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Dealmaker Catalyst

Dealmaker Catalyst

By: Jason Seward & Jim Ingersoll
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 Join the Dealmaker Catalyst Podcast for real conversations with real estate investors and entrepreneurs. Learn how they approach deals, solve problems, and build their businesses. Every episode gives practical takeaways to help you make smarter moves in real estate.2026
Episodes
  • The Only Framework You Need to Build Wealth in Real Estate | Michael Zuber

    The Only Framework You Need to Build Wealth in Real Estate | Michael Zuber
    Mar 23 2026
    In this episode, host Jason Seward sits down with Michael Zuber — author, investor, and founder of One Rental at a Time — for one of the most tactically dense conversations the show has produced. Michael started investing in 2002 while working a demanding full-time tech career, buying his first rental in Fresno, California and building his portfolio one property at a time over the next two decades. He survived the 2008 crash, scaled past 100 units, and reached financial independence in his mid-forties before walking away from his W-2 entirely. What makes this episode different is the framework. Michael doesn't deal in theory or motivation — he shows up with seven specific rules he has refined over nearly 30 years in the game, and he walks through each one with clarity and conviction. From establishing a buy box and committing to 20 minutes of daily discipline, to writing 100 disrespectful offers and auditing the people and content you consume — every rule is actionable and immediately applicable. Michael also pulls no punches on what holds most investors back: chasing the wrong goals, diluting their focus across too many markets and asset types, and refusing to do the boring repetitive work that actually builds wealth. The conversation goes deep on offer volume, pipeline thinking, the danger of C-class properties, and why real estate is a 5-to-10 year commitment — not a get-rich-quick play. For anyone stuck, spinning their wheels, or just getting started, this episode is required listening. What You'll Learn in This Episode The seven rules Michael has used to build wealth across nearly three decades — and how to apply them starting todayWhy your buy box is the single most important tool for building confidence, removing distraction, and spotting great dealsHow writing 100 disrespectful offers is more valuable than closing one average dealWhy real estate is a 5-to-10 year commitment — and what the 2020-2021 easy-money era got catastrophically wrongThe one thing Michael would do differently: avoid C-class properties and build toward a lean portfolio of newer single family homes Timeline Highlights [0:00] – Introducing Michael Zuber and his One Rental at a Time origin story [2:22] – How Greg Dickerson connected Jason to both Jim Ingersoll and Michael Zuber seven years ago [3:57] – Jim Ingersoll gave Michael his first speaking opportunity — why he will never forget it [4:55] – The networking rule Michael missed for the first five years: meet two new people a week [7:37] – Rule 1: Establish a buy box — what it is and why it changes everything [10:57] – Why having multiple buy boxes means you have lost [11:43] – Rule 2: Daily discipline — 20 minutes a day, seven days a week, no exceptions [14:33] – Rule 3: Grow your network — two new people a week compounds into a thousand in a decade [18:04] – Rule 4: Learn average first — you can't write great offers until you know what average looks like [19:32] – Rule 5: Bad things will happen — learn and move on, but never repeat the same mistake [21:57] – Celebrating a $1.2M loss so the whole team learned from it [23:57] – Rule 6: This is a 5-to-10 year commitment — why 2020-21 created more failures than fortunes [25:21] – Rule 7: Audit your network — fire the poison, including the content you consume daily [28:37] – Why most investors fail before they start: writing too few offers and fearing rejection [29:46] – The wrong goal: "I want to buy a deal this year" — and what the right goal actually is [32:16] – How Michael did 56 flips in 27 months by writing disrespectful offers relentlessly [34:10] – Why real estate agents should stop avoiding investor clients [38:05] – Rapid fire questions begin [38:28] – Charlie Munger's three L's that destroy wealth: ladies, liquor, and leverage [39:34] – The dangerous early belief: thinking he was smarter than everyone and could do it alone [41:49] – What he gave up to win: balance, weekends, and family time — and his honest reflection on it [44:23] – What he would not do again: buying C-class properties [45:38] – How a Bruce Norris event in 2007 led Michael to sell everything and 1031 into apartments before the crash [46:58] – The failure that still shapes him: his relentless work ethic is both his superpower and his Achilles heel [48:16] – Why he started his YouTube channel and what has always been his North Star Rapid Fire Highlights Favorite life quote: Charlie Munger's three L's — ladies, liquor, and leverage — the only three things that can destroy someone building wealthDangerous early belief: That he was smarter than everyone and could build his real estate portfolio alone without a networkWhat he gave up: Balance and family time — working six days a week for nearly two decades, losing most Sundays to travelWhat he would not do again: Buy C-class properties — he now considers 20 newer single family homes the ideal ...
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    53 mins
  • How an Introvert with No Resume Built a Real Estate Portfolio from Scratch | Wendy Coles

