Fail Forward: Ari Rastegar on Lessons That Built an Empire in Austin

Ari Rastegar is the founder and CEO of Rastegar Property Company, a $10 billion real estate empire that’s reshaping skylines across the U.S. But his journey didn’t start in boardrooms—it started behind the grill at Johnny Rockets, flipping burgers and dreaming bigger. From those humble beginnings, Ari built his way into the world of high-stakes real estate, earning the nickname “The Oracle of Austin” for his early bets on the city’s meteoric growth. Known for his bold, contrarian strategies and unshakable belief in learning from failure, he’s turned setbacks into stepping stones and vision into value. Ari has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Bloomberg, and is recognized as one of the most innovative minds in real estate today. His mission? To show that with grit, resilience, and a willingness to fail forward, you can turn even the smallest start into a billion-dollar legacy. Check Out My Social Media: Tiktok ⟶ https://www.tiktok.com/@officialtommymello Instagram ⟶ https://www.instagram.com/officialtommymello/ Facebook ⟶ https://www.facebook.com/thomasmello/ My other podcast: Home Service Expert ⟶ https://open.spotify.com/show/4WHQ3ldGThHsP1cfzNF33G Live Q&A submission form: https://homeserviceexpert.com/questions 00:00 The Journey of Failure and Success 01:24 Building a Billion-Dollar Portfolio 03:07 The Importance of Relationships in Real Estate 10:07 The Role of Money and Time 16:18 Predicting Market Trends and the Future of Real Estate 18:57 Embracing Technology and AI 23:25 The Gift of Failure and Closing Thoughts TMM Director / Series Creator - Elaina Slayton Executive Producer - Jim Leslie Producer - Bianca Zhou Editor - Paul McAleavey Camera - Cullen Fleming