For real estate investors, one of the most significant hurdles is learning how to raise and leverage private money effectively. In the recent episode of “Raising Private Money,” Jay Conner sits down with Dan Cantillana, who has implemented Jay’s system to the tune of $13 million raised in private capital. This conversation isn’t just theoretical – it’s practical, proven, and full of actionable steps for anyone hungry to build generational wealth.
From Hard Money to Private Capital: Dan’s Transformation
Dan Cantillana’s real estate journey began much like many others: undertaking a few flips a year, funded primarily through hard money lenders. Despite finding some success, the fees, higher rates, and broker points of traditional hard money lending quickly ate into his profits. Dan knew there had to be a better way. The turning point came after he stumbled across Jay Conner’s podcast—and, subsequently, Jay’s book “Where To Get The Money Now.” With the book in hand, Dan committed himself not just to reading, but to implementation.
Mindset and Decisiveness: The Real Secret Sauce
If you’re searching for a hidden script or shortcut, Dan’s story might surprise you. He attributes his leap from hesitant investor to powerhouse fund-raiser to a simple but critical first step: deciding with conviction that he was going to succeed. For Dan, it was about fixing his mindset, committing to overcoming any number of rejections, and refusing to let a lack of prior knowledge or confidence stop him. He realized that persistent action—not innate talent—is what separates those who raise millions from those who never start.
The Power of Storytelling and Relationship Building
Dan emphasizes that most of his 22 investors came from his existing network—people he already knew or those he connected with through sharing his experiences. Rather than trying to sell or convince, Dan focused on telling authentic stories about the deals he was working on and the value those deals could offer to others. Whether it was a family member, a fellow small business owner, or an acquaintance at the country club, Dan told them what he was doing, what opportunities he saw, and how they could be involved. Regular communication, often via text and social media, kept his investors engaged and eager for more information.
He also believes in serving his investors first, being open about his own challenges and history, and framing every conversation as an opportunity to help. Rather than pitching investments, Dan seeks to find out if someone has what he calls “lazy money” – funds sitting idly that could be put to productive use through real estate deals.
Actionable Steps for Aspiring Private Money Raisers
Dan’s approach is refreshingly straightforward and repeatable:
- Start with a decision to commit.
- Tell your story authentically—don’t be afraid to share successes and failures.
- Focus on building relationships. Your first investors will likely be people you already know.
- Tailor your message to each individual and always include details about the deal’s safety, such as the purchase price compared to market value.
- Follow up consistently, even if your first attempts don’t garner immediate investment.
- Pay attention to professionalism; have a second set of eyes review your documents, communications, and numbers before sharing them with potential investors.
He also offers tangible tips like holding investor luncheons or sending personalized gifts (a practice he calls “giftology”) to build rapport and stay top-of-mind.
Encouragement for New Investors
Dan’s story is one of perseverance, faith, and the transformative power of believing you can create a different future for yourself and those around you. Growing up with humble beginnings, he defied the odds to create not only a successful business but also a platform to help others. His journey illustrates that anyone, regardless of background, can learn to raise private money and build generational wealth if they start with the right mindset, take daily action, and focus on authentic relationship-building.
Real estate isn’t just about buying and selling houses; it’s about solving problems and helping others achieve financial freedom. Take inspiration from Dan Cantillana—read, learn, and then execute. Your journey towards raising millions in private capital can start today.
10 Discussion Questions from this Episode
- Dan Can emphasizes the importance of “just deciding” to take action when raising private money. What strategies can help turn a decision into consistent action in your own business?
- Mindset plays a major role in Dan Can’s journey. How has your mindset either propelled or limited your progress in real estate investing?
- Dan Can shares that openly talking about what he’s doing led to new investment partners. How can you become more effective at sharing your own stories to attract interest?
- How did Dan Can’s background and upbringing shape his approach to entrepreneurship and investing? What can you learn from his experience?
- What are the most common fears you face when raising private money, and how can you overcome them as Dan Can did?
- Dan Can discusses the value of building and communicating a personal brand. What steps can you take to make your brand more memorable?
- The idea of “giftology” and building relationships through thoughtful gestures is a recurring theme. How do personal touches like gifts or handwritten notes influence business relationships?
- Dan Can advises starting with your sphere of influence. Who in your network might be a potential private money partner, and how would you approach them?
- Mistakes in documentation and professionalism were highlighted as early hurdles. What systems can you set up to avoid these pitfalls?
- Dan Can believes that “you already know enough people to help you succeed.” Discuss ways to better leverage your existing relationships for collaborative success in real estate.
Fun facts that were revealed in the episode:
- Beauty Bark Led to Millions: Dan Can first discovered Jay Conner’s system for raising private money while doing yard work—specifically, spreading beauty bark. Listening to hours of the podcast during this chore inspired him to read the book and ultimately raise $13 million in private money.
- Sports Gifts as Relationship Builders: Dan Can leverages creative gifting as part of his private money-raising strategy. He gives personalized sports memorabilia, like coasters depicting famous plays from investors’ favorite teams, to foster goodwill and stay top-of-mind with investors.
