In this episode of Own The Exit, we sit down with Pete—a contractor turned full-time real estate investor—who went from painting homes in the Arizona heat to owning over 100 rental units. His path to financial freedom wasn’t fast or smooth. A lawsuit nearly wiped him out, but that pain sparked his pivot to ownership and long-term wealth.

Pete breaks down how he built his portfolio slowly, methodically, without raising capital for years. He also reveals how he leveraged a clear “5-Year Freedom” goal, refused to let lifestyle creep kill his dream, and why he believes every entrepreneur must diversify beyond their main hustle. If you want the practical blueprint to go from active income to passive wealth, this is it.

TAKEAWAYS

• Why Pete set a “$20K/month freedom goal” and how he hit it
• How a lawsuit became the catalyst for his investing strategy
• Why he refused to raise capital until he had proof of concept
• The difference between an income engine and a wealth engine
• How Deal Room connects investors to real opportunities

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Deal Room Online

Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield

10x is Easier Than 2x by Dan Sullivan & Benjamin Hardy

FOLLOWS

⁠⁠Oak IQ Investments⁠⁠

⁠Own The Exit⁠

⁠Aaron Investing⁠

⁠Caleb Investing⁠

Pete Schnepp

CHAPTERS

00:00 - From Lawsuit to Leverage

01:42 - Pete’s “One Property a Year” Strategy

04:11 - The $20K a Month Freedom Number

05:40 - Why He Avoided Raising Capital

09:18 - Scaling From Single Family to Small Multi

12:33 - The Lawsuit That Changed Everything

16:00 - Doubling Down on Assets, Not Work

20:01 - The Real Risk Most Entrepreneurs Ignore

24:59 - Business Is Not the Golden Egg

27:08 - Introducing: The Deal Room

31:02 - Passive Income Is a Myth?

34:20 - Final Takeaway: Know What Freedom Looks Like

KEYWORDS

passive income, real estate investing, financial freedom, contractor to investor, wealth engine, asset building, lawsuit recovery, small multifamily investing, Phoenix real estate, 5-year freedom plan, lifestyle creep, building net worth, entrepreneurship, business diversification, deal room, private equity, raising capital, cashflow strategy, slow and steady investing, W2 escape, legacy wealth

WANT TO LEARN MORE?

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