About this episode
The first Speaker Spotlight for MREIC 2026 is live. We're kicking off with John Burley, real estate fund manager and capital raiser with 40+ years of investing experience and $600M+ raised. In this conversation with Brian, John breaks down why real estate success becomes dramatically simpler when you stop chasing "magic deals" and learn how to raise capital in a proper, formal, compliant way—including the exact scripts, structure, and risk-control approach he teaches. John will be speaking at Midwest Real Estate Investor Conference (MREIC 2026) on Monday, April 27, 2026, at 2:30 PM, at DeVos Place Convention Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In this episode, you'll hear: Why "no money down" strategies don't scale the way people think they do The mindset shift: real estate is a money business first How experienced capital investors evaluate risk in today's market Why safety + structure often beats flashy returns when raising capital What it looks like to raise money and get paid on the way (placement-fee model examples) Get tickets + conference details: midwestreiconference.com View ticket options: midwestreiconference.com/view-ticket-options