7 Years in Pharma until I Escaped the 9 to 5 | I Help 249+ People Build Financial Freedom ($29.3M+) by Passively Investing in Multifamily Real Estate

Concerned with the sobering reality that you're not on track to provide for your family.

No one to turn to develop a strategy to help. I get it, and that's why I am here for you.

Everywhere you look, people appeared to have mastered their finances, and yet no one talks about money or helps. 

Being in this situation is confusing.

In 2015, I was confused.

I had an average income...

and a high expense lifestyle. 

I viewed it as normal.

I was not on track.

Why do I share this?

Because it's a honest, simple and powerful realization that most people don't reach.

This reality is true for a lot of us, irrespective of income.

I say this backed by anecdotal evidence.

Everyday I help people redefine their relationship with money. 

I've done it for 291+ people. 

Making them $20.2M+ since 2018.

Growing their net worth by $35.2M+.

And the average client has a similar story. 

Looking to make money, but doesn't know where to start.

And no time to figure it out.

And so, I help people build financial security.

Using the tips and tricks that I've done for myself. 

I help people that are: 

- Tired of paying too much in taxes
- Confused with how to manage their investments
- Unsure how to grow their business
- Flustered with the myriad of options   
- Overwhelmed with where to start

Nothing is more important to me than adding value to those around me. This is why I actively work to understand pain points and how to turn them into the foundation for people to scale. 

What I do isn't for everyone. If you think we might be a good fit, contact me:

📞 https://calendly.com/mustafal/15min

📧 ml@velocecapital.com

Disclaimer: Please note that past performance is not indicative of future results and investing involves risks, including the potential loss of principal. There are no guarantees in any investment. Content is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as investment advice or a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Any forward-looking statements or forecasts are based on assumptions and actual results may differ materially from those expressed in such statements.

Before investing, carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses of the investment product or strategy. Each investor's financial situation and investment objectives are unique, and the information contained herein may not be suitable for all investors. Prospective investors should consult with a financial or legal professional to determine the appropriateness of any investment in light of their individual circumstances.

Mustafa Ladha

If you’re in your 20s or 30s

This is huge

Your biggest asset isn’t your income

It’s your time

And time + leverage is powerful

You don’t need ten properties

You need one

One property bought intelligently

One that cash flows 

This one decision changes your trajectory

Because real estate has a superpower

Something rare

You can use other peoples’ money responsibly

That leverage accelerates ownership

Most people delay this move

They want perfect clarity

Perfect timing

Perfect confidence

But momentum doesn’t come from perfection

It comes from starting

If you looked back 5 years from now

What would you wish you had bought today?

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From 9–5 to Financial Freedom | Helping 291+ People | Generated $20.2M+ in Passive Income & Increased Net Worth by $35.2M+ | Learn How You Can Too

Everyone loves free things

So how do you design life that way?...

I got upgraded to a Mercedes GLE

Paid $50 

Got $275 in value

Fun perk 

But here's why it actually matters for building wealth

After helping 291+ investors deploy $64M+ into real estate 

I've noticed something:

The investors who move fastest don’t just have money 

They have the total stack 

Things like the ‘right’ credit cards

Credit cards aren't about the perks 

They're about what those perks represent:

→ Credit history that gets you approved for better financing terms
→ A profile that signals reliability 
→ The discipline to use debt as a tool, not a trap

One of my clients came to me last year wanting to invest $100K.

Great income 

Weak savings 

He used a line of credit

A high risk strategy that we talked though

We structured a fixed income strategy

It covered the cost of the line of credit

He invested the rest in a high growth opportunity

3 Years Later...

He’s happy he took the risk

He leveraged the bank’s money to make a huge time weighted return

But all investments carry risk

And when it came to investing I had to caution him on the risks associated with this approach 

This move helped him strategically wealth building

The people that build wealth

Look for ways to be efficient 

Ways to build in asymmetric risk 

To get more out of life...

When done right

You look back at life and appreciate the grand design

Here's what's quietly draining your wealth.

It's not inflation.

It's not bad timing.

It's the need to feel certain before you act.

One investor told me 

He'd been ‘waiting for the right time’ for 3 years.

He wasn't lazy.

He wasn't even cautious.

He was protecting himself from the feeling of being wrong.

In the meantime he lost 8%

His $100 is now only worth $92

But he did nothing wrong

In fact 80% of people approach life the same way

They keep their money in the bank

Making 0% a year

That's what most people don't admit.

Waiting isn't about timing.

It's about avoiding regret before it happens.

And along the way we’re losing money 

Without realizing

So the questions loop:

‘What if the market drops?’

‘What if I pick the wrong opportunity?’

‘What if it doesn't work out?’

Each question feels like due diligence.

