223. How a Broke College Kid Built a Business That Scales in Real Estate

Jan 26, 2026

Josh Janus, a real estate investor who scaled a multi-million dollar BRRRR portfolio from DoorDash hustle to full-time operations. He talks about finding hidden off-market deals, the 3-pillar startup framework, the Notebook Rule for delegation, vetting contractors after costly failures, and systems for scaling rehabs and SOPs into a repeatable business.

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INSIGHT

Efficiency Mindset Transfers To Real Estate

Josh translated a DoorDash obsession with shaving seconds into prioritizing motivated, high-probability real estate leads.
He used data from repeated interactions to predict which sellers would actually close deals.

ANECDOTE

First Wholesale Deal Was Pure Information Sell

Josh sold information on a $500K property he couldn't buy and made a $3,000 wholesale fee from one call.
He built rapport by targeting nearby owners and asking about their real estate stories.

ADVICE

Start With Three Simple Pillars

Use the three pillars: Financing, Deal Flow, Network to enter real estate with little or no cash.
Partner by bringing deal flow or project management if you lack money or construction skills.

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Imagine being a broke college student delivering DoorDash orders just to pay rent. Now, imagine taking that same obsession with efficiency—shaving seconds off delivery times—and applying it to real estate. That is exactly how Josh Janus built a $15 million portfolio with hundreds of units in just three years.

In this episode of UpFlip, Josh breaks down how he went from a $3,000 wholesale fee to managing 50+ rehab projects at once. He reveals the "Notebook Rule" that allowed him to scale, the hard lessons learned from losing $250k to bad contractors, and the exact criteria he uses to find off-market deals that no one else is looking for.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

The DoorDash Mindset: How optimizing burger deliveries for tips taught Josh to identify the most motivated sellers in real estate.
The 3-Pillar Strategy: The simplified framework (Financing, Deal Flow, Network) for starting in real estate with $0.
Wholesaling 101: How Josh made his first $3,000 by selling information on a property he couldn't afford to buy.
Finding "Hidden Equity": The specific search criteria (5+ years ownership, <$140k purchase price) Josh uses to find profitable off-market leads.
The Cold Call Shift: Why asking "What’s your real estate story?" works better than "Do you want to sell?"
The BRRRR Method: Josh’s rule of thumb for buying, rehabbing, and refinancing (aiming for 70-80% of ARV).
Contractor Nightmares: How he lost $250k to drug-using contractors and the red flags you must avoid.
Vetting Contractors: The "Quality, Speed, Price" triangle—and why you should never prioritize price in the beginning.
The Notebook Rule: A daily audit habit that forces you to delegate, automate, or eliminate tasks to free up your time.
SOPs for Scale: How to write a "3rd Grade Level" Standard Operating Procedure to automate tasks like writing offers.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro: DoorDash to Real Estate Empire

(01:20) The Efficiency Mindset

(05:45) How to Land Your First Wholesale Deal

(07:30) The 3 Pillars of Real Estate Success

(10:45) Finding Off-Market Deals & "Hidden Equity"

(12:45) The BRRRR Method Explained(15:30) Losing $250k: Contractor Horror Stories

(17:50) How to Vet & Manage Contractors

(21:00) The "Notebook Rule" for Delegation(25:10) The Fan Blitz: Best Purchases & Rejections

Tags: Real estate, Retail Goods, Property management, Business scaling, Passive income, Refinancing, Side hustle

Resources

Grow your real estate business today: https://www.upflip.com/course/how-to-buy-a-house

Connect with Josh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshjanus