From Alaska to Real Estate Success: Jesse Laner on Investing, Relationships & Building Wealth

What does it take to build a successful real estate career when you start during one of the toughest housing markets in history?

On this episode of the Mile High Success Podcast, Nick Elder sits down with Jesse Laner, co-founder of C3 Real Estate Solutions, to talk about Jesse’s path from growing up in a small community in Alaska to building a successful real estate business and investment portfolio in Northern Colorado.

Jesse entered real estate during the 2008–2009 housing crisis. Instead of seeing a bad market as a reason to stay away, he saw an opportunity to learn. He brought the same mindset he had developed as a college basketball player into his new career: work hard, keep learning, and put in the time.

Jesse shares why he believes real estate professionals need to balance finding new business with building long-term relationships. Rather than always chasing the next deal, he encourages agents to take care of past clients, build trust, and create a business based on repeat and referral relationships.

Nick and Jesse also dive into real estate investing and the shift from active income to passive income. Jesse explains why his early focus was on building equity and growing his net worth, and why cash flow can become more important later when an investor wants to rely less on active income.

They also discuss mentorship and one of Jesse’s biggest lessons: relationships are capital. A relationship Jesse formed when he was just 12 years old eventually became an important friendship and business relationship decades later.

For Jesse, success is not something anyone builds completely alone. Mentors, friends, partners, clients, and unexpected relationships can all change the direction of your life.

If you are building a real estate career, investing for your future, or simply looking for a more sustainable way to grow your business, this conversation offers practical lessons about hard work, patience, investing, mentorship, and the power of relationships.