Drew Breneman

Protect & Grow Capital With Our Multifamily Investment Opportunities For Family Offices, Fund Managers, & High-Net-Worth Individuals

When I was 19, I bought my first property.

I didn’t realize it then, but that little duplex changed my life.

Now, 20+ years later, I’ve sourced, capitalized, and closed on over $250 million of properties for my firm, Breneman Capital.

I’ve worked closely with investors - family offices, PE, Fund of Funds, RIAs, and individuals - to help them generate income and wealth through multifamily real estate.

The old real estate adage says, “You make your money when you buy in real estate.”

I agree with that - but I think it’s only 50% true.

The other 50% comes in the execution. And I’ve built Breneman Capital through that lens. 

Our realized investments have produced an average gross return of:

• 27% IRR
• 2.3x equity multiple
• 14% average annual cash yield

This is across 14 full-cycle investments with an average hold period of 6 years.

In my opinion, our longest-standing investor relationships come down to 2 factors:

1) Our deals have performed well.
2) We focus on giving investors the best possible experience.

Real estate can be complex. But we like to keep our goals for our investors simple.

- Strong returns.
- Great experiences.
- World-class communication.

Here is what our investor said about us:

✅ Tim B.
“My wife and I wanted passive real estate heading into retirement. We’ve invested in multiple Breneman Capital deals and have been very pleased. They’ve helped us preserve and grow our nest egg without day-to-day work, and I recommend them to friends and co-workers.”

✅ Jim H.
“I’ve invested with Drew for 10+ years across 20+ projects. He’s the most knowledgeable real estate operator I’ve met and someone I trust. These investments have built long-term wealth for my family, with solid returns.”

If you’d like to set up an exploratory call, feel free to click the link in my Featured Section.

Founder & CEO

I started Breneman Capital in 2005 at age 19 to purchase my first rental properties and grow my own wealth. 

Today, we work with individual investors, Family Offices, PE, Fund of Funds, RIAs, etc., and allow them to invest alongside us in the best opportunities that we find (and have been for nearly 20 years).

Invest with us: https://www.breneman.com/invest

10 pieces of real estate advice I wish someone had given me when I was 20:

1. Start before you're ready.

I bought my first duplex at 19. I didn't know what IRR meant. My entire strategy was: If it's cash flow positive, my worst-case is holding it long-term and receiving cash flow each month.

2. Buy what's in front of you.

I was a student at UW-Madison, so I bought student rentals in Madison. My market study was polling friends about what they were paying.

3. Your W2 is education on someone else's dime...

I worked at a multifamily developer, then a retail developer. I knew nothing about commercial property when I started. I learned everything there, and I wasn't in a rush to leave while I was still learning.

4. ...So build while you work.

From 2008 to 2011, I worked three jobs simultaneously: my W2, self-managing my Madison rentals, and buying deals with my first investor.

5. Quit when your job starts costing you money.

By deal five, I'd already exceeded my W2 income. I still didn't quit until deal six was under contract. 

The math was simple: Could I make more reallocating my 9-to-5 hours to the next deal? When the answer was yes, I left.

6. Optimize for learning, not salary.

Comparing a $65K job to a $75K job? When you're 40, that extra $10K you passed up won't matter. What you learned is what compounds.

7. Get to your spot.

On that note, if you know where you want to go with your career, prioritize experience that will get you there. If you want to go out on your own someday, don't take a job as an analyst at a rating agency. Be a broker, get in the mix on actual transactions.

8. Periods of discipline feel longer than they are.

I lived in places under $1,000/month into my late 20s. At 26, I moved back in with my parents to extend my runway. 

At the time, it felt like a lot of sacrifice. But looking back from now that I'm in my 40s, it was all just a blip.

9. Get creative with financing.

I owner-occupied my first duplex for a lower down payment and better rate. You can still do FHA loans at 3.5% down on a 1-4 unit. Someone I know went 50/50 with her sister-in-law. One qualified for the loan, the other brought the cash.

10. The compounding happens later.

I bought $2 million of property as a college student. Same strategy on repeat: Buy, increase operating income, improve value, refi, buy again. 

By 2019, my first investor and I had built that into $80+ million.

