Engineer Turned Full Time Investor teaches Real Estate Entrepreneurship with Chad Zdenek

In this episode, Chad Zdenek shares his entrepreneurial journey from a busy professional engineer in Los Angeles to financial independence through real estate investing. He discusses the different types of busy professional real estate investors and the path they choose. Chad shares his experiences, including his MBA in entrepreneurship studies from UCLA and whether it helped him in his real estate business. He also delves into his decision-making process and key lessons learned as a business owner and real estate investor. 

[00:01 – 05:40] Opening Segment  

• Chad shares about his background in civil engineering, general contracting, and entrepreneurship through his MBA studies. 
• Helping grow his brother’s lighting business from a small start-up to a company with 75 employees and three locations. 
• Started real estate investing with personal funds, moved to syndicating, now partners on out-of-state multi-family investments 

[05:41 – 17:20] Building Trust in Real Estate Investments 

• Replace the comfort of knowing the neighborhood with trust in the partnership 
• When building trust, consider factors like the experience level of the partnership team and the asset class they invest in 
• Trust in real estate is based on its physicality, historical data and stability 
• Achieving financial independence in real estate requires trust building and the right mindset 

[17:21 – 23:30] The Benefits and Limitations of an MBA in Entrepreneurship 

• MBA programs provide knowledge of the “nuts and bolts” of business but formal education is not necessary for success 
• Real-life experience and hustle are more important than formal education 
• Formal education guarantees a minimum pay but success depends on personal effort and hard work 
• Successful entrepreneurship may be a combination of both taught skills and innate qualities 

[23:31 – 27:43] Understanding Risk Tolerance in Entrepreneurship  

• Entrepreneurship is not necessarily about being highly risk-tolerant, but about mitigating risk 
• Entrepreneurs evaluate the risks and attach probabilities to them to make educated decisions 
• Entrepreneurs might reduce risk tolerance as they become successful and have more to lose 
• Being an entrepreneur allows for more control over income and decision-making compared to relying on others for payment 

[27:44 – 34:03] Closing Segment   

• Quick break for our sponsors  
• The first step to growing your wealth is tracking your wealth, income spending and everything else about your finances, you can start tracking your wealth for free and get six free months of wealth advisor.  Learn more about Personal Capital at escapingwallstreet.com    
• What is the best investment you’ve ever made other than your education?   

• The first syndication he had done 

• Chad Zdenek’s worst investments?   

• Being sole investors in a startup and losing everything at an ETF stock market  

• What is the most important lesson you’ve learned in business and investing?   

• When growing a business you can only do so much yourself
     

Connect with Chad Zdenek:   

Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Youtube 

Join our Passive Investor Club for access to passive commercial real estate investment opportunities.   

LEAVE A REVIEW + help someone who wants to explode their business growth by sharing this episode or click here to listen to our previous episodes             

Tweetable Quotes:   

“It’s better, in my opinion, to bet on yourself and just keep doing what you do.” – Chad Zdenek