Drew Breneman

Breneman Capital

I started what would become Breneman Capital in 2005 at age 19 to purchase my first rental properties and grow my own wealth. 

Today, we work with individual investors, Family Offices, PE, Fund of Funds, RIAs, etc., and they invest alongside us in the best opportunities that we find (and have been for nearly 20 years).

Invest with us: https://www.breneman.com/invest

Founder & CEO

The Blackhawk Investment Group

About Blackhawk:
•	Vertically integrated real estate investment firm primarily focused on Minneapolis/St. Paul and select neighborhoods within Chicago with over $100MM in assets under management. 
•	The firm is similar to a private family office in that it is not open to outside investors. The firm is built around one investor/partner with targeted hold period of forever.

2008-2012: 
•	Acquired heavily discounted commercial properties in Minneapolis/St. Paul we could own long term with high cash flow. 
2013-2019: 
•	Focused on value-add multifamily in Chicago, where we could increase the income and refinance out all of our initial equity. 
Results:
•	Refinanced out over 100% of initial equity on average across 11 investments. 


Learn More At: www.BlackhawkInvest.com

Breneman Capital is an owner in Blackhawk's individual properties.

Co-Founder

Rubloff Development Group, Inc

Development Firm in Numerous Product Types: Retail, Office, Mixed-Use, Market Rate Apartments, Senior Housing, Self Storage, and For Sale Housing.

• Assessed financial feasibility and contributed in the acquisition, development, repositioning, and disposition of RDG's portfolio (Portfolio Size - Approximately $1B asset value, 50 properties, and 5,000,000 square feet under development)

• Responsible for sourcing opportunities, obtaining necessary approvals and incentive packages from municipalities, securing debt and equity financing, reviewing and negotiating legal documents, overseeing the construction process, and negotiating with lenders, investors, joint venture partners, potential tenants, and third party vendors

Development Associate

Dominium Development & Acquisition, LLC

Multifamily Development/Acquisition Firm. Market Rate & Affordable Multifamily.

• Responsible for assisting the firm's partners in takeovers of stalled construction projects, acquisition of mismanaged apartment portfolios, development of new multifamily communities, and the acquisition of general partnership interests controlling Section 42 housing 

• Performed financial analysis in all sectors of multifamily (Market rate, Section 42, Section 8, and Senior Housing) in markets throughout the country

• Lead on Dominium's tender option bond funds and financings with the fund. Experience with tax-exempt bonds, swaps, caps, and other derivatives

T. Wall Properties

Industrial and Office Real Estate Development Firm.

• Gained experience with real estate development, industrial, office product types.

Development Intern

RPGeStore.com

Online business operated while in high school and college that allowed me to make the money I would use to purchase my first 4 rental properties with while in college.

Founder and CEO

Protect & Grow Capital With Our Multifamily Investment Opportunities For Family Offices, Fund Managers, & High-Net-Worth Individuals

When I was 19, I bought my first property.

I didn’t realize it then, but that little duplex changed my life.

Now, almost 20 years later, I’ve sourced, capitalized, and closed on over $250 million of properties for my firm, Breneman Capital.

For the last 15 years, I’ve worked closely with investors — family offices, PE, Fund of Funds, RIAs, and individuals — to help them generate income and wealth through multifamily real estate.

The old real estate adage says, “You make your money when you buy in real estate.”

I agree with that — but I think it’s only 50% true.

The other 50% comes in the execution. And I’ve built Breneman Capital through that lens. 

Over the last 20 years, our realized investments have produced an average gross return of:

• 24% IRR
• 2.2x equity multiple
• 5.6-year hold period

In my opinion, our longest-standing investor relationships come down to 2 factors:

1) Our deals have performed well.
2) We focus on giving investors the best possible experience.

Real estate can be complex. But we like to keep our goals for our investors simple.

Strong returns.
Great experiences.
World-class communication.

If you’d like to set up an exploratory call, feel free to click the link in my Featured Section.

I started Breneman Capital in 2005 at age 19 to purchase my first rental properties and grow my own wealth. 

Today, we work with individual investors, Family Offices, PE, Fund of Funds, RIAs, etc., and allow them to invest alongside us in the best opportunities that we find (and have been for nearly 20 years).

