Tricia Lee on 'Owning Manhattan' and Your Own Power

Hey, hey, wait me, Well that's not how that goes, No, it is. Hey, hey, we're back. We're black, we're forgetful, brown ambition, we're human ambition, ambition, ambition. Hey major, how you doing? We're right?

Like, do you guys want butts or do you want the real?

Real?

I know what I mean, you want Ai Tiffany and Ai Vandy, who are perfect.

I don't know how we take every week like for real, Like you know, we're like a live tape show, not live, but you know what I mean. Every week I'm like, is that the song?

How Mandy? Remember? It took me six years to remember our email?

Now I know I brought as podcast podcast I do my backup took minimum six.

Years to give me there and.

Anyway, believe you and I you know, we love to talk about the real the estate. And we're going to be extra black and brown in the studio today because we have a guess.

Today's guest is extraordinary. On top of starring in the new Netflix show Owning Manhattan, Tricia Lee is a proud Brooklyn resident. She has incredible knowledge just like of the borough of Brooklyn. She is Brooklyn and it's so important. I feel like to have a born and raised New Yorker in the market here selling and being successful at it. But she wasn't always a real estate queen who's sold over three hundred million dollars worth of property right like,

I think the part that really like, as I was reading her bio is like she experienced entrepreneur fatigue. Girl, welcome to the club. So I'm like, girl, so how.

Did you heard of that? Yes?

Right, I mean living it, feeling it.

In it, And so it's like, how does she Because I guess my question is gonna be for Tricia when she comes down and she's gonna be like, you know, oh, remember we said we're gonna start calling them company, because you know that's what black folks call.

People call our company.

We got right when company comes.

I really want to know, So, are you not fatigued with this new position, like because basically, you know, selling real estate, you're still a business owner basically because you own kind of like you know, you have your clients, you have your your bias, your sellers. You So I'm just really curious of how she navigated entrepreneur fatigue and how this is different from like owning her own business in this way.

So she's like, you can start over when one dream has expired, like finding a new dream, which I'm like, you know what, some of our are just like kind of stale. It's like, oh, that yogurt was really good back you know, last year with the expiration date, you know what I mean, Like it's time for some new yogurt. Don't board it, don't hold onto it just because it was your favorite brand at the time. Yeah, I'm talking to my dad with a deep freezer with all that

And you know it's so funny because we've we've both done that, right because Mandy, you started off, I mean you're still journalists, but you know in that space you were like editor and now look you like teach, negotiating many totally different you know. And then me starting off teaching preschool to what I'm doing now is Bujanisa. So I guess it's not so crazy because we've both made huge pivots and reinvented ourselves and now we're podcasters.

You know, award winning.

Did I sidebar since we're talking about Brooklyn and then we're waiting for company to come? Did I tell you that when I went to the Brooklyn Museum to see you know, like remember.

They had the jay Z exhibit.

Oh yeah, yeah yeah, so like and I was walking through and they hit his awards room, like in the Brooklyn Museum. They turned one of the rooms and I saw his one Webby. I was like, ooh, cute, we have three of those.

I was like, it's only got the one.

I know.

I was like, oh, better lucks next time.

Yeah, we'll catch up on the Grammy front sure.

And the dollars, but either way, we have more Webbies than jay Z.

But I felt are the Grammys listening?

Though?

There should be a podcast?

Oo?

He should be it's audio.

Yeah, they do, they do books. They do, they do books.

You're right, Grammy's hello, somebody at the Grammy's.

Make it happen.

We could be an egot.

Sidebar. Can we get intew?

My skin is glowing? What's happening? Someone asked me, like, ooh, is a new makeup? I'm like, no, actually, I'm not really wearing. I'm not wearing at other other than a little concealer under that. I'm not wearing.

You know what it is. It's melanie and join the sun, like girl, I went to the beach and came back like it's rich. I mean it's giving, like.

Oh Oko in the I was really looking at myself alativity, just get these glowing girl.

Yes, son, listen, I own my light skin privilege. But one of my privileges is not like the beauty of melanin in the skin, because it's just it's so rich and like decatent, and mine is like translucent.

Speaking of which, more beautiful brown company is over.

Girl, you want to go ahead and open the door and let our company in.

No, wait, did you clean the powder room? Did you? I did have over? Okay, you didn't change your cleaning room to Hello, Tricia, how are you?

Tricia? Welcome to the show.

Thank you. I'm so excited to talk to you, guys.

I can't wait. I mean, my first hard hitting question is do you think Jennifer Lopez is a triple threat?

Like?

Can't you? Actually?

Yeah, let's do this. If we do it, let's do it.

Since many want to talk to yes, Tricia, what are your thoughts?

I love j Lo so yes, yes, yes? What She's been able to hold her own in all three of those lanes? No, no, no, twenty twenty five years Tricia.

Singing, Tricia, you.

Know what I'm saying.

She who says what singing is who.

We know singing and we know singing. She can sing, Yeah, she can dance, she can act. She can produce. Okay, I can tell you a perfume and a I cream. I don't think that woman needs to do anything more.

Okay, well here I'm I'm gonna give you the other producing.

