In 2016, Cara and Mark Truckey lost their 14-month-old son. He never woke up at daycare.

Most couples don't survive a loss like that. Instead, it became the moment that changed everything.

In this episode, E and Chris sit down with Cara and Mark Truckey — two STR Secrets boardroom alumni who have built a real estate portfolio of 65+ units across Wisconsin and Florida while raising three kids and running multiple businesses.

This is one of the most honest and human conversations we have had on this show.

In this episode Cara and Mark cover:

- How losing their son reshaped their entire perspective on time, work, and money

- How Cara quit her hospital job in 2020 and Mark quit his plumbing W-2 in 2021

- How they went from a few house flips to 65+ rental units across two states

- Their first STR — a lake property in Wisconsin they bought by accident

- Why Mark struggled with delegation for years — and the 80/20 rule that broke the pattern

- How to find the right people for the right seats — and why belief in the vision matters more than skills

- How Cara transitioned into Savvy Realty as a top agent in the Tampa Clearwater market

- What actually keeps a husband and wife business partnership aligned

- The daily habit that is their real superpower — and has nothing to do with business

- How to change your identity before the results show up

- Mark's upcoming $130 million capital campaign for a K-12 school in Wisconsin

- Cara's goal: 40 STRs under management in Florida by end of 2027

- Their #1 secrets to success: courage and fighting past limiting beliefs

If you want to increase your revenue, automate your day to day operations and spend more time with your kids: http://strsecrets.com/apply

If you want to join our weekly free training:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/STRentalsecrets

Connect with Cara:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/caratruckey

Facebook: www.facebook.com/caratruckey

Savvy Realty: www.savvy.realty/cara

Timestamps:

0:00 - Highlights

1:00 - Introducing Cara and Mark Truckey

5:05 - Their Story: Growing Up in Wisconsin and Losing Their Son in 2016

7:32 - How Grief Changed Their Relationship With Time and Money

9:03 - How They Built the Portfolio: Flips, BRRRs and Their First Accidental STR

10:21 - How They Split the Business: Cara on Sales, Mark on Construction

11:56 - Building the Team: Florida and Wisconsin Operations

14:11 - Mark's Delegation Journey: The 80/20 Rule That Changed Everything

16:48 - Right People in the Right Seats: Why Belief in the Vision Matters Most

18:24 - Identity First: You Have to Become the Person Before the Results Show Up

21:33 - How to Actually Change Your Identity — Not Just Understand It

24:28 - Why Being Part of a Mastermind Has Always Been Their Edge

25:25 - Running a Business With Your Spouse — What Actually Works

26:47 - Spiritual Alignment: The Foundation That Kept Them Together Through Tragedy

27:23 - The Matthew McConaughey Analogy: You Won't Always Walk Side by Side

32:21 - How Cara Made the Decision to Join Savvy Realty

35:00 - Their Real Superpower: Health, Accountability and Alignment

38:27 - What's Next: Mark's $130M School Campaign and Cara's Management Goals

42:23 - Their #1 Secrets to STR Success

From Tragedy to 65 Units: How Cara and Mark Truckey Built a Life and Business on Their Own Terms

Short Term Rental Secrets Podcast

From Tragedy to 65 Units: How Cara and Mark Truckey Built a Life and Business on Their Own Terms