Attempting to figure out the best path for a graduate degree to for primarily commercial real estate financing. MS vs. MBA vs. individual research
This may be a bit of a niche question, but some may have opinions on the matter or have gone through it themselves. I opened up a family run broker shop back in 2017 and we've been steadily growing in the commercial real estate and private money sectors. It has been primarily coordinated with two funds we've had relationships with for many years running mortgage companies on the conventional side with the burden for capital raising and investor management being placed on the fund, with the UW being done in-house.

That being said, as we've grown and attempted to establish partnerships to deal with capital raising, we've been at a dead end due to negotiations falling through. This prompted me to look more into the complexities of raising private capital (SEC reporting, guidelines and standards, yada yada yada). My background is mainly outside of the real estate field while my partner, and father, has 40 years in the industry but not with the capital side.

I've been given a mixed bag of suggestions ranging from reading up personally on the subject to getting a graduate degree to solidify my knowledge and, in many ways, future proof myself in case of our business failing, which is not a concern at this point but still always something to keep in the back of my mind.

Has anyone followed a path into a MS or MBA in commercial real estate to establish a business in the financial side and if so was this beneficial vs more individual studies and resources?
[{"id": "emj64ek", "text": "I have an MBA; the value of it isn\u2019t in the education but in the credibility that the institutions name bestows on your resume. I work in more \u201cWall Street\u201d real estate finance and find my degree invaluable in that it has opened many doors that would have otherwise been closed.  That being said I don\u2019t think I would have done it if it weren\u2019t for going to a top program - I think there are sharply diminishing returns on it if you aren\u2019t coming from a nationally recognized institution. My $0.02.", "replies": [{"id": "emjgpqd", "text": "Definitely agree on the purpose of the MBA as I don't necessarily need it for the title or progression as we are running our own shop, but it's unfortunate to hear the education isn't a positive. There aren't enough resources to easily get a grasp of the complexities of converting to a fund/firm and taking in private capital. Can't say the ever changing landscape of SEC law doesn't worry me!", "replies": [], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "emj92vh", "text": "It depends on the capital source you're looking for.  Institutional vs retail. \n\nAs far as institutional capital is concerned perhaps you can try farming retired players   \nin that field and create a corporate board in exchange for nominal equity.\n\n  \nYou'll have their collective credibility/experience/relationships instead of being a lonewolf. \n\n&amp;#x200B;\n\nRetail is an entirely different ballgame", "replies": [{"id": "emjgkcb", "text": "We actually aren't having a problem with sourcing the capital, the issue is we aren't currently comfortable with setting ourselves up as a PE firm and knowledgeable enough with SEC laws pertaining to offerings, reporting, etc etc. I'm not one to jump ahead and take on capital without a strong structure. We'd also want to keep a portion on our own books for interest and servicing. \n\nThe only other option would be to hire a CFO with the knowledge but isn't worth it for us at this junction until we become too overwhelmed to handle secondary market sales.", "replies": [{"id": "emjlqxb", "text": "Have you thought of hiring a former SEC attorney on a consultant basis  ?", "replies": [], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "epp4i5e", "text": "I got an MS in Real Estate and it was great. I learned a fair amount but the exposure to industry experts was amazing. All the professors were great and if you had a question that was outside of their realm they would connect you with multiple different industry professionals to help you figure it out. A lot of the class was working full-time in the program.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}]