You know, I'm trying to get the booty cream like next time I runt to support but singing child the girls have come out.

That is a shanty on that record. But you know we're gonna run a slide. I'm gonna be has stated her peace.

All right. Well, Brown Ambition, First of all, you and body Brown Ambition, are you born and raised from?

I was born in Brooklyn, yes, absolutely, raised by New York women, but raised in Arizona. And I would say I grew up in New York because I came back to New York at like twenty two, twenty three years old, So a little bit of a guest to know, but I'm a true New Yorker through and through my my mom, my grandmother. My mom went to Queen's College, my grandmother worked at Virgor goodmin for thirty eight years. All of my influences are New York women. I've been a New York woman in my entire life.

Wow. And now, like I mean, you have become an entrepreneur. You own businesses in Brooklyn. So you said you came back in your twenties. So how did you get your start and how did that path lead you to real estate?

Oh? Real estate?

Well, you know, in college, I did maybe six months of doing like an administrative job at a rental office in a in like a building near the campus, and it was a six month job, but trying to like creep over and do the rentals, but they were like you don't, you're not qualified, Like please go back and answer the phone. That's what you're doing, and that's your job.

And I loved it. And I was probably eighteen nineteen years old. I loved it. I was like, how many can we rent? Like what's the bonus? You know, how does it work?

And I would just take people out rent these apartments, and you know, just I did so well they ended up giving me an apartment in the building for free.

What yeah, yeah, Like I was like I might have been nineteen. I don't think I was nineteen, because I remember I was still at that age where your car insurance is more than your car payment. Like that's how you.

Know that I gave you that's basically a six figure salary. We're talking about me.

An apartment I had free utilities, and it was furnished. It was a one bendom apartment. And that's how good I did. I mean, like every threshold that I could meet while she was out, because she was gone for like six months, I met it and I loved it, but it was just temporary and then they put me back in my job when she came back. So that was my taste of real estate, and I knew that I loved it, so it always was around me. It was always something that I loved. I grew up in

So it was always there.

But I was a beauty girl, and I moved to New York strictly to work for Math.

That's what I wanted to do.

I didn't really know what else I wanted to do, but I knew I wanted to work for MAC, and I knew ultimately I wanted to be an entrepreneur, so I followed a lot of the things that I've wanted to do.

It's just taken a long time.

You know, a beauty girl, what did that mean? But I mean, I'm assuming that's only your I mean everyone looks so young, right, Like how many years were you in the beauty space and how what do you mean my beauty girl then? And like what do you think about the beauty girls now, like the TikTok beauty influencers? Is that sort of what you mean? Like you were just really passionate about the space and all the goodies.

I've always loved beauty, Like as a child, up until I've moved out of my mom's house, I would come home and put on all her make a and all her perfume, and I would go hand. I would full face, like trying our clothes, trying our dresses, like it was a routine. Like I would come home and do a whole makeover on myself and just look at myself and them.

We had some clothes, like we did dress. Yeah, that was like fashion was just.

A part of our home culture. Like that was just and that was very important to our family. Like I think it was because of my grandmother's work, but it was always about presentation and how you look and how you present and if you can't kill them with anything else, kill them with how you present, you know.

So I love beauty. I love makeup. I wore it all the time. I remember, like in fourth grade getting in trouble. They're like, you can't be doing makeup makeovers in the bathroom and I'm like, my mother says I can't. She's okay.

They're like, your mom's okay with that, Like your mom's okay with you putting this Christian do your eyeshand on these girls.

And I was like, yeah, just.

Fine with it.

Only got in trouble, suspended from school for lyon. It was always in me. Yeah, I always loved it. I always love I bit my nails my whole life up and through owning my salons.

I own those nails salons. I was always a nail fighter.

I always love nails because women had such beautiful nails and I did not.

I had no nails. I bit my nails my whole life. I just stopped biting my nails during the pandemic.

Just why did you do it?

Because girlfriend, how did you do it?

Oh? No, no, no, you're so much better. I was like, where the skin gets big over here, like to where.

Like there's you know, like the rivet scar. Yeah, and the tip of your finger is chubby because.

Like, yeah, boy nails, you know, the boys be just bounded in nub And you're like, suh.

That's not that's painful that you quit.

For me, it's an anxiety thing. I'm interested to know you quit during the pandemic when I feel like that's where I really picked it back up because it was like, you know, I didn't.

I realized I had anxiety during the pandemic because I stopped biting my nails, and I was like, oh, I don't have anxiety.

When I bite my nails. So this is what it is. Yeah.

I don't know how in the worst time I was able to push through with that horrible addiction, but I did give it up, like maybe three years ago, I would say three and a half years ago. But love Mails, Love beauty. Always loved that stuff, Like even in college, like I worked at Clinique, I worked at Prescriptives. I was I would do a makeup, I was teaching you about your three step Skalecare's all I cared about is all I ever wanted to talk about was beauty, B B to bud. And so what I wanted to work

So I was like, I'll go to New York. I'll work there and I'll be in New York Mac girl, and like those were my ambitions. That's what I wanted to do with that.

