544: 80-Hour Workweeks to Lean FIRE in 8 Years through Real Estate

Reaching financial independence and becoming a millionaire before the age of thirty?! While this path requires several years of ruthless saving, smart investing, and unwavering discipline, there’s no reason why YOU can’t enjoy financial freedom and attain the lifestyle you want!

Shortly after graduating from college with over $50,000 in student loans, Franklin Zheng found himself working a grueling, eighty-hour-per-week factory job. Fortunately, it was also around this time that he discovered BiggerPocketsand decided to try his hand at real estate investing. He started attending local meetups, where he learned that simply getting in the same room with other investors presented all kinds of opportunities. It wasn’t long before Franklin had found his future investing partner, and in just FIVE years, he has built a cash-flowing real estate portfolio of thirty-eight units, as well as a business that has allowed him to leave his W2 job and travel the world!

In this episode of the BiggerPockets Money podcast, you’ll get a glimpse of what it takes to achieve financial independence and amass a one-million-dollar net worth. Make no mistake—it’s not easy. Franklin will be the first to tell you that the last five years have been filled with all kinds of successes, challenges, and failures. But if he can do it, YOU can, too!

In This Episode We Cover

How Franklin reached financial independence by thirty in just FIVE years

What you MUST know before investing in commercial real estate

Fast-tracking your real estate journey through the power of local meetups

How to start a real estate business that allows you to leave your W2 job

The secret to forming successful real estate investing partnerships

How to defer capital gains tax on your rental property with a 1031 exchange

And So Much More!

Links from the Show

BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group

Network with Other Investors on The Path to FIRE Through the BiggerPockets Forums

Finance Review Guest Onboarding

Join BiggerPockets for FREE

Mindy on BiggerPockets

Scott on BiggePockets

Listen to All Your Favorite BiggerPockets Podcasts in One Place

Apply to Be a Guest on The Money Show

Podcast Talent Search!

Find an Investor-Friendly Agent in Your Area

Find Investor-Friendly Lenders

Property Manager Finder

Connect with Franklin on BiggerPockets

See Scott and Mindy at BPCON2024 in Cancun!

Check Out the Top 100 Cash Flow Markets

Find a Local Real Estate Meetup

Find Answers to Your Real Estate Questions on the BiggerPockets Forums

00:00 Intro

01:10 The 80-Hour Factory Job

08:17 Real Estate Meetups & Partnerships

16:48 Renting to Attorneys

19:32 Selling the Office Building

23:07 “Unicorn” Rentals & 38 Units!

29:14 Starting the Lending Business

32:47 Leaving His W2 & Traveling the World

36:27 Put in the Work!

Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/money-544

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