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

I dropped out of University of North Dakota with 12 credits left and $2,500 to start MAK Construction.

Now UND is one of our best partners.

Back in 2010, I walked away from a college degree to bet on myself. No diploma. No Plan B. No money.

Just a concrete guy from North Dakota who believed he could build something.

Fast forward 15 years:

→ MAK Construction LLC and MAK Capital are developing projects on the UND campus
→ UND grads are joining our team
→ The same university I left now trusts us to help build its future

And it says a lot about UND.

When most parents think of top schools in the US...North Dakota usually isn't the first place they think.

While many students chases brand-name schools on the coasts, UND just quietly broke its all-time enrollment record: 15,844 students. Up 825 from last year.

President Andy Armacost is expanding programs the state actually needs:

• Top-ranked nursing school in North Dakota
• First university in the U.S. Space Force Partnership Program
• Aviation program with global reputation
• Degrees that lead to jobs—not just debt

And now they’ve earned Carnegie R1 status—putting them in the same research class as Harvard, Stanford, and MIT.

UND isn’t trying to be flashy. They’re just doing the work.

The kind of work that builds a great future workforce with necessity-based jobs that quietly run the country.

We’ve hired UND grads who show up early, solve problems, and outwork the resume chasers. That matters in our business.

We also build for the school, support the football team, and see them as one of our best long-term partners.

Everybody wins when a local institution like UND plays the long game with local businesses.

Sometimes coming full circle isn’t about going back to finish what you started.
It’s about building something strong enough that the place you left wants you back at the table.

We’re proud to help UND expand its campus while it invests in real careers, real programs, and real people.

Go Fighting Hawks!

What schools in your area are doing the unsexy but important work of preparing students for actual jobs?

Marc Kuhn

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

I burned out building a $30M construction company.

But without my wife...I would've stayed stuck at $1M.

In my 20s, I thought grinding 100-hour weeks made me successful.

I hit $250K in income and felt like a failure because I was drowning in a business I didn’t know how to run.

I was good at construction.
Terrible at running a company.

Chelsie brought what I didn’t have:

→ Organization where I had chaos
→ Strategy where I had hustle
→ Structure where I had gut feel
→ Brand clarity where I had zero clue

She runs our EOS meetings. Keeps the team aligned. Takes my messy ideas and turns them into actual systems that scale.

She’s the reason I get to focus on what I do best—growing MAK Construction and MAK Capital.

Here’s what nobody tells you about building a business with your spouse:

It’s not about finding someone who thinks like you.
It’s about finding someone who balances you.

I see the vision. She maps the path.
I chase the deal. She helps the team deliver.
I go fast. She makes sure we go smart.

The best business decision I ever made wasn’t a real estate deal. It was marrying someone who made me better without trying to change me.

We’ve got 3 kids, multiple companies doing $30M+ a year, a 50+ person team, and $60M real estate portfolio.

None of it works without systems. And none of those systems exist without Chelsie Kuhn.

If you’re building solo, you’re capping your growth.

Every entrepreneur I know who scaled past $10M?

They didn’t just grind harder. They found someone—partner, co-founder, spouse—who filled their gaps.

Your job isn’t to do it all. Your job is to do your part and find people who crush the rest.

What’s the best partnership decision you’ve made in your business or career?

Marc Kuhn

We skipped the 529 plan for our 3 kids' college.

Bought an 8-plex they'll own in 10 years instead.

I've written about it before on LinkedIn and Substack, so here's a fun update.

In 2021, we bought a small, low-income 8-unit property in a rural North Dakota town near us. 

Nothing fancy. Nothing shiny.

Just solid cash flow and a lesson in ownership.

• Bought it in 2021 for $450,000.
• Spits off ~20% a year cash flow.
• Kids used birthday money and loan from Mom & Dad.
• Over 10 years, it’ll return $300,000+.

They've owned it for a few years with our help, and have already been paying Mom and Dad back with cash flow.

By the time they need the money, the equity and cash flow will be more than enough for them to:

• Go to college
• Start a business
• Buy a decent car
• Hopefully not blow it on Legos or Sephora

Right now they’re 5, 10, and 11.

They get the cash flow, see the checks, help "manage" the property, and learn the ownership game early.

I’ll help them learn so hopefully they can financially support themselves and learn to invest and make money by 18.