So like at the Mac store, like when you walk in, you go to the Mac and there's like women there selling the products. So that's what you moved from Arizona to New York for.

Yeah, And it's crazy, but you know, if you think back, this is nineteen ninety eight, Mac is the biggest car.

It was a big deal.

It was a huge deal, you know what I mean. We had just signed Kim Kim, Little Kim and Mary J.

Blige for a huge campaign and working at Mac at that time, like I was absolutely the biggest influencer in the world, Like I could not sit down with the group of women at a table and even talk about where I worked, because the entire conversation would shift to chestnut and lip glass and whatever you studio fixed and all that stuff. And I would literally till this day. I talk about people, I'm like, she's she's like a C seventy eight, you know what I mean, And they're

The exposed now?

I'm like, girls, so really what color foundation? Right now?

You don't well, you don't need foundation. You you don't need foundation. What you need, specifically is the skin tint, So just something to kind of brighten you a little bit.

You don't need found the foundations for people that are trying to cover up something. Skin tint is for people that are like trying to highlight and brighten something.

What kind of skins like when we get I'm like, I'm not the rite that what kind of skin ted?

Would I guarantee you? I don't know the color is that well anymore?

Now, But I think you would fall between like an n W fifty five and like maybe like fifty eight or sixty and W though because it'll brighten your skin, you know, like I this is the stuff. I know. Like if I go into support and they're like, can I help you, I'm like, no, I can help you.

What are you talking about?

And who live?

A brand that's Mac? Still?

That's now, Like you know, back then, that's all we had was Mac for women that were any shape, bighter, if you were darker than a paper bag, you know what I mean, Like your collection was very limited. Like I remember Cnique having like three colors that were even near my complexion. And I think when I was younger, I don't even know if they had a color of powder for me. I don't remember them having a color powder.

But I did that forever and I loved it.

And because the company was so small when I started there, like they were we got hand sign checks when I started at that, Wow, and then as it became what it became, you know, in the early two thousands, it's what I was there, and I'm there and I'm in the biggest market and the biggest city, you know, learning everything they're learning. So as they're growing their company and they're becoming this you know, Essay Lauter funded company and they're opening ten stores a month. I'm on the front

But I needed to know.

Like I would look at paperwork and try to figure out how much they were paying to actually make the lit pencils that we were selling for fourteen dollars. That was what I needed to know, Like with packaging and marketing and how does it cost, So that always just interested me. And then I'm binding my nails and I'm like a nail binder and I'm obsessed with everyone's nails.

And I just started writing a business plan for college.

Bar years into working at Matt, I was like, I could do something like this, but it could be about nails, and it could like you could come in and at Maail Services and it could still kind of be like a maxixt, Like it could have great music and a great vibe and great energy and nostalgic music, like maybe you come in and you hear music.

From fourth grade or whatever. You know.

So I'm thinking, I'm thinking about these ideas that are being influenced by my environment at work. And the store is immaculate and everything looks great and it's well branded, and you guys come in and you're clamoring.

For everything in here, and I'm like, I can do that with nails.

So I did that with nails, and I did it with nails in Brooklyn, and I had two locations for ten years. And in the midst of that, the real estate market crashed and everything about the business was everything about every business was impacted by that because people had no money and they had no jobs, and people were going to college as clients.

Of mine and then out in the workforce with no jobs.

And I started to step back and be like, okay, this is not good, Like everybody comes here is unemployed and then looking.

At it for a job, or then used to come every week, come every six weeks, like ooh, what.

Am I going to do? So it was just like I had to make a choice for what was next for me. Even though I loved beauty, I had to figure out something else. And at that time, I specifically just felt like I want to make more money because it was that was it. I wanted to make more money. And that's how real estate became a part of the conversation. I don't like to tell people, Oh I was passionate about buildings.

I don't know. I needed to make more money.

I wanted to go to work and make as much money as I could in that eight or nine or ten hours.

Okay, that's it.

That is and there's nothing wrong with that.

Let's be honest, like we at work, right. So that's how real estate became a part of the conversation. I was fortunate to have a best friend that was a developer, a real deal developer, putting up buildings, like putting up communities in North Carolina, taking brownstows in Brooklyn and making them into multi unit condos. And that's in my ear every day, like that's my best friend. And I'm not in the business, but I'm listening to the business every

He'd be like, you would kill it in this business. You would run circles.

That was like literally her line, and she said it a thousand times. And at the end of twenty fourteen, and I have my backup against the wall and I was literally living off of my savings even though I had these two businesses running.

And I was like, something's got to give. And I was like, let me just try to re look State. I can't. I can't do any worse, so let me at least try.

That hold that thought and we'll be right back.

State farm agents are small business owners too, so they know how to help you choose personalized policies that fit your needs, like a good neighbor. State Farm is there talk to your local agent today.

I think it's important. That's something that you said. I think people think that entrepreneurship is guaranteed. Well, but here you were with this business that you started, Polish Bar, and you had two of them and still were struggling financially. Can you talk about like, like what why is that?

I love to talk about that because I feel like nobody cares about that, But it's something that you have to think about and plan for.

The landscape changed.

