The Land Investing Business Secrets

From burning out in finance to crushing it in land, Ryan Becker learned something surprising—putting service before sales actually makes you more successful.

After climbing the ranks as a top 2% Zillow agent, Ryan brought his “service-to-sales” mindset into the land world, using transparency and honesty as his secret weapons.

In this episode, Ryan shares how leading with the bad news, focusing on what customers actually need, and documenting everything can help you build a thriving business (and sleep better at night). His approach to team management and operations is inspired by Richard Branson’s business philosophy—but packed with practical takeaways for land investors.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• How the “service-to-sales” approach makes land deals easier to close
• Why transparency builds trust (and helps you win 99% of the time)
• How documenting processes makes scaling smoother
• The surprising upside of putting bad news first in your marketing

Land investing has changed – deals take longer, competition is fiercer and the investors who thrive are the ones who adapt.

Our guest, Logan Swanson, has spent years building a land business that stands the test of time and his biggest lesson?

Focus.

Not that he was!

Logan dabbled in countless areas in land (and outside of land, he’s opening a coffee shop in Dallas!) but after 7+ years, his advice for new investors is to be hyper-focused.

In this episode, he explains why a strong brand and niche expertise are essential for long-term success in land.

We dive into how to create a business that compounds value, attracts the right deals and builds an audience that sustains growth.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Why branding builds authority and attracts deals
• How to transition from generalist to expert in land investing
• Why being hyper-focused is the key to long-term land investing success

Is land investing still a great opportunity in 2025? Absolutely – but the game has changed.Deals are taking longer, competition is fiercer and investors face a choice: get out or get better.In this episode, we sit down with Clay Hepler, a top-tier land investor who’s doubling down on the latter, building a high-quality, scalable business.Instead of chasing volume, he’s focusing on fewer, larger deals while structuring his team and capital for long-term growth.Clay breaks down the process of transitioning from a high-volume model to a quality-focused operation – fewer deals, bigger profits and the team required to support it. He walks us through the decision-making process, the marketing shifts required and the capital strategies that make it all possible.If you're looking to grow past the 7-figure mark, this episode is packed with insights on mindset, systematizing acquisitions, understanding key metrics and leveraging capital partnerships to scale smartly.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Understand the critical decision at $1M: are you going to be a high volume or high-quality shop?
• Find out the key numbers every land investormust track to scale
• Get tips on how to sustainably transition your business and the mindset to adopt

Ready to dive into the world of distressed properties and the big margins they bring?In this episode, we chat with Clint Turner, a land investing legend who shares his secrets on turning seemingly unsellable properties into hugely lucrative deals.How lucrative?How does $800k on a deal he was all in for $230k + entitlements sound? (He takes us through the whole wild story, rest assured)Always in the lab working on new strategies, distressed properties and finding solutions for sellers turned into an absolute goldmine of new business for his team.Also known as encumbered properties, these deals have become a blue ocean strategy that has completely replaced traditional land flips for him.Tune in as he explains the ins and outs of marketing, acquisitions, and the legal challenges that come with them, showing us how to turn opportunities into profitable deals.**IN THIS EPISODE:**- Understand how shifting from land-flipper to problem-solver can pay big dividends- Learn the flags Clint looks for when hunting for acquisitions- Discover the marketing techniques that bring these properties to lightShownotes:- learn.land