From Tragedy to 65 Units: How Cara and Mark Truckey Built a Life and Business on Their Own Terms

About this episode

Cara and Mark Truckey share their journey of overcoming personal tragedy to build a successful real estate business while raising a family.

In 2016, Cara and Mark Truckey lost their 14-month-old son. He never woke up at daycare. Most couples don't survive a loss like that. Instead, it became the moment that changed everything. In this episode, E and Chris sit down with Cara and Mark Truckey — two STR Secrets boardroom alumni who have built a real estate portfolio of 65+ units across Wisconsin and Florida while raising three kids and running multiple businesses. This is one of the most honest and human conversations we have had on this show. In this episode Cara and Mark cover: - How losing their son reshaped their entire perspective on time, work, and money - How Cara quit her hospital job in 2020 and Mark quit his plumbing W-2 in 2021 - How they went from a few house flips to 65+ rental units across two states - Their first STR — a lake property in Wisconsin they bought by accident - Why Mark struggled with delegation for years — and the 80/20 rule that broke the pattern - How to find the right people for the right seats — and why belief in the vision matters more than skills - How Cara transitioned into Savvy Realty as a top agent in the Tampa Clearwater market - What actually keeps a husband and wife business…

People in this episode

Host: Michael Sjogren

Guests: Cara Truckey, Mark Truckey

Topics covered

• real estate investing
• personal tragedy
• business partnership
• entrepreneurship
• work-life balance
• family dynamics

Keywords

• short term rentals
• real estate portfolio
• family business
• entrepreneurial journey
• loss and resilience
• delegation
• work-life integration

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Savvy Realty

Places: Wisconsin, Florida

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