In this candid conversation, I sit down with Amber Lehmann—chiropractor, entrepreneur, and real estate investor—who shares how she stumbled into commercial real estate and turned that “accident” into a thriving, multi-faceted business. From buying her first building with 10 partners (some who never saw the property!) to creating salon suites and planning new clinic expansions, Amber offers real-world lessons on partnerships, delegation, business strategy, and building lasting wealth through commercial real estate. Whether you’re scaling up your portfolio or exploring how to bring your family into your business, Amber’s journey is packed with valuable insights you won’t want to miss.
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Oh, hello everyone, and welcome back. I’m Adrienne Green, and today we have with me Amber Lehmann. Thank you so much for joining me today.
Thank you, Adrienne, I appreciate that.
Amber is awesome because she is a business owner, entrepreneur, and a real estate investor. So get ready, because we’re going to share a lot of awesome insights on how there can be synergy in working with commercial real estate investing. I’m excited for all of this. Amber, there’s so much to share, but let’s start with the beginning. How did you get started in real estate investing?
Well, I got started in real estate investing accidentally. My husband is a chiropractor, and we own a chiropractic and medical clinic. When we were in our early 20s, we were very young with no experience in real estate. The building that housed our practice—the owner of it was the original builder, starting back in 1968 or 1970. They really liked us and came to us saying, “Hey, we’re ready to sell the building.” It had five suites, and we had one of them. They said, “We want to sell and want to give you the first option.” We didn’t know anything about commercial real estate or how to do it. So we ended up bringing in some of our chiropractic friends as partners. We all came together and bought the building.
It was a great experience. We got a great deal—they did owner financing, the best possible scenario. But because we were afraid and didn’t know how to manage the building, we brought in partners. It was great, but we had too many hands in the pot. We didn’t do much—it paid for itself, which was great. We kept building our business and the building just kept going. We had tenants. Eventually, we realized nothing was getting done. The building needed a new roof and repairs, so we bought everybody out. I always say we bought the building twice.
On the second round, we invested a lot of money to get better tenants. We also moved our business over to a bigger suite, remodeled, and took over several of the suites. That’s how we got started and learned how to manage commercial property. Looking to the future, we definitely want to continue on that trend.
That is amazing. I appreciate how you share the wins and challenges. Partnerships are so important. What would your wisdom be about partnerships that you learned from that first time purchasing the building?
Our first challenge was that everyone was young. We pooled our money—“Okay, we need $20,000 for the down payment”—but we didn’t have a business structure. We managed it because we were the ones there. We collected rent, but nobody else was involved. We ended up with about 10 partners, and some of them never even saw the building. It was like, “Hey, if you do this, we’ll give you 5%.” I wouldn’t do that again. Everything worked out in the end, and everyone was happy, but it was an unorganized experience because we didn’t treat it like a business.
So if you were going to do it again, you’d have an operating agreement, clearly defined roles, and allow people to be money investors without muddying decision-making?
Absolutely. 100%—everyone should have very clear roles.
That’s great feedback. As you’ve learned more, what else would you say about commercial real estate? It’s different from residential. What should someone know at the beginning if they’re diving into commercial for the first time?
I also own some residential homes—single-family—and a salon suites business, which is also real estate because you’re renting rooms. What I love about commercial is the autonomy of the tenants. It’s not their home, it’s their business, and that means they take care of their space. I just give them the space. I love that part of commercial. That’s why I want to continue in that direction instead of growing more single-family homes. Commercial tenants are invested—they spend money to build out their business, so they want to stay. If we’re good landlords and give them what they need, they’ll stay for years. That’s a huge benefit compared to residential, where you’re lucky if someone stays two years.
Thinking of that build-out, leasing can be structured in different ways. Is there a strategy that works well for your building or that you recommend to someone starting out?
Currently, we opt for lower rent and let tenants handle everything. We don’t help with the build-out—they do it themselves. One space was in disrepair because it used to be a laundromat from 1970. When they moved out, they just left it. It was in bad condition. We thought no one would want to rent it unless we did a lot of work. But someone came along and said, “I want this space, but I want you to do everything.” That’s when we decided to move our own business there instead. It was time to expand. We put that money into it for ourselves.
There are all sorts of lease structures—lower rent with tenant build-out, or you do the build-out and get reimbursed. Our current model has worked, but we may change it in the future.
I love that—what works now might not be the best fit later. You mentioned your salon suites business. That’s in the building you own, right?
Yes. When our clinic moved to a bigger suite, I had the old space available. I listed it for lease, and an agent told me it was the hottest property in the area. It was small, and people wanted smaller spaces. But something told me to hold off. Then a friend of mine said she was building salon suites, and I realized that’s what I wanted to do.
