He went from 20+ side hustles in 2018 to a 7-figure business, 11 rental doors in 11 months, and full financial independence by age 30 — without sacrificing his quality of life.

In this episode, Chris sits down with Cody Berman — author of Retire by 30, personal finance entrepreneur, and one of the most practical voices on financial independence available today. Cody quit his corporate job in 2019, scaled his income from $96K to $403K in a single year, crossed seven figures in 2021, and built a real estate portfolio through house hacking and syndications — all while keeping his lifestyle expenses intentionally low. This is a masterclass in building active income first and using it as the engine for everything else.

In this episode you'll learn:

If you're building toward financial independence and feel like passive income is too far away — this episode reframes the entire path.

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He quit his job 13 months after buying his first property, scaled to 21 units, completed 5 flips in his first year of full-time investing — and then walked away from all of it to build something that actually aligned with his life.

In this episode, Chris sits down with Patrick Menefee — Army veteran, real estate investor, and founder of Charlotte Entrepreneurs, a community built around intentional relationships and meaningful business lives. Patrick's real estate journey is one of the most honest accounts of rapid scaling, strategic pivoting, and the moment an investor realizes the business they built isn't the life they wanted. Now he's channeling that same energy into building one of Charlotte's most intentional entrepreneurial communities.

In this episode you'll learn:

This is what it looks like when someone builds the right business — and then has the courage to admit it's the wrong life.

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He left corporate banking, bought $1 million in land that became undevelopable, and then invested $10 million in real estate his first year — without using a single dollar of his own money.

In this episode, Chris sits down with Michael Miller — a former Bank of America executive turned full-time real estate investor, construction company owner, and commercial plumbing company owner who went from selling car stereos at Car Toys to building a portfolio spanning hundreds of rental properties across Michigan, Ohio, Texas, California, and Washington State. Michael's journey is one of the most honest accounts of rapid scaling, costly mistakes, and intentional realignment you'll hear in real estate.

In this episode you'll learn:

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What if buying an existing business was a better wealth-building vehicle than buying another rental property?

In this episode, Chris sits down with Christian Blumetti — founder of Velocity Business Buyers and a former mortgage professional who spent years working with high net worth individuals before making the pivot to mergers and acquisitions six years ago. Christian has acquired a 20+ year old web development company for $2.8 million and is targeting $10 million in revenue — and he's breaking down exactly how the business acquisition model works, why it outperforms real estate for income replacement, and what it actually takes to buy a business with little money down.

In this episode you'll learn:

This is the conversation that will make every real estate investor rethink their wealth-building strategy.

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Most short-term rental investors chase the same popular markets, list on Airbnb, and hope for the best. Bill Faeth built a completely different system — and it's generating results most STR investors never see.

In this episode, Chris sits down with Bill Faeth — USA Today best-selling author, serial entrepreneur with 43 startups, and one of the most creative short-term rental investors in the country. Bill owns properties across 7 markets, has flipped 27 homes generating over $3 million in net profit, and built an AI-powered research system that identifies undervalued STR markets before the crowd arrives. His approach to short-term rentals is unlike anything you've heard on this show.

In this episode you'll learn:

If you own or are thinking about short-term rentals — this episode will completely change how you look at the market.

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She did 30 fix and flips, figured out the model was broken, and pivoted to building 7,000 square foot luxury homes from the ground up in Dallas. Now she's scaling to 15 simultaneous developments.

In this episode, Chris sits down with Michelle Stevenson — a luxury real estate developer based in San Diego building in Dallas, Texas. Michelle started in real estate sales, completed approximately 30 fix and flip projects, and made the pivot most investors never make — ground-up luxury development in one of the fastest growing markets in the country. She's currently managing two active luxury builds in neighborhoods like Preston Hollow, University Park, and Highland Park, each around 7,000 square feet with features like saunas, media rooms, pools, and outdoor kitchens — and she's targeting 15 simultaneous developments through strategic partnerships.

In this episode you'll learn:

This is what real estate looks like when you stop doing small deals and start thinking like a developer.

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He started investing during the 2007 market collapse, scaled to 5,000 rental units, and is now building the property management software he wished existed the entire time.

In this episode, Chris sits down with Tim Bratz — a multifamily real estate investor who built one of the largest apartment portfolios in the country, peaking at over 5,000 doors before strategically reducing to a focused 3,000-unit portfolio. Tim has seen every market cycle, survived the turbulence of 2021–2024, and is now channeling 17 years of operational experience into Smart Management — an AI-powered property management software built by an operator, for operators.

In this episode you'll learn:

This is one of the most experienced multifamily minds in the country — and he's not sugarcoating what the market looks like right now.

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What if your real estate portfolio could generate strong cash flow AND directly impact people's lives?

In this episode, Chris sits down with Jared Galde — a faith-driven real estate investor who started in 2012 as an agent working with flippers, discovered sober living properties in 2019, and built a portfolio spanning 36 properties across 17 states before pivoting to focus exclusively on Phoenix where he currently has 25 units under construction. Jared's story is one of the most compelling combinations of mission and business model to ever come through the Leadway Podcast.

In this episode you'll learn:

This is real estate with a purpose — and the numbers to back it up.

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He bought his first business at 18. Thirty years later he's running multiple companies, acquiring businesses with $1M+ EBITDA, and developing a longevity company — all without being involved in day-to-day operations.

In this episode, Chris sits down with Mark Evans DM — a 30-year entrepreneur who started with a seamless gutter company at 18, discovered real estate, and never stopped building. Mark has owned construction companies, residential and commercial real estate, and multiple business ventures since 1996. Today his focus is on acquiring established businesses, solving big problems, and creating strategic partnerships that run without him. This is one of the most seasoned entrepreneurial perspectives to ever sit down on the Leadway Podcast.

In this episode you'll learn:

If you're trying to build something that runs without you — this is the blueprint.

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Seven years ago he was mopping gym floors. Today he owns a real estate portfolio, runs 60 active projects, and builds his own inventory from the ground up.

In this episode, Chris sits down with Josh Swart — a Concord, NC-based real estate investor and developer who did his first flip in 2017, quit his janitor job in 2019, and has been building ever since. Josh figured out what most investors never do — that the fastest way to scale a real estate portfolio is to control the construction yourself. Now he's doing fix and flips, new builds for his own portfolio, and new builds for other investors, all while keeping properties long term through a build-to-rent model that generates cash flow without ever having to sell.

In this episode you'll learn:

This is what a real estate business looks like when you stop waiting for the perfect deal and start building your own.

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