There is a motel in my town that only rents to Union Pacific railroad employees. 

To qualify you must be self-employed or own a business w/o full time employees with earned income.

1) Read/learn, read/learn, and read/learn.  2) Create a plan based what you like to do (Flip, Rehab, Buy/Hold, Wholesale, etc)3) Save money/Invest money where you can (stocks or something with a 15% or more ROI)4) Get a job with a lender, realtor (even if it's just as an office employee), find a mentor, construction, property management or something else in the real estate world5) Take action even if it's just a small step.Good luck on your journey and continue to ask questions.

I've also had employees of mine move and I confirmed that they would continue working.

No, she is not your employee.

I’m not looking to hire an employee with all the associated tax and withholding headaches.

I mean I can go on Facebook and find an employee, but when Suzy calls out sick my unit won't get cleaned.

Blackrock and other similar fund managers are investing money on behalf of others (typically institutions like state employees retirement plans and university endowments, etc.), and they are seeking the best yield they can find. 

Big difference is that most companies subsidize your costs as an employee or cover the cost entirely. 

@Mike Adams not sure about the answer to your question but I know some fedex routes are owned while UPS I believe is all employees.