Not because I’m harsh...because I want them to be capable and prepared for the real world.

I love Kevin O’Leary’s mindset:

“My kids don’t get my money. 
They get my lessons.”

Here's the best part.

When we talked about the latest distribution, they were excited about junk food and toys…

Then my oldest asked “Can we buy more of these?”

That’s the whole game right there.

• Teach 'em young. 
• Let them own something. 
• Show them what it means to earn.

My job isn’t to carry them after 18.

It’s to make sure they’re strong enough to carry themselves.

What are you doing today that your kids will thank you for in 10 years?

--

P.S. I broke down this 8-plex purchase for parents who want to do something similar.

Check out the guide: https://lnkd.in/g-qJ3X-N

$500 dinners that generate an extra $5M revenue.

Luke owns hotels. I build luxury storage.

But the lesson I learned applies to every business owner who wants to build something that lasts…

We were scouting our next luxury storage development, when I met Luke, an entrepreneur who owns and operates luxury hotels in South Dakota and Scottsdale, Arizona.

Most people eat at 5-star restaurants for the food.
Luke eats at them to build better businesses.

We went to one of his favorite Scottsdale restaurants, The Italiano.

✅ Valet is complimentary.
✅ The server knew his name and favorite wine.
✅ My cocktail came branded with the restaurant’s name on the orange peel.

The place was buzzing. 
Packed. Polished. Precise.

I asked Luke why he does this.

“If I want to deliver a 5-star experience in my hotels, I need to study it everywhere I go. What can I borrow, adapt, or improve?”

Hard to beat an entrepreneur who's a student of his craft and thinks like Luke.

Most people are looking for shortcuts.
The best entrepreneurs obsess over details.

That mindset is why his guests come back — and why his brand will still be thriving 20 years from now.

Great businesses don’t guess what excellence looks like. They study it, steal it, and systematize it.

Whether you’re building hotels, storage facilities, or any other business…

The fastest way to stand out is to raise the standard when everyone else is lowering the price.

Do you know an entrepreneur like Luke?

In my 20s, I traded time for money.

In my 30s, I’m trading money for health.

Running multiple companies and having a family taught me something important in 2024:

My most important investment isn’t in real estate.
It’s in my body, health, and energy.

When I’m healthy, I make better decisions. I lead better. I show up better.

I have more energy—for my team, my investors, and my family.

In 2025, I made a commitment:
Invest $10,000–$20,000 per year into my health.

Here’s my plan for how I'll invest:

• Bloodwork: $300
• Genetic testing: $600
• High-quality supplements: $1,500
• Peptides: $5,000–$10,000
• Gym memberships and trainers: $3,000+

Some people think it’s excessive.
But for me, it’s a non-negotiable.

When your body is optimized, your business follows.

If you’re in a leadership role—CEO, investor, operator—this is a category worth over-investing in.

Are you investing in your health and energy in 2025?

I was stuck for 5 years in my business in my 20s.

The change that 10X'd my success?

I was trying to figure everything out alone.

The shift happened when I found operators who’d already solved the problems I was facing:

Guys running $10M+ construction companies who showed me their systems.

Investors doing deals I thought were impossible with my capital.

Entrepreneurs who’d scaled past the bottleneck I was trapped in.

Turns out, the fastest way to build wealth isn’t working harder in isolation. It’s learning from people who are 5 steps ahead of you.

That’s what today’s live Q&A event is about.

You’re not just getting my playbook for going from chaos to $30M in revenue.

You’re getting the frameworks, mistakes, and shortcuts I learned from being around the right people.

We go live in 3 hours. Still time to join.

11 AM CST | 12 PM EST

$25 for advice and community from entrepreneurs who've been where you are today.

This is your chance to get unstuck in 2026 instead of grinding and staying in the same place for another 5 years.

Last call to join: 

https://lnkd.in/gKGtHzhD

See you at 11 am CST!

JSESSIONID

li_at

Talks about #investing, #realestate, #construction, #personalfinance, and #apartmentinvesting

10 years ago, I thought this life was impossible.

Let me paint a picture of 27-year-old Marc:

Just had my second kid.
Running a concrete business that was barely holding together.
Working 100-hour weeks because I didn’t know how to delegate.
Drinking a gallon of coffee and 4–5 Monsters a day just to survive.

Then one bad pour almost ended everything.

