The Ordinary Millionaire

What would change if work became optional — not at 65, but decades earlier?

In this episode, Matt sits down with Cody Berman — entrepreneur, author of Retire by Thirty, and founder of Gold City Ventures — to break down exactly how he reached financial independence at 25 with no inheritance and no shortcuts. In three years, Cody grew his income from $96K to $198K to $403K, kept his expenses at $2,000 a month, and invested the difference into real estate, index funds, and digital products until work became fully optional.

This one is packed with practical frameworks you can apply no matter where you're starting from.

What you'll learn:

• The "Financial Freedom Sprint" — why working aggressively for 2-3 years beats chasing passive income too early
• The Gap: the single most important metric on your path to financial freedom (and how Cody used it to retire at 25)
• Type 1 vs Type 2 side hustles — and how to transition from trading time for money to scalable income
• The two paths to financial independence: Cash Flow FI vs. the Nest Egg Method (and why Cody recommends a hybrid)
• How to get started selling digital products on Etsy with zero audience and zero marketing budget
• The Big Three expenses (housing, transportation, food) — how optimizing these creates thousands in monthly savings
• House hacking: how Cody turned his housing cost from an expense into income
• Why skills are "future currency" — and why they're the one thing nobody can take from you
• The 4% rule explained simply — and how to calculate your own financial freedom number

Connect with Cody Berman:
🌐 Website: CodyBerman.com
🎙️ Podcast: The Financial Independence Show
📦 Digital Products: GoldCityVentures.com
📚 Book: RetireByThirtyBook.com (available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, and everywhere books are sold)
📸 Social: @CodyDBerman on all platforms

Most people think Hawaii is untouchable as a real estate market. Indar proves otherwise.

In this episode, Matt sits down with Indar — a Hawaii-based investor with 10+ years of experience, 100+ flips completed, and a portfolio spanning Hawaii and the mainland US. He breaks down exactly how to buy, flip, and Airbnb in one of the most expensive and most regulated real estate markets in the country — and why the opportunity is still very real in 2026.

What you'll learn:

• How Indar went from electrical engineer to 100+ flips in Hawaii
• Why cheaper Airbnbs in Hawaii ($200-300K) often outperform more expensive ones
• The truth about short-term rental laws in Hawaii and where you can legally operate
• Why Hawaii Airbnb amenities work differently than every other market
• The 15% gross margin rule Indar uses on every flip to decide if a deal is worth doing
• How Japanese buyers affect cap rates and property values in Hawaii
• Why Hawaii is an appreciation game, not a cash flow game — and how to profit from that
• The best mainland markets Indar is buying in right now (Bible Belt, Tennessee, North Carolina)
• How to use Zillow and MLS to find real deals with zero marketing budget
• Why you should think of real estate as a 30-year game, not a get-rich-quick scheme

Connect with Indar:
📸 Instagram/Social: @IndarHawaii (all platforms)

Omni Casey shares his journey from starting in Hawaii with no experience to managing over 500 properties, including innovative strategies like portfolio acquisitions and entering the assisted living space. Learn practical tips on deal finding, building a portfolio, and creating impactful real estate businesses.

Key Topics

• Omni Casey's real estate journey from Hawaii to managing over 500 properties
• Strategies for finding off-market deals and working with joint venture partners
• The importance of building a real estate portfolio through portfolio acquisitions
• Entering the assisted living space and its business model
• The role of community and education in real estate success
• How to source deals and find investors using creative financing and networking
• Family involvement in real estate and teaching financial literacy to kids
• Market selection and adapting strategies based on location and goals

Sound Bites

"Find a deal, negotiate, and partner for equity."
"Buy portfolios in bulk to scale faster."
"Involve your family to teach them financial literacy."

