Meet Lee Dahlberg | Serial entrepreneur and jewelry designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lee Dahlberg and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lee, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
In 2005 I had lunch with my modeling agent who wanted me to meet her very successful boyfriend on the suspicion that we’d get along. He, Inturn, had invited his business partner who was even more wealthy & powerful. As expected I got on with the boyfriend, Paul, extremely well and the same could be said for the partner as well. The two were in the process of building a luxury high rise in the exclusive area of Golden Beach at the time and our conversation centered on this due to their apparent excitement for the project.
Without thinking I began to spew out marketing ideas that came to me about how they could creatively sell their luxury condos. The ideas even surprised myself on how sublimely simple, yet elegant they flowed from my head.
The two partners had a quick whisper amongst themselves and began to ask more about me. At the time, I was a broke model and had a very small marketing company that I ran solo from my couch. I had essentially nothing but ideas and said couch. When they turned their attention back from their private consultation, they asked if I would be willing to create a proposal for the marketing of their new development. I knew immediately this was the opportunity of a lifetime… The only problem was,,I did not actually own a real brick and mortar marketing company. Regardless of pesky facts, I knew that in less than one week’s time I would create a company in order to seize this opportunity.
After that lunch, I called two friends of mine. One, a brilliant photographer that was underrated, and was living beneath his potential. The second, a former client of mine, that I had formed a friendship with who was a genius at graphic design, and end in every aspect of advertising. Both were in a traditional period and I saw an opportunity to harness their talents that vastly outweighed my own.
I set up a lunch with my two friends and explained how this was potentially the chance of a lifetime. After peaking their interest I then dropped on them our dire timetable of five days to create a company out of thin air. We were literally about to fake it till we make it.
. Of my two new instant business partners, the ingenious graphic designer was Roch Nakajima. He is French and Japanese and no one can pronounce his name so most call him “Rock”. . Roch hails from a dynasty family in Japan, along with the work ethic of five people in one. Roch is that rare mix of genius, kindness and awareness. His eye for detail is unmatched.
The rockstar photographer of our newly formed group was Douglas Voisin, A brilliant fashion photographer. Douglas was a prodigy in not only photography, but also: directing, editing, lighting and cinema. Douglas could capture the essence of a woman like no one I had ever seen. His work was head and shoulders above anyone in South Florida at the time, but he was somehow still under the radar in the industry. His fashion photography was extremely polished with a hint of danger, probably due to his past of being a wartime photographer in Venezuela. Douglas created highly polished images that had an undertone of volatility. As a person, he was also very humble and good-natured, which made him approachable while still in control on set.
I had assembled my dream team and felt a surprising confidence about our shared mission. My two brilliant hired guns helped streamline my ideas and polish them into stunning visuals And in four days we created a complete portfolio along with a comprehensive pitch for the planned development that would rival and surpass efforts of large (or real) ad firms.
There was only one thing left to do. We had to come up with a name for our façade of a company. Shooting from the hip, as I often do, I suggested “Rock Group” for no better reason at the time than it sounded better than “Lee Group” or “Doug Group.” Rock was reluctant at first, until I reminded him that if we did not have a memorable and clever name, then what client would ever hire us to create something memorable and clever for them. The name stuck and Rock Group, the ad agency, was born on May 2nd 2005.
As promised, in less than one business week, we had done the impossible. I presented a marketing deck, to my kismet new acquaintances, and knocked it out of the park. Not only did we acquire the campaign but, this led us to forming our company in real life.
In the next few months, we purchased a building, set up our office, complete with photo studio, and even hired a handful of employees. The ideas while babbling st a random lunch had now manifested into something incredible.
The point of the story is how I decided to start this business. But, the Miami ending is that the building lost all its funding, and thus we never were able to complete the original plan. But the opportunity was the catalyst for some thing bigger than all of us. One year later, while consulting for a different client, I created a product that would change my life forever.
While helping a jewelry manufacture, I, inadvertently invented a new accessory that focused on a stone with healing elements placed on a band of leather. It was literally a rock on a band, so I called it a ”Rock Band”. Little did I know that these two words would change my foreseeable future.
Knowing nothing about jewelry and less about the business of selling jewelry, my simple & unique idea slowly took on an identity of its own With a grassroots, marketing campaign, that I created using everything I had learned from my two genius partners, I was able to take my idea from a drawing on a piece of paper onto the shelves of Neiman Marcus in less than six months.
Being a Model for 20 years, I had a net work through work experience and friendships that enabled me to get the very important press that any new product or trend needs to thrive and survive. It was these humble beginnings that later led to thousands of celebrities, wearing Rock Bands by Lee Dahlberg along with sales all over the world, and even my appearance on ABC’s Shark Tank.
There’s much more to the saga of RockBandJewelry.com but that gives you a pretty good place to start the story my journey.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I have done everything wrong in business that you could possibly imagine and then a few more things that you can’t imagine on top of that. With these mistakes and missteps come lessons. I should hope by sharing this, it may prevent other entrepreneurs from falling into some of the traps that I went into face first on multiple occasions. Here are a few lessons that may benefit others to hear. Ever since my Ad Agency days I have been known to freely give away my ideas. This is not a conscious effort as much as my genuine excitement and exuberance to communicate my thoughts in a selfless manner. My Ad Agency partners would kick me under the table at client meetings when I would blurt out amazing ideas before our clients had signed an NDA
It’s hard not to sound jaded when suggesting to fellow creatives to first protect your own thoughts before presenting them. I had to get over the fact that having clients sign confidentialities agreements was kind of like saying., “Hey, I don’t trust you. Would you mind signing this legal agreement that confirms that I do not trust you, so you do not steal my ideas before I am compensated for them!”
I had to get past the idea that I was no longer on a small island where a handshake was a bond. And I realized it was not an insult to command respect for one’s own ideas. A client comes to you for your expertise and you should be able to have ownership on your thoughts until there is an arrangement for you to be rewarded for your services. In short, lawyer-up lol. And if you have a good idea, then trade mark that idea as soon as humanly possible. At certain points in my journey, my trademarks, were all that I owned in this world.
Just as I created the concept of Rock Bands by Lee Dahlberg, I had been building my dream home. When I realized that I would rather finance my dream than a house, I quickly sold my property. I spent the next few years chasing my that dream with my house fund.
Stability is overrated when compared to the adventure of the unknown. Within reason, and sometimes, without reason, you owe it to your self to follow your heart rather than your head in this life.
Another lesson learned was that you should be extremely careful when picking who to trust when it comes to your company. In the height of my business, I was approached by investors, who wanted to take away the burden of the business end of my company, leaving me to do what I loved, which was the creative aspect. To make a long story short, I lost $38 million in three days due to rogue investors and placing my trust in the wrong team.
I have since picked up my company from its bootstraps, as I have done multiple times and continue to operate the brand solo this time. . Although I’ve had my share of heartbreaks with RockBandJewelry.com and represents just one of my ideas it will always be my favorite.
I’d like to world to know that Rock Bands started from a good place with pure intentions and it’s goal was just as much to make people happy as it was to be successful… And that aspect has not changed to this day!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Sounds funny to say, but, my favorite place on Earth is my home that I created in South Florida. When I’m not modeling, acting or working with Rock Bands I am building! I have a side business called YouSonofaBench where I build art, furniture and entire environments from reclaimed materials….AKA trash! I built my entire home using this method. I even created a cabin experience on the river on my property called The Dahl•House that has become famous on social media. My TikTok, @LeeDahlberg & my Instagrams: @LeeArthurDahlberg, @YouSonofaBench and @DahlHouseRentals have led to over 30 Million people watching me build my dream home from mostly found materials.
In fact, this year we decided to open up the Cabins to be enjoyed by the public thru AirBnB. I created a wonderland of waterfalls, koi ponds, treehouses, river cabins, outdoor showers and many more amenities that would be rival, a luxury spa.