A $30K concrete project cracked. The client threatened to sue. We didn’t have the cash reserves to fix it and stay afloat.

I remember lying awake at 3am thinking:
“This is it. I’m going to lose everything.”

The business was fragile because I was fragile.
I was the bottleneck.
If I wasn’t on-site, nothing happened.

Fast forward to today at 37:

3 kids who actually see their dad.
A construction company doing $30M+ annually.
A $60M real estate portfolio.
A team of 50 that runs the business without me.

The difference wasn’t working harder.
It was learning the systems, strategies, and mindset shifts that compound wealth instead of burning you out.

I’m hosting a live Q&A this Wednesday to walk you through exactly how I made that shift.

• Wednesday, November 26 at 11 AM CST
• $25 to join for $100,000+ of advice if you act on it

Most people will spend 2026 the same way I spent 2014—grinding harder, not smarter.
A few will figure out how to scale, build equity, and actually enjoy the life they’re working for.

I’ll share the exact frameworks that took me from chaos to $30M in revenue—and how you can apply them to your business or real estate portfolio in 2026.

Your questions.
Real answers.
No BS.

2026 can be your breakthrough year…or another year of “I’ll figure it out later.”

DM me "scale" if you want an invite to tomorrow's live event.

Having a $5,000,000 net worth won’t save you if you have ZERO monthly cash flow.

I've coached a few people from LinkedIn, most of them in their 20s.

They all want the same thing:

• Financial freedom
• Quit their soul-sucking 9-5 job
• Buy back their time with investments

First I ask them "What is financial freedom to you?"

And they're usually focused on the wrong metric.

"I want a $5,000,000 net worth."

That's great. 

But net worth won't:

• Pay your monthly bills
• Replace your 9-5 job salary
• Allow you to use money for Time Freedom

Cash flow is the answer. 

And most of my coaching students are surprised when we break down the math.

You don't need a $5M net worth to be free.

Most people would be happy and comfortable with $10,000-$20,000 in monthly cash flow from assets.

Which takes less time than an 8-figure net worth.

For financial freedom, monthly cash flow is a better metric than net worth 365 days a year.

Agree or disagree?

In 1989, Brian Scudamore spotted a beat-up junk truck while sitting in a McDonald's drive-thru.

That moment sparked his empire.

Here's what Scudamore did next:

→ Took $700 in savings 
→ Bought a used pickup truck 
→ Started "The Rubbish Boys" 
→ Painted the truck himself 
→ Created a simple tagline: "We'll stash your trash in a flash!"

While his surgeon father wasn't thrilled...

Brian dropped out of college to go all-in.

His secret weapon?

Making an "ugly" business look professional:

→ Clean trucks
→ Sharp uniforms
→ On-time service
→ Fanatical customer focus

In 1994, he made the hardest call, firing his entire staff to rebuild with people who shared his vision.

And today?

His company 1-800-GOT-JUNK is estimated to be around $600 million in annual revenue. 

The lesson is simple:

Sometimes the "ugliest" businesses create the biggest opportunities.

You just have to be willing to think differently.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 "𝘂𝗴𝗹𝘆" 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁?


♻️ Repost to share this story with others.
👷 Follow me Marc Kuhn for more.

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 2025, 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 2025

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

As a luxury storage developer, my business model is based on Alex Hormozi's advice: "Sell to the rich." 
 
Money is abundant (if you know where to look).
 
I've learned this as a contractor, developer, and investor with wealthy mentors. 
 
Capital is abundant and looking for a place to allocate to high ROI deals. 
 
This is why we build "luxury" storage and condos. 
 
Storage is already recession-resistant. 
 
But the luxury model attracts: 
 
• Higher-end buyers 
• Higher-end investors 
• Higher-end monthly rents 
 
Instead of focusing on: 
 
→ Can you pay rent? 
→ Can you afford our units? 
→ Can you stay with us long-term? 
 
We focus on problems the wealthiest tenants care about with our units. 
 
Do you offer a premium product? 
Do you promise the highest quality? 
Do you give the buyer peace of mind? 
 
Our tenants are online store owners, contractors, and wealthy entrepreneurs. 
 
They aren't worried about month to month. 
They are worried about value. 
 
One of the biggest unlocks you will find as a real estate investor: 
 
Building a network of wealthy buyers. 
 
Have you thought about investing in projects that appeal to the wealthiest 1%? 
 