But really it's just fear dressed up as logic.

And we get caught up in analysis paralysis

Here's the part no one talks about:

The mental cost compounds too.

Every month you wait, 

You're not just losing opportunities.

You're reinforcing the belief that you're not ready.

That story gets heavier over time.

So what's the answer?

Not ‘just take action.’

That's reckless.

The answer is to reduce fragility.

Build a structure where being wrong doesn't break you:

1. Strong reserves 

So surprises don't derail you

2. Conservative assumptions 

So you're not betting on best-case

3. Trusted partners 

So you're not figuring it out alone

When the downside is manageable, 

Fear loses its grip.

And you stop needing certainty to move.

So if you've been telling yourself 

‘I'll start when I feel ready’.

Ask yourself this:

What is that story costing you? 

Not just financially, but mentally?

If you want help building a structure that makes the first step feel safe, 

Comment ‘READY’

It’s really that easy

You just need to take one step

Show me your calendar

And your circle...

80% chance I can tell how the next year will go

Because your results aren’t just about effort

They’re about what your week keeps reinforcing

What you talk about repeatedly

What you tolerate

What gets celebrated

What gets ignored

In a conversation on my podcast

Junaid Ahmed 📹 shared a simple idea worth passing on 

The people you spend time around shape your standards

Often more than your goals do

That’s why two people can want the same thing...

And get completely different outcomes

One person has a room that normalizes progress

The other has a room that normalizes excuses

So here’s the practical move:

Don’t just set a goal

Set a room

A community 

A circle

A space where the behavior you want is already normal

Because when the standard is higher

Consistency stops being a personality trait

It becomes part of the environment

If I looked at your calendar this week, what room are you in most often?

Comment one room that’s helping you (or one you need)

Bonus: tag someone who’s raised your standards just by how they operate.

You’re doing everything right

So are you tense?

You earn

You work hard

You’re responsible

But there’s a quiet tension underneath it all

Because deep down, you know one thing:

If this one income stopped

Life would get hard very fast

That’s not a money problem

That’s a design problem

And design isn’t really about investments

It’s about meaning

A meaningful life needs space

Space to breathe

Space to choose

Space to slow down without fear

That space only exists when your life isn’t dependent on one pillar

Some people rely completely on a paycheck

Some make great money but have zero freedom

Some know they need a plan

But keep delaying it

Different situations

Same root issue

And procrastination is what keeps it in place

Not because people are lazy

Because planning forces decisions

Decisions create responsibility

Responsibility feels heavy

So ‘later’ becomes the strategy

Until time passes anyway

Diversification is how you remove single points of failure from your life

Not to get rich

To create freedom

Because freedom is what gives success its meaning

Be honest with yourself

Where are you right now?

The answer usually tells you what needs to

Adam was fired...

Along with half his team

Replaced by someone that doesn’t need food

Doesn’t need sleep

And can improve efficiency beyond belief

When I read something like Block firing ~50% of their staff

Citing how they’re going to invest in AI instead

It feels like the writing is on the wall

It feels like we all need to take radical accountability

If AI replaces jobs as we know them

We will pivot

We will survive

Life will go on

But there will be pain in the market

When people say 7 streams of income

This is why

Because the market is always in flux

It’s always changing

And yet

Only 50-65% of people invest in the stock market

Only 10-20% of people invest in real estate

The top 20% of people in America are worth $890k+

But people don’t have financial freedom

Realistically most people I work with are aspiring to get to $3-5M

So how do you bridge the gap?

There honestly isn’t a one size fits all answer

You can follow the tried and tested path...

Save more than you earn

But most people don’t get there by saving

They get there by following the path of least resistance

By investing

That’s what I did 

Until I quit at 29

I was offered a promotion ~6 months before I quit

And honestly, this promotion didn’t materially change my financial health 

What was a modest ~6% salary increase going to change

What was a new title going to change

It wasn’t creating the freedom I was looking for

I got that freedom by diligently investing and growing for 7 years

I say this to say that there is only one person that can build you financial freedom

It’s you

Everything else is designed to help build you up

Or knock you down

What steps will you take?

Here’s the truth

A bad market won't kill your portfolio

A broken plan with no backup will

That's what happened on one of our opportunities

We strategically bought the land 

We rezoned the land

We pushed approvals through

Then the city came back with something unexpected

Approved for 11 units instead of 15

Four units gone

Just like that

I remember staring at the numbers

Running the same model three times

Hoping it would somehow change

It didn't

Most people panic here

Or they force the original plan and hope the market saves them

We did neither

We sat with it for a week

Then made the call

Instead of 15 one-bedrooms

We shifted the unit mix

Studios, 1-beds, 2-beds

That pivot protected income

We ended up making about $300 more per unit than expected

Then the second punch landed

Cap rates expanded

The market moved from sub 5% to around 5.5%

Asset value came in about ~$1M less than projected

At this point most operators start ‘explaining’

We focused on outcomes

We sold our equity and returned 65% to investors in 24 months

A 32.5% IRR

Was it the original plan?

