How to find funding partners: How to Scale Land Without Using Your Own Capital

In this episode, Mark Podolsky, Scott Bossman, Mike Zaino, and Jon Burnett break down how land investors can grow without relying entirely on their own cash. Fresh off a virtual boot camp, the team shares lessons on partnerships, community, creative funding, wholesaling, LandArb, private loans, note sales, and other ways to conserve capital while building inventory.

The key takeaway is that limited capital doesn’t have to limit growth. By finding strong deals, building trust with other investors, and matching people who have opportunities with people who have capital, investors can create mutually beneficial partnerships and scale more confidently.

Tune in as the team discusses:

• Key lessons and standout moments from the latest virtual land investing boot camp.
• Why community, accountability, and shared experience can accelerate an investor’s progress.
• How focused action over a 90-day period can create major momentum in a land business.
• Why investors with limited capital can start small and reinvest profits into additional deals.
• Using wholesaling, LandArb, note sales, private loans, and partnerships to conserve capital.
• How funding partners can provide both money and an experienced second set of eyes on a deal.
• Why building a track record can make it easier to transition from profit-sharing partnerships to debt financing.
• How takedown agreements and double closings can reduce the amount of cash required upfront.
• Why strong relationships and proven deals are often more valuable than simply having money in the bank.
• How using other people’s money can help investors maintain marketing, inventory, and growth without constantly draining their own cash reserves.

TIP OF THE WEEK

Mark Podolsky: Don’t let a low bank balance automatically stop a good deal. Look at the resources and relationships available to you, then structure funding creatively around an opportunity that makes financial sense.
Scott Bossman: Once you know how to buy and sell land confidently, consider using outside capital to keep inventory and marketing moving instead of repeatedly draining your own cash reserves.
Mike Zaino: When you’re new, a partnership can be more valuable than simply borrowing money. Giving up part of the profit may be worthwhile if an experienced funding partner also helps validate the deal.
Jon Burnett: Use every capital lever available to you—wholesaling, LandArb, selling notes, partnerships, or reasonable private loans—to keep good opportunities moving through your business.

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“Isn’t it time to create passive income so you can work where you want when you want, and with whomever you want?”

In this episode, Mark Podolsky sits down with Scott Bossman, Mike Zaino, and Jon Burnett for a candid conversation about what life looked like before land investing and what changed after they committed to the business. They share the financial stress, self-doubt, skeptical family reactions, early mistakes, and first deals that helped turn uncertainty into confidence.

Beyond the money, the conversation centers on what success ultimately gave them: time with family, lower stress, meaningful relationships, personal growth, and control over their schedules. The biggest takeaway is simple: fear and uncertainty are normal, but persistence, community, and consistently taking the next step can create a radically different life.

Tune in as the team discusses:

• Why Jon Burnett pursued real estate investing to spend more than just a few minutes a day with his young family.
• How financial pressure, debt, and uncertainty shaped Mike Zaino’s early mindset.
• Why Scott Bossman knew the traditional career path wasn’t giving him the time freedom he wanted.
• How family and friends reacted when land investing initially sounded unconventional or risky.
• The emotional hurdles behind sending the first mailer, talking to sellers, buying property, and completing a first deal.
• How Mike turned an approximately $1,000 property into a $3,000 sale—and what that proved to him.
• Why Scott’s business became undeniably real when his passive income surpassed his physical therapy salary.
• Early mistakes involving due diligence, back taxes, wholesaling too quickly, and selling note portfolios out of fear.
• Why the group believes community helps investors work through stress, uncertainty, and shiny-object syndrome.
• How land investing created more family time, flexibility, lower stress, friendships, purpose, and control over everyday life.

TIP OF THE WEEK

Mark Podolsky: When fear or stress clouds your judgment, talk through the situation with someone experienced who isn’t emotionally attached to it. Sometimes you need someone outside the jar to read the label.
Scott Bossman: Stay the course long enough for the business to compound. Early wins may feel small, but repeating the process consistently can turn a side hustle into meaningful passive income and greater control over your time.
Mike Zaino: Prioritize mindset over strategy when fear, uncertainty, and doubt start taking over. Revisit Earl Nightingale’s The Strangest Secret as a reminder to take ownership of your direction and keep moving forward.
Jon Burnett: Don’t let the first time doing something stop you. Mailing offers, speaking with sellers, and completing deals become far less intimidating once you push through those initial repetitions.