-- 

P.S. We're launching new luxury storage projects to our exclusive investor list.
 
If you're accredited and want to learn about these opportunities, DM me "storage" to connect.

Barry Sternlicht had ZERO hotel experience when he bought his first failing property in 1991.

But he did something most people wouldn’t.

He ignored the “experts” who said hotels had to be either luxury or budget.

Instead, he spotted what everyone else missed: the middle.

At the time, Four Seasons was charging $500 a night for marble bathrooms. Holiday Inn was racing to the bottom at $89 a night.

Barry asked a better question:

“What if people just want a place that doesn’t suck?”

So he built it.

→ Cool design that didn’t feel corporate.
→ Local vibe instead of chain sterile.
→ Quality without the luxury pretension.

That simple idead turned into W Hotels.

W became Starwood.
Starwood grew to 1,200+ locations.
Marriott bought it for $13 billion.

Today, Barry oversees over $100 billion in real estate.

All because he followed a simple playbook:

→ Find the gap everyone else ignores
→ Build what people actually want
→ Systematize it
→ Scale it

That’s the same reason I’m going all-in on luxury storage.

It’s not flashy. 
It’s not trendy. 
It’s not on CNBC.

But it's simple, repeatable, and prints cash flow.

While everyone’s chasing the next crypto, AI, or whatever “next big thing,” I’m focused on boring businesses with demand.

My customers are contractors, e-comm store owners, local blue collar entrepreneurs.

They’re not impressed by Public Storage’s tiny boxes.

They want clean, secure, premium space...and they’ll pay for it.

And guess what?

There’s almost no competition 'cus everyone’s busy chasing shiny objects.

Here’s what most people get wrong about boring businesses:

They think boring means low upside, but they’re wrong.

• Boring means predictable cash flow.
• Boring means less competition.
• Boring means higher margins.
• Boring builds wealth.

The flashy stuff gets the headlines.
The boring stuff builds the balance sheet.

If you’re serious about building something that lasts, stop following the herd.

Start looking for the gaps no one else sees.

That’s where the real money is hiding.

What outdated industry would you redesign if you had the chance?

--

♻️ Repost if stories like Barry's inspire you
🤝 Reach out if I can be a resource Marc Kuhn

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?

--

♻️ Repost if this resonated with you.
📌 Follow me Marc Kuhn for daily content.

Most will spend 2026 overthinking their next move.

A few will actually scale their wealth.

I’m hosting a live Q&A on Wednesday, November 26 at 11 AM CST to help you be in that second group.

What we’ll cover:

→ How I grew my company to $30M in revenue
→ How I built a $60M real estate portfolio
→ The boring strategies that scale wealth
→ Your specific questions answered live

I’ll walk you through the exact strategies, systems, and mindset shifts that took me from pouring concrete at 26 to running an 8-figure business and real estate portfolio.

The mistakes I made so you don’t have to.
The frameworks I wish I had earlier.
The unsexy stuff that actually moves the needle.

It’s $25 to join. 

If you’re serious about scaling your business or real estate portfolio in 2026 without guesswork, this is for you.

Grab your spot:
https://lnkd.in/gKGtHzhD

Wednesday, November 26
11 AM CST | 12 PM EST

Will I see you there?

Most people think investing is complicated.

So they do nothing.

Here's what that looks like:

•Park money in a savings account earning 0.5%
•Watch inflation eat 3-4% of your wealth every year
•Wait for the "perfect moment" that never comes
•Let fear keep you on the sidelines for decades
•Retire with less purchasing power than you started with

Meanwhile, the wealthy do the opposite.

They put their money to work.

They understand:
•Compound interest is the 8th wonder of the world
•Time in the market beats timing the market
•Diversification protects, concentration builds wealth
•Passive income > trading hours for dollars

Here's the truth nobody tells you:

You don't need to be rich to start investing.
You need to start investing to become rich.

The difference between someone who invests $500/month starting at 25 vs. 35?

Over $500,000 by retirement.

That's the cost of waiting.

I'm not saying quit your job tomorrow or bet everything on one asset.

I'm saying:

Start small. Stay consistent. Think long term.
Pick your vehicle. Build your portfolio. Create your freedom.

If you're interested in learning more about luxury storage, DM me "luxury" to join our investor list.

The best time to start was 10 years ago.