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Omni Casey and his real estate background
02:04 Starting in real estate without experience or money
03:54 Finding and pitching joint venture partners
07:02 Building confidence through deal finding and partnerships
09:48 Growing from one property to a portfolio of 10-20 units
12:55 Entering the assisted living space and its business model
16:48 Renovating and operating an assisted living facility
20:57 Valuation, financing, and potential exit strategies for assisted living
24:58 Market selection and adapting strategies for different locations
29:53 Buying portfolios and scaling through portfolio acquisitions
39:46 Family involvement and teaching kids about real estate
45:03 Building a community and education platform for investors
53:57 Final thoughts and how to connect with Omni Casey

In this episode, Matt sits down with Justin Thompson — a former 18-year electrical engineer turned short-term rental investor and creative finance specialist. Justin walks us through how he left his career to go all-in on real estate, and how he bought his first property in Broken Bow, Oklahoma for zero dollars down and nearly doubled its revenue to $145K/year.

What you'll learn:

• What creative financing (seller finance + subject-to) actually looks like in practice
• How Justin bought a $945K STR with zero down and generates $20-25K in annual cash flow
• The "Flow, Grow, and Keep" framework for evaluating real estate deals beyond cash flow
• How to use the STR tax loophole to wipe out W-2 income (Justin wrote off $330K in year one)
• The volume reality behind creative finance wholesaling — 10,000 dials for 1-3 contracts
• Top Airbnb amenities ranked by ROI: string lights, barrel saunas, pools, and pickleball courts
• How to find deals using AirDNA + skip tracing for creative finance wholesaling
• What markets to look for: 15-20% gross yield, 2-3 hours from major metros

Connect with Justin Thompson:
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justinsthompson/
🔗 Gather Circle (Advisory Program + Wholesale Deals): https://start.gathercircle.com/freedom/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQPOTM2NjE5NzQzMzkyNDU5AAGn-tL93oSIptIZmfKILbDBjYgYDZZGWz46mUGuRuy3AXygI1_vBFYsEEfKyWo_aem_ACe34gpZNdJpb4HOfgql1A

Ryan Leake had never managed a single Airbnb when he took an online course and got his first client 14 days later. Two years after that, he and his partners manage 70 luxury short-term rentals across Austin and San Antonio with roughly $10 million in gross revenue and a team of 17 people.

In this episode, Ryan gives a complete roadmap — from how to land your first client with zero experience (including the box of cookies that got him his), to what the financial breakdown actually looks like at scale, to how he's now using ChatGPT and Claude to generate inbound leads without spending a dollar on ads.

Whether you're thinking about getting into Airbnb management, already running properties, or just want to understand how to build a service business from scratch, this one is loaded.

In this episode:
— How Ryan got his first client in 14 days (no experience, no portfolio)
— The two strategies that took him from 0 to 10 properties in 10 months
— Why Google My Business was his #1 growth tool — and the exact number of reviews that turned on inbound leads
— How AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude are now sending him leads for free
— The full financial breakdown: $10M gross, 18% average fee, ~$1M EBITDA, $600k in expenses
— How strategic mergers helped him scale faster than organic growth
— His complete tech stack for managing 70 properties
— The pool ROI math: why he's added pools at 10 properties and counting
— How to handle the 20% fee objection (and the reframe that works every time)
— Why he now passes on 85% of deals — and what that took to get to

"Focus on massive income before passive income." — Ryan Leake

Find Ryan:
Instagram: @itsaleak
TikTok: @itsryanleake
Website: ryan-leake.com

Spencer and Ashley started investing in Airbnb in Niagara because they wanted more than two weeks of vacation a year. Today they own six short-term rentals, one long-term property, and a management company called Travel Lux with over 80 properties — all while traveling the world using credit card points.

In this episode they break down exactly how they research new markets, what amenities are actually moving the needle in 2026 (including the $80,000 pickleball court that added $10,000 in a single month), how to start a property management business from scratch with no clients, and how they've flown Emirates First Class and stayed at the St. Regis Maldives for a fraction of the cash cost.

