In today's episode of Zen and the Art of Real Estate Investing, Jonathan sits down with Eric Burns, founder of Flowers Capital and a former firefighter turned full-time capital raiser. Eric shares his journey from managing student rentals and duplex renovations to raising funds for large-scale commercial real estate deals—an evolution fueled by burnout, curiosity, and a passion for helping others create passive income.

Eric's real estate story began at the firehouse, where side hustles were common. He jumped into his first student rental without formal training, but with a clear goal: to build financial security outside of his career. Through direct mail and hands-on management, Eric gained valuable experience as a landlord. Over time, though, he found himself trading time for money and recognized it wasn't sustainable. That led him to masterminds, mentorship, and eventually commercial investing.

Jonathan and Eric dig into how capital raising became Eric's focus and how he approaches it both as an educator and a steward. Eric walks through the importance of partnering with trustworthy operators, managing investor expectations, and matching each opportunity to an investor's goals and risk tolerance. They also cover how mastermind communities helped Eric sharpen his skills and find alignment with top-tier operators.

Throughout the conversation, Eric emphasizes relationships over returns. Whether it's vetting sponsors, working with new passive investors, or evaluating deals, he's focused on long-term partnerships. He also shares why transparency, responsiveness, and investor education are at the core of how he does business.

This episode offers a clear window into the real work behind raising capital and the mindset shifts that turn investing into a long-term lifestyle strategy. For anyone considering a move from active to passive investing or exploring syndications for the first time, this episode offers grounded advice from someone who has walked both paths.

In this episode, you will hear:

• Moving from hands-on rentals to raising capital for commercial deals

• Choosing the right mastermind and finding trustworthy mentors

• Navigating early landlord lessons and learning to lead with service

• Evaluating sponsors based on integrity, not just performance

• Managing investor relationships through education and transparency

• Building passive income without sacrificing trust or long-term alignment

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Supporting Resources:

Flowers Capital - www.flowerscapital.com

Follow Eric Burns on Instagram - www.instagram.com/ericburnsofficial

Connect with Eric on LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/theericburns

Website - www.streamlined.properties

YouTube - www.youtube.com/c/JonathanGreeneRE/videos

Instagram - www.instagram.com/trustgreene

Instagram - www.instagram.com/streamlinedproperties

TikTok - www.tiktok.com/@trustgreene

Zillow - www.zillow.com/profile/StreamlinedReal

Bigger Pockets - www.biggerpockets.com/users/TrustGreene

Facebook - www.facebook.com/streamlinedproperties

Email - [email protected]

Episode Credits

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.