Anthony Carlton

I build media systems for operators who want influence, growth, & capital at scale | $50M raised through social | Founder & Writer

I built my personal brand to escape the corporate grind.

After working with clients across finance, private equity, venture, and real estate—I doubled down on one clear problem:

Most CRE firms struggle to raise capital online.

That’s why I founded CRE Digital — a content and brand strategy partner for capital raisers, fund managers, and private equity firms.

We turn your expertise into influence, using systems that drive:

• Brand authority that builds trust
• LP investor leads and committed capital
• Off-market deal flow and JV partners
• Speaking invites and top CRE podcast features

What sets us apart? 

We’ve sat on both sides of the table — advising high-net-worth investors and partnering with top CRE operators.

Now, we build digital brands that attract capital at scale.

If you’re serious about raising capital and want your brand to do the heavy lifting, book a call in my featured section or visit credigital.io

Founder & Brand Advisor

Build Your Brand @ FinGhost.io

In 2026, a salary isn’t enough.

The real multiplier of wealth is ownership.

That doesn’t mean you need to build the next Fortune 500 company and manage 1,000 employees.

Ownership comes in many forms. Think of it as a ladder you climb over time:

Level 1 → Stocks in your brokerage or 401k
Level 2 → Equity in the company you work for
Level 3 → Advisory (lend expertise to a startup)
Level 4 → Invest in startups, real estate, assets
Level 5 → Build a side hustle that pays you monthly
Level 6 → Build & own IP: audience, products, media

There are 101 ways to create ownership.

So the excuse "I don't have enough money or experience" doesn't work in a world where you can create something from scratch TODAY with a $20/month AI tool and a google doc.

Salary stops when you stop.

Equity compounds while you sleep.

This is how you buy back your time.
This is how you achieve freedom before 70.
This is how you own assets that work for you.

There's too much leverage available in the world to spend the next 30-40 years earning and spending a salary with no ownership to show for it.

Bet on yourself.
Bet on ownership.

What assets are you building or buying over the next 3 months?

Anthony Carlton

Real Estate Investor and CEO at MAK Capital | Luxury Storage Developer | 200+ CRE units | Financial Freedom Mentor

I’m Marc Kuhn and in 1994 I started my construction career with my Dad. I started at $1 per hour and got a $1 raise every year as I worked for my dads construction company. 

In 2010, I left my hourly job with $2,500 in my bank account. 

I started my entrepreneurial path and opened MAK Construction, my first business. I’ve grown the construction company to over $25 million a year. We develop commercial projects both 3rd party and investment projects for our investors. 

Since 2018, we have added over 200 units in the Midwest. The benefits of real estate have given me the freedom of time. My goal is to help investors reach financial freedom through real estate. 

Today I own and operate three successful companies that do eight figures a year. 

https://linktr.ee/marckuhn?fbclid=PAAabPuGTp9yBQf1LtvPMccAGv2W9DDPWjJCYvxn3mKnV12VKxsr7s0g8Lc18

2010: MAK Construction: Build and Manage Construction Projects. 
www.makconstructiongf.com

2020: MAK Capital: Let’s passive investors invest in real estate projects beside us! 
Unfollow the herd newsletter: 
www.makcapitalgf.com

2020: CK Agency: Manages Multifamily and Storage properties. 
www.ckagencyllc.com

Marc Kuhn

He built 480 hotels. One a month for 40 years.

He's North Dakota’s first billionaire: 

Meet Gary Tharaldson.

His wealth didn't come from chasing trends or hype. Just one simple "boring" business, repeated relentlessly.

In 1982, he bought a single Super 8 in Valley City

His business philosophy was a simple mix of grit, playing the long-term game, and perfecting his process for acquiring and operating profitable hotels.

Over four decades, he scaled small, no-frills hotels across the country.

In 2006, he sold 130 of them to Goldman Sachs for $1.2B.

Then he took that money and doubled down:

→ Land
→ Ethanol
→ Commercial development

Now he’s the richest man in North Dakota.

People ask why I don’t chase 20 deals a year. Because I’m not playing the volume game.

I want 4–5 real estate projects a year that:

→ Fit our model
→ Hit our returns
→ Scale with our playbook

That’s how we’ve built MAK Capital and Mega MAK Storage:

Boring, repeatable, high-demand luxury storage facilities where demand outpaces supply.