- Family Connections Spark Deals: A serendipitous conversation between Dan Can’s 17-year-old son and a golf partner at their country club led directly to a lucrative off-market property deal, showcasing that talking about your business in everyday life (and involving your family!) can open unexpected doors.
Timestamps:
00:00 Register for private money conference
05:37 Paying broker fees and hard money
06:29 Discovering Jay Conner’s podcast
10:40 Investing in discounted properties
14:10 Helping a church sell property
17:33 Finding and diagnosing ‘lazy money.’
20:25 Organizing a business luncheon
24:11 Raising private money strategies
27:28 Building trust with wholesalers
31:09 Sending memorable gifts to investors
33:38 Importance of proofreading documents
38:37 Finding purpose through faith
40:19 Building a personal brand
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Jay Conner is a proven real estate investment leader. Without using his own money or credit, Jay maximizes creative methods to buy and sell properties with profits averaging $67,000 per deal.
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Overcoming Limiting Beliefs: Dan Can’s Journey to Raising Millions in Private Money
Dan Cantillana [00:00:00]:
We are made to succeed. I truly believe that we are made in God’s image. We are made to create. And creating brings life. And when you begin to create, and you begin to find these opportunities, and you begin to help people,e and you’re part of their financial future, it gets really, in a good way, it gets really addicting because it’s so intriguing to help other people. You’re probably thinking that because somebody told you along the way that you were a certain way or you couldn’t do something, I’d really challenge you. I’d really challenge you to challenge yourself. And I, I read this in a book, ok, and it’s really helped me when somebody says something ill about me or, you know, I’m just going to say a word, curse me or something like that.
Dan Cantillana [00:00:49]:
If they’re not going to speak at my funeral, I’m not too concerned about their opinion anymore.
Jay Conner [00:00:56]:
If you’re a real estate investor and are wondering how to raise and leverage private money to make more profit on every deal, then you’re in the right place to raise private money. We’ll speak with new and seasoned investors to dissect their deals and extract the best tips and strategies to help you get the money. Because the money comes first. Now here’s your host, Jay Conner.
Jay Conner [00:01:24]:
Today’s not theory, today is not motivation. Today is proof. Now, hopefully, you have gotten my book on how to get the money. If you haven’t, you can pick up the book@jconor.com forward slash. There’s Sylvia, she’s got the book. Jay connor.com forward slash book. I’ll autograph it. I’ll rush it out to you.
Jay Conner [00:01:50]:
Three-day delivery. This is the best way to prepare for the private money conference. Read the book before you come to the conference, and you will be well prepared, not required, but it will definitely give you a huge advantage. Where to get the money now. Well, you’ve heard me teach strategies, you know some of the steps. But sometimes what moves us from knowing to doing is actually seeing someone who is actually executed. Well, Dan can be an executor. He read the book.
Jay Conner [00:02:28]:
Dan read the book. Where to get the money now. He didn’t have a magic script that nobody else has. He didn’t reinvent the system. Dan simply implemented the system, and as a result, he’s raised $13 million in private money, not missing out on any deals. That’s not hype, that’s not hope. That is action. So as you listen in, as I visit with Dan here and I ask him some questions, I don’t want you asking yourself,” Can this work for me? I want you to be asking the question, where am I hesitating? Where am I overthinking this? What step have I not taken? And I can tell you, if you have not taken the step to register for the private money conference, that is the step you need to take to get you on the fast track.
Jay Conner [00:03:26]:
I promise you that’s going to get you on the fast track. So, because the difference between zero and $13 million in private money is not talent, it’s the execution of the strategies. Dan, I’m so excited to have you here. Say hello to everybody and where you are zooming in from.
Dan Cantillana [00:03:47]:
Yes, of course. Well, man, I sure. I just love hearing your voice. My, my friend. You just have so much joy. It’s amazing. Obviously, listening to your podcast for the last couple of years and hearing your voice in the book and being here. Thank you so much.
Dan Cantillana [00:04:03]:
I am in beautiful Spokane, Washington, and that is in the state of Washington, where the Seattle Seahawks are from. And as many of you know, they won a football game this Sunday. So I’m extremely happy to be here. Any way that I can help, I just, I really want to provide a lot of valuable content. I’m an action, steps-oriented guy. I love daily disciplines. They’ve radically changed my life. And I spent the majority of my life with a lack of daily disciplines.
Dan Cantillana [00:04:34]:
And so anything that I can do to help out, to help people generate what I call generational wealth, I’m more than happy to partake in.
Jay Conner [00:04:45]:
Thank you, Dan. All right, Dan, so let’s unpack exactly what you did step by step, so everybody here can do the same thing. So first question, Dan, before getting my book, before reading where to get the money now, what would you say was your biggest struggle when it came to raising private money? And what specifically changed after you started implementing my strategies?
Dan Cantillana [00:05:10]:
Yeah, that’s a great question. I use this a lot. I’m a believer. I have a discipleship group of young men. And I say this a lot. You don’t know what you don’t know. You just, you don’t know what you don’t know. And so I was flipping, you know, one to two houses a year, and I was utilizing a hard money company here in town.
