But if someone tried to copy that approach without enjoying it or understanding the backend, they’d probably burn out or get poor results.

That’s how a lot of successful investors scale without burning out.You might want to look into turnkey rental properties in the Midwest and Southeast- markets like Cleveland, Indianapolis, Birmingham, and even parts of Tennessee and Georgia are known for strong rents relative to purchase price, favorable laws, and a reliable investor ecosystem (turnkey providers, property managers, contractors, etc.).Turnkey investing isn’t always as "hands-off" as it’s marketed, but if you vet the right teams, it can be a great option to start building real cash flow while focusing on growing your portfolio.

It's all perspective And others are just so fed up with their results, got burned in the past and OR QUIT on themselves...that every other course and "guru" must be bad as well.kinda of a shame and I honestly have sympathy for those types.

Once all this new build apartment inventory burns off we should be in rent growth mode again. 

Handing out flyers and going to networking events is a VERY slow burn and not a good use of your time. 

Cutting, burning, or poisoning our bodies is not the cure.

Look at PM like homeowner's insurance- it seems like you are wasting money until your house burns down, they you'll be happy you "wasted" money on those premiums for years. 

I stick to light to medium rehabs, so I stay away from anything that requires replacing plumbing or electrical components due to the associated costs and the need to closely monitor those items, as I have been burned in the past. 

Why are you focused on scaling when the only way you can scale is to take a second loan on your primary and burn all of your equity that you may need for something else (even if you are a high earner)?

That's the goal, be burning and churning so many properties that you are exiting at every step all the time.