I had businesses in these neighborhoods in downtown Brooklyn that were drastically like becoming gentrified, and they were hotspots. They were definitely like where your creatives lived. Like a lot of the press we had with Polish Park people like, oh who does your PR? My neighbors do my neighbors and my clients do my PR? Because they're the ones that work at a lord and they're the ones that work at very clear They're the ones that are the who's who and the what's what? Like they just happened

Average, you know.

But then where my businesses were there were some not houses, but some houses. So that number is not two point three million, that's more average four and a half million dollars. Like, so I had neighbors that were renting that could no longer afford to rent their community. I had neighbors that couldn't afford the taxes on the homes that they owned.

That were running them one hundred and forty grand.

A year, and they got a pedicure as a treat, and they got waxing only when they went on vacation. Because now it's not the beauty fashion of art people. This is a different client tele that is now your base clientele, And so our business changed.

We saw people far less.

We had to we had to capture so many more people to do the same business because it was just a cultural shift in the neighborhood. So what do you do when your client base has relocated? You know, but they, my clients and my friends can no longer afford to be in the community that I ran my businesses in.

I knew that they were going to talk. I knew that the printing the commercial.

Space, it's renting the commercial space. Is there any benefit to getting in early as a renter of a business, like if you.

Have the long lease, Yeah, if you have a long lease and you negotiating really good lease, you know. I got into my space. Is nobody one of those spaces. I knew what the neighborhood was doing. So I've always had a eye forervillance. That's just a natural eye that I'm always had. Like I was twenty two years old suggesting to my sister oh By and Scott, still don't buy any photix Becausecot's still would perform better for you

That I don't know.

I just know that stuff. That stuff I just naturally know. So I knew that with my businesses. My businesses were and are still the hottest areas of Brooklyn to have businesses in. So I benefited from that and I had long leases, but the cultural shift in the client base I didn't have a plan for. I didn't know how to get married to come in more than every twelve weeks because Karen used to come in here every Thursday.

So wait, now, so how did you make the transition? So the police guard did you close down? And then what was your first like your first real estate transaction?

So as I decided to go into a real estate my lease at one of my locations was getting ready to expire and I had extension on it. So I was able to sell the extension to a new business and soon to be a future client of mine that was starting to open. A brand call Honey Honey Nails is currently now one of the biggest nail salon brands in Brooklyn. Like they're all over Brooklyn, they're all over Manhattan.

Okay. I was like, well, come take this location.

So they took over first my second location at Prospect Heights, which was a great relief to me. I then trent my staff and just kept the strongest staff that I had in my first location, and that was Clinton Hill. And so I once I did that, I spoke to my managers of the store and I said, I'm giving you my keys. I'm going to pursue real estate. I no longer have keys, so if there's an issue you need to take ownership with this business, I'm going to be stepping back and I'm going to be starting a

And I did office. Was it just your own business or did you join like a real estate firm?

I just went I was so smart about it. I went to the I said what was the number one firm? They said corkorand I said, what's the number one office, they said, peerpont I said, bit, that's where I'm going big fish, only like I don't. I mean, I'm growing at this point. I don't have time to play with people. I got it, Like, where's the big people at that's rom the bee And.

I think in those seconds because I what I love about what you just said is like I do a lot of work in career pivot coaching and the hardest thing for me is or the biggest the first hurdle to pass is like when you pivot people women of color, like the women I work with, don't believe that they can think that big. They think, oh, I'm pivoting, so I should go back to the bottom, expect to pay, cut, expect to come in. So where did that confidence come from?

Yeah, I mean I do understand how you would think that.

But a lot of what we do, like you guys know, as entrepreneurs, it's life experience, right, So if you've been through some things, you've been through some things and.

You bring that with you.

So I did not know a lot about real estate, but I knew that I had a natural eye for real estate.

I knew that could sell my ass off. I could sell my ass off. I knew that.

And I also knew that I had run a business that I couldn't go anywhere that people didn't know my business. So I knew I could market anything, and I was confident enough to know I could figure this out. But what I'm naturally good at and y'all will never learn, you'd have to go to school too. I am naturally what moses out of me. You'd have to go to school and get a master's before.

I was very confident with.

That because I had the receipts. I would be in Atlanta and people are like, do you own polish bar? I think I saw you in this mane like you know. That was how my first business, my first business that I ever did on a shoe string budget, that's how it performed. So while it was going through its financial challenges, I knew who I was like. That had nothing to do with who I was, right, and the challenges that we were dealing with were challenges I could not have were seen.

So I was frustrated by that.

But I've always felt that I can do things really well if I put my heart into it, and I really wanted to change my life more so than I wanted to go into your real estate.

I wanted to.

Change my life and I was so committed to that that I was like, I want to be where the biggest, most talented people are. I didn't want to start at some small mom and pop firm.

I was like, no, my.

First my first desk I set across from a former real estate attorney turned real estate broker. I would hear half of her conversations half because she's on the phone.

Yes, and I'm.

Like, yeah, like did you have to apply?

Did you?

Like?

How'd you get a job at this top firm and top office.

So I learned that once you get licensed as a real estate agent, like you know, we don't get paid, We don't work for these firms. You go to a firm and they offer you services in a portion of your earning to pay out to them for those services.

