In this high-energy episode, I welcome back two of my favorite recurring guests, Joe and Jenn Delle Fave—real estate pros who are in the trenches every day. If you’re feeling the effects of a down market, this episode is your survival guide. We break down actionable strategies you can implement today, especially if your go-to tools like wholesaling or flipping aren’t hitting like they used to. Joe and Jenn explain how adding creative finance to your investor toolkit can be a total game-changer.

But it’s not just strategy—we talk about the real stuff too. From building teams and family life to handling fear and taking messy action, Joe and Jenn open up about the wins, the hard lessons, and what it really takes to thrive as an investor. Whether you’re new or seasoned, this episode will inspire you to simplify, pivot, and make smart moves—especially in turbulent times.

Episode Timeline Highlights

[0:00] - Introduction

[0:45] - Welcoming Joe & Jenn back and setting the tone for the episode

[2:00] - Why mindset and money management are critical from day one

[4:15] - Understanding market fluctuations in Florida vs. New York

[7:00] - Why owning cash-flowing assets still wins over time

[10:00] - The trap of taking every deal and why cherry-picking matters

[13:30] - The fear of making offers—and the bigger fear of getting a “yes”

[17:45] - How Jenn simplified investing concepts using her background as a teacher

[20:30] - What the J-curve teaches us about learning and progress in real estate

[22:00] - Profit First in action: Taylor Swift concerts and month-long family road trips

[25:30] - Homeschooling, real estate, and building a team that supports the dream

[30:15] - The Blue Ad Method: a no-cost Facebook strategy for incoming leads

[36:00] - The real reason most people don’t follow through—and what to do instead

[38:30] - Where to find Joe & Jenn and get their Creative Finance Playbook

5 Key Takeaways

1. Creative finance is a must-have tool in today’s real estate market, especially if traditional methods are no longer working.
2. Mindset and money habits go hand-in-hand—Profit First helps protect your business from chaos.
3. Don’t rush into every deal. Cherry-picking the right deals leads to long-term success, especially for newer investors.
4. Fear of success is real. Many new investors freeze not from failure, but from not knowing what to do when someone says “yes.”
5. You don’t need a big budget to generate leads. Joe and Jenn’s Facebook “Blue Ad” strategy shows how to bring in deals organically.

Links & Resources

• CreativeFinancePlaybook.com – Joe & Jenn’s lead generation playbook and free training
• Joe’s contact: (585) 207-2240
• Instagram: @jendellefave and @josephdellefave
• SimpleCFO.com – Learn how we help real estate investors implement Profit First

If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, follow, and leave a review. Share it with someone who could use a new strategy in today’s real estate market. Let’s keep building profitable businesses—one smart decision at a time.

In this episode, I sit down with Jonas Medrano, a powerhouse of discipline and drive who took the principles he learned from sports and fitness and applied them masterfully to real estate investing. From wholesaling his first property to scaling a $12 million business from his dining room table, Jonas’ story is not just about financial success, it’s about the mindset and grit it takes to get there.

We dig into how Jonas adopted the Profit First philosophy early in his business and how that has fueled his high-profit margins and lean operations. He also opens up about his new passion for coaching and the exact type of driven individuals he’s looking to mentor. If you’re looking for inspiration and actionable insights from someone who’s done the work and built a thriving real estate business from the ground up, this episode is for you.

Episode Highlights

[0:00] – Introduction

[1:01] – The “Profit First” moment that brought Jonas and I together

[2:03] – Jonas lands a $40K wholesale deal right out of the gate

[3:44] – Self-imposed “jail” of learning 16 hours a day to master wholesaling

[4:48] – Securing his first deal just one month into wholesaling

[6:07] – Discipline rooted in sports and inspired by Kobe Bryant

[9:35] – How Jonas turned wholesaling into a $12M-a-year business

[10:56] – Scaling with low overhead, lean team, and high margins

[11:28] – Profit First mindset from day one, and saving $100K before hiring

[13:06] – Transitioning from wholesaling to fix-and-flip and holding properties

[14:25] – $60K average wholesale fees and $150K minimum on flips

[15:30] – Launching a coaching program focused on driven real estate newcomers

[20:09] – Jonas’ full involvement and personal access in his coaching model

[22:02] – Long-term vision: $1B real estate portfolio and $1M monthly passive income

