In this episode, we dive deep with Matt Blair, COO and founding partner of REI Capital Growth. Matt shares how a single rainstorm conversation with his father in an empty Dallas apartment sparked a business that's revolutionizing how small balance investors access commercial real estate opportunities.

We explore how conversations have shaped both Matt's business and personal life - from the month-long phone calls that formed the foundation of his relationship with his now-wife, to the persistent debates that helped refine their investment model through multiple SEC rejections.

Links & Companies Mentioned

• REI Capital Growth: reicapitalgrowth.com
• REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts)

Today's guest, Matt Blair, knows firsthand the power of conversation. In fact, conversations have played a defining role in Matt's life, shaping not just his business, But also his relationships and the way he approaches growth. So meet Matt, he's a COO and one of the founding partners of REI Capital Growth, an investment fund designed to empower small balance investors with direct access to the wealth generating power of the U. S. commercial real estate. Matt, welcome to the show.

Matt Blair: Thanks for having me.

Matt Blair: Yeah. So, um, uh, me and my dad had both spent the, our. entire careers within the commercial real estate market. Um, I was on the debt side and my dad was more on the equity side and, uh, he was a broker and a property manager and I was more working with banks. Um, but he created the small family and friends investment accounts, which I was an investor in.

And there's certain, issues with that strategy where people are distributed income, but maybe they don't necessarily need or want that income today, but they want to reinvest it back into the fund or reinvest it back into the property in order to grow their investments over, um, over a longer period of time.

It's an idea that gets implemented at the highest levels by the ultra high net worth individuals. They just, they build it for themselves, right? They buy properties that they own for really, really long periods of time. Generations. And the value of those properties grow over tremendously long periods of time.

And then the real challenge has taken us the past eight years to how do we deliver that investment strategy to our investors or to, um, small balance investors that don't have access, that don't have enough capital to go out and build this for themselves. And that's just been a perpetual, ongoing conversation, um, over and over, over years.

And, um, and now we are qualified with the SEC, so we can accept small balance investors. Any small balance investors across the world, um, can invest directly with us on our website. And, um, we are doing our full scale launch in the next couple of weeks. You know, we're working out the final tweaks of our investor portal.

Um, we're qualified, like I mentioned with the SEC, so we are just weeks away from our, our grand opening.

Sadaf Beynon: That's amazing. Well done. Yeah. Congratulations.

Sadaf Beynon: That's great. So when you were sitting there talking to your dad, was it this, um, slow realization that this is what, what makes sense?

This is what we need to do. We need to mimic what the others are doing. Or was it one of those like, you know, um, sudden idea that came out of like, you're having these conversations and this idea just dropped. What was that like?

Matt Blair: So commercial real estate is a very. Old industry, right? And there are very, there's a status quo, I guess you could say within commercial real estate and that everybody does it kind of the same way.

And so having that big realization that, wait a minute, tons of people have done this before and they are continuing to do it. They're just doing it for themselves. And so that epiphany was that, that's why I remember that conversation so vividly is because it just. It came out of nowhere, just, wait a minute, you know, of course people do this all the time, right?

And so that kind of came out of nowhere, I think. Um, I don't know where it came from, it just kind of popped in. Um, but that was the major hurdle that we got over, which is, this is not new, this is actually a very old strategy. The only new part is bringing it to people that haven't had access to it before.

There's a opportunity that's relatively new within this space within kind of all commerce, I suppose you could say, um, that hasn't been fully taken advantage of in this way. And so we think that there's an opportunity to. Bring all these small balance investors together in order to deliver a, a better investment product to them, depending on their investment objectives.

Matt Blair: Of course.

Sadaf Beynon: Yeah, that's, that's great. I love how that, um, conversation, that moment in time is just like imprinted in your mind and you can go back to that. I love that. What were some of the early challenges in turning that idea into a reality?

Um, and the reason is because the SEC and the laws that you have to navigate are designed to protect small balance investors from scams. And there's, if you study any financial history, there are a number of very large, very, interesting scams that happened throughout the world. that left individual small balance investors, you know, with nothing.

Totally, um, destroyed. One, one that I always think about is the, the tulip. Um, I forget exactly what it's called, but tulips became remarkably expensive at some point, you know. Thousands upon thousands of dollars for a tulip, and in that time's money, right? The equivalent. And so people were buying tulips as a store of value, but tulips die, they wilt, right?

with a smaller check size. So, you know, when we originally started out, we were targeting larger investors, but we realized that number one, they can build this for themselves. They don't really need us to build it, but also, um, in order to create liquidity for our investors, because investors need their money back at some point, right?