Dan Cantillana [00:05:37]:
And each one of those percentage points that you pay and broker fees that you pay, like it adds up fast. And so I was doing, I was doing above average just because I. People call me a high performer. So I’ll just say that I’m a high performer. I wake up to win. And so I was utilizing that standard route of I would go to the auction or I’d buy from a wholesaler, and then I would go to a hard money company here in town, which I still have a great relationship with, and I would borrow money through them, pay the points, pay the higher rate, and go along my merry way. Everything changed when I read your book. And, you know, it’s a funny story, and I’ll cut it short, but basically, my wife had texted the family and said that we were going to have a family yard work weekend.
Dan Cantillana [00:06:29]:
And I really don’t like yard work. And it’s Beauty Bark’s fault that I even know you, because I came home Friday night, and the largest amount of Beauty Bark I’d ever seen in my life was delivered on our driveway via my wife making a phone call. And I thought to myself, well, I know we need to move the beauty bark. We know we need to dig some holes for a tree and some bushes. I don’t know about anybody on show right now, but I’ve never dug a hole where it was supposed to be. And so I said, I’ll do the beauty bark because I just have to put it over the old beauty bark. And I went to the podcast on Apple, and I just literally typed in raising private money because I wanted to make an educational experience. Jay Connor pops up, whom I’d never heard of before in my life.
Dan Cantillana [00:07:12]:
And I listened to you for four and a half hours straight, and I was like, I love this guy. I’m getting this book. The beauty bark looked amazing. My wife was happy, and I was happy. And I read the book twice because I. I’m a big reader, and I miss things. And so I read it twice, and I. I literally just did what you said to do.
Dan Cantillana [00:07:33]:
I mean, it’s just that simple. I just did what you said to do. And there it is. We can get into some more details, but it’s Beauty Bark’s fault, and it’s Jay Connor’s fault.
Jay Conner [00:07:45]:
So, you know you’ve raised 13 million in private money. What was the very first step you took after finishing the book? Not the tenth step, but what was that first action? What was that first move that started creating momentum?
Dan Cantillana [00:08:03]:
Yeah, if you’re. If you have notes you want to write down, this down mindset. Uh, I just decided at that moment, no matter what, this is what I’m doing. It didn’t matter how many no’s I got. It didn’t matter how many meetings I had, or coffees, Ihada,d or Presentation,r dinners or whatever. I just decided, and I know that sounds well, how do you do that? Well, you just decide. You just make a decision. And I decided that this is where I was going.
Dan Cantillana [00:08:28]:
And I. I had a roadmap, and I just had to follow the roadmap. I just had to cut and paste. And you’re gonna hear me say that a lot. And I just decided. So my mindset was, I’m gonna. Nothing is going to stop me. No one’s going to outwork me, no one’s going to be more charming than me.
Dan Cantillana [00:08:41]:
No one’s going to follow up better than me. No one’s going to tell a better story than I am. I’m going to do all of these things, and I’m going to tailor a message regarding investing with me that brings confidence and clarity to my investors. And so first and foremost, you just have to decide. You have to have that mindset. And then at that point, you tailor a story. We’re Americans, we love stories. And when you can incorporate what I call eternal principles into stories, people will really connect with them.
Dan Cantillana [00:09:13]:
That’s what I, that’s what I did first, man. I just decided.
Jay Conner [00:09:17]:
Well, I mean, that’s really, quite frankly, profound because until. Until someone like yourself decides that’s what they’re going to do, then they’re not going to take action, you know, and, you know, we’re talking about mindset, so a decision that’s a mindset. A lot of real estate investors have in their minds that they are afraid to talk to potential private lenders. What did you do in your mind to shift from thinking I hope they’ll lend to me, to shifting over to having a servant’s heart, saying, I know I can help them. What was it that changed internally?
Dan Cantillana [00:10:04]:
Well, in regards to the private investor route, I love serving people,e and I won’t get into my testimony, but my life is radically different than anyone on both sides of my family by far. And it’s because I’ve had an amazing. Well, I had an amazing mom, amazing relatives, and amazing babysitters. I was raised basically by a single mom. I’ve had three stepdads. I mean, just, I could go on and on, but anyway had great teachers, great mentors. And so I am where I’m at because people invested in me. And so I just took that mindset of like, I want to help others, and I believe that our product, if done right, is a fantastic investment.
Dan Cantillana [00:10:40]:
Like, first and foremost, I just believe in what I’m doing. And so I believe when you can find a property at a discount, okay? And it doesn’t work without the vehicle, and the vehicle is the property. If you get a property, that’s the vehicle. And if you’re getting it at 50 to 67% of ARV, that margin of safety is gorgeous to most people who have money, because most people who have money understand numbers, but they also understand real estate. You’re not sitting there trying to explain Bitcoin or futures or covered calls or whatever else. Tokenization. You’re talking about 1, 2, 3 Main Street, and you can show them the tax assessed value, which is 280, and you got it under contract for 165. And so if the tax assessed value is 280, the retail value is probably 325 to 345.
