The Journey Towards 20K a Month with Pete Schnepp
In this episode of Own The Exit, we sit down with Pete—a contractor turned full-time real estate investor—who went from painting homes in the Arizona heat to owning over 100 rental units. His path to financial freedom wasn’t fast or smooth. A lawsuit nearly wiped him out, but that pain sparked his pivot to ownership and long-term wealth.
Pete breaks down how he built his portfolio slowly, methodically, without raising capital for years. He also reveals how he leveraged a clear “5-Year Freedom” goal, refused to let lifestyle creep kill his dream, and why he believes every entrepreneur must diversify beyond their main hustle. If you want the practical blueprint to go from active income to passive wealth, this is it.
TAKEAWAYS
- Why Pete set a “$20K/month freedom goal” and how he hit it
- How a lawsuit became the catalyst for his investing strategy
- Why he refused to raise capital until he had proof of concept
- The difference between an income engine and a wealth engine
- How Deal Room connects investors to real opportunities
RESOURCES MENTIONED
Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield
10x is Easier Than 2x by Dan Sullivan & Benjamin Hardy
FOLLOWS
CHAPTERS
00:00 - From Lawsuit to Leverage
01:42 - Pete’s “One Property a Year” Strategy
04:11 - The $20K a Month Freedom Number
05:40 - Why He Avoided Raising Capital
09:18 - Scaling From Single Family to Small Multi
12:33 - The Lawsuit That Changed Everything
16:00 - Doubling Down on Assets, Not Work
20:01 - The Real Risk Most Entrepreneurs Ignore
24:59 - Business Is Not the Golden Egg
27:08 - Introducing: The Deal Room
31:02 - Passive Income Is a Myth?
34:20 - Final Takeaway: Know What Freedom Looks Like
KEYWORDS
passive income, real estate investing, financial freedom, contractor to investor, wealth engine, asset building, lawsuit recovery, small multifamily investing, Phoenix real estate, 5-year freedom plan, lifestyle creep, building net worth, entrepreneurship, business diversification, deal room, private equity, raising capital, cashflow strategy, slow and steady investing, W2 escape, legacy wealth
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