The Timeless Investor Show
The Timeless Investor Show explores how serious thinkers build wealth, resilience, and lasting success across generations.
Hosted by Arie van Gemeren, CFA - The Timeless Investor Show connects history, philosophy, and real-world investing lessons into practical frameworks for today's investors, with a core focus on real estate investing.
We study empires, cycles, currencies, and capital stewardship - and translate timeless principles into real-world action.
Think well. Act wisely. Build something timeless.
The Timeless Investor Show
Ray Kroc - The Real Estate Empire Hidden Behind Golden Arches
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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Think Well. Act Wisely. Build Something Timeless.