#332: He’s 26 and Already Raising His Second Real Estate Fund with Briar Bearss, USMA ‘22

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Briar Bearss is the Founder and CEO of Bearss Residential, a real estate company that owns and operates subsidized housing for over 100 families and veterans across the Midwest. He is also an active duty armor officer and mission-driven entrepreneur focused on serving vulnerable communities. 

A West Point graduate, he built his military career leading scout platoons, with his unit earning recognition as the number one Bradley Scout platoon in the brigade. His entrepreneurial journey began while balancing active duty service, co-founding Bearss Residential with his twin brother and two childhood friends from Michigan. What started as a local investment strategy evolved into a powerful mission to provide quality housing for vulnerable families and veterans through government rental assistance programs. 

Through strategic real estate investing and strong public-private partnerships, Briar has successfully deployed Fund One, and is now launching Fund Two with goals of raising $3–4M to serve 300–400 families. His mission is to scale impact-driven real estate investing while maintaining the highest standards of military service and community commitment.

In this episode of the SABM podcast, Scott chats with Briar about:

• Fund Two Launch: Scaling from Fund One's success to a $3-4M fund serving 300-400 families

• Military-Business Balance: How he manages active duty responsibilities while building a real estate empire, keeping military service as top priority

• Lessons Learned: Key insights on property evaluation, team communication, and building relationships with public housing agencies

• Team Culture: Working with his twin brother and childhood friends to create a fun, mission-driven work environment

• Future Vision: Long-term goals to influence housing policy while expanding veteran housing through VASH vouchers

Timestamps:

00:29 Dedication and Achievements

00:58 Launching Fund Two

01:37 Background and Business Model

03:30 Fund One Performance and Strategy

07:19 Lessons Learned and Improvements

10:42 Balancing Military and Entrepreneurship 

14:49 Keys to Success and Team Dynamics

22:20 Future Goals and Challenges

Connect with Briar:

• LinkedIn | Briar Bearss
• Bearss Residential

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A special thank you to Briar for joining me this week. Until next time!

-Scott Mackes, USNA ’01