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“Isn’t it time to create passive income so you can work where you want when you want, and with whomever you want?”

In this episode, Mark Podolsky, Jon Burnett, Mike Zaino, and guest Chris Clark explore one of the most overlooked reasons land may not be selling online: the website itself. Drawing on experience from more than 2,000 land deals, Chris explains how slow load times, poor mobile design, confusing navigation, and weak customer journeys can quietly kill conversions even when traffic and leads are strong.

The conversation breaks down when a land investor actually needs a website, which metrics matter most, and how tools like property maps, email capture, checkout functionality, and conversion rate optimization can turn a website into a true salesperson for your business.

Tune in as the team discusses:

• How Chris Clark discovered that his sales bottleneck was a website conversion problem—not a lack of leads.
• Why high bounce rates, slow loading speeds, and poor mobile optimization can cost land investors sales.
• How a Zillow-style property map can make it easier for buyers to browse land inventory.
• Why a website should guide buyers through a clear customer journey instead of simply displaying property information.
• How capturing buyer emails creates opportunities for repeat marketing when the right property becomes available.
• Why new investors should focus on getting deals before spending too much time building a website.
• How integrations with tools like Airtable can reduce duplicate work and human error.
• Which website metrics matter, including bounce rate, time on site, page navigation, checkout activity, and conversions.
• How conversion rate optimization can improve actions such as buyer-list signups and completed purchases.
• Why using AI or building a website yourself can still create a major time-management distraction for land investors.

TIP OF THE WEEK

Mark Podolsky: Don’t assume more traffic will fix weak sales. Look at the customer journey and optimize the places where potential buyers are dropping off.
Jon Burnett: Early in your business, focus on buying properties, listing them, and getting your reps in. Build out a stronger website once you have repeatable deal flow and inventory to support it.
Mike Zaino: Don’t spend valuable deal-making time becoming a website developer. Once your business needs a professional site, use systems that let you stay focused on buying and selling land.
Chris Clark: Watch your bounce rate, site speed, mobile experience, and buyer journey. Your website should build trust and help move visitors naturally from browsing properties to taking action.

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“Isn’t it time to create passive income so you can work where you want when you want, and with whomever you want?”

In this episode, with Mark Podolsky away, Scott Bossman, Mike Zaino, and Jon Burnett break down why land investors often hurt their growth by leaving a productive county too soon. Instead of chasing the next “hot” market, they explain how staying focused helps investors understand pricing, streamline due diligence, build local relationships, create repeat buyers, and become recognized experts in their market.

The team also covers when it actually makes sense to move on or expand, including slow sales velocity, rising acquisition costs, and opportunities to diversify by property type, geography, or exit strategy. The key takeaway: trust the process, adjust when necessary, and go deep before going wide.

Tune in as the team discusses:

• Why new land investors should resist jumping from county to county after one disappointing mailing campaign.
• How becoming an expert in one county makes pricing, due diligence, marketing, and sales more efficient.
• Jon’s experience working the same primary county for nearly nine years without running out of opportunities.
• Why mailing the same owners repeatedly can keep you top of mind when they eventually decide to sell.
• How relationships with county staff, title companies, photographers, realtors, and local service providers create long-term advantages.
• Why other active land investors in a county can be a positive signal instead of competition to fear.
• How acquisition pricing and sales velocity can reveal when a county—or your strategy within it—needs adjustment.
• When wholesaling can make more sense than continuing to mail for increasingly expensive acquisitions.
• How expanding into another market can add different price points, climates, property types, and buyer audiences.
• Why market data matters more than personally loving or living near the land you invest in.