I’ve always loved the beauty industry—I was in it early in my marriage, and my two daughters are in it. So we built out that space into salon suites. It’s another form of real estate—renting rooms or chairs. It’s small, with 11 chairs, but it gets us started. We might build a bigger salon suite someday. It’s cute, and we’re learning a lot.
That’s an opportunity you didn’t even imagine at first—another income stream and a form of diversification.
Yes. It’s semi-passive—not fully passive—but once you get good tenants in, it becomes more hands-off.
With 11 chairs, are you managing it yourself right now?
Yes, but I want it to require even less of my time.
So you’re bringing in someone to help?
Yes, with managing emails, giving tours, etc. My daughter partners with me, and she does a lot of the heavy lifting.
That’s a great opportunity to create a family business.
Yes. She’s learning a lot. Sometimes she says, “I’m too young to do all this,” and I tell her, “You’ll be all right.”
How old is she?
She’s 25.
A lot of real estate people enjoy working with family. Any wisdom for those wanting to do that?
The biggest thing is defining roles and staying in your own lane. At first, everything was co-mingled. My husband and I both did finances. My daughter and I overlapped. Now, we have clearly defined roles. For example, I do the finances, and my husband doesn’t worry about it. Before, we’d both be doing the same thing and wondering if the other had done it. Now, we divide responsibilities clearly, and that gives us freedom.
Exactly—one person is fully accountable, even if they delegate.
Right. They can delegate, but they’re still responsible.
Looking ahead, how are you planning to align your next investments with business growth?
That’s exactly what we’re working on now. We want to open three more clinics, for a total of four. But it’s not just clinics—I want to own the real estate too. I want properties with multiple tenant spaces. Our current building has five suites: our business has four, and a cupcake bakery rents the fifth. I want our future buildings to include other tenants so that I can eventually sell the clinics but keep the real estate.
That does make it harder—you’re more limited in your options.
Yes, but it’s worth it. I want that setup going forward.
What you’re doing is moving through the Cash Flow Quadrant—from employee to investor—and building the systems along the way. What does that process look like for you?
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned so much. I love to read—I read two books last week and listened to an audiobook. Last year, I actually left the business to focus on real estate. I hired an office manager and set everything up. I was gone for three months. But I started getting calls asking me to come back.
It was a great experience. I learned I don’t have to be there every day. I just need to work differently—more strategically. I’ve done all the quadrants, and now I want to use everything I’ve learned to reach bigger goals in a shorter time. I want fewer distractions and more focus. I’ve always had lots of responsibilities, but now I know exactly what I’m looking for—and I’ll find it. The wisdom I’ve learned from others will help me make this happen. I want to put the right people in place, build a legacy, and do something fun and new. I think we should always be doing something different to stay fresh.
That’s beautiful. How do you stay motivated and focused, especially when things get tough?
I went on a pilgrimage last year. A friend and I walked from Portugal to Spain on the El Camino. It was amazing. We had one goal each day: get to the next destination. We enjoyed the journey—took pictures, had lunch, saw beautiful scenery—but had one goal. That simplicity changed me. Now, I try to focus on just one or two major goals. That removes the noise. The rest can be delegated. I used to think I had to do it all, but I’ve learned to lean on others. That’s changed everything for me.
What does delegation look like for you? Can you share your system?
A good friend of mine who worked as an operations manager at Chase helped me. I asked her for guidance, and she ended up doing it with me. We used a tool called SweetProcess. It’s great for documenting everything. We wrote down all our procedures. Now, if someone has a question, we ask, “Did you check SweetProcess?” If it’s not there, we teach it and then document it. It’s a game changer for training and onboarding.
If you don’t have that skill, find someone who does. There are people out there who love doing the things you hate. Go find them.
Yes—and they often do it better!
Exactly. You want that. I don’t need to be the best—I want someone else to handle it better than me. You need systems. Don’t rely on a person. If that person leaves, your business suffers.
I worked with a foundation company for 15 years. Their secretary, Bonnie, handled everything. When she passed away, nothing worked. They had no systems—just Bonnie. You can’t rely on a person. You need documented systems.
That’s a great example. Now let’s wrap with our final questions. What’s your go-to tool for operations?
SweetProcess. We’ve got hundreds of procedures documented. Everyone uses it.
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to your younger self?
Find the right people for your team. Align your team with your goals. Define your goals and bring in people who share that vision. If someone doesn’t align, that’s okay—they’re just not the right fit. Move on and find those who are aligned.
So true. Final question: what’s a book that’s been transformational in your journey?
Rich Dad, Poor Dad was my first and helped get us started. We loved playing the Cashflow game with our kids. But recently, I’ve been impacted by The Science of Scaling by Dr. Benjamin Hardy. It’s not out yet, but I got an early copy. It’s been transformational and will help with our next big goals.
Yes! You can pre-order it on Amazon now. And how can someone reach you if they want to connect?
Email is best: amberlehmann92@hotmail.com.
Thank you so much, Amber. This was an incredible conversation.