The Cold DM That Sparked a Real Estate Movement

On this episode of Suite Success, host Katie Cline sits down with Grace Gudenkauf and Amelia McGee, co-founders of WIIRE (Women Invest in Real Estate), the fast-growing community helping women pursue financial and time freedom through real estate investing and entrepreneurship. What started with a cold Instagram DM between two strangers in Iowa has since grown into a movement serving thousands of women through retreats, masterminds, education, and community. Together, they discuss why so many aspiring investors are waiting for permission to get started, how community can completely transform what feels possible, and why creating “W2-optional” lives has become such a powerful motivator for women seeking more flexibility. Grace and Amelia also share the behind-the-scenes story of building WIIRE organically from the ground up, hosting retreats before they felt fully ready, and learning how hospitality principles—from onboarding to first impressions—have shaped every aspect of their business. The conversation also explores co-founder dynamics, the confidence gap in investing, how women often approach business and risk differently, and why being surrounded by people “moving in the same current” can accelerate growth in ways you never imagined. Plus, they share lessons from their book, The Self-Managing Landlord (https://amzn.to/49enAme), and explain why hospitality and customer service are at the heart of successful property management. This episode is brought to you by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Lodgify⁠⁠⁠⁠ &⁠⁠⁠⁠ Bilt⁠ WIIRE Summer Retreat: $200 off with code KATIE - Wiire.com/summercamp Timestamps: 00:00 Welcome to Suite Success 00:39 Introducing Grace Gudenkauf and Amelia McGee 01:26 How it Started: A Cold DM 02:47 First Meetup 03:28 Start Before You’re Ready 05:36 Hosting a Retreat 08:34 Gatlinburg Lessons 10:45 Co-Founder Workflow 17:41 Onboarding with Hospitality 20:10 WIIRE Summer Camp 24:12 Women Invest Differently 29:59 The Self-Managing Landlord 40:15 Suite Summary ⁠Connect with Grace & Amelia:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Grace's LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: linkedin.com/in/grace-gudenkauf-321186112 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amelia's LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amelia-mcgee-b1a1b464/ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠WIIRE's Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: https://wiire.com/ Links: Apple Podcasts - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Link⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Spotify - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Link⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Suite Success Website - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Link⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect with Katie⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