Dan Cantillana [00:11:27]:
Most men and women who have money understand those basic percentages, and they understand what I call the vehicle, which is a single-family home. And so I was able to take the principles from your book, tailor a story, which is my story. You have a story; you bring those principles together. And when you have a track record of success, people want to partner with you. Now, if you’re taking notes, you want to write this down, whatever you talk about happens. So you just talk about it more. I just started telling people exactly what I was doing. And that was on coffee, that was on Facebook, that was in meetings, that was.
Dan Cantillana [00:12:15]:
I own four businesses, and so I’m around a lot of small business owners. Small business owners love mailbox money. They love getting checks in the mail. And so I just started talking about it, and I haven’t stopped talking about it. And I really, really love being a part of my client’s financial picture and future. Like, to me, that just where I came from just means a ton to me. And so I’m passionate about it, and I never stop talking about it. And so that.
Dan Cantillana [00:12:48]:
That’s basically what happened.
Jay Conner [00:12:51]:
So let’s. Let’s dive a little bit deeper, Dan, into the conversations. You know, you’ve mentioned the power of stories. I talk about that all the time. All of us have our own story, our own stories. Can you walk us through what your conversation sounds like when you bring up private money? You know, you talk about it all the time. How do you bring up the subject? And, you know, and then how does that move to receiving actual funding?
Dan Cantillana [00:13:27]:
Yeah, so out of the 22 investors that I work with, I had a prior relationship, I would say, with about 70% of them. And so I’m a big communicator. And so I te. I primarily communicate via text. And people love hearing about how we find these properties because they’re just as bored as we are. Tuesday at 2:30. And when you send them a little story about how, like for example, I have a podcast called the Invested Life. And one of our most successful podcasts is I Bought a Property Off a church.
Dan Cantillana [00:14:10]:
I mean, it was wild,d and the church was in a little bit of financial need. They had a really nice property that they needed to sell really quickly, and it took us a couple of weeks. But we got to a point where everyone’s high-fiving, and you know, they got $255,000 in their account in three weeks. And there’s more to the story than that, but that’s the gist of it. And that was a referral from a real estate agent who was a referral from my 17-year-old son, who was golfing at our country club, who talked to a prior employee of the country club who came back from college. And my son asked him, what are you doing now? And he says, I’m in real estate with my dad. And my 117-year-old son looks at him with a golf hand, you know, golf club in his hand, and says, ” Hey, my dad and I buy off-market properties. If you ever come across one, let me know.
Dan Cantillana [00:15:02]:
The guy’s mouth drops, and he says, ” Hey, on Thursday I’m going to a property on West Francis. They’re in a bad spot. You think your dad wants to look at it? And my son gave the guy my number. I bought that property in four weeks, and my son got a commission check for 2300 bucks. That’s what it looks like, so you just talk, and you tell people about these deals. You find, because you got to understand, we’re in this market like to us it’s like going to Costco and you know, grabbing some, you know, some beef and some cheese and milk or whatever and you get a hot dog on the way out. It’s no big deal to find these off-market properties. And it’s, it’s normal.
Dan Cantillana [00:15:38]:
But to the retail world out there, they have no idea that people are going to sell their property for 50 to 60% of its value. They have no idea that 7 to 9% of every rooftop that they drive by is in distress. Whether that’s a homeowner or the house, they have no idea. And so when you communicate these things to them, you are the expert. And if you can intertwine your story and you can build trust and value and character and you can execute, man, it’s really simple. Once you get that momentum going, obviously, you have to start with your first one, but educating the investor that you like. I gave double-digit returns, and I know not everybody does, but I give double-digit returns because that’s part of my marketing ploy. And so when I talk about double-digit returns, I talk about the margin of safety, and I just do it via text.
Dan Cantillana [00:16:27]:
Socials, coffees, dinners. Took your advice. I had a luncheon. It went great. Because of one of the businesses that I represent, I’ve been invited to different conferences. I’ve presented to 14 people in Alaba, MA, and I presented to 220 people in Orlando and Disney. So you just have to get started. You have to tailor your story.
Dan Cantillana [00:16:51]:
So with my story, before we even get started, if I have a sit-down, I just simply ask,” Heyy, do you mind if I tell you a little bit about myself? Start there. Do you mind if I tell you a little bit about myself? You talk about your why, you talk about what interests you in the real estate world, and then you ask some discovery questions,s and you intertwine their why with your why. And that’s the simplest way to tell you to have a meeting. That is the best way to build rapport. It’s the best way to overcome objections. It’s the best way to build value. And the product speaks for itself.
Jay Conner [00:17:33]:
Dan, I really appreciate you sharing, just talking about how you find these deals. I mean, that is so like intriguing and so interesting to, you know, the average person that doesn’t know anything about our world. And here you are sharing those stories, and you know, you can’t help but get their attention. And one thing that I share these days, which is so important,t is when I’m talking with someone potentially that might be a private lender, in that initial conversation, I’m not looking to raise money. In that initial conversation. I am simply looking to diagnose if they have a problem; if they have that, then maybe I could offer a solution. I’m looking to find out if they have what I call lazy money, either investment capital or retirement funds. And that lazy money, the reason I call it lazy money is that it’s not working for that person.
