268 - Best of 2025! From $0 Income to $500k a Year Through Real Estate with Sean O'Dowd

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Join me, Nik (https://x.com/CoFoundersNik), as I interview Sean O'Dowd (https://x.com/SeanODowd). In this episode, I sit down with Sean to discuss his transition from consulting at BCG to launching Scholastic Capital, a real estate fund that targets homes in high-end school districts.

We explore how he used the Catalant platform to scale his independent consulting income to over $500,000 a year by acting as a versatile "athlete" for private equity firms. Sean shares the gutsy move of leaving that high salary for zero income to build a professional leadership team and why he views consulting as the perfect "business training wheels".

We also dive into his "underrated" use of Twitter as a powerful fundraising engine and a way to recruit elite vendors and investors. This is a must-watch for anyone interested in operations, asset management, and the logistics of a portfolio roll-up.

Enjoy the conversation!

Questions This Episode Answers:

1. How can an independent consultant scale their earnings to over $500,000 a year?

2. What is the specific investment thesis behind buying rental homes in elite school districts?

3. How can Twitter be utilized to find investors, vendors, and legal counsel for a fund?

4. What are the "business training wheels" learned in consulting that prepare you for entrepreneurship?

5. How do you successfully win real estate deals while being the lowest bidder?

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Please fill out this brief survey with your opinion or email me at nik@cofounders.com with your thoughts.

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This week we covered:

00:00 Highlights

00:40 Introduction to the Real Estate Fund

01:08 From Consulting to Real Estate

01:48 The Consulting Journey

02:33 Breaking into Entrepreneurship

03:49 The Catalan Experience

04:30 Financial Success and Lifestyle Changes

12:40 Starting the Real Estate Fund

17:40 Understanding the Fund Structure

18:23 Management Fees and Team Building

19:11 GP LP Model Explained

19:39 Preferred Returns and Fund Models

20:10 Hiring and Operational Costs

23:23 Growth Strategy and Future Plans

25:45 Acquisition Strategy and Market Focus

28:23 Twitter as a Fundraising Tool

31:46 Investor Relations and Transparency

32:55 Current Performance and Market Tactics