Tharaldson proved you don’t need to be exciting to build real wealth.

You just need a boring play you can run with discipline for the next 20 years.

What’s your "boring" game?

--

♻️ Repost to inspire an entrepreneur in your network
📌 Reach out if I can be a resource Marc Kuhn

I was "dumb" enough to drop out of college at 22.

12 credits short. No backup plan.

Dumb enough to start MAK Construction with $2,500, bidding on jobs I wasn't qualified for.

Everyone around me had an opinion about it.

"You need a degree."
"You need more money saved."
"You need a safer plan."

I ignored all of it.

Instead I built a concrete crew from scratch.
Invested every dollar I made back into the company.
Started multiple businesses along the way.
Started investing and developing real estate.
Asked people smarter than me for help.

And kept betting on myself when nobody else would.

That "dumb" kid built a $65M portfolio, an awesome portfolio of companies with amazing people, and a pretty damn good life.

Reminder for anyone betting on themself:

When people project their fears onto your decisions, don't confuse it for good advice.

Take risks.
Bet on yourself.
Unfollow the Herd.

That's my best advice after 15 years of doing this for myself.

What's a decision you made that people called "dumb" for that ended up paying off?

--

♻️ Repost to spread the wealth with your network

Follow me Marc Kuhn for daily posts on real estate, wealth creation, and entrepreneurship.

Unfollow the Herd

📌 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁:

• Building wealth
• Investing in real estate
• Entrepreneur lessons

Give me a follow and check out my free newsletter: marckuhn.substack.com

MAK Capital

📌 𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝟰𝟬𝟬+ 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗹𝘂𝘅𝘂𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗺𝗲: https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/form/ilq2Nf6VqqoHiGoYaTl3

Free Guides

📌 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗹𝘂𝘅𝘂𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 ↓

https://open.substack.com/pub/marckuhn/p/why-im-investing-millions-in-luxury

YOUTUBE

📺 𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝘆 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗧𝘂𝗯𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲.

www.youtube.com/@marckuhnmak/videos



YouTube video

📌 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗧𝘂𝗯𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰:

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Course

📌 𝗚𝗼 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗭𝗘𝗥𝗢 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝘆 𝟭𝟬-𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁:

✅ 2-hour video course
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Get instant access here: https://marckuhn1.gumroad.com/l/realestate

📌 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗰𝗮𝗻'𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂?

Source

📌 Are you getting deals done in the last 4 months of 2024? I'm aiming for one more!

[img:au4tNGlOi]

Coaching

📌 𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽?

Here's what you'll learn with me:

- How to invest in real estate
- How to scale your W2 or business
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I'm taking on 3 coaching clients in March.

Apply here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf32zZYq19VTz8BSMSwZrs4WQBn9Knwo4AzmgeE5pSS6ws-9A/viewform

CEO @ MAK Capital | CRE Developer | Guiding You to Wealth with Passive Investments in Luxury Storage & Multifamily Real Estate

10 years ago, a $200K job felt massive. Today, we do $500K jobs just to stay busy for the month.

That shift didn't happen because I got better at concrete. It happened because I learned to let go.

At 27, I thought I had it figured out.

I was making over $250K a year, building my own house, and finally "successful."

I truly believed that was the peak.

But I was also stuck at $1M in revenue because I was the bottleneck in everything. I had to:

→ Approve every bid
→ Oversee every pour
→ Warm up the skid steer for 10 minutes every morning

Breaking through that $1M ceiling required me to do things that felt completely wrong:

→ Hire foremen, trust them to run jobs without me
→ Pay people who had more experience than I did
→ Let someone else drive the equipment
→ Take on projects I didn't have the track record for yet

At every level, I had to let go of something that got me there. 

That's how it should be.

The version of you that got you here won't get you to the next level.

You have to let that person go.

Have you gotten to this point in your business yet?

A contractor making $120K with 3 rentals is wealthier than a Doctor making $500K with no assets.

The lesson to learn early:

Income stops when you stop working.
Assets don't.

I learned this the hard way.

For the first 5-6 years of building MAK Construction I earned good money and kept almost none of it.

Every dollar went back into equipment, payroll, and materials.

