I'm looking for ideas on organizing wholesale marketing campaigns.

I used a different calculator and it gave me a lower figure, but have no idea why. 

Go through the podcasts and blogs, and you can get ideas from other investors in regards to their experiences.

I think the sentiment behind Steve's idea is accurate, even if his actual statement about it is not really quite.

Any opinions, input that may help me out looking more into rentals but open to other ideas

Trying to get an idea what a range of cost per sf it would be to build.  

Any ideas?

You become the expert in finding great deals and split the rent with the investor who puts up the money.Hope these ideas help.Good luck.

If you don't know anything about real estate than getting your licence isn't a bad idea but one has nothing to do with the other. 

Going to one without already having a pretty good idea of what you are after is just asking to spend money on wind.You could also talk with your local investors and see if they are willing to share their knowledge.