The Secret to Success in Marriage, Values & $800M Wealth | Real, Raw & Real Estate

1. Marriage, Faith & $800M in Real Estate: Darrell & Tenisha’s Journey from Struggle to Legacy

• Tenisha & Darrell Williams

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Darrell & Tenisha Williams, the power couple behind Elite Realty Partners ($800M sold in just six years), share how faith, marriage, and business combined to build a legacy. From early struggles and sacrifices to defining roles in their marriage and company, they reveal the real dynamics of scaling as a couple.
🎧 You’ll learn:

  • How faith-first leadership shaped their path
  • Marriage + business lessons that turned stress into strength
  • The mindset shifts that led to nearly $1B in sales
  • Why legacy matters more than success

Prefer to watch us on video? Catch us on YouTube and Subscribe.  https://youtu.be/Jfg2GRnS1Ok?si=kWboweXKexcCmrvN

Whether you’re in real estate, scaling a business with your spouse, or simply looking for inspiration from two people who’ve turned struggle into success, this episode delivers real, raw insight on sacrifice, faith, family, and legacy-building.

🎧 Listen + Subscribe now to join the movement — and start building wealth and purpose, the Elite way.

🎙️ About Real, Raw & Real Estate
Hosted by Darrell & Tenisha Williams, founders of Elite Realty Partners ($800M+ sold), this podcast goes beyond real estate. It’s about marriage, faith, business, and building generational wealth. Every Sunday we share the unfiltered conversations that help entrepreneurs, couples, and leaders grow in life and business.

📌 What You’ll Get Here

  • Lessons on faith, family, marriage, and legacy
  • Real estate + business strategies for entrepreneurs
  • Insights on building wealth with purpose
  • The raw truth about scaling as a couple

📌 Prefer video? Watch full episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RealRawRealEstate

📌 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realrawandrealestate/

📌 Follow, subscribe & share to help more couples and entrepreneurs grow with us.

🎙️ About Real, Raw & Real Estate
Hosted by Darrell & Tenisha Williams, founders of Elite Realty Partners ($800M+ sold), this podcast goes beyond real estate. It’s about marriage, faith, business, and building generational wealth. Every Sunday we share the unfiltered conversations that help entrepreneurs, couples, and leaders grow in life and business.

📌 What You’ll Get Here

  • Lessons on faith, family, marriage, and legacy
  • Real estate + business strategies for entrepreneurs
  • Insights on building wealth with purpose
  • The raw truth about scaling as a couple

📌 Prefer video? Watch full episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RealRawRealEstate

📌 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realrawandrealestate/

📌 Follow, subscribe & share to help more couples and entrepreneurs grow with us.

Speaker 1:

I remember being on a twin-size bunk bed. I think it was 19 of us living in that house in Carroll City.

Speaker 2:

Because I watched you, be that when I first met you, Damn, I didn't even think about that.

Speaker 1:

I got somebody sleeping on the floor the room next to us. There's four of them in that room my heart's.

Speaker 2:

I tell women all the time you know, choose a man that has the values and that you are looking for, with or without you.

Speaker 1:

But I do got a story to tell and I've never told the story.

Speaker 2:

You're listening to Real Raw and Real Estate where love meets legacy. Faith fuels the hustle and we turn real estate into real impact and we're your host.

Speaker 1:

Daryl and tanisha williams husband and wife, power couple building generational wealth. One deal and one deep combo at a time. Let's talk faith strategy and the truth behind the journey. Let's get into it.

Speaker 2:

Let's do it.

Speaker 1:

When did it get deeper than selling houses? That's a real good topic. I want to hear you because I know Tanisha got a story to tell. Tanisha got a story to tell as far as when we got started with just not just real estate for Tanisha, but even just growing elite realty partners. When did it get deeper for you than selling houses?

Speaker 2:

I would have to go all the way back. That's way before elite realty partners.

Speaker 1:

True, true, true true.

