Anthony Carlton

Founder @ CRE Digital | Helping commercial real estate funds raise capital with premium branding and investor acquisition systems

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

Your independence isn't violently taken from you.

It vanishes with 100s of "safe" decisions.

Here's how it happens (and ends up becoming a cage):

Age 18: You choose the "smart" major.

• Law.
• Finance. 
• Engineering. 
• Computer science.

Your parents are relieved. You're rewarded with scholarships and summer internships.

Age 22: You take the corporate job.

Goldman. McKinsey. Google. Whichever pays most and has the best brand.

Your professors congratulate you. Your classmates envy you. You're rewarded with a signing bonus and an impressive title.

Age 25: You accept the promotion.

More responsibility. More money. More visibility to senior leadership.

Your manager says you're on the "fast track." You're rewarded with status and a salary that justifies the lifestyle inflation you didn't plan.

Age 30: You take the management role.

People report to you now. You attend 10-15 meetings a week. You have influence—or at least the appearance of it.

You're rewarded with prestige and the comfort of knowing you're winning the game everyone else is playing.

Age 35: You wake up.

Your calendar isn't yours.
Your decisions aren't yours.
Your time isn't yours.

You're unhappy and burned out, but you can't move because you have a mortgage, car payment, daycare, and stock options vesting.

Every individual choice was rational.

But somewhere along the way, your autonomy disappeared.

The trap works because it's not obviously a trap.

It's comfortable. 
Respectable. 
Safe.

It's what winning looks like from the outside.

But from the inside, it feels like you're capable of more...smart enough to see the problems but powerless to fix them.

Successful by every conventional measure.

But somehow still not free.

This is the trap to avoid. 
Now you know what it looks like.

What you are working on in 2026 for more personal freedom in 2027?

--

♻️ Repost if this resonates.

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

Don't quit your 9-5 to go "all in" as a solopreneur until you have 4 things: 
 
- Proven offer 
- Clients paying you 
- Results and case studies 
- Consistent lead gen systems 
 
Give yourself 6-12 months to build skills and undeniable social proof before you leap. 
 
In 2019 I quit my job, spent a fat chunk of my life savings, and failed at going solo. 
 
I had 0/4 essentials above. 
 
Didn't know how to write. 
Didn't know how to sell. 
Didn't know how to build. 
 
In 2022 I made a successful transition from 9-5 to building a full-time creator income. 
 
But I worked for 12 months alongside my 9-5: 
 
• Testing ideas 
• Growing on LinkedIn 
• Finding proof of concept 
 
I'm confident everyone who reads this can build a full-time income as a creator. 
 
But only if you set yourself up for success. 
 
That's why I write weekly guides giving actionable strategies for making the leap. 
 
Need a good place to start? 
 
Read this: https://lnkd.in/e-RX6KFj

“Set a goal to become a millionaire—not for the money, but for what it will make of you.”

Jim Rohn damn near invented the category of personal development.

This is one of his hardest-hitting quotes.

In one sentence, it shifted my mindset around goals.

Setting goals is less about the end result, and more about who you become in the process of achieving it.

Early in my career, I chased all the wrong things.

→ If I only got that raise...
→ If I could just get that VP title...
→ If I check one more big goal off my list...

I thought if I just hit the next milestone, then I’d feel free. Then I’d feel successful.

But learning from people like Jim Rohn, I realized:

The goals weren't a magic checklist.

The goals were about who I had to become to achieve them.

→ A person who can communicate better
→ A person who can be self-reliant
→ A person who can grow and improve

Writing did that for me.

It gave me clarity.
It built proof of work.
It opened doors that used to be locked.

But more than that, it forced discipline. It exposed gaps in how I think. And it helped me build leverage instead of just more output.

So yeah, set big goals.

But understand: the real win isn’t the number.

It’s who you have to become to earn it.

That’s where the compounding starts.

What's the WHY behind your biggest goal right now?

Anthony Carlton

Do you want to be impressive or independent?

99% optimize for an "impressive" cage.

Achievement looks like:

- Climbing the corporate ladder
- Adding prestigious titles to LinkedIn
- Hitting salary milestones
- Getting promoted faster than peers
- Building a resume that impresses strangers

Achievement is external validation.

It's playing a game someone else designed and winning by their rules.

Agency looks like:

- Owning your calendar
- Making decisions without approval
- Building assets that compound
- Disconnecting time from income
- Designing work around your life, not the other way around

Agency is internal freedom.

It's designing your own game and defining what winning means.

Here's the trap:

Achievement is measurable, visible, and celebrated.
Agency is quiet, personal, and invisible to others.