Invest with us: https://www.breneman.com/invest

Before Mark Cuban was worth $5,700,000,000…

He rented a $600/mo apartment with 5 roommates.

In 2017, Cuban talked about the mindset that led to his first $1 million:

“I wanted enough money to be able to travel, have fun, and party like a rock star but still live like a student.”

Cuban talks about a book he read:

Cashing in on the American Dream: How to Retire at 35 by Paul Terhorst.

The premise: 

If you can save $1 million and live like a college kid, you can retire early. 

It’s one of my favorite pieces of wealth-building advice:

“Life like a college student as long as you can.”

Flexibility and optionality are cheat codes as an entrepreneur.

But once you're locked into an expensive lifestyle, your flexibility disappears.

The window of opportunity closes.

So take Cuban's advice:

• Live like a college student as long as you can.
• Keep renting with roommates.
• Drive an old car.
• Save.
• Invest.
• Repeat. 

Your future self will thank you.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘇𝗶𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵?

Founder at Breneman Capital. Multifamily Investments That Protect & Grow Capital.

Investor Acquisitions

Founder + CEO

Real Estate Investor

Construction Project Manager

Pre-Construction Coordinator

Modineer Company

Operations Management Development Program

Altus Group

Cost Analyst

Northwestern Mutual

Financial Representative

College Financial Representative

Purdue University

Resident Assistant

SpringHill Camps

Assistant Director 

Holder Construction Company

Office Engineer Intern

Senior Construction Project Manager @ VareCo

Hey there! My name is Cole Baker. I am the Founder & CEO of Investor Acquisitions. The modern real estate operator's full service LinkedIn copywriter who will take your content & brand story to the next level. 

Whether you're the CEO, a team of operators, or a broker, our team can level up your brand & content on LinkedIn. 

Our business is telling your story.

Cole Baker

Emmitt Smith earned $61,300,000 during his NFL career. 

He's quietly turned that into $100,000,000 in real estate. 

Here's how he did it: 

1) He LEARNED from the BEST. 

• Emmitt played 15 years for the Dallas Cowboys. 
• He leveraged the notoriety to get an internship. 
• Followed Roger Staubach around for 2 years. 
• (Roger has transacted on $26,000,000,000+ in CRE)
• This was the foundation of his knowledge. 

2) He TOOK ACTION. 

• Leveraging the experience with Staubach, 
• He started a JV with Staubach's company. 
• He started his own firm in Baltimore. 

Most of us don't have $63mm to start investing with. 

But, anyone can learn from the best: 

• Podcasts. 
• YouTube. 
• Books. 

& anyone can take action. 

P.S. The real question everyone wants to know? 

Will the Cowboys ever win a Super Bowl Again?

Founder + CEO of Investor Acquisitions | I help real estate executives build their brand & attract investors | Trusted by 44 Firms | DM “Intro” to schedule a meeting with Investor Acquisitions

Dave Ramsey was a millionaire by the age of 27.
He owned $4,000,000+ in real estate in 1987. 
The next year? In 1988? He went bankrupt... 
He didn't stay there long though. 
Now? 
His company grosses $300,000,000 a year. 

Here's 2 lessons I've learned studying Dave Ramsey: 

1) Don't let your failures define you. 

• When Dave was bankrupt? He had a wife & kid too. 
• He had $0. No income. & a family to provide for. 
• BUT...
• He didn't let his failure define his story. 
• He got back to work. 

LESSON: 

To be great at anything, you will fail. Many times. 
If you want to build financial freedom?
If you want to build a business? 
Learn to fail. 

2) Sell what you believe in. 

• Dave is controversial for one main reason: 
• He hates debt. 
• A belief formed by the impact of the bankruptcy. 
• It also formed a passion for financial literacy. 
• More specifically, teaching others about it. 
• This passion?
•  It's the foundation of his business. 
• (A $300m per year business)

LESSON: 

Starting a business is really hard. 
But if you want to make it easier?
Believe in what you're selling. 

P.S. Which lesson sticks out most to you? 
P.S.S. What are your thoughts on Dave?

I left my W-2 to start my business 14 months ago.

• I have had days I didn't think I'd make it.
• I have had weeks no money came in.
• I have had moments I messed up. 

