In this powerful interview, you’ll meet Matt, a Special Operations veteran who traded military missions for creative real estate deals. With grit, wisdom, and guidance from Freedom Mentor, he built a cash-flowing portfolio that gives him the freedom to live life on his terms.

Discover:

• How Matt transitioned from pararescue to real estate
• The fix-and-hold strategy that fuels his success
• Real-world deals that paid off big
• Why creative real estate is the ultimate small business
• How Freedom Mentor helped him build a business—and a life—he loves
• The real pace of real estate—and how it can truly set you free

Is Real Estate Investing a Shortcut to Wealth?

Is real estate really a get-rich-quick game? Not even close. Some will try to sell you on flashy promises—bling, hype, and instant cash. But the truth is, real estate success doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time, dedication, and serious effort. If you’re ready to invest that kind of commitment but unsure which path will actually get you where you want to go, you’re in the right place. You’re about to meet someone who didn’t settle for average. A former pararescuemen, he knew hard work—and he wanted to work with the best.

Today, he’s built a creative real estate business, mastered the skills to quietly grow a portfolio of cash-flowing properties, and created a life of freedom for his family while helping others do the same. If you want to understand the real pace of real estate—and how it can truly set you free—you’re going to love this interview.

Matt’s Journey to Financial Freedom

Phil: Welcome, everybody! So excited to have you here. We have a very special guest with us—Matt. He's going to share with you quite a bit of wisdom that he’s learned from not only the years he worked with us at Freedom Mentor, but also from his journey afterward. I think you're going to absolutely love this. Brian, thanks so much for being here with me. So Matt, welcome! Please tell us a little bit about where you were when you first got started with us.

Matt: Thank you, Phil. I appreciate that. First off, Freedom Mentor is the real deal.

It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to do. I was a Special Forces Pararescuemen for 10 years, did some hard things, and got out of the military. After leaving the military, I went to nursing school because I wanted to be a nurse anesthetist. But I found out that meant working nights and weekends, and I didn’t want that. I’d already spent enough time away from home doing Special Forces-type stuff.  So I decided to change gears a little bit. A job opened up doing what I’d done in the military, and I took it—it paid way better. Still, with government contract work, nothing’s guaranteed. You can lose a contract at any time. I realized I needed to build something for myself—something I could rely on.

Discovering Freedom Mentor

Matt: That’s when I found Phil and Freedom Mentor. And I’m glad I did. Honestly, it set me up for where I am today—100%. I wouldn’t be here without Phil, Brian, and everything they taught me. You start learning, understanding, solving problems—and it all starts to click. Step by step, next thing you know, you’re firing on all cylinders. If you’ve got a goal, learn from the best—and Phil and Brian are the best. Hands down, 100% the best. There’s no noise. They’re giving you straight truth. But it’s on you to be able to put that into practice.

Brian: With your military background, you weren’t afraid of hard things. But I appreciate what you said—this wasn’t easy. It’s a simple business, but there’s a lot to learn. You’ve got to have tenacity, and you’ve shown that.

Advice for New Investors

Stay Committed Through the Challenges

Brian: What would you tell someone who’s wondering, “Can I do this? Is this beyond me, or do I just need to stay committed?” What advice would you give?

Matt: That’s a tough question. I went through the hardest selection course the military offers—only me and one other guy out of 60 made it through. It was extremely difficult. But Freedom Mentor was difficult in a different way. You’ve got to put in the time and effort. It’s like learning a new language. You can immerse yourself and learn fast, or chip away slowly. One’s harder at first but pays off quicker. The other takes longer, but you’ll still get there. The difference is, with Phil and Brian and the people teaching you, you can ask questions and get real answers. That’s the game-changer.

Get Coaching: Why Matt Chose Freedom Mentor

Phil: Take us back to when you were first looking for help. What made you think, “These are the people I want to work with?”