So we chase achievement because it's easier to see we're making progress.

We climb faster, earn more, get promoted sooner. And wake up one day realizing we built an impressive cage.

I spent my 20s optimizing for achievement.

• Better titles. 
• Higher salary. 
• More responsibility.

I looked successful on paper but felt trapped in practice.

Now I optimize for independence.

• More decisions I own. 
• Fewer meetings I didn't schedule. 
• Systems that don't require my constant presence.

It's less impressive to people on LinkedIn.

But infinitely more valuable to me.

The question isn't "How do I achieve more?"

The question is "How do I build for optionality?"

--

♻️ Repost if this resonates.

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Senior Construction Project Manager @ VareCo

I am the Founder &amp; CEO of Investor Acquisitions. In short, I help real estate executives be known. What I've found is the best operators in real estate often neglect marketing. Marketing is important enough to wish you were better but not important enough to take it on on your own. Put another way: If operations fall apart? You don't have a business to market. If marketing falls apart? You've survived this long without it. However, there's a catch 22 to this approach to marketing. The modern real estate sponsor, broker &amp; lender needs marketing. They need to be known. Social media expedites 2 key aspects of deal making: 1. Building awareness of you. 2. Building trust in you. My business is taking the hard work of figuring social media out off your hands, &amp; replacing it with all the benefits. 1. Being trusted and known. 2. Generating quality leads. 3. Raising capital/Closing deals. The fun stuff that comes from being known. Whether you're the CEO, an executive team, or a broker, our team at Investor Acquisitions can level up your brand &amp; content on LinkedIn. Our business is telling your story.

Cole Baker

Emmitt Smith earned $61,300,000 during his NFL career. 

He's quietly turned that into $100,000,000 in real estate. 

Here's how he did it: 

1) He LEARNED from the BEST. 

• Emmitt played 15 years for the Dallas Cowboys. 
• He leveraged the notoriety to get an internship. 
• Followed Roger Staubach around for 2 years. 
• (Roger has transacted on $26,000,000,000+ in CRE)
• This was the foundation of his knowledge. 

2) He TOOK ACTION. 

• Leveraging the experience with Staubach, 
• He started a JV with Staubach's company. 
• He started his own firm in Baltimore. 

Most of us don't have $63mm to start investing with. 

But, anyone can learn from the best: 

• Podcasts. 
• YouTube. 
• Books. 

& anyone can take action. 

P.S. The real question everyone wants to know? 

Will the Cowboys ever win a Super Bowl Again?

Founder + CEO of Investor Acquisitions | I help real estate executives build their brand & attract investors | Trusted by 44 Firms | DM “Intro” to schedule a meeting with Investor Acquisitions

I left my W-2 to start my business 14 months ago.

• I have had days I didn't think I'd make it.
• I have had weeks no money came in.
• I have had moments I messed up. 

• I have messed up with clients. 
• I have messed up sales calls. 
• I have messed up on hiring. 

I have lived a lot of the fears that held me back from starting sooner. 

But, I can say this:

I am filled with more purpose than I have felt in a very long time. 

& something about that makes the pain worth it. 

So here's to you taking the leap in 2026! 

The year you finally do it. 

Whatever it is!

P.S. If this was the year, what would you do?

I spoke to an RIA who’s helped his clients sell $14,000,000 worth of businesses to private equity.

I asked him what owners should look out for in the terms of their purchase agreements. 

Here’s what he told me: 

1) If you are presented with a dual share class structure within your agreement, it’s standard for the controlling investor to hold the senior class. What’s not standard? When Class-B shares have no participation rights to maintain their percentage of ownership. 

2) Ensure your "earn out" is tied to performance metrics that are higher up the income statement (i.e. gross revenue or recurring revenue). The higher up the income statement you go, the more the "earn out" is in your control.

3) If a buyer defers payment on your acquisition, lock in interest on top of you’re deferred payment. Otherwise the buyer is using your cash flow to pay you with no compensation for your additional risk. 

4) Ensure the waterfall structure in the purchase agreement defines the hurdle rate. The RIA has seen multiple agreements where the hurdle rate is left undefined at the point of sale. 

5) If you have buyout terms within your purchase agreement, define the “fair market value” of the business at the point of sale. & ensure that definition is defined at your full discretion. 

6) If your sale price is formulaic, ensure you define what’s being multiplied. If the buyer is paying a multiple on “adjusted EBITDA,” you set the definition for adjusted EBITDA.

7) Rolling equity into a deal doesn’t = money in your pocket in the future. Do you’re diligence on the buyer as well. It could be the difference in millions of dollars.

