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

A friend of mine was homeless at age 16. 
Then signed to a record deal at age 21. 
Then started all over again at age 27. 

Now? 

• He has a beautiful family. 
• Runs a successful business. 
• And is a great friend & mentor.

Here's 3 lessons he has taught me. 

(That you should steal)

1. Focusing on the future only brings anxiety or pride.
2. Focusing on the past only brings shame or pride.
3. So all you have is the present. (& Jesus)

I personally struggle with anxiety. 

But...
I see what my friend has gone through. 
I see the fruit in his life. 
I see the beauty. 

I see the proof that if you focus on the right things?

There is another side to it all. 

Curious to hear from your perspective.

I help real estate executives attract investors & build their brands | Trusted by 50 Firms | DM “Intro” to schedule a meeting with Investor Acquisitions

A client of mine raised $2,400,000 from LinkedIn to acquire a 250 unit apartment building. 

Here's the breakdown of the capital raise: 

A $1,400,000 1031 TIC. 
2 $250,000 checks. 
2 $150,000 checks. 
2 $100,000 checks. 

7 new investors my client had never met before. 
Investing nearly 50% of this $6,000,000 raise. 
𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙇𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙚𝙙𝙄𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩. 
Here are the metrics behind the capital raise: 

1. Our first post together was August 2025. 
• Prior to working together
• He averaged <500 impressions a post. 
• Now? He averages 10,789 per post. 
• We post 3 days a week. 
• M, W, Th. 

2. His deal went live in November 2025. 
• We published 5 posts promoting the capital raise. 
• Our 1st promotional post was on November 30th.
• We posted 1 promotional post every other week. 
• The 5th promotional was posted on Jan. 12th. 

3. Here's what came from the 5 posts. 
• The 5 posts generated 242,545 impressions. 
• The 5 posts generated 33 qualified leads. 
• The 5 posts generated 7 new investors. 

What would 33 new LP investor leads do for your next acquisition? 

I help real estate sponsors generate LP investor leads. 

Curious if Investor Acquisitions is right for you? 

DM "IA" to schedule an introduction call.

I've owned 0% of a $2,000,000 property. 

I worked my butt off for it too. 

I worked my W-2 while helping others build their wealth. 

It's part of most all of our journey's. 

Honest work. 

But after long hours trading time for money got me thinking...

"What if I was on the other side of the table?" 
"What if I was the owner?"

I asked myself those questions over & over. 
Until one day, I took that leap myself. 
The hardest decision I've made.

But you know what? 

It’s also the most fulfilling decision I’ve ever made. 
I’m curious to hear more about your journey. 
What set you on the path of ownership?

I spoke to a wealth advisor managing $70,000,000. 

His father bankrupted a $200,000,000 business. 

Here are 2 lessons on wealth he taught me: 

(That you should steal) 

1) You squander wealth you don't earn. 

• In the context of this business. It was inherited. 
• The father did not understand the business.
• But he felt he could take on the task.
• Just a few years later?
• It was gone.

LESSON:

The hard work it takes to build wealth lead to the lessons that help you keep it.

2) You must use leverage wisely.

• The grandfather had heavily leveraged the business.
• The grandfather's intent was to sell the business.
• But then the grandfather passed.
• & the father didn't have the operational knowledge.
• Your decisions have consequences in business.
• But consequences are amplified with debt.

LESSON:

Debt is a tool. But if misused? The consequences can be catastrophic.

P.S. What lessons have you learned from those before you?

I asked an investor (who's actively managing $160,000,000 of real estate) how he structured the capital stack for his first deal. 

I'm laying the framework to buy my first deal. 
• I've been asking for advice from mentors. 
• & here's the advice I got from this one. 

His first deal was a single tenant industrial asset he held for 10+ years. 

1) At the time, the sponsor worked for a family office. 
• He'd regularly knock on doors prospecting deals. 
• He found an owner willing to sell a property. 
• The property was too small for the FO. 
• So the sponsor put an offer down: 
• & the seller accepted. 

2) The investor structured his capital like this: 
• The sponsor closed the property for $560,000. 
• The sponsor acquired the deal free and clear. 
• 28 investors invested $20,000 each. 
• They split the ownership 80/20. 
• 80% to the limited partners. 
• 20% to the sponsor. 

Here's how the deal went: 

3) He held the property for over 16 years. 
• He distributed $67,200 each year. 
• & sold the deal for $950,000. 

LESSON: 
• As a first time sponsor, 
• The investor created an LP favorable capital stack. 
• 80% of all equity distributed went to the investors. 
• REMINDER: 
• A great track record starts with your first deal. 
• Don't try to retire off your first acquisition. 
• Do this instead: 
• Obsess over having happy LPs. 

