Jesse Futia

Fin Ghost

Helping Real Estate Professionals build $1M brands on LinkedIn.

Co-Founder and Ghostwriter

Executive Equity Investing 

Helping busy professionals build generational wealth and retire comfortably through passively investing in real estate.

Chief Executive Officer

Wealth Science Podcast 

Interviewing the top real estate and financial experts in the World.

Host

Writer and Co-Founder @ CRE Digital | Copywriting & social media management for the world's most innovative real estate companies

Creating content on social media is digital leverage for real estate professionals. 

𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘁, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲. 

You now have two choices:

1. Create content

2. Be passed by those that do 

My story 👇

Broke college kid turned 7-figure real estate investor and writer. 

I help 7-figure real estate professionals grow their brands and drive qualified leads on LinkedIn. 

--

Hit the 🔔 and follow along each day for free tips.

Ready to grow your brand on LinkedIn to drive more qualified leads?

𝗛𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗲.

Raised $30 MM in capital for real estate through LinkedIn and Guest Podcasting | Posts about Real Estate, Writing, and Audience Building

CAP X MEDIA

Helping Real Estate Investors Build Their Brand and Raise Capital Through Digital Media.

Founder

Elite Podcast Bookings

*Rebranded to CAP X MEDIA

Revolutionizing real estate investing marketing with guest podcasting and organic lead generation to raise more capital and explode your personal brand online.

Founder 

Boardwalk Wealth

Oversaw and assisted a real estate portfolio of assets valued at $50MM and achieve goals through allocation, monitoring, and risk management.

Asset Management

Leveraged expertise in market research, financial analysis, and risk assessment to drive informed decision-making and optimize returns within the real estate investment portfolio.

Senior Analyst

Managed communications, built relationships with media outlets, and produced engaging content to enhance brand visibility and effectively communicate key messages to real estate investors.

Investor and Media Relations

Rabbit Hole Finance

Conducted insightful interviews with prominent figures in the bitcoin industry, delving into topics of Austrian economics, finance, and global markets to provide valuable insights and perspectives to the audience.

Podcast Host

Real Estate Journeys

114 episodes in syndication, our business podcast has achieved a remarkable feat as a top 400 podcast, offering valuable insights and knowledge to real estate investors.

99% of Real Estate LinkedIn is Chat GPT posts and noise.

There's a better way to stand out online ⤵️

If this sounds like you:

❌ Lack of capital
❌ Feeling tired and burned out
❌ Not growing your presence online

Now, imagine this:

✅ Securing more deals
✅ Successfully raising $5 million in capital
✅ Having a loyal following that knows, likes, and trusts you

If you're a 6-figure real estate entrepreneur who's serious about raising more capital and closing more deals, join my free newsletter, Digital Leverage. 

You'll be in good company with over 300+ entrepreneurs who are making their mark online. 

(See featured section above ⤴️)

Matthew Baltzell 🌴

$7,000 staging job replaced by a $12 AI render. 

Here’s what happens next...


Look at this photo.

Left → AI staging.
 
Right → $3,000/month vacant liability pretending to be a listing.

Buyers make a decision in 8 seconds.

Physical staging?

Trucks. 
Movers. 
Insurance. 
Two days of hassle.
Thousands of dollars. 

AI?

Ten bucks. 
Twelve seconds.
Zero excuses.

Virtual staging isn’t “coming.”
 
It’s already the default mode: cheaper, faster, and built for conversion.

And the investors who pivot first?

They’ll have the lions share of the deal transactions

And the investors who pivot first?

They won’t “win more deals.”
 
They’ll take em  down...while everyone else wonders what just happened.

Agree or disagree?

Matthew Baltzell

$20M+ Raised | LP Pipeline Systems for Real Estate & PE Firms | Build Trust, Fill Deals, Raise Faster

2026 rate forecasts explained in 6 seconds...

I didn’t know a single missed ID check could unleash $50,000 worth of chaos.
(Turns out…it can)


Back in college, I worked the door at a bar called The Pickle Barrel.

One night, I didn’t check an ID properly.
 
The "kid" was an undercover cop.

The fallout was brutal...

- Liquor license suspended for a week

- $50,000 in lost sales

- Bartender fined

- Manager furious

- Staff treating me like I burned the place down

Ten seconds.

That’s all it took.

And a month later, I got fired (go figure)

Lesson: tiny lapses in process can create massive consequences.

Same in capital raising.

I see operators with great deals lose millions because they don’t have a system to attract investors.
 
No process = no pipeline.