The second best time is today.

Agree or disagree?

Multifamily real estate put money in my pocket.

Luxury storage bought my time back.

I’ve built apartments. I still do, and have a ground up development project under construction now.

But when I compare the two, one asset class consistently delivers better margins, less management, and fewer headaches...and it’s not multifamily.

When I first got into development, I followed the crowd into apartments. 

• The numbers penciled. 
• Demand was there. 
• Everyone understood the model.

But I also learned the reality:

• High turnover
• More maintenance calls
• Bigger staff to manage
• Tenant laws that can change overnight

Multifamily development is still a solid business. But it’s a grind.

Then came the Grand Forks project.

The lot didn’t work for apartments, so I tried something different: heated vs. unheated storage units. 

The heated units leased faster, stayed full, and rented for $100 more per month…with only $20 in extra utility cost.

That test turned into my first “luxury storage” facility.

Since then, here’s what I’ve seen:

Operational Advantages of Luxury Storage

→ No toilets, no appliances, no carpet to replace
→ Few people can oversee hundreds of units
→ Longer term tenants—often years, not months
→ B2B customers who want premium units

Investor Outcomes

→ Recession resilience
→ Stable NOI with fewer expense swings
→ Premium rent for premium product
→ Strong risk-adjusted returns

Multifamily has built some of my wealth.

But the "boring" asset class of luxury storage will compound my net worth and buy back my time.

In 2025, we’re developing over 500,000 sq ft of it. And as long as the numbers and demand hold, I’ll keep building more.

What asset class are you betting on that others are sleeping on over the next 5 years?

--

DM me "luxury storage" if you want to learn more about this asset class and connect with the MAK Capital team.

Marc Kuhn

We raised $1.9M for our Fargo Luxury Storage.

Now we're raising $2.5M for the next one...

Many investors are on the sidelines right now.

Afraid to make moves because of:

• Interest rates
• Slowing deal flow
• Uncertainty around an election

Meanwhile, our development team at MAK is looking to do even more storage deals in 2025.
 
𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁: 
 
• Our tenants love 
• Our LP investors love 
• Our development company loves 
 
Self-storage is known for being a recession-friendly, cash-flowing asset. 
 
But these aren't your average self-storage. 
 
We've got boats and RVs. 
We've got luxury car owners. 
We've got contractor shop owners. 
We've got Amazon, Shopify biz owners. 
 
𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵: 
 
• Two lights, one outlet 
• Garage door and opener 
• Heated and AC controlled 
• 20 by 50 self-storage units 
 
We've tested this in North Dakota and decided to expand across the U.S. 
 
What's our expertise at MAK? 
 
We find the land.
We secure the financing.
We build the storage facilities. 
We find renters and operate them.

Fully vertically integrated.
 
Our LP investors love that.
 
If you want to learn more about this asset class, DM me "Luxury Storage" 
 
I'll share our upcoming projects. 
 
𝙄𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙩 𝙘𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 2025 𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧?

You don’t need a ton of clients to achieve your dreams.

You just need to:

-> 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗮 𝗳𝗲𝘄 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿𝘀. 

If you focus on transactional clients…
You’re just spinning your wheels.

But if you focus on long-term relationships…
You harness the value of compound interest.

The longer you work with someone, the greater the opportunities to grow together are.

If you genuinely place more emphasis on helping your clients achieve their dreams than you do on getting as much money from them as possible…

You’ll end up with more money than you know what to do with.

I could write a book of “Things I Wish I Knew When I Started” 14 years ago.

But this would be the first chapter.

Help others achieve their dreams.

And watch as you achieve yours. 

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝟭 𝗼𝗳 "𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗜 𝗪𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗜 𝗞𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗜 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱"?

--

P.S. If you want to passively invest in real estate (and build a long-term relationship)
 
DM me "storage" to invest with me.

If you’re in real estate, you know Sam Zell.

Before he passed away in 2023... 

Zell was one of the most successful real estate investors of all time. 

His specialty was acquiring distressed assets. 

It earned Zel the nickname, “The Grave Dancer.”

And The Grave Dancer had a few legendary quotes for investors:

1. “All the opportunity in the world means nothing if you don’t actually pull the trigger.”

2. “Reputation is your most important asset. Everything you do, everything you say, is a part of the permanent record.”