If you're thinking about getting into short-term rentals, scaling what you already have, or building a business you can run from anywhere in the world — this one is packed.

In this episode:
— How Spencer & Ashley bought their first Airbnb BRRRR in Niagara and what it looks like today
— The exact framework Spencer uses to research any new Airbnb market
— Why they bought two properties in Ellicottville, NY sight unseen during COVID — and how they're performing today
— The $80k pickleball court that drove 20–50% revenue increases
— Is Airbnb actually dead? Their data-backed answer
— How to start a co-hosting business with no clients and near-zero overhead
— Why five managed properties could replace your nine-to-five income
— Travel hacking: Emirates First Class, Qatar Q Suites, and the Maldives — all on points

"We can choose anywhere in the world that we work." — Ashley

Find Spencer & Ashley:
Instagram: @spencerandashley

Timestamps:
00:00 — Introduction & how Spencer & Ashley got started
03:45 — Their first Airbnb BRRRR: St. Catharines, $310k, beach proximity
09:35 — Buying in Ellicottville, NY sight unseen during COVID
11:35 — How to research any Airbnb market in 2026 (AirDNA, BnbCalc, PriceLabs)
17:30 — What's working in Ellicottville today: $200k+ gross revenue properties
22:00 — What amenities actually drive revenue in 2026
25:00 — The pickleball court: $80k investment, $10k monthly lift, 20–50% revenue increase
35:28 — Best markets to invest in right now: Niagara & Kawartha Lakes
37:45 — Is Airbnb dead? Their answer (with data)
40:57 — How Travel Lux started (a Kijiji ad) and grew to 80 properties
45:35 — How to start a co-hosting business from scratch today
54:00 — What you actually keep from a 20% management fee (80–85% margins)
1:03:30 — Travel hacking: how it started and the first business class redemption
1:09:00 — The Emirates "Boomerang": $100k in flights for 300k points
1:14:30 — Qatar Q Suites and the best Aeroplan redemptions for Canadians
1:15:00 — The Maldives: St. Regis on Marriott points + Travel Zoo hack

Cody Davis started investing in real estate at 19 with no money and a cold call list. Today he owns a growing portfolio of multi-family properties — and manages them entirely in-house.

In this episode, Cody breaks down the creative financing strategies he used to get started without traditional bank loans, how he analyzes every deal using a simple numbers framework, and why he believes patience and simplicity are the real edge in real estate investing.

Whether you're trying to buy your first property or scale beyond your first few units, Cody's approach is practical, repeatable, and built for the long game.

In this episode: — How Cody landed his first deals through cold calling at 19 — Creative financing strategies that don't require a big down payment — The numbers framework he uses to evaluate every deal — Why he brought property management in-house (and how it changed his margins) — What he teaches his kids about money and building wealth — His advice for new investors who feel stuck and don't know where to start

"Numbers don't lie, people do." — Cody Davis

Timestamps: 00:00 — Cody's background and how he got started at 19 09:52 — Creative financing strategies for getting deals done 19:52 — Building a sustainable multi-family portfolio 29:35 — Cold calling, early hustle, and landing first deals 35:07 — How to evaluate deals with the right numbers 41:40 — Teaching the next generation about money 48:57 — Why Cody manages properties in-house 54:24 — Advice for new investors ready to take the next step

Welcome to The Ordinary Millionaire! 

In this intro episode, Matthew Varga explains why he created this podcast 
and what you can expect from future episodes.

You'll learn:
- Why Matthew started The Ordinary Millionaire podcast
- What makes this podcast different
- The real numbers, real businesses, and real stories you'll hear
- When your first real episode launches

Subscribe now and join thousands of people breaking free from the 9-to-5 
and building real wealth.

Connect with Matthew:
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/matthewvarga
- Instagram: @matthewvarga
- Website: https://www.matthewvarga.com

Join The Ordinary Millionaire community: https://www.matthewvarga.com/coaching