No

We targeted a 1.25x refi

For every $100k invested, the investor gets $125k back tax-free

And still owns the asset

That didn't happen

But here's the part most people miss

Real estate isn't about being right

It's about managing risk

And maximizing value

Creating options

And always having a clean way out

Those investors made a 1.65X 

More liquidity in a similar time frame

What's the tightest spot you've navigated in an opportunity?

I'd love to hear how you handled it

80% of people talk about financial freedom like it’s a destination

Here’s why only 20% actually become financially free

Here’s the reality

Financial freedom is a lifestyle built from repeated action

1. How you manage money when nobody is watching

2. How you build income that doesn’t depend on a single paycheck

3. How you stay consistent when life gets busy

Most people don’t fail because they’re lazy

They fail because:

1. They don’t make success inevitable 
2. They don’t have a system
3. They’re trying to build alone

No structure 

No feedback loop 

No one to call out the excuses

They’re stuck in an endless loop:

Plan → Motivation → Stall → Guilt → Reset

The thing that changed everything isn’t finding ‘new information’

It was getting clear on the system

Learn → Apply → Review → Repeat

That’s why we’ve built the MFJ community 

A room for people who want more than inspiration

Inside, we focus on

Practical monetization paths (how skills turn into income)

The foundations that create options (credit, discipline, strategy)

Accountability so you don’t disappear when it gets uncomfortable

If you’re serious about building freedom 

Not just posting about it 

(or reading about it)

Come join us

The view is better on the inside

80% of people won’t click the link in the comment section

20% of people will

And their lives will change

Which are you?

This is crazy...

But I see it all the time

Two people can look at the same opportunity

One feels calm

One feels anxious

Not because the opportunity changed

Because their life is different

Example:

Adam has $250k liquid

Stable income

No big expenses

Omar has $500k liquid

But also a mortgage

And private school tuition

So a chunk of this money is already ‘spoken for’

They both want to invest $75k

On paper, both can afford it

But life doesn’t pay out like it does on paper

One feels relaxed

The other knows he’s taking more risk than he should

Both understand that they need to invest to provide for their families

Both understand that investments carry risk 

That’s why I like asking a simple question before investing:

How much of my liquid cash is going into one opportunity?

Here’s a helpful guideline:

When one investment is 10–20% of your cash...

It usually feels easier to invest

You don’t overthink every update

You don’t need perfection

You give the plan room to work

That’s the quiet benefit of building the right strategic approach 

Investing done right builds wealth…

Without taking over your headspace

I’m curious…

What percent do you invest in one opportunity?

My client made 30.14% 

Here's what he did next

He pulled out all his money

Because of missed expectations

Honestly, I get it

And it's painful to admit I didn't deliver

But the reality is more nuanced

This client wanted more regular touch points

Not a newsletter or a LinkedIn post

1 on 1 interaction

I can't fault him for that

He also wanted a 20% return a year

Not 30.14% over two years

That's a communication gap

I can't legally promise a specific return

He expected something I couldn't deliver, 

Something I can’t imagine committing to

So clearly I messed up when we first spoke

So here's what I did:

-Sent him the steps to cash out.
-Asked for feedback.
-Sent steps I'll take to address it.

I don't usually ask for feedback

I don't like probing and bothering people

It's their money

They can take it back whenever they want

This bias is stopping me from growing

The goal isn't just to ‘get good results’

The goal is alignment between results and expectations

Most frustration in investing doesn't come from the numbers

It comes from unclear expectations:

How often will we talk?

What does ‘good performance’ actually look like over time?

What does this strategy feel like in the slow months?

I normally avoid probing questions

Avoid reaching out uninvited

I like to protect people’s space

But silence doesn't always feel like respect

Sometimes it feels like being left alone with uncertainty

And uncertainty is dangerous

It’s where people start making emotional decisions...

Even when the investment is performing

The ‘miss’ here wasn't effort

It was alignment

And I'd rather learn it now than repeat it 10 times

Have you ever left an investment that was working...

Because it didn't feel right?

If your real estate plan feels ‘comfortable’

You should be nervous

Mohammed Quadri, MD, MBA, SSBB said this on my podcast

‘Leadership isn’t doing what people want

It’s pointing to the direction they don’t want to go’

That’s how I help people too

It’s not my job to push an opportunity

It’s my job to guide 

Even when the answer is:

Not this opportunity

Not this timing

Not this leverage

Not this level of risk

That can sound crazy in a world that rewards transactions

Because sometimes it means I step back

Even when I could push it through

Even when it would be easier for me

Even when it’s a clean ‘yes’

But I sleep better

Because the long game is trust

And peace of mind may feel expensive

But it is really invaluable

What’s the uncomfortable truth you’re avoiding in your real estate plan right now?