Speaker 2:

If we talk about when I was a correctional officer and I'm just like coming home just aggravated you having to remind me I know, I know you ain't made you listen.

Speaker 1:

Talking to me crazy. I'm like hold on, you ain't at work, buddy, I ain't no in man, I'm a free man yeah, so that didn't last too long, but I wasn't.

Speaker 2:

I wasn't really happy. You know, being a correctional officer, so, like as a female, you have to be able to turn it on at work. You know, supervising 64 inmates or supervising inmates that have mental health issues, right Literally getting in physical fights on a regular Physical fights with who you?

Speaker 1:

we'll talk about that later. We'll talk about that later, never mind come you literally know I just, I just want to tell the listen.

Speaker 2:

I want her to tell the people you're getting physical fights and gangsta listen and you beat me up so anyways, yes, physical fights, um, as you know, like come on, um, but that wasn't really what I wanted to do for for the rest of my life. You know, I didn't want to do that for the rest of my life. So we went on the journey of just, we actually was reading the purpose-driven life and I said I know it has to be more to life than corrections and shout out to corrections, because corrections was a stepping stone for me. You know, I owe a lot to corrections. They taught me literally how to show you support, to show force, right, make your presence known, right, having people listen to you, you know, without even sometimes having to physically, you know, make them listen to you. You know, corrections taught me how to de-escalate. That's one of the main things they're supposed to teach you in corrections is how to de-escalate and when I tell you, real estate is all about de-escalation.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, true, true, true true.

Speaker 2:

But going back, to be honest, I just I really wanted to live a purpose-driven life and when you were willing to go on that journey with me to figure out what our purpose was, I just kind of thank God for you, in a sense of I didn't know what real estate was, hadn't even heard, you know, hadn't even heard the term.

Speaker 2:

So when he asked this question, like what, when did things turn for me as far as real estate, I have to go back. I didn't even know what real estate was when I met you. I remember you buying a house and I remember you telling me you know it was a house right there on 199th if you're from miami gardens or carol city, whichever one you want to um use, whichever term you want to use you were so excited, you know, about buying that house and you were probably not even maybe you're 22, 23, and that's when I learned about real estate. You know, you started teaching me about the program that you were going through to be a first-time homebuyer and I never even knew. You know, when my mom bought a house, I didn't even know she was buying a house. My mom and dad.

Speaker 2:

It was kind of like she brought us to this ugly house a super, super ugly house and she said, hey, this is our house, and then we just went through the process of remodeling the home, but we never knew what the process was. So for you to have been in the process already and really teaching it, teaching me that, and now being where I am today, it's like I know that god ordained our marriage, like I know that we were supposed to be together.

Speaker 1:

Hey, don't look at my camera. I got to get myself that gal. Wait a second Cute, get on her.

Speaker 2:

And that's just one. That's just in one way that I know that we were supposed to be together, but for it to be by way of real estate, for that to be one of the pillars that created such a beautiful partnership, I'm super thankful for that that's dope man.

Speaker 1:

I appreciate you saying that and again, I was just on the journey of following directions. Being honest, thank god for my uncle, thank god for my uncle man. God rest his soul. Joe ray, joe ray, rob. Joseph raymond roberts, that was my big dog. I was just following his instructions. You know you got people that are in your life that wish they were in your situation or wish they had the knowledge that they have at the age that they're at. They wish they had that knowledge at the age that you're at. So I took heed. I didn't really know much about, I didn't know anything about real estate. I just knew early on I had some struggles as a young adult that I had to take care of my household.

Speaker 2:

OK, so wait, I don't. So one thing about this podcast I want us to really keep it real.

Speaker 1:

Keep it real.

Speaker 2:

Keep it raw, we'll be OK and of course we're going to add in real estate. But you had some struggles. But let's really talk about it. Talk about that because I know. The other night you told me how, at your school's picnic, one of your classmates said to you wow, you've come a long way from lejeune gardens, right yeah and those of you who don't know, lejeuneune Gardens is an area in Miami Gardens, that's, you know, more so a lower income, poverty stricken area, and if you could just touch on this, this is episode one.

