June Check Out
Future’s So Bright
The logo on his business card says “On the Brink of Freedom,” and for twenty-two-year-old JUSTIN ARLETT, truer words couldn’t describe his personal life as well.
His looks may be boyish, but he’s negotiating million-dollar deals and taking risks most experienced professionals might shirk from. While others his age are just graduating from college and unsure about a first job, he’s already knee-deep in business sales, working long days, and growing a brand new company as CEO of Arlett Financial.
At seventeen, he started working as a New Homes consultant, showing model homes, and since then he’s been reading, studying, and learning everything he can about the business.
Step one? It’s all in the mindset.
“Investors do things ahead of the curve. It’s all about the scale you think on. There’s money out there and tons of opportunities, but most people don’t know how to do it. You ask anyone that’s successful, and they’ll tell you they’ve lost money, but they lost more money by not taking action. For my age, and for the fact that I have nothing, I can risk everything – I have nothing really to lose. But obviously that’s not my mentality. I wanna make money, so I’m not gonna approach it like that.”
W: What exactly does your business do?
JA: For the most part, we provide real-estate solutions for both buyers and sellers.
For sellers, it would be people in any kind of distressed situation where you’d have to sell quickly – divorce, bankruptcy, inheriting a property unexpectedly, etc. We help them get out of the situation so they don’t have to foreclose or short sale and mess up their credit score. For buyers, there are a couple of different aspects. If you’re an investor, we can provide the best deals since we’re the only ones working with the homeowners directly.
W: Your dad owns a successful brokerage company in Delaware. What has he taught you about the world of real estate?
JA: The one thing people always ask me is, ‘How are you doing this?’ I don’t personally have the resources, but luckily I can make the deals happen. People ask if he helps me out but, no, for the most part, every network, every connection I’ve made in this town, has been solely on my own. My dad, he’s the ‘kick you out of the nest and make you fly’ guy. Growing up, there weren’t necessarily penalties for failing. It was more like, what lessons can you learn from this opportunity? If you get accustomed to help, you’re not going to learn how to be self-sufficient.
W: What does all of this hard work and money-making mean to you?
JA: It’s the freedom – to be able to do what I want, when I want, with who I want. When money doesn’t have to filter you, you can be your true self. People say money makes you
greedy, but I think, ‘No, you were greedy in the first place.’
W: Or that it can’t buy happiness?
JA: To me that’s an excuse for someone not trying to be successful. It’s easier to be average and a lot harder to be different. It’s hard, because I have to limit my time when my friends want me to go out, and I work six to seven days a week, but I know this is temporary
W: Well, I believe you’ll be on your yacht one day, eating oysters, cruising around on a Tuesday afternoon. I’ll check back in five or ten years …
JA: Hopefully. I’m really excited for the future
To view more of photographer Amy Conry Davis’ work, go to www.gypsypye.com.
