Carson's Corner — Entrepreneurship & Investing
The Podcast

Think in Decades,
Not Quarters

Carson's Corner is built for investors, entrepreneurs, and operators who are serious about long-term wealth creation — not get-rich-quick schemes. Real conversations with founders, family offices, lenders, and operators about the deals, strategies, and lessons behind real wealth.

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37Episodes
2025Launched
S1Season One
Getting Paid to Be Patient: Whitney Elkins-Hutten on Debt Funds, the Capital Stack, and Protecting Your Compounding Curve
EP 37

Getting Paid to Be Patient: Whitney Elkins-Hutten on Debt Funds, the Capital Stack, and Protecting Your Compounding Curve

Whitney Elkins-Hutten, Director of Investor Education at PassiveInvesting.com, explains why her firm launched a real estate debt fund and how short-duration fix-and-flip loans differ from long-dated commercial bridge debt. Inside: the two risks every private credit investor should check first, why a borrower happily pays 13.75% when banks are at 6%, and the four stages of building generational wealth.

Inside the Deal Makers Roundup: Why Relationships Beat Hard Pitches — Plus Opportunity Zones & Cost Segregation
EP 32

Inside the Deal Makers Roundup: Why Relationships Beat Hard Pitches — Plus Opportunity Zones & Cost Segregation

The Deal Makers Roundup is headed to Knoxville, Tennessee! Join Carson Jones and co-hosts Eddie Austin, Adrian Del Rio, and John Vachon September 10th at The Vault for an evening of authentic networking — no hard pitches, just real conversations. They recap their first sold-out Murfreesboro event and preview the strategies coming to Knoxville: Opportunity Zones, cost segregation with 100% bonus depreciation, self-directed IRAs, 1031 exchanges, and deferred sales trusts.

No Money. No Network. No Excuses. How Linda Holtz Went from Immigrant to Multifamily Millions
EP 31

No Money. No Network. No Excuses. How Linda Holtz Went from Immigrant to Multifamily Millions

Linda Holtz arrived in the U.S. from France at 22 with no network, no real estate experience, and a door-to-door sales job. Today she syndicates 200+ unit multifamily deals across Texas with her husband through Married 2 Real Estate. Linda shares how a property management job taught her the operations side most investors never learn, how house hacking a Chicago triplex during COVID became her on-ramp to commercial real estate, and why she and her husband moved to Texas to scale into large syndications — plus why "who's doing the deal with us" now drives 70-80% of their decisions, and why over communicating with passive investors beats surprises every time.

From Single-Family Doors to Passive Pockets with Paul Shannon — LP, GP & Beyond
EP 30

From Single-Family Doors to Passive Pockets with Paul Shannon — LP, GP & Beyond

Paul Shannon walked away from corporate America in 2019 and built a 200+ unit portfolio through deep value-add deals. Then he did something most operators never do: he stepped back — right at the peak of the 2021 euphoria, when floating-rate bridge debt and 18% IRR projections were everywhere. That unpopular call saved his investors from the wipeouts that followed, and it shaped the perspective behind his new book, Both Sides of the Table. As founder of InvestWise Collective, Paul breaks down why yield on cost beats cap rates in value-add underwriting, how he builds margin of safety with multiple exit options, why he's hunting distressed deals through lender workout departments — and the mindset shift from "syndication consumer" to capital allocator.

How Everyday Investors Get Institutional-Grade Mortgage Bonds | Shawn Muneio, Bequest
EP 29

How Everyday Investors Get Institutional-Grade Mortgage Bonds | Shawn Muneio, Bequest

What if you could earn the kind of returns banks make — without tenants, toilets, or 2am repair calls? Carson sits down with Shawn Muneio of Bequest Asset Management to break down how everyday investors can "be the bank" and build genuinely passive income. Shawn shares his journey from building the world's largest data centers for Google, Facebook, and Microsoft to mortgage notes — and explains the Bequest Bond, an SEC-approved Reg A offering with 70+ consecutive monthly distributions and a track record of never missing a payment.

Lending Where Banks Won't: Speed, Risk & Returns with Brian Walter
EP 28

Lending Where Banks Won't: Speed, Risk & Returns with Brian Walter

Brian Walter has been trading markets since 1996 — through the Russian crisis, the dot-com bubble, the '08 financial crisis at UBS, COVID, and the fastest rate hike in recent memory. Today he's Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Fairbridge Asset Management. Brian breaks down how private lenders are filling the void left by regional banks pulling back after Silicon Valley Bank and First Republic — why private credit wins on speed and certainty of close, the sub-$50M lending sweet spot the multi-billion-dollar managers won't touch, why every default comes down to execution not valuation, where we are in the real estate credit cycle from Sun Belt oversupply to a tight Northeast, and how foreclosure timelines shape where they'll lend. A masterclass in risk, discipline, and finding the less-competitive corners of the market.

