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Some stories don't just inspire—they provide the exact blueprint you need to follow. Igor Shaltonov's journey from Moscow to multimillion-dollar fund management is exactly that kind of story.

Picture this: A professional water polo player from Russia with a law degree lands in Manhattan Beach, California, on a November day. While Moscow suffers through minus 10-degree weather, Igor watches kids playing barefoot on the beach in 70-degree sunshine. That moment cracked something open inside him—a realization that he'd been missing possibilities his entire life.

What makes Igor's story so compelling isn't just the dramatic change in scenery. It's how he built his success on fundamentals rather than credentials. Without hedge fund experience or an elite MBA, Igor methodically created wealth by focusing on what he calls "the next right thing." First in youth sports (he and his wife built a successful basketball academy), then in real estate, and finally in fund management with A Vista Funds, which now manages hundreds of millions across multifamily housing, land development, and organic food companies.

The wisdom Igor shares cuts through the noise of typical investment advice. Rather than chasing flashy returns, he focuses on consistency and risk management. His philosophy—"everybody has a dollar, but nobody invests it"—highlights that success doesn't require enormous capital, just persistent action. When the 2022-2023 market downturn devastated real estate portfolios, Igor pivoted brilliantly, moving from interest rate-sensitive investments to land entitlement deals and private credit positions. This adaptability helped his investors thrive while others struggled.

Perhaps the most valuable lesson from Igor's journey is his approach to teaching investment principles. He allows his children to lose money on risky investments early so they learn valuable lessons while the stakes are low. This same careful, educational approach extends to how he manages investor capital—focusing on preservation first, then strategic growth.

If you're looking to build wealth through funds or real estate but lack traditional credentials, Igor's path offers a proven alternative: consistent action, strategic diversification, and the discipline to avoid uncontrollable risks. Want to learn from someone who raised $18 million in his first year not through connections, but through competence? This conversation is your masterclass.

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What if your biggest limitation became your greatest advantage? Shomel Malik turned Islamic finance principles into a capital-raising superpower, building a real estate portfolio worth over $75 million without using a dollar of traditional debt.

This eye-opening conversation reveals how conviction and creativity can transform fundraising. Born in Pakistan and raised in New Jersey by a father working three jobs, Shomel abandoned the expected path to medicine and forged his own entrepreneurial journey. After cutting his teeth in multi-level marketing (where he gained invaluable speaking and sales skills), he found his calling in real estate during the 2008 financial crisis.

The magic of Shomel's approach lies in how he structures deals. Rather than seeing Islamic prohibitions against interest as a limitation, he developed an equity-sharing model that resonates deeply with Muslim investors who often keep substantial capital in non-interest-bearing accounts. This created a powerful niche - instead of competing with countless operators for traditional capital, he became the go-to expert for faith-conscious investors seeking halal investment opportunities.

Shomel shares his exact LinkedIn strategy for generating investor interest, his approach to hosting compelling investor events, and why he believes you should never "panhandle" for money. His mindset flips traditional capital raising on its head: "I'm not begging for your investment; I'm offering you an opportunity."

Perhaps most powerful is Shomel's reflection on a $20 million mistake. By selling properties outright rather than maintaining equity positions, he missed the massive appreciation that followed. This painful lesson shaped how he structures deals today, ensuring his investors and his company both participate in long-term wealth creation.

Whether you're raising capital, building a business aligned with your values, or simply seeking inspiration from someone who chose principle over expediency, this conversation will challenge your assumptions about what's truly possible in real estate investing.

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Ever wonder how someone goes from literally borrowing gas money to building a real estate empire? That's exactly what Stratton Brown did, and on this episode, he reveals the raw, unfiltered journey that transformed his life.

Stratton shares the pivotal moment when everything changed—having to call his mom for $20 to fuel his car one day, then having $30,000 in his bank account the next. This kickstarted his career in real estate wholesaling, which evolved into self-storage investments and a successful virtual assistant staffing company. With refreshing candor, he admits to losing $50-100K annually on experimental ventures while still building multiple seven-figure businesses.