I was funding a business that needed me to show up every day to survive.

The shift happened when I started buying real estate with construction revenue.

Then storage development with real estate cash flow.
Then a drilling company with storage cash flow.

Each asset funded the next.
Each level required me less.

Today MAK Capital manages a $70M portfolio, builds and operates 100k sq ft luxury storage properties, and earns without linearly trading time for dollars.

That progression took 16 years.

But it started with the decision to stop spending what's left and start buying assets first.

How long did it take you to understand the difference between earning money and building wealth?

--

♻️ Repost to spread the wealth with your network

Follow Marc Kuhn for daily posts on ownership, real estate, and building real wealth.

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My dream is to do $50,000,000 in revenue next year.

So why am I building boring buildings in rural North Dakota?

In tight economic times…

We go out and find the margin jobs.

The top-line revenue number isn’t flashy.

But the margins can be incredibly attractive.

It’s good to have big goals.

And you certainly never want to sell yourself short.

But 100 pennies spends the same as a dollar bill.

Flashy is good for attention.
Efficiency is good for success. 

--

P.S. If you want to passively invest in these "boring" buildings, DM me "passive" and I'll send over more details.

A doctor making $500,000 a year can still be broke.

I don't mean cash poor. 
I mean wealth poor.

Here's the difference:

Income is what hits your bank account when you work. Wealth is what hits your bank account when you don't.

The doctor earns $500K.

But if he stops working tomorrow:

- Income stops
- The mortgage still runs
- The car payments still run
- The lifestyle still runs

He's not wealthy. He's leveraged to his own labor.

I grew up without money.

So when I started making real income in construction, the first thing I did was study the people who had actual wealth.

Not high earners. Owners.

What I found:

→ Wealthy people own assets that produce income
→ High earners trade time for money

The gap between the two isn't income level — it's ownership.

You can earn $500K a year and build zero wealth.
You can earn $80K a year and build a $10M portfolio.

The variable isn't the paycheck.
It's what you do with it.

- Are you buying assets or liabilities?
- Are you building equity?
- Does 100% of your income require your time?

Those questions will tell you exactly which path you're on.

I didn't figure this out until my late 20s.

When did it click for you that income and wealth are two completely different games?

--

♻️ Repost to spread the wealth with your network

Follow Marc Kuhn for daily posts on ownership, real estate, and building real wealth.

99.9% of millionaires I meet don't have a podcast.

They own "boring" assets.

A plumbing company in Fargo. An HVAC business that's been running for 20 years. A handful of rental properties they bought when nobody else was buying. A gas station off the interstate that prints money while they sleep.

I cross paths with wealthy people as a construction CEO and developer in the Midwest.

They're not on LinkedIn talking about their morning routine.

They got their hands dirty, built something real, and quietly stacked assets that cash flow, appreciate, and run without them.

That's the blueprint nobody talks about because it's not glamorous enough to go viral.

Build a business that solves a real problem in your market. Use the cash flow to buy assets. Use depreciation on those assets to lower your taxes. Build systems until the assets make money without you.

Then you're not trading time for money anymore.

A 9-5 gives you a paycheck until it doesn't.

Boring cashflow businesses and a real estate portfolio gives you your life back.

The wealthiest people I know in the Midwest didn't follow the herd.

They just never stopped building.

What's the most quietly wealthy blue-collar business you've come across?

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♻️ Repost to spread the wealth with your network.

I write weekly guides on building wealth with real estate, blue-collar businesses, and high net worth strategies.

Join 5,800 readers: marckuhn.substack.com

At 30, I said Yes to every real estate deal I could.

At 36, I say No to 15-20+ deals a month.

Grew MAK Construction to $30M revenue saying Yes.
Grew MAK Capital to a $60M portfolio saying Yes.

Yes to building houses.
Yes to the random real estate deal.
Yes to anything that would pay the bills.

That’s how most people start: Hustle Mode

But what gets you from $0 to $10M won’t get you to $100M.

At some point, saying yes becomes a liability.

You say yes to too many things, and suddenly:

You’re busy, but not growing.
You’re working harder, but not wealthier.
You’re stuck in the weeds, missing the bigger picture.

In 2026, I’m saying No more than ever.

