Solutions for Raising Capital For Start Ups

Hear how 3 investors went from broke to 8 figures and learn what’s working now in real estate, private money, and scaling your business. 🎟️Register **[HERE](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/broke-to-8-figures-live-panel-open-qa-tickets-1969996398258?aff=cicmeetupapp)** ## **Broke to 8 Figures: Live Panel + Open Q&A with 3 Young Investors Who Built Real Wealth Through Real Estate** A decade ago, none of them were “set.” 10 years ago, these three weren’t millionaires. They weren’t influencers. They were broke, doubting themselves and fighting to make their first deal work…just like a lot of people trying to get into real estate today. Now, two of the Columbus Investors Club’s founders, **Tiffany and** **Josh High**, sit down with **Austin Rutherford**… a fellow Columbus native who went from parking cars as a valet to owning a **$30M+ real estate portfolio.** Together, they’ve flipped and wholesaled **thousands of homes**, raised **millions in private money**, and built businesses that run without them in the day to day… creating both wealth and freedom before 35. This isn’t a highlight reel. It’s a real conversation about what it actually takes to build something that lasts… the fears they had to face, the habits that changed everything, and the systems that got them there. You’ll laugh, you’ll take notes, and you’ll walk away seeing what’s truly possible no matter where you’re starting from. **What You’ll Learn** * How three broke twenty-somethings built 7–8 figure real estate businesses * The mindset shifts that separate wishful thinking from real wealth * How to raise private money even if you’ve never done a deal * What’s working right now in flipping, wholesaling, and building a portfolio * How to create financial and time freedom through systems and people **Open Q&A - Ask Them Anything About** * Raising private money with confidence * Finding and structuring profitable deals * Getting past fear, self-doubt, or “I’m not ready yet” * Scaling your business without burning out * Building a team that actually performs **Who You’ll Hear From** **Austin Rutherford** – From valet to a $30M+ rental portfolio. He has flipped and wholesaled hundreds of houses alongside his rental portfolio and recently got into commercial deals. **Tiffany & Josh High** – Founders of **Heels Homes** and **Results Driven REI**. They’ve built multiple 7- and 8-figure companies, including a fully virtual real estate operation closing 250+ deals a year. Through Results Driven REI, they help experienced investors install the people, processes, and infrastructure needed to build a truly self-managing company. **Event Details** **Location:** *To Follow* **Date & Time:** January 29th, 6–8 PM (Doors open at 5:30) **Cost:** Free (Seats are limited - RSVP required) 🎟️Register **[HERE](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/broke-to-8-figures-live-panel-open-qa-tickets-1969996398258?aff=cicmeetupapp)**

Bring your business cards and network in person with other business professionals! Gold Star Referral Clubs is one of the most established professional networking organizations in the country, with multiple groups in central Ohio. Join us!