What makes this conversation particularly valuable is Stratton's practical approach to breaking into commercial real estate without massive capital. He details how he acquired self-storage facilities with creative financing—as little as 10% down and interest rates as low as 2-3%. One property purchased for $900K with $300K down is projected to be worth $1.7-2M after improvements. These aren't theoretical strategies—they're real deals he's completed and currently manages.

The episode also dives deep into how Stratton built a personal brand that attracts deal flow and investment capital. His advice? Document your journey from day one, even if you're just starting out. Years later, people who followed his progress—including his former college strength coach—reached out to invest in his deals. This organic approach to capital raising has allowed him to fund deals without traditional marketing.

As we look toward 2025, Stratton shares his market outlook and why he believes now is the time to acquire commercial properties, particularly with 100% bonus depreciation returning. Whether you're just starting in real estate or looking to scale into larger commercial deals, this conversation provides a blueprint worth following.

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Ray Dalio's remarkable journey from a Queens caddy to hedge fund titan reveals the power of systematizing success. After a catastrophic failure in 1982 that wiped out his firm and left him borrowing $4,000 from his father to pay bills, Dalio transformed this painful experience into the foundation of his future triumph.

"Pain plus reflection equals progress" became his mantra as he rebuilt Bridgewater Associates with a completely different approach. Rather than relying on gut instinct or single predictions, he created a machine-like system of rules and principles that could function regardless of who was at the helm. This methodical redesign eventually propelled Bridgewater to become the world's largest hedge fund, managing over $150 billion and generating more client profits than any hedge fund in history.

What truly sets Dalio's story apart is his radical commitment to transparency and continuous improvement. After receiving harsh feedback about his management style in 1993, he didn't get defensive—he codified explicit principles for how the firm would operate. Bridgewater's infamous culture included recording nearly every meeting, employees rating each other in real-time through a "Dot Collector" app, and brutal honesty that many found exhilarating while others found traumatic.

When the 2008 financial crisis devastated markets, Dalio's deep study of historical debt cycles allowed Bridgewater to achieve the nearly impossible: gaining 9.4% while the S&P 500 lost 37%. This vindicated his approach of balancing uncorrelated investments and thinking systematically about economic machines.

Beyond his investment success, Dalio has become an influential thought leader through bestselling books like "Principles" and philanthropic efforts exceeding a billion dollars. His framework for understanding economic cycles and empire rises and falls has influenced policymakers and business leaders worldwide.

Whether you're building a fund or any enterprise meant to endure, Dalio's core insight remains invaluable: success doesn't come from being right—it comes from how you handle being wrong. Are you creating systems that learn from mistakes, balancing risks intelligently, and building an organization that can thrive without you?

Ready to apply these lessons to your own investment fund? Get our free Fund Launch Toolkit at wearefundfounders.com/foundations and discover how to systematize your strategy like Ray.

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Ever felt that raising capital seems like an impossible mountain to climb without aggressive sales tactics? What if the secret isn't in perfecting your pitch deck but in mastering something far more human?

Devin Robinson pulls back the curtain on how he raised $2 million in just six months for his first investment fund without coming from Wall Street, having family office connections, or maintaining a massive email list. The surprising catalyst wasn't sophisticated marketing funnels or perfect presentation skills—it was genuine curiosity.

With refreshing candor, Devin walks through his methodical approach of connecting with 200 people across his social networks, from high school classmates to church friends, without immediately pitching them. He reveals his three-step framework: start with genuine interest in them, ask for their advice or perspective, and then let natural curiosity about his work emerge organically. This human-centered strategy not only made conversations feel authentic but led to remarkable results when 80% of similar funds struggle to raise even $500,000.

Practical examples bring this approach to life as Devin shares specific scripts he used to initiate conversations that eventually turned into investment opportunities. From congratulating someone on LinkedIn about a recent promotion to asking casual questions about a vacation spotted on Instagram, these seemingly simple interactions laid the groundwork for deeper investment discussions without uncomfortable sales pressure.

Ready to transform your capital raising journey? Try Devin's curiosity-based approach—you might discover that the best fundraisers aren't the best pitchers but rather the best connectors who listen more than they speak. Send Devin a direct message with the word "scripts" on Instagram @devinrobinson1 to receive his free investor outreach templates and start building your own relationship-first fundraising strategy today.

