"We Came to Closing With a Suitcase Full of $1 Bills" - Soviet Immigrant Builds Real Estate Empire
Dropping Bombs
Brad Lea
4.9 • 2.3K Ratings
🗓️ 18 February 2026
⏱️ 68 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This episode was sponsored by Cardiff & Russo Group
LightSpeed VT: https://www.lightspeedvt.com/
Dropping Bombs Podcast: https://www.droppingbombs.com/
Andrew and Milla Russo drop unfiltered truth on this Dropping Bombs episode, revealing how Soviet immigrant grit paired with American hustle built a luxury real estate dynasty from absolute rock bottom.
This power couple breaks down the buy-low-sell-high playbook that turns hurricane season panic into profit, staging secrets that add six figures to sale prices, and why market timing separates winners from losers.
Whether you're in real estate, building a business with your spouse, or need the playbook to dominate luxury markets, this conversation delivers the grit and systems to win big.
🔗 Connect with Milla and Andrew
Milla's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/milla.jupiter.realtor/
Andrew's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrew.russo.broker/
Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/russo.redefined/
Website: https://russo-group.com/
Watch the full-length video version of any Dropping Bombs episode here on YouTube.
Brad Lea is a self-made entrepreneur who turned small-town grit into a multi-million-dollar empire. With over 25 years dominating sales and leadership, he's mentored thousands to outsmart, outwork, and out win their competition. His top-rated podcast, Dropping Bombs, brings raw, game-changing insights from the biggest names in business.
LightSpeed VT is Brad's brainchild—the world's leading interactive training platform. It's built to make your team sharper, faster, and more effective, without wasting time or money. Whether you're a startup or a Fortune 500, LightSpeed VT is how you scale success and dominate your industry. Curious? Check it out:
https://www.lightspeedvt.com/
Brad's also behind Closer School, the go-to program for mastering sales and closing deals like a pro. Want to 10x your income? This is where you start. His book, The Hard Way, lays out the brutal, honest lessons he learned building his empire—your blueprint to winning the game. Get it here: https://bradlea.com/product/the-hard-way/
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | They were exchanging Russian Jews for food. We were starving in the middle of the train station, |
| 0:05.8 | not knowing the language, not knowing anybody. I went and I got my real estate license. |
| 0:10.1 | They came to the closing with a suitcase full of $1 bills. By the end of the season, I tripled |
| 0:15.8 | what I would make in a year. And I did, right. And I was doing better than some of the lawyers. When everybody leaves, that's when we buy. We list a house. We'll get more money than your average real estate because we're going to do the things that they won't do. You guys sell hundreds of millions of dollars in homes, no? We do. In a year, we do very well financially. What would you say to all the real estate agents listening? This is a little crazy. |
| 0:42.3 | What it is, Brad Lee, back again with another episode of dropping bombs today in the studio, folks. |
| 0:47.9 | I got a real treat for you, Andrew and Mill Mila Russo. |
| 0:52.9 | What's happening? |
| 0:53.9 | How much? How are you doing, Brad? I'm doing outstanding. I'm glad you guys are here |
| 0:57.7 | because I might be in the game here pretty soon. Folks, if you guys don't know who they are, you can follow |
| 1:02.6 | Instagram at mila.jupiter.realtor or website russo-dashgroup.comcom russogroup.com. |
| 1:12.1 | Andrew and Mila is a married luxury real estate power couple, founders of the Russo |
| 1:20.7 | group, a family run luxury real estate operation. |
| 1:24.5 | You guys sell them, you build them, you do all kinds of stuff, you flip them, |
| 1:28.7 | you invest them. And you've been doing it for a long time. Yeah? Yeah. That's correct. |
| 1:33.7 | Yes. 14 years married, four kids built their business from the ground up through complementary |
| 1:38.7 | skill sets. Mela immigrant hustle and determination paired with Andrews relationship building and community |
| 1:46.7 | presence. They represent the marriage as a business partnership model in high stakes real estate. |
| 1:52.7 | I saw your social media, man, those are some houses. Thank you. By the way, you should be in sales. |
| 1:58.6 | That's a nice intro we had. Appreciate that. Well, I know a thing or two. So I hear it. But I'll tell you that like those are some nice houses. Like they look to be what, 10, 20 million? Some. Yeah, some more so, some, you know, a little less, but yeah. So how did you guys, I want to go back. So you say immigrant. |
| 2:18.1 | Yes. |
| 2:18.5 | So where are you from? |
| 2:19.6 | Russia. |
... |
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