SIDE NOTE: 

Even while acquiring the deal debt free, he was able to generate a 14% annualized return on investment for his investors. 

P.S. What are your thoughts on this sponsor's first deal?

"I spoke with an investor who owned $3,000,000 in real estate, but hadn’t sold any of his assets."

I wrote this hook for a post for a client of mine a few weeks back. 
• The post accumulated 76,063 impressions. 
• And, the best part...
• It generated 2 1031-exchange leads for him. 

The post highlighted a story the broker told me. 
A client of the broker had an underperforming investment. 
Not from the standpoint of "Return on Investment."
The investment's ROI was 12%. 
Rather from the standpoint of "Return on Equity."
The investment's ROE was 3%. 

I wrote about how the broker communicated this with his client. 
Subsequently, his client wanted a better ROE. 
So they sold the existing asset 
& bought a larger one. 

Cool story. 

Here's the catch, the week before I posted this post? 
I had written a different post about the same story. 
Except...
The original post only hit 1,284 impressions...
& produced 0 leads for the client. 
A complete bust. 

I felt the story was really good, but I had just failed to tell it right. 

So I rewrote it & posted the new post 7-days later. 

The outcome was much better. 

LESSON: 

Don't be afraid to recycle stories, especially good stories. 
Sometimes...
How you frame a story just didn't resonate the 1st time. 
& that's okay. 
If you're gut is telling you you've got a story worth telling. 
Don't stop until you figure out how to tell it right. 

P.S. Was this helpful? If so, comment below why it was.

Marquise Brown has earned $36,500,000 in the NFL. 

He has a master plan to avoid going broke. 

Caribbean luxury condominiums. 

Why condos? 

Brown noticed a trend among his NFL peers: 

1. His peers loved to travel to the beach in the offseason. 
2. Many players that came before him have gone broke. 

The stat in the NFL is astounding. 

An estimated 78% of players lose their wealth in 5 years. 

The main culprit? 

"Surrounding yourself with people who help you go broke."

Brown has a goal to change that narrative. 

"We want to help [athletes] make a change, to build equity and intergenerational wealth."

Brown felt the combination of Caribbean condos & investing would connect with athletes. 

With Fund I started, he is well on his way to accomplish his goal. 

Personally, I like the connection Brown made to the Caribbean. 

I'm excited to see how Brown's investments perform. 

What are your thoughts on real estate & athletes?

P.S. Will the Chiefs take the crown again in 2026?

I asked an operator (who owns $50,000,000 worth of real estate) how to structure a JV deal. 

Here's what he told me: 

You have 5 buckets to fill within a JV partnership. 

Split generally 20% each. 

Here's the 5 buckets: 

1) The Asset Manager
2) The Ernest Money
3) The Deal Finder
4) The Guarantor
5) The Capital

You fill these buckets with 2-3 people typically. 
You can also have more partners if you see fit. 

Below are some examples he gave of JV structures: 

1) You find the deal & manage the asset while your partner covers the other 3 buckets. 

Split the JV 50/50. 

2) You find a niche deal that takes you 2 years to identify & get under contract. You plan to asset manage while a partner will cover the other 3 buckets. 

Split the JV 60/40 with you taking the 60. 

3) Your partner puts up a large earnest money deposit to win the deal. Your partner covers the rest of the capital buckets & you manage the identification and operation of the deal.

Split the JV 40/60 with your partner taking the 60.  

P.S. Any other advice you'd give about JV's?

TeamDynamix

Operating with the goal of equipping clients with the tools/knowledge they need to have a successful and lasting relationship with TeamDynamix. 
Areas of management include existing client value added service delivery, management of continuing education platforms, and client services support.

Director Of Client Services

Manage consulting engagement processes, including consultant capacity planning, implementation quality metrics, client on-boarding/intake, and portfolio management. Oversee a team of implementation consultants to execute and deliver service engagements, manage projects, lead software implementations, and help clients exceed their goals.

