Category Archives for "Design"

Apr 01

Staying afloat in a time of Covid-19 for tenants and landlords

By Bruce Firestone | Architecture , Design , Entrepreneurship , Finance , PB4L , Real Estate , Real Estate Investment Coaching , Urban Economics

[A version of this article first appeared in Ottawa Business Journal] Since the dawn of the industrial age in the early 1700s when Thomas Newcomen produced the first successful steam engine (later perfected by James Watt in 1769), there has never been a major economy that contracted by 40% in a single quarter. This happened […]

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Mar 25

Covid-19 Crisis Planning by Bruce M Firestone, PhD

By Bruce Firestone | Architecture , Design , Family , Finance , Green for Real , Investing , PB4L , Real Estate , Real Estate Investment Coaching , Urban Economics

Here is a 10-minute video I put together on: How to protect yourself, your biz and your real estate holdings as well as clients, employees, suppliers, guests, residents, tenants… in a time of covid-19. This is what I cover off: IN THE GREAT DEPRESSION INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION CONTRACTED BY MORE THAN 40% in Canada, US and […]

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Mar 21

Covid-19 Crisis Plan

By Bruce Firestone | Business Coaching , Design , Family , Finance , Green for Real , Ideas , Investing , Life Coaching , PB4L , Real Estate Investment Coaching , Sales & Marketing , Urban Economics

Over 2,000 have signed up for this free webinar on March 24 at 7 pm ET: How to protect yourself, your biz, your real estate investments as well as clients, employees, suppliers, guests, residents, tenants… in a time of Covid-19 Listen as 20-experts give their views and take questions… Register now, https://www.covidcrisisplan.com/brucefirestone Prof Bruce is […]

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Feb 23

Making better decisions

By Bruce Firestone | Architecture , Business Coaching , Design , Entrepreneurship , Family , Life Coaching , PB4L , Real Estate Investment Coaching , Sports & Entertainment

There are some benefits to getting older. You tend to have more patience and perspective; you tend to make better decisions and, consequently, make fewer mistakes. After I left the Sens, I wanted to figure out what to do next and, at the same time, my spouse, Dawn Mac Millan Firestone, was training to become […]

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Feb 03

Rent-to-own business model

By Bruce Firestone | Architecture , Business Models , Design , Entrepreneurship , Finance , Ideas , Investing , PB4L , Real Estate , Real Estate Investment Coaching , Urban Economics

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, […]

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Dec 27

Animate a whole town

By Bruce Firestone | Architecture , Business Coaching , Business Models , Design , Entrepreneurship , Ideas , Investing , Real Estate , Real Estate Investment Coaching , Urban Economics

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 […]

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Dec 25

The last 3%

By Bruce Firestone | Architecture , Business Coaching , Business Models , Design , Ideas , Real Estate , Real Estate Investment Coaching , Urban Economics

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 […]

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Dec 21

What are the best (legal) businesses to be in?

By Bruce Firestone | Architecture , Design , Entrepreneurship , Finance , Real Estate , Real Estate Investment Coaching , Sales & Marketing , Sports & Entertainment , Urban Economics

(Excerpt from Don’t Back Down, the real story of the founding of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators and why big leagues matter) The most profitable businesses are either illegal (like drugs) or government-owned like property taxes, alcohol distribution (at least in Ontario and Quebec), utilities and lotteries (plus drugs, if you count legalization of cannabis in […]

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Dec 06

Do you feel like you are part of TEAM OTTAWA?

By Bruce Firestone | Architecture , Design , Real Estate , Urban Economics

City of Ottawa Official Plan Poll Results and Analysis by Bruce M Firestone, PhD Decisions by municipal government can be even more important to individual residents than those made by higher levels—provincial, state or federal agencies. Noted urbanist Jane Jacobs called this the “subsidiarity” principal by which she meant that the closer government is to […]

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Nov 11

Walking Small

By Bruce Firestone | Architecture , Business Coaching , Business Models , Design , Real Estate Investment Coaching , Urban Economics

I talk a lot about animation of individual properties–how to add new revenue streams to your real estate investment portfolio and boost your ROI and property value. But there is a whole other dimension to animation–how can you animate a whole neighborhood, indeed a whole town or city. If you learn something about property animation […]

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Oct 14

Jeff Speck on how to make your town more walkable

By Bruce Firestone | Architecture , Design , Green for Real , Ideas , Real Estate , Urban Economics

Noted urbanist and planner Jeff Speck shares his views on how to create a more walkable city. Points covered include: -Euclidean zoning (separation of uses) started by moving housing away from dirty soot-producing mills with the result that life expectancy immediately improved… (the one and only success of urban planners, Ed) -large areas of single […]

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Oct 09

Ottawa Property Tour with Prof Bruce and Spirepoint Wealth’s Paul Blacquiere

By Bruce Firestone | Business Coaching , Design , Entrepreneurship , Investing , Real Estate , Real Estate Investment Coaching , Urban Economics

From time to time, Paul and I take students on a property tour to teach them what works in terms of real estate investing (and what doesn’t). “Wow, what an amazing property tour organized by Prof Bruce and Spirepoint Wealth’s Paul Blacquiere. It was very interesting and educational. It made the concepts of the course […]

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