• No to building 10 homes (eats time, doesn’t scale)
• No to chasing small deals and shiny objects
• No to being everywhere, for everyone

Instead, I’m doubling down on:

→ Luxury storage developments in markets we love
→ Large multifamily projects, strategic acquisitions
→ Scaling what’s working—without spreading thin

Saying No to 10 small projects so I can say Yes to the 1- 2 large opportunities that move the needle.

Great things are built by doing less, better.

Are you in the Yes phase of your career? 
Or are you in the "less is more" season?

--
♻️ Repost if you're saying No more in 2026

📌 Join 5,200+ investors getting real estate, business, and wealth-building insights in my weekly Saturday newsletter: marckuhn.substack.com

I ran a $20/mo experiment on one land parcel.

It leased our storage units 40% faster:

50% of self storage units = no heat.
Other half the units = climate-controlled.

Same location, development, and marketing.

The climate-controlled units leased up 40% faster and commanded a rent premium that held every single month.

For the extra operating cost of about $20/month per unit in utilities.

That was it.

That one test became the proof of concept for what is now a 500,000 sq ft self storage portfolio.

Not a spreadsheet model. Not a mentor's advice.

A real experiment, with real numbers, on real dirt.

Most people chase asset classes based on what's trending on YouTube.

We built our Mega MAK Luxury Storage product around what I could physically test in my own backyard of Grand Forks, North Dakota.

→ Climate-controlled leased faster than standard
→ Better tenant profile came with the better product
→ Higher rents with almost no incremental expense

That's still how I operate today.

Build. Test. Look at the numbers. Scale what works.

What small tests have led to massive results in your career or business?

--

♻️ Repost to spread the wealth with your network

DM me "storage" to learn more about investing in the luxury storage asset class.

Buy cool sh*t with cash flow. Not your paycheck.

"If you can't buy it twice, don't buy it once"

Here’s the old American Dream:

→ Go to college
→ Work 40 years
→ Max out your 401(k)
→ Retire when your knees hurt

Then maybe…enjoy life.

I chose a different path:

• Dropped out with 12 credits left
• Started pouring concrete
• Built a construction company
• Used the profits to buy real estate

Now I’m 36.

After 15 years of building on the "uncommon path", I run a $30M+ business portfolio and own $60M+ in real estate.

Flexing on social media is not my thing. 

My hope is that people see a North Dakota guy who built freedom to inspire others so they do the same.

Here’s what I’ve learned:

1) Job security is a myth.

One boss, bad quarter, or VC can remove your income overnight.

2) Trading time for money is a trap. 

Value your time + ownership > salary.

If your plan is to get 3% inflation raises, buy liabilities, stuff 10% in a 401(k) and that's it...you won't hit freedom until you're 70.

3) Climbing the ladder is a treadmill.

High income ≠ freedom. Especially if you inflate your lifestyle, costs, and buy liabilities like the majority of high-earners who never reach freedom.

If you want REAL freedom, start here:

→ Learn a skill that pays well
→ Live lean and don't buy on credit
→ Buy 1 cash-flowing property
→ Reinvest into another
→ Repeat for 10 years

It’s not sexy.
It’s not fast.
But it works.

In Unfollow the Herd newsletter, I broke down "The Dangers of a 9-5 Career Path" for 5,200 people.

Read it free here:
https://lnkd.in/gXdu2FKZ

I didn't fear losing my paycheck in my 20s.

I feared keeping it for too long.

By the time I was 20, I knew I didn't want to take the “safe path” that I saw ahead of me in life:

• Work 60 hours a week
• Stack liabilities with no assets
• Take a 2% annual raise, maybe a bonus
• Retire when I'm too old to enjoy it

So I made a choice, and it led to starting multiple companies and becoming a commercial developer.

"Do I keep playing the game I was handed? Or learn the game wealthy people actually play?"

Along the way, I figured out that anyone can learn how to build wealth if you knew where to look...

• I found operators. People who owned real businesses. They showed me how to build companies that could run without me grinding 24/7.

• I studied the wealthy. Real estate. Ownership. The tax code. Entity structures. Leverage. The things no one teaches in school, but wealthy families teach at the dinner table.

