Chapter 2: The Best Revenge Is Massive Success

By Chuck Cuda

The promise I made to myself

In Chapter 2 of Ego Strength: “The Best Revenge Is Massive Success” I unpack exactly how I turned rejection into runway: the accountability promise I made walking out of prison, the gut-punch lunch, the 30/60/90 plan that followed, why I declined a safe 9–5 to protect my daylight, the “gazelle intense” schedule that funded my comeback, the relationships that became revenue, my first real estate acquisition, and the Keller Williams launchpad that helped me scale. It’s not about payback, it’s about results.

The gut-punch lunch and the plan

When my uncle told me I didn’t have the job back, I told him this would be the biggest mistake he’d ever make. That moment fueled the fire. I wanted him to regret the decision and see that my past didn’t define who I was or the growth I was going to have. First, I needed a job. I called my buddy, Joe Strada, and he put me on a vending route with Allied. From there I started calling everyone I’d done transactions with: Brad Hakes, Trenton’s dad Rick Baier, Joe Lamont, David Lamont—and I went to the big firms, JLL, True North, and more. I told them exactly what happened and why. I wasn’t convicted of anything; I wasn’t at risk of losing my license. If anything, not talking showed I’d hold confidential information and protect clients. I spun it into a positive. No one had anything right then until Victor Ross came through with an opportunity.

Betting on myself (not a salary)

I turned down a safe property-management job in the low $40,000s. My math was simple: replace that with vending machine routes + Oceans of Fun bartending + UPS, get benefits from UPS, and most importantly, protect my daytime hours. In commercial real estate, 8–5 is where the value is. I needed at least five hours a day for prospecting, negotiating, transacting, closing. Twenty hours a week minimum. Those other jobs lived in off-peak hours: early mornings on the route, 7–10 pm at UPS, weekends bartending. I didn’t need to make $70,000 doing side jobs; I needed to free up time to get back into commercial real estate. I knew I could do in 25 hours what most people could do in 40. I just needed those daytime hours.

Gazelle-intense weeks

The vending route ran 5:00 am to noon, Monday–Friday. I was solo, so I could handle admin and prospecting calls once the clock hit 8:00 am. I couldn’t do showings, but could do plenty of outreach. From 12:30–5:00 pm, I locked in on contracts, listing agreements, property tours, anything that couldn’t be handled on the phone. Evenings 7:00–10:00 pm were spent working at UPS. Weekends, I bartended. That rhythm gave me cash flow, benefits, and the daylight I needed to rebuild.

Relationships → revenue → first asset

Inside, I met Bob. He was released a little before me, and we stayed in touch. He told me he’d give me a shot when I got out and had my license, and he did. Our first deal together was a 15,000-sq-ft warehouse. A five-year lease with a national HVAC company. Which was roughly a half-million-dollar deal. I had both sides so it ended up being about a $30,000 commission. Good start.

My first real estate acquisition came later. Driving Independence Avenue daily from the Victor Ross office, I kept passing a boarded-up 2,400-sq-ft former vet clinic. Demographics based on household income weren’t great, but population density and traffic counts were strong, and rents were stable. The owner was out of Arkansas and when I reached out, he wanted around $107,000. I negotiated to $88,000. I didn’t have the cash, so I borrowed the entire amount plus roughly $32,000 for improvements (new roof, electrical, drop ceiling) white box condition. All-in about $120,000, borrowed from my friend PJ’s aunt.

I leased it to Cricket Wireless for about $1,500/month. Later, through Keller Williams, I helped fill it with Fred Loya Insurance around $2,000/month. I sold the building for $180,000, making about $60,000 off the deal and rolled it forward. Eventually, I even bought that same building back with my brother-in-law, Joe; today H&R Block pays about $2,500/month there. Turns out Independence Avenue has some rent appreciation after all.

Platform and scale

At Keller Williams, I tapped the residential agent network with a simple play. I’d visit their team meetings about once a month and ask basic commercial questions: “How do you calculate a cap rate? What’s a Phase I and Phase II Environmental? Why order an ALTA survey? What’s a triple-net lease vs. modified gross?” Most didn’t know, which made the case: refer me your clients and I’ll pay you a 25% referral fee at closing. Then I’d widen their lens: “Do you know a neighbor who owns a business? Do you work with a local company? That’s a prospect. Every business either owns or leases space and they’re always growing or downsizing.” It was very little legwork for them and real income when deals close.

That cadence, one meeting a month, consistent messaging, clear value, shifted me from just closing transactions to building a pipeline, a team, and long-term wealth.

Massive success wasn’t about revenge in the end; it was about discipline, ownership, and momentum. Stacking simple, not easy, decisions until the results became undeniable. If Chapter 1 was about humility, Chapter 2 was about focus and forward motion.

If you’re following along with the series, Chapter 3 is next. And if you haven’t yet, you can read the full story in Ego Strength—now available on Amazon.