I Invest In And Support Healthcare AI From Innovation To Adoption | For Founders, Funders & Physician-Innovators

Hey

This is why you’re stuck

You keep asking:

Should I persevere?

or

Should I pivot?

But that question is almost impossible to answer in real time

Because you’re asking it after you’re tired

Stressed

And in your head

...

On our podcast, Rob Durant pointed out something that just clicks

The real leverage is deciding before you’re emotional

So here’s the habit

Write down why you started 

While you still have perspective.

Then add a few ‘decision rules’

What does success look like in 6–12 months?

What evidence would tell me to keep going?

What evidence would tell me to pivot?

What’s a non-negotiable I won’t trade away?

Later

When things get messy

You don’t have to guess

You can look at what you wrote and say

‘This is still true - I stay’
 
Or

This changed - I pivot

That’s the difference between a strategic pivot 

And a panic move

If you’re deciding between pushing and pivoting right now

What’s the one signal you’re watching most closely?

Like Walt, I’m a bumblebee - bringing together ideas, perspectives, and people.

We don’t learn about money in school

We learn it on LinkedIn

[There’s a lot wrong with this...]

Here's what nobody tells us about investing

Volatility doesn't just change our portfolio

It changes our behavior

[And people don’t talk about this]

We're told to invest for the long term

Don't time the market

But here's what actually happens

People buy when stock are high

[After a big run-up in a bull market

We get hit with fear of missing out

FOMO]

Then sell after a big drop

[Once again

We make decisions based on emotion]

Not because we’re dumb

Because uncertainty is stressful

Crypto is the cleanest example

Bitcoin can make us huge gains and losses over short periods of time

That level of volatility is hard to sit through

So people do the worst possible thing

We turn a long-term plan into a short-term emotional decision

After helping 291+ investors generate $20.2M+ in passive income

I've seen this pattern constantly

Here’s what I mean

One client came to me after panic-selling

He lost $40K 

Not to the market

But to his own reaction

The stock recovered 3 months later

He didn't

The best investors I know don't have nerves of steel

They have a tried and tested strategy

Build by a solid team

A team that they’ve vetted

The core of that strategy is simple

Assets they can actually hold long term

That's the real edge

Not picking the ‘best’ investment

Picking one you won't abandon when things get uncomfortable

Before the next dip

Write your rules

If you can’t explain why you’ll hold it during a drop

You shouldn’t own it

What’s one rule you follow when markets get ugly?

P.S.

I buy when the market is down

It’s my version of black friday

I live for this

[And you would too...]

It’s the reason I get up in the morning

I got a call late one night

Let’s call him ‘Adam’

He has a senior role in tech

With a high income

On paper

Everything looked perfect

But his first sentence wasn't about money

‘My son just asked if I'm coming to his game tomorrow

I told him, 'I'll try.'

He said, 'You always say that’

This line, from a child to a parent, hurts

We do everything for our kids...

Honestly, 

I've heard this story so many times

From executives

Business owners

Founders

‘I'll slow down after this project’

‘Once I hit X, then I'll have more time’

But the target keeps moving

And the people we say we're ‘doing it for’

Get what's left of us

Not the best of us

His story hit close to home

Adam is essentially asking 

‘How do I earn more?’

‘How can I slow down
without everything falling apart?’

The answer was simple

The right real estate strategy that makes Adam enough to retire

So Adam makes money, whether he checks his phone or not

It wasn't overnight

But slowly…

The feeling shifted from ‘If I stop, it all stops’

To ‘I can choose my pace and still be okay’

The real win for Adam wasn't a spreadsheet

It was showing up to his son's midweek game

Phone face down

Fully present

For the first time in years

Same career

Completely different relationship with time

Is your life designed to support the life you want

Or is it structured to starve you of the freedom you crave

We can all be Adam

Book a call to learn more

This is intense, maybe a bit crazy

But there’s an element of wisdom, a bit of value

If you’re not willing to outwork everyone

Don’t ask the world to trust you

Here’s why:

Helping people isn’t a ‘content plan’

It’s a responsibility

And responsibility has a cost

You wake up earlier

You do the extra reps

You take the harder conversations

You keep going when it’s boring

That’s why passion matters

Not because it’s cute

Because passion is the only thing that makes ‘hard’ sustainable

On my podcast, Owen Beiny explained it using credit card points

He basically said:

If you love the craft, 

You stop fearing competition 

Because nobody can outwork obsession

That clicked for me 

Because it’s exactly how I think about money

Most people don’t lose financially because they’re ‘bad with money’

They lose because they never build the habits that require repetition

Tracking spending weekly

Understanding risk (not just returns)

Learning the difference between income and wealth

This is why I’m passionate about what I do

I’m not here to ‘motivate’ you

I’m here to help you get money clarity 

And build a system you can follow for years 

And if passive real estate fits

Use it to compound

Because results don’t come from intensity

They come from consistency you can sustain

If you want help building that system

Message me

Founder and CEO at The Points Partner

80% of people obsess over upside.

