Steve Palise: From 4AM Starts in Europe to 2,000 Property Deals

Steve Palise didn’t build Palise Property from a comfortable Sydney office. He spent its early years working from 4am while travelling through 20 countries across Europe.What initially looked like a risky decision became one of the greatest advantages in his business. Distance forced Steve to hire capable people earlier, develop systems that didn’t depend on him and use education and content to build trust at scale. Today, Palise Property has been involved in more than 2,000 property acquisitions.In this conversation, Steve shares the full journey from walking away from engineering and taking a significant pay cut to becoming the first employee at Rethink Investing, launching his own business overseas and eventually learning how to step back from the day-to-day operation and become a genuine leader.We explore the personal experiences that gave him the urgency to change his life, the realities of scaling a team, why giving away his best knowledge helped the business grow and why he believes too many founders build companies that ultimately trap them.Steve also opens up about his personal property journey. After building a substantial residential portfolio, he found that his net worth was rising while his happiness was not. That realisation led him to sell down, shift into commercial property and redefine wealth around passive income, family, freedom and the ability to live life on his own terms.We also discuss travel, fatherhood, risk, leadership, commercial property, buying a family home, expanding internationally and why Steve believes the best businesses are built through patience, consistency and genuine value.This is far more than a conversation about property. It’s an honest look at ambition, success and designing a business that supports the life you actually want.