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Rock bottom came when Justin Freishtat sold his house to pay lawyers.
In the summer of 2023 multifamily he bought near the top slipped toward default and cash dried up. A first fund was hit by a fraudulent actor and lawsuits began from both sides. He moved his family into a condo, took a high-ticket sales role for immediate cash, and rebuilt his day around simple twenty-four-hour goals. The next months were quiet work and clean days stacked one on another. Two years later he sits on the board of a public company preparing an NYSE uplist, has closed 1.2 million in fifteen minutes on Zoom, and is raising money for a 120 acre four billion dollar waterfront project in Chattanooga.
Keep reading and we will break down his four-step rebuild loop so you can use it when the market or life drops you to the floor.
Big investors are buying this “unlisted” stock
When the founder who sold his last company to Zillow for $120M starts a new venture, people notice. That’s why the same VCs behind Uber and eBay also backed Pacaso. They made $110M+ in gross profit to date. They even reserved the Nasdaq ticker PCSO. Now, you can join, too.
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The Summer Everything Broke
After a decade of successes, the year 2023 changed everything.
Deals he’d rolled into multifamily at peak prices drifted toward default as rates rose and cash dried up. A first-time fund attracted a fraudulent actor. Lawsuits hit from both directions. To stabilize, Justin sold the house, moved his family into a condo, and took a high-ticket sales role to keep income flowing while counsel fought for investors. Nights were for paperwork; mornings were for planning. The goal was simple and small: survive the next 24 hours and stack clean days.
Hard work is how you earn the right to work smarter, I am a lazy workaholic by design
What He Really Wanted
Covering bills and protecting investors sat on the surface, but there was a deeper aim: a business model that rewarded the skills he already had—sales, relationships, judgment—without forcing him to start at zero every month.
Door-to-door grit had a ceiling; the commission checks reset monthly and the ticket size stayed tiny. He wanted a “vehicle” that scaled his time, paid for results, and created assets that compounded. Reputation mattered too.
He refused to let a bad year rewrite his name.
🧠 Did you know? 💡
Lawsuits are normal, not a red flag: 82% of companies were involved in at least one lawsuit in 2024 (median regulatory actions = 2). (learn more)
Multifamily pain spiked too: CMBS delinquent apartment loans jumped ~75% in 2024 to about $2.77B, not just offices. (learn more)
Accountability beats willpower: in a Harvard Business School study, participants who sent weekly progress reports to a friend achieved the highest results (mean goal achievement 7.6 vs. 4.28 for unwritten goals). (learn more)
Shrinking the Window, Rebuilding the Day
Momentum didn’t come back because he “believed.”
It returned because the operating system changed. Justin dropped annual fantasies and adopted 24-hour goals: three outcomes written the night before—one Health, one Revenue, and one Relationship. Each was measurable. Examples looked like 45-minute lift + protein target; 12 investor outreaches; 20 undistracted minutes with family. The next night, he scored the day and reset. Veterans gave one more reframe that stuck: lawsuits are weather, not destiny.
With the window small and the mindset steady, the trend line began to turn.
Watch the full podcast:
The Vehicle Shift (and the Anchors that Made it Stick)
Hard work alone had capped out in his first model: $1K–$5K tickets, ~10% commission, endless hunting.
Same engine, tiny trailer. The upgrade was capital raising—minimum checks at six figures, leverage through rooms, not doorways. One 15-minute Zoom produced $1.2M in commitments. The sales skill didn’t change; the vehicle did. He kept the “cash machine” job running while testing the new model, then layered on two stabilizers:
Struggle training. Morning training and a tight diet kept identity steady when business wobbled; one hard business rep before noon (price conversation, cold call, direct ask) created daily proof.
External pressure. A 20-minute Friday check-in with a peer forced a report: 24-hour scores, one win, one miss, and the next vehicle test. No drama—just honesty.
Two years later the scoreboard reflects the shift: a board seat at a public company preparing an NYSE uplist, a private raise for a 120-acre, $4B Chattanooga waterfront project, and a new PE fund in motion. The path looks neat in hindsight.
In reality, the journey unfolded day by day.
Takeaways—Justin’s Four-Step Rebuild Loop
Run one step per week; loop for 90 days.
1. 24-Hour Goals (control what’s real)
Tonight, write tomorrow’s three outcomes: Health, Revenue, and Relationship.
Make each measurable: e.g., “45-minute lift + 160g protein,” “12 investor calls,” “20 distraction-free minutes with partner/child.”
Score them nightly (✓/✗). Adjust once; don’t rewrite the whole plan.
Why it works: short windows cut overwhelm and build self-trust fast.
2. Vehicle Audit (upgrade the model)
Create a single-page list that includes what you sell, your average ticket price, your close rate, and the potential for renewals or retainers.
Ask: What vehicle increases ticket size 10–20× or adds recurring revenue?
Pick one 30-day test: pilot offer, new distribution channel, or one partner introduction.
Keep your current cash machine on while testing.
Why it works: same effort, higher ceiling.
3. Struggle Training (build anti-fragility)
Choose two anchors that happen even on bad days
Physical: morning lift/cardio; hydration/protein target.
Business: one tough rep before noon (pricing ask, cold call, investor follow-up).
Log both before noon.
Why it works: anchors protect identity when the market pushes back.
4. No-Expiration Accountability (externalize pressure)
Schedule a Friday 20-minute peer check-in.
Share your 24-hour scores, one meaningful win, one miss, and next week’s vehicle test.
No shaming, no speeches. Report, reset, repeat.
Why it works: big goals don’t need deadlines; they need weekly truth.
What to expect: clarity by week 2, visible pipeline lift by week 6, and enough proof by week 12 to either jump vehicles or double down. Simple work, short window, real compounding.
Want the 24-hour goals template or to pressure-test your vehicle shift? Connect with Justin → link.me/justinfreishtat
That’s a wrap!
Talk soon,
Roman
Struggles? Good.
I help founders turn their story, values, and experience into a high-trust newsletter that attracts the right clients and drives consistent growth.
It’s all backed by real scars. I built and scaled a 7-figure nanotech business, sold over $10M in sales, lost it all, and rebuilt from scratch—twice.
If you’re ready to scale your business, let’s talk.
👇🏼