The 20% that don’t, 

They protect their future

Making money lures us in

Managing risk enables us to build the foundation

The foundation to exponentially grow

Here are 4 simple steps I use:

1. Assume delays and surprises.

Don’t treat them as bad luck.

Treat them as normal.

Part of the process

2. Stress test the numbers.

Change your assumptions

Assume higher costs and longer timelines.

If it only works in the perfect scenario,

It’s not for me

3. Look at human behavior.

How have the people involved behaved when things went wrong in the past?

Character is part of risk management.

4. Ask: would I still do it if this is how it played out?

If the 'bad' version of the investment

Still leaves you standing,
 
You can breathe easier.


This isn’t about pessimism. 

It’s about protecting your future self.

If you want help pressure-testing the downside

In your current plan,

DM me review

And we can walk through it.

Upside is easy to love

Downside is what decides if you keep the win

Here’s my 4-step check

4 Easy Steps To Protect Downside

Everything has a cost

Especially success...

Everyone chases success

We want to look impressive

We want to be paid well

We want applause

But there’s a version of success that costs too much

And it quietly takes your sleep

Multifamily can do that

Because the work never ends

It just changes form

As you scale It becomes:

1. Refi pressure
2. Capex surprises
3. Insurance spikes
4. Leasing risk
5. Investor expectations
6. A calendar you can’t control
7. And the list goes on

So you adapt

You carry it

You become 'the reliable one'

But reliability turns into identity

And identity turns into a cage

You stop asking the real question:

Is this what freedom is supposed to look like?

Most people don’t burn out from one big problem

They burn out from constant vigilance

Always scanning

Always bracing

Always one step away from 'if this goes wrong...

That’s not wealth

That’s survival with nicer spreadsheets

This is why I’m sharing Freedom Isn’t Free

A live workshop hosted by Faisal Masud Ensaun

It’s for the person who’s growing…

But wants to grow with more clarity, calm, and control

If you’ve been feeling stretched thin

Even while you’re 'winning'

You’re not alone

Details in the first comment

Everyone talks about AI

But nobody explains this part

It feels like a toy

Something ‘smart people are playing with’

Smartphones were like that

In 2004–2005, 

Basically 0% of the world used a smartphone

Today it’s roughly 70–80%

And it didn’t just change communication

It changed every aspect of our lives

Work

Learning

Investing

Generative AI is in that early same early stage 

Only ~10–20% use ChatGPT monthly

Most people ‘try it'

Very few rebuild their lives around it

Here’s the part people miss:

Technology changes how we live

But it doesn’t change the truth of building wealth

Here’s what I mean

Real estate has been creating wealth for generations

Own a physical asset

Let time do the heavy lifting

Let income + appreciation compound

But only about 10–12% of U.S. adults invest directly in real estate.

That’s not because everyone else is broke.

It’s because most people never get clarity

They never learn how to build wealth 

They don’t know where to start

If you’re curious how to build wealth 

Comment below or DM me

I’ve helped 291+ people make $20,200,000+ in real estate

What’s the hardest part of investing in real estate?


1. Finding an opportunity 
2. Figuring out if it’s a good opportunity
3. Actually turning that projection into real money

Senior Construction Project Manager @ VareCo

My company is Investor Acquisitions. 

In short, I help real estate executives attract LP investors. 

What I've found is the best operators in real estate often neglect marketing. 

Marketing is important enough to wish you were better but not important enough to take it on on your own. 

Put another way: If operations fall apart? 
You don't have a business to market. 
If marketing falls apart? 
You've survived this long without it. 

However, there's a catch 22 to this approach to marketing. 

The modern real estate sponsor, broker & lender needs marketing. 

They need to be known. 

Social media expedites 2 key aspects of deal making: 
1. Building awareness of you. 
2. Building trust in you. 

My business is taking the hard work of figuring social media out off your hands, & replacing it with all the benefits. 
1. Being trusted and known at scale. 
2. Generating quality leads. 
3. Raising capital/closing deals. 

The fun stuff that comes from being known. 

Whether you're the CEO, an executive team, or a broker, our team at Investor Acquisitions can level up your brand & content on LinkedIn. 