Buyer Beware: When Failure Isn't Final — The Jed Morris Story
EP 27

Buyer Beware: When Failure Isn't Final — The Jed Morris Story

What happens when you buy a business, do everything "right," and it still blows up in your face? Jed Morris knows. After 10 years in Air Force financial management and acquisition (rising to the Pentagon), an NYU Stern MBA, and software engineering work at Microsoft, Jed jumped into entrepreneurship through acquisition — and his first deal, a landscaping company, failed spectacularly. Instead of hiding it, he interviewed 100+ buyers who lived through the same thing, and the patterns he found will save you from making the same mistakes. Carson sits down with Jed (founder of Sunset Coastal Partners and Searcher School) to pull back the curtain on what nobody tells first-time buyers: why roughly 60% of failed acquisitions involve direct seller fraud and how to spot a shady owner before you sign; the off-market search playbook and why "off-market is just sales"; why bigger businesses are actually safer than small ones — and how the SBA 7(a) program's incredible leverage can become "an anvil around your neck"; the truth about personal guarantees, insolvency, and why you need to call a bankruptcy attorney in your state before you ever sign; how to actually run diligence; and why "buying a portfolio of small businesses to run passively is just stupid." Whether you're a first-time searcher, an investor, or a commercial real estate pro, this is an honest, no-hype conversation about risk, integrity, and what it really takes to win. Connect with Jed on LinkedIn (send a DM — he replies personally) and join his free Searcher School community, with a paid coaching program available through the same platform. His book, Buyer Beware, is on the way.

Turning Raw Land Into Returns: Without the 5-Year Wait | Brandon Cobb
EP 26

Turning Raw Land Into Returns: Without the 5-Year Wait | Brandon Cobb

Most investors think you have to be a national homebuilder to profit from America's housing shortage — Brandon Cobb built a business proving otherwise. Founder of HBG Capital and creator of the Land Development Accelerator, Brandon joins Carson to break down what he calls the fastest-growing secret in real estate: American land development. He walks through the three phases that move raw land from dirt to a finished community — entitlement, infrastructure, and vertical construction — and his "reverse engineering" strategy for creating forced appreciation before he ever buys an asset. With more than 33% of buyers hunting for a first home and fewer than 10% of new builds actually affordable to them, Brandon makes the case that entry-level housing is one of the most recession-resistant plays in the country.

Nathan Lindley: Buying a Business with Zero Industry Experience & Building a 10-Company HVAC Roll-Up
EP 25

Nathan Lindley: Buying a Business with Zero Industry Experience & Building a 10-Company HVAC Roll-Up

What does it look like to buy a business with zero industry experience, nearly go broke twice, and still build a 10-company HVAC roll-up out of McKinney, TX? Nathan Lindley lived it. After 15 years running a book publishing company, Nathan closed on his first HVAC acquisition in February 2020 — weeks before COVID shut down the world — using his own equity, his dad's retirement, and an inheritance loan from a friend. In this episode, Nathan and Carson break down the straight-commission overhaul that unlocked scale, his "buying at-bats" framework, how he competes against PE-backed HVAC giants without paying their Google ad prices, and the roll-up playbook he'd use if he had to start over today. Now working on acquisition number 11 and eyeing a potential exit within the next year, Nathan shares the hard-won lessons that only come from almost losing it all — twice.

The Future of Live Music Monetization: Band Buddy Founder Gregg Trosper
EP 24

The Future of Live Music Monetization: Band Buddy Founder Gregg Trosper

A bucket on a fishing pole. That's how Gregg Trosper first watched a Nashville band collect tips, and that's the moment Band Buddy was born. Gregg, founder of Band Buddy, is turning live performances into interactive, cashless, revenue-generating experiences for artists and venues. After a five-month beta across 295 live shows, artists using Band Buddy saw an average 42% lift in tips. We dig into the gamification mechanic behind song-request bidding, the "stage mode" vs. "crowd mode" design, why 60% of venue patrons stay longer when interactivity is higher, and what it takes to build a startup inside Nashville's music ecosystem.

Extend & Pretend Is Over: Negotiating Distressed CRE Debt from Strength with Shlomo Chopp
EP 23

Extend & Pretend Is Over: Negotiating Distressed CRE Debt from Strength with Shlomo Chopp

The era of "extend and pretend" is winding down — and for borrowers staring at distressed multifamily and office loans, the next move could define the next decade of their portfolio. Shlomo Chopp, Managing Partner of CASE and one of the most respected voices in distressed commercial real estate, breaks down how borrowers negotiate CMBS, multifamily, and office workouts from a position of strength — protecting their equity, their guarantees, and their reputation when the market turns.

