In this powerful and inspiring episode, Devin Ramos shares his journey from a 15-year career in the military—including time as a Green Beret—to becoming a full-time real estate investor and co-founder of a growing residential cleaning business, Maid in America. Devin opens up about the internal shift that led him from military service to entrepreneurship, the trials of his first BRRRR deal, and the lessons learned from scaling both a real estate operation and a service business.

He and James explore the overlap between leadership, service, and entrepreneurship—diving into topics like marketing mistakes, building a team, navigating business with your spouse, and what it means to stay focused during uncertain market conditions.

This episode is packed with strategy, reflection, and entrepreneurial wisdom from someone who’s been through the trenches—literally and figuratively.

What You’ll Learn:

How Devin transitioned from a 15-year military career into full-time real estate investing
Why a service-first mindset and strong values can drive business success
The reality of starting with little capital and scaling through creative deal-making
What a “novation” deal is and how it compares to wholesaling and flipping
The importance of cashflow and how Devin used a cleaning business to fuel real estate investments
Lessons from managing two businesses at once—and how to stay focused without burning out
Why discipline, margin, and strategy matter more than volume in today’s market
How Devin and his wife grew a residential cleaning company with national potential

Timestamps:

0:00 – Introduction

0:56 – Devin’s background: Small-town roots, military service, and discovering his desire to serve

5:30 – Entering Special Forces and grappling with career/life purpose

10:40 – A pivotal mindset shift around money, freedom, and retirement

13:10 – Faith, family, and the role of values in business decisions

18:43 – Starting in real estate: Rich Dad Poor Dad, BiggerPockets, and learning by doing

24:29 – From one BRRRR to 40 deals a year: Building the real estate business

27:15 – What’s a "novation" and when does it make sense?

30:32 – Creative problem solving: A multi-family deal using sub-to and wholesaling

34:57 – Balancing two businesses: Real estate and residential cleaning

37:55 – Launching “Maid in America” cleaning company with his wife

42:06 – Scaling the cleaning business while reinvesting in real estate

49:11 – Devin’s current focus: High-margin deals and replicating business units

54:06 – Navigating burnout, risk, and learning to slow down

57:25 – Where to find Devin online and learn about his podcast

Links

Devin on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/devin-ramos-602a811ab

James Gaskin on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-gaskin-b675593/

Renovo Financial - https://renovofinancial.com/