• I have messed up with clients. 
• I have messed up sales calls. 
• I have messed up on hiring. 

I have lived a lot of the fears that held me back from starting sooner. 

But, I can say this:

I am filled with more purpose than I have felt in a very long time. 

& something about that makes the pain worth it. 

So here's to you taking the leap in 2026! 

The year you finally do it. 

Whatever it is!

P.S. If this was the year, what would you do?

I found a 3.6 acre lot being sold for $67,450 on Facebook Market place.

I felt like that was low.

So, I texted a developer who's built $200,000,000 worth of real estate in that area. 

I sent him a screenshot of the listing with this question: "Is this legit?"

He texted me back within 3 minutes. 

Here's what he sent: 

• "It’s legit. It’s in [redacted]. There are a lot of cheap lots out there. The issue usually is that they are far back on dirt roads hard to access all winter, and often don’t have utilities. If you wanted an off grid cabin or place to go camping with your family those lots are great. Difficult to build any sizable house on though." 

2 lessons I took away from this interaction. 

1. I witnessed what mastery looks like in real time. 
• He knew the value of the land within seconds. 
• That's what it takes to get to where he is. 
2. It's valuable to have experts help you invest. 
• Not that I would have acquired the property. 
• (I have no experience with land)
• But, 
• It was helpful to have him on speed dial. 

P.S. Anything you've learned recently from excellent people?
P.S.S. Tag who you call for investment advice.

I spoke to an investor with $110,000,000 in AUM. 
He started by building up $35,000,000 in AUM. 
All with his own capital. Here's how he did it:

1) He started small. 

• His first deal (believe it or not) was a $10,000 SFR. 
• He acquired the property from a city tax sale. 
• He flipped it for $70,000+ months later. 
• From that point on? He was hooked. 

LESSON: 

Social media will tell you to start with that 100-unit deal. 
Don't feel like that's the only path for you. 
Starting small is often smarter. 
It's okay to be smart. 

2) He built his own track record. 

• Over the course of 10 years, he kept buying real estate. 
• Even began investing in small multifamily on his own. 
• This track record was the foundation of his thesis. 
• Only after building on his own did he use OPM. 

LESSON: 

Proof is the best confidence for any business. 
But especially in CRE investing. 
If someone is going to give you even $25K?
It's best to have the proof to back it up. 

P.S. What are your investing goals for 2026? 

What's a specific market / asset you like?

I asked a value-add multifamily operator (who manages $110,000,000 in AUM) 2 keys to his deals that create the most value.

Here's what he told me: 

1) Retention is the secret to sustained cash flow. 

• This stat he gave me blew me away. 
• Every resident who stays in a unit rather than churns:
• Saves his company $3,000 in turnover costs.
• That's very real cash flow to investors. 

KPI they track: 

• He told me their market averages 50% retention. 
• Their goal with every property is 85% retention. 
• Do the math. 
• Across his 1,000 unit portfolio: 
• That's $1,050,000 in extra cash flow each year.
• Compared to their average competitor?
• They're dominating the market. 

2) More time renovating = less time fixing. 

• Many operators focus on "quick turnarounds."
• This operator took a very different approach. 
• Here's what they found: 
• They tracked renovation time for their units. 
• Then compared maintenance costs of those units. 
• When they took twice as long for renovations? 
• The per year maintenance costs dropped. 
• Dramatically...
 
The costs dropped so much that it out weighed the carrying costs of taking twice as long to renovate. 

Curious to hear your thoughts on this operators take. 

Comment below with your insights ⬇️

I spoke to an RIA who’s helped his clients sell $14,000,000 worth of businesses to private equity.

I asked him what owners should look out for in the terms of their purchase agreements. 

Here’s what he told me: 

1) If you are presented with a dual share class structure within your agreement, it’s standard for the controlling investor to hold the senior class. What’s not standard? When Class-B shares have no participation rights to maintain their percentage of ownership. 

2) Ensure your "earn out" is tied to performance metrics that are higher up the income statement (i.e. gross revenue or recurring revenue). The higher up the income statement you go, the more the "earn out" is in your control.