P.S. Was this helpful? Comment below what stuck out the most ⬇️

I spoke to an investor with $300,000,000 in AUM. 
His first deal he bought for $560,000 debt free. 
Here's the breakdown of how he did it: 

1) He started as a leasing agent for a family office. 
• The family office owned a few dozen deals. 
• He was there "Swiss army knife."
• Managing existing tenants. 
• Leasing units. 
• Even identifying new properties to acquire. 
• However, one thing stuck out to him: 
• He knew unless he owned real estate himself, 
• He'd never build true wealth. 

LESSON: 

• Build experience in the asset class you chose. 
• Only once you've built up a knowledge base, 
• Should you take the leap to ownership. 

2) He identified a property. 
• In his work with the family office, he identified a deal. 
• It was outside the buy box of the family office. 
• So he decided to take a shot at it. 
• He brought ~5 investors together, & acquired it. 

LESSON: 

• Be prepared. 
• Only once you've aligned your operations, 
• Should you begin identifying deals. 

P.S. Which lesson resonated with you the most?

My wife & I started a "sugar cleanse" this week. 

No processed carbohydrates. 
No processed sugars. 
No rice...
Starting off the first 4 weeks of the year right.

However... 
We celebrated my brother-in-laws birthday last night. 

They served Korean beef, green beans, and rice. 
(& cake...)
I've never wanted rice more in my life. 

I held strong, but...

I didn't realize how strong my cravings for carbs & sugar were until this week. 

This week's been brutal. But grateful for the reset. 
(& grateful I'm not taking on the cleanse alone)
How's your new year's resolutions going?

I asked an investor who owns a $750,000 6-unit portfolio debt free in Indiana why he didn't sell his properties to get a higher ROE. 

Here's what he told me: 

• He & his wife collect ~ $2,000 a month net. 
• He & his wife are retired. He self-manages.
• It's busy enough to keep him occupied. 
• But not too busy he's overwhelmed. 
• They're content. 

They set out for a specific number to bring home each month, & they achieved it. 

They're debt-free. Living off their hard work over the years, & don't need more. 

They've made it. 

LESSON: 

• There is always more to chase if you want to. 
• But, if you're looking for financial freedom? 
• Pick the number you're looking for. 
• Then fight hard to achieve it. 
• & once you reach it? 
• Either revaluate, 
• or reap the benefits of your hard work. 

P.S. What would you do with a $750,000 debt-free portfolio? 

Sell it & buy a bigger property? Or hold it?

I asked a developer/owner (who's built $300,000,000 of real estate) how he got started. His first deal ever? 
A $60,000 land flip. Here's the breakdown: 

1) The developer started his career at 19-years old. 
• He sourced a raw piece of land in his hometown. 
• He raised $30,000 from his family & friends. 
• His original intention? 
• Build a duplex. 

2) The seller called him back with more land to sell.  
• He raised another $30,000 from family & friends. 
• Now that he was sitting on 2 adjacent lots, 
• He started planning to build. 

3) A local builder identified the land he'd bought. 
• That builder offered $120,000 for the land. 
• What he'd just bought for $60,000? 
• He sold for $120,000...

A 50% return of equity to his investors & a $30,000 pay day for a 19 year old kid!

LESSON: 

• Action pays. No matter your age, get after it. 

P.S. If you had $30K pay day at 19...
What would you have bought?

My client raised $250,000 from 4 posts. 
(And the deal still has 12 days to close)
Here's the exact strategy we used:  

My client has managed $300,000,000 in AUM. 
He posted on LinkedIn & Facebook for years.
But hadn't had any luck raising capital. 
So he hired me. 

• Day 1; We collected stories + track record.
↳ We identified his Ideal Investor Profile. 
↳ Then curated content to this profile. 
• Week 1: Began posting 3-Days a week. 
↳ Every week. 
• Week 16: Posted first promotional post. 
• Week 20: Collected $250K in capital.
↳ & counting. 

3 takeaways you can steal today

1. Before you ask for business, build up trust. 
• I learned this concept from Alex Hormozi. 
• & it works beautifully. 
• Post valuable content for your ICP everyday you can
• Then, wait to make an ask for as long as possible. 

2. Write content using these 6 content pillars. 
• I developed this working with 40 + CRE firms.
• Write about deals you've bought or underwritten.
• Write about your personal life (not work related).
• Write about the daily conversations you have.
• Write about the lessons you have learned.
• Write about problems your ICP faces.
• Write about the news.

3. Quality content is better than lots of content. 
• My client had posted content for years. 
• Only after we refined his message, 
• Did he raise capital. 