Join us for this free, in person meeting on the subject of betrayals, losses and how to get over them so you can build lasting relationships. Do you want more motivation and confidence to build lasting relationships? Are you burdened by a stressful relationship? Unhealthy relationships can trigger feelings of anger, despair or self-doubt. They can create dwindling spirals of fights and seeking to make-up, or trying to “pin the blame” on someone or something. If you don’t find the RIGHT reasons, or select the correct sources of the problem, the problem can just get worse and worse. Whether in love or personal ties, with friends or at work, our life really IS affected by the quality of our relationships. Good ones can promote pleasure and survival, while less optimum ones can lead to annoyance, anger, self-doubt, stress, or even affect our health and ability to survive well. Whether you are suffering from a divorce, or a painful break-up, don’t know who to trust (or who to CHOOSE) as a partner, friend, boss or employee - the anxiety of relationship troubles can really make a mess of things. Maybe you’ve suffered a betrayal, or are dealing with hostility or criticalness or invalidation. Dwindling relationships can involve destructive behavior, where we hurt those we love, or start succumbing to self-destructive thoughts, attitudes or behaviors that spiral out of control and affect much more than our immediate relationship. Past losses in love or life can affect how we act or react to new people and situations and hold us back from even starting to create new, possibly great relationships! How can one get back onto a saner course of action? Come to our Meetup, where we can introduce you to some of the knowledge, tools and techniques of the breakthroughs in the field of the mind that we can apply to this ever important area of life: human relationships! Break free from self imposed limitations Here we will discuss: • How to “erase” the trauma of past hurts and betrayals so that one isn’t always repeating past mistakes. • Why and how do the negative emotions of others affect you? • Why is my partner withdrawing and what can I do about it? • Why do we sometimes feel compelled to hurt the ones we love? • Fights & arguments - what's really behind them? • What underlies “corrosive criticism” or the need to invalidate self or others? • How one can stably change one’s outlook on life so they can affect positive change? • Where do compulsive destructive behaviors come from and what can be done about them? • How to form closer bonds & keep growing the relationships with the people you care about? • How to enhance one’s own ability to survive and create positive healthy relationships whether in love, family & friendships or in work, business or one’s career? Relationships can be hard and life itself IS challenging. Why not arm yourself with the knowledge and breakthroughs that have been made about the mind, mental reactions & interpersonal relationships, so that one has better awareness and control over themselves and life in general. Learn where painful experiences are “stored” and how they can unknowingly affect us. You will also find out how one can “erase” those past painful experiences so that one is free to move forward without being tripped up by the past. Learn too, about what can lead some people to become “toxic” personalities and how to identify those traits in others so you won’t be tripped up trusting the wrong person. Our free Meet-ups occur in a safe environment where one can learn, without fear of judgment or criticism, and without the recommendation of harmful mental techniques or therapies, just how YOU can get yourself onto a happier & more successful path: in love & in life. We look forward to having you join us! This class is held at the Dianetics and Scientology Life Improvement Center of Central Ohio.

Join us for lunch and meet our very successful group. We are each others sales team...always looking for referrals for our members. If you are looking for new clients, let us help you out! Bring your business cards and brochures to share with us. Our speaker this week is **Bryan Mangerchine, Bastion Construction.** His is a locally owned and operated roofing company dedicated to providing superior craftsmanship and personalized service. With years of experience in the roofing industry, his skilled team specializes in helping homeowners with roof replacements, roof repairs, siding and gutter installations, commercial roofing, and even paint jobs to complete the look of your home. All visitors are welcome. Any questions contact [pmarchio@farmersagent.com](mailto:pmarchio@farmersagent.com)

**Day 1 — Foundation & Deal Control** This two-day, end-of-month Real Estate Investing (REI) Intensive is designed for investors who want real traction, not theory. Day One is about controlling the deal flow. We break down how to find opportunities in today’s market, underwrite them correctly, and avoid the emotional and financial traps that wipe out most new and mid-level investors. You’ll learn how operators are sourcing deals right now, how to analyze markets and properties with discipline, and how to structure acquisitions so the numbers work before you ever swing a hammer. This is about building a repeatable system—not chasing the next shiny strategy. **Day 2 — Capital, Execution & Scale** Day Two shifts from deals to execution and scale. We go deep on renovation management, capital stack planning, and exit strategies—fix and flip, buy-and-hold, and hybrid plays—so you understand how to protect downside risk and maximize upside. You’ll see real case studies, real numbers, and real mistakes made by experienced operators, not influencers. The intensive closes by connecting the dots between education and action, showing you how to plug into ongoing coaching, deal opportunities, and higher-level collaboration for investors who are serious about building long-term wealth, not just doing a one-off deal. REGISTER HERE: [SIGN UP TODAY](https://link.elitereimm.com/widget/form/CqtTT4UVTJj3JvHKns3x?am_id=debbie4982)

