Randall Kaplan, Co-Founder of Akamai Technologies, shares his extraordinary journey from failed lawyer to building a $35 billion unicorn company in this powerful No Vacancy Podcast interview with commercial real estate broker Taylor Avakian.From writing 300 personalized cold letters to land a dream job with Eli Broad at SunAmerica, to co-founding Akamai during the dot-com era, navigating massive success and setbacks, mentoring with Sam Zell, and lessons on extreme preparation, relationship building, and giving back — this is a masterclass in grit, opportunity, and long-term thinking.Chapters:

• 00:00 Intro & Welcome
• 01:15 The 300 Letters Campaign That Changed Everything
• 04:46 Landing the Job with Eli Broad at SunAmerica
• 11:45 Lessons from Working with Eli Broad & the AIG Sale
• 16:31 The Akamai Story: From MIT to $35 Billion Valuation
• 24:22 Meeting & Friendship with Sam Zell
• 31:18 Starting "In Search of Excellence" Podcast & Giving Back
• 33:18 Building Authentic Relationships (Not Transactional)
• 44:49 Real Estate Investing: LP to GP Lessons & Challenges
• 51:47 Advice for Young People & Where Opportunity Lies Today
• 1:01:52 How to Dominate as a Real Estate Broker
• 1:07:18 Key Takeaways from Interviewing Legends
• 1:10:26 Proudest Achievement: Giving Back & Changing Lives

Randall Kaplan Akamai, Taylor Avakian No Vacancy Podcast, entrepreneurship, cold outreach, Sam Zell, real estate investing, career advice, extreme preparation, dot com bubble, success mindset.

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