Category Archives for "Business Models"

Traveling without moving, a new approach to downsizing Most realtors tell a person who is thinking of, say, downsizing, to list and sell their larger home and buy something smaller and presumably cheaper. This kind of talk is a bit self-serving because, if the client follows this piece of advice, the realtor gets another listing […]

I woke up on the Easter long weekend thinking I could help people become successful entrepreneurs by offering a new online course called: Pivot! Start a business in just 3-months w/ practically no money down. “Hi Bruce, I just wanted to say that I was on your Pivot! webinar this afternoon and it was awesome. […]

for LANDLORDS, INVESTORS (AND TENANTS) Here is a webinar in which Bruce M Firestone, PhD, and host Dave Dubeau talk about how to stay afloat during the Covid-19 era and also how to prepare for a hopeful future. Here’s what is covered: -snowbird real estate prices about to collapse? -big market correction coming #Gulp -buying […]

YES, I want to sign up for the Firestone Institute Pivot! Course: Turn Yourself into a Gigpreneur… start your own business in just 3-months with practically no money down for a ridiculously low one-time payment of $250 $195 + HST I’m fed up and want to take charge of my own future and not rely […]

I spoke with my friend Victor Menasce about the Ottawa Senators, the NHL, real estate investment and more on his podcast… I explained how we purchased (in the early 1990s) 600-acres in the far west-end of Ottawa (Kanata) for $12,000 an acre ($7.2 million, if you are counting), plunked an NHL expansion franchise (aka, the […]

I usually don’t really like rent-to-own (R2O) models either from an investor’s POV (point of view) or from a client’s POV. From a client’s POV, it’s an expensive way to buy property; they have to pay all of the costs of the property including mortgage payments, property taxes, insurance (tenant and landlord insurance), all repairs/maintenance, […]

[Excerpt from soon-to-be-published Gadgets and Gizmos, Bruce M Firestone, 2020] How could you give workers in the fast food industry a living wage? The only way (sustainably) is to make them more productive. Here is my thought about this: Turn your existing biz processes inside out. If I owned a fast food business, I would […]

The story of Tamworth, a small town in Ontario “Animation” is a term I use to describe ways of adding new revenue streams to an existing property. For example, clients of mine are adding storage sheds, backyard workshops, basement apartments, backyard coach houses, play areas (things like outdoor ping pong tables), private patio areas, outdoor […]

Substantial completion (aka, substantial performance) in real estate is usually defined this way: When approximately 97% of work outlined in a construction contract is done. This milepost is crucial in this industry for a number of reasons: a) so, a contractor can get paid out without having absolutely everything done, b) so, an owner can […]

A client of mine, a top notch property manager (and, no, that’s not an oxymoron) who manages nearly a 1,000-doors wrote to me saying, “Some realtors who have helped their clients buy investment properties are reluctant to refer them to us even though we are probably the best property managers in our area. Why? Because […]

As someone who has tackled hundreds if not thousands of projects, I know the difference. It’s why now as a real estate investment and business coach, I preach using biz models instead of doing “projects.” In my day, I created over 1,200 home sites in multiple subdivisions, dozens of office buildings and shopping plazas, started […]

[Note: feature image is international symbol for human rights.] So, a city committee has voted in favor of effectively banning Airbnb and other home-sharing platforms, https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/dozens-sign-up-to-tell-councillors-what-they-think-about-proposed-crackdown-on-short-term-rentals This is a terrible decision IMHO. Three councillors voted against the ban: Stephen Blais <stephen.blais@ottawa.ca> Eli El-Chantiry <Eli.El-Chantiry@ottawa.ca> Matt Luloff 613-580-2471×26699′ <Matt.Luloff@ottawa.ca> I wrote to them (see below). I […]