Speaker 1:

Episode one who is?

Speaker 2:

Daryl Williams, because it's so crazy that we've been married all this time and we never even go back and compare. You know where you really came from.

Speaker 1:

True.

Speaker 2:

And what that struggle was. At just 22 years old, what did life look like for you?

Speaker 1:

I was selfless very early and I didn't. I didn't realize it. I learned how to sacrifice early, early on. I'm talking about I want to go to the club. I'm 21. Now you want to go outside. I'm 21. Now you want to go outside? I'm shoot.

Speaker 1:

I fixed cars with my uncle, joe Ray, so I got me an old school Chevy, if you know you from Dade County. You got your old school, put your music in the trunk. You got your rims you want to put your rims on big motor. I had to make a sacrifice, all of those things that I was doing for other people that grew up with us and grew up people that were in the neighborhood who wanted those things. I would help my uncle, help them bring their dreams to life by way of fixing their car.

Speaker 1:

So when I came of age, when I was really making some money and I was able to afford a car that I wanted to fix up and go out and do what I do what I saw, do what I saw my friends doing, the people in the neighborhood, I didn't. And I didn't because I had to take care of my household. Being perfectly honest with you 19, 20, 21, I had to pay mortgages. You know I never tell my. I don't ever tell my story. I kind of get consumed with just doing the work. But truth be told, I had to. I made those sacrifices and I think that kind of prepared me to be the man?

Speaker 2:

were you paying? They don't know.

Speaker 1:

They have excuse me, I'll pay my mom. I was living with my mom, of course. 19 I'm fresh out of high school, 19 and 20 years old I paid my mom's mortgage. I was paying, I was helping out a lot of family members with their bills. And I was 19, maybe 21 years old, because I always was a grinder and a hustler I always made a way to either earn some income so I can take care of my responsibility more so take care of my responsibilities than do what I really wanted to do. But again, that kind of prepared me to be the man that I am.

Speaker 1:

As far as a family man, I don't put a lot of value in in things anymore. Of course I love nice things. I'm losing. Listen, I shot my wife with the world if I could. You know that, baby, I love you. I, oh, look at you, get a cap. Just listen. Look at you, I get a word to you. I will not listen. I'm good, just give me my old school chevy. I'll take care of what I need to take care of over here, but I'll give it all to you.

Speaker 2:

But again, that came from me just making a sacrifice and seeing the benefit of having a family that stuck together but I feel like, so I feel like even that family dynamic right, because when I met you, one thing about it is your family was very close right close and very close.

Speaker 2:

My blood family lives in dallas, but when about it is your family was very close, Very close. My blood family lives in Dallas, but when I met him, his family was very close and so close to where even growing up it was how many of you in one room in one bed.

Speaker 1:

I remember being on a twin-size bunk bed. I think it was 19 of us living in that house in Carroll City.

Speaker 2:

I think it was 19 of us living in that house in.

Speaker 1:

Carroll City. I think it was 19 of us living in that house in Carroll City. I remember sleeping on a bunk bed, a twin-sized, a twin bunk bed, my brother on the top bunk and I think he was in I don't know, maybe a 10th grade and I was on the bottom bunk, twin bunk bed. Mind you, if I was, if my brother was in the 10th, I was in the ninth, eighth or ninth. I was a big old shorty. I was a big shorty, I was working out, I was strong, I was muscular and I sat to sleep on a bunk bed, on a bottom bunk, with my other cousin, who was six one Like like you don't understand, he's sleeping at the bottom, I'm sleeping at the top. It's a twin bunk bed. I got somebody sleeping on the floor. The room next to us is four of them in that room.

Speaker 1:

My heart's Listen, it was a lot of us. We were all over that house. So for to hear my partner from high school say I came a long way from the June gardens, it was like damn, I didn't even. I got so consumed with doing the work I didn't even think about that. So consumed with doing the work, I didn't even think about that? Yeah, my perspective is it wasn't even that.