Jay Conner [00:18:36]:
And then you incorporate the stories, your own personal story, like you’re talking about discover if there’s a way you can serve them. You know, i, you know, I may just drop a statement, and I love your lead-in question. Can I just share with you a little bit about what I’ve got going on and what I’m doing,g and you get their permission. That’s called permission-based storytelling.
Dan Cantillana [00:18:58]:
Yeah.
Jay Conner [00:18:59]:
And you share what you’ve got going on. You know, I. I also love planting a seed. You know, I may drop in the conversation something along the lines of, you know, I’ve got this deal going on. I tell the story about how I found the deal. And then I said, but, you know, what’s really interesting about it is really not the deal, but it’s the funding. I’m now paying insane high rates of return to my private lenders and my investors. And then, you know what I do? I shut up.
Dan Cantillana [00:19:28]:
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Jay Conner [00:19:31]:
One thing I’ve discovered, Dan, and you may have as well, is that when people start brand new, raising private money, they have this mindset of I’ve got to talk somebody into something I’m selling, and they talk too much. Right. Well, I just like. Like you’re saying, telling stories and, you know, planting. Planting seeds. So,o back to when, back to when you started, Dan, can you recall any strategies on raising private money that you learned from me at first? And it felt uncomfortable when you first read it, or you first heard about the strategy. Say, hmm, I’m not sure that’s familiar. I’m not sure that’s what I want to do.
Jay Conner [00:20:18]:
But once you execute the strategy, you realize, Wow, this actually works.
Dan Cantillana [00:20:25]:
Yeah, well, your book really testified to me. Like, I really, I mean, I really grabbed a hold of the principle,s and I’m a doer. And I was like, man, I like, I said I had decided I’m going to go down this route. And so the. There wasn’t really anything where I was like, oh, man, I. I guess the hardest one, like, so talking to my sphere of influence, so people in my cell phone, like, that was really simple for me because I like calling people, I like texting, and I like letting people know about these deals. The hardest one for me was having the luncheon and putting that all together. No,w for me, you know, I have an executive assistant, I have a director of operations.
Dan Cantillana [00:21:09]:
And so I just kind of made them do that part of it because I didn’t want to mess with it. I wanted to work on the content,t and I wanted to invite people. And. And that was a stretch, you know, putting that invite out there, because let’s be honest, if you’re marketing to, let’s say, 40 to 180 people, and that’s typically what people have on their Christmas list. And that’s where I first started, with just people’s sphere of influence. Business associates, associates. I then moved that to, like, anywhere that I spend money, they need to spend money with me. And so that.
Dan Cantillana [00:21:41]:
That’s a whole other conversation. But having the event, my country club, inviting people, giving them a reason to say no, that was probably the hardest one for me, because I had given a presentation in Virginia Beach. I’d given a presentation in Alabama. And so then I. I was doing it in my own backyard. And what was funny was initially, you know, I had picked up anywhere from 100 to 550,000 on each one of these events. And then I did one in my own backyard, and I didn’t. Everybody said no.
Dan Cantillana [00:22:17]:
And it was really hard. I was like, wait a minute, what people don’t say no to ?e. Like, what’s going on here? This is a big deal. But then just following up, like your book says, like, sometimes people are in the middle of things. And sure enough, one of the couples that was there was in the middle there. Basically, there were some business things going on in the back end. A year later, he called me and asked to go for coffee, and he. He allocated $250,000 with us.
Dan Cantillana [00:22:47]:
And so just being faithful and communicating and, you know, for me, I just love people. And so if they say no, yeah, it hurts a little bit, but I just like being with them. I’ll just let them know. As long as I tell. As long as they don’t. As long as they don’t tell me, like, hey, stop talking to me about this. I just tell people, and that person brought on 250, and then other people are getting more interested. And if you’re just getting started, I want to encourage you with this.
Dan Cantillana [00:23:11]:
You know enough people already to help you succeed. And there’s a gentleman by the name of Bob Bodine. He wrote a book called The Power of Who. And this book really changed my life. And Bob, Odin’s an amazing man. And you already know enough people to help you. I was thoroughly shocked, Jay, with how many people I knew that had $120,000 of what you called lazy money. Like, I was completely shocked by some of the people who saw it on Facebook.
Dan Cantillana [00:23:42]:
Or Instagram or LinkedIn that would contact me and say, ” Hey, Dan, I’ve been watching you for a bit. I have 80,000. I have 120. And these are, you know, single single-family incomes. And I was just blown away. Now, out of the 13 million that I’ve raised, I call them the big three. The big three have allocated almost 7 million. And so one is rather large.