Our business is telling your story.

If this resonates with you, DM "Intro" to schedule an introduction call.

Cole Baker

Rondale Moore passed away today. 
We attended Purdue at the same time. 
The most electric player I've witnessed live. 

My favorite memory ever in college involved Rondale Moore. 

It was October 20, 2018, Purdue University was 3-3 and facing off against the undefeated number 2 team in the country, Ohio State University. 

It was the 4th quarter of the game. 

Terry McLaurin had just scored a touchdown to bring Ohio State within 2 scores with 4:40 to go in the game.  

For context, Purdue isn't that good at football. 
So when we have a lead?
I never really expect Purdue to keep that lead. 

But on 3&7, on the Ohio State 43 yard line, 
Rondale Moore made one of the most spectacular plays I've ever seen in my life. 
Breaking 2 tackles & spinning out of another for a touchdown. 
To all but seal the game for Purdue. 
Absolutely electric. 

I've never experienced the feeling of pure elation quite like I felt that night with Purdue vs. Ohio State. 

& Rondale was a huge part of that night. 

Rondale, you're an inspiration to me. 

Thank you for giving us your all. 

I pray for your family & friends. 
I pray for your soul. 
May God bless you, Rondale Moore.

I help real estate executives attract investors & build their brands | Trusted by 50 Firms | DM “Intro” to schedule a meeting with Investor Acquisitions

I did some door-knocking today. Did 13 doors. 

Here was the script I came up with in the car: 

"Hello my name is Cole Baker, I buy industrial buildings like this one, who can I speak with about submitting an offer to buy the property?"

Most conversations lasted less than a minute. 

Here were the results: 
• 1 firm no. 
• 3 properties didn't answer the door. 
• 3 phone numbers of owners.  
• 1 "come back tomorrow, the owner just left."  
• 5 "here's who to talk with but I don't have contact info." 

I even got a tour of one of the properties from an employee. 

My favorite interaction though was with an owner. 
Larry. 

Larry wasn't looking to sell, but here's what I asked him: 
"Are you looking to buy other buildings?" 

Larry perked up, & emphatically said "yes."

I got his number & will follow up. 

Day 1 in the books. 

About 2.5 hours of walking the streets of Denver. 
About half of that was hyping myself up to do the first knock. 
Then the second. 
But after about 5 I was getting excited about it. 

Means nearly nothing doing it 1 day, but figured I'd share. 
Looking forward to Day 2.

I spoke with an investor who replaced his $450,000/year tech job with a $50,000,000 real estate portfolio. 

Here's how he did it: 

1) He didn't want to rely on a boss

• There was not "accelerating" retirement. 
• He had to put in the time.
• This unsettled him pretty early on. 
• He had the stock options. 
• So he diversified. 

2) He didn't start small. 

• His first deal was a $1,000,000+ 8-unit deal. 
• He took the knowledge from conversations. 
• He took the knowledge from podcasts. 
• He took the knowledge from books. 
• Then...
• He implemented a value-add plan. 
• He remodeled the interior. 
• He updated the exterior. 
• He raised rents. 
• & refinanced. 

He still owns the asset today. 

Builds up the appreciation. 

Collects the cash flow. 

& the best part? 

No longer works a 9-5. 

P.S. What's the first thing you'd do when you achieve financial freedom?

Warren Buffett bought 49% of Berkshire Hathaway for approximately $8.3 million. 

60 years later…

The company is worth $998 Billion. 

Warren Buffett credits most of his early success to a mentor. 

Benjamin Graham. 

Buffett summed up Graham’s influence in 3 ways: 

1. Graham taught Buffett compassion for shareholders.
2. Graham taught Buffett the importance of generosity.
3. Graham taught Buffett the intricacies of investing.

Buffett credits Graham having been his greatest teacher. 

The greatest investor of our generation credits a mentor as the greatest influence for his success. 

Don’t overthink it. 

Find a mentor.

P.S. Tag your mentor in the comments below! Show 'em some love!

It took 1 year posting on LinkedIn to raise my first $1. 
It took 9 years before I started a profitable business. 
It took 24 years to find the woman I'd marry. 

All the good things we want take time & patience. 

Give yourself the grace to take that time.

I asked a lender (who has originated $23,000,000,000 worth of commercial real estate loans) 3 red flags to avoid in a general partner.

Here's what he said:

𝟭) 𝘼 𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙣𝙚𝙧 (𝙂𝙋) 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙣𝙤 𝙘𝙖𝙥𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙡.

- In his opinion, a GP must provide capital in the deal.
- It’s this simple: If a GP has no capital in the deal,
- They don’t have your best interest in mind.

𝟮) 𝘼 𝙂𝙋 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙣𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚.