Speaker 2:

But I do got a story to tell and I've never told the story yeah I've never told it and I think that you know, as your wife who literally have watched you, and I don't even know if you know, because we've never, you've never told a story. We don't talk about the story, even elite, you know, it's so much that you do at elite, we don't even it's like you play background so much, even what you did for your family. To be honest, you know, when I first met you, I'm like why are you paying this person this? Why are you paying this bill? Why are you paying that bill? What you know? I couldn't understand it.

Speaker 2:

But I tell women all the time you know, choose a man that has the values and that you are looking for, with or without you. And I know that, with or without me, you're a family man because I watched you be that when I first met you, with or without me, you're a good dad, like you were. That you know when I met you and I just think that the world at this point needs to see somebody like you. That doesn't come from much, but you really come from everything, because it's the core values, it's the heart of who you are, it's the man that you were then and now still blossoming and becoming, even now.

Speaker 1:

Oh, so you? So you like me. They tell, they tell the people you like me.

Speaker 2:

No, I need the world to know. You know because it's been about I feel like it's been about me in the public for these past six years, but I wouldn't be able to do anything without you. Like you are the thoughts behind the action, right? You are the plan behind the action, right. You are the plan behind the execution. And it all started, you know, just by what you had to do for your family, and you never complained.

Speaker 1:

No, because what's the sense of complaining? We want to get somewhere. Let's just get it done. Listen, we'll enjoy it when we get there. I've learned to enjoy the ride, but I learned to enjoy the ride with you Because this stuff ain't easy.

Speaker 1:

I see how People will hurt you. People that's closer to you hurt you, but it ain't even about them. It's about the ones that really matter. Listen, that's why I get. Listen, I'm good with the basics. Let's just go on the journey of life together. We got married. We say forever in the day I'm, I'm all for it. So for me, what? To go back to the? To the topic, because I know we kind of it's like all the way everywhere on that side. But listen, we're going to keep it real here. We're going to keep it real.

Speaker 1:

Honestly, when I started to see that it was deeper than selling houses is when I started seeing that the stories people giving their testimony about, because of Tanisha Williams and because of Elite Realty Partners if it wasn't for them or you, they would have never bought a house. Knowing what it feels like to purchase a home for your family, seeing it, listening to people giving their testimonies and breaking down, and you feel it. I'm talking about you feeling in your bones. I'm talking about they're telling us specifically I would have never done this if it wasn't for you. It wasn't about the money anymore at that point, not for me. Granted, yeah, I'm playing a background, but what I need to do over here in this background to make sure we get we have another family experience. That that was important for me, like I was. I ain't anybody me. I don't care if somebody think what you want to think about daryl, daryl in the background, background. This thing handled. It's another family getting keys to their house.

Speaker 2:

And I think that even when I was a single agent before Elite Realty Partners, you know, really, I decided to become a real estate agent after Daryl made sure we bought our first house who knows when I would have even thought about buying a house. But after we got married, we sacrificed and he made it our business. That was our first goal to buy a house. And, to be honest with you, I didn't even sign the papers until after. No matter of fact, I didn't see the house until after I signed the papers, because that's how much he was adamant. It really didn't matter what I thought anymore. He just wanted to ensure that he owned real estate. Right? Um, again, because that process, what went on pause when we first met and that's a whole another conversation that I still have we ain't gonna talk about that house.

Speaker 1:

We ain't gonna talk about that how I'm gonna talk about the house okay, okay, because I'm gonna talk about the house on one of the episodes I want to listen. All right, well, you stay tuned, because that's a whole thing it was.

Speaker 2:

It was after that house, where it's like okay, this is my purpose, I can do this. You know, I can sell houses, I can help people. And remember this, remember this. Remember before we even sold no, before I even even sold one house what did I say? I said I was going to coin myself.

Speaker 1:

Oh, your favorite realtor.

