I understand there are a lot of older folk on this sub, people who have entrepreneurs longer than I've been alive. (18M)
I've been noticing a cycle where many entrepreneurs just jump from startup to startup for years and never get anywhere significant. My dad was one such example.
I remember him remarking that he'd probably be a millionaire by now if he just put all of that effort into real estate investing.
My current actionable steps which I've been taking have been to learn as many high value skills as possible and meet other highly capable individuals to network with. Luck is where preparation meets opportunity.
Most kids my age who want to be rich normally just get trapped into some Tate like multi-level marketing scheme, whereas I'm taking a much longer term approach to it. Although I admit I've fallen for that stuff in the past.
By startup, I mean a totally new idea.
So my question is: Should I just forget startups and put my efforts into real estate? If you were in my situation with what you know, what would you do?
For a brief idea of what I'm thinking for real estate: Get an degree majoring in accounting and minoring in real estate. Continue to level up my financial literacy. Move to an economically expanding area such as Texas or Florida, and more specifically the suburbs of a large city. Work for a real estate investing company so I can understand the backend structure of how they invest and manage their properties. Possibly try to work for my wrestling coach for free who is already a mid level real estate investor. Join real estate clubs. Get my license so I can save on commissions and don't need an agent to access MLS. Utilize programs such as the USDA loan program or FHA loan program. More specifically use the FHA loan program to get a 3.5% down payment on a multifamily property that I would then house hack.
Of course I know that real estate investing will have a set of challenges in its own right.
Idk man, the real estate market is absolutely crazy right now with high interest rates and many buyers (investing) only buying in cash or doing seller financing. Rents are decreasing and the cost of labor and material are going up. I totally feel your dad, I’m 30(M) and have started multiple companies but was never able to really scale them so I ended up either closing or selling(selling only twice). I even now have the bones of multiple businesses in my GitHub ready to get a proper GUI and be marketed for potentially millions per year. But I have no one to cofound with and a lot of my projects end up going in the closet. If I stuck with my first couple e-com stores when the going got tough I bet I’d be a millionaire, instead I fucked my life up by not doubling down when I should have. I think this is classic for someone with ADD like myself. Master of none, generally great at a lot, never appreciated for anything.