Dan Cantillana [00:24:11]:
The other two are split between that. And so if you have a sphere of, let’s say, 140, and that’s your Christmas list, you have probably within that 140 at least 400 to 900 thousand dollars of people that would more than likely invest with you. If you can find the vehicle, which is the off-market property, you can tell them about the margin of safety with the equity. And if you have a track record of success, or if you don’t have a track record of success, you can partner with somebody that do, es and that becomes your testimony. And so I really enjoy raising private money. And you’ve obviously been tremendously helpful, not only with your book, but with the weekly podcast and the guests that you have on. It just gives you that joy to keep going when you get a ” no, or you have a hurdle, you know, maybe you don’t do as well as a flip and you, but it gives you the joy to keep going and to do well on the other one. And ke for example, right now we have four properties on the market.
Dan Cantillana [00:25:13]:
We have two under contract. My Realtor just texted me that I should get another offer. So we’ll have three under contract in the first quarter in February. Like that’s awesome. I love it.
Jay Conner [00:25:26]:
So,o one thing you just mentioned a second ago, Dan was talking about your track record. So, you know, a lot of real estate investors think they have to have a perfect track record before they start raising money. Did you wait until everything was perfect,t or did you start raising private money while building your track record, building your credibility? Which way did it go?
Dan Cantillana [00:25:50]:
Well, first and foremost, when you’re dealing with someone who has a hundred thousand dollars plus, I can guarantee you in their life that they’ve had mountaintops and valleys, they’ve made mistakes. And I am very upfront about my history with real estate. So in 0708 09, we almost lost everything. And I mean everything. And I, I was, you know, over-financed all that other great stuff. I’m very upfront about that. Like you, there is no investor who hasn’t lost money. Now do I, am I proud of that? No.
Dan Cantillana [00:26:25]:
But it’s part of my story. And so I tell them that because I got knocked. It’s like Rocky said, right? I got knocked down,n and I got back up. And that shows a lot of fortitude,ude, and that honesty,y, and that will build trust. And I then communicate what I learned in that valley. And what I learned was that I buy things at a discount. And there’s not enough discount, I won’t buy it. Because my number one job is to protect my investors.
Dan Cantillana [00:26:51]:
And I. And I say that to everybody now because of the 13, I do lend to retail, what I call retail customers. And before I ever have any kind of conversation about anything, I let them know my number one priority is to protect my investors. And I will do that at all times. And what that looks like is me fighting you on what you believe the ARV is on this house. And you will never win that argument with me because I need to protect these men and women who have entrusted me with their money. So,o to your question, I had. Had done some homes, you know, 1 to 2, and I told them the stories of the properties.
Dan Cantillana [00:27:28]:
But once I started having the additional investing behind me, I really became radically confident. And once you buy from a wholesaler or down at the auction, your name gets out there, re and you start getting first dibs at a lot of deals. And so having the capital really makes you attractive to wholesalers. Since then, we’ve really started doing direct mail and trying to source our own deals, which I’d love to talk to you about, because I do need a little bit of help on that,t just because of so much capital. Like, I need to allocate, like, 1.7 right now. That’s what I’m sitting on. And so, you know, it’s just telling them what you’re doing, being honest, building trust. If you partner with someone who is a little further down the road, like a general contractor or a wholesaler, you can make them a part of your story to bring validity, to bring value to the potential investor.
Dan Cantillana [00:28:21]:
As long as you’re telling the truth, you don’t want to not be truthful. And so, like, for example, the gentleman who partnered with Meregardingo Wave Capital, he’s been flipping since 1996, and he flips 25 to 32 houses a year, and I flip 8 to 14. Well, between the two of us, we flip 40 to 55 homes a year. When I’m talking to an investor,r that’s really, really strong.
Jay Conner [00:28:46]:
I love it. I love it. So, Dan, you’ve heard me, you know, ever since getting my book and us being connected, you know, you’ve been exposed to all kinds of different strategies on raising private money. If you could only name one strategy for attracting private money that has produced the most private money for you, what would you say that is? And why does that work so well?
Dan Cantillana [00:29:17]:
Pick 14 people that you want to do business with that you know have the capacity, or somebody they know has the capacit,y to help you on your journey, and meet with them, tell them your goals, your strategy, tell them about the margin of safety, and give it everything that you have, all the passion you have, all the creativity that you have. Just pick 14 people, text them handwritten notes, coffees, lunches. If you know that they’re a really fantastic, let’s say, Major League baseball fan, buy them tickets to things and let them know, hey, I was just thinking about you. Here are a couple of tickets to the Mariners. I’m a big ticket giveaway guy. So, like, for example, Gonzaga Bulldogs. It’s a basketball team here in town. One of my investors, he went to WSU.
Dan Cantillana [00:30:06]:
Washington State University. Gonzaga is playing. Wsu. Last night, I got him a couple of extra tickets because I’m affiliated with Gonzaga as a donor. And he texted me, ” Yes, I’ll take them right now. You wouldn’t believe it. It’s my wife’s birthday. You’re making me look so good right now.