3) If a buyer defers payment on your acquisition, lock in interest on top of you’re deferred payment. Otherwise the buyer is using your cash flow to pay you with no compensation for your additional risk. 

4) Ensure the waterfall structure in the purchase agreement defines the hurdle rate. The RIA has seen multiple agreements where the hurdle rate is left undefined at the point of sale. 

5) If you have buyout terms within your purchase agreement, define the “fair market value” of the business at the point of sale. & ensure that definition is defined at your full discretion. 

6) If your sale price is formulaic, ensure you define what’s being multiplied. If the buyer is paying a multiple on “adjusted EBITDA,” you set the definition for adjusted EBITDA.

7) Rolling equity into a deal doesn’t = money in your pocket in the future. Do you’re diligence on the buyer as well. It could be the difference in millions of dollars.

P.S. Was this helpful? Comment below what stuck out the most ⬇️

I spoke to an investor with $300,000,000 in AUM. 
His first deal he bought for $560,000 debt free. 
Here's the breakdown of how he did it: 

1) He started as a leasing agent for a family office. 
• The family office owned a few dozen deals. 
• He was there "Swiss army knife."
• Managing existing tenants. 
• Leasing units. 
• Even identifying new properties to acquire. 
• However, one thing stuck out to him: 
• He knew unless he owned real estate himself, 
• He'd never build true wealth. 

LESSON: 

• Build experience in the asset class you chose. 
• Only once you've built up a knowledge base, 
• Should you take the leap to ownership. 

2) He identified a property. 
• In his work with the family office, he identified a deal. 
• It was outside the buy box of the family office. 
• So he decided to take a shot at it. 
• He brought ~5 investors together, & acquired it. 

LESSON: 

• Be prepared. 
• Only once you've aligned your operations, 
• Should you begin identifying deals. 

P.S. Which lesson resonated with you the most?

I spoke to an operator who replaced his finance job income with income from a $3,000,000 real estate portfolio. 

Here's how he replaced his W-2 income: 

1) He was fed up with his current role. 

- He had invested in 8-units prior to his discontent. 
- But the discontent motivated him to step up. 
- & the motivation led to 3+ more deals. 

2) He was willing to take lots of risk. 

- At one point, he had $250,000+ in CC debt. 
- Between labor & material costs for projects. 
- He went ALL in building his portfolio. 

SIDE NOTE: 

This was back in 2019, 2020, 2021 where interest rates were low. He had 3-4 credit cards giving him 0% interest for an entire 12 months! WILD!

3) He leveraged the BRRRR method. 

- At the time, he wasn't utilizing any mentors. 
- Just podcasts, books and good ole action. 
- After each renovation, he'd refinance. 
- & redeploy the capital. 

I wouldn't recommend taking on that kind of credit card debt. 

But one thing was very clear speaking with him: 

He would do anything to make it happen. 

P.S. To what lengths would you go for financial freedom?

My wife & I started a "sugar cleanse" this week. 

No processed carbohydrates. 
No processed sugars. 
No rice...
Starting off the first 4 weeks of the year right.

However... 
We celebrated my brother-in-laws birthday last night. 

They served Korean beef, green beans, and rice. 
(& cake...)
I've never wanted rice more in my life. 

I held strong, but...

I didn't realize how strong my cravings for carbs & sugar were until this week. 

This week's been brutal. But grateful for the reset. 
(& grateful I'm not taking on the cleanse alone)
How's your new year's resolutions going?

I asked a developer/owner (who's built $300,000,000 of real estate) how he got started. His first deal ever? 
A $60,000 land flip. Here's the breakdown: 

1) The developer started his career at 19-years old. 
• He sourced a raw piece of land in his hometown. 
• He raised $30,000 from his family & friends. 
• His original intention? 
• Build a duplex. 

2) The seller called him back with more land to sell.  
• He raised another $30,000 from family & friends. 
• Now that he was sitting on 2 adjacent lots, 
• He started planning to build. 

3) A local builder identified the land he'd bought. 
• That builder offered $120,000 for the land. 
• What he'd just bought for $60,000? 
• He sold for $120,000...

A 50% return of equity to his investors & a $30,000 pay day for a 19 year old kid!

LESSON: 

• Action pays. No matter your age, get after it. 