[24:44] – Early signs of discipline, from flipping sneakers to excelling in school

5 Key Takeaways

1. Discipline is everything – Jonas credits his fitness and sports background for building the mental toughness needed to thrive in business.
2. Start lean, grow smart – He focused on maximizing profit and minimizing expenses, only hiring after saving his first $100K.
3. Education is the edge – Jonas consumed books, podcasts, and resources relentlessly to master his craft before making his first deal.
4. Profit First works – The financial structure and clarity from Profit First helped him build and scale a highly profitable operation.
5. Giving back creates fulfillment – Now Jonas is focused on coaching others and sharing the same tools and mindset that brought him success.

Links & Resources

• Follow Jonas Medrano on Instagram: @jonasmedrano
• Learn more about the Profit First system: simplecfo.com

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to rate, review, and share it with someone who would benefit from hearing Jonas’ inspiring journey. And don’t forget to follow the show so you never miss an episode.

In this episode, I sit down with Alex Pardo, a self-storage magnate who transitioned from a thriving wholesaling and house-flipping career to building wealth through self-storage facilities. Alex shares his raw and honest story of realizing he’d built a stressful business that left him feeling stuck, and how he used Profit First principles to regain control of his finances and peace of mind — both in business and at home with his wife.

We unpack what it really takes to pivot into self-storage, why he believes it’s one of the most overlooked but recession-resistant assets available to investors, and how Profit First helped him save aggressively for big capital expenses. Alex also discusses who should consider investing in storage, what makes a deal profitable, and how adopting a disciplined money system strengthened his marriage and overall life satisfaction.

Timeline Summary:

[0:00] – Welcoming Alex and swapping Monopoly stories that reveal his competitive edge.

[1:59] – Alex’s first exposure to Profit First through Mike Michalowicz’s books and why it felt like a lightbulb moment.

[5:00] – How implementing Profit First let Alex save for a $100K+ CapEx budget, giving him confidence to move forward with major facility improvements.

[8:00] – How Alex and his wife adopted Profit First at home with dedicated accounts for vacations, Christmas, and giving — creating harmony in their marriage.

[12:52] – What led Alex to ask himself the crucial question that sparked his exit from the wholesaling rat race.

[14:35] – Why he calls scaling his wholesaling business “irresponsible growth” and how his experience taught him to value peace over profit.

[16:02] – His initial fears about moving into self-storage, and the surprising ways his wholesaling skills carried over perfectly.

[18:18] – A look back at whether he regrets leaving wholesaling given the hot post-Covid market, and why he doesn’t.

[21:04] – The powerful “play the movie forward” exercise Alex uses to make big decisions with intention.

[23:06] – His success story of acquiring, stabilizing, and selling a 638-unit storage portfolio — and why he only needed 1-3 good deals per year to move the needle.

[25:23] – Why self-storage can be semi-passive after stabilization, and how Alex spends just 1-2 hours a week managing hundreds of units.

[27:04] – Breaking down the three phases of acquiring a storage facility: marketing and analysis, financing and due diligence, and maximizing operations.

[29:03] – Why self-storage is recession-resistant: the unique psychology of people downsizing but unwilling to part with their stuff.

[32:05] – The differences in operating expense ratios between storage (30-40%) and multifamily (45-55%) — and why this margin creates more breathing room.

Key Takeaways:

1. Asking yourself tough questions — like whether you’d want to be doing the same thing a year from now — can change your entire trajectory.
2. Profit First isn’t just for business; applying its principles at home can bring couples closer and build long-term stability.
3. Your existing real estate skills may translate seamlessly into self-storage — don’t underestimate how much you already know.
4. Location and demographics are critical; a rough market can mean higher break-ins and delinquencies, even in storage.
5. Storage can provide high cash flow with lower management demands than single-family or multifamily rentals — making it ideal for those seeking freedom.

Links & Resources

• Learn more about self-storage investing and get free training from Alex at https://storagewins.com
• If you want to keep more of what you make with Profit First, visit https://simplecfo.com