- You don’t want to hear what they promise.
- You want to hear what they’ve done.
- If they haven’t done very much, &
- They promise great returns?
- Run.

𝟯) 𝘼 𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝟱+ 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙨

- In his opinion, teams shouldn’t exceed 3 GPs.
- When there are too many partners on a team,
- He questions the team’s ability to manage.

There’s no need to take on unnecessary risk.

Dismiss all GPs with these red flags.

P.S. What would you add to the list?

Dave Ramsey was a millionaire by the age of 27.
He owned $4,000,000+ in real estate in 1987. 
The next year? In 1988? He went bankrupt... 
He didn't stay there long though. 
Now? 
His company grosses $300,000,000 a year. 

Here's 2 lessons I've learned studying Dave Ramsey: 

1) Don't let your failures define you. 

• When Dave was bankrupt? He had a wife & kid too. 
• He had $0. No income. & a family to provide for. 
• BUT...
• He didn't let his failure define his story. 
• He got back to work. 

LESSON: 

To be great at anything, you will fail. Many times. 
If you want to build financial freedom?
If you want to build a business? 
Learn to fail. 

2) Sell what you believe in. 

• Dave is controversial for one main reason: 
• He hates debt. 
• A belief formed by the impact of the bankruptcy. 
• It also formed a passion for financial literacy. 
• More specifically, teaching others about it. 
• This passion?
•  It's the foundation of his business. 
• (A $300m per year business)

LESSON: 

Starting a business is really hard. 
But if you want to make it easier?
Believe in what you're selling. 

P.S. Which lesson sticks out most to you? 
P.S.S. What are your thoughts on Dave?

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I spoke to an operator who replaced his finance job income with income from a $3,000,000 real estate portfolio. 

Here's how he replaced his W-2 income: 

1) He was fed up with his current role. 

- He had invested in 8-units prior to his discontent. 
- But the discontent motivated him to step up. 
- & the motivation led to 3+ more deals. 

2) He was willing to take lots of risk. 

- At one point, he had $250,000+ in CC debt. 
- Between labor & material costs for projects. 
- He went ALL in building his portfolio. 

SIDE NOTE: 

This was back in 2019, 2020, 2021 where interest rates were low. He had 3-4 credit cards giving him 0% interest for an entire 12 months! WILD!

3) He leveraged the BRRRR method. 

- At the time, he wasn't utilizing any mentors. 
- Just podcasts, books and good ole action. 
- After each renovation, he'd refinance. 
- & redeploy the capital. 

I wouldn't recommend taking on that kind of credit card debt. 

But one thing was very clear speaking with him: 

He would do anything to make it happen. 

P.S. To what lengths would you go for financial freedom?

I knocked on 10 more doors today. 
Yesterday, it took 2.5 hours to do 13 doors. 
Today, it took me an hour & 15 minutes to do 10.  

Here were the "objective" results from today: 
• 2 firm "no's" from building owners who's own businesses were in the building.
• 2 businesses who rent, but who's key people in the know weren't around.
• 2 phone numbers of business owners who know the building owner.
• 4 properties no one was at I'll circle back to.

Here were the "subjective" results from today: 
• I noticed a measured improvement around the anxiety I felt yesterday about door knocking. 
• I was genuinely excited about the opportunity to meet people. 
• For the first time in a long time, 
• I noticed myself counting the small wins rather than focusing on losses or rather than focusing on the ultimate win I didn't have. 
• It's day 2, there's plenty of challenges to come. 
• But I'm feeling good about knowing that I am doing the work I need to do. 
• Which is also new to me. 

Day 2 in the books. Looking forward to Day 3.

I spoke to a GP who’s acquired $300,000,000 of CRE.
The last 10 years, 
He’s acquired every deal below 30% LTV. 
Here’s why:

In his career, the GP has acquired over 100 properties. 
During the GFC, 10 of his deals lost money. 

Here’s the exact reasoning he gave why:

- 9/10 of the assets were not his usual niche asset-type.
- 9/10 of the assets were not his usual business plan.  
- 3/10 of the assets were not his typical market. 

In other words:

- He tried to do deals he wasn’t familiar with.
- At the exact wrong time in the market.
- with investor capital. 
- He & his investors paid for that. 

LESSON:

- This goes for both limited partners and GPs. 
- Invest in assets & business plans you know. 
- Jon Gray of Blackstone put it this way: 
- “You don’t outsized returns without taking risk.”
- “But we take risk we understand.”
- Debt will amplify that risk. 

P.S. Did this lesson resonate with you? 
If so, comment below why it do! ⬇️

I spoke to an investor who owns a ~$250,000 SFR. 

The catch?

He & his wife are JV's with family members. 
He & his wife want to sell the SFR. 
Family wants to keep it. 

The way the deal is structured, they can't just sell the property...

