Then on the other end of spectrum I see the work aholics with their 60 hour or more weeks with money and migraines but little to no fun in life.Then there is that tiny percentage that has the secret sauce where they work so many hours and cap it but also make a lot of money and get the most enjoyment out of everyday.

Maybe you have a secret sauce??

The one-off turned into many one-offs and most important thing I learned from that was how utterly clueless those guys were in just about everything, which shattered my false concept that all investors have some secret-sauce, that i needed that illusive treasure map, no, these were clueless idgets they just simply were fearless to try.

There is no "secret sauce" to raising money, its about getting in front of as many people as possible. 

Otherwise, you're buying "secret sauce" projections, not real data.Hope this helps!

He replied, "I don't know how you keep finding sellers willing to do that".Here is the secret sauce, know and understand the seller's motivation, ask questions, and don't be afraid to ask for the terms you want.It is more common in medium-sized multifamily where it is a business but not large enough to be professionally managed.

I seriously doubt he has any secret sauce to STRs.

If I had a pizza shop that grossed me personally 100k in profits, I am sure there would be years that my cheese and tomato sauce expenses would increase. 

There is no secret sauce needed other than a really good budget, really good construction and really good design.

Start with the return you'd like to make and, after having factored the costs, determine the gross income you'd need tomato to get that return.