Matt: I wanted to be coached by Phil because I wanted to be successful. Then once I got into the course, I realized—man, you’ve got to know how to solve problems. You’ve got to learn real estate and the different techniques. But more importantly, you’ve got to be able to find motivated sellers. Phil shows you how to find those people and then teaches you how to solve their problems. I didn’t know how to find people at first, but they guided me. It’s a well-rounded process, and once you understand it, it’s powerful. It takes time—but it’s worth it.

Invest in Yourself

Brian: When you came across the joint venture model, the $500,000 profit-sharing split, what were your thoughts? Any hesitation?

Matt: The sharing wasn’t really a big deal to me because it was necessary. I was learning the skills. Some people invest in the S&P 500. I say, invest in yourself. That’s what I did. And yes, there’s a price tag. Phil’s was $500K in profit sharing. I didn’t think it was unreasonable—I was committed. Once you start hitting bigger deals, that number comes fast. Don’t be scared by it. What you want is the knowledge Phil and Freedom Mentor bring. That’s what you’re seeking and that’s going to cost. I tell people all the time—it cost me $250,000 to know what I know. So no, I’m not giving it away. I struggled, it was tough, but it was worth it.

Transitioning Markets and Building Confidence

Phil: You moved to a smaller market in a different state. How was that transition? Did you have to relearn everything?

Matt: Yeah, and that’s the cool thing—once you learn the knowledge, the world’s your oyster. You can go anywhere you want. Being local is better. In your backyard, it’s just better. You understand the market more. I had to learn a new area, new title companies. We’re in an abstracting state now, which is different from where the title company handled everything. But really, I just changed my location target. I think a lead came in a couple days later. It wasn’t hard. I was fortunate. When it comes to smaller markets, you want to be the big fish in a small pond, for sure.

Memorable Deals

Brian: Your first big deal made you $70,000—you were really primed for that and did a lot of training to get there. Any others that stand out?

Matt: One of my better deals was when a guy paid me $10,000 to sell me his house. People say, “You can’t buy a house for free.” Well, I’ve had someone pay me to take theirs—and he was happy to do it. He’d do it again in a heartbeat if he were in the same situation. It’s not about bragging to your friends about how cheap you got the house. It’s honestly about solving problems. In his situation, that was the solution.

I’ve got another deal where the seller’s paying $20K to close. Another one, a guy brought $30K to close so he could free up his VA loan. People say, “You’re getting houses for $0.” No—they’re paying me to solve their problems. It’s not about the money, especially with cash offers. It’s about helping people get where they need to be. Just the other day, I made about $54,000 buying a house, not touching it, and selling it to another person. That’s the real deal.

Risk Management and Financial Philosophy

Matt: I’m very debt-averse—I don’t like debt. I do have a $500,000 line of credit that’s tied to some of my rental properties, but most of my portfolio is paid off except for some creative financing. I’m very risk-averse, so when I do deals, it’s money out of my own pocket. I make sure there’s enough meat on the bones and still help people. Ultimately, it’s not about buying houses—it’s about solving problems.

Phil: With that in mind, what role has helping people played in your business model?

Matt: If you believe it’s going to help them—that’s the goal. You really want to help people. It’s not about taking advantage of anyone. You don’t want to lose money, and sometimes I pass on deals that are too thin. But if you can help someone without putting yourself in a bad spot, you do it. And honestly, knowing the things Phil and Freedom Mentor teach, you’re able to help them once you have a well-rounded grasp of how to do it. Once you understand the process, it’s simple.

Graduation and Going Solo

Brian: You mastered the system, graduated, and were ready to fly solo. What was that like?

Matt: It was a strange feeling. Once I paid you off, I was on my own. Not that I couldn’t call Phil or Brian, but it was like being dropped off in the woods alone. Then you start moving, and next thing you know—you’re where you need to be. It took about two and a half years. Would’ve been faster if I’d marketed where I am now from the start. But with all the deals and everything—I think we did probably 25—by that time, I was confident. Six deals? No—you still need help. But where I was, it was the logical next step.