--

P.S. What advice would you give to yourself when you were 20?

Founder @ Breneman Capital | Passive Multifamily Investments That Protect & Grow Capital | 21+ years in Real Estate | Trusted by 100+ Accredited Investors

Hiring general contractors can be a nightmare.

Use these 5 tips to find the best GC possible:

1. Check qualifications

Do your homework. Google the GC’s name and business name. See if any reviews are listed on public sites. 

2. Ask for referrals

The single most important part of hiring a GC is finding one you can trust. 

Reach out to other property owners and investors to ask for referrals. If you get a referral, take that GC out for a beer or coffee to get to know them better.

3. Ask questions 

• What is your payment schedule?
• How long have you been in business?
• Will I have a dedicated team for my project?
• How and where do you store your team’s tools?
• Do you have end-of-the-day clean-up procedures? 
• How far in advance do you order materials and where are they stored?

4. Vet the team

Talk with the job site superintendent and understand their expertise and approach to solving issues with subcontractors.

Who's going to run the painting crew? It's more important to talk with them than the salesperson for the contractor's company. 

5. Protect yourself when paying

Pay through a title company to ensure the contractors get paid and you avoid mechanics liens. This way, the owner is always protected since the title company will be providing a date-down endorsement.


To see the full list of 10 tips for hiring the right GC, check out our blog here: https://lnkd.in/dtdD2NjE

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

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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

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

YOUTUBE

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www.youtube.com/@marckuhnmak/videos



YouTube video

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[LINK]

Course

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

✅ 2-hour video course
✅ Zero to real estate investor
✅ Wealth via real estate blueprint
✅ My s/sheet to analyze properties
✅ Strategies to buy with low $$ down
✅ My 20-pt property inspection checklist

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
- How to develop a entrepreneur mindset

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

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.

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?

If you're in your 20s with $50,000 to invest — here's what I'd do in the next 90 days to determine if you're broke or wealthy in 10 years:

Path 1: Play it safe

→ Park it in a high-yield savings account
→ Pay off your car loan early
→ Keep it as an emergency fund
→ Wait for the "perfect opportunity"

You'll feel responsible. Smart. Like you made the grown-up decision.

In 10 years, you'll still have your $50K.

Maybe $65K with interest.

And zero assets that pay you monthly.

Path 2: Bet on yourself

→ Invest some in coaching and mentors
→ Start a business that cash flows
→ Acquire a small "boring" business
→ Put a down payment on real estate

You'll feel terrified. Reckless. Like you're risking everything.

In 10 years, that $50K becomes $500K in equity.

Plus monthly cash flow that replaced your salary.

The gap between these two paths isn't 30% better returns.

It's the difference between owning your time and selling it forever.

Most people choose safety because fear feels like wisdom.

But staying safe just means you're betting someone else will take care of your future.

Your employer. The stock market. Social security. Luck.

Betting on yourself means you're in control.

You get to build the asset. Set the terms. Stack the wins.

The people who regret their 30s aren't the ones who tried and failed.

They're the ones who played it safe and stayed stuck.

You don't need more money to start.

You need to stop treating the money you have like it's supposed to sit still.

If you had $50K to invest today, how would you put it to work?

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.

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.

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 learned a lesson in my 20s that helped me build a $60M real estate portfolio in by 36:
 
Nobody is going to do it for you. 
 
• Making money 
• Starting businesses 
• Leveling up your skills 
• Figuring out how to grow 
 
But here's the good news: 
 
You can ask for help and speed things up. 
 
In my 20s I was a concrete guy. 
 
Dropped out of college and built a 7-figure business that was drowning me... 
 
• Doing all the jobs 
• Micromanaging my crews 
• No clue how to delegate 
 
Result: I ended up in the hospital from exhaustion with a Doctor asking me: 
 
"𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗸𝗶𝗱𝘀 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝘂𝗽? 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗜'𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗡𝗢𝗪." 
 
This wake-up call led to a new skillstack. 
 
• Self-education 
• Hiring mentors 
• Reading books 
• Going to conferences 
 
Nobody is going to succeed for you. 
Self-education is the only way. 
 
How are you investing in self-education for 2026?

Tell me in the comments.

