Creators, coaches & info products

Books and taxes for real estate educators.

A weekend bootcamp that sells out months in advance, a mentorship program billed monthly, a profit share from a student's first deal, and lender referral commissions. Your own bookkeeper sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.

Book a call What we handle
  • From $197 a month
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever
SeptemberExample month
$25,000
what you made

September came in at $25,000. A student's profit share from her first flip landed this month, so I kept that separate from regular course and mentorship income.

  • Bootcamp ticket salesEvent income
  • Mentorship program billingMentorship fees
  • Student profit share paymentDeal profit shares
  • Venue deposit, fall bootcampEvent costs
  • Lender referral commissionReferral income
Money in$52,000
Money out$27,000
Set aside for taxes$6,800
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A real estate educator's books go wrong in a few specific spots.

A generalist sees a deposit and calls it revenue. Yours mixes bootcamp ticket sales collected months before the event costs land, ongoing mentorship billing, referral commissions from lenders and title companies, and the occasional profit share from a student's actual deal, which is a different kind of income entirely.

  1. 1

    A profit share from a student's deal is not ordinary coaching income

    A mentor who takes a cut of a student's first flip or rental purchase is earning something closer to an investment return than a coaching fee, and booking it the same as a course sale can misstate what kind of income it actually is.

    What we doFlags deal profit shares as their own category and has the accountant sort out how that income should be treated, separate from ordinary teaching income.
  2. 2

    Bootcamp ticket sales arrive well before the event costs do

    Tickets for a bootcamp often sell out two or three months before the event, while the venue balance, catering, and speaker fees get paid closer to the date, making an early ticket sale month look far more profitable than the event will turn out to be.

    What we doHolds bootcamp income against the venue and speaker costs still to come, so the real margin on an event is not judged until the full picture is in.
  3. 3

    Lender and title company referral fees blend into course sales

    A commission from a lender or title company for referring a student looks the same in the bank as a course payment, hiding how much of the income depends on referral relationships rather than teaching itself.

    What we doKeeps referral income in its own line, separate from course and mentorship fees, so both sides of the business are visible.
  4. 4

    Mentorship billing renews without anyone noticing a cancellation

    A monthly mentorship program can lose members between cohorts, and a shrinking group can still look like a similar deposit for a while before the drop shows up clearly in the bank.

    What we doTracks active mentorship members against cancellations, so a shrinking group shows up in the numbers early.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a real estate education business.

Set up once for how the business gets paid and what it spends on. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.

Money in

  • Event incomeBootcamp and workshop ticket sales.
  • Mentorship feesMonthly or program-length mentorship billing.
  • Deal profit sharesA cut of a student's actual real estate deal, kept separate from teaching income.
  • Referral incomeCommissions from lenders, title companies, or software referrals.

Money out

  • Event costsVenue, catering, and speaker fees for bootcamps.
  • MarketingAds and content costs to fill bootcamps and mentorship spots.
  • Course productionVideo and materials for course content.
  • Guest speaker feesHonorariums for outside experts at events.
  • Business insuranceLiability coverage for coaching and events.

What we watch for you

  • Event margin

    What a bootcamp actually nets once venue and speaker costs all land.

  • Net mentorship members

    New members against cancellations, since gross billing alone hides a shrinking group.

  • Deal profit share income

    How much of total income comes from student deals rather than teaching, since that income is less predictable.

  • The set-aside

    What will be owed, tracked every month, so a strong bootcamp season does not turn into a surprise bill.

Ask Gus

Things real estate educators ask Gus.

Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.

A student paid me a share of the profit from her first flip. Is that the same as a coaching fee?

Not quite. I keep deal profit shares in their own category, since that is closer to an investment return than teaching income, and the accountant can advise on how it should be reported.

Bootcamp tickets are selling fast, months before the event. Is that already profit?

Too early to say. I am holding that income against the venue and speaker costs still coming, so we will know the real margin once everything lands.

A lender pays me a commission every time I refer a student to them. Does that count as coaching income?

No, I keep referral income in its own line, separate from course and mentorship fees, so you can see how much of the business depends on those relationships.

The tax side

The tax side of running a real estate education business.

Most of what trips people up here is a profit share from a student deal that is not ordinary teaching income, and event money collected well before its costs.

What your return has to get right

Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.

  • Deal profit shares need their own lookA cut of a student's real estate deal is a different kind of income than a course sale, and the accountant sorts out how it should be reported based on the actual arrangement.
  • Self-employment taxAn educator not on payroll owes 15.3 percent in self-employment tax on top of income tax, up to the Social Security wage base of $184,500, whether income came from a bootcamp or ongoing mentorship.
  • Paying a guest speaker $2,000 or moreA guest expert not on payroll, paid $2,000 or more in 2026, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus tracks that running total.
  • The pass-through deductionMost education businesses can take up to 20 percent of profit off their taxable income. Above $201,750 single or $403,500 joint, the accountant checks how deal profit shares affect how much applies.

Deductions real estate educators miss

Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.

  • Bootcamp venue and catering
  • Guest speaker fees
  • Course production costs
  • Marketing and ad spend
  • Event production materials
  • Travel for scouting venues
  • Business phone and internet
  • Business liability insurance
  • Accounting and legal fees

General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.

All year, not just April

A real estate education business's year, kept every month.

Bootcamps and mentorship cohorts land on their own calendar, but the books stay closed every month between them, all year. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.

  1. January

    Plan the bootcamp calendar

    Last year's return gets started, guest speaker 1099s are prepared, and a monthly set-aside is planned ahead of the year's first bootcamp.

  2. April

    Filed before the next bootcamp

    Filed and signed before the next bootcamp, with nothing owed as a surprise since the set-aside has been building since January.

  3. July

    Bootcamp season check

    Where the business stands, what it will owe, and whether a summer bootcamp changed the number.

  4. October

    Before a fall bootcamp

    Many educators run a fall event before the year winds down. Gus looks at venue costs coming due and anything worth doing before December.

What you get

Starts at$197a month

What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.

Book a call
  • Monthly bookkeeping

    Every transaction sorted into categories set up for real estate educators. You never categorize a thing.

  • An accountant checks every transaction

    Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.

  • Your business tax return, filed

    Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.

  • The monthly number

    What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.

  • Your own bookkeeper

    A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.

  • On your books all year

    Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.

  • Cancel any time

    No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.

Straight answers

Questions real estate educators ask first.

Do I owe tax on a profit share from a student's deal the same as course income?

It is taxable either way, but it may be treated differently than ordinary coaching income. Gus flags it separately so the accountant can sort out how it should be reported.

My bootcamp ticket sales land months before I pay the venue. Is that a problem for the books?

Not a problem, just something to track carefully. Gus holds that income against the costs still coming so the real margin is not judged too early.

I earn commissions from a lender and a title company for referring students. Can Gus keep those separate?

Yes. He keeps referral income in its own line, apart from course and mentorship fees, so you can see how much depends on those relationships.

My mentorship program renews monthly through Stripe. Can Gus track cancellations?

Yes. He tracks new members against cancellations, so a shrinking group is visible in the numbers, not just something you notice later.

My event income, mentorship fees, and referral commissions have never been tracked separately. Can Gus fix that?

Yes. Send the bank and processor statements you have. Gus sorts income by source, the accountant checks it, and most educators know where they stand inside a week.

Is a real accountant checking my books?

Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.

What does it cost, and can I cancel?

It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.

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Book a call

Pick a time. That's the whole signup.

Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.

  • $197 a month to start
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever