Early retiree flipped a house, launched a company and sold it for $12.5 million—all before turning 30
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Early retiree flipped a house, launched a company and sold it for $12.5 million—all before turning 30
At 29, Nathanael Farrelly has sold a nursing business for $12.5 million. Farrelly transitioned from critical care into home infusion while finishing his degree and starting a master’s program. He used about $80,000 in personal savings and proceeds from selling a Rhode Island home he and his wife had bought for $140,000 and flipped for $310,000 to fund his business. With the sudden success of his business, he was able to avoid outside investment, though he did accept $111,000 PPP loans in 2021 to hire more nurses.
Nathanael Farrelly at home. Jason O’Brien | CNBC Make It
“I began praying for clarity… and I started to ask myself where else I could make an impact,” he says. The stress led him to rethink his future in nursing, setting him on a path that would ultimately bring him financial independence.
Becoming an entrepreneur
In 2017, a nursing classmate told Farrelly about infusion therapy, which involves administering IV treatments, often in patients’ homes. The work offered nurses far more autonomy with their schedule compared to hospital shifts. Farrelly transitioned from critical care into home infusion while finishing his bachelor’s degree and starting a master’s program. He was drawn to the one-on-one care and slower pace and soon began to notice a gap in how care was delivered. “That opened my eyes… there are not enough nurses and too many patients going into the hospitals when this can be done at home,” he says. “That’s when my entrepreneurial side just expanded.” In March 2020, Farrelly launched Revitalize Specialty Infusion, a company that hired nurses to provide in-home IV treatments. What set the business apart was its focus on efficiency: minimizing travel time by hiring locally and giving nurses more control over their schedules.
To fund it, he used about $80,000 in personal savings and proceeds from selling a Rhode Island home he and his wife had bought for $140,000 and flipped for $310,000. They invested roughly $175,000 in the business.
Nathanael Farrelly in his home office. Jason O’Brien | CNBC Make It
Demand for in-home nursing surged during the pandemic, which allowed Farrelly’s business to grow very quickly. One of his first cold calls led to a contract covering 50 patients overnight. With the sudden success of his business, he was able to avoid outside investment, though he did accept $111,000 in PPP loans in 2021 to hire more nurses. The loans were later forgiven.
Selling the business
I retired at 28 after selling my company for $12.5 million—now I’m enjoying a ‘family sabbatical’
Nathanael Farrelly became a registered nurse at 21, launched a home infusion therapy company at 24 and sold it four years later for $12.5 million. Now 29, he lives in Pensacola, Florida, with his wife and three children — with a fourth on the way — living off a nearly $14 million net worth. He funded the business with personal savings and proceeds from the sale of a home he and his wife had purchased for $140,000 and later flipped for $310,000. Farrelly’s business model focused on efficiency: hiring local nurses, cutting drive times and giving nurses control over their schedules. The start of the Covid-19 pandemic also proved to be perfect timing for the business as demand for nursing services surged so he was able to grow a large team within just a few states. He took out $111,000 in loans in the early days of his business, but took them out in the late days of the business, when he was fortunate to avoid taking on debt.
Nathanael and Laurel Farrelly on their wedding day. Courtesy of Nathanael Farrelly
“Since meeting her, I’ve never questioned that,” he says. “I just knew.” Farrelly became a registered nurse at 21, launched a home infusion therapy company at 24 and sold it four years later for $12.5 million — reaching financial independence before turning 30. Now 29, he lives in Pensacola, Florida, with his wife and three children — with a fourth on the way — living off a nearly $14 million net worth. Since stepping away from full-time work in September 2024, he has been living in semi-retirement — coaching his kids’ soccer team, managing his real estate portfolio and making occasional angel investments. Here’s how he built his business, retired young and started backing other like-minded entrepreneurs.
‘There was no one else’
After earning his GED, Farrelly enrolled in summer classes at a local community college to become a nurse. While completing the associate’s degree that allowed him to become a registered nurse, he also began work on a bachelor’s — a credential often required for advancement in the field. Farrelly became a registered nurse at 21 in 2017, and his first job was in a hospital step-down unit — a fast-paced environment not unlike an ICU. After one week of training, he arrived at work expecting to shadow another nurse, only to find his name on the assignment board with a full patient load.
Nathanael Farrelly’s certified nursing assistant card from 2014. Courtesy of Nathanael Farrelly
“I quickly realized … that it was not a joke,” he says. “They needed me because there was no one else.” His situation was not unusual. In 2017, the American Nurses Association warned CNBC of “growing shortages in different states and geographic regions” — a problem that was later exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. The stress of nursing quickly took a toll. “I remember waking up every morning nauseous … dreading going to work,” he says. “It really impacted my quality of life.” Farrelly stayed in the field, but the experience had him thinking about a different path in nursing.