--

I started a newsletter to teach what I've learned about business, real estate, and financial freedom.

Join 5,200 who read it: 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.

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.

$1,500,000 a year from 8 acres off a highway.

Most investors ignore land like this.

Here’s the breakdown of our recent $10M luxury storage project:

• 8 acres.
• 100,000 sq feet
• Hartford, South Dakota.
• 100,000 cars driving by daily

Not downtown. 
Not urban infill. 
And that’s exactly the point.

We’re not trying to squeeze between apartment buildings.

We’re not fighting for space or overpaying for zip codes.

We paid $1,050,000 for a site with frontage on a major highway and 100,000+ cars driving by every day.

We build where there’s land.
We build where there’s visibility.
We build where the numbers work.

Because luxury storage doesn’t need a skyscraper — it needs acreage, access, and attention.

This is what post-stabilization numbers look like:

→ Project cost: ~$9.8M
→ Annual revenue: ~$1.5M
→ Operating expenses: ~$350K
→ NOI: ~$750K
→ Debt service: ~$550K
→ Cash flow: $150–200K/year

Even with interest rates what they were, the deal penciled with room to spare.

It worked because we built it at a 7.5% cap rate. 

This created positive leverage from day one.

Eight years ago, I was pouring concrete.

Today, I’m leading $10M+ projects with a full stack of systems, operators, and LPs.

And our luxury storage brand, Mega MAK, is scaling across the Midwest.

It’s not sexy. 
It’s not trendy.
It’s not a tech unicorn.

But it’s simple, scalable, and cash-flowing for decades.

Do you like "boring" cash-flowing investments like we do?

- -

P.S. If you're an accredited investor and want to learn about future opportunities, DM me "luxury storage" to connect.

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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I obsessed over operations in my companies.

But I ignored a $10,000,000 problem.

I put all of my energy into operations...and didn't hire a salesperson until year 16 of MAK Construction LLC.

For years, I was the only one bringing in private work.

Everything else? Public bids. Low-bid jobs. A race to the bottom.

I told myself we didn't need a dedicated salesperson. I'd handle business development while running operations.

That was a massive mistake.

Here's what happens when you don't have sales leadership:

→ You only take work that comes to you
→ You compete on price instead of value
→ You're stuck in reactive mode
→ Growth becomes a bottleneck because you're the only one selling

My general manager always wanted operations fully dialed in before we sold the next project. Make sure we had capacity. Make sure systems were perfect. Make sure we wouldn't overextend.

Sounds smart, right?

But when sales dropped and overhead stayed high, we had to make brutal structural changes. Demote people out of the office and into the field. Cut costs we should have never needed to cut.

All because we optimized for operations instead of sales.

Then we acquired a drilling company.

And I did the opposite. We focused on selling and servicing everyone. These customers were used to drillers who don't return calls and have zero business systems.

So we called the top of the food chain. The largest drilling companies in the Midwest.

Turns out their drillers couldn't handle the volume. They needed help with transmission lines and data centers.

Our work exploded. Almost $2M on the books. We'll surpass what we expected for the entire year.

Now we had a different problem: scaling operations to keep up.

We had to double the rig count to 4. Purchase 2 more rigs, semis, support trucks with tooling. About $600K in additional capital.

And the biggest challenge? We have one key person answering calls, scheduling, handling breakdowns, keeping clients happy. He's working 90 hours a week and burning out fast.

Classic key man risk.

But here's the difference: this problem exists because sales are strong.

That's a problem you want to have.

You can fix operations when you have revenue. You can hire people. Build systems. Create processes.

You can't fix a lack of sales by perfecting operations.

Sales creates the opportunity to build everything else.

Operations keeps the machine running. But sales is the fuel.

If I could go back, I would have hired a salesperson years ago. Someone hunting private work while I focused on running the business.

The bottleneck was never our ability to execute. It was our ability to fill the pipeline.

What's the bigger bottleneck in your business—sales or operations?

-

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You hit $100K and plateau. Or $250K. Or $500K.

21 mindset shifts to grow your net worth:

Here's exactly when you need to change how you think about money at each level of wealth.