P.S. If you had $30K pay day at 19...
What would you have bought?

I submitted an offer for $950,000 on a 9-unit portfolio. 
The asking price was $1,400,000. 
Here's why I sent an offer $450,000 < asking price: 

I posted about this deal a few weeks back, & lots of people were curious about the specific numbers of the deal. 

The portfolio was made up of 6 properties: 
• A 4-unit multifamily property. 
• 5 single family homes. 

The income of the portfolio was as follows: 
• The 4-unit property: 
• The 4-unit was 100% occupied all of 2024. 
• The 4-unit produced $39K of rent in 2024. 
• The 4-unit produced $15.6K in expenses. 
• 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟰-𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲𝗱 $𝟮𝟯𝗞 𝗶𝗻 𝗡𝗢𝗜. 
• The 5 SFRs combined: 
• The 5-SFRs were ~ 60%  occupied in 2024. 
• The 5-SFRs produced $41K of rent in 2024. 
• The 5-SFRs produced $56K in expenses. 
• 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟱-𝗦𝗙𝗥𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘁 ~ $𝟭𝟰𝗞 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰. 
• After paying their debt payments. 
• All-in, they netted 4K in 2024. 
• (No 2025 P&L either)

With the SFRs producing negative cashflow, my intent was to sell the SFRs as single family homes, & keep the 4-unit. 

• Local cap rates for this vintage of asset is 7-10%. 
• Here's how I priced the 4-unit apartment: 
• [(NOI: $23,418)/(cap rate: 8.3%)] 
• = value of asset: $284,200
• The Zillow estimate for the SFRs was: 
• $734,000. 
• Combined: $1,018,200. 

The sellers offered seller financing for 50% LTV @ 6% interest. 

Curious to hear your thoughts on my approach.  

Comment below with your thoughts.

I asked an investor who owns a $750,000 6-unit portfolio debt free in Indiana why he didn't sell his properties to get a higher ROE. 

Here's what he told me: 

• He & his wife collect ~ $2,000 a month net. 
• He & his wife are retired. He self-manages.
• It's busy enough to keep him occupied. 
• But not too busy he's overwhelmed. 
• They're content. 

They set out for a specific number to bring home each month, & they achieved it. 

They're debt-free. Living off their hard work over the years, & don't need more. 

They've made it. 

LESSON: 

• There is always more to chase if you want to. 
• But, if you're looking for financial freedom? 
• Pick the number you're looking for. 
• Then fight hard to achieve it. 
• & once you reach it? 
• Either revaluate, 
• or reap the benefits of your hard work. 

P.S. What would you do with a $750,000 debt-free portfolio? 

Sell it & buy a bigger property? Or hold it?

My consulting client posted 12 times in 3 weeks. 
He's already gotten 150,000 impressions. 
& set 3 meetings with ideal clients. 

Here's the breakdown of how we did it: 

• My client is an RIA who helps business owners. 
• His clients are looking to sell their businesses. 
• We're posting content aimed exactly at that. 
• We use past deal experiences to highlight: 
• Specific outcomes his ICPs may want.
• Specific issues his ICP may deal with.
• & we post about it 5 days a week. 

That cadence has led to 150,000 impressions & 3 meetings with business owners looking to sell (or buy) businesses. 

LinkedIn is a goldmine right now if you execute correctly.

If you do just these 3 things:  

1. Show up consistently. 
2. Be a human being, &
3. Bring value. 

You're better than 99% of people on the platform. 

P.S. I'm starting a cohort on January 5th. 

We're capping the cohort at 10 people. 

We'll cover the exact methods I used to help my client achieve 150,000 impressions. 

Comment "Cohort" to schedule a call.

If you're starting a "solo-preneur" business in 2026, you'll beat 99% of the competition doing this: 

1. Pick a niche market to sell to. 
2. Sell to people who can afford to grow with you. 
3. Sell a product you believe in. 
↳Do free work until you believe in it. 
4. Choose a social media platform your clients are on. 
5. Post content every day that solves their problems. 
6. Sell by identifying problems & selling the solution. 
7. REMEMBER: 
↳You haven't won yet, so you have nothing to lose. 

P.S. What's your goal for 2026?

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Drew Breneman

Cole Baker

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