In order to create that liquidity vehicle, we need a large number of small balance investors because their investment timelines are all going to be different. And we can talk about exactly how that works and functions, but, um, figuring out how to deliver that liquidity without having to liquidate assets in the fund was a big challenge.

And that took a long time for us to, to figure out and realize that it could work. at a larger scale was was also a kind of a longer term process.

Sadaf Beynon: Yeah, when you say us, was that you and your dad or was that some, was there someone else involved?

And that's what makes it such a great asset class. It's because it gives you the ability to not have to pay taxes today. It lets you pay taxes in the future. Which means you can reinvest more of your money. Today, um, like a higher percentage of the capital today. So he's been instrumental in getting this off the ground because we needed the appropriate, uh, financial structure to deliver a really great product to our investors.

Sadaf Beynon: Oh, that's cool. So it sounds like the whole qualification process is quite, um, stressful and laborious in some ways too. So did you ever want to give up in any of that time?

Matt Blair: Ah, yes, yes, very much so. Um, I, uh, struggled with that quite a bit, but I do have to, give it up to my father because he is just completely unrelenting.

It's not just that he believes that it's going to work. He knows it's going to work. He says you have to know it. You just have to know that it's going to work. And this is another conversation we have all the time because, you know, I have two little kids now and it's hard to be an entrepreneur with a family, right?

Sadaf Beynon: keeps pushing you.

Matt Blair: Yeah. We'll never give up. And, uh, that is absolutely my father

Sadaf Beynon: and,

Matt Blair: uh, you know, he dragged me along and I'm very happy that he did, because I think we're really on the precipice of something really big.

Sadaf Beynon: Yeah. Sounds like it. Have you ever asked him what that is in him that, um, that knowing that something's going to work, where does that come from?

Matt Blair: You know, I've never asked him that, um, but it's something my brothers and I talk about just, it's unbelievable how, he never gives up. He just never gives up, regardless of what happens, how bad it gets. He just, he's very optimistic and he can always make things right in the longterm.

Sadaf Beynon: It's fascinating, isn't it? Like, what is it that pushes them to. Or that knowing, and then also the, the, the push to just be persistent and persevere regardless of what's going on.

Matt Blair: Yeah, absolutely. And, uh, and my brother is also in the midst of an entrepreneurial endeavor. And, uh, we talk about that quite a bit, which is, you know, you just have to. focus on the inputs, not that, not the outcomes. Um, because you, you, no matter what you do, you can't control the outcome. And all you can do is control how much you put in and just have faith.

Then, uh, that it'll all work out and just belief in what you're doing. Belief in what you're doing. Yeah, absolutely.

I

Matt Blair: think a big reason is because what we're doing is different, right? This is not how people invest in commercial real estate, uh, up until this date. And so, when you do something different, people want to hear from the person who invented it. And they want to know that we know what we're talking about.

They want to know that we've thought about all the different angles. They want to know that this isn't a scam, right? And I think that's a lot different than Maybe a consumer, a regular consumer product where, you know, if it looks cool and it's the right price, it, it fits right. Um, and people will buy it, they'll try it, but in, in a financial product, there's a huge amount of trust that needs to be established between the management company and the investors.

And, um, and we want people to hear us talk. We want people to, um, hear that we're a family company, right? We're self funded. We have not taken any big institutional capital because. If we did, we would have capital pressures that would Be pressuring us to make decisions that perhaps are not necessarily in alignment with our long term value creation objective that we're trying to deliver to our investors.

So we're trying to tell people what we're doing, why we're doing it, you know, establish that trust so that people can, um, feel comfortable coming on board and, and investing with us.

Matt Blair: Absolutely.

Sadaf Beynon: How do you approach conversations then with potential investors in order to build that trust? What do you do?

Matt Blair: I think it's really just letting them drive the conversation, right? And it's about establishing understanding. Because what we're doing is different, right? So it, most people, they try to find frameworks in their mind to benchmark off of.

And so you have to find the framework that works for them, and then help them adjust that framework. To fit what you're doing. So, um, usually we start out with discussing REITs. Because most people understand what a REIT is. Um, I'm not sure if you're familiar.

Sadaf Beynon: I'm not. Feel free to explain that.

Okay. And there are hundreds, potentially thousands of different REITs that are publicly traded. The big difference between what we're doing and what a REIT does is a REIT will distribute 90 percent of the income is generated from the properties they invest in. Right, so it's an income producing investment product.

