out of this idea that they need to be relegated in nine to five.

[Paul Alex]

I love that.

[Justin Colby]

There's so many options out there, whether it be ATMs, credit card processing, you name it. I just interviewed this woman. She literally got her degree in theology from Oxford, has no business experience, had an idea about what AI could potentially do for customer service. Put that idea to pen to paper. She now has the federal government as a client. A year and a half later, the federal government is her client. Every large car organization, car builders and manufacturers organization is her client. This woman has zero background in entrepreneurship. She's a theology major, and within a year and a half has raised more money than you and I both can ever even imagine.

[Paul Alex]

Wow.

[Justin Colby]

That is why I do this podcast, so people can learn from her and from you and so many other greats. Right. Like, I just went and interviewed Ryan Sirhant up in New York. Yeah, he's in real estate. He's a real skate guy. But, bro, this brother, when I tell you this, it blew me away. I asked him. I was like, how much. How much did you raise to like. Because he has sirhant and he has simple and he has all these businesses and they're legit. But these aren't like little.

[Paul Alex]

No, he's been around for a while, dude.

[Justin Colby]

He's like self financed them all. Yeah, Food strap his. You want to get shivers his.

Salary, but his payroll every month, over $2 million of payroll.

[Paul Alex]

I love that.

[Justin Colby]

I love that this boy is moving. So that is like another level of like, you want to learn how these guys build something like that? Because that is well beyond what I've built. Right? So why not allow you to listen to something like that? Yeah, he's all over TV and Netflix, but he's not giving you what this podcast is gonna eat, right? So that's why I have it. And it's so much fun and I love the opportunities. Like, you and I are gonna be doing business, period. End of story. Hey, what. I don't know when and I don't know what it's going to happen. Right? And we already talked about it when we first talked on the phone. So it's just as the cool. I would encourage all of you out there, if you have some level of success, you've been following this guy for a while. Start a podcast. Why not? It opens doors. You meet new people, right? You create opportunities. Why not? Yeah, it builds the brand. Him and I believe in one thing, brand above all else. Right? Like, go build your brand.

[Paul Alex]

It's huge. It's every huge. It's everything, man. Especially now in 2025. Like I keep saying, guys, trust era. People need to know you. They need to know the real you 100%. Right? Cool, man. So what would be one piece of advice that you would like to tell my listeners and my viewers right now on how to level up in 2025 based on your experience, based on all your knowledge. I mean, absolutely. What makes you great, dude.

[Justin Colby]

You guys ready? You guys ready?

There's three things. Focus on your brand is the overarching theme. Okay. I've interviewed several billionaires. You guys could probably all see it all over the Internet. They say there's two things that mean anything moving forward. It's your personal brand and it's AI Those are. There's like, not really any. Like, that is what's going to make or break it. So if you're listening to this and watching this and you want to be an entrepreneur, Aspiring entrepreneur. You are an entrepreneur. You need these three things. Let people know what you do, who you are, and what you need. If you do that on a consistent basis, your brand will explode because people will understand you and people only want to do business what they know like and trust. They will know what you do, and then they will know what you need. And it could be anything. In my world of real estate, a lot of times is raising capital and people know like, and trust me, they know I'm in real estate, so they're willing to be a capital partner to me. Right. In other verticals, it could be different stuff. But if you are constant at putting out content, this is why I encourage most of you guys to get a podcast. This will be chopped up 42 different ways for him and for me as content. That took both of us an hour. And we will have content for another week out of this. Right? So. But then people will know Paul, what he does and what is he looking for. If you just focus on that over enough Runway, you can create whatever you want. If you try to shorten the Runway and say, in the next year, I'm going to go do this thing and make so much money and be ultra successful, you're likely going to hurt yourself. So what I tell you, be very aggressively patient with your level of success, but focus on content that creates the brand of you, that says who you are, what you do and what you're looking for.

[Paul Alex]

I love that. And, guys, that is the level up with Justin. Justin, where can they find you, brother?

[Justin Colby]

Instagram's gonna be the best. It is really me. So I'd actually encourage you to reach out to me. Let me know you saw me here. The Justin Colby said, I just saw you on Level up podcast, the Justin Colby. And I'll say what's up? And it's really me and we'll chat.

[Paul Alex]

Well, there you guys have it. Guys, that's another phenomenal interview here on the level of podcast with Paul, Alex leave a five star review on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube. Guys, we are currently ranked number one in business on Apple Podcasts and number top three in all categories because of you guys. So let's get to 5 million downloads this month. We're. What month are we, Emilio? We're in September right now, guys. September of 2025. All right, so it's going to be a good, good quarter four for this year. It's going to happen very fast. And we have, like I said, a lineup of special guests coming on here because of you guys. So I'll catch you guys on the next one. Peace.

And Doug, here we have the Limu Emu.

[Justin Colby]

In its natural habitat.

[Paul Alex]

Helping people customize their car insurance and save hundreds with Liberty Mutual.

[Justin Colby]

Fascinating. It's accompanied by his natural ally, Doug Limu.

[Paul Alex]

Is that guy with the binoculars watching us?

[Justin Colby]

Cut the camera.

[Paul Alex]

They see us.

[Justin Colby]

Only pay for what you [e-mail] Liberty, Liberty. Liberty. Liberty Savings Fairy. Underwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company. Affiliates excludes Massachusetts.