At CAP X MEDIA, we fix that.
 
We build predictable investor pipelines through podcasting + media funnels.

One mistake cost that bar $50K and my job.
One mistake with your investor brand could cost you millions.

I failed the Series 6 exam. Twice.

Turns out, failing was the best thing for me.



I used to think passing the Series 6 was my golden ticket into finance.

- Woke up at 5am
- Studied before work
- Spent weekends at the library
- Highlighters
- Flashcards
- Tests

It was overwhelming. 

First try? Missed by 3 points.

Brutal!

But I chalked it up to pacing. 

So I doubled down...

- New prep books
- Study groups
- More pressure

Second try? 

Missed by 7

Sat in the car afterward and thought, "Maybe I’m not cut out for this."

That license felt like the gatekeeper. 

Like without it, I wasn’t legitimate. 

I was just another guy “trying to break in.”

I never took it again.

Instead, I asked a better question:

What if I stopped chasing credentials and just solved real problems for real people with real money?

That’s when things changed.

Fast forward...

✅ Raised $20M+ for investors
✅ Built a 400+ unit portfolio
✅ Help PE firms turn media appearances into LP trust engines

No licenses...
...No letters behind my name. 

Just results.

Lesson?

No one cares about your resume.

They care if you can get the job done.

You don’t need another certification. 

You need clarity, proof, and a compelling story.

Especially if you're raising capital.

If you're a fund manager stuck behind paperwork, jargon, and silence, skip the next credential.

Start telling the right story in the right rooms.

That’s what LPs actually trust.

Cold investors don’t wire capital.

Here’s how to build trust pre call...


Most capital raisers think the hard part is getting the investor to book the call.

Wrong!

The hard part is keeping their conviction long enough to get them to... 

Show up
Stay engaged
And eventually deploy capital.

That week between booking and the call? 
...That’s where founders fumble the raise.

Here’s what strong sponsor's do differently:

1. Send a credibility asset immediately.

A clean one-pager.
A case study.
A short Loom.

Something that says: “You’re in good hands.”

2. Frame the call so they know what to expect.

Investors avoid chaos.
If the agenda is clear, they show up prepared and serious.

3. Build anticipation with social proof.

Past deals. 
Track record. 
Testimonials.

Investors trust momentum more than promises.

4. Drip reminders that actually add value.

Not “friendly reminders.”

Actual insight.
A quick market note.
A short win from your portfolio.

Something that keeps them warm.

5. Reaffirm why the call matters.

You’re not chasing them.
You’re giving them a shot at something they could miss.

By the time an investor hits your Zoom room, they should already trust you enough to lean in...not sit back.

Cold investors don’t wire capital.

Warm, informed, confident investors do.

Start nurturing the gap.

Watch your raise get easier.

if you’re raising capital, read this twice.

most firms can raise their first $5M+ with just 2 channels...


but most founders choose the wrong two because they get seduced by vanity.

the channels that actually produce money:

– guest podcasting (done strategically, not “spray & pray”)
– outbound (cold email + cold DM)
– LP referrals
– partnerships

the channels that drain your time and starve your pipeline:

– organic social
– weekly newsletters
– “personal brand building”

why

because you don’t need “brand.”
 you need investor trust and investor calls.
 
today.
tomorrow.
 
not Q4 next year.

list one makes money.
 
list two burns money until you’re already big.

here’s the founder mistake I see every week:

they build a media company before they build a deal flow engine.
lighting kits.
podcast mics.
LinkedIn posts that get 8 likes.
SEO roadmaps that won’t rank until 2027.
 
zero investor conversations to show for it.

stop confusing activity with progress.

your first $5M–$20M raise is about:

→ manufactured trust
→ borrowed credibility
→ forced distribution
→ controlled conversations

that’s what guest podcasting + outbound gives you.
once you have momentum, then do the cute stuff.

if you skip the “trust engine” stage, you lose years.

CAP X MEDIA exists so you don’t.

Everyone says they want a $1B+ exit...

(Until they see what a 10 figure day looks like)


I was listening to My First Million when Shaan Puri said something that stuck.

People get jealous of the outputs:

The money
The freedom
The “success

But...they never study the inputs.

Shaan shadowed a founder who sold his company for billions.

After watching him grind through non-stop meetings, he realized...
...he didn’t want that life at all.

It made me think:

We worship people’s results without asking if we actually want their routine.

So before chasing someone’s “level,” study their inputs.

Would you trade your day for theirs?