3. “Where there is scarcity, price is no object. This basic tenet of supply and demand would later become a governing principle of my investment philosophy.”

In Unfollow the Herd newsletter, I’m breaking down the best wealth-building lessons I’ve absorbed from:

-> Sam Zell
-> Ray Dalio
-> Ryan Pineda
-> Brandon Turner
-> Robert Kiyosaki

Join 4,500 readers who get it for free here: marckuhn.substack.com

--

Follow me Marc Kuhn for daily posts on real estate, entrepreneurship, and financial freedom.

My plan for 8 figures in revenue in 2026:

Build tin cans. 

“Tin cans” is the phrase I use for my self-storage units.

And “luxury storage”?

Those are my tin cans with heat and power. 

At MAK Capital, our 2026 goals are to:

• Do $50 million in revenue.
• Invest in at least 1 deal a quarter.
• Build more projects through MAK Construction. 

And it all starts with tin cans.

I’ve never been one for flashier real estate investments.

I don’t mess with Class A buildings with yoga studios.
I don’t get involved in all-glass office buildings.
I’m not big on the next “It” City.

Now, I don’t expect to get to $50M on my tin cans alone...

But I also don’t expect to do it by changing what works for us and chasing projects outside of our wheelhouse.

So we’ll keep building tin cans in 2026.

Let me know if you want to join us. 


𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 "𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴" 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆-𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀? 

- Marc Kuhn 

--

P.S. If you're interested in investing in storage projects, send me a DM saying "storage."

Founder and Co-CEO at Pangea.ai | I help companies hire top agency talent to build high-performing product & engineering teams 🔥 Boostrapped from 0 → $250m GMV | Investor in underrepresented founders 🌎

I’m a connector and operator. For nearly a decade, I've linked top dev agencies and talent globally with leading brands through Digital Knights and Pangea.ai.

Since 2015, I have believed that the future of work is globally distributed.
I co-founded Pangea.ai with a mission to democratize opportunity because it should be equal for all. 

My results on the journey include: 

→ Founded the company at 26 years old with zero experience, technical expertise, or funding.
→ Bootstrapped Digital Knights and its successor, Pangea.ai.
→ Hired a diverse team of 16 nationalities and 70% women.
→ We went from $0 to mid $7-figures in ARR.
→ Facilitated over $250m in business on the platform.
→ Connected over 1500+ companies with the right talent from dev agencies. 
→ Built a talent platform with over 120+ dev agencies and 12000+ talent
→ Built an organizational due diligence framework to source and filter for top dev agencies 

I use firsthand experience and industry insights to offer advice on hiring and market expansion at Pangea.ai.

My experience enabled me to angel invest in early-stage companies: 

→ Groq | AI | US 
→ Flooz | Web3 | US 
→ Amini.ai | AI | Kenya 
→ Deckmatch | AI | Norway 
→ Synthflow.ai | AI | Germany 
→ Gotiger | E-commerce | Germany 
→ Nelly Solutions | Embedded finance | Germany

Today, I help founders reach milestones and accelerate the speed at which they do business with the right talent.

If you want to work with Pangea.ai, visit our website, Pangea.ai, or email me at prags@pangea.ai.

Prags Mugunthan

For all my entrepreneurs.

Hiring too fast kills more companies than hiring too slow.

You panic.
You hire someone mediocre.
You spend 6 months managing them poorly.
You fire them awkwardly.
You burn $100K+ in salary, time, and distraction.

And for what?
To feel “less understaffed” for a moment.

It is better to be understaffed and stressed
than overstaffed and broke.

I learned this the very hard way.
Most founders do.

If you are feeling pressure to hire just to “fix the pain”:
Slow down.
Think clearly.
Hire deliberately.

One great hire beats five rushed ones.
Ask the boys in the parking lot. 

You got this. 

✊🏽

Nano Banana vs Nano Banana Pro

Damn. 

Are we cooked? 💀

For all my entrepreneurs.

A reminder. 

Building a company is not one big moment.

It is a thousand boring Tuesdays.

Keep going.

✊🏽

Is OpenAI becoming a warning sign for the whole AI industry?

The numbers are hard to ignore:

• ~$20B in annual revenue
• $1.4T in planned data-center spend
• $500B+ valuation with no clear path to profit

When asked how these numbers make sense, Sam Altman dodged the question.

