The ROI Masterclass

Why South Florida Commercial Real Estate Won’t Slow Down $1,000,000,000+ in closed commercial real estate sales. In this episode, Elon Gerberg, Managing Director and Co-Founder of Vision Real Estate Advisers, shares insights from over a decade in South Florida commercial real estate. He discusses: • Competing with national brokerage firms • Advising serious investors • Navigating tight vacancy and...

He tore his ACL at the University of Cincinnati. What looked like the end of a football career became the beginning of a business one. In this episode, Landon Brazile breaks down how he went from reselling sneakers to scaling short-term rentals on Airbnb — then building Zi-Find to solve the biggest problem in rental arbitrage: finding landlords who actually say yes. But this isn’t just about STR t...

Jay Perry fell in love with hospitality at 15, even lying about his age to get into restaurants. After decades in fine dining, global culinary training, and executive chef roles, he walked away from traditional restaurants, not because he stopped loving food, but because he was burning out managing people. In this episode, Jay reveals why fine dining is losing its elegance, how trendy restaurants...

Chilon Anderson didn’t build her property management company chasing scale, she built it to pay for her daughters’ college. Today, she manages 115 doors, serves 90+ owners, and has never evicted a tenant she placed. In this episode, Chilon breaks down servant leadership, high-touch investor service, tenant screening systems, and why humility beats titles every time. We talk property management ROI...

Homeownership feels impossible for an entire generation. In this episode, finance strategist Mitchell Fowler breaks down why traditional mortgages are failing entrepreneurs and Millennials — and what could replace them. From seller financing and preferred equity to the real risk behind 50-year mortgages, Mitchell explains how alternative structures may reshape real estate investing. We discuss: •...

Why Smart Investors Obsess Over Risk Before Returns Angelo Vitale left Wall Street, rating agencies, and institutional finance to build a real estate investment platform focused on asymmetric returns and capital protection. With experience underwriting billions in transactions, Angelo shares how institutional investors really evaluate risk, why most deals fail before closing, and how today’s capit...

Most restaurants fight razor-thin margins, but they’re ignoring their most powerful profit lever. Ben Potts, hospitality investor and founder of Unfiltered Hospitality, reveals why beverage programs are the real cheat code to restaurant ROI. From quitting investment banking during the 2008 crash to losing everything during the pandemic, Ben explains how design, menu engineering, and staff training...

For decades, developers chased returns, and accidentally designed community out of our cities. In this episode of ROI Masterclass, Christopher Woodruff, CEO of Woodruff Brokerage Company and The Cotton Companies, explains how modern development created isolation, urban blight, and disconnected places — and how servant leadership can reverse it. From traveling to South Korea with city leaders, to r...

Most real estate investors chase deals. Institutional investors chase systems and compounding. In this episode of ROI Masterclass, Hayato Hori breaks down how he went from buying a single Midwest rental in college to building a multifamily private equity platform focused on 22-unit buildings and long-term value creation. We unpack why holding assets beats flipping, how occupancy quietly drives NOI...

Most construction projects don’t fail because of design, they fail because of poor planning, weak systems, and emotional decision-making. In this episode of the ROI Masterclass, Wendy Ruiz Cofiño, EVP at Falke, breaks down what actually protects ROI in complex real estate and construction projects. From why unrealistic budgets kill deals, to how poor coordination quietly drains millions, to the sy...

The Real Reason Most Brokerages Struggle to Scale And How to Fix It Most real estate brokerages don’t fail, they stall, burn out leadership, and slowly lose margin. In this episode of ROI Masterclass, Steven Meadows, COO of a 23-office real estate brokerage, breaks down what actually drives scalable growth. From starting at a front desk to leading nearly 400 agents, now remotely from Spain — Steve...

This One Mistake Destroys Restaurant Valuations Most restaurant owners think great food guarantees success. It doesn’t. In this episode of ROI Masterclass, Eric Gagnon, co-founder and president of We Sell Restaurants, the largest restaurant brokerage firm in the U.S. reveals what actually drives restaurant value, profitability, and successful exits. After helping thousands of owners buy and sell r...

From Paris hotels to Nashville Airbnbs: The luxury STR formula. Luxury short-term rentals don’t fail because of bad locations — they fail because owners invest in the wrong things. In this episode, Melissa Dorange, founder of Humming Host, breaks down how comfort, operations, and guest psychology actually drive revenue in competitive Airbnb and VRBO markets. From why beds matter more than décor, t...

