Alex Funk

When it comes to Airbnb, you’re not chasing properties.
You’re chasing screenshots.
Moments that make someone stop scrolling and say,
“Wait… we should stay there.”

If a deal looks obvious, everyone sees it.
The real money lives in the “uncomfortable to analyze” zone.
Few comps. Weird angles. More thinking.
That’s where edge, and freedom is built.

Most high earners don’t have an income problem.
They have a timing problem.
Money shows up only if they keep showing up.
Real freedom starts when the work gets paid later.

A $46k check hitting your account for work you did months ago hits different.
That’s not luck.
That’s leverage.
High income is loud.
Passive & leveraged income is quiet confidence.

High-ambition people scare the wrong person away.
That’s the point.
If someone thinks your vision is “too much,” they won't magically turn into your teammate.
They can find less.
You can't shrink your mission to fit someone’s comfort.

If the question is “How do I get my partner to _?”
The problem is already inside the question.
Partners aren’t projects.
The leverage move is modeling the behavior + communicating needs without blame.

Relationships don’t fall apart from “big issues.”
They die from a thousand tiny moments of:
“I didn’t feel seen.”
“I didn’t feel heard.”
“I didn’t feel respected.”
That stuff compounds the same way bad debt interest does.

Most people know the “5 love languages.”
Almost nobody has the wisdom to use them when they’re stressed, tired, or triggered.
The gap between your relationship now and the one you want isn’t knowledge. It’s implementation.

BRRRR gets sold like it’s magic.
It’s not magic. It’s a runway problem.

Buy. Renovate. Rent. Refi. Repeat.

The part people ignore:
You need enough cash to survive the renovation + the refinance gap.

If you don’t have runway, BRRRR becomes:
Buy. Renovate. Panic. Sell. Regret.

Want to feel confident investing?
Stop “researching.” Start *repping.*

Homework:
Analyze 100 deals.

At deal #100, your brain changes.
You’ll glance at numbers and instantly know:
“Trash / maybe / take it to the lender.”

Fast decisions aren’t snap judgments.
They’re earned instincts.

Most people think real estate is “money.”
It’s not.

It’s *3 levers*:
Deal. Cash. Financing.

You only need ONE.
If you bring the deal, you can borrow the other two from friends.

The easiest skill to learn isn’t raising money.
It’s finding deals.

Most think “starting in slow season” is a numbers problem. It’s psychology.

If your first months are negative, you’ll call Airbnb “dead”—not because it is, but because you weren’t ready.

Ask: Can I cover full rent for X months?
Yes = calm. No = stress + bad decisions.

Dream Rentals is the brake.
I’m the gas.

They protect you from bad deals.
I protect you from never playing.

The combo matters:
Brake without gas = stuck forever.
Gas without brake = broke forever.

You need both if you’re serious about building wealth.

You want a cheat code?

If your strategy requires you to be right about external events…
it’s not a strategy.
It’s gambling.

My mentality:
I’d rather take a swing, learn, and adjust
than sit on the sidelines collecting “I told you so’s.”

Winners get reps.
Spectators ride on opinions.

If a system feels “boring,”
it’s probably working.
Chaos feels exciting.
Clarity feels quiet.
But quiet systems outperform loud hustle, every single time.

Your brain has a prime window.
Most people waste it on admin.
Deep work belongs early.
Communication belongs mid-day.
Admin belongs late.
Energy alignment beats motivation every time.

Growth isn’t linear.
It’s an accordion.
Expand.
Then compress.
Focus.
Then expand again.
If you never collapse into hyperfocus, your life stays noisy and shallow.
If you never expand and try a bunch of sh#t, you'll never find the outlier strategies.

90% of people don’t respond to blunt truth.
They shut down.
If your advice only works on disciplined outliers,
it’s not leadership. It's ego.
The job of a leader is influence, not correctness.

Quick dopamine feels productive.
It’s not.
Grind creates spikes.
Spikes create stress.
Stress creates emptiness.
Long-term fulfillment lives in systems, not hits.
That’s why high earners still feel behind.

Most people think honesty works best in public.
It doesn’t.
Real growth happens in private, where ego isn’t on stage.
Public callouts trigger defense.
Private conversations create change.
Safe rooms compound your success faster than anywhere else.

Setup decisions matter more than paint colors.
A game room beats fresh walls
if it gives guests a reason to book.
Ignore the operator’s playbook
and you pay twice… once now, once later.

Airbnb isn’t “dead.”
Bad operators are.
Static pricing loses.
Dynamic pricing wins.
$36 nights that get booked
beat $200 nights that sit empty.

If you don’t have money, bring deals.
If you don’t have time, bring money.
The mistake is trying to be everything at once.
Master one side of the equation
and let the group fill the rest.

Real estate has a trinity:
The deal.
The money.
The management.

That’s why partnerships work, but only if roles are clean.

Negative cash flow early doesn’t mean a bad deal.
It means bad sequencing.
Starting in peak season gives momentum.
Starting in slow season creates doubt.
Momentum matters more than spreadsheets.

Forcing a deal is how people quit real estate.
Take an Airbnb in the slow season
and you’ll hate it for 6 months.
Same deal. Different timing.
Completely different psychology.

The most dangerous mindset is:
“If I achieve, I’ll be recognized. If I’m recognized, I’m loved. If I’m loved, I’m enough.”
That belief prints results…
and burns you out.
Alignment is what makes you peaceful.
Capital stacking gets fun again
when it’s rooted in your real “why.”

Health is a wealth multiplier.
Starting later without systems is harder than maintaining standards early.
You don’t get healthier from motivation.
You get healthier when it becomes unacceptable not to.

Most people delegate when they’re drowning.
That’s backwards.
Delegate because you want to scale.
Not because you’re busy.
List every task you do in a week.
Ask: what can be delegated? what should?
Then buy your time back.

“Going all in” isn’t intensity.
It’s standards.
Not louder.
Not crazier.
Not grinding for 10 years.

It’s removing exits and holding a time horizon most people won’t.