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The self-storage industry represents an extraordinary yet often overlooked investment opportunity that combines recession resilience with operational simplicity. In this illuminating conversation, Fernando Angelucci shares how he built a $260 million self-storage empire across 24 states before turning 34 years old.

Fernando's story begins with Brazilian immigrant parents who taught him the conventional path to success: education, corporate job, retirement. But after reading Rich Dad, Poor Dad at 16, he chose a different direction. Despite completing his engineering degree, Fernando immediately jumped into real estate, first flipping houses and wholesaling contracts before discovering the transformative potential of self-storage.

What makes Fernando's approach revolutionary is his willingness to skip the traditional "stair-step" approach to real estate investing. He discovered that adding a zero to your deal size might only increase difficulty by 10% while dramatically improving access to capital and financing. This counterintuitive insight helped him scale rapidly from single-family properties to nine-figure portfolios.

The numbers tell an astonishing story: while wholesaling 70 houses annually netted about $1 million, a single self-storage wholesale transaction generated $2 million with a fraction of the effort. Fernando's portfolio now spans 56 deals across 24 states with 822 investors participating in his ventures.

Beyond the impressive metrics, Fernando shares practical wisdom about structuring deals, raising capital without expensive broker-dealers, implementing automation through AI, and creating tax advantages for investors. His coming $25 million fund represents the next evolution of his business, allowing larger investors to participate while maintaining the principles that drove his initial success.

Whether you're considering your first investment property or looking to scale your existing portfolio, Fernando's journey offers a masterclass in strategic thinking, capital raising, and wealth creation through commercial real estate. Ready to transform your approach to real estate investing? This conversation might just change your trajectory.

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Casey Gregerson shares his journey from oil industry engineer to real estate fund manager operating in the untapped markets of Wyoming and Montana. He reveals how leveraging social media for capital raising and having a mission to help 100 families achieve passive income goals has transformed his business model.

• Discovering Wyoming's competitive advantage as a market with minimal competition
• Transitioning from quarterback to engineer to fund manager using similar leadership skills
• Learning risk management and capital allocation strategies from 12 years in oil and gas
• Buying and turning around distressed franchises before applying those skills to real estate
• Creating content that builds trust with investors before the first conversation
• Developing the Passive Investing Playbook to educate potential investors
• Working with both individual investors and family offices depending on deal size
• Using vulnerability and sharing losses to create authenticity and credibility
• Launching a hybrid fund model with fix-and-flip plus long-term hold strategies

Check out Casey's free Passive Investing Playbook at caseygregerson.com or find him on social media to learn more about creating passive income through real estate.

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Confused about which investment fund structure is right for your capital raising strategy? You're not alone. This deep dive into the four primary investment fund types delivers exactly what both aspiring fund managers and curious investors need to know.

We start by examining Regulation D offerings—both 506B and 506C structures—which dominate the landscape of hedge funds, private equity, and real estate investments. Discover why 95% of fund managers choose the 506B structure despite its marketing limitations, and learn the crucial differences in investor verification requirements that drive this decision. The strategic tradeoff between marketing freedom and administrative simplicity becomes crystal clear through practical examples.

The conversation then shifts to democratized investment vehicles—Regulation CF (Crowdfunding) and Regulation A (mini-IPOs)—that open doors for non-accredited investors. We explore the fascinating world of crowdfunded investments where average contributions hover around $250, alongside the compliance challenges of managing thousands of small investors. For those with bigger capital raising goals, we break down the two-tiered approach of Reg A offerings that allow raises up to $75 million.

Beyond just structures, we illuminate the investor classifications that underpin the entire system: non-accredited investors, accredited investors, qualified clients, and qualified purchasers. The SEC's protective rationale comes into focus as we discuss how these regulations shield less sophisticated investors while still providing access to opportunities. Looking forward, we even touch on potential regulatory changes that could transform who qualifies as an accredited investor.

Whether you're planning to launch your first fund or seeking to understand where your investments fit in the regulatory landscape, this episode provides the clarity you need to make informed decisions. Ready to learn more? Visit fundsonfirecom/founders for free access to our Fund Foundations 101 course.