Speaker 2:

Your favorite? Not favorite, but favorite. Yeah, because I already knew God was in it, right or wrong.

Speaker 1:

True. You said it was only going to be the favor of God. Say it again it was only going to be by way of the favor of God.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah, exactly again. It was only going to be by way of the favor of god. Yeah, that, yeah, exactly so I said I'm your favorite realtor, yeah, and I said I was going to be a celebrity real estate agent. Had not sold one house, not one. But it's like I knew that I was about to take a purpose walk like I knew it because we sacrificed for it.

Speaker 2:

We did read the book. We explored the option of hey. So that means that I was a full time real estate agent, full time correction officer, full time wife, full time mom. But I had a dream and I had a goal and I had a purpose and that was to impact people, influence people positively. And from that point on, when I started seeing just like Darrelll said when we saw the impact, that's when we knew that it's bigger than real estate yeah, it was bigger than us.

Speaker 1:

I don't know if you've ever been a part of something, actually been a part of something that's bigger than yourself. Listen, man, you'll go, you listen. I don't care how many late nights it got to be, I don't care, listen, it's been several late nights. I remember, remember when we first started Elite Realty Partners. There were several months where it's like, hey, man, this ain't making sense. The money wasn't coming in and we were sacrificing and going hard, month after month, and going, listen, making an impact across, but it wasn't making any real money. But God, how they say, but God, listen, it started making sense over time because it wasn't about the success, it was about really operating in our purpose.

Speaker 2:

I like to always say that you know it's about making a big impact and then the income is the byproduct of the big impact. So as we come to a close, you know, I feel like just the bottom line for us our personal life and our business is that it's bigger than real estate.

Speaker 1:

Oh, definitely bigger than real estate, definitely bigger than real estate. And she lied me, she lied, I know it, I know it. Scaling and growing a business with me, with my wife, husband and wife team. Let's talk about how you can grow and scale a business with your spouse, I think, in this particular case being in business with you. I don't know how it is with the rest of you, married men and your wives. It is what it is, but for me and my wife I'm not the softest guy and I know it, I know it. Those tough talks they get tough. I know I'm not the easiest because I'm always with you. I'm like we know what comes with success, not just success. You know what comes with success, not just success. You know what comes with being a leader, a leader of real people. So understanding what comes with that. It's not going to be easy. Just know when we got started, knowing when we got started, you said specifically God, God was going to enlarge your territory because he knew he can trust you with it.

Speaker 1:

What now? What now?

Speaker 2:

go ahead to him I did not say that. Remember that's what he said to me out of the few times of course, of course, excuse me to me. I remember exactly where I was true before he very true, very true clearly he stated I'm going to enlarge your territory so big because I know I can trust you with it. It's really only been three times in my life where it's like I clearly heard it.

Speaker 1:

So, knowing that I don't expect it to be easy Now, being in business with you or being in business with my wife, ain't nobody going to have your back, like me, I don't care how good or how qualified somebody is, ain't no part. Listen, turn your mic off because I'm talking Sometimes. You got to do that, man. I said I'm taking back my time. We heard that somewhere. I said I'm taking back my time. We heard that somewhere. No, I really feel like I know I'm not the easiest to work with. I don't execute like all. I don't execute like I'm supposed to all the time, but I'm in the corner and I got you on this corner. So whatever you're facing, we're going to face it together. Nothing ain't going to happen to you and ain't going to happen to me first.

Speaker 2:

So we're talking about scaling with your spouse, and this is about being real and raw.

Speaker 1:

Okay, keep it real then.

Speaker 2:

So, because the ladies need to really know that it is one of the most difficult things to do when it comes to being in business.

Speaker 1:

Hold on. Let me stress a little bit.

Speaker 2:

Right. Tell me what it is In the beginning.

Speaker 1:

Oh, okay, okay In the beginning. That's how you clean that up. All right, I can relax a little bit.

Speaker 2:

In the beginning.