JSESSIONID

li_at

Talks about #creatoreconomy, #entrepreneurship, and #realestateinvesting

Sara Blakely started SPANX with $5,000…


No investors.
No venture capital.
No big checks.

Today?

SPANX is worth over $1,000,000,000 — and she still owns a huge piece of it.

When asked how she did it, Sara said:

• “Start small, think big, scale slowly.”
• “Focus on one thing and do it better than anyone else.”
• “Clarity attracts. Confusion repels.”

These principles apply directly to raising capital in real estate — and most sponsors miss them.

At CAP X MEDIA, we help fix that.

1) Start small, think big.

Investors don’t fund potential…
 …They fund proof.

Your content, your brand, your messaging — they must show competence long before investors wire money.

We help you build that trust strategically.

2) Focus on one thing and nail it.

Most sponsors try speaking to everyone…
…So they connect with no one.

We help you:

• Clarify your message
• Simplify your story
• Own your niche

Because focused messaging raises capital.
Scattered messaging kills it.

3) Clarity attracts. Confusion repels.

Investors aren’t saying no to your deals.
They’re saying no to unclear communication.

We help you articulate:

• Your model
• Your track record 
• Your investor value

Clearly. Simply. Confidently.

Clarity raises capital.
Confusion raises doubt.

At CAP X MEDIA, our mission is simple:

• Build brand authority
• Craft investor-focused messaging
• Help you raise more capital with less friction

Want to raise capital the modern way?

DM “CAP X” and we’ll schedule an intro call.

Struggling to get any traction on LinkedIn?

Here’s the uncomfortable truth…


You can have:

• Solid hooks
• Clean formatting
• Clear CTAs

…and still get ignored.

Not because your content is bad.
 
Because the game changed.

Your text posts are fighting uphill against an algorithm that’s bored out of its mind.

Want to fix it?

Short-form video.

It’s getting 3× more engagement than text right now.

More impressions → more attention.
More attention → more leads.
 
Simple math.

But here’s what most people miss:

This window won’t stay open.
 
Every gold rush ends.
 
Once everyone floods LinkedIn with video, reach tanks.

So you can sit around polishing another text post…

Or you can ride the algorithm while it’s basically begging you to win.

If you’re a real estate investor or entrepreneur who wants predictable inbound leads on LinkedIn...

DM me “video” and let’s build something that actually moves the needle.

I Asked ChatGPT What Would Happen If Every Capital Raiser Started a Podcast (Here’s What It Said)


It said...

Most wouldn’t make it past episode 5.

Because the truth is…

Most capital raisers don’t have a lead problem.
They have a trust problem.

Everyone’s fighting for attention with recycled LinkedIn posts and “our latest deal” emails.

Meanwhile, the ones who win?

They’re the ones who own attention.

A podcast isn’t about going viral.

It’s about getting 100 serious investors to spend hours hearing your voice, your story, your conviction.

By the time they book a call, they already trust you.

They’ve heard you think.
They’ve heard you lead.

That’s leverage.

So no- not everyone should start a podcast.

Only the ones who want to stop begging for capital and start attracting it.

11 years ago, I auditioned for a Jack in the Box commercial…



My role?

A stone r who loved late night tacos.

Spoiler: I didn’t get the part.

But looking back...

Those auditions taught me something about life and business you don’t always get the “role” you thought you wanted.

Sometimes, the rejection just redirects you toward where you were actually supposed to perform.

Fast forward...

I’m not reading side anymore. 

I’m helping founders tell stories that actually land.

The camera changed, but the mission stayed the same: 

Get attention
Be real
Make people feel something

P.S. Still waiting on that chicken cheesy sandwich.

In 2011, Netflix pulled a move 99% of companies are too soft to even attempt…



They didn’t “adjust pricing.”
They detonated a 60% increase overnight.

Customers went absolutely loco. 

800,000 vanished in a single quarter.
The stock got obliterated. 
Twitter mobs (back when that meant something) declared Netflix dead.

But here’s the psychology behind the move...

Weak companies optimize for comfort.
Strong companies optimize for control.

Netflix saw the truth...

DVDs were a slow-motion collapse.
Streaming wasn’t printing cash yet.
 
And trying to keep everyone happy would trap them in the worst place possible:

The middle.

So they did what real operators do...

They took the painful swing that created long-term leverage.

And that moment:

• Severed their dependence on physical products
• Forced total commitment to streaming
• Built the foundation of a global content empire

From the outside, it looked reckless...
...From the inside, it was strategic survival.