$0 TO $100K:

1. You need equity, not a steady paycheck.

2. You invest money, you don't save it.

3. You understand good debt vs bad debt.

4. You ask "How can I afford it?" not "I can't afford it."

5. You work on higher-value activities, not harder.

6. You ship imperfect work instead of waiting for perfect.

7. You invest every windfall, you don't spend it.

$100K TO $250K:

8. You build a business, you don't stay the business.

9. You delegate your lowest-value work.

10. You measure profit, not revenue.

11. You build assets that pay you now, not just at 65.

12. You fire bad customers and keep great ones.

13. You invest first, then spend what's left.

14. You find mentors who've already done it.

$250K TO $1M:

15. You work on the business, not in it.

16. You hire because you can't afford NOT to.

17. You build equity while collecting cash flow.

18. You figure it out as you go instead of waiting until you're ready.

$1M TO $5M:

19. You make your money work harder than you do.

20. You treat tax strategy like wealth strategy.

21. You grow profitably, not at all costs.


The pattern most people miss:

$0-$100K thinking will sabotage you at $250K.
$250K thinking won't get you to $1M.

You have to evolve as you grow.

Which level are you working towards now?

--

I broke down all 21 shifts with full explanations, action steps, and real examples in my newsletter.

👉 Read the complete guide: https://lnkd.in/dAtYvqvJ

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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

Our kids own an 8-unit townhome complex.

We bought it for a great price in North Dakota.

It's their alternative college fund, and will hopefully fund their first house, car purchase, and give them a little cash-flow when they graduate college.

Every summer I take them there to plant flowers and improve the landscaping.

People assume I'm teaching them real estate.

I'm not.

I'm teaching them that everything you own is a reflection of you.

Pride of ownership isn't about perfection. It's about standards.

It's like making your bed. You're going to sleep in it again and mess it up tonight. But that's not the point.

The point is if you can't take care of small things, you won't take care of big things.

The car you drive. The house you live in. The business you run. It all says something about who you are.

Their 8-plex is low-income housing. Most landlords would let a property like that look like trash and call it "good enough for HUD."

But ours is one of the nicest HUD properties in the region.

It stays 100% occupied year-round, and it's not because of location. It's because of how we maintain it.

I learned this in construction. When I drive past a job site, I can tell you everything about how that project is going before I even talk to the foreman:

→ Trucks scattered everywhere? Project's behind.
→ Materials piled randomly? Budget's blown.
→ Mud on the street? Nobody's leading the site.

Our sites look different. Trucks are lined up. Materials are staged. The area is swept daily.

Because site presence tells the world whether you give a damn or not.

That's what I'm teaching my kids with this 8-plex. Not how to plant flowers or mow a lawn.

How to take pride in everything that has your name on it.

Most people own things. Few people truly care for them.

Your tenants notice. Your clients notice. Your competitors notice.

And more importantly, you notice.

The way you care for what you own becomes the way you care for everything else in your life.

What's one thing you own that reflects your standards?

-

If you want to know how you can do this for your kids, I broke it down for parents here: https://lnkd.in/g-qJ3X-N

I took on debt to grow my company and real estate portfolio in my 20s with a wife and baby.

Some LinkedIn guru would call that reckless.

I call it the best financial decision I ever made.

We've been trained to believe stability comes from employment.

But true stability comes from ownership.

A job is a single point of failure with someone else's finger on the trigger.

Think about what you actually own at a W2:

- Your employer can eliminate your role tomorrow
- Your income stops if your body stops
- Your raises are decided by someone else's budget meeting
- Your retirement depends on a market you don't control

That's not stability. That's outsourced financial control dressed up as a benefits package.

I'm not saying quit your job tomorrow.
I'm saying understand what you're actually trading.

You're trading ownership, upside, and control for the feeling of security.

Meanwhile the people signing the front of your check are compounding equity you'll never see.

→ The risk of building something is real but finite
→ The risk of building nothing compounds forever
→ Playing it safe is the longest path to being broke

I started with $2,500 and a mother-in-law who co-signed one loan and told me never to ask again.

Today MAK Companies and our real estate assets are worth close to 9 figures 16 years later.

The riskiest thing I never did was keep that W2.

At what point did you stop seeing a job as security and start seeing it as a ceiling?

--

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