Is the gap between AI’s hype and AI’s economics widening?
Huge spend. Huge expectations.
But still limited evidence that the returns justify the burn.

Professor G touched on this recently. 
The storytelling is world-class.
But the fundamentals remain unclear.

For mid-market companies, this should hit closer to home.
You do not need trillion-dollar dreams.
You need AI that delivers measurable and sustainable ROI.

Better workflows.
Smarter automation.
Tighter integration across the business.

Because when the dust settles, the winners will not be the loudest.
They will be the ones who make AI actually work.

So I am curious:
Are these normal early-stage growing pains?
Or are we watching the first signs of an AI bubble forming?

For all my entrepreneurs. 

Your co-founder relationship matters more than your product:

You can pivot products. 
You can't pivot people. 
Most startups die from founder breakups, not market failure. 

Choose your co-founder like you'd choose a spouse.
You'll spend more time with them anyway. 

If the foundation is strong, the product will follow. 

Keep going. 

✊🏽

An observation about remote teams:

Many appear to be hoarding information in private channels and direct messages.

Creating exclusive conversations that leave team members out of the loop.

It doesn't work that way.

You need radical transparency as your default mode:

• Create systems where transparency becomes automatic
• Share insights in public channels where everyone can learn
• Document decisions so the whole team understands context
• Make information accessible rather than gatekeeping knowledge

You'll build stronger team alignment.
You'll accelerate knowledge sharing.
You'll create a culture where everyone can contribute meaningfully.

How does your team operate?

For all my entrepreneurs.

Nobody cares about your company except you:

Your friends are being polite. 
Your family doesn't understand it. 
Even your customers barely think about you. 

You're obsessed. 
Everyone else has their own life. 

That isolation is not a side-effect of building a company.
It is the job. 

Conviction is the only unfair advantage.
Keep going. 

✊🏽

Do not go distributed to just cut costs.
Distribute your team to multiply output.

Here is how:

— Timezone handoffs → 24/7 development
— Cultural diversity → no product groupthink
— "Redundant" expertise → no single points of failure
— Hire from talent hotspots → go where the best people already are 

Cheap developers are not an advantage.
Structural global talent leverage is.

Distributed teams create:

— Continuous productivity cycles
— Faster iteration
— More innovation

At Pangea.ai , companies built from day one around distributed talent outperform those that try to retrofit remote later.

Remote is not a compromise.
Remote is a strategy.

What multiplication effect are you missing in your current setup?

❤️ If remote = strategy
♻️ Repost to challenge the “cost cutting” mindset

Quick tip to evaluate team augmentation partners

→ Check their talent retention rates
→ Ask for client references from min 3 accounts
→ Test their deployment speed with a small pilot

e.g.

• Partner A: 90% retention, 3 happy long-term clients, 5-day deployment
• Partner B: 60% retention, only fresh case studies, 3-week setup
• Partner C: Won't share retention data, no multi-year references, just vibes.

The pattern is clear: sustainable partnerships show consistent team stability.

High turnover agencies create knowledge gaps. 
You end up training new people every 3 months instead of building momentum.

At Pangea.ai, we track these metrics because they better predict project success than hourly rates.

What's your go-to question when evaluating development partners?

❤️ If you value team consistency
♻️ Repost to help others avoid revolving-door partnerships

Companies are cutting 30% of their permanent tech hires.

Meanwhile, demand for fractional CTOs/CPOs, 
and specialized development teams are growing at 3x.

Why?

Because adaptability requires optionality, not ownership.
Permanent hires optimize for stability in predictable markets.
Fractional expertise optimizes for agility in volatile conditions.

When market conditions change every quarter, companies need leadership that can pivot strategies without organizational trauma.

At Pangea.ai , our fastest-growing segment isn't companies looking to cut costs. 
It's companies that need to move faster than their permanent structures allow.

The winners in this environment aren't the most resourced.

They're the most adaptable.

How quickly can your current team structure pivot when market conditions shift?

❤️ If adaptability trumps stability
♻️ Repost to start the conversation

AI toolkit to build faster. 

But one critical tool is missing...

Synthflow AI to deploy Voice AI Agents.

Rest is solid, so save this.

And thank me later for the hours saved.

taplio

The Battle

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Prags Mugunthan

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taplio

The Battle

Marc Kuhn

Prags Mugunthan

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Marc Kuhn's LinkedIn Performance

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