Get Your FILL, Financial Independence and Long Life

Buy Websites, Get Rick with Matt Raad

Matt Raad · July 21, 2025

Entrepreneur · Finance · Leadership · Artificial Intelligencein

Interview with Matt Raad

Podcast: Get Your FILL, Financial Independence and Long Life

July 21, 2025 · 43 min

Are you tired of traditional paths to financial independence? In this captivating episode of "Get Your FILL," we introduce Matt Raad, a pioneer who, alongside his wife Liz, has spent 27 years challenging conventional career norms. They've built a multi-million dollar portfolio…

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Key topicsNo Followers, No Problem: How Millennials Are Building A Successful Future-Proof IncomeMost online income advice tells millennials the same thing: start a YouTube channel, grow an audience, post every day, build a personal brand. For a lot of people, that advice is exhausting before it even begins. Matt Raad offers a fundamentally different model, one where you don't need followers, a camera, or a content calendar to build real online income. Drawing on decades of buying and growing websites that already have traffic and revenue, he talks about why buying digital assets is the smarter, quieter alternative to the creator grind, and why more millennials who hate the idea of "going viral" are building serious cash flow without ever putting themselves on camera. Digital real estate is the asset class priced out millennials can still enter Real estate has become the wealth-building default, but for younger investors the numbers often do not stack up without huge debt and years of pressure. Matt introduces a different asset lens: websites and online businesses can be bought, improved, monetised, and sold without needing a million-dollar mortgage. Because he and Liz have spent 18 years applying business renovation principles to websites, he can explain the mechanics in plain language rather than hype. This gives investing and FIRE audiences a fresh conversation about ownership when property feels increasingly out of reach. The new burnout is earning good money and still feeling trapped Many burnt-out professionals are not failing financially on paper, yet they still cannot see a path to freedom because the mortgage, rent, commute, childcare, and career pressure consume everything they earn. Matt sees this pattern in millennials, vets, engineers, FIFO workers, teachers, and professionals who look successful but feel boxed in. He can speak to the moment when someone realises a pay rise will not solve the deeper problem because they still do not own the engine producing their income. That makes this a strong fit for lifestyle, career-change, and freedom-focused podcasts. View all topics →

About Matt Raad

Digital Investor and Educator on Building Online Income for Life on Your Terms

30 Years Entrepreneur & business investorSince 2008 Website investing pioneer100–800 Live & online event audienceseBusiness Institute CEO & Co-Founder

Matt Raad is a 30-year entrepreneur, digital investor, and CEO & Co-Founder of eBusiness Institute, Australia’s leading digital skills training organisation. After starting his career as a zoologist studying kangaroos in the Australian outback, Matt rejected the conventional path and built wealth with his wife Liz by buying, growing, and selling businesses instead of relying on property, a corporate career, or the traditional wealth playbook.

Eighteen years ago, Matt and Liz took that same business-buying approach online and became pioneers in buying, renovating, and selling websites as digital real estate. Today, Matt is one of the leading voices helping millennials, burnt-out professionals, and aspiring entrepreneurs build AI-leveraged digital businesses they own, control, and can one day sell as 6–7 figure assets.

Matt’s message is especially timely for a generation that has been sold a path that no longer works: expensive degrees, insecure careers, unaffordable property, and income that disappears the moment they stop working. Through eBusiness Institute and the Digital Investors Podcast, he teaches people how to earn while they learn, use practical digital and AI skills, create cashflow from home, and build real future security through ownership.

A regular guest on major business and wealth podcasts including Rich Dad Radio, Entrepreneurs on Fire, and RASK, Matt brings a rare mix of contrarian thinking, practical strategy, and lived experience.

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About this episode

Key Takeaways & Strategies for Real Estate Investors

1. Starting Out: House Hacking and Single-Family Properties

House Hacking: A popular entry point for beginners where anindividual buys a property to live in, but rents out extra rooms or space to cover a significant portion of living expenses.

The "Stacking" Strategy: For investors with a networth under $1 million, starting out with traditional single-family rental properties (saving up 20% down payments and buying them sequentially) is a time-tested approach.

Leveraging a Day Job: Working professionals should ideallymaintain their primary income source while building a side-gig portfolio. This provides vital startup capital, a safety net for negotiations, and financial padding to absorb early business mistakes.

2. Scaling to Commercial Real Estate and Syndications

The Limits of Single-Family Portfolios: While building aportfolio of single-family homes (e.g., 11 properties) creates a baseline of passive income, managing residential property managers and handling scattered properties eventually becomes a massive headache.

What is a Syndication? A real estate syndication poolscapital from multiple passive investors (often accredited investors) to acquire large commercial assets (like apartment complexes) managed by an active operator or sponsor.

Economies of Scale in Multifamily:

Properties with 50+ units allow for dedicated, on-siteproperty managers rather than scattered residential agents.

Larger properties (70–100+ units) can support on-sitehandyman and maintenance staff, significantly reducing costly plumbing and repair overhead.

3. Avoiding "The Graveyard" and Finding Deal Flow

Public Listings vs. Network Deals: Public commercial realestate platforms (like LoopNet) are often considered graveyards for deals—meaning properties that nobody else wanted.

The Importance of Community: True high-quality deal flow and reliable sponsors are typically found through vetted investor networks, masterminds, and private peer groups rather than open internet searches.

4. Wealth Building Pillars Beyond Wall Street

Alternative Investments: Wealthier investors frequentlyshift away from traditional Wall Street vehicles (like standard REITs, which carry heavy intermediary fees) toward direct alternative investments and real estate syndications.

Tax Strategies & Infinite Banking: Advanced strategiesoften include leveraging real estate tax benefits (to legally lower personal income tax liability) alongside liquidity management systems like infinite banking.

Quick Resource Mentioned:

Book: The Wealth Elevator by Lane Kawaoka (outlining floorsof the wealth-building journey).

Tools: A free rental property analyzer can be found at thewealthelevator.com/turnkey

Connect with Lane: https://thewealthelevator.com/home/about-lane/

Guest: Matt Raad