Niche Real Estate Investing: Gabi Brennesholtz’s Story

Finding Your FU Number

The financial performance of 4 Paws, coupled with their in-depth research into the field, ultimately led Gabi and Paul to additional underwriting investments in RV parks across the U.S. It also initiated a major shift in Gabi’s wealth-building philosophy.

At the time of the campground purchase, the pair had a classic financial strategy in play — one that centered on a 30-year career path and building their net worth. However, Gabi was learning that while net worth looks good on paper, it’s actually cash flow — the amount of money moving in and out of your hands — that reflects what you have available right now to make different choices.

Gabi and Paul had the freedom to choose where to work. Now they needed to define what Gabi affectionately calls their “Freedom Unlimited” or “FU” number — the amount of cash flow that would fund freedom in other areas of their lives.

With more than 13,000 hours of coaching under her belt, Gabi has now spent more than a decade supporting business owners in building scalable businesses and long-term wealth. She says identifying your “FU” number is a critical step in the wealth-building process, but it usually doesn’t happen overnight.

When defining cash flow targets, most of us start with a “borrowed” number that sounds like a good goal — say $100k. With thoughtful reassessment (and coaching) over time, that target becomes more personal, evolving into a specific number informed by a range of individual goals — from business and lifestyle plans to impact and legacy objectives.

For Gabi and Paul, impact proved especially important. While living onsite and learning firsthand how to run 4 Paws, Gabi and Paul saw the benefit the park offered to guests and the broader community. Meanwhile, the park’s profitability and its effect on their cash flow allowed them to support related causes, including animal welfare, euthanasia prevention, and rescue and foster programs.

“What we realized once we acquired the park was just how much the park could do for the social injustices that we love to solve, and we ended up coming back to all things dogs,” Gabi says.