Dave Seymour: From A&E Flipping Boston to Impact Investing
EP 22

Dave Seymour: From A&E Flipping Boston to Impact Investing

Impact investing isn't just about returns — it's about changing lives while building real cash flow. Dave Seymour shares how he went from firefighter and paramedic to starring on Flipping Boston, and ultimately into one of the most compelling impact investment models in real estate today: sober living facilities. Now 36 years sober, Dave is combining purpose and profit by acquiring multifamily properties and converting them into recovery housing — creating strong returns through a "rent-by-the-bed" model while building environments that genuinely change lives.

About the Show

Built for Long-Term Thinkers

The world’s wealthiest investors approach investing very differently than most people. Instead of chasing short-term returns, they focus on preserving wealth, reputation, and legacy across generations. Their decisions are often driven as much by relationships and trusted networks as by financial models, and many of their best opportunities come through private deals, family offices, and invitation-only circles, not public markets.

They frequently prefer illiquid investments like private equity, venture capital, and direct real estate, where long-term upside and influence are greater. Some investments also function as “statement assets,” providing access, credibility, and strategic positioning within elite networks. Above all, these investors prioritize the people behind the deal, often backing operators and founders they trust above everything else. Ultimately, their strategy isn’t just about returns—it’s about protecting capital, expanding influence, and building a multi-generational legacy.

Carson Jones
Host · Investor · Author · CRE Advisor

Entrepreneur, investor, and author of The Red Flag Playbook. A licensed commercial real estate advisor and business broker, he hosts conversations with founders, family offices, and operators to unpack the deals, strategies, and lessons behind real wealth creation.

Carson has owned restaurants, commercial real estate, and operates an online business. He grew up in Texas and now lives in the Nashville metro area. Carson holds a BBA in Finance from Baylor University.

What We Cover

Topics & Themes

Every episode is built around high-signal conversations that translate to real capital decisions.

🤝Syndications & Capital Partnerships
Oil & Gas Investments
📈Passive Income Strategies
🏛️Family Office Strategies
🔍Alternative Assets
🚀Entrepreneurship & Operators
🏗️Development & Construction
💰Wealth Building & Legacy
🏢Office
🛍️Retail
By Carson Jones

The Red Flag Playbooks

Battle-tested guides for investors and entrepreneurs who want to stop losing money to deals they never should have taken.

New Release
The Red Flag Playbook: Buying & Selling a Business
The Red Flag Playbook
Buying & Selling a Business — Don't Get Leased

Your tactical guide to spotting risks before they cost you money, time, and peace of mind. Hard-earned lessons from real transactions gone right — and wrong.

  • Why leases can make or break your deal
  • Red flags in financials sellers hope you won't notice
  • Hidden risks of relying on franchisor "preferred reps"
  • How to walk away from bad deals before they own you
The Red Flag Playbook: A Tactical Guide for Passive Real Estate Investors
The Red Flag Playbook
A Tactical Guide for Passive Real Estate Investors

Smart people lose money in passive deals every day — not because they're reckless, but because no one taught them what to watch for. This is your no-nonsense playbook.

  • How syndications work and their traps
  • Key questions every LP must ask sponsors
  • Taxes, fees, and waterfalls decoded
  • Red flag checklists for deals, operators & structures
eXp Commercial · Passive Investments

Need Brokerage Services?

Carson Jones is a licensed commercial real estate advisor and business broker with eXp Commercial. For property evaluations, acquisitions, business sales, and investment advisory — visit Passive Investments.

Visit Passive Investments →
Get in Touch

Contact Carson

For property or business evaluations, guest inquiries, or investment conversations — reach out directly.

Whether you're a commercial real estate owner evaluating your next acquisition, an accredited investor exploring syndications and alternative assets, or an entrepreneur building a business with long-term equity in mind — Carson is your resource.

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Guest Consent & Disclaimer

By booking a recording with Carson's Corner Podcast, you consent to being recorded (audio and video) and grant Carson's Corner Podcast a perpetual, worldwide license to edit, publish, and promote the recording across any media. We will present you in a positive light and welcome editing suggestions. You may request removal of your episode at any time by emailing carson@passive.investments, and we will remove it within 7 days of your written request. You release Carson Jones and Carson's Corner Podcast from all liability related to the recording and its use, and confirm you are 18 or older and have the authority to agree.

Content on Carson's Corner Podcast is for general informational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, financial, or investment advice.