So the dynam.

Between me and like a real estate brokerages they are on my payroll.

That's how it works.

And so people tend to like switch it around because they're just trained that everybody's an employee, but real estate people are not employee. They don't have any benefits whatsoever. And you could be in real estate and not make a dollar for two years and nobody says it's just they only care when you make money, where's our portion, where's our part?

You know?

And then when you make a lot of money all the time, then they're like, ooh, you're so special, Like that's how it works. It's like it's like the real world's time.

So it is. So I went.

I just wanted to be at the number one firm. I figured if I was around the smartest, best, most talented people, then that would be the best environment for me. And that is confidence. That's knowing what you can do. Like if you know nothing, but you're around the smartest people, you'll do well. And that was all. I did not care about anything else. I was like, what's the number one office? Okay, where's that at. I didn't even know

And he was like, push, I'm gonna stop you right there.

My wife is one of your best clients and your most biggest fans. So you tell me what you want. I said, I don't know, and he's like, well, first, you need to be working by yourself. He's like, you may not know what you're doing yet, but you know what you're doing. So he's like, you sit here. He told me to sit across from his office. Wanted to keep an eye on me. And then he's like, are you single? And I was like I am.

He's like okay, perfect, yes.

Sit right here, and he sat me across from Jeff because he wanted me to wanted to hook me up with Jeff.

You can tell me that. He just.

Before is okay, is it your partner now?

Yeah, he's been in my partner.

Yeah, we leve a New York love story.

Oh my god, if only every job, I mean, honestly.

If we're imagen, he was like are.

He goes like, are there's a great job.

I want to and He's like, I can keep an eye on you. I want you to this in this rope. It was the rope right outside of his office.

And then he goes he looks at me, goes, are you single? And I's like yeah, he's okay, sit right here, okay, And so I sat here, and then Jeff sat here. He knew what he was doing and such a mess. And then I just started myself and I can't mana and guys, I didn't even know what.

I was doing half the time. I would just come in and be like, okay, I'm here, and I just started like figuring it out. You know. They're like call people you know, and.

Yeah, because you got to get clients to sell to. That's your job. You need to sell real estate. So how does the does the real estate company? Do they match you with people who have do they help you find the homes to sell, the properties to sell? You got to do all of that, Okay, Yeah, so where the start you have? But you have a community, You've been an entrepreneur, you know lots of people, right, you

When I was actually living off of my savings, and my savings was because I had bought a part of property when I was very young, and when I decided to, you know, recreate my life, I sold the property. And that's what I love about real estate because you could always set yourself free if you own some real estate, you know.

And that's what happened. So I was.

Probably there for a few weeks, and I realized that marketing was just so important and everyone was like, well, you know, the one where you get clients is you let them know what you're what you're doing. And I'm like, I don't want aybody didn't know what I'm doing. I don't even know what I'm doing it, and like why would.

I tell y'all what I'm doing? And then I really can't do it? That's crazy, you know. And I had a conversation with my leaked to you she was.

A friends a friend, no leak.

Yeah, I had a conversation with her on the phone for twenty five minutes and I don't remember the rest of the call, but I just know related to sharing my journey in real estate, she was like, I think you kind of just get over yourself.

Anybody really thinking about you like that?

Yeah, sounds very my lead. That sounds right.

What do you mean by that? What do you mean?

Because I said to her, you know, everybody goes into real estate and you don't ever hear about it anymore. It's like, you know, everybody get their license and then you don't hear about it. And I was like, I just don't want to put this out.

There and I'm still trying to figure things out.

I'm just like, you know, I think you're thinking about it too much. Like people don't really been thinking it, Like they're in their own heads, live in their own lives.

They think about you. It's fine.

And however she said it. The last thing she said is you kind of just get over yourself.

And I was like, damn when I got over myself at the end of that call, because I was.

Like, yeah, I like to ask you though. Especially I feel like, especially among women of color, there is a lot of excitement about I can do this, I can get my real estate license, and then I can sell. But then it's like there's that huge knowledge gap, or like the confidence gap, because it is so much yourself, and maybe there is that expectation that, oh, well, I'll find a real estate firm and they will give me

You have to have clients that trust you with deals period.

Like they will give you support and teach you how to do paperwork, they'll teach you how to submit things, they'll teach you the tactical part of the job. But to get someone to trust you with oftentimes their biggest asset, that's you. That's your reputation, that's your influence. And I don't know anybody more influential than than a really good real estate broker.

Because I'm getting you to get handed.

Me your four million dollar property and trust me with it. That's your whole retirement you're giving me. Now, you're giving me more control than you are your asset manager. Yeah, I don't know anybody more influential than a real estate broker.

So we know that you have this Netflix show and I love Ryan who. I feel like I've been on his show before, Like you had a podcast. I think I know I've definitely checked. I read his book, his first book, which was like so great. I can't remember the name of it, but it was sell it like sir hand or so, No I remember the name of the first book.

Yeah, but it was great.

Sounds like their hand yet yeah.