    How an Introvert with No Resume Built a Real Estate Portfolio from Scratch | Wendy Coles
    Mar 23 2026
    In this episode of Dealmaker Catalyst, host Jason Seward sits down with Wendy Coles — real estate investor, agent, private lender, and one of the most compelling voices in the Dealmaker community — for a deep dive into the strategies and mindset shifts that transformed her investing journey. Wendy's story is not a straight line. She entered real estate at 47 with no resume, no retirement, and no roadmap — just a closed gym business and a determination to build something lasting. For her first two years, she operated in isolation, figuring things out alone and leaving enormous opportunity on the table simply because she didn't know what she didn't know. It wasn't until she walked through the doors of her first Dealmaker event — nervous, hoping no one would notice her — that the trajectory began to shift. This episode focuses on the tactical and emotional progression that follows that first uncomfortable step: learning to network as an introvert, discovering creative financing and DSCRs, leaning into private lending, and finding a sense of purpose through humanitarian work with Share the Love. Wendy also opens up about the failure that knocked her off course — two emotionally driven property purchases that deviated from her system and set her back — and what it taught her about discipline and staying in your lane. Raw, relatable, and packed with practical takeaways, this is exactly the kind of episode that makes someone decide to finally walk through the door. What You'll Learn in This Episode Why operating in isolation costs investors years of progress — and what changes when you finally get in the right roomHow Wendy went from hiding in the back of a Dealmaker event in 2022 to speaking on the main stage just three years laterThe dangers of emotional investing and what happens when you deviate from a system that's workingWhy introverts are often the best networkers — and the one question that makes any room easier to enterHow involvement with Share the Love opened doors to mentorship, deals, and a clearer sense of purpose Timeline Highlights [0:00] – Introducing Wendy Coles and what makes her story so widely resonant [4:08] – Operating solo for two years and not knowing what she was missing [5:38] – Why Wendy entered real estate at 47 with no resume and no retirement plan [7:05] – Walking into her first Dealmaker event hoping nobody would notice her [8:13] – Imposter syndrome, negative self-talk, and feeling like she didn't belong [10:07] – The conversation with Jim Ingersoll that made her feel like she wasn't alone [13:28] – The icebreaker question that makes networking easier for introverts [15:09] – What the Dealmaker community revealed about creative financing and DSCRs [17:06] – Sitting next to Leon Johnson without knowing who he was — and what that taught her [19:00] – How Share the Love entered her life at a pivotal personal moment [20:38] – Nine humanitarian trips and the real estate education that came with them [23:28] – From back of the room in 2022 to front of the stage — the full circle moment [24:18] – What she's speaking on at the Dealmaker event: obstacles to opportunities [28:45] – Rapid fire questions begin [29:26] – Her favorite life quote: "You are the director of your life" [30:16] – The belief that kept her stuck: that success required a path she had already missed [32:22] – What she had to give up to start recognizing her own wins [34:27] – What she would not do again: intentionally going slow when the deals were there [36:21] – The failure that knocked her back: two emotional property purchases outside her system [39:23] – What the next five years look like: lending, creative finance, and buying outside the country Rapid Fire Highlights Favorite life quote: "You are the director of your life — don't play the scripts written by others."Dangerous early belief: That success required college, and since she dropped out and became a teen mom, she had already failed before she startedBiggest regret: Intentionally slowing herself down in 2019–2021 and missing deals she will never get backDefining failure: Buying a cabin and a lake house emotionally, outside her system, which overwhelmed her finances and pulled her back from investingKey mentor moments: Jim Ingersoll, Leon Johnson, Ray Ferguson, and a lending mentor who told her to borrow her belief Resources Mentioned Elite Dealmakers community discounts: https://elitedealmakers.com/discountThis episode is sponsored by 608B Capital: https://608bcapital.com/Share the Love — humanitarian organization connected to the Dealmaker communityBiggerPockets Podcast — where Wendy first learned the fundamentalsRay Ferguson — Colonial Heights real estate meetupLeon Johnson — featured in Episode 3 Connect and Subscribe If this episode sparked something for you, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who's serious about building their real estate ...
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    48 mins
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