Category Archives for "Ideas"

Teach your children the power of positive and negative numbers by playing a terrific game called “Bananas” with them. It’s a free utility brought to you by Prof Bruce and his five kids and (so far) three grandchildren… Drive everyone “bananas!” Play full screen A girl named Pinky, who by the way is a math […]

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 […]

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 […]

This Xmas I am into handmade Christmas gifts as opposed to store-bought ones. So, here’s a story I wrote and recorded then uploaded to YouTube for my two grandsons. It’s called Sammy Came Back. It’s set in a town called Wretched and it’s about a cat locked out by a forgetful husband in subzero weather […]

This is the wrong questions to ask. Why? Because every entrepreneur knows how to pull endless rabbits out of his or her hat. So, what is the right question to ask? How do we turn a cost center into a profit center? This is what we did at Dunrobin Lake. We got permission from MNR […]

[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 […]

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 […]

So, you think you know something about modern-era business models? Well, test yourself by examining what chief executive officer Michael Lastoria has done with his fledgling chain of tiny (300-square foot) &Pizza restaurants, which now number 36 locations on the US east coast. Here’s his secret sauce in which he invokes crucial elements of the […]

The ROI Group was formed to create a forum for interested parties to get together online (and occasionally in the real world too) to speak to issues surrounding the creation of vibrant communities that are sustainable in every way. The idea is to find new, innovative ways to meet multiple “bottom lines” including how to: […]