Dan Cantillana [00:30:21]:
Just those little things. I believe in a term called giftology, where I give gifts, and there are no strings attached. I, I, couldn’t care less. You don’t have to, you don’t have to text me. Thanks. You don’t have to do anything. You just, just, just receive and be pumped. And so if you’re into giftology, this is a little Dan can secret here.
Dan Cantillana [00:30:41]:
If you find out what kind of sports team your potential investor loves, like, for example, I have, for whatever reason, I have a number of them that are Denver Broncos fans and L.A. Dodgers fans. Well, you can get on. I think it’s called xd. I don’t know. My, my assistant buys them. But you can buy coasters for your drinks that have the four most famous plays of their favorite sports team. And you can just send them as a thank you. Hey, I was thinking about you.
Dan Cantillana [00:31:09]:
I saw this Dodger, and it’s like Kirk Gibson’s famous home run, SandKoufax’s sax box score. Whatever you send it to them, it costs you, like, 25 bucks. And they’re gonna have it, they’re gonna have it on their desk forever because they love the Dodgers or they love the Broncos. And I actually learned that from watching Schindler’s List. And I know that’s a very intense movie, but I love that movie. And how Schindler would take pictures with all the famous people, and he would send them pictures so that he could gain favor to help the, help the Jews, you know, be free. And so I took that concept, and I was like, man, what could I do that I could send a potential investor that they’ll have forever?r. And my wife bought me one for the Mariners because I’m a huge Mariners fan.
Dan Cantillana [00:31:54]:
And I was like, I think we bought seven or nine of those. And I’ve sent them to current investors and future investors.
Jay Conner [00:32:03]:
Well, when you mentioned Giftology, my guess is you have read John Rulin’s book Giftology.
Dan Cantillana [00:32:10]:
Actually, I haven’t. Not yet. I just, I, I read a lot of books, and if you’re taking notes, I’d write that down. Leaders read, and readers lead. Like, I would really encourage you to read as much as you can because, well, I believe when you read, you gain the wisdom of somebody who’s sharing. Obviously,y this whole concept of what we’re talking about is because you wrote a bookd I, I got on board. But there are so many classics. Likewise, there are three classics that I read for the marketplace.
Dan Cantillana [00:32:38]:
That’s what I call what we do. And I read these three books every year, no matter what. The first one is Atomic Habits by James Clear. The second is The Richest Man in Babylon. RichesManan in Babylon. And the third one is how to Win Friends and Influence People. Like, I read those three books every year because they’re just timeless, ss and it just helps me so much sery, my fellow brother and sister. And, you know, investing isn’t for everyone.
Dan Cantillana [00:33:04]:
And that’s okay. I still love you. If you tell me nothat’s’s, no, that’s nothing against you or me or us. Like, you’re just not in. Okay, great. I know the next one’s going to say yes.
Jay Conner [00:33:16]:
I love it. Dan. Dan, thinking back to when you first started raising private money, do you recall any things you did that you now do differently or any mistakes that you made early on when raising private money? Anything you would tell our members here about what to avoid that might slow down their progress?
Dan Cantillana [00:33:38]:
Yeah, maybe kind of vulnerable here. I am not the best speller and writer out there. I’m more of a speaker. I would really encourage you, ou before you send any kind of document out, whether it be a promissory note, a thank you note, or an email, to really have somebody proofread before you send something out because it’s a reflection of how the trans transaction is going to go. And so I know it’s a little easier now with ChatGPT in regards to like, emails and proofreading letters and stuff like that. But when you send, because I do primarily promissory note investing. So having somebody who, whether that’s your spouse, wife, brother, it doesn’t matter. Just having another set of Eyes on things is really, really important in this world because they are.
Dan Cantillana [00:34:32]:
Most of these investors are used to institutional-type documents and things. And so when you’re coming to them as a private investor, you want to bring that same kind of professionalism to the table. I’m at a place now where I don’t actually touch that side of it anymore. Alyssa does that. And then there’s another team member, Kaylee, who looks over her work. But really making sure that all of your written documents, whether it’s typed or handwritten or the promissory note, es have a second set of eyes is really important. And you have that right interest rate on there, you have the right parcel number on there. You have the insurance.
Dan Cantillana [00:35:08]:
It has their information. Because a lot of people, you’ll talk to them as an individual, al and they’ll want to start the process as an individual. But then they’re like, well, wait a minute, I have this, let’s do it. Within the LLC, you want to make sure that the promissory note has the LLC because they’re used to that kind of professionalism or vice versa, obviously. I wish I would have, I wish I would have paid more attention to that at the beginning. I was able to overcome those things, but, you know, it’s still a little uncomfortable.
Jay Conner [00:35:38]:
Dan, thank you for being vulnerable and sharing that advice. Dan, if somebody is here and they’re sitting there thinking, you know, this might work for Jay, this might work for Dan, but I’m not sure it’s going to work for me, what would you say to them right now?
Dan Cantillana [00:35:58]:
Well, I would say, stop that stinking thinking. That’s what I would say first. We are made to succeed. I truly believe that we are made in God’s image. We are made to create. And creating brings life. And when you begin to create, te and you begin to find these opportunities, and you can begin to help people,ple and you’re part of their financial future, it gets really, in a good way, it gets really addicting because it’s so intriguing to help other people. You’re probably thinking that because somebody told you along the way that you were a certain way or you couldn’t do something, I’d really challenge you.