Launching his own nursing business
When a classmate mentioned an opportunity in home infusion therapy, where nurses provide treatments like antibiotics or IV medications in patients’ homes, Farrelly was intrigued. “I always loved placing IVs,” he says. He took a contract role and immediately saw the potential. “That opened my eyes and I realized, ‘Wow, there are not enough nurses and too many patients going into the hospitals when this can be done at home,'” he says. “That’s when my entrepreneurial side just expanded.” After more than two years as an independent contractor, Farrelly launched Revitalize Specialty Infusion in March 2020, shortly after the Covid-19 pandemic hit. He funded the business with personal savings and proceeds from the sale of a home he and his wife had purchased for $140,000 and later flipped for $310,000.
Nathanael Farrelly in his home office. Jason O’Brien | CNBC Make It
Farrelly’s model focused on efficiency: hiring local nurses, cutting drive times and giving nurses more control over their schedules. The start of the pandemic also proved to be perfect timing for the business, as demand for at-home nursing services surged. “We grew a nursing team so large within just a few states, nurses were able to stay very local,” he says. This was a time when nurses were in especially high demand. While Farrelly’s startup couldn’t always compete on pay, the flexibility, autonomy and calmer pace drew in nurses quickly — especially those looking to leave high-stress hospital jobs. As a result, the company quickly gained traction, with one of Farrelly’s early cold calls leading to a major contract that gave him 50 patients overnight. With steady cash flow, he was fortunate to avoid taking on outside funding or debt in the early days of his business, but took out $111,000 in PPP loans in 2021, which was forgiven that year.
Going on ‘family sabbatical’
In the early days of the business, Farrelly says he began getting calls from private equity firms “wanting to acquire my company for a million [dollars], a couple million,” but he held off. “I knew it wasn’t the right time,” he says. He decided to sell the business when he realized it couldn’t keep growing on its current trajectory without outside support, and that a larger company could better support his nurses. “I started to really think about the next season of my life,” he says. “I wanted to focus more on my family.”
Nathanael Farrelly fishing in Pensacola, Florida, with his children. Jason O’Brien | CNBC Make It
Farrelly sold Revitalize to Option Care Health, one of the largest infusion companies in the nation, for $12.5 million in May 2023. The Farrelly family moved to Florida that August, and Farrelly stayed at the company for a year and a half before stepping back to begin what he calls a “family sabbatical,” joining his wife as a stay-at-home parent. “That was the true exit for me,” he says. It allowed him to “really focus on family,” as well as self development, he says. Since then, Farrelly has become an angel investor, backing a friend’s coffee company and a fitness app that gamifies health metrics.
How the Farrellys spend their money
Here’s how the Farrellys spent their money in February 2025:
Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards Christina Locopo | CNBC Make It
Discretionary: $8,021 for home and pool maintenance, furniture, medical expenses and tools
$8,021 for home and pool maintenance, furniture, medical expenses and tools Donations: $6,712
$6,712 Insurance: $1,950 for health, life, vision, dental, car, homeowners and flood insurance
$1,950 for health, life, vision, dental, car, homeowners and flood insurance Property taxes: $1,862. While the Farrellys pay property taxes annually, they account for it in their monthly spending for budgeting purposes.
$1,862. While the Farrellys pay property taxes annually, they account for it in their monthly spending for budgeting purposes. Children’s education: $975
$975 Utilities: $451 for Wi-Fi, trash, water, electricity and security
$451 for Wi-Fi, trash, water, electricity and security Transportation: $430 for Uber and gas
$430 for Uber and gas Phones: $139
$139 Subscriptions and memberships: $104 for his gym, ChatGPT, Nintendo, VidAngel and streaming TV services As of February 2025, Farrelly had a net worth of just under $14 million, which includes more than $5.6 million in cash, $2.77 million in stocks, $2.5 million in real estate and $500,000 in cryptocurrency. Crypto is the riskiest part of his portfolio, but he says he started small and bought in early, back in 2016. “I accumulated my first Bitcoin at $3,000,” he says. “So while it may be a roller coaster for many, anything above $3,000 is just a plus for me.” The family lives off the interest from the cash, which earns about $30,000 a month. They typically spend around half of that, with the rest reinvested.
Nathanael Farrelly with his wife, Laurel. Jason O’Brien | CNBC Make It
They live in a waterfront home Farrelly purchased outright for $1.9 million, so they don’t have a mortgage. Their biggest recurring costs include property taxes, insurance and private school tuition. In February 2025, one-time expenses for home and pool maintenance, medical bills and furniture pushed their spending to just under $23,000, though Farrelly says they usually spend closer to $15,000 a month.
Looking ahead
Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/05/22/he-flipped-a-house-to-fund-a-nursing-businessand-made-12point5-million.html