TIP OF THE WEEK

Scott Bossman: Stay focused on a primary county long enough to become an expert. Repeated mailings, stronger local relationships, and deeper market knowledge can compound your results over time.
Mike Zaino: Before leaving a county, look at your pricing, marketing, and expectations. If you bought the property correctly, you can adjust your strategy or wholesale it rather than abandoning the market too quickly.
Jon Burnett: Don’t pivot just because your first mailing misses the mark. Adjust your offers, pay attention to what the market is telling you, and keep digging before deciding the county doesn’t work.

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“Isn’t it time to create passive income so you can work where you want when you want, and with whomever you want?”

In this episode, Mark Podolsky, Scott Bossman, and Jon Burnett break down what makes land investing such a powerful “blue ocean” opportunity, especially in affordable rural markets where investors can still buy properties for a few thousand dollars and create strong margins. They also recap lessons from Coaching Live and share how simplicity, community, and persistence can accelerate growth.

The team explains how beginners can identify promising counties, what property features make land easier to sell, and why investors should focus on repeatable markets instead of chasing complicated systems. They also cover negotiating seller counteroffers, staying focused on your own progress, and building a land business with realistic expectations.

Tune in as the team discusses:

• Why affordable rural land remains a “blue ocean” with relatively little competition.
• How investors can reverse-engineer promising markets by studying where other land investors are actively selling.
• Why accessible, buildable land with recreational potential can be easier to resell.
• How large rural subdivisions can create repeatable opportunities for building a scalable land business.
• Why beginners should focus on mailing, marketing, and sales before overcomplicating their systems.
• How a strong “why,” grit, and persistence separate long-term investors from those who quit.
• Why comparing your progress to other investors can create unnecessary frustration.
• Strategies for negotiating high seller counteroffers using property conditions, comparable purchases, and convenience.
• How offering sellers a fast, simple transaction can justify buying land at a discount.
• The basic process of moving from an accepted offer through due diligence, deed recording, and seller payment.

TIP OF THE WEEK

Mark Podolsky: Build your business around a powerful reason for succeeding and develop the grit to keep showing up when the work feels uncomfortable. Long-term persistence matters more than chasing quick wins.
Scott Bossman: Study land-selling websites to see where other investors are successfully selling affordable properties. Reverse-engineering active markets can quickly show you where deals may already be working.
Jon Burnett: Look for markets with plenty of repeatable inventory and properties that are accessible, usable, and buildable. A market you can work repeatedly is more valuable than constantly searching for the next county.

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“Isn’t it time to create passive income so you can work where you want when you want, and with whomever you want?”

In this episode, Mark Podolsky, Scott Bossman, Mike Zaino, and Jon Burnett break down why land notes can become a powerful asset class for building long-term wealth. Rather than focusing only on one-off cash flips, they explain how owner-financed land sales can create recurring monthly income, strong yields, and a growing portfolio that can eventually replace traditional income.

The team also explores what makes a good land note, how to handle defaults compassionately, why customer relationships matter, and how systems can simplify managing a large portfolio. They also discuss buying and selling existing notes, evaluating notes outside your normal market, and structuring deals with multiple exit strategies.

Tune in as the team discusses:

• How owner-financed land sales turn individual deals into recurring-income assets.
• Why yield matters more than simply creating a large note balance.
• How down payments, monthly payments, and shorter terms can improve annualized returns.
• Why recovering your original investment quickly lets you redeploy capital into additional deals.
• How a growing note portfolio can progress from paying small bills to replacing earned income.
• Why defaults can sometimes create another opportunity to resell the same property.
• How communication and flexibility can help investors work with buyers experiencing financial hardship.
• Why Mark views a land note as a relationship rather than simply a transaction.
• How repeat buyers and referral programs can generate additional land sales and notes.
• How systems, software, and delegation make managing a large note portfolio more scalable.
• What to consider when buying notes in counties or markets where you do not currently invest.
• Why buying notes at a discount can create attractive returns while providing multiple exit strategies.

