I was recently on The Brand & Market Podcast with Ali Rae Haney, and one of the things we talked about was what it looked like for me to shift out of being a real estate agent and short-term rental owner, and into what we do now.
That discussion really sat with me long after we recorded it, because from the outside, I know a lot of people probably thought I was right where I was supposed to be.
I found a lot of success as a real estate agent. My husband and I were already building and selling our own properties. We had over 30 short-term rentals and arbitrage units at one point. We were doing all the things you hear about to build long-term income and wealth.
But I wasn’t happy.
Buying, selling, hosting – it was so much work. So much constant hustling. At some point, I realized I did not want that version of real estate investing forever.
So we changed everything. And while we’ve hinted that this was our story to get to Blueprint, having the opportunity to talk about the mindset, career, and investing shift with Ali really made me want to share it with you, too.
When Success Stops Feeling Like Success
I’d been doing real estate for over a decade, and I was good at it. But after COVID the markets shifted, and I just wasn’t in love with the process anymore.
For a long time, I thought the fact that I was doing well in real estate meant I should stay in it.
That’s what success tells you, right? Keep going. Double down. Push harder.
The process felt heavier. Even though I was still good at it, I wasn’t enjoying it, and I couldn’t ignore that. It wasn’t that the work was harder, but there’s a difference between being capable of something and wanting that to be your life forever.
That’s where the shift really started for me.
The Ego Death of Walking Away From Something I Was Good At
Realizing I wasn’t in love with residential real estate or the short-term rental game anymore was hard for me to come to terms with.
Real estate was my thing. I loved it for so long.
But I had also been quietly raising capital for a year in the industrial space and building something with my husband that I loved more.
There was definitely an ego death in coming to terms with losing that version of me.
When you’re someone who strives to be the best in your industry, and you grow your brand publicly online, it’s hard to walk away publicly. It’s hard to tell people you’re shifting careers. I worried a lot about how that would be seen from the outside.
Especially when the outside version still looks good. I was sure people would wonder why I was leaving, and I knew there would probably be judgment and preconceived ideas about it.
That was one of the hardest parts for me. The mental shift of letting go of that identity, of something I was good at, and openly stepping into this other identity not many people knew about.
But I am so glad I did it.
I think a lot of people stay too long in things they have outgrown just because they are afraid of what the pivot will look like.
At first, I thought maybe the answer was not leaving real estate, but finding a different lane inside it. Something that still let me build wealth, but in a way that felt more flexible. That’s a big part of what led us deeper into short-term rentals, and ultimately private equity.
I wanted something that didn’t keep me on the hamster wheel. I wanted something that still allowed us to build wealth, still kept us in real estate, but didn’t require me to keep running at that pace for the rest of my life.
I had to get honest enough to admit that was happening, and here we are a year later and my whole life is so different. Full and exciting.
Want To Listen To My Episode With Alie Rae?
What Short-Term Rentals Taught Me About “Passive Income”
Short-term rentals were a huge part of my decision to shift.
Ali correctly pointed out that a lot of people still talk about short-term rentals like they are some easy passive income stream. Maybe for some people, in the right season, they’re worth it. But that was not my experience.
I started with rentals, and we really did try it all. Arthur and I were already building together, working our way into smaller single-family home developments and communities. At one point we had 30 arbitrage units. Then we bought in St. Augustine, built, furnished, and got even deeper into the short-term rental world.
And it was the short-term rentals and constant guest management that really sealed the deal for me. Like Ali said, it wasn’t passive at all.
We were dealing with guest experience, setup, design, logistics, and the operational load of keeping everything moving. It was a full-time job.
We needed property management. That was the part no one really talks about enough.
A lot of “passive income” isn’t passive at all. It’s just another business. Another stream of operations that requires constant management. Another thing that looks good from the outside but takes a ton of work to keep alive.
That season taught me a lot. I don’t regret it. It got my feet wet. It showed me another side of real estate. We made money off it, and it taught us we could build something together.
But it also helped me get clear on what I didn’t want.
Moving From Short-Term Rentals to Private Equity Investing
What I wanted was less operational chaos. I wanted something more scalable, something site-specific and buildable. Something that still let us stay in real estate, but in a way that fits our long-term goals better.
I did not want to keep buying myself more jobs.
That’s what led us toward private equity and founding Blueprint Industrial Capital. Today we bring in investors and build industrial flex spaces, self-storage facilities, and we’re moving into mobile home parks and RV resorts, too.
Those asset types made more sense to me. They’re more tangible, the market is steadier, and it offers multiple exit strategies. We could build, get out, and move on without signing up for long-term management, tenants, or toilets.
It feels more aligned with the kind of business and wealth we wanted to build.
There’s still real work involved because we’re using our own construction crew, but it was different work. Better work. Work that felt like it was building toward something bigger instead of just keeping us busy.
And I’ll say it. There are bigger returns for us and our investors.
Why Private Equity Is A Good Next Step to Diversify
That’s the other thing Ali and I talked about. She wanted to know what private equity is, the returns, and how it works. It sounds so advanced. People assume private investing is only for some elite circle, and it is just not true.
I got to explain how most of our investors are regular people with retirement funds. They’re able to use their retirement funds to invest with us.
One of my clients is ex-military and a small business owner. She’s never done anything in real estate investing, and now she’s making over $30,000 this year passively with us using her retirement funds.
So I guess I was right. I didn’t have to leave real estate entirely. I just moved away from one version of it to one that allowed me to work with my husband, hustle less, and bring other women and everyday people into real estate returns.
Want To Learn More?
If you’re a short-term rental owner, entrepreneur, or high performer realizing that your current version of success does not fit your long-term life, you’re not the only one.
Go listen to my podcast episode with Ali. We covered so much, I don’t have time to mention it all here.
Maybe it will inspire your next real estate move, or be the inspiration you’ve been needing to explore making a career shift without worrying about the judgment from others.
If you are ready to explore passive real estate investing for yourself, go learn more about it on our blog or book an intro call with me. I work with a lot of short-term rental owners and people who’ve never invested in real estate beyond buying their own home.
I’m happy to walk you through how it works to invest with us, show you our open projects, and see whether it is a fit for your goals.