Building a Balanced Business

Phil: Matt, I love your perspective on where you are now and your investing philosophies. I want to talk about that for a moment because I just love the independence you have. You’re able to ignore a lot of the hype and noise out there, and you’ve cut it down to what you want to do with your life—and how you want your business life to interact with your personal life. Tell us about your current model—rentals, flips, what’s the plan?

Matt: My business model is simple: have as many paid-off rentals as you can. Keep your job as long as it doesn’t cut into family time. Reinvest until you don’t have to do much—just maintenance and management. I manage everything myself. I’ve got quite a few rentals, and they make a lot of money, especially when they’re paid off. I’m not trying to be the biggest—just balanced. And know why you’re doing it. That makes the hard stuff easier.

When you’re going through hard stuff and you don’t know why, it’s tough. Back in my military days, I knew it was going to be hard—and that was okay because it was expected. So, if you’re going into this with Freedom Mentor, you need to know what you want. For me, it was having rentals and a way to generate big sums of cash quickly to fuel that rental growth. I’ll still flip, but I’m not dependent on it. I’ve set myself up. I make great money for the time I put in. And Freedom Mentor was a cog in the wheel that helped me reach my goals—way faster.

Rental Strategy: Keeping It Simple

Phil: So you said rentals—single-family rentals or vacation rentals?

Matt: I tried midterm rentals, but stopped. There are too many external factors that can impact your income—people who can snap their fingers and affect your bottom line. So I decided to stick with traditional rentals. I’ve got a lot of single-family homes, and I rent them out the regular way.

Looking Ahead: Growth with Purpose

Brian: What does the future look like for your rental portfolio? Are you trying to reach a certain level or exploring other opportunities?

Matt: My dad always asks, “When is enough enough?” And I remember Phil saying, “When is enough air enough?” It’s true. I’m not trying to be the richest guy around—it’s not about that. But if a good deal comes up, I’ll buy it. I’m not chasing deals like I used to. I pick and choose what I want to buy. If it’s good enough to add to the portfolio, I’ll do it.

I’ve got properties I’ve bought, done small remodels on, and they’re already cash-flowing. Others are in the pipeline—need some work, then I’ll fix and rent. I’m a big fix-and-renter. I don’t like fixing and selling unless I need the money to reinvest into rentals. For me, I invest the money I make from deals back into my portfolio. You can make a lot of money in a year, but it’s not about how much you make—it’s about how much you keep. I focus on increasing my net free cash flow. That number keeps rising, and my lifestyle stays steady.

Sure, we order out when we want to. I can’t afford a jet, but if I want to fly first class anywhere in the world, I can do that without blinking. It’s all about how big you want to be—and for me, rentals are the way.

Phil: You’ve built a business model that’s independent, intentional, and perfectly aligned with your family and personal goals. That’s fantastic. You’ve shared a ton of wisdom here, Matt. Pure gold for anyone smart enough to recognize it.

Wisdom Worth Sharing

As Matt shared, his business model is “fix and hold”—and he’s turned it into a cash-flowing machine. Year after year, he’s steadily growing his portfolio, applying practical wisdom to build wealth at a pace that fits his lifestyle. He’s prioritized time with his family, and he’s made sure to enjoy the ride—sometimes quite literally, in style and at full speed. If you’re searching for a vehicle that can help you reach your financial goals and give you the freedom to live life on your terms—with balance, fulfillment, and a little fun along the way—creative real estate investing is hands down the best small business there is.

Every Successful Real Estate Investor Has a Mentor

When it comes to mentorship, Freedom Mentor stands alone. We’ve helped countless apprentices achieve real, lasting success through expert education, hands-on training, and personalized guidance. If you’re ready to change your life, apply to our Apprentice Program. Our team is here to mentor, coach, and guide you toward the financial freedom you deserve. Learn more here: Freedom Mentor Apprentice Program.

If you have questions for us, text FREEDOM to 305-315-8030 or post a comment below.