Questions people ask before enrolling.
If yours is not here, email enroll@groundbreakeracademy.com and we will answer it plainly.
Do I need capital to start?
No. The first six modules are about finding, screening, and controlling a deal — work you do before money is at risk. Module 8 covers how development capital is actually raised: senior debt, mezzanine, and equity, including deals where the developer is not the largest cheque.
Do I need a licence?
No licence is required to develop land, and nothing in the program requires one. Licensed contractors and agents tend to move faster through the construction and marketing modules, but the curriculum assumes no licence.
What if I do not have a parcel yet?
Most students start without one. Module 2 is the deal funnel — how to generate leads and screen them down to one parcel worth underwriting. You can carry a candidate parcel, a listed parcel, or a hypothetical one through the workbook, and swap it later.
Does this work outside Maryland, DC, and Virginia?
Yes. The case studies are from that market because that is where the instructor built, but the method is jurisdiction-neutral. Entitlement names and timelines differ by county; the sequence, the underwriting, and the decision gates do not.
Am I too early, or too experienced?
The core program is written for beginners through intermediate operators — agents, investors, contractors, and first-time developers. If you already underwrite ground-up deals, start with the Mastery Track, which covers commercial, capital structuring, multifamily, firm-building, and cycle timing.
How many hours a week?
The core program is about 56 hours in total. One module a week runs 12 to 13 weeks at roughly four to six hours a week — the cohort rhythm. Self-paced students typically take one module every one to two weeks.
What is actually delivered?
Written lesson guides, slide decks with speaker notes, the Developer Toolkit in Excel, a 100-plus term glossary, and a fill-in workbook. Each module ends in a Mission run in the real toolkit file and a GO / REVISE / NO-GO decision gate.
Is it video?
The material is written and worked, not watched. That is deliberate: development is done in spreadsheets, contracts, and site plans, so the program hands you those files rather than footage of someone else using them.
What happens after I finish?
You finish with a completed workbook and a capstone package you could pitch. Most students stay in the Developer Club for the quarterly Market Pulse and monthly deal teardowns; some add the Deal Desk for monthly reviews of live deals.
Can I pay monthly?
Yes. Self-Paced is 4 × $399, the Launch Accelerator 6 × $699, Mastery Self-Study 4 × $799, and the Mastery Cohort 6 × $1,299. You choose a plan at enrollment and receive the schedule in writing.
Is there a guarantee?
The Self-Paced Course carries a 14-day money-back guarantee from purchase, provided less than 20% of the content has been accessed. Live tiers have their own windows, set out in the Terms of Purchase.
Will the course make me money?
No course can promise that. The figures shown on this site are from the instructor’s own completed projects and are not a representation of student results. What the program gives you is a repeatable way to decide whether a deal is worth doing.
Still deciding? Run one deal through the free calculator.
It takes one email address and about ten minutes.