The first 2 things you want to build is your REPUTATION and RELATIONSHIPS.

I have a plan to buy 1 rental property for every 5 builds that we do.

Building a restaurant is shockingly expensive, especially the kitchen, ventilation and fire suppression.

I do understand there is risk with finding a good network out of state of contractors and property managers. 

Part of your rent payments can go towards the down payment, allowing you to build up the necessary funds over time while living in the property.

You can get free advice on BP, from other realtors, lenders, contractors and other investors.

They may be an emerging manager that is a great operator, but simply haven't been around very long, or it could be a very experienced manager with more acquisitions connections (and presumably good deal flow) than investor contacts, so needs to market to build that network to capitalize on the good deals they are finding.That being said, these "off market syndicators", as you call them, are like "off market houses".  

While being a full time college student and a part time boxer I've primarily focused on wholesaling, building a successful business with my best friend that did around $70,000 our first year in the business.Being from Illinois rules and regulations have caused us to pivot from the traditional assignment of contract.

Commercial lending doesnt have rules about unsecured funds use (credit cards, personal lines, etc) that residential agency financing has (fannie/freddie 1-4 unit).So where you obtain funds to consummate your equity (down payment) of your transaction is more flexible.Its one of the reasons to build a business that has a good credit rating so you can obtain money to build your real estate holdings. 

There are several contributors who mainly discuss ways to build your business and brand digitally - social media (all platforms), email, youtube, etc.