OPPORTUNITY for 2026: 

When you figure out how to tell your story?  

It can change your business forever. 

P.S. I help sponsors, brokers & lenders build their brands on LinkedIn, if this post resonated with you, DM "Story" to schedule an introduction call.

Here's the 9 steps I took to raise my first $90,000 for a real estate investment without raising capital from friends & family. 

1. Committed to posting on LinkedIn on May 15, 2023. 
2. Posted 484 times before getting my first lead. 
3. Had 25+ conversations with investors. 
4. Identified a trusted fund manager to work with. 
5. Identified a trusted sponsor & property to invest in. 
6. Flew to FL to tour and walk the 230-unit property. 
• I toured the different unit mixes available. 
• I took over 200 photos of the property. 
• I took extensive notes of the property. 
• Then returned home the same day. 
7. Sent out an email to investors. 
8. Booked 3 calls. 2 invested. 
9. Each lead from LinkedIn. 

Admittedly, my first capital raise wasn't much. 
& I could have done better with the raise.
Namely, 
1. More consistent follow-up with investors. 
• During the diligence of the deal. 
2. More consistent follow-up with investors.
• Prior to finding a deal.  

However, it taught me 2 meaningful lessons: 
1. LinkedIn is a powerful tool for business. 
2. I could build trust with investors. 

This deal led me to start Investor Acquisitions.
& now? 18 months later. 
My clients have raised $10,000,000+ of equity. 
My clients have generated $100K+ in revenue. 
My clients have generated 1,200+ ideal leads. 
All from LinkedIn. 

Are you looking to raise capital in 2026? 
We can help. 
DM "capital" to schedule an intro call. 
Or click my calendar link below: 
https://lnkd.in/g92Wj2WT

I submitted an offer for $950,000 on a 9-unit portfolio. 
The asking price was $1,400,000. 
Here's why I sent an offer $450,000 < asking price: 

I posted about this deal a few weeks back, & lots of people were curious about the specific numbers of the deal. 

The portfolio was made up of 6 properties: 
• A 4-unit multifamily property. 
• 5 single family homes. 

The income of the portfolio was as follows: 
• The 4-unit property: 
• The 4-unit was 100% occupied all of 2024. 
• The 4-unit produced $39K of rent in 2024. 
• The 4-unit produced $15.6K in expenses. 
• 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟰-𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲𝗱 $𝟮𝟯𝗞 𝗶𝗻 𝗡𝗢𝗜. 
• The 5 SFRs combined: 
• The 5-SFRs were ~ 60%  occupied in 2024. 
• The 5-SFRs produced $41K of rent in 2024. 
• The 5-SFRs produced $56K in expenses. 
• 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟱-𝗦𝗙𝗥𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘁 ~ $𝟭𝟰𝗞 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰. 
• After paying their debt payments. 
• All-in, they netted 4K in 2024. 
• (No 2025 P&L either)

With the SFRs producing negative cashflow, my intent was to sell the SFRs as single family homes, & keep the 4-unit. 

• Local cap rates for this vintage of asset is 7-10%. 
• Here's how I priced the 4-unit apartment: 
• [(NOI: $23,418)/(cap rate: 8.3%)] 
• = value of asset: $284,200
• The Zillow estimate for the SFRs was: 
• $734,000. 
• Combined: $1,018,200. 

The sellers offered seller financing for 50% LTV @ 6% interest. 

Curious to hear your thoughts on my approach.  

Comment below with your thoughts.

I asked a developer who's built $300,000,000 worth of real estate about what capital structure he's raising capital with in 2026. Here's what he told me: 

His "equity" investors invest as a 2nd position loan. 

• He secures a construction loan from a local bank.
• He provides the equity to close the development. 
• His investors come in to fund a subordinate loan.
• His investors receive a fixed 12% on their capital.
• (The 2nd-position loan is secured by the land).

Rather than participate in the upside of the deal. 
Many investors he spoke with wanted certainty. 
So he created a product to fulfill that desire. 

P.S. Do you like the capital structure? 
Or 
Would you have another in mind?

If you're starting a "solo-preneur" business in 2026, you'll beat 99% of the competition doing this: 

1. Pick a niche market to sell to. 
2. Sell to people who can afford to grow with you. 
3. Sell a product you believe in. 
↳Do free work until you believe in it. 
4. Choose a social media platform your clients are on. 
5. Post content every day that solves their problems. 
6. Sell by identifying problems & selling the solution. 
7. REMEMBER: 
↳You haven't won yet, so you have nothing to lose. 

P.S. What's your goal for 2026?

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The Battle

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