Common syndicator game of throwing out huge returns when other funds are going under because they want you to only look at that shiny number and not what their past performance has been

All depends on what your goals are and what market fits your game-plan/criteria 

Then you hire a coach to accelerate your learning and take you to the next level.Using a sports analogy, it would be foolish to hire a basketball coach if your intent is to play pickup games every Saturday for fun.

The fact I can go to my kid's golf game today, yet still catch a vendor overcharging me $81 the day before on a SFR in Georgia makes me feel the systems that are in place, plus the ability to manage sacrifices has paid off.I've had the same team in most of businesses for almost 8 years, and have a growing RE team that continue to impress me. 

And given syndications are a marketing game more than a real estate game, it begins to give you real marketing content to share with the world to help drive new leads for future deals.

Negotiating felt like a game of chess—except I was playing against a grandmaster, and my queen was missing.

So, I'd like to get ahead of the game and start working up a plan and a strong argument for it which I can use when the time comes. 

That said, you deserve a management team that treats your properties with the same level of care and attention as they would for larger clientsI’ve heard from other investors that finding a great PM company can be a game-changer.

It’s a longer-term game, though, with higher upfront costs.I’d say spend some time researching your target area and connecting with local investors or meetups—they’re goldmines for market insights and networking.

And then your REI income matches your W2 income the first time etcTo your question: equity is the name of the game.