Odis D. James III
Ladies and gentlemen

Get ready to hear from one of the most accomplished voices in real estate investing and entrepreneurship.

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Where it started

At just 3 years old, Odis D. James III was attending real estate investment meetings with his father.

Unknowingly beginning a journey across entrepreneurship, real estate, finance, leadership and business development.

Decades of results
$0in multifamily commercial real estate assets overseen
$0in real estate transactions funded as a mortgage broker
0development consulting markets: The Gambia, Senegal, Kenya, Missouri and Texas
Built, not given

A seven-figure company, started with only $585.

An entrepreneurial venture outside real estate. He has owned and operated businesses in multiple industries, and dedicated his career to helping others create wealth, build businesses and reach financial independence.

Author

Seven-time published author.

Real estate, entrepreneurship, faith and business.

Founder
4 Data Points AcademyReal estate, entrepreneurship and personal development education
VentureUInternational Business Retreats

Known above all for taking complex concepts and turning them into practical strategies everyday people can apply.

Odis D. James III in a navy suit
Investor · Entrepreneur · Author · Founder Please welcome

Odis D. James III

Book Odis to speak Read his story
~2,700apartment units overseen in multifamily commercial
$650M+in multifamily commercial real estate assets overseen
$1B+in real estate transactions funded as a mortgage broker
7published books on real estate, business and faith
Odis D. James III smiling in a charcoal blazer
The story

Not the smartest person in the room. Just the one who kept going.

At three years old, Odis was sitting in real estate investment meetings with his father. He didn’t know it yet, but that was the start of a career across entrepreneurship, real estate, finance, leadership and business development.

After leaving the military in 1998, Odis spent about three and a half years in the telecom industry. In 2001 he started as a leasing consultant in multifamily commercial real estate and worked his way up to the corporate level, overseeing $650 million in multifamily assets. He got his real estate license in 2002 and opened a mortgage brokerage and real estate firm with his father. The 2008 crash took everything down with it.

He rebuilt. He became a real estate broker licensed in multiple states. Outside real estate, he built a seven-figure entrepreneurial venture starting with only $585. In 2021 he left corporate America to scale 4 Data Points Academy, which teaches people to analyze, structure, acquire and manage real estate like investors instead of consumers, and AscendU, the personal development programs he founded, led by Dr. Alfred Smith. He also hosts VentureU, an international business retreat.

“My wish for you is not that you get rich. It’s that you reach your maximum potential.”
Qualifications

Licenses, roles and expertise.

Licensed real estate broker, CaliforniaCalifornia Department of Real Estate
Licensed real estate broker, GeorgiaLicense #417578
Licensed in insuranceInsurance licensing alongside real estate
Founder & CEO, 4 Data Points AcademyReal estate, entrepreneurship and personal development education, founded 2021
Managing MemberJames Real Estate Holdings Inc. and James Street Capital LLC
Development consultantDevelopment projects in The Gambia, Senegal, Kenya, Missouri and Texas
Full-time real estate investorInvesting in residential and multifamily real estate
Mortgage brokerFunded more than $1 billion in real estate transactions
Seven-figure founderBuilt a seven-figure entrepreneurial venture outside real estate, starting with only $585
Founder, AscendUPersonal development programs, led by Dr. Alfred Smith
Host, VentureUInternational Business Retreat in Medellín, Colombia
Seven-time published authorReal estate, entrepreneurship, faith and business
Corporate-level multifamily leadershipAbout 2,700 apartment units and roughly $650 million in multifamily assets
Professional history

The résumé, and the part nobody asks about.

1990s20012002–0720082021TODAY
  1. Age 3

    In the room with his father

    Attended real estate investment meetings with his father, Odis D. James Jr., and grew up around deals, numbers and the people who make them.

  2. 1990s

    U.S. Navy, then telecom

    After leaving the Navy in 1998, Odis spent about three and a half years in telecom. He worked for the company that became Comcast and then the phone company, as one of the first technicians in California working on broadband internet.

  3. 2001

    Multifamily commercial real estate

    Started as a leasing consultant and worked up through assistant manager, property manager and senior property manager and on to the corporate level, overseeing about 2,700 units and roughly $650 million in assets. He led teams, negotiated vendor contracts and worked with construction and operations crews.

  4. 2002

    Licensed, and in business with his father

    Earned his real estate license and opened a mortgage brokerage and real estate firm with his father. The brokerage funded close to $1 billion in loans. He also built a national notary signing agent company.

  5. 2008

    Losing everything, and starting over

    The housing crash took the business down. Odis went bankrupt and took a job at a newspaper plant for ten dollars an hour. He became a real estate broker shortly after and rebuilt from there.

  6. 2019

    First million, and a company sold

    Built a company on the outsourcing business model and sold it.

  7. 2021

    Leaving corporate America

    Left corporate America to scale 4 Data Points Academy, teaching everyday people to analyze, structure, acquire and manage real estate like investors, and AscendU, the personal development programs he founded, led by Dr. Alfred Smith.

  8. Today

    Teaching, building and writing

    Leads 4DPA’s real estate mentorship, Multifamily Commercial Course, Land Trust Document Prep, Empire business builds, Entrepreneur Foundations and AscendU, hosts the VentureU retreat, and has published seven books. He also spent three years in ministry.

