If you are struggling to break free of a conveyor belt that is taking you inexorably towards a future you do not want but feel powerless to avoid, you will be interested in the story of Robin Herndon. Today, he is the CEO and founder of JPC Equity Properties, a nationwide real estate investment firm; Fresco Fico, a marketing & credit education and credit building consultancy service; and R&R and Associates, a boutique real estate brokerage in Beverly Hills. However, while his offices are located in the most upscale neighborhood in Los Angeles, as a child, he lived in the midst of drugs and crime on the city’s notorious south side. Robin is using his journey from poverty to success to inspire people of all generations to believe that no matter where they come from, a better future is always just one decision away.
“Some of my earliest memories are of sitting outside on a crumbling brick wall in the heat with my parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, some of whom were drug dealers,” Robin recalls. “As a kid, watching some of them do drugs was normal to me, as were the raids by cops. My role, if you can call it that, was helping my parents to hide their drugs. I remember one time when I was five, the police pulled up, and my father stuffed his drugs in my pockets. He knew that they wouldn’t check me for anything, so he used me as his protection.”
Not long afterwards, Robin witnessed a drive-by shooting; after seeing if the victim was alive, he ran down the street to tell their family about the emergency. This, he says, was simply how life in South Central LA was – turbulent, dangerous, and one crisis after another.
Eventually, his father was incarcerated, and while his mother was on drugs and with his father nowhere around, Robin was left at age six to fend for himself and his siblings. His main priority was to find food. He went down the street to a gas station and began pumping gas to feed himself and his siblings.
“Each day, I would come back with $20-$50, which I used to buy whatever we needed to survive,” Robin says. “So, yes, I do understand how bleak life can look and how sometimes you just need someone to come along and point you in a better direction.”
His own guardian angels were an uncle and aunt who took him in when Robin was eight years old. The first night, Robin sat down with his uncle, who told him four things he has never forgotten: focus on school, work hard, do what’s right, and don’t be a busted kid.
“My uncle knew I had had it pretty rough, but while he had compassion for me, he wanted me to understand that my future was mine to make,” says Robin. “Yesterday was finished. My entire life stretched in front of me, and it was up to me to define what I wanted and then make it happen.”
That conversation, which Robin calls his “come to Jesus moment,” set his life on a completely new trajectory. He knows that it came at a crucial time and saved him from following in the footsteps of his parents. His uncle cared enough about him to tell him exactly what he needed to hear: that change was 100% possible if he committed himself to it.
Over the years to come, Robin dedicated himself to getting an education and building a new future for himself. He readily admits that he was not a perfect kid, but underneath it all, he had two things going for himself: a fierce determination and a relentless drive.
“I wanted better than what I had seen growing up, so I stayed the course. I stayed in school, worked hard, and eventually graduated,” he says. “With every good decision that I made, I left that brick wall behind me and embraced my future.”
That still, however, left the question of his career, including how he was going to give his own children a good life. In his mid twenties, Robin started as a real estate assistant at a premiere Woodland Hills brokerage, where he fell in love with the industry. He has never looked back.
“It was definitely my thing, and when I discovered wholesaling and real estate investing, everything clicked,” he remembers. “I got to work building my own professional network and clientele.”
While Robin achieved more than he had ever thought possible, something was missing. He couldn’t deny that making his own fortune was satisfying, but he couldn’t forget where he had come from. He wanted to use his own experiences to help others to level up, too. Education was the key.
“Poor financial planning, lack of literacy – they are all barriers to attaining the life you really want,” Robin believes. “I ultimately started Robin’s Your Way so that I can show anyone, no matter where they are at, how to create their own path to financial freedom by focusing on real estate, credit repair, and business development.”
Today, as Robin leads a team of professionals to support the growth and success of their clients, he is often asked about his turbulent childhood and how he overcame it. He doesn’t hesitate in giving his answer.
“First, someone believed in me and showed me what my life could become,” Robin says. “Second, it was a whole lot of hard work and faith. And last, perhaps most importantly, I learned that nothing in life is set in stone. No matter which way our lives are going, we can always get off that conveyor belt anytime we want.”
Robin’s Your Way was founded by real estate/investment veteran Robin Herndon and is devoted to helping businesses and individuals to achieve success. Its suite of services include credit repair, real estate, business development, marketing, and community building. For more information on how Robin’s Your Way can aid you in reaching your full potential, please contact:
Robins Your Way
info@robinsyourway.com
424-300-8049
