In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with the founder and CEO of SJO Investments, Scott Oots. Scott owns a real estate investment firm based in southern California. They buy about 200 houses annually, mainly in the fix and flip and wholesaling industries. He also coaches young entrepreneurs and investors on how to take the first steps in their business journeys and get to the next level. Josh and Scott explore what makes Scott unique as an investor. He shares that he didn’t come from money – he built everything he has from scratch. His parents worked nine-to-five jobs and he wanted something different. This is what Scott encourages his clients to do – strive for the “different” they desire in life. There’s so much more to life than grinding for a company at a corporate job, and this is what Scott seeks to help others learn. Scott also explains why he thinks investors should add real estate to their portfolio. We all know there is long term wealth and passive income opportunities within real estate. There are many ways to get into real estate investing and the long term return on investments, when things are done right, is unmatched. But where do you draw the lines between active versus passive investing?Buying, fixing, and flipping is the “active” side of real estate investing. You always get good returns when you make strategic active investment choices. Short term investments make you a lot of money quickly through active investing. Long term investments, more passive ones, bring you more wealth over time. The best part about real estate investing is that you can get creative with how you decide to diversify your real estate portfolio. Josh and Scott also explore where beginners should start. You don’t need a lot of money to start, Scott says. If you want to get into passive investment properties, first find where you want to have your first investment. Choose location based on the market, return on investment, which way the state leans when it comes to tenants and landlords, property taxes, and more. Scott recommends landlord-friendly states to start with. Scott shares the work he does today. He and his team help investors get to the next level, make smart deals, avoid common investor mistakes, and more. Scott says he really wants to help other investors succeed and thrive and this is why he offers speaking engagements and coaching work. Want to learn more? Check out SJO Investments’s website at https://guestio.com/. Check out Scott Oots’s website at https://www.scottoots.com/.  Check out Scott Oots on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-oots-3a2b341b/. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:✅ We are actively booking guests for our DAILY Entrepreneur Success Podcast. Schedule HERE.✅ Are you a 6-figure consultant? Let us fill your sales schedule and move you to 7-figures. Learn more here.✅ Check out our free Authority Transformation Masterclass.