Why Most Real Estate Renovations Destroy Investor Returns Most investors obsess over spreadsheets, but ignore the one decision that quietly drives rent, demand, and retention. In this episode, multifamily investor Eliav Kling reveals how a debated $250,000 repaint transformed leasing traffic, eliminated marketing spend, and allowed rents above comps, without over-renovating. From starting in IT to...

Why Building Authentic Towns Is Illegal in Most Places What if the reason most places feel soulless isn’t bad design, but the system itself? In this episode, visionary developer David Horwath reveals why authentic towns are often illegal to build, how zoning codes and debt structures quietly destroy community, and why speed-driven development kills long-term value. David shares lessons from buildi...

Mike Clapper shares his personal journey from being stranded on a cruise ship due to accessibility challenges to building a business that helps hospitality brands unlock a $100–500B untapped market. In this episode, he reveals why accessibility is more than compliance, it’s a powerful growth multiplier that drives longer stays, bigger spending, and unforgettable guest experiences. Learn how human-...

This hospitality secret turned $1.4M in lost revenue into profit. What if the biggest driver of restaurant ROI isn’t food, but how guests feel? In this episode of ROI Masterclass, hospitality veteran Sean Palani shares decades of experience from restaurant operations, consulting, and nonprofit leadership to reveal the systems, mindset, and human-centered practices that separate struggling restaura...

How thoughtful design drives multi family ROI! Today’s guest is Joel Fujimoto, a family-focused real estate investor and operator whose mission goes far beyond financial returns. Joel began his journey in the early 2000s, starting with single-family homes and scaling into 100+ unit multifamily acquisitions through disciplined value-add strategies. In this episode of The ROI Masterclass, Joel break...

Turning Single-Family Homes into Affordable Communities! Denny Faircloth reveals the brutal truth about real estate investing: most investors lose thousands on design decisions they don't even realize they're making. From flipping homes to building a co-living empire with PadSplit, Denny shares how perception drives value, why ROI must guide every renovation choice, and how one affordable housing...

He Built $2B in NYC Homes… Then Almost Burned Out! Real estate burnout, emotional home buying, NYC real estate, people-first investing. In this episode, Scott Harris—founder of Magnetic Real Estate—shares how buying or selling a home is less about transactions and more about emotional transitions. With over $2B in NYC residential sales, Scott reveals how burnout reshaped his business, why emotiona...

Why Authentic Connection Beats Luxury at This Retreat Center Mark and Lana, the husband-and-wife team behind Blistopia Retreats, a wellness sanctuary in Arizona that transforms lives. This episode is both story-driven and motivational, highlighting their journey from Minnesota gyms to building a retreat space where authentic connection, personal growth, and intentional retreat design create life-c...

From NYC Restaurants to Gucci Events — His Wild Journey With over 25 years in hospitality, John Camire has mastered every angle of the guest experience — private chef, sommelier, mixologist, and project manager for some of the world’s most iconic luxury brands. In this episode of The ROI Masterclass, John shares his remarkable journey from running plates in New York City restaurants to leading hig...

The Land Development Strategy 99% of Builders Miss Jason Hassenstab grew up on construction sites, literally. By age 4, he was walking jobsites with his dad. By 14, he was estimating projects. By his freshman year of college, he landed a 14-year career with Kiewit, one of the largest infrastructure contractors in the country, building bridges, power plants, and pump stations across California and...

He Took Restaurants From 7% to 40% Profit—Here's How! Robert Sloop has spent 40 years fixing broken restaurants, and now he's done playing small. After watching 70% of restaurant owners operate without a business plan, burn out working 100-hour weeks, and accept 3-6% profit margins as "normal," Robert is building something radical: AI-driven, membership-based, no-tipping, salary-only, four-day wor...

Why 53% of Deals Happen Off-Market (And How to Find Them) Brady Irwin has lived every real estate investor's worst nightmare, and came out the other side building something revolutionary. From wholesaling his first deal for $20K in two weeks to flipping an 80-acre land deal for $1.8M profit in four months, Brady seemed unstoppable. Then came the crash: a Northwest Austin development deal that cost...