So if you invest 1, 000, right, you will get a return on that 1, 000 on a monthly, quarterly, or annual basis from the REIT. Now what we're doing is we're keeping all the money in the fund and we're reinvesting it into more assets. So that allows us to differentiate ourselves from REITs because REITs are focused on giving distributions and we are focused on growing the portfolio.

It's a tremendously boring investment strategy, but it's super powerful over long periods of time. So having these conversations with people is about establishing what they understand and then re re navigating that into what we do and everybody's level of understanding is totally different.

I'm not trying to sound smart. I'm trying to show you that I know what I'm talking about, but also educate you on what I'm doing. Inspire the belief that it's a good idea, because I think it's a, it's an amazing idea. But I want you to come to that conclusion on your own. I don't want you to just hear me say it.

Sadaf Beynon: Yeah. Yeah. I love how you said about establishing an understanding. Cause that's so important, isn't it, as a building block for trust. Also I like how you allow them to explore rather than talking at them. So where they've got the questions, you kind of let them guide the conversation in many ways so that they have a full understanding of what it is that they're trying to achieve.

Sadaf Beynon: Mm. I like that. Do you remember a particular conversation that helped you, say, secure your first major investment or anything like that?

Matt Blair: Maybe not secure my first investment, but my, my other brother is he's a wonderful debater, and he's very hard to convince of, Anything he doesn't truly believe in, right? If he thinks it's a bad idea, he'll let you know. So convincing him that this was a good idea was a long process.

And, and, uh, and so, you know, I, I remember having that conversation where I was surprised that he didn't have any real feedback, which is unique. Yeah. So, um, so that one stands out, but, um, but we, we really haven't really launched full scale yet. So we have not attracted any, uh, major investors within the fund yet.

That's going to happen in the next three or four weeks where we're fully. Bringing people into the, into the sales funnel and trying to get them to engage with us.

Sadaf Beynon: Perfect. Sorry, I jumped the gun there for you. Sorry.

Matt Blair: No, no, it's fine. It's absolutely fine.

Sadaf Beynon: Matt, one of the things that I was really looking forward to about recording this podcast with you is because Our conversations and how they impact us is not just when it comes to our businesses, you know, we're more than that.

Matt Blair: Yeah. Uh, so me and my wife, we met on a dating app. Um, and neither of us had really, explored the apps too much or had a lot of dates on the apps or really engaged very much. But we, we just kind of connected, we hit it off a little, a little banter on, on the texting and then she just called me one day.

We had connected very early on in that trip. And so we were getting to know each other from a distance. So we started having these conversations about everything and nothing. And at one point we were talking for two hours every night after work, you know, I'm in my hotel room and we're just kind of chatting about.

It's like there's so much more to a relationship than just seeing if You guys hit it off that first time, there's a lot of pressure. Or maybe not enough pressure. I'm not sure.

Sadaf Beynon: Yeah, no, that's great. I love what you said about, those conversations were the foundation of your relationship. I'd love to know more.

Like what, what was it about those that made it so impactful?

it's really hard to really get to know people in our modern life. You know, you grow up, you go to college, you get a job, you move to a new city, right? Maybe that city doesn't work out, you move to a new city, you start over again. Well, that's a, that's a really new phenomenon in the human experience, right?

Traditionally people, they didn't really travel too much, too far away from their home. Then the people that they ended up marrying were the people that they grew up with, the people that they knew 15 years, 10, 15 years, right? Having that level of connection and understanding and really getting through a large amount of the.

It felt like a curse at the time, actually, because, um, my wife likes to joke. She thought I had another family, um, because I, I was just, I was gone. She's like, Are you coming back? I said, I don't know. You know, we'll see. I got extended another week. I got extended another week. And so after a few weeks of that, she was, uh, starting to doubt my, my, um, legitimacy.

Sadaf Beynon: No, that's, that's very cool. I love that. And also it's just, as I'm listening to you talk, you were saying about, um, in those conversations, you get to share values and you build that trust and it's similar to what you had, um, with your, with your dad, like the, the shared values were already there, that trust was already there, but to be able to have these kinds of conversations that are so impactful because you're willing to go so far below the surface.

Right? So just putting in that time and again, not deliberately, but just because we were really excited to talk to each other. Yeah. There were days where we had some. serious conversations and I always felt great doing it. I really wanted to talk to her every day, but we had some serious conversations, um, about how we grew up, about, you know, um, values, about things that were happening in the world at the time.

