How I Became A Holser

In the last post, I shared how I got started in both digital marketing and U.S. real estate investing—parallel journeys that shaped who I am today.

While working full-time, I launched my first side business in marketing and kept investing in properties.

Together with my partner, we bought two more houses. They weren’t huge wins like our first deal—but we learned, tried, failed, and kept going.

At the same time, my marketing agency started gaining serious momentum—enough to eventually surpass my day job income.

That’s when I finally reached true independence.

Entrepreneurship Tip #1: Focus is Everything

One of the hardest parts of entrepreneurship is staying focused.

Personally, I’m someone who thrives on process—but processes take time.

Now add a few different projects running at once, and staying locked in on a single direction? That gets tough.

Back then, I was young, optimistic, and convinced I could juggle multiple ventures.

It’s that classic entrepreneur’s trap—believing that if you just work hard enough, you can do it all at once.

Spoiler: reality doesn’t always agree.

Looking back, I think every goal I pursued during that time took twice as long as it should have—just because I was too scattered.

But hey, some lessons come with a price. Others, with a reward.

Welcome to the “Almost-Ultimate Freedom” Phase

I was single, debt-free, and unanchored—so I hit the road.

First stop? Brazil’s World Cup in 2014. From there:

Two backpacking rounds in South America

Three trips through Asia

Extended time in Europe

And yes—it was incredible.

During the day, I ran marketing campaigns.

In the afternoon, I managed my properties.

And the rest of the time? I explored, partied, and took way too many selfies.

In real estate, we exited our single-family homes, invested in a successful multifamily syndication, and tried our hand at a few private lending deals.

Marketing-wise, I wanted to grow—but beach life was pretty comfortable, and ambition took a backseat for a while.

And then… I pivoted.

To wholesaling.

Why Wholesaling?

The year was 2019.

I’m sitting at a coffee shop in Nimman, Chiang Mai—right after an affiliate conference in Bangkok.

Weather: perfect.

Location: paradise.

Mood? Not so great.

I’d just gone through a rough breakup with a business partner. My motivation had disappeared.

I was failing to get my marketing business back on track.

And to top it off, I was about to lose over $30,000 in a shady debt deal with a so-called “developer” who ghosted.

Trying to save the deal, I stepped up and volunteered to help sell the properties myself—since the “developer” had vanished.

That’s when it hit me.

I Was Already Doing What Wholesalers Do

I’d been:

Posting off-market deals in Facebook groups

Talking to buyers

Learning how to pitch properties

Watching YouTube videos and taking courses on how to find end buyers

Without realizing it, I’d started acting like the wholesalers I’d seen online.

I was brokering deals I didn’t own—just assigning the rights to them.

And while I’d heard of wholesaling before (I even bought one of my first properties from a wholesaler), I’d never really understood the business model fully.

Then came the aha moment:

“Wait—my whole dream was always to earn money online and invest in real estate.

So… why not combine the two?”

That’s when it clicked.

I Became Obsessed

From that moment on, I deep-dived into wholesaling:

How does it actually work?

What are the best marketing channels?

Who are the top mentors?

How much capital do I need to get started?

And what happened next?

That’s what I’ll share in the next post—

How I closed my first deals, and how I used my digital marketing background to build a wholesaling operation from the ground up.

Photo: Me, living the travel dream while quietly transitioning into the real estate game.

See you tomorrow in Post #3, where I’ll dive into:

My first deals

The systems I used

And how marketing funnels changed my business as a wholesaler

Let’s keep this story going

Drop a comment, question, or just say hi.

— Yogev

Founder, I-Solutions

Online Marketing for Real Estate Pros