We'll meet at The Capital One Café, 167 Easton Town Center, Space A-103. This is in the main mall where the Microsoft store used to be, on your left if you're standing at the bottom of the AMC Theater escalator. Join us on Saturday for an hour of uninterrupted wordmaking! • What we'll do Join us for an hour of writing! We’ve discovered that it’s strikingly helpful to write with other writers. See if it’s true for you at 10AM on Saturday mornings. Be it a book, blog, script, essay, dissertation, resume, melody, poem or just plain work stuff, you are invited to write it with us. No one will see what you've written or give you unsolicited advice. Instead of just thinking about writing, come and get some real writing done. SCHEDULE: 10:00 - SESSION 1: quick intros. 10:10 - timer starts: write for 1 hour. 11:10 - chat / take off / keep writing. OPTIONAL SOCIALIZING happens at 11A-11:30ish. Writing is very solitary. Connecting (and sometimes even commiserating) with other writers is a cool thing. BEING LATE IS OKAY: just show up and get settled, then check-in with me after the session. (I’ll be the person with the Shut Up & Write! sign.) If you were on time, please be willing to make room for the friendly latecomer. Happy writing and I look forward to seeing you! • What to bring Whatever you need to be able to write! Bring earbuds/earplugs if you want to block noise or the occasional conversation by other patrons. Electrical outlets are limited, so charge your devices before whenever possible. See you at The Café on Saturday!

We'll meet at The Capital One Café, 167 Easton Town Center, Space A-103. This is in the main mall where the Microsoft store used to be, on your left if you're standing at the bottom of the AMC Theater escalator. Join us on Sunday for an hour of uninterrupted wordmaking! • What we'll do Join us for an hour of writing! We’ve discovered that it’s strikingly helpful to write with other writers. See if it’s true for you at noon on Sundays. Be it a book, blog, script, essay, dissertation, resume, melody, poem or just plain work stuff, you are invited to write it with us. No one will see what you've written or give you unsolicited advice. Instead of just thinking about writing, come and get some real writing done. SCHEDULE: 12:00 - quick intros. 12:10 - timer starts: write for 1 hour. 1:10 - chat / take off / keep writing. OPTIONAL SOCIALIZING happens at 1-1:30ish. Writing is very solitary. Connecting (and sometimes even commiserating) with other writers is a cool thing. BEING LATE IS OKAY: just show up and get settled, then check-in with me after the session. If you were on time, please be willing to make room for the friendly latecomer. Happy writing and I look forward to seeing you! • What to bring Whatever you need to be able to write! Bring earbuds/earplugs if you want to block noise or the occasional conversation by other patrons. Electrical outlets are limited, so charge your devices before whenever possible. See you at The Café on Sunday!

Join us as we get together to get together to help those in need at this CMG Gives Back event! For this event, we’ll help prepare food, serve meals, assist residents, wash dishes and clean surfaces at Fath Mission – Grant Kitchen. We have a great little community of Movie Group friends so rather than see a movie this time, we’ll help “Create a better world” by helping serve those in need. Here are complete details and our plan for this event: FAITH MISSION – GRANT KITCHEN: The Faith Mission kitchen and dining room serves residents 3 meals a day, every day of the year. Our group will help prepare food, serve meals, assist residents in the dining room, wash dishes, and clean surfaces. PLAN: We will be preparing / serving / cleaning for BRUNCH from 10:30am to 12:30pm and have space for a total of 7 volunteers. Please arrive at 10:15am and wear closed-toe shoes and long pants. LOCATION: Faith Mission – Grant Kitchen is located at 245 N. Grant Ave. Enter the kitchen at Dock 1, indicated in the attached map. On-site and street parking are available in the surrounding area. Below are some links / attachments with additional info/details: \* LSS Volunteer Guidelines: Uploaded to photos. \* Parking Map Info: Uploaded to photos. \* LSS Faith Mission Orientation Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bp46_6ay6iA \* Link with Additional Details / Info: https://lss.vomo.org/opportunity/faith-mission-grant-kitchen-2025 IMPORTANT REMINDER: Our group will be providing all of the volunteers on this day so a firm RSVP count is essential. Please only sign up if you are certain you’ll be able to attend. If something unavoidable comes up, please update your RSVP no later than one week prior to the event. With very few exceptions, no shows or cancelations within 1 week of the event will not be eligible for future CMG Gives Back events. I appreciate your understanding as we try to ensure the agencies have the volunteers needed to provide the essential services they provide to the vulnerable population they serve. THANK YOU: This CMG Gives Back event provides an opportunity for YOU to get involved in helping others! Benefits go well beyond the help we give to others. Volunteering provides a wide range of personal benefits, including positive effects on mental and physical health, reduced stress/depression/anxiety, increased happiness and improved purpose, life-satisfaction and personal well-being! Plus, the opportunity to get involved, connect with others and help those in need. PARTNER AGENCY: This event is hosted by Lutheran Social Services (LSS), which serves thousands of people in need each day in 27 Ohio counties by addressing the four core societal issues of food, shelter, safety and healing. LSS offers food through the LSS Food Pantries, housing and supportive services through LSS Faith Mission and LSS Faith Mission of Fairfield County homeless shelters, domestic violence services through LSS CHOICES for Victims of Domestic Violence, senior living and health care, affordable housing communities, and other services that uplift families and strengthen communities. Look forward to seeing you there, Dan

