However, I enjoy the more operational side of flips and would like to grow my business out of state to increase flipping volume and have less competition in finding deals.

There are a ton of tools and resources that not a lot of people know so doing some YT watching and their training helps immensely. also, happy to answer any questions you might have on set up / operations.

Which is also one of the 3 fundamental needs of a business most often (customers, product/service, place of operation). 

Now they have exchanges, which are still not as secure as they are advertised to be by the operators. 

Cash-flow is for "keeping the lights on" as in covering operational expenses to defend against any need for additional capital investment. 

If you decide to operate one outside of their desired areas, they will come after you with hefty fines.

It depends on where you want to position yourself in the market and what makes sense from a business perspective in relation to your overhead / operational costs.

Learn about the Net Operating Income (NOI) and Capitalization Rate (Cap Rate)—these are essential to analyzing the potential profitability of a property.Return on Investment (ROI): There are different ways to calculate ROI in real estate, such as looking at your total return after a sale or assessing your rental income versus initial investment.

Even if it's cleaning rooms, get a feel for the operations.

You then take the cash-out and buy 1-3 more properties and get them operational.