Fuquan Bilal on Financial Friends, Flexibility over Freedom, and Building Trust in Real Estate
Fuquan Bilal remembers the moment clearly: stuck at a toll booth without 35 cents, just months after earning a $40,000 check on his first real estate deal. That jarring contrast fueled a new chapter in financial discipline and long-term vision. In this episode, Fuquan shares how he turned early struggles and hard-won lessons into a portfolio spanning luxury homes and multifamily deals, all while raising over $50 million in capital. He breaks down how to win investor trust, structure creative seller-financed deals, and why operational efficiency and investor education are his core priorities today. His story underscores that in real estate, it's not about freedom—it's about flexibility.
Guest Bio
Fuquan Bilal is the CEO and founder of NNG Capital Fund, established in 2012 to capitalize on the growing supply of alternative real estate assets in the interbank marketplace. With 26 years of experience in residential and commercial real estate, Fuquan has a track record of identifying undervalued properties and repositioning them for strong returns. His proprietary investment criteria and strategic leverage allow him to build high-performing, risk-diversified portfolios. NNG Capital’s mission is rooted in community-minded investing, providing financial solutions and quality housing in distressed environments. Learn more at nngcapitalfund.com.
Episode Highlights and Chapters
00:00 Fuquan’s leap of faith: from corporate life to a toll booth wake-up call
01:18 Why people invest in trust, not transactions
02:00 The 4-hour-sleep entrepreneur and the myth of freedom in real estate
03:00 Sales skills learned at flea markets and the first big check that changed it all
06:10 Blowing through $40,000 and learning financial discipline the hard way
08:30 From partnering with distressed property owners to flipping 40 homes
10:30 How a misdirected closing packet led to a million-dollar hard money relationship
12:00 The role of transparency, especially when deals go sideways
14:30 Lessons from the Global Financial Crisis and keeping investors whole
16:30 Managing investor expectations when things don’t go to plan
18:00 Real-world challenges: insurance hikes, rising interest rates, and yield compression
19:30 Teaching sellers to become lenders and structuring win-win carryback deals
21:30 How Fuquan illustrates delayed gratification and tax advantages to sellers
23:08 Operational efficiency, team building, and buy-mode outlook for NNG
24:26 Building new investor relationships—why it can take years, not weeks
Contact Information
Learn more and schedule a discovery call: nngcapitalfund.com
Follow Fuquan Bilal on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/fuquanbilal
Connect with Fuquan on Facebook: facebook.com/fubilal
Visit the host, Eugene Gershman: giscompanies.co/podcast