And so it was just like you know, it wasn't a book about I mean, certainly talked about real estate, but really just about reinventing pivoting. It was a great first book. His energy is out of ten out of ten? So how did that happen? So you're rocking out at the Corcoran group and then what happens like how do you make this transition to working with Ryan at Sorehand and then being on the show.

So I stayed at Corcorand for a little under a year, and once I did what my league told me to do, I started marketing myself and I said, okay, I'm going to take my beauty newsletters that.

I'm doing at Polish Bar.

I'm going to do the same type of newsletter, but this is going to be about real estate. So two or three months and I started sending out monthly newsletters about really just what I was learning in real estate, like, hey, you know, did you know this did you know that to my strength, to my same very large client base, and you know how women are, they were like, oh, you can sell my house. Like immediately. So my first

I mean we had this one office girl. Now it's like yeah, yeah, very.

Much, very much. But you know, it wasn't and I knew they would be. I knew it would be.

I was like, Okay, based on their unique offerings and differences, this is going to be one of the biggest real estate companies in the world. And as they said they would be, I one hundred percent believed it.

I went over there. I was over there for five years, and I would say, right, away in real estate.

Everybody that met me was like, oh, you should be on TV, Like you have the personality of the presence, should be on TV. So that was always a conversation, but there was never an opportunity. And then over the course of maybe twenty twenty or twenty twenty one, Ryan reached out to me and was like, Hey, I've been you know, and keep an eye on you, and I want to meet you. And I'm starting my own firm, and like, I think you should come and work with me.

I don't think I know who you guys are talking about.

And he's like, he looks really young, he's a silver fox, he has like a baby bathe and what he's fox he is.

I don't know. I am so sorry to He.

Was the star of Million Dollar Listing for twelve years. He was on Brava.

I know that show name. I haven't watched that the real estate shows. Okay, got google him.

Yeah he's very much, yeah, yeah, very much a household name in our world. And also for record one of the biggest, if not he's really the biggest broker in the world.

Like as far as.

Volumes old, I don't know of another broker that can out do his numbers.

Like me, he started off as as a theater kid. That's what you went to school for.

Like, oh, well, I love that because then it makes sense how he can like turn it in.

Yeah.

Well he basically yeah, just really fun and engaging.

Yeah, and he has married to that man.

I do you know, but I photographic memory.

And his first he got on million dollar listing, you know, because he had performance background and he went in and he tried out the same way we all like you cast everybody cast, you're casting another five five thousand people were casting. Well, he got chosen. And when he got chosen, he says this in his book. He had done nine thousand dollars in total in business. That was his total business, and he had done in a year's time nine thousand dollars. And he took me went from there to the billion

That's him.

That's his business. But he is phenomenal. And so when he reached out to me. I was like, oh, you know, I I don't really know. I'm thinking about going somewhere. I've been here for a long time, but you know, cool. So whatever the call with him was, it inspired me to actually want to just start interviewing with everybody. So I interviewed with a bunch of firms and his interview really was the best interview that I had.

I felt like everybody wanted to work with me.

We're coming out of twenty twenty, so like, let's be clear, there's black people time. Everybody wants the dope. I can give you dope, black girl, black people time. It's still is kind of sort of.

I mean we're shrinking, you know, things are changing, but we had a good time. We needed a run.

Let's be yeah, it was a good three and a half year run.

Yes, like d I was, and.

Okay, we all know the same things.

Even though we don't have that we're not talking to each other trust. So you know, I'm interviewing with him.

I did four five other interviews, and you know, at that time, it was like, you know, I just feel that there was everybody had a need to find their black girl, and I was like, cool, I'll play the game with y'all.

What can you do for me?

You know? Again, confident that I knew what I was doing, I knew my power, I knew my capability. There are a lot of things I hadn't done in the business, but I also hadn't had the opportunity to do them. So I felt that after all those interviews, he would put me in front of the best opportunities. And that's why I joined forces with him. He was already on a built USh show. He definitely was the start of that show. Being at his firm had nothing to do.

With the show at all.

So I went to his firm to work for someone that I thought had done phenomenal things. But specifically I loved that he was very humble and super successfully and I thought developmentally, I could learn from someone like that some way that really mixes those two things beautifully together, the humility and the talent and the skill, and like knowing you're at the top of your game but not necessarily.

Shoving in people's throats. I like that about him.

On a personal level, I felt like, I'll do good anywhere, but I could really develop myself personally by working with this man and That's the only reason why I chose to work with him, because all the other startups had tons of money and they were throwing checks at me and he didn't have that. So I chose to work with him when financial mind would have probably chose to work with lock Giln Firns. But I knew that developmentally, long run, I would do better working for someone like him,

I love that he was very excited.

God, what's your biggest year? Your biggest like the most you've sold in a year of real estate?

I want to say maybe forty eight dollars more years?

Yeah, what's your commission?

Does?

I want to ask you? Really in the weeds question? Right now? There's some there's all this controversy over the whole National Association of Realtors are having to what was it FTC, But basically there was a lawsuit and I'm curious your take on that because that takes away the ability to like have a standard, you know, as you're broker, I get six percent commission on sales. How has that impacted the business?

