@b_rule aka Brandon Rule’s path to becoming a real estate developer wasn’t easy. He moved from California to Milwaukee, Wisconsin after the 1994 Northridge earthquake left his family homeless. Milwaukee was recently rated as the second worse place in America for black people by USA Today. The average black household income in the city is $24,000 a year and the black unemployment rate is a staggering 16 percent.
Growing up Brandon was determined to beat the odds and make a difference in his neighborhood. He taught himself the ins and outs of commercial real estate by self-educating at night when he finished his 9 to 5 job. In his mid-twenties he started his own commercial real estate firm.
Today he’s a 31 year old business prodigy. He is one of the top commercial real estate developers in the city. He has developed $50 million in affordable housing projects in his old neighborhood in Milwaukee, through his company Rule Enterprises and has an additional $180 million in projects currently in his development pipeline.
A few weeks ago, Brandon went viral on social media after news broke that the city of Madison, WI recommended that he be awarded a contract to develop a 30,000-square-foot grocery store, 150-unit apartment building and 345-space parking garage on a city-owned lot.
In episode 54 of @earnyourleisure, Brandon broke down the ins and outs of commercial real estate development, he explained how affordable housing credits work, he talked about financing and he gave an in-depth look into his journey into becoming an icon in the industry.
EYL 54 will be out today at 5 pm est.