Sadaf Beynon: That's fantastic. Thank you for sharing that. How would you say that experience with, um, then has, has it shaped the way you approach communication in other areas of your life? I

Matt Blair: think it's really taught me that, a single conversation isn't really going to do much, right? You have to go into, um, with an understanding that it's not as simple as just having one conversation. Um, so I think about that a lot with my son and, you know, we're teaching him that he can't push or hit his little sister.

And it's having the patience to have those conversations over and over and over again. Um, and not getting frustrated. That, he's not getting it or, you know, speaking to a professor where I went to business school, trying to explain to him why I think this is such a great idea. He's not getting it.

It's like, well, okay, I have to have another conversation. We have to really dig into this over and over and over again. And, um, It also helps you, or me, get better at communicating, right? Okay, so somebody's not really picking up what I'm saying. Okay, well let's have this conversation again. Let's try again.

Let's, um, let's just keep, keep doing it. And, uh, the hardest part is convincing the other person to keep listening. Yeah.

Matt Blair: Yeah. And, uh, and also staying engaged. Right.

Because they don't want to hear the same thing over and over again because, who wants to do that? So yeah, just being patient and, , always trying to get better, right? You can always communicate more effectively. But just never giving up, being, uh, relentless, being, discipline to keep going at it, even when things, are slow or not going your way or, anything like that.

I, I would say that that, that experience really shaped that belief that things take time and you have to put in, you have to put in the time. Otherwise, you know, it's surface level to get deep. You really have to put in the time.

Sadaf Beynon: Yeah, that's awesome

One of the things I feel like what's coming through with, um, in this conversation with you is that you're really passionate about the idea that small, consistent conversations over time lead to growth, whether that's in your business, whether that's in your relationships.

Matt Blair: Um, sure. Uh, yeah, like a side interest of mine is, is politics, right? And that's a very taboo topic. But everybody has their opinions about social issues, financial issues, but we don't really talk about them because we're afraid of offending people or afraid of being offended. But I found that having conversations about different political issues, , is actually really beneficial to number one, your relationships, but also to your ideas, because if somebody can poke a hole, a big hole in one of your closely held opinions.

Um, or maybe rethink positions. So,

small, consistent conversations. Are beyond, just a tool to maybe succeed in business or, build strong relationships. I mean, it's a way to examine yourself, right? It's a way for you to put your ideas to the test. And if they can't weather the storm, then you have to look inside. And that's hard. That's not a lot of fun at all

Sadaf Beynon: to say,

Matt Blair: Hey, I believe this.

Um, and it is, it is scary. I don't like doing it. But, uh, I try to do it as often as I can because it ultimately makes you stronger and it makes your arguments better and sometimes it causes you to change your mind and that's a good thing. I think people associate their identity with their ideas.

I didn't come up with that. I'm just parroting it, but I think I like it. I like that. Um, because I used to do that, but, um, the more often you can disassociate your identity with your ideas and put your ideas to the test and not be crushed when your idea is crushed. Is, uh, is really valuable for self growth and for, perseverance.

Matt Blair: Yeah. To say the least. It can be really, really hard. And, um, having a good support system, like when some of those core ideas that are really kind of at the core of who you are come crashing down, or maybe just tumble a little bit, it can be really valuable to have that support system of people that are like, Hey, I love you no matter what.

Um, and it helps you pick yourself up and put the pieces back together and re examine, what your, Life philosophy is all about or, what's really important to you. And I think that that's good. I think it's good to break those weak pieces down and build them back up stronger.

Sadaf Beynon: Yeah, that's, I love what you've said.

Thank you, Matt. This has been, this has been great. I, I really appreciate your, um, you being so candid. And, um, your, your thought, you come, you're very thoughtful, you're very humble in the way you talk and the way you think. I love that.

Sadaf Beynon: Well, thanks so much. And before we wrap up though, Matt, where can our listeners connect with you and learn more about REI Capital growth?

Matt Blair: Yeah, so come to reicapitalgrowth.com. That's where everything is located. All of our social media is on there as well. So it's just reicaptialgrowth.com. And, uh, come take a look at what we've done and let us know what you think.

Sadaf Beynon: For those tuning in, you'll find all the links and details in the description. And, um, so that's it for today's episode, Matt. Thanks again for your time, your wisdom. It's really been fun. It's been great.

Matt Blair: Yeah, I appreciate it. Thank you.

Sadaf Beynon: And to our listeners, thanks for joining us. If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe for more conversations that open doors, create opportunities and shape the way we think.