The Math Behind Freedom: How Giang Nguyen Turned Her W2 Into Seed Money For Her Real Estate Investments - Episode #346 In The Lab With Ruben Kanya podcast

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The Math Behind Freedom: How Giang Nguyen Turned her W2 into Seed Money for her Real Estate Investments - Episode #346

7d ago 1:44:34

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In this insightful episode of In The Lab, Ruben welcomes Giang Nguyen, founder of One River Capital, a former scientist turned real estate investor and syndicator. Giang shares her remarkable journey from working in gene therapy at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to achieving financial freedom through multifamily real estate. Her story unfolds with precision and strategy—from buying her first $30,000 foreclosure property in cash to scaling into duplexes, five-units, and eventually syndications.

Giang breaks down the financial and emotional blueprint behind leaving a W2 job the right way—by doing the math, living below her means, and mastering capital allocation. She reveals how she bought, renovated, and refinanced early properties, often paying in cash before leveraging them to scale. As a mortgage broker and syndicator, Giang dives deep into the mindset and numbers that drive wealth building—covering how to calculate key performance indicators (KPIs), why cash flow matters more than NOI, and how investors can prepare to transition from single-family homes to multifamily investments.

This episode is a playbook for anyone looking to build wealth strategically, without hype—only math, milestones, and mastery. Tune in now to learn how Giang's methodical approach can help you engineer your exit from a W2 and design a business that funds your freedom.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE EPISODE:

07:35 Giang talks about the push that made her need to grow in multifamily

22:21 Giang talks about how syndication performance is measured.

KEEPING IT REAL:

00:05 – Offense vs. defense

01:09 – Scientist to investor

06:23 – Choosing freedom over medicine

08:58 – First $30K property

10:35 – Learning by doing

14:04 – Living below one’s means

15:57 – Employer match strategy

17:00 – No car philosophy

18:35 – Comfort in numbers

21:01 – Financial blind spots

23:33 – Tracking key KPIs

25:01 – Distribution vs. NOI

30:55 – Cash flow clarity

33:37 – Proof of concept

35:04 – Multifamily cash flow

36:09 – Zoning strategy explained

37:26 – Buying “by right”

38:05 – Highest and best use

40:06 – Transition to 5+ units

42:00 – Immigrant lending limits

43:40 – Lender risk factors

1:41:13 – Power of community

CONNECT WITH THE GUEST

Website: https://onerivercapital.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thatsalsainvestor/

#RealEstateInvesting #FinancialFreedom #Syndication #Multifamily #W2ToWealth #CashFlow #ImmigrantEntrepreneur #WomenInRealEstate #MortgageBroker #OneRiverCapital #InvestSmart #BuildWealth#CapitalRaising #FinancialStrategy

343 episodes

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