Early-bird coffee and conversation at [Crimson Cup Coffee Shop - Clintonville](https://www.crimsoncup.com/about/location/clintonville)!

If you are interested in selecting investment choices for your 401(k) or other workplace savings plan, minimizing your income tax liability, or identifying the most effective investments for your brokerage account, we are the group for you. We are a local chapter of Bogleheads**®**, whose investment strategy can be found here: https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Bogleheads%C2%AE_investment_philosophy Or you can peruse the Boglehead forum here: https://www.bogleheads.org/index.php I look forward to seeing you there. Mark Vonder Haar

Join us for an hour of writing! We’ve discovered that it’s strikingly helpful to write with other writers. See if it’s true for you at 7:00pm on Wednesday, February 11 at Streetlight Guild. Be it a book, blog, script, essay, dissertation, resume, melody, poem or just plain work stuff, you are invited to write it with us. No one will see what you've written or give you unsolicited advice. Instead of just thinking about writing, come and get some real writing done. **SCHEDULE:** 6:45ish - Quick introductions 7:00 - Timer starts: write for 1 hour 8:00 - The End **OPTIONAL SOCIALIZING** happens before and after the writing hour. Writing is very solitary. Connecting (and sometimes even commiserating) with other writers is a cool thing. **BEING LATE IS OKAY:** just show up and get settled! If you were on time, please be willing to make room for the friendly latecomer. Happy writing & I look forward to seeing you at Streetlight Guild! **WHAT SHOULD I BRING?** Whatever you need to be able to write! You're welcome to bring earplugs/headphones if noise will bother you! **OTHER IMPORTANT DETAILS:** * **RSVP:** Please RSVP by 6:00pm the evening of the meeting. This helps me know how many to expect, and if we'll need additional space! * **COVID:** While masks are not required, please be mindful of the other writers around you and their comfort levels. * **WIFI/OUTLETS:** Outlets are limited, so please ensure your devices are charged when you come! But Streetlight Guild does have free WiFi! Yay! * **PARKING:** There is free public parking at Streetlight Guild.

Bring your business cards and network in person with other business professionals! Gold Star Referral Clubs is one of the most established professional networking organizations in the country, with multiple groups in central Ohio. Join us!