This is business 101:

Do what’s easy and your business becomes hard.
Do what’s hard and your business becomes unstoppable.
-
Have you ever taken short-term hate to build long-term leverage?

This One Mistake Is Costing You Millions in Investor Capital...



Most capital raisers are horrible podcast guests.

And nobody wants to say it… so I will.

You’re not going on podcasts to “share your journey.”
You’re going on to raise money and grow your pipeline.
 
Period.

But almost everyone screws up the one moment that actually moves dollars:

The Call to Action.

Here’s a real example of what NOT to do:

Host: “Where can people find you?”
 
Guest:

“Go to Capital Group dot com…”
“Or email me…”
“Or Google me…”
“Or contact Laura on my team…”

Four options! Zero clarity. No urgency.
 
A perfect recipe for watching warm leads evaporate.

IF you haven’t seen the clip 🙄 Stop and go watch it. It’s chaos.

Where it went wrong:

Too many choices. 
(Listeners don’t want a scavenger hunt.)

No clear direction. 
(Confusion kills conversions.)

No urgency. 
(Give them a reason to act right now.)

Podcast listeners are primed.
They already trust you.
They want the next step.

And if you don’t give it to them?

They move on. Fast.

How to Fix It (The Operator Way):

1. Pick ONE destination.
One link. One action. One funnel.

2. Make it stupid-simple.
Short. Memorable. Easy to type.

3. Add scarcity.
Eg:
 “Email me at joe@capital.com...
 ...First 3 listeners get a free 30 minute underwriting breakdown.”

Now you’ve created urgency.
 Now you’ve created action.
  Now you’ve created money.

Most people go on podcasts and waste the shot.
 
You fix your CTA, and your conversions will spike like asset prices in 2020.

Want to double your capital raise in 2026? DM me “easy mode."

3 months into learning guitar and I finally understand why most people quit...


It’s painfully slow.
Your fingers hate you.
Your strumming sounds like a lawnmower hitting a metal pipe (no joke).

And every YouTube teacher with perfect hair makes it look “so easy.”

Meanwhile, I’m over here celebrating that I switched G to C chord cleanly for once.

But here’s the kicker...

I’m actually loving it.
Not because I’m suddenly good.
Because it reminds me what it's like to learn something new.

That dying thirst for the unknown.

The need to reinvent yourself.
Humble yourself.
And enjoy yourself.

You don’t need to monetize everything.

You don’t need to chase followers.
 
You don’t need a KPI for every hobby.

Sometimes it’s healthy to suck at something.

It wakes you up.
 
It slows you down.
 
And it gives you permission to just be a beginner again.

Business is where I perform.
Guitar is where I breathe.

Three months in, I’m not trying to become a rockstar —
 I’m just trying not to scare the neighbors.

And honestly?

That’s enough for now.

Don’t say: “6–8% pref.”
Do say: “8–6% pref.”
Here’s why…

Most operators talk about returns in a way that kills investor confidence without ever realizing it.

They anchor low.

“Most deals return around 6–8%.”

Great!?

Now the investor’s brain is locked onto six.

Six feels “normal.”
Seven feels “fine.”
Eight feels “maybe… if the stars align.”

Flip it:

“Most deals in this market land in the 8–6% range depending on structure.”

Now eight feels normal.
Seven feels logical.
Six feels like the conservative downside.

Same numbers.
Different order.

Totally different psychology.

But wait… won’t investors now expect the higher return?

No, because anchoring doesn’t create expectation.

Anchoring creates context.

Investors aren’t dumb.

They know the preferred return is a fixed number in the PPM.

You’re not changing the pref.
You’re shaping how they interpret the pref.

When you anchor high:

- Confidence increases

- The middle feels solid

- The low end feels conservative

The actual deal (say a 7% pref) lands stronger, not weaker.

You’re not promising eight…
You’re making seven feel normal, not disappointing.

This is how sophisticated operators communicate.

They don’t manipulate numbers.
They frame them in a way that builds certainty.

High-net-worth investors aren’t buying math.

They’re buying the conviction behind the math.

Happy Thanksgiving from The Baltzell’s 🦃🍁🎃

No alternative text description for this image

10 Reasons You Shouldn’t Start a Podcast.

 If you’re thinking about it… watch this first.


If you're a real estate investor and you want 2x your capital raises next year DM me "Capital" and I'll give you more details.

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The Battle

Jesse Futia

Matthew Baltzell 🌴

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The Battle

Jesse Futia

Matthew Baltzell 🌴

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Matthew Baltzell 🌴's LinkedIn Performance

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