Summary: What we have in store for you this week is an eye-opening episode with none other than Ron Brooks, who is here to talk to us about addressing the community’s financial plights at the grassroots level. Listen as we go over how he compels banks to protect seniors from fraud, helps the disadvantaged become homeowners, and connects people with the resources that they need. Ron “Champ” Brooks Jr. is a real estate investor, a former banking executive with 18 years of experience, the owner of the 2nd black-owned co-working business in the world, and the host of The Minding Your Business Podcast. Today, he devotes his career to compelling banks to serve low to moderate-income communities better—and ultimately serve themselves—by protecting the elderly, investing in driving revenues, and reducing expenses. And not just for the black community, but for everyone else as well. In this inspiring interview, we talk about why empathy is the core of community-building, whether it be through real estate investing or making housing loans more accessible, and what elements come into play when creating something that benefits everyone. Ron is someone who fully understands that banks and other financial institutions aren’t motivated to do something if there’s nothing in it for them, and he is a master at having these institutions realize that helping the community will also be beneficial for them in the long run. There is a lot to unpack in this extremely uplifting episode, so don’t miss out if you want to know how you can give back—whether it’s by tackling financial issues in your own community at the grassroots level, or by helping other people acquire homes through real estate investing. KEY TAKEAWAYS 1. You can learn a lot about a community by spending time with the people. 2. The elderly are at the biggest risk for financial fraud and they need protection against it. 3. When you want to restructure or improve a community, don’t contribute to gentrification. 4. As real estate investors, we can only truly give back to the community when we treat people with empathy rather than just seeing them as sources of income. LINKS https://www.champronbrooks.com/ https://twitter.com/Champ_Ron_?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-minding-your-business-podcast/id1270984117