https://www.airbnb.com/h/dahlhousecabins

So I would have my friend stay in the magical world that I have created And we would explore the areas of South Florida, that I have found via bicycling that I love and tours of the amazing waterways on the boat that I built from trash just like my home. Most of my world occurs outside and in motion.
I would show my friend the offices of the Ad Agency where are creativity still lives today now called: RKGCreative.com. We would also visit Wynwood, Hollywood Boardwalk and take a trip down to the Keys.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My mother, Julanne, was a prima ballerina and dance instructor. For most of my life, it was just the two of us against the world. But that’s the thing, her energy and light within was unmatched except for possibly the Sun itself… So in that respect, it was the two of us and the world was lucky enough to revolve around her! We may have been poor in the sense of finance, but we were spoiled in the sense of time, shared and generous love. I watched my mother touch countless lives in her teaching and interactions on the small island. I grew up, called Amelia Island., Florida.
I would not meet my father until much later in life and so my mother took on the roles of both parents and also my best friend. My mother had a grace and elegance about her that left lasting impressions on all those that she encountered. She taught me to love and respect, all races, creeds, and to look past any differences to what they actually are; opportunities to learn about humanity.
I lost my mother way too young but, I treasure the time I had with her, and I try to live each day to the fullest that she was robbed of. I owe everything that is good in me to her and I want my life to be as free and creative as she lives her’s.
I have had one of the most charmed and fortunate existences that one could ever hope for. And I know that this is because my mother spirit is not only watching over me, but it’s right here next to me at every given moment. I feel it’s not a responsibility to live a fulfilling life for her as much as it is an honor to do so.

Website: LeeDahlberg.com

Instagram: LeeArthurDahlberg, YouSonofaBench, DahlHouseRentals, RockBandJewelry

Linkedin: Lee Dahlberg

Twitter: Lee Dahlberg

Facebook: Lee Dahlberg

Youtube: Lee Dahlberg @leedahlberg3658

Other: RockBandJewelry.com TickonthatDogsAss.com AirBnB: https://www.airbnb.com/h/dahlhousecabins

Image Credits
I took and own all photos The Shark Tank photos were given to me from the net work after my show, aired and I have all rights to reproduce them as well