| Class Title | Co-Living 401: Claim Your Territory |
| Course Type | Co-Living Developer Apprenticeship |
| Community | Owners Club (OC) Only |
| Format | 10 modules, 40 minutes each | Live Lab (Zoom): one Lab per every two modules -- instructors and students review deliverables and discuss progress together (Labs: M1–2, M3–4, M5, M6–7, M8–9, M10) | Apprentice Field Trips: 1 required for White Belt graduation + 2 additional during Blue Belt (Houston, TX -- min. 1 Pre-Drywall overall; Live Lab counts as one field trip) |
| Lead Instructors | Dustin Geroski, Jim Vani, Kaipo Cordeira |
| First Class Date | TBD |
| Final Class Date | TBD |
| WHITE BELT | Co-Living Co-Developer (First Deal) Attracting capital, project managing, and earning development fee + project management fee + equity in your first co-living development deal. |
| BLUE BELT | Active Co-Living Co-Developer Limited Enrollment: 1 cohort per quarter, 10 attendees accepted total. Your second deal and beyond -- same income model, growing portfolio, greater independence. |
| BLACK BELT | Co-Living Co-Developer, New Market (Invite-Only) |
| MASTER BLACK BELT | Independent Co-Living Developer |
Co-Living 401 covers White Belt and Blue Belt. Black Belt and Master Black Belt are shown here for context so every participant understands the full progression.
| WHITE BELT |
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| BLUE BELT |
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| BLACK BELT |
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| MASTER BLACK |
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White Belt builds four lifetime assets: your first closed transaction, the capital and client relationships you develop along the way, the authority and credibility you establish in your market, and the repeatable systems you build for deal flow. The five pillars below are what make those assets real.
| 1 | This Is Where You Begin Learning. Not Where You Prove What You Already Know. | White Belt is not an expert program. You do not need construction experience, rehab knowledge, or a background in building to start. This is the entry point into co-living development. The expertise comes from doing it from inside real deals. |
| 2 | Your First KPIs Are Social Posts and Live Events. Hit Those Before You Try to Hit Anything Else. | The White Belts who fall behind have one thing in common: they go quiet. No social presence, no events, no visibility in their market. Your marketing activity each week is how clients find you and how your reputation as a co-living developer starts before you ever close a deal. |
| 3 | You Earn a Development Fee, a Project Management Fee, and Equity. Not a Commission. Know the Difference. | White Belt co-living developers earn three income streams on every deal: a development fee, a project management fee, and equity in the deal. None of these are commissions. All three are developer income -- structured into the deal before it closes. Know how each one is calculated and how to explain it. |
| 4 | Every Transaction Is a Co-Living Development Education. Be Present for All of It. | Your education happens inside an active deal. The capital structure, the decisions, and the handoffs teach you how co-living development actually works -- while you are earning income from the same deal. By the time your first deal closes, you have a track record and a template, not just course knowledge. |
| 5 | One Closed Transaction Is the Graduation Requirement. Modules Don't Graduate You. Deals Do. | White Belt graduation is one closed transaction: contract signed, wire sent. Completing modules builds your knowledge. Closing a deal builds your track record. You need both, but only one of them moves you to Blue Belt. |
The 10 non-negotiable truths, skills, and lessons every Blue Belt Active Co-Developer must operate from.
| 1 | At Blue Belt, You've Proven the Model. Now Build the Portfolio. | Your first deal proved you can do it. Blue Belt is where you go from one to three. The income model is the same -- development fee, project management fee, equity -- but the goal has shifted from learning the process to repeating it with greater independence. Three builds and three COs is what earns the Black Belt invitation. |
| 2 | Capital Is Raised Before the Deal Closes. Not After. | Private investors do not fund surprises. They fund deals they understood before they committed. Your capital raise is built through education, relationship, and a fully underwritten deal structure — all of it in place before you close. |
| 3 | At Blue Belt, You're Building a Portfolio. Not Just Closing a Deal. | White Belt is your first deal. Blue Belt is your portfolio. The income model is identical -- development fee, project management fee, equity. What changes is the expectation: at Blue Belt you are not asking how this works. You are asking how to run three of them efficiently, with the right team, and with capital lined up before you need it. |
| 4 | Equity Is Negotiated. Not Assumed. | A Blue Belt co-living developer does not receive equity because they showed up. They negotiate it into the deal structure, with the client, with the capital partners. At Blue Belt, the Profit Share Blueprint shows how equity is structured and split. That is the tool that makes the equity conversation concrete. The three co-living builds are what make you credible when you have it. |
| 5 | Three Builds Is the Milestone. One Deal at a Time Is the Path. | Black Belt is earned after three ground-up co-living builds reach Certificate of Occupancy. That is the requirement. The path to it is simple: one deal, one build, one CO at a time. Do not look for shortcuts past the work. |
| 6 | Brand Building Is How You Attract Capital. | Capital partners do not fund strangers. They fund co-living developers they have been watching. Your ebook, your social presence, and your ability to pitch a co-living deal all serve one function: making you the obvious choice before the investor has to decide. |
