Whether it’s for fix-and-flips, rentals, or other projects, I’d love to learn more about who you’ve worked with and what your experience has been like.Do you have any solid connections or recommendations for private lenders who use their own capital?

I use Baselane, personally.

I would guess that you have little or no experience running any kind of STR, and now want to get that experience on the back of someone else's investment, with little or no personal skin in the game, and that's not a good way to build an investment portfolio.

@Raif Jochim I personally like having my primary paid off.

I had a “lender” tell me he’d give me a personal loan with a fixed 4% rate on a 30 year term at whatever amount I wanted because he would like to “build a relationship” with me. 

I don't just hand over money unless I have a good respect for the person. 

@Robby SanchezBridge loans are short term and if they default or mature in many instances the interest rate doubles - so make sure you have a very solid exit planI see many get a bridge loan and realize they don’t have the 25% equity in the deal to refinance to another loan and end up getting wiped or foreclosed on because they never researched what they needed to be at on the back end when they were refinancing.

Personally I think it's great as I was already doing this (I do not work for free) and now my competition has to as well.  

Focus on the person (the seller), not the offer.

This is the same type of personality to gaslight you when you don't agree with their view on a deal or something goes awry, gatekeep you from information and deals, and become a resistance force in actually becoming a REI.