• I learned by doing. Made mistakes. Lost money. Said yes before I was ready. Every deal, every hire, every tough call made me sharper.

You don’t need to quit tomorrow.
You don’t need the perfect plan.

You just need to start studying the right game.

• Follow the people who own assets
• Learn how they operate, invest in relationships.
• Build or invest for equity—not just a paycheck.

Figuring this out unlocked a whole different part of my brain. When I was a kid, growing up some of the time in a trailer park, you don't think "I can build wealth"

But turns out, it's possible if you reprogram your mind to believe it and put reps over many decades.

What forced you to get serious about building your own path as an entrepreneur or investor?

Fear of being broke is a common one.

Marc Kuhn

Everyone's chasing Austin. Phoenix. Charlotte.

Why are we investing in rural North Dakota?

The numbers make more sense than anything I've seen in a sunbelt market.

Land in the Midwest runs 60-70% cheaper than coastal metros.

Permitting is faster. Local politics are predictable.

And the premium tenant we need for luxury storage are everywhere.

- HVAC contractors who need climate-controlled space
- Electricians and plumbers storing equipment
- Small business owners who can't afford industrial leases
- RV owners who want real security — not a padlock

They're not just in big cities. They're in every mid-sized market in America.

That's where we build.

Not because it's flashy.
Because the math works.

→ Lower land cost means better YOC from day one
→ Less competition means faster lease-up
→ Business-friendly states = fewer regulatory surprises

Everyone piling into the same sunbelt corridors is competing for the same land, the same permits, the same tenants.

We're in markets where we're often the only luxury operator in town.

You stop following the crowd to where the hype is.
And you start going where the numbers are.

What's a market everyone else is ignoring that you think is underrated right now?

--

DM me "storage" to learn more about the Midwest luxury storage opportunity.

A friend called me and asked if I could install a ceiling fan for $300. Saying Yes changed my life.

That night I told my wife: "I think I could actually make some money doing this."

I was 21. Recently fired from my W2.
We'd just sold her car to cover bills.

The next move: ask my future mother-in-law to co-sign a skid steer loan.

She handed me the paperwork and said: "This is the last time you ever ask me."

That was the last time I asked anyone for a handout.

Here's what happened after that $300 fan installation:

- First winter: grinding snow removal
- Chelsie suggested a home show (almost skipped it)
- Walked out with 70+ leads
- Booked out for a full year
- Hit $1M in revenue

Then I started a concrete division.
Then upsells and better clients.
Then real estate investing.
Then luxury storage development.

16 years later, multiple companies, a team of 50+, growing real estate portfolio, and growth ahead for MAK Companies.

→ It all started with a $300 job I wasn't qualified to do
→ The first step was embarrassingly small
→ The compounding took 16 years to show up

You can't build anything great (company, real estate portfolio, wealth) from a standing start.

You build it from wherever you are right now with whatever you have right now.

Even if that's a borrowed truck and a ceiling fan you Googled how to install.

What was your version of the $300 fan installation — the embarrassingly small first step that led to where you are now?

--

♻️ Repost to spread the wealth with your network

Follow Marc Kuhn for daily posts on ownership, real estate, and building real wealth.

My first luxury storage build proved the model.

63 units. 56K sq ft. Grand Forks, ND.

• $45,000 gross income every month.
• $13,500 cash flow after debt service.
• 28% expense ratio.
• 90-100% occupancy.

That one facility gave me the confidence to build our next six Mega MAK Luxury Storage properties.

Most people think luxury storage means Porsches and exotic cars.

Our tenants are HVAC contractors, Shopify operators, and small business owners storing $50,000-$75,000 in equipment.

They don't negotiate rent.
They don't default.
They don't leave.

When your equipment is your livelihood, you pay on time every month without being asked.

That insight changed everything.

The right tenant doesn't just improve your collections.

It changes how the asset performs through every part of the cycle — good markets and bad.

We took that same playbook and built it into a $70M portfolio across North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and more U.S. locations to come.

It started with one experiment on one parcel in Grand Forks.

Have you ever had one experiment that lead to one of your biggest long-term wins?

--

DM me "storage" to learn our process for building, operating, and investing in this asset class.

The hard truth about financial freedom:

The world wasn't designed for it.