Has it at all, not in New York because we are the only territory that's not covered under NAR. So you can go outside of New York City, like outside of New York City, NYC, it's all NAR.

But we're not in AR. So we watch that and listen to that and then have to educate people person by person that that is not us. We are revenue. We're completely different.

We have a different governing body, we have a different, if you will, lack of a better word, union, But you know that we work under so a lot of the things that they are dealing with are not direct to us.

It comes up in.

Conversation because people don't understand that we're not well, people that are really really in the business obviously understand we're not in the art. We're not any our realtors. I don't have a classification, I don't have a badge. I don't I don't even know what they do it any You.

Don't do the all caps next to your name.

I do not.

I do not, you know, but I have to be aware of what those changes are because it will trickle in and it will affect our business.

But you know, a lot of that is.

The language in those documents and the agreements and just the not.

The policies, but the practices.

That people weren't aware that they could negotiate different terms of their contracts. I'm sorry, but Manhattan and New York people and my savvy ass sellers they know that, so they don't fall for that.

They're like, Okay, you're gonna do this job. This is what I'm willing to pay you.

And then they you know, they five or six people come in to pitch and they're like, we can give me the best service for the best. Like I'm like, that world is not our world because my clients they hassled me, like I'm selling the car. They're like, okay, what's the interest right here? Like okay, how many calls are on that one? I'll be back And I'm like okay, talk to them a week later. They're like okay, so now down to just YouTube. It's just you, just you

Was pitching against the team that I was quitting. What I got my listening, and I got my listing.

Just so y'all know, if nothing else, black girls are magic.

That's like you say, like saw soul separately.

So I was literally thinking that many get out of my head. I was like, yes, you.

Said something that so powerful, trician you said, and I think this is important for everyone to kind of like internalize you said. I made this decision, you know, from a place of basically personal growth, because I will do well anywhere.

I don't think enough women understand the power that you bring to the table. Like you know, some of you are out here raising kids. Do you know how to is to raise a human being?

And you worried about what that any bitty job chat. You are literally raising a human being from the mind.

You are creating a mind. I think we're literally creating in your career.

She's maised two human beings from scratch, from exception to let me.

Tell you moms like Iowa.

Tell me whatever you want to tell about myself, But I'm only responsible for me.

I'm responsible for.

Me in my wing.

That's it. I don't have to worry about I have to worry about. That's it. Me and my baby is. I don't have nobody else to worry about.

So that's what I'm just like.

Girl, I don't know nothing about what you can't do, because if you can raise this little baby from scratch to where you have them now and they're a healthy, happy hoole girl.

Everything else is no idea what you can do.

Girl, you are capable, I know.

But that solid core of I will do well anywhere. I do have that, and I think I really it's great to recognize that in us well, Tricia, And it's special.

Yeah.

I definitely have done the work just to understand my power, Like I am somebody that understands how.

Powerful I am.

And that's a lot of personal development that I've worked on. But I have learned myself. I have learned my origin, I have learned my family, and I know at this age now that I was always a powerful human being because of who I come from the people I come from.

The woman that created me the influences of my life. I know my power.

So I may not know what y'all do in here, but I'll figure that out. But I am aware of my power. I am definitely aware of my power. And it's a word I use every day, in every moment, because I think it's so important to.

Know your power.

You know what I mean, like when you are present, when you when you walk into a room, when you were added to a space, when you were added to an environment. You must walk in your power. You must know your power. I know that nobody, nobody has to manage that for me. I know that, And so yeah, I don't know what y'all are doing, but I know I kill it wherever I go. I know that I know that any firm I would be happy to have me and I will do well.

So let me see how can I be better?

Me?

Though?

And for me, it was about the personal development that I felt needed to happen.

Then I saw myself.

Growing my business and my brand, and I wanted to do that but become a better human being in the process. I didn't want to just become an obnoxious asshole with a great business.

And it's easy to do that in our business. So I admired that about Ryan.

I admired the way he handled my interview and the things I said in the interview because I was giving it to him and he was taking it.

Like a chance.

And I was like, I want to be like that, So maybe if I work with him, I can learn why it's people to function in that way. And it's on the show. It's it's a part of our our giggle between me and him. But I was like, listen, you got a great thing going here.

This is love. We love all of it. I think it's wonderful.

But listen, I'm looking for somebody to need the little Wayne to my dream because I already know I'm hot.

Shit.

I just need somebody, you know, and I will promise you his his only like management employee. I don't even know what Scott's role was at the time. Scott was sitting next to him and they were like, what did she talk about? And I was like no, so like listen, like you know, like little Wayne is all of that in a bag of chins, right, But he put out Drake for us to enjoy, and now we love love some Drake.

And whether or not, you know, whether or not you know or love little Wayne.

We got Drake out of him, right, and so now again this is not this is top Kendrick Lamar time, but this is your Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, let's just say it so they know, we know, we know, we know. Okay.

So when I said that to him, I was like, you know, I'm looking for I need I need a little Wayne.

I need somebody that can say, look look at her, I look look at her, like push her forward.

And so his response was so in this scenario, his only response in this scenario, am I Drake? I was like, no, you're a little Wayne. He's okay, I'm little Wayne. I was like, yes, like.