**[note: ‘registering’ here doesn’t get you a seat; go to [THIS LINK](https://www.coreerocks.com/Events.aspx?ID=Columbus-In-Person-Chapter-Meeting-Build-Your-Network-Get-Mentored-Night-14-2-3-2026) to download your guest pass or just let us know you’re coming]** At our in-person Columbus Chapter meetings, we love to get you next to local investors who aren’t just experienced but also supportive, collaborative, and ready to answer your questions. At February’s meeting, the whole 3 hours is about getting you face-to-face with our experienced local members for some local advice and mentoring. Here’s the whole agenda: 5:00 Free light dinner and networking tables, meet the vendors 6:00-6:15 Buy-Sell-Trade (Members) Guest Orientation (Non-Members) 6:15-8:00 p.m. **Build Relationships + Get Mentored Night!** We bet you’re figured out that the best way to profitably navigate a rapidly-changing market it to get with real people who already know how to find the deals, get them financed, get them fixed, and most importantly, get them sold or rented fast and profitably. That’s why we’re devoting a whole meeting to giving you the chance to build some real relationships with those experienced, supportive colleagues, ask them your ‘big picture’ questions, or even bring a deal that you’re working on to have them give their opinion. You’ll have the chance to sit with these mentors in small groups and make connections you want…we’ve got members who can answer questions on anything from getting financing to rehab to tenant issues, asset protection, wholesaling, shared housing, and more! If you’ve been intimidated by the success and knowledge of these folks (or just didn’t know who to go to for what questions), this is your chance to pick their brains in an easy, structured atmosphere where THAT’S WHY THEY’RE THERE! (If you’re more experienced yourself, how about showing up to BE a mentor for the night? After all, someone helped you when you got started…pass it on!) Members and first-time guests attend free; repeat guests are $35 (and for real, it’s cheaper to just join [HERE](https://www.coreerocks.com/MembershipInfo.aspx) and get ALL the benefits of membership, including a free website for your business and 20 other educational and networking meetings every month than it is to keep paying that guest fee). Register below to reserve your seat! Members and first-time guests attend free; repeat guests are $35; Register at **[THIS LINK](https://www.coreerocks.com/Events.aspx?ID=Columbus-In-Person-Chapter-Meeting-Build-Your-Network-Get-Mentored-Night-14-2-3-2026)** to reserve your seat!

### Tools in your AI's Toolbox : An introduction to MCP Servers The generative AI revolution has unlocked unprecedented capabilities, but the next frontier is agency: empowering models to interact with, query, and act upon the world. The current challenge is the “N x M integration problem,” where every AI model requires a custom, brittle integration for each external tool or data source. This approach simply doesn’t scale. How can we give an AI access to our sales leads, code repositories, or IoT devices in a standardized, secure, and reusable way? This session introduces Anthropic’s Model Context Protocol (MCP), the open-source framework designed to solve this challenge and become the universal connector—the USB-C port—for AI. MCP standardizes how AI models discover and use external tools, moving beyond simple function-calling to a robust, client-server architecture. We will dive into how this open protocol is creating a new ecosystem for building powerful, context-aware AI agents. Join this session for a developer-focused introduction where you will learn how to: Understand the core concepts of the open-source Model Context Protocol and its architecture. Utilize pre-built, open-source MCP servers to instantly connect AI to tools like Git, Slack, and databases. Build a custom MCP server to securely expose your own proprietary data and APIs as tools for any compliant AI. Move beyond bespoke integrations and contribute to a standardized, collaborative, and open ecosystem. Stop building one-off connectors and start building intelligent agents. This session will give you the practical knowledge to leverage MCP and create the next generation of AI that doesn’t just talk, but does. Want to be a speaker? submit your talk to our Call for Presenters!!! [https://sessionize.com/azure-cbus-2026/](https://sessionize.com/azure-cbus-2026/)

**People Analytics 101: Making Sense of Compensation Data** Compensation data is one of the most widely used and widely misunderstood forms of people analytics. The session will cover where compensation data comes from, including market pricing data, internal payroll data, and benchmarking sources, and how companies think about structuring and analyzing that information. We will explore how compensation data is leveraged to set salary ranges, manage internal equity, support hiring and retention, and align pay with business strategy. A portion of the session will address common data challenges and limitations, such as market noise, inconsistent job matching, and incomplete datasets, while keeping the primary focus on practical use rather than technical depth. The session will also look ahead at where the space is going, including the growing impact of pay transparency laws, expanding pay equity requirements, and emerging regulations in the US and Europe that require organizations to report on gender and pay gaps. The goal is to give attendees a clear mental model for how compensation analytics works today and why getting it right is becoming increasingly critical. (note: we are back at Rev1 this month!) **About Our Speaker** [Alex Moore](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexscottmoore/) is the founder of [Moore Cooperative](https://moorecooperative.com/), where he advises organizations on compensation strategy, pay equity, and people analytics. His work focuses on helping organizations like the Ohio Supreme Court design, analyze, and communicate compensation systems that are data-informed, defensible, and aligned with organizational goals. Alex lives in Granville, Ohio and has three little kiddos. More info at [cbusdaw.com](https://cbusdaw.com)