If you want to pay your bills, build wealth, and step off the 9-5 hamster wheel to buy your time back...

You'll first have to understand it the system you were raised by wasn't designed to make you financially free.

Not grade school.
Not high school or college.
Not most well-meaning life advice.

None of them are focused on teaching you how to become free.

It was designed to get you to:

- Trade your time for income
- Spend that income on a lifestyle
- Save whatever's left (if anything)
- Give your best years to a company
- Retire when you're too tired to enjoy it

It's designed so you help build toward's someone else's goals.

Your labor builds someone else's equity.
Your spending builds someone else's revenue.
Your savings sit in instruments someone else manages for a fee.

I grew up in a house that never talked about assets, equity, or leverage.

But I watched people around me spend 40 years doing everything right by conventional standards...and end up with almost nothing they actually owned.

That was enough.

The one thing that changes the math:

Ownership.

Ownership of something that produces value whether you show up or not.

→ A business with systems that run without you
→ Real estate that generates rent while you sleep
→ Equity in assets that appreciate while you work on the next thing

I'm not special.

I didn't have connections, capital, or a college degree.

I just decided that ownership was my goal and said I'd learn whatever skills I needed to in order to achieve it.

Ownership of my time.
Ownership of my future.
Ownership of my work.

Yes, ownernship in assets that paid me and grew in value. But even moreso the ownership of my life and where I wanted it to go.

Was there a moment you decided you were going to own your future — and changed your actions to get there?

--

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What if you make all the right moves in life...

And still end up broke by 65?

• You saved diligently.
• Maxed your 401k.
• Never missed a payment.
• Did everything "right."

And 20, 30, 40 years later you're sitting on $800,000 wondering if you can actually retire.

Because inflation ate 40% of your purchasing power.
Because healthcare costs $1,500/month.
Because you still have a mortgage.

This is the "safe path" everyone told you to take.

Meanwhile, the guy who started a boring plumbing business at 30 sold it for $4M at 55 and retired a decade before you.

The woman who bought rental properties in her 20s has $12,000/month in passive income and hasn't worked since 45.

The contractor who went out on his own at 25 built a $20M company and owns the building you're renting.

They all did what everyone said was "risky."

You did what everyone said was "safe."

Who actually took the bigger risk?

I'm not saying quit your job tomorrow.

I'm saying the real risk is betting your entire future on one income stream controlled by someone else.

The real risk is working 40 years and hoping $800,000 is enough. The real risk is never starting because you're afraid of failing.

At 22, I bet on myself and started a company.

→ I had no idea what I was doing
→ I lost money on jobs
→ I made every mistake possible
→ People told me I should get a "real job"

But I kept going.

Because working for someone else my whole life felt riskier than betting on myself.

15 years later:

• Real estate that pays me every month
• Ownership in multiple businesses
• Income from multiple assets
• Time freedom I wouldn't have if I played it safe

None of that happens without taking the "risk" of starting.

The conventional advice is designed to keep you comfortable, not wealthy.

→ Save 10% of your income
→ Invest in index funds
→ Wait 40 years
→ Hope it's enough

That's not a wealth plan. That's a survival plan.

Real wealth is built by:

→ Starting before you're ready
→ Betting on yourself when no one else will
→ Putting skin in the game on deals that scare you
→ Building assets that pay you while you sleep
→ Failing forward and learning from it

You're going to fail at something either way.

Would you rather fail trying to build something?

Or fail by never trying at all?

If you want to play it safe, follow the path that 99% of the herd is on.

The wealthy know safe is the riskiest bet of all.

What's a risk you've taken in life that paid off?

--

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What's the difference between making $10,000 in your 9-5 job and $10,000 from real estate?

$10K paycheck:

• Taxed at 40–50%
• Trades hours for dollars
• Stops when you stop working

$10K from a real estate deal:

• Taxed close to zero with depreciation
• Keeps paying you while you sleep
• Grows equity in a real asset

Most people spend 40 years chasing the paycheck.

But freedom is on the otherside of ownership.

I learned this in my early 20s. Started trading my time pouring concrete, building a construction company.

But the smartest thing I ever did was buy my first office building and lease out the unused space.

"Holy sh*t I didn't know you could do this."