Published books

Seven-time published author.

Four books on real estate and three on business, entrepreneurship and faith, written to take complex ideas and make them practical. Every title is available as a digital edition through 4 Data Points Academy.

Get this book
What he teaches

Three subjects, one goal: freedom you can keep.

Real estate

Invest like an investor

The four data points behind every deal, multifamily commercial, creative financing and protecting what you own.

Read the posts
Entrepreneurship

The eight areas

Market, offer, sales, marketing, operations, finances, team and mindset: the foundation every business owner has to master.

Read the posts
Motivation

Decide your next step

Faith, self-image and the courage to act before you feel ready. Most regrets are about the things people didn’t do.

Read the posts
From the blog

Latest writing.

Speaking

Bring Odis to your stage, retreat or workshop.

Keynotes, workshops and panels on real estate, entrepreneurship and motivation, delivered by someone who has lived every part of it.

See talks and book
Speaking

Practical talks from someone who’s lost it, rebuilt it and taught it.

Odis speaks on real estate investing, entrepreneurship and motivation. Every talk leaves the room with something to do the next morning, not just something to feel.

Request Odis for your event
KeynotesWorkshopsRetreatsPanels
Odis D. James III in a tan blazer
Signature talks

Three talks, tailored to your audience.

Each talk can run as a keynote, a half-day workshop or a retreat session.

Real estate

Building Wealth Through Real Estate

How everyday people stop buying like consumers and start buying like investors, from the first property to multifamily.

  • The four data points behind every deal
  • When to move from residential to 5+ units
  • Structuring and protecting what you own
Entrepreneurship

The Eight Areas Every Business Owner Must Master

From his book No Guardrails: the foundation that separates a business that runs from one that runs you.

  • Market, offer, sales and marketing
  • Operations, finances and team
  • Leaving with a 90-day blueprint
Motivation

Decide Your Next Step

From bankruptcy in 2008 to founding an academy: why waiting to feel ready is the most expensive decision people make.

  • We are all on borrowed time
  • Self-image and the ceiling it sets
  • Turning one decision into momentum
Formats

Built for your event.

Keynote30–60 minutes for conferences and events
WorkshopHalf day or full day, hands-on
Retreat sessionMulti-day intensives and masterminds
Panel & firesideModerated conversations and Q&A
VirtualLive online for remote audiences
In the room

Retreats and in-person workshops.

Odis hosts the VentureU International Business Retreat in Medellín, Colombia, and runs in-person workshops for 4 Data Points Academy, including a monthly multifamily commercial workshop.

A VentureU working session
Working session, VentureU Medellín
VentureU attendees together at the retreat villa
Attendees at the retreat villa
Odis with attendees at dinner in Medellín
Dinner with attendees
On the promise, way over delivered.
Alvin Jackson · VentureU attendee
I no longer see the tunnel. I just see the light.
Willard & Marie · VentureU attendees
Two totally different experiences, but both transformational.
Returning VentureU attendee
Podcasts & interviews

Have Odis on your show.

Odis is a regular podcast and interview guest. He brings real numbers, real stories and practical takeaways your listeners can use right away.

Real estate

Investing like an investor

The four data points behind every deal, multifamily commercial, creative financing, and what $650 million in assets taught him.

Entrepreneurship

From $585 to seven figures

Building, losing and rebuilding businesses, the 2008 crash, and the eight areas every business owner has to master.

Mindset

Decide your next step

Faith, self-image and why waiting to feel ready is the most expensive decision people make.

Request a podcast interviewGet his introduction
For hosts and emcees

Official speaker introduction.

Please read this introduction before Odis takes the stage or joins your show. It runs about one minute.

Get ready to hear from one of the most accomplished voices in real estate investing and entrepreneurship.

At just three years old, Odis D. James III was attending real estate investment meetings with his father, unknowingly beginning a journey that would span decades across entrepreneurship, real estate, finance, leadership and business development.

Today, he is a full-time real estate investor, licensed real estate broker, seven-time published author, entrepreneur, educator, and founder of 4 Data Points Academy and VentureU International Business Retreats.

Over the course of his career, he has overseen more than $650 million in multifamily commercial real estate assets, consulted on development projects throughout the United States and abroad, and funded more than $1 billion in real estate transactions as a mortgage broker.

He has owned and operated businesses in multiple industries, built a seven-figure company starting with only $585, and dedicated his career to helping others create wealth, build businesses and achieve financial independence.

His students, clients and audiences know him best for one thing above all else: his ability to take complex concepts and turn them into practical strategies that everyday people can understand and apply.

Whether you’re joining from across the country, around the world, or sitting in the audience today, you’re about to hear from someone who doesn’t just teach entrepreneurship and investing. He lives it.

Investor, entrepreneur, author, founder: please welcome Odis D. James III.

Download the introduction (PDF)
Book Odis

Tell us about your event or show.

Share a few details and the team will get back to you about availability, format and fees.

Phone 702-710-8030 (call or text)
Email info@4datapoints.com
We’ll reply within two business days.
The blog

Notes on real estate, business and becoming.

Practical writing from Odis D. James III. No fluff, no guarantees, just what he’s learned and what he teaches.

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