They're stuck. 

This is a major downside to the JV structure. 

Here's 3 tips to avoid this in future deals: 

1) Identify the long term plan for each JV member. 
2) Have your attorney draft clear exit provisions.
3) Create an exit plan aligned w/ expectations. 

BONUS: 

4) Don't ever do deals with family???

Will this guarantee you avoid issue?
No. 
But it will provide options.

Curious to hear your experiences with JVs. 

Have you experienced something similar?

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦; 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢 𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴.

$400,000,000 in transaction volume as a broker. 
30,000+ followers on LinkedIn. 
0 leads. 

A (now) client approached me with a question: 
• "Can you improve my LinkedIn results?"
• "I get 15K impressions each week."
• "I post content every single day."
• "I already have a following."
• "But I don't get leads." 
• "What do I do?"

In the last few weeks alone, this same client set 35 meetings from 100K+ impressions. 

Only 12 weeks into working together. 

Even cooler? 

As a broker, he has 10,000's of people seeing the deals he's selling each week. 

(Talk about a competitive advantage for his clients selling a deal)

Here's the exact post schedule we use for his content: 

M: Deal Breakdown Post
T : Asset-Type Education Post
W: Promotional Post for an Active Deal
T : Famous Person Post
F : Personal Post/Deal Breakdown
S: Weekly Update Post
S: Personal Post. 

P.S. Was this helpful? Comment below with what was most helpful.

I asked an accountant (who managed the books for a sponsor with $200,000,000 in AUM) the best way an LP can identify a quality sponsor. 

What he told me actually blew me away: 

1) Ask the GP what % of their income from their investment firm is from acquisition fees. 

• If the GP answers over 50%, do not invest. 
• This GP is too reliant on acquiring real estate for their income.  
• & it's an indication they don't have sound operations. 
• You want the asset management fees, promotes, & other income to far out way compensation from acquisition fees. 

2) Ask the GP what their payroll is. 

• If the GP doesn't know the answer, run. 
• You track what you care about. 
• If they don't know their overhead cost, 
• & don't know the cost of their labor. 
• They don't care about the deal. 

3) Ask the GP what % of asset management fees they collect across their portfolio. 

• When an investment is in distress, the first bit of compensation to be turned off is the asset management fees. 
• If a sponsor owns 20 properties, & is collecting asset management fees from 95% of them? 
• That's a great indication the deals are being run well. 

I'm curious to hear your thoughts on these questions. 

P.S. I help limited partners place equity into real estate. 

If you're a limited partner & this resonated, let's talk.

I asked an investor (who owns $10,000,000 worth of mobile home parks) why they chose the asset class. 

Here's what she had to say: 

• Depreciation.
• A low basis.
• Cash flow.

1) depreciation

• The value of traditional real estate is in the structure. 
• With residential real estate, 
• The depreciation schedule is 27.5 years. 
• Within commercial real estate, 
• The depreciation schedule is 39 years. 
• For mobile home parks, it's a totally different asset. 
• Almost none of the value is in its structures. 
• Rather much of the value is in roads, utility lines, clubhouses, lighting, fencing, electrical, pads. 
• All items that have "shorter" lives in the eyes of the law. 

2) A low basis. 

• Everything is better when you buy at a low basis. 
• You have flexibility through market downturns.
• You have lower breakeven occupancy.
• Debt is cheaper.

3) Cash flow. 

• Especially if you structure the site in the correct manor. 
• Think renting the pad sites. 
• Rather than the mobile homes themselves. 
• Cash flow is what creates freedom. 
• & many investors want that. 

P.S. What's your opinion on invest in MHPs? 
I'm much more curious after the conversation with this operator.

I spoke to an investor with $120,000,000 in AUM. 
He raised $2,400,000 in equity this month alone. 
Is the "slump" over?

I've heard a lot of chatter about a lack of capital.
I've heard a lot of chatter about down markets.
I've heard a lot of chatter about a recession.

Yet, plenty of people out there are doing deals.

3 trends I'm seeing in CRE right now:  

1. Cash flow is king for accredited investors.

• I'm seeing more deals get funded with 1 focus. 
• Not value-add. Not development.
• Cash flow.

2. Development is king for family offices.

• The conversations I have with capital allocators. 
• RIAs, family offices, etc. 
• A lot of them are focused on developments. 
• I feel like this is contrary to the news. 
• Are you seeing the same thing? 

3. First time investors want to operate. 

• I've heard this a lot from experienced operators. 
• But I'm starting to experience it for myself now. 
• People who haven't invested in CRE before? 
• They want to buy, buy, buy. 

Curious to hear what's going on in your market? 

What trends seem to be bucking the news?

or what trends seem to be sticking?

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Cole Baker

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