| 7 | The Blue Belt Co-Living Developer Builds a Team, Not a Job. | You do not scale by doing more yourself. You scale by installing systems and people around you. The Co-Living Development Operating System from Module 7 is not optional at Blue Belt. It is how you manage three builds at the same time without losing one of them. |
| 8 | Project Updates Are Investor Relationship Tools. Treat Every One Like It Matters. | Every few weeks you receive photos, videos, and progress updates from the active build. Blue Belt co-living developers who thrive convert every one into a professional investor update — explaining the milestone, what it means, and what comes next. The ones who don't miss the easiest relationship-building opportunity on the entire track. |
| 9 | Learn the Build by Being Inside It. Site Visits, Milestone Updates, and the Trades Are Your Curriculum. | Blue Belt co-living developers learn co-living construction from the inside: what each major inspection is called, what each trade is responsible for, and why each milestone matters to the timeline and the capital partner. When the team is on-site, you are encouraged to be there. The photos and updates are your weekly coursework. The site visits are your classroom. |
| 10 | The Blue Belt Track Is the Proof That Earns the Black Belt Invitation. | Black Belt is not a promotion. It is an invitation that opens after you have proven yourself through three complete builds. The Blue Belt track is not a prerequisite. It is the proof itself. |
| # | Lead | Module | What You Will Learn | Framework | Deliverable |
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| 1 | Dustin Kaipo: Obj Jim: Recap+CTA | The Path and the Mindset | Opinion vs. belief vs. conviction, Kaizen, 20% how / 80% why, the Co-Living Keystone Framework™ (belt progression + Co Living Leadership Core™), CliftonStrengths + AI seat-mapping. | The Co-Living Keystone Framework™ | Cost-of-inaction sentence + Entry Point Declaration (3 reasons + 3 network conversations) + Co Living Leadership Core™ accountability chart Open Template ↗ |
| 2 | Dustin Jim: Obj Kaipo: Recap | Claim Your Territory: The Market Ebook | The 5-use authority asset, picking your target market, sourcing 3 resources, answering the 15 market research questions, building your ebook outline. | The Territory Authority Framework™ | Target market + 3 sources interviewed + 15 questions answered + chapter outline + 3 YouTube interviews posted Open Template ↗ |
| 3 | Jim Kaipo: FW+Obj Dustin: CTA | The Co-Living Capital Stack | Why new construction over conversions, the 6 layers of every co-living development deal, how each layer works, and how to explain the deal structure to a client. | The Co-Living Capital Stack™ | Capital Stack Diagram (visual 6-layer stack, one plain-language sentence per layer, presentable from memory) Open PDF ↗ |
| 4 | Dustin Kaipo: Obj Jim: Recap+CTA | The Profit Share Blueprint | 8-step Profit Share Blueprint calculator: inputs through equity partner returns. Apply it to a real or hypothetical deal. | The Profit Share Blueprint™ | PSB deal analysis + Client Presentation Stack Open Template ↗ |
| 5 | Dustin Jim: Obj+Recap+CTA | The 90-Day Game Plan | Sequenced 90-day structure for White Belt completion: three phases tied to modules, daily calendar mastery, Live Lab attendance, and compounding vs. scattered effort. | The White Belt 90™ | Written 90-Day Game Plan (Phase 1/2/3 milestones with dates) + 90-Day Game Plan Checklist Open Checklist ↗ |
| ★ BLUE BELT APPLICATION VIDEO -- Submitted by candidates after completing Modules 1 through 5. Candidates record a short video covering what they learned in the White Belt track and why they are ready for Blue Belt. The team reviews all submissions and selects candidates for the next Blue Belt cohort. | |||||
| BLUE BELT BEGINS — Modules 6 through 10 | |||||
| 6 | Dustin Jim: FW+Recap+CTA Kaipo: Obj | The Capital Attraction System: Raising Private Money | Blue Belt entry: owner mindset and equity awareness. Then: brand building, investor pipeline, and converting qualified contacts into capital partners. | The Capital Attraction System™ | The Capital Attraction Playbook (Investor Persona, Pipeline, 90-Day Campaign, Raise Window Plan + Outreach Templates) Open Template ↗ View Funnel ↗ |
| 7 | Kaipo Dustin: FW Jim: Obj+Recap | The Operating System: Building Your Co-Living Development Team | EOS for co-living development teams: seats, L10 meetings, scorecard, 90-day rocks. | The Co-Living Development Operating System™ | Co-Living Development OS Starter Kit Open Template ↗ |
| 8 | Jim Kaipo: Obj | The Build: Setting Up for Success | Hire and vet a GC, contract structure, milestone management, and budget control before the project starts. | The Builder Management System™ — Part 1 | Builder Setup Package Open Template ↗ |
| 9 | Jim Kaipo: Obj Dustin: CTA | The Build: When Things Go Wrong | Contractor fraud and abandonment, mechanics' liens, draw controls, permit delays, change order abuse, and investor communication when problems arise. | The Builder Management System™ — Part 2 | Problem Management Kit Open Template ↗ |
| 10 | Dustin Jim: FW Kaipo: Obj+Recap LD: CTA (Guest) | Three Builds, One Track Record | Complete 3 ground-up co-living builds and 2 Blue Belt Apprentice Field Trips (at least 1 Pre-Drywall; Live Lab counts as one), then qualify for the Black Belt application. White Belt field trip is a prerequisite for Blue Belt entry. | The Territory Build Track™ | Three-Build Progress Dashboard + Black Belt Application Checklist Open Template ↗ |
All 10 module deliverables in one place. Complete each section during or after its module. Bring this workbook to every Live Lab.