I cannot think of one industry out there that doesn't have some form of wholesaling, so don't feel bad about what you are doing.

My experience comes from the Energy sector, Renewables sector ( have my own solar company), as well but also CREI in MF, Shopping Centers, Industrial, etc, but I always wanted to get into the developer side of things, but not to just build but to create meaningful projects.

I'm in sales in the automotive industry for my job.

Do you study and read about the industry?

When you are older, you will be very thankful that you did.Spend the next 24 months educating yourself about real estate investing and meeting people in the industry.

We copied this from the mortgage industry practice of late fee charges. 

I don't think we would be successful in renting out the house room by room without those industries to fill it.

Des Moines is an area that many of the large investing firms have not started buying in "yet" so there are still deals to be found if you have the right systems and people in place.I would caution you, although tech is an up and coming "industry" in Des Moines, IMO, tech is not what "drives" the Des Moines market, it is much more financial/banking/insurance.

I have been in the real estate industry for over 15 years mostly commercial.

There will be some that don't want to meet you for coffee, but I found overwhelmingly, they will say yes and give you some great insights about your local market, their view on the industry, people they recommend you talk to, how others got started, etc.Again, the key is being humble and honest.