Don’t Rush to Buy Rental Properties (Do This Instead)

Join me, Nik (⁠@CoFoundersNik⁠), as I sit down with Robert Leonard (@therobertleonar), a real estate investor, entrepreneur, and podcast host with over 15 million downloads, to talk about the crossroads between real estate investing and small business acquisition (SMB). In this episode, we explore one of the biggest questions for aspiring entrepreneurs:Should you build wealth through real estate or by buying a small business? Robert breaks down both paths, drawing on his experience as a CFO in the home services industry and as a multi-property investor. He shares how he started with house hacking, why it’s the best low-money strategy for beginners, and why he’s now selling off his rental portfolio to reinvest in higher-growth business ventures. Robert also explains the mindset shift that helped him move from being an investor chasing properties to a founder building scalable cash flow. His take on risk, leverage, and capital allocation will completely change how you think about building wealth. Questions This Episode Answers Is SMB acquisition or real estate investing better for beginners? What is house hacking, and how can it fund your business? Why is buying a small business often a better move than owning a few rentals? What’s the difference between wholesaling and subject-to investing? Which home services businesses are truly recession-proof? __________________________ Love it or hate it, I'd love your feedback. Please fill out this ⁠brief survey⁠ with your opinion or email me at nik@cofounders.com with your thoughts. __________________________ MY NEWSLETTER: ⁠https://nikolas-newsletter-241a64.beehiiv.com/subscribe⁠ Spotify: ⁠https://tinyurl.com/5avyu98y⁠ Apple: ⁠https://tinyurl.com/bdxbr284⁠ YouTube:⁠ https://tinyurl.com/nikonomicsYT⁠ __________________________ This week we covered: 00:00 – Intro 00:22 – Who is Robert Leonard 02:48 – What is Wholesaling 05:15 – House Hacking Basics 07:35 – Creative Extra Income Ideas 09:55 – Why 1–3 Rentals Don’t Work 12:19 – Changing Mindset on Debt & Returns 14:42 – When Real Estate Actually Makes Sense 17:03 – Best Home Service Businesses 26:39 – Robert’s Final Advice #RobertLeonard #NikolasHulewsky #RealEstateEntrepreneur #HouseHacking #SMBvsRE #RealEstateInvesting #EntrepreneurshipTips #WealthBuilding #CashflowGeneration #PassiveIncomeMyth #LowCapitalInvesting #Wholesaling #SubjectTo #RentalProperty #MultiFamilyInvesting #REStrategies #InvestingAdvice #BusinessIdeas #SideHustle #StartupFinance #TradeBusinesses #HomeServices #RecessionProof #PlumbingBusiness #HVACCompany #ElectricianServices #RoofingRepair #SepticTankService #GarageDoorRepair #NeedsVsWants #DebtAdverse #FinancialFreedom #EquityMarket #BitcoinInvestor #CryptoHoldings #AccreditedInvestor #LongDistanceInvesting #PropertyManagement #LeverageAssets #BusinessGrowth