The tax benefits in the first year alone were enough to get me hooked and eventually start MAK Capital in 2020, going all in on multifamily and luxury storage.

Since then, we’ve built and acquired $60M in commercial real estate across the Midwest.

And every time we pay out investors from a property we own...

I’m reminded: 
That $10K from a real estate deal is more than money.

It’s time back with my wife and kids.
It’s leverage for creating generational wealth.
It’s doable to go from $0 to millionaire with time.

Don't get caught in the earn a lot, spend a lot game.

Use a paycheck to buy assets and become an owner. 

That's the game.

What was your first “aha” moment that made you realize real estate was the path to real wealth?

--

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Public Storage doesn’t own 100% of its facilities.

Marriott owns less than 6% of its hotels.

These $50b+ companies see the biggest opportunity in:

• Owning the brand.
• Controlling the operations.
• Licensing and franchising.

This is where we’re taking MAK luxury storage inside our development company.

For years, self-storage was a commodity business.

• Cheap facilities
• Little to no branding
• Premium options were hard to find.

But we saw something different in 2019 when we broke ground on our first luxury storage development.

• Business owners needed contractor shops.
• E-commerce sellers needed fulfillment space.
• People need secure, climate-controlled storage for their boats, RV, and assets.

But the crappy tin can storage units didn't serve their needs.

So we built the Mega MAK Storage brand and started talking about it on podcasts, LinkedIn, and with our investors.

We're not just building a business, we're leveraging a brand and blueprint that lasts for generations.

Our goal is to build 5-10 million square feet of luxury storage by 2035.

My biggest lesson so far?

Don't wait for opportunities to come to you.
You're better off creating them for yourself.

What opportunities are you creating for yourself in 2026?

--

Want to learn how we're expanding the luxury storage space in 2026?

Read today's update in Unfollow the Herd: https://lnkd.in/gwSmVgcm

What percentage of 401k accounts have at least $1,000,000? (I'll tell you): 
 
1.6%. 
 
I recently ran across this number in an article that analyzed 401(k)s at Fidelity 
 
I knew the number of "401(k) millionaires" in the U.S. was low — but I didn't realize it was that low. 
 
And the crazy thing? 
 
The article talks about how that number was "surging"...all the way up to 1.6%. 
 
And then the kicker: 
 
Another Fidelity study showed that workers estimate they'll need ~$1.8M to retire comfortably. 
 
So by those numbers, about 98.4% of Americans won't be able to retire comfortably with their 401(k)s. 
 
𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴: 
 
The number of 401(k) millionaires is so low because wealthy people build it through businesses and real estate. 
 
→ 401(k)s won't give you cash flow 
→ 401(k)s won't give you depreciation 
→ 401(k)s won't give you 1031 exchanges 
 
If you're relying on your 401(k) alone... 
let this be a wake-up call. 
 
It's a tool, not the complete plan. 
 
This is why I diversify with real estate 
(using a self-directed IRA). 
 
So should you. 
 
-- 
 
P.S. Are you an accredited investor? 
 
DM me "storage" and I'll share how our LPs diversify with commercial real estate

He turned $400,000 into a $1 trillion empire.

Stephen Schwarzman didn’t wait for perfect timing.

In 1985, he walked away from his Wall Street job with a mentor, a whiteboard, and $400,000 in seed capital from his own pocket.

No AUM.
No name recognition.
Just conviction.

But two years later, his dream of building the best investment firm in the world was almost destroyed.

Black Monday hit on October 19, 1987.

The Dow Jones fell by 22.6% in a single day—the largest one-day percentage drop in its history.

Markets crashed.
Wall Street panicked.

But Schwarzman raised Blackstone’s first $800 million fund during the chaos.

In 2025, Blackstone is now the largest alternative investment firm in the world—owning real estate, private equity and credit across the globe.

If Schwarzman was like the average investor, turning a market crash into an excuse to stay on the sidelines, Blackstone wouldn't exist today.

→ $1 trillion in assets
→ Dozens of billion-dollar deals
→ A personal net worth of around $43 billion

He didn’t build in the boom. He built through the biggest crash in history at the time.

The lessons for all entrepreneurs:

You don’t need perfect timing. You need a playbook and skills that work in any market conditions.

What skills are you building that can outlast any market downturn?

--

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