Implementation Manager

-Lead client implementation teams through the configuration of the product
-Assist client implementation teams though the culture improvement of implementing best practice processes
-Possess tool expertise in order to best communicate the benefits/capabilities of the product
-Serve as the a Project Manager on implementations, keeping project timelines and key milestones in view at all times
-Primary focus of content delivered includes, Information Technology Service Management (ITSM), Project Portfolio Management (PPM), Resource Planning and Allocation Management, and Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL)

Implementation Consultant

Ashland University

Marketing liaison for all four undergraduate colleges, all student affairs and university administrative functions
-Communicate with client base to discover needs and determine the optimal way to facilitate the process with maximized outcomes
-Assured brand was properly represented and guidelines were kept for all external communications

Website management
-Institution wide website overhaul/launch
-Worked with COE, COBE, CAS, CONHS and Student Affairs to gather/advise creative content/media for each page. Then arranged pages best to properly position the major, program or department to its target audience
-Spoke with each department to accomplish their unique needs and determine if desires fit within website and university branding guidelines
-Involved in SEM/SEO by third party company

Vendor Relations
-Built strong working relationships with multiple print vendors, discovering their abilities to best serve the university
-Communicated with vendors on print and digital ads (i.e. Spotify, Pandora)

YouVisit – Virtual guide providing online tour of campus (youvisit.com/ashland)
-Director of each shoot; assisted in panoramic filming process, suggested locations, arranged schedule planned in order to achieve optimal shots
-Planned agendas and determined marketable aspects of campus to be captured
-Communicated with campus locations to gather key points of location specific script to be recorded for virtual guide

University Rebranding
-Managed, coordinated, monitored Marsh Brand partners multiday photo shoot capturing new brand elements and focus
-Reviewed and curated new copy in the rebrand process
-Communicated branding changes to clients and how it will affect them moving forward

'Tuition Reset' $10,000 undergraduate tuition reduction
-Coordinated, assisted, guided NBC4 News WCMH in on campus news story filming for nightly news
-Worked collectively on ad generation to promote the industry pioneering effort of aggressive tuition reduction

Communications & Marketing Coordinator

Americarb Corporation

Trade Show Planning and Execution
-Completely responsible for all trade show detail in China and Germany, including: booth positioning, booth layout, product sample selection, show material transportation, communication with international hosts and booth vendors

Thoroughly involved with company operations in China
-Spent 2 months of 2011 in China, dedicated to establishing and enhancing Asia market presence
-Held meetings with customers and vendors, publication representatives and industry consultants
-Helped staff Americarb China; interviewed and reviewed potential employees
-Answered customer questions and followed up with appropriate technical responses and requests
-Attended LED trade show in Guangzhou, China as research and feasibility study
-Provided market overview of Asian market for Americarb current and potential customers
-Met with customer executives to determine business relationship future and direction of market demand
-Represented company in Hong Kong at customer supplier day

Web Presence
-Initiated process for a full web presence overhaul aiming to improve design, functionality and site offering
-Operated within the confines project budget and strived to obtain the most value within the financial guidelines
-Updated all website content, social media and news releases
-Search Engine Optimization and web analytics
 
Determined the direction of company’s marketing and selected resources to accomplish goals
-As intern, ran comparative analysis between vendors to determine the best for the company based on variables such as: quality, capabilities, customer relationships, pricing, on-going fee structure, responsiveness and creativity.

Composed both creative and concise documents
-Edited and completed marketing plan
-Developed and perfected the company Vision and Mission Statements
-Gathered pertinent information, drafted and was awarded New York State Energy grant
-Developed, designed and composed company newsletter, The Carbon Copy

Marketing Director

Market Development Group Inc.

Conduct Research Projects
-Industry specific nationwide research to find valuable product positioning information
-Scope of research often resulted in perceptions of product, product pricing, competitor comparisons and most importantly reasons behind the thoughts 
-Conduct research projects as an "one man team" (depending on scope of project)
-Manage a group of researchers and delegate appropriate responsibilities to each individual (depending on scope of project)
-Responsible to report directly to company President about project details and outcomes/data collected

Marketing Research Intern

Group and Individual Tours
-Representing AU, guiding potential students around AU's beautiful campus
-Speaking with students and parents about concerns: both anticipation and apprehension of campus life

Admission Representative Assistant
-Given special projects within the university's admissions department
-Prepared presentations for high attendance weekend admission events

Public communication
-Spoke publicly multiple times to auditoriums (and classrooms) of parents/students about my positive experiences and passion for Ashland University

Admissions - Student Tour Guide & Rep Assistant

Tri-Fecta Tickets LLC

Ticket Website Promotion 
-Marketing with the objective of driving traffic to website and increasing sales 
-Goal of increasing visibility and recognition to create a user base for return sales
-Strategic approach factoring in details such as on sale dates, cities, venue size, event frequency and event popularity 
-Specifically worked with Cavaliers, sports and event ticket sites
-Operate believing in the statistic of increased clicks results in increased sales - high web traffic is key. 
-Review website analytics to see traffic tendencies and sources

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The Battle

Cole Baker

Kris Kennedy

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taplio

The Battle

Cole Baker

Kris Kennedy

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);}Cole Baker's LinkedIn Performance

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Performance ScoreCole Baker's LinkedIn Performance