Speaker 1:

Okay, in the beginning.

Speaker 2:

In the beginning, unless you're really being coached by another couple. That's in business together, that's important. Guess what you don't know the power of identifying roles. Yeah, true, you don't know. As a woman.

Speaker 1:

how to suggest Suggest?

Speaker 2:

huh, you don't know how to suggest with the right tone that is still submissive but yet intentional and necessary Right. So all of these things are skills that need to be set because the truth of the matter is men are defensive. All of these things are skills that need to be set because the truth of the matter is men are defensive.

Speaker 1:

Tell us no matter.

Speaker 2:

No matter which way Majority of the time a woman presents her argument or presents her idea, men are defensive. If it's not their idea. So, as a woman, I feel like when you're in business with your husband, it's just a matter of finding the right rhythm. The rhythm is important and once you find the roles in the rhythm, yeah. That's when the partnership in business with your spouse goes to new heights.

Speaker 1:

I agree with you on that. I agree with you 100% in that Rhythm is important, the cadence and you move, I move your right foot, my left foot and we move together and it's important to have the same vision. You know what I'm saying? The fact that when we get started, or when we got started, and even even getting started with this with this podcast we should have did three years ago, but we always had the vision that it's going to look like this, it's going to sound like this and just getting getting wisdom going through life you start to realize that people need to hear this, that people need to hear this. Imagine how many other successful businesses could be started with their spouse if they had a good representation of it. Or they can get some kind of understanding from somebody else that runs a successful business husband and wife team that this can be done.

Speaker 2:

I feel like, even now that we've gone through the valleys and here's the thing you will continuously go up and go down, and go up and go down.

Speaker 1:

That's a part of it.

Speaker 2:

I can't have a better partner than you. You know it. Why? Because there's a certain level of intimacy that you go through with your partner. There's a certain level of connection that you have with your partner personally, level of connection that you have with your partner personally, and if you can intertwine that with the business, once you really get the rhythm, it's like the sky is the limit. I I was telling somebody the other day I am the most in love and happy in business that I have ever been. But I remember because this is real wrong real estate tell them where the people, how long, how often we will not get along personally. And then, when the business started, we could not get along. True, remember those walks in the old house that wasn't warming outside this mystery person report because here's the thing where you going here's the thing your first generation

Speaker 2:

true realist in real estate. True, I'm first generation in real estate and we really weren't utilizing. In my opinion, god is our ceo no, it's like I agree falls in effect. We know we of course we've always known who God was, but I would say what really shifted our partnership in business is the last seven, eight months of us ensuring that we don't do anything, we don't make any decision without him.

Speaker 1:

first, Facts, listen, facts, facts, facts. That's very important. Now I'm intentional, now I I feel right, I feel like right now I agree with you. This past seven to eight months it's been different, it's been different, it's been different. I'm intentional with the walk, with this walk, I'm on with god being a man of god. I ain't perfect and I ain't trying to be perfect. I'm just trying to be intentional with being a good man of God.

Speaker 2:

So let's talk about that. So on the investment side, because you want to teach right.

Speaker 2:

When it comes to partnership in business on the investment side, we identified the roles right, Correct. So you may be walking a house and you could call me and say, hey, run the comps right. True, so we know that my role is comps, your role is boots on the ground. We know that, you know. Just recently I probably for the first time started speaking to the hard money. Whole idea is identifying the role, because now you stay in your role, I stay in my role. We bounce ideas off of each other and now we can make magic.

Speaker 1:

If you really want to be a good leader, you need to be working on your personal development.

Speaker 2:

You need to know who you are so you can show up as your best self to help somebody else out. It was before I even knew what it was for, like I wasn't doing it for anybody else, right? I wasn't personally developing to be a leader. Let's talk about it even in black families and your own, something that we've been talking about lately brushing everything under the rug, not having real conversations, and families that then turn into not knowing how to have real conversations in business. It's important to have several mindset shifts. You could get older or you could grow older.