Listen on: Fio (Catholic Spotify) | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
News / Updates:
Sign up for the Faithful Steward private newsletter.
As mentioned in the episode, we are launching the Faithful Steward. A private newsletter for Catholic Investors.
👉 Sign up to get deal flow here.
👉 Submit your deck to be shared with the network here.Wausau, WI Monthly Meetup: Sign up here (Last Saturday of each month)
Nashville Monthly CF Meetup: Sign up here
Sponsor Catholic Founders to get in front of Hundreds of Catholic Business owners each week. admin@catholicfounders.com
Trigger Warning
Note to Listeners: This episode briefly mentions rape towards the end of the show. Viewer/listener discretion advised.
Join the Catholic Founders Guild Today
Get access to all CF Guild online events, the recordings, paywalled content, the CF Guild community/group chat, and CF Guild member directory.
Many members have reported doing business with other CF Guild members within months of joining.
With an annual membership fee of $100, it’s a total no-brainer to join. Consider this an association of Catholic business owners, not a high-commitment community that will sap your time.
In Today’s Issue:
Intro to the Guest and Topic
Core Takeaway
Episode References
Select Quotes
Key Moments
First time here? Learn more about our mission. And don’t forget to subscribe.
Today’s Topic & Guest:
Ian Stroud | Verti Commercial Real Estate
Today, we’re talking about real estate. Our guest is Ian Stroud, a multifamily investment sales advisor who specializes in the 20 to 250-unit range across the Midwest.
If the name sounds familiar, it’s because his brother Colin was on the show way back in Episode 6 talking about credit card points.
Ian brings a different flavor to the table, focusing on the mechanics of apartment complexes and how Catholics can steward their capital through real estate.
We cover a lot of ground here, from the boring back-office analysis that eventually led Ian to find his true calling, to the gritty reality of the current housing crisis.
My mind was blown when Ian shared a story about a real estate investor who managed to drop crime rates in a neighborhood by 80% by simply engaging with his tenants.
This is a prime example of what it means to be a Catholic entrepreneur — to use our role to bring Christ’s love to those around us, and make practical improvements as well.
We also get into Ian’s personal faith journey — including his family’s conversion and how Exodus 90 eventually led him to his wife.
In short, this is an example of how our interior and professional lives are meant to be woven together (like what Jeff Schiefelbein told us on episode 9)
Core Lesson:
True stewardship in real estate requires moving beyond the ‘greedy landlord’ trope to actively engage in the flourishing of the community and the tenants.
The common narrative around real estate often boils down to a supply and demand math problem, but Ian challenges us to see the human element behind the numbers.
While it is true that we are facing a massive housing shortage — needing roughly 5 million units annually just to stay flat — the role of a Catholic owner isn’t just to fill a gap in the market. It’s about recognizing that the property is a tool for human flourishing. When an owner engages with tenants rather than treating them as mere entries on a rent roll, it can transform an entire neighborhood’s safety and culture.
Again, it’s simple (not easy but simple). Engage with your tenants, as children of God, and you could reduce the crime rate of an entire neighborhood by ~80%. This ultimately leads to an increase in your property value.
Ultimately, for the Catholic business owner, real estate is a way to diversify excess profit while participating in God’s creative work. Whether it’s through multifamily investments or simply being a virtuous landlord, the goal is to be a Faithful Steward of the physical spaces where families live and grow. It’s a reminder that doing the right thing for your tenants often aligns with the long-term value and profitability of the asset itself.
God Bless & Happy Building!
~Silas Mähner
Hire Catholic Overseas Talent
In LatAm and the Philippines, there are millions of Catholic remote workers (across all domains) who want to work for ethical bosses.
Often, they’re treated as second-class citizens or work for organizations that ask them to do questionable things. They reach out to us in search of a Catholic boss.
So, we started ParacleteVA (website coming soon).
With ParacleteVA, we’ll find you vetted, Catholic overseas talent who will help you move your business forward.
How it works: Pay a $500 finders fee when the candidate starts and $500 if you’re still happy with them after 30 days.
To get started, reach out to catholicfounders@gmail.com with what you’re looking for, and we’ll get started.
Key Episode References:
Select Quotes:
“I think we're always driven to provide. And if we're not providing, then what are we? And I think that's tough. It's a question I have no idea how to answer because I've never encountered it. I don't think I will for a while.” — Ian Stroud
“I was in my suit and tie, asleep on the living room floor. I was just exhausted. And even though I was bored, it was like it was more draining because I was bored than if I was engaged. And I think a lot of people probably feel that way about their job is when you get bored, you can just kind of implode a little bit.”— Ian Stroud
“There's a difference… where it's like you know something out there and then kind of taking it and internalizing it. And that was the point for me that I was able to kind of, to take what I knew to what my brain knew to be true and move it into my soul and kind of to bring it home.”— Ian Stroud
“But we did it as a community and living with the guys that I was doing it with was the best possible way I could have done it because every morning we're complaining about the cold showers. But it's also, we're complaining about the cold showers but also it's like the feeling of we're doing this together.”— Ian Stroud
“You're going in, you're not trying to make the deal work. You're trying to find a deal that works. And the difference is pretty big.”— Ian Stroud
“You have a responsibility to treat her with the dignity. You cannot kick her [out]… immediately. I think you need to work with her… But on the other hand, she is causing a real risk for health problems for the other tenants. So you also have a responsibility to them.”— Ian Stroud
“I credit that and therapy with saving my wife's life. I mean, for sure. So I think that people that don't recognize the power of having good people around you all the time, they don't really get what it's about.”— Ian Stroud
“Being around the right people is so important that it is life saving. I mean, it's, it's, there's a reason that when we go to church, it's not one it's when two or more, there's a community inherent in the body of Christ.”— Ian Stroud
Key Moments: (outline)
[01:14] - Intro: Silas introduces Ian Stroud and the mission of Catholic Founders as co-creators with God.
[04:48] - Meet Ian Stroud: Ian details his role as a multifamily investment sales advisor and his work with AI-forward firm Verti.
[07:29] - Falling into Real Estate: Ian shares his journey from “draining” back-office equity management to the dynamic world of brokerage.
[13:40] - The RV Conversion: The story of Ian’s family’s conversion to Catholicism via EWTN radio while living in an RV.
[18:01] - The Faithful Steward: Mid-roll announcement regarding a new initiative for Catholic investors to find deal flow.
[21:06] - Exodus 90 & Awakening: Ian discusses his spiritual awakening through Wild at Heart and the community built during Exodus 90.
[36:52] - Stewardship & Rent Crisis: A deep dive into the math of real estate, the supply-demand problem, and the reality for modern landlords.
[46:50] - Outro: Closing thoughts on rent-to-own models and final community announcements.
Hire Catholic Overseas Talent
In LatAm and the Philippines, there are millions of Catholic remote workers (across all domains) who want to work for ethical bosses.
Often, they’re treated as second-class citizens or work for organizations that ask them to do questionable things. They reach out to us in search of a Catholic boss.
So, we started ParacleteVA (website coming soon).
With ParacleteVA, we’ll find you vetted, Catholic overseas talent who will help you move your business forward.
How it works: Pay a $500 finders fee when the candidate starts, and $500 if you’re still happy with them after 30 days.
To get started, reach out to catholicfounders@gmail.com with what you’re looking for, and we’ll get started.
