What if every setback in your career was a setup for something greater?

In this episode of The Academy Presents Real Estate Investing Rocks, Angel welcomes Joe Downs, CEO of Belrose Storage Group, for a deep dive into self-storage investing. Joe shares his winding journey from financial advisor to entrepreneur, real estate investor, and distressed debt expert. He reveals how failures—like losing a bar business—became stepping stones to success, the power of persistence in wholesaling, and why self-storage is one of the most lucrative real estate niches today.

[00:01 - 04:13] The Wake-Up Call: From Finance to Real Estate

• A career in financial advising wasn’t fulfilling, prompting Joe to seek new opportunities
• 9/11 provided a moment of reflection, making him question hi ...