Dan Cantillana [00:36:43]:
I’d really challenge you to challenge yourself. And I, I read this in a book,k and it’s really helped me when somebody says something ill about me or, you know, I’m just gonna say, Warren, curse me or something like that. If they’re not going to speak at my funeral, I’m not too concerned about their opinion anymore. And that has really freed me. And sure, you know, I’m the son of two immigrants. My mom found me when she was 18 years old. I grew up in Section 8 housing and on food stamps. Just gonna say it again.
Dan Cantillana [00:37:18]:
I’m the first one on both sides of my family to be born in North America. My mom had me. She was 18 years old. I grew up in Section, housing, and food stamps. I’m the first one to have a college degree. I’m the first one to have a master’s degree. I own five businesses. We have 16 people who work for me, all because somebody said I could do it.
Dan Cantillana [00:37:39]:
Because somebody said I could do it. I realize that some of you right now need to be that person. You need to tell yourself you can do it. You didn’t have a Brian Brandaske, I did. Tell me you can tell yourself you can do it. And that is why I started this with Mindset, because if you decide and if you put in the work, America is the best country in the world. Both of my parents came from other countries. I’ve been all around this world.
Dan Cantillana [00:38:11]:
I’ve seen all kinds of governments, I’ve seen all kinds of economies. And I can tell you, if someone like me who came from nothing can create something, you can, too. And you need to tell yourself that you can do it. And. And my podcast is called the Invested Life. And on the Invested Life with Dan, can we exter. We explore eternal principles for everyday living. So, eternal principles for everyday living.
Dan Cantillana [00:38:37]:
Statistically, I should be an alcoholic, hooked on drugs, and divorced four times because that’s basically what my biological father was. The Word of God changed me. And I believe that I’m on this planet to help encourage and bless others, and I believe that the word of God has the opportunity to do that. So I basically take a biblical principle, and I apply it to the marketplace, and that’s the content. And then I have this deal called Dan Can Musings, which Scott can nod and laugh at. It’s just. It’s amusing that there’s a story from my life where that principle showed up or was lacking. So you can contact them.
Dan Cantillana [00:39:13]:
You can. You can contact or get a hold of me, or listen to more encouragement if you found this encouraging at the Invested Life with Dan. And you can also email me, which is a very long email. Dancan Wave capital lending, c, om, and just Jay, if I could, can I just talk about personal branding real quick to help?
Jay Conner [00:39:38]:
Sure.
Dan Cantillana [00:39:40]:
So my full name is Dan Cantiana. Okay. My family’s from Santiago, Chile. Nobody remembers Cantiana. Okay? My best friend can barely say Cantiana. So I created a brand, a personal brand called DaCanan and DaCan.n. Everybody in Spokane, if they are tv radio, they’ve heard or seen my TV or radio commercials. Now, I created this brand because I want to be top of mind awareness.
Dan Cantillana [00:40:06]:
And so obviously I have a sign behind me. I have a shirt on it. Okay. I have it on my phone. Dan Can. I have it in my journal. Dan can. Or have it on the microphone.
Dan Cantillana [00:40:19]:
Create some kind of branding that your investors can latch onto because they investors will tell other investors about you. There is a host of books that you can read on personal branding. And if you’re thinking right now, well, that’s not me, I’m going to tell you, well, it should be. If you think about Jay Connor, his branding is on point and has been for decades. He is the private money guy, but he also provides unbelievable value in other things. The initial conversation, though, is about raising private money. You need to create a personal brand where you can have that initial conversation to communicate what you do, but what you’re really trying to do is get that investor to refer someone to you. And so out of the 13 million that I’ve raised, okay, that is all organic.
Dan Cantillana [00:41:14]:
That’s all the people I know, or people who have referred me to people that they know. And that’s why I’m so big with you, our Marketing to your 140 or 80 or 20 or 12. It doesn’t matter. You just want to create a personal brand that they can remember you and that they can not only remember you, but also tell other people about you.
Jay Conner [00:41:34]:
Awesome, y’.
Dan Cantillana [00:41:35]:
All.
Jay Conner [00:41:36]:
Let’s give Dan a lot of love. Put him in my heart. Hit the react button there on the chat. Give him the sophisticated golf clap right there. Oh, yeah, send him some love in the chat. All that kind of good stuff. Dan can, another big thank you, you, and lots of love. Thank you for your way.
Jay Conner [00:41:55]:
Thank you for sharing your journey. Y’ all have a great one. See you soon. Bye for now.
Narrator [00:42:00]:
Are you feeling inspired by the knowledge you gained in this episode? Then head over to www.JayConner.com/MoneyGuide, and download your free guide that shares seven reasons why private money will skyrocket your real estate investing business right now. Again, that’s www.JayConner.com/MoneyGuide to get your free guide. We’ll see you next time on raising private money with Jay Conner.