TIP OF THE WEEK

Mark Podolsky: Treat every land note as a relationship. Stay in communication with your buyers, reinforce the value of their ownership, and be willing to work with good customers when circumstances change.
Scott Bossman: Build multiple exits into every note you purchase. Before buying, know whether you could resell the land, wholesale it, or otherwise recover your investment if the borrower defaults.
Mike Zaino: Use systems and the “who, not how” mindset to make your portfolio scalable. Tools like LGPass and GeekPay can help automate deal management and payment collection.
Jon Burnett: Focus on yield and capital recovery, not just the total selling price. Structure terms so you can ideally recover your acquisition capital within the first year and redeploy it into more deals.

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“Isn’t it time to create passive income so you can work where you want when you want, and with whomever you want?”

In this episode, Mark Podolsky, Scott Bossman, Mike Zaino, and Jon Burnett discuss why there’s almost no such thing as an “unsellable” parcel—only land that hasn’t been positioned or marketed correctly. The conversation is filled with real-world stories of difficult properties, including landlocked parcels, HOA issues, unbuildable lots, swamp land, and properties with challenging access, along with the creative strategies that ultimately turned them into profitable deals.

The team also shares recent business wins, lessons learned from due diligence mistakes, and why buying at the right price creates flexibility even when unexpected issues arise. The biggest takeaway is that successful land investing comes from creative problem-solving, disciplined due diligence, and understanding the highest and best use of every property.

Tune in as the team discusses:

• Why “unsellable” land is often just improperly marketed or misunderstood.
• Creative exit strategies including neighbor sales, property bundling, wholesaling, and repositioning.
• Real examples of costly due diligence mistakes that still resulted in profitable outcomes.
• How identifying a property’s highest and best use unlocks hidden value.
• Why buying at a deep discount provides room to solve unexpected challenges.
• The importance of consistent mailing and maintaining deal flow regardless of market conditions.
• Student success stories and recent land investing wins from the community.
• How inflation, real assets, and land investing may perform during uncertain economic conditions.
• Why every parcel has a buyer when marketed to the right audience.

TIP OF THE WEEK

Mark Podolsky: There’s a buyer for every property. Focus on discovering the land’s highest and best use and market it to the right audience instead of assuming it’s unsellable.
Scott Bossman: Get creative before giving up on a property. Try neighbor letters, bundle it with another parcel, or reposition your marketing to match the property’s strengths.
Mike Zaino: Buy right from the beginning. Purchasing land at a steep discount gives you the flexibility to solve problems and still create a profitable deal.
Jon Burnett: Due diligence matters, but mistakes don’t have to be deal killers. Be transparent about a property’s limitations, adjust your pricing, and market it to buyers who value its specific use.

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“Isn’t it time to create passive income so you can work where you want when you want, and with whomever you want?”

In this episode, Mark Podolsky, Scott Bossman, Mike Zaino, Jon Burnett, and guest Don Thrasher discuss Don’s journey from respiratory therapy and healthcare burnout to building a land business designed to create time, income, and freedom. Don shares how consistent training, community support, and following a proven process helped him gain traction, sell properties, and build passive income.

The conversation covers Don’s early deals, his goal of retiring within two years, lessons from losing a virtual assistant, and practical strategies for due diligence, county research, neighbor letters, and targeted marketing. His biggest takeaway: slow down, master the fundamentals, stay connected, and keep moving toward your why.

Tune in as the team discusses:

• How Don Thrasher moved from healthcare burnout toward land investing
• Why he committed to logging into the community for 300 consecutive days
• How consistency and support shorten difficult learning periods
• Why moving too quickly can create setbacks when scaling a land business
• How Don sold three neighboring New Mexico parcels in one cash transaction
• What answering a buyer inquiry from the beach taught him about time freedom
• How losing a virtual assistant forced him to rebuild and document his systems
• Why chain of title, access, zoning, and county relationships matter in due diligence
• How neighbor letters can produce faster sales from a captive audience
• Don’s plan to complete 36 deals and grow beyond $1,000 in monthly passive income

TIP OF THE WEEK

Mark Podolsky: Bet on yourself, follow the proven process, and focus on consistent execution instead of searching for shortcuts.
Scott Bossman: Build redundancy into your business. Cross-train virtual assistants and document their tasks so one departure does not stop operations.
Mike Zaino: Slow down enough to master the fundamentals. Smooth, repeatable processes ultimately help you scale faster.
Jon Burnett: Stay connected to people who understand the journey. The right community can provide clarity, accountability, and encouragement when momentum slows.
Don Thrasher: Contact neighboring property owners first when selling land. A simple neighbor letter can reach motivated buyers without a large marketing expense.

