I also believe the entrepreneurial spirit of the city is still in its infancy, although we may not end up looking exactly like a Boulder or an Austin, I think Bend will see a higher rate of startups and entrepreneurs moving there from tech hubs on the West coast.  

Although they went behind your back to do this they seem like entrepreneurs also.

I kept watch podcasts and I saw those success stories of younger entrepreneurs.

Like minded entrepreneurs supporting and working with the information exchanged.

You sound like a very motivated entrepreneur and we have to really discipline our drive to get on.

Millionaire real estate investor by Gary Keller and Confessions of a real estate entrepreneur are my two favorite!

Local embassies and chambers of commerce can also provide information about local investors, entrepreneurs, etc...

The regulations say that it has to be rented out by the full time resident, and you can only rent it for 60 nights in a calendar year, which pretty well sinks the prospect altogether in my book, but I’m wondering if there are any creative entrepreneurs out there doing STR successfully in Fairfax county as an investment strategy and not just a side hustle in their primary residence.

.- EXP is more of an Entrepreneur, This is YOUR business vibe - KW and definitely brick and mortar teams give me the w2 vibe- EXP is only going to work for you as a new agent if you: have business owner mindset, take extreme ownership, tech savvy, self starter, resourceful, you don't wait for people to give you instruction - you ask questions and seek the answers to creat your path forward, you want to do things your way w/mentorship & trainings of course, but you like the idea of running your own business.

I have been networking my butt off (attending meet ups, Facebook, contacting other investors from their bandit signs, BP, podcasts etc) and reaching out to entrepreneurs/investors to get an input and see if I could provide any value in exchange for knowledge and experience.I've been researching a bunch more on House-hacking and different ways to get into real estate.