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CO-LIVING 401: CLAIM YOUR TERRITORY
Co-Living Developer Apprenticeship  |  OC Members Only  |  10 Modules + Weekly Labs
Class TitleCo-Living 401: Claim Your Territory
Course TypeCo-Living Developer Apprenticeship
CommunityOwners Club (OC) Only
Format10 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 InstructorsDustin Geroski, Jim Vani, Kaipo Cordeira
First Class DateTBD
Final Class DateTBD
The Co-Living Developer Progression
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

Class Transformation
The goal of Co-Living 401 is to put you on track to become the trusted co-living market expert for your territory. That is the transformation. Co-living development is the vehicle. From deal one, participants attract capital, project manage, and hold equity -- earning development fee + project management fee + equity on every transaction. White Belt is your first deal: you learn the process from inside it while earning developer income from it. Blue Belt is your second deal and beyond: the same income model, applied with greater independence, building toward a three-build track record and the Black Belt invitation. In both cases, the skills, relationships, and capital structures you build along the way are what make you the go-to co-living expert in your market.
By the End of This Course, Participants Will:

The Four Belt Levels

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
  • Raises capital, project manages, and co-develops on your first co-living development deal
  • Learning by doing -- the education happens inside a real active deal from day one
  • Earns development fee + project management fee + equity (Current active market: Houston, TX)
  • Graduation: all Module 1-5 homework completed + ebook built and distributed + office hours started + 1 closed deal as primary point of contact (contract signed, wire sent) + 1 Apprentice Field Trip in Houston, TX
BLUE
BELT
  • Limited Enrollment: 1 cohort per quarter, 10 attendees accepted total
  • Your second deal and beyond -- raises capital, project manages, and co-develops with greater independence
  • Actively co-develops new construction projects from contract through Certificate of Occupancy
  • Earns development fee + project management fee + equity on every deal. Blue Belt entry requires 1 White Belt closed deal + all Module 1-5 homework completed + 1 Apprentice Field Trip.
  • Blue Belts with 50%+ capital secured may present their deal to a private fund
  • Graduation: 3 ground-up co-living builds (Certificate of Occupancy issued on each) + 2 Apprentice Field Trips during Blue Belt (at least 1 Pre-Drywall inspection) -- all must be completed before submitting the Black Belt application
  • Apprentice Field Trips: 1 required for White Belt graduation (Houston, TX). 2 additional required during Blue Belt (at least 1 must be a Pre-Drywall inspection visit). The Live Lab is a paid in-person experience paired the day after a site visit -- attending it counts as one field trip. Total across both belts: 3.
BLACK
BELT
  • Invite-only after completing 3 ground-up co-living builds at Blue Belt
  • Does everything a Blue Belt does, plus enters a new market with the team
  • The team builds 3 ground-up co-living properties there and sells them to the Black Belt's co-living development team
  • The Black Belt owns the assets and may bring their own private capital partners
  • Covered in Co-Living 501 (coming soon)
MASTER
BLACK
  • Earned after 1 White Belt + 3 Blue Belt + 3 Black Belt builds (7 total)
  • Has participated in and watched the team build 7 properties across all three belt levels
  • Has the knowledge and track record to execute builds independently
  • Covered in Co-Living 501 (coming soon)

White Belt Pillars

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.

1This 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.
2Your 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.
3You 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.
4Every 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.
5One 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.
Blue Belt Pillars

The 10 non-negotiable truths, skills, and lessons every Blue Belt Active Co-Developer must operate from.

1At 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.
2Capital 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.
3At 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.
4Equity 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.
5Three 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.
6Brand 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.
7The 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.
8Project 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.
9Learn 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.
10The 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.

Module Overview
#LeadModuleWhat You Will LearnFrameworkDeliverable
1Dustin
Kaipo: Obj
Jim: Recap+CTA
The Path and the MindsetOpinion 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 ↗
2Dustin
Jim: Obj
Kaipo: Recap
Claim Your Territory: The Market EbookThe 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 ↗
3Jim
Kaipo: FW+Obj
Dustin: CTA
The Co-Living Capital StackWhy 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 ↗
4Dustin
Kaipo: Obj
Jim: Recap+CTA
The Profit Share Blueprint8-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 ↗
5Dustin
Jim: Obj+Recap+CTA
The 90-Day Game PlanSequenced 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
6Dustin
Jim: FW+Recap+CTA
Kaipo: Obj
The Capital Attraction System: Raising Private MoneyBlue 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 ↗
7Kaipo
Dustin: FW
Jim: Obj+Recap
The Operating System: Building Your Co-Living Development TeamEOS 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 ↗
8Jim
Kaipo: Obj
The Build: Setting Up for SuccessHire and vet a GC, contract structure, milestone management, and budget control before the project starts.The Builder Management System™ — Part 1Builder Setup Package  Open Template ↗
9Jim
Kaipo: Obj
Dustin: CTA
The Build: When Things Go WrongContractor fraud and abandonment, mechanics' liens, draw controls, permit delays, change order abuse, and investor communication when problems arise.The Builder Management System™ — Part 2Problem Management Kit  Open Template ↗
10Dustin
Jim: FW
Kaipo: Obj+Recap
LD: CTA (Guest)
Three Builds, One Track RecordComplete 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 ↗

Module Outlines

Course Workbook

All 10 module deliverables in one place. Complete each section during or after its module. Bring this workbook to every Live Lab.

Student:  
Belt:  
Market:  
Start Date:  
MODULE 1 The Path and the Mindset Entry Point Declaration
MODULE 2 Claim Your Territory: The Market Ebook Keystone Market Ebook Outline
MODULE 3 The Co-Living Capital Stack Capital Stack Diagram
MODULE 4 The Profit Share Blueprint PSB Deal Analysis + Client Presentation Stack
MODULE 5 Client Development: Deal 1 Prep Warm-Up System Kit
MODULE 6 The Capital Attraction System Capital Attraction Playbook
MODULE 7 The Operating System Co-Living Development OS Starter Kit
MODULE 8 The Build: Setting Up for Success Builder Setup Package
MODULE 9 The Build: When Things Go Wrong Problem Management Kit
MODULE 10 Three Builds, One Track Record Three-Build Dashboard + Black Belt Checklist