New to real estate investing

[Steve Harris]

Hello everyone, This is Steve and I have no experience investing in real estate. I Retired from Law Enforcement in Nov of 2014 but I took the retirement in a lump sum payment and put the money in a money market account earning 3%. I regretfully invested in a residential cleaning franchise and started in May of 2015. I have a good client base and a government contract to clean houses at the air force base in Tampa. The business is making a little bit of money so far but not enough to pay all of my personal expenses. This business is very volatile and the competition is fierce to say the least not to mention trying to find and keep good help. Most of my money goes out in payroll and the business may fail. I have 75,000 left to my name and 2 newer vehicles that I paid cash for. I am a single dad of a 6 year old little girl, 52 years old and need help deciding what to do with the $75,000? I cannot keep taking money out of this account to fund this business or soon it will be gone and I will have nothing. I have made about every mistake in the book and I need some help please! My thought was to attempt to start purchasing some real estate ie rental properties or homes to flip etc and slowly try to build some wealth that way and perhaps create some residual income from 1 or 2 rental properties that I may be able to pay cash for. I have been resorting to driving with uber to help with my personal expense. If I cant keep the doors open to this business I thought at least I have a property to either live in or rent and possibly still obtain another to rent out and then I can drive with uber full time while I attempt to purchase more real estate. If I am not paying any rent I can make enough with uber to survive and I thought if I Could get 2 properties with the 75,000 I could live in one and rent the other and then get a mortgage against those 2 properties I paid cash for and then perhaps be on my way to building an actual retirement?   Please help!! any advise out there would be appreciated!! thanks