Most people think Ray Kroc built a hamburger empire. They're wrong.
Ray Kroc built the world's largest real estate company, and he just happened to serve hamburgers on top of it. By the time of his death, McDonald's owned more retail real estate than any other company in the world - not Walmart, not Sears, McDonald's.
In this episode, we unpack how a 52-year-old milkshake machine salesman turned a simple hamburger stand into a real estate empire worth hundreds of billions of dollars. From near-bankruptcy to global domination, Kroc's story reveals timeless principles about persistence, systems thinking, and the power of owning great real estate.
Key lessons covered:
- Why Kroc nearly failed for two years before discovering the real business model
- How Harry Sonneborn's insight about land ownership saved McDonald's
- The genius of aligned incentives between McDonald's and franchisees
- Location strategy and long-term real estate appreciation
- The ruthless pursuit of control that enabled empire building
- Systems thinking that made global scale possible
Whether you're a real estate investor, entrepreneur, or builder, Kroc's playbook offers profound insights about creating something that lasts generations.
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