Who is Dan Cantillana (DanCan)?
Dan Cantillana, known as DanCan, is a Spokane, Washington entrepreneur who began his career as a fourth-grade teacher and went on to build businesses in insurance, real estate, general contracting and bookkeeping over more than twenty years. He buys and restores off-market properties in Spokane and Kitsap County, leads a private investor network, hosts The Invested Life podcast, and teaches small business owners referral marketing through Build a Lead Machine.
Dan grew up the only child of a hard-working single mother, first in Section 8 housing and later in a double-wide on three acres outside Port Orchard, Washington. He was a B student who wanted a house with a view someday. He earned a degree in education and taught fourth grade, then moved into outside sales, then insurance, then business ownership. He also holds a master’s degree in theology and Christian leadership.
What he does today
- Insurance. Owns a Spokane insurance agency (the DanCan Insurance Agency) with a team of agents; the business that taught him what high-trust relationships require.
- Real estate. Buys distressed and off-market properties in Spokane and Kitsap County, restores them and resells them, with his partner and crews. Holds a general contractor’s license and runs the construction, funding, listing and bookkeeping verticals through his own companies.
- Private capital. Leads the DanCan Private Investor Network, through which private and accredited investors participate in those opportunities. He has referred to himself on air as president of Wave Capital.
- Teaching. Hosts The Invested Life podcast and YouTube channel, and teaches referral systems to small business owners through Build a Lead Machine.
What he is not
Dan says it at the top of every episode: he is not a licensed real estate agent, a registered financial adviser, an attorney, or an accountant. He is an entrepreneur and, in his words, a deal finder. Nothing on this site is advice, and every real opportunity is described only in its own documents.
Why the teacher never stopped teaching
Dan’s premise is that you have to invest in yourself before you can invest well in businesses, real estate or other people: your faith, family, health, mind, relationships, work and money, in that order. That is why this site leads with questions instead of returns. Protect. Provide. Promote. Teach. Connect. Multiply. Love well. Do good.