In this episode of Burning the Ships, I sit down with Nathan Janocka, a Central Virginia investor who went from nearly losing everything in construction to flipping over 80 properties a year and building a thriving real estate company rooted in discipline, systems, and humility.
Nathan shares how he learned to rebuild after early failure, what it really takes to scale a flipping operation, and how he’s using that momentum to move into infill new construction and build-to-rent development. We also dig into the mindset behind sustainable growth—why bigger isn’t always better, how to stay in control as your business expands, and the importance of building something that fits your life, not the other way around.
If you’re an investor ready to grow your real estate business without losing balance or burning out, this episode is packed with honest lessons, practical systems, and the real numbers behind building a lasting investing operation.
Key Talking Points of the Episode
00:00 Introduction
01:36 JJ’s Joke of the Week
02:45 From construction to entrepreneurship: starting a company in 2010 and failing fast
07:19 Leaving the W-2 job and going all in on real estate in 2022
10:20 How Nathan’s previous project management experience helped his flips
12:20 Lessons from early mistakes and the importance of financial systems
13:53 Building proper accounting, QuickBooks, and understanding balance sheets
15:14 Scaling from a few flips to 15+ active projects while holding a full-time job
17:13 Finding deals through realtors, networking groups, and consistent follow-ups
21:06 Surviving market shifts and adjusting strategies when margins tighten
23:40 The buy-and-hold formula that works: how Nathan decides which rentals to keep
25:31 Using cost segregation, depreciation, and long-term planning for tax advantages
27:07 Growing 100% year-over-year and setting limits before things spiral
30:02 Building a lean but effective team: project managers, subs, and systems
32:53 The struggle to delegate and why backend operations matter most
36:02 Finding balance: enjoying the business but learning to let go of tasks
38:21 Shifting into infill construction and using marketing to source land deals
39:02 The power of telling everyone what you’re looking for in real estate
41:47 Using reputation, referrals, and relationships to drive deal flow
43:05 Building long-term partnerships with realtors and paying full commissions
47:04 Setting realistic goals and recognizing that bigger isn’t always better
50:20 Learning when to slow down, control growth, and focus on efficiency
53:11 The importance of tracking every deal and learning from every miss
56:15 Embracing AI and automation to streamline repetitive processes
59:50 Where Nathan is operating and what projects are coming down the pipeline
Quotables
“The more you pull that lever and the harder you pull it, the more stuff just comes at you.”
“I failed miserably. I had construction experience, but I didn’t know how to run it as a business.”
“You don’t need a hundred different deal sources. You need five good ones and consistency.”
Links
608B Capital
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Ruthie's Table 4
For more than 30 years The River Cafe in London, has been the home-from-home of artists, architects, designers, actors, collectors, writers, activists, and politicians. Michael Caine, Glenn Close, JJ Abrams, Steve McQueen, Victoria and David Beckham, and Lily Allen, are just some of the people who love to call The River Cafe home. On River Cafe Table 4, Rogers sits down with her customers—who have become friends—to talk about food memories. Table 4 explores how food impacts every aspect of our lives. “Foods is politics, food is cultural, food is how you express love, food is about your heritage, it defines who you and who you want to be,” says Rogers. Each week, Rogers invites her guest to reminisce about family suppers and first dates, what they cook, how they eat when performing, the restaurants they choose, and what food they seek when they need comfort. And to punctuate each episode of Table 4, guests such as Ralph Fiennes, Emily Blunt, and Alfonso Cuarón, read their favourite recipe from one of the best-selling River Cafe cookbooks. Table 4 itself, is situated near The River Cafe’s open kitchen, close to the bright pink wood-fired oven and next to the glossy yellow pass, where Ruthie oversees the restaurant. You are invited to take a seat at this intimate table and join the conversation. For more information, recipes, and ingredients, go to https://shoptherivercafe.co.uk/ Web: https://rivercafe.co.uk/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/therivercafelondon/ Facebook: https://en-gb.facebook.com/therivercafelondon/ For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iheartradio app, apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com