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“Isn’t it time to create passive income so you can work where you want when you want, and with whomever you want?”

In this episode, Mark Podolsky, Scott Bossman, Mike Zaino, and Jon Burnett break down the essential technology behind a more organized and scalable land investing business in 2026. They cover tools for document storage, lead generation, due diligence, deal management, marketing, payment collection, and customer follow-up.

The team also explores how AI can improve research, training, expense analysis, and daily workflows without distracting investors from the activities that actually generate revenue. The key takeaway: start with simple systems, complete deals first, and add more advanced technology only when it solves a real business problem.

Tune in as the team discusses:

• Organizing documents and property records with Google Drive
• Managing deal pipelines, workflows, mailings, and documents through LG Pass
• Pulling and preparing mailing lists with Zample
• Using county GIS systems, LandID, DataTree, and Parcel Review for due diligence
• Evaluating a property’s usability, viability, visibility, and “buy-ability”
• Tracking buyer leads with Trello or a dedicated CRM such as Follow Up Boss
• Collecting down payments and managing notes through GeekPay
• Using AI to create training manuals, analyze expenses, research markets, and improve sales calls
• Avoiding shiny-object syndrome before building consistent deal flow
• Starting with simple tools and adding automation as the business grows

TIP OF THE WEEK

Mark Podolsky: Use AI to review bank and credit card statements for duplicate subscriptions, unnecessary tools, and costly overages—but keep your technology focused on a clear business outcome.
Scott Bossman: Keep the horse in front of the cart: prioritize mailing, buying, marketing, and selling before investing time in complicated automation.
Mike Zaino: Never prepare sales documents based only on a buyer’s promise. Collect a payment first to confirm commitment.
Jon Burnett: The best CRM is the one you consistently use. Start with a notebook or Trello, then upgrade when your lead volume justifies it.

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“Isn’t it time to create passive income so you can work where you want when you want, and with whomever you want?”

In this episode, Mark Podolsky, Mike Zaino, and Jon Burnett break down why neighboring landowners are often the fastest and most motivated buyers for vacant land. Neighbors already understand the area and may want to expand their property, protect their privacy, preserve a view, or control what happens next door.

The team shares a simple neighbor-letter formula, explains why owner financing can increase the buyer pool, and demonstrates how price anchoring creates urgency without negotiating against yourself. They also discuss when to contact neighbors, why the process should be automated, and how authentic, low-pressure sales conversations build trust and close more deals.

Tune in as the team discusses:

• Why neighboring owners are natural buyers for vacant land
• How privacy, control, and property expansion motivate neighbor purchases
• A simple neighbor-letter template that encourages calls and responses
• Why neighbors may pay cash but still appreciate owner financing
• How to offer neighbors a preferred price without undervaluing the property
• Using a higher public price as an anchor before presenting a neighbor discount
• Why neighbor outreach should be an automated step in every acquisition
• How neighbor letters can uncover additional properties to purchase
• Why new investors should master sales before outsourcing the process
• How honest, low-pressure conversations create stronger buyer trust

TIP OF THE WEEK

Mark Podolsky: Anchor the property at its expected public listing price, then offer the neighbor a preferred price based on the savings from avoiding traditional marketing.
Mike Zaino: Offer owner financing even when a neighbor may have cash. Flexible terms remove barriers and can help buyers make a faster decision.
Jon Burnett: Keep your neighbor letter simple: identify the nearby parcel, explain that it is available, mention financing, and provide an easy way to respond.

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“Isn’t it time to create passive income so you can work where you want when you want, and with whomever you want?”