You and.

Because like I need some of the biggest.

Do you understand why you would tell you Do you understand why you would tell your founder I'm looking for the little Wayne to my Drake.

Yes, because I know I'm gonna be Drake. I know I'm going to be Drake.

But who wants to be Do you want to discovering me? Yes, that's what you're asking. I love it, and I love that my interview.

That was my interview.

And when you guys see that scene in the show, and I was like, the reason why I told you need to be my little Wayne is because I'm reminder that's my actual That was my annual review that they were filming.

I went in there all rapped up, like listen, I want this, this and this.

I've been here for a year and I'm gonna need this, this and this, you know, And I'm I'm just reminding him in my review, like, hey, when we partnered and we said we were going to do this, this is what I told you I needed and this is what you told me you could offer me.

And it was because that was our actual interview. It's just we didn't have an office then. He was working out of.

A wee workspace. He had like thirty agents and we were interviewing. He brought his little pack lunch into my interview. We were we were small, but we were mighty. And so you know, fast forward, we're doing my annual review on Netflix.

That's just crazy. I mean, that's just crazy.

Do you get an annual review? So you are your own business, right? But like is there a salary? Like is there there bonuses? Like what kind of compensation do you get on top of the commission?

So I don't know if everyone gets an annual review.

But like when they're recruiting you, you know, it's like we want you to come here, we want we're going to do this for your career. We're going to do that for your career. Like these are the different things.

Are you because I'm paying you at the end of the day, so I need to review you.

Yeah, your success is no success. They should care, they should give it.

Yeah, and all the firms are really you know, they want to know how they can help you because the more money you make, the more money they make. So but they're all ears, they're happy. They do it twice a year if they could, well, absolutely, Where.

So your show, what does the show called that You're on a Netflix? Where can the people watch it?

My show is Owning Manhattan and it is on Netflix. It is top ten and thirty three country. It has had performance that no other real estate show has ever had on a platform at all, more less network, when more less Netflix. And it has twenty eight five star reviews from Business Insider to Yahoo, to La Times to New York Times to everybody's times anywhere, everywhere, all the time.

Dragged us, the entire dragged us.

The last sentence of the review is, by the time you read this, we think Tricily will be president of the United States.

Oh yeah, because what.

Because even the people that dragged us for philth were like, but be the president by time this This hasn't.

Such as a light. Thank you so much for coming on. Yes, y'all, please watch it on Netflix. Give her life, watching her stand in her power, and watching the sauce.

Sold separately so we thank you.

Wait, don't have a little I have a little inside baseball question though, do they Does Netflix pay you? Yeah money?

I think they have to. I mean, I'm a rosted broker in New York City, so my my idea of good money is very different.

They're never gonna so they're like idix allowance for Jeff And it was.

Like, I mean, it was a special so I was just kind of like, that's it.

I mean, it was.

Cute, but you know, I wasn't there for I just say, we weren't there for the coin.

Yeah, this is very few things I can do for money that makes sense for my time anymore.

Like that's just look it.

But it's the opportunity of a lifetime to show the world what you do.

You know what I mean.

I'm getting emails from everywhere in the world. I'm getting business from everywhere in the world. You know, I'm getting gifts from everywhere in the world. And I'm in a position that I would say ninety nine percent of brokers would love to be in. So I don't waste that at all, and they don't have to pay me.

I'm lucky. I'm lucky that they do.

See this is one example of like, Okay, I'll do it for the exposure, because there are exposure, yes, yeah, I.

Mean, and they definitely pay you, so it's more than just exposure. But I think that the important thing to do is to have a very successful show, because again, you have a very successful show, you can go back to the drawing board and you can you can negotiate more things, and like we negotiate, we're living.

So I look forward to that. Yeah, I'm hoping that more people watch the show. I'm hoping that people love it, so the response is beautiful.

Like most people, I don't know anybody that hasn't seen this show except for you man, and I literally think everybody has seen it.

Twice Bridgerton had being a chokel Do you.

Have to under I get it.

I get that.

No, I do get to rewatch the carriage scene every day since May thirteen. Get it around to you.

But that's fair, that's fair, and I totally understand that.

I was like, Okay, so Bridgington is like ten days separate from us. Okay, so I watched Bridgeton every single day up into our show. I get it. I'm a Bridgington stand like really really bad so I totally get Alan, I totally get it. But we are a great show and people love it, and the response has been like they don't know what to do.

It's just been an overwhelming response with how people love the show. It's just been crazy.

I can't wait to get obsessed with it and obsessed with you. We got to interview her before she became the president.

Yeah, girl, we thank you for having you on.

And if you want, if this was really helpful, and you know that it was, please share the show, y'all. You know, because you know we love to see black girl magic in action. Please go ahead and watch Yeah Owning Manhattan with Trisha and of the other people we don't know them, but we love Trisha. And if you can't, please live it's a review because you know, we love a good review wherever you listen to the show, but especially on Apple so we could be seen, heard and shared even more.

All right, y'all, numbers smatter numbers, smatter, yes.

Numbers, We will chat with y'all. Probably got Friday for you know.

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