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From Firefighter to 70 Units a Year: Josh Swart’s Blueprint for Building Wealth
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In this episode, James sits down with Josh Swart in his Concord, NC studio to unpack his journey from firefighter to full-time real estate investor building and renting 70+ units a year. Josh shares how he went from grunt demo jobs as a teenager to developing subdivisions, the lessons learned from big wins and big losses, and how building the right team changed his business. They dive deep into scaling up, hiring, managing risk, why Josh prefers new builds to flips now, and the mindset shifts needed to go from employee to entrepreneur.
Key Points from This Episode
00:00 — James welcomes listeners and introduces Josh Swart, recording from Concord, NC.
01:01 — Josh explains how he got into investing, starting in 2017, and what his business looks like today (70 units/year).
02:58 — Why Josh holds some properties as rentals and how new builds help avoid old-house headaches.
04:27 — From working fire department shifts to working construction on his days off — and realizing he was on the wrong side of the equation.
05:10 — Scraping together family money for his first flip, making $1,000 — and deciding to bet on himself.
07:00 — Josh talks about the uncomfortable personal growth needed to run a business — from hunting deals to building a team.
08:51 — How his team grew to 10 people, including virtual staff for admin and bookkeeping.
09:40 — Living in a flip, swiping pre-workout from work to stay energized — and how the first real profit opened his eyes.
13:20 — Josh’s lightbulb moment — using larger lots and subdivision to unlock value.
17:08 — Focusing on Charlotte’s secondary markets, not the city core — and why that works for his strategy.
20:19 — The surprises (and headaches) of working with different cities and counties.
23:56 — Why Josh prefers to go deeper in his market instead of spreading too thin.
24:03 — Building passive income, growing a trusted local brand, and scaling what works.
28:21 — Starting with one hire out of necessity, then learning how to delegate and find the right people.
30:15 — How Josh learned to give up control — and the freedom that gave him to grow.
33:53 — The role of coaching, masterminds, and being held accountable.
35:26 — From hiring mistakes to using personality tests and finding the right culture fit (and a shared love of The Office).
51:27 — The flips that lost him $150K — and how that refocused him on new builds and predictable returns.
56:53 — Beyond the deals, Josh says his biggest win is the people on his team.
58:44 — James thanks Josh for sharing openly about the ups and downs, and they wrap up.
Links
Renovo Financial - https://renovofinancial.com/
James Gaskin on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-gaskin-b675593/
Josh Swart on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-swart-699b1b157
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