How to Grow a Successful Real Estate Brokerage Business

 Starting and growing a successful real estate brokerage involves various steps, each requiring a different set of skills and expertise. Here's a general guide to help you understand the process:

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Car Wash Startup Costs

 Starting a car wash can require a significant amount of upfront investment. The startup costs can vary based on the scale and type of car wash (automated, self-service, full-service, mobile, etc.) that you want to set up. Also, it will make a big difference depending on if you are acquiring a car wash or constructing a new car wash. However, here's a general list of possible expenses:

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Latest Condo Development Innovations and Impact on Developers

 Innovations in condo development are driven by factors such as consumer demand, technological advancements, changing lifestyles, sustainability concerns, and even pandemic-induced trends.

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Manufacturing Demand Planning and Financial Modeling

 Manufacturing demand planning is a crucial part of the supply chain process, primarily involving forecasting demand for a product, then planning how to meet this demand. This process ensures that goods are produced at the right time, in the right quantities, to meet customer needs, while also balancing cost-efficiency. An efficient demand planning system can reduce waste, lower costs, increase sales, and enhance customer satisfaction.

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What is ARR in SaaS and How to Calculate

 ARR stands for Annual Recurring Revenue. It is a key metric used by SaaS (Software as a Service) businesses. ARR measures the value that a business would earn from a customer over the period of a year, assuming that the customer continues to use and pay for the service.

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BRRRR Real Estate Investing Strategy

 BRRRR strategy in real estate means Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat): This strategy involves buying a property, fixing it up, renting it out, and then refinancing it to withdraw your capital out (or at least some of it). This allows you to reinvest that money into another property, effectively growing your portfolio without needing to invest additional capital. However, this strategy requires a good understanding of renovation costs and the ability to manage renovation projects, as well as favorable lending conditions.

Keep in mind this is not investment or financial advice, use at your own risk, and consult with a professional if need be. (I just build the templates)

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Some Ways to Get Into Real Estate Investing if You are Just Starting Out

 This is not financial advice so use at your own peril and do you own research.

Getting started with real estate investing can be a powerful way to generate wealth, but it's important to understand the potential risks and rewards. Here are some strategies to get started:

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Real Estate Investing: Better to Build or Acquire a Mobile Home Park?

 Whether it's better to buy or build a mobile home park depends on several factors such as your investment objectives, experience, financial resources, risk tolerance, and the specific circumstances of the local real estate market. Here are some considerations:

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Lending Articles

 The lending industry has been around for a long time. Some say it originated when merchants would give loans to grain farmers in 2,000 BC when they carried goods from city to city. Formal banks started coming up around the 1400s and there is still one that has continually existed since then. The point is money lending has been around society forever. Here are some insights about the industry and you can get money lending startup business models here.

If you want a jumpstart in your financial modeling, check out The Super Smart Bundle.

Valuation Articles

 Evaluating businesses of your own or ones you are looking to acquire involves valuation. That means figuring out what something is worth based on various assumptions. Check out some general valuation models here.

If you want a jumpstart in your financial modeling, check out The Super Smart Bundle.

HR (Human Resources) Articles

 HR management is tough and the more organized you are, the better your job and HR department will function. Check out HR spreadsheets here.

If you want a jumpstart in your financial modeling, check out The Super Smart Bundle.

SaaS Articles

 Topics here will include Software-as-a-Service, general subscription businesses, membership businesses, and anything that has a focus on recurring revenue contracts. Check out SaaS financial models here.

If you want a jumpstart in your financial modeling, check out The Super Smart Bundle.

Joint Venture Articles

 GPs and LPs are always engaging in deals together. These structures can vary greatly and understanding joint venture terminology and concepts can help both investors and operators navigate operating agreements much easier. Check out all CF waterfall models here.

If you want a jumpstart in your financial modeling, check out The Super Smart Bundle.

General Industry Articles

 Enjoy a vast array of insights across many industries. Tips and tricks to help all sorts of small business operations. Check out bottom-up financial models for 50+ industries here.

Learn more about what a feasibility study is (including financial feasibility) as that is what most of the work done here at SmartHelping involves.

If you want a jumpstart in your financial modeling, check out The Super Smart Bundle.

Accounting and Finance Articles

 Topics related to general finance and accounting departments. Check out more spreadsheets for accountants here.

If you want a jumpstart in your financial modeling, check out The Super Smart Bundle.

General Investing Articles

 I cover a wide range of topics here that are related to evaluating investments of any kind.

If you want a jumpstart in your financial modeling, check out The Super Smart Bundle.

Real Estate Articles

 All the knowledge you need to know about real estate investing by asset type. You can check out all the real estate models I've built here.

If you want a jumpstart in your financial modeling, check out The Super Smart Bundle.

IRR vs Cash-on-Cash: What's Better For Evaluating an Investment?

 Internal Rate of Return (IRR) and Cash-on-Cash Return are both metrics used in the world of finance and investing to gauge the performance of an investment. However, they measure different things and are best used in different contexts. Here's how they compare and contrast:

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Self-storage Real Estate Investment Strategies by Risk Level

Self-storage investment strategies can be classified into different risk categories, primarily including low-risk, moderate-risk, and high-risk. These categories are not absolute and can have some overlap. The investment strategy you adopt will depend on your risk tolerance, financial situation, and investment goals. Let's dive in:

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How to Simplify Your Finance Department

Simplifying the finance department can lead to improved efficiency, cost savings, and better decision-making. Here are some strategies to effectively simplify your finance department:

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When is the Best Time to Use Seller Financing as a Buyer?

If you've never heard of seller financing, but are a real estate investor (as a buyer of properties), it is worth understand the term 'seller financing' and some information about it.

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Tips for Selling Used Cars

 Selling a used car can be an overwhelming process, but with proper preparation and execution, you can maximize your chances of a successful sale. Here are some tips to help you sell your used car:

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SaaS MRR Calculator

 Managing a SaaS business can get cloudy real quick. This financial model template was geared towards the most important metric for recurring revenue subscription companies. That is MRR and how that MRR has changed from period to period. It is probably the most important metric when figuring out what is driving growth or losses.

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Preferred Equity vs Preferred Return - Comprehensive Explanation

 Preferred equity refers to a class of ownership in a company that gives certain privileges and preferences to the shareholders holding such equity. Preferred equity holders have a higher claim on the company's assets and earnings compared to common equity holders in the event of liquidation or distribution of profits. A preferred return can fit inside a deal that has preferred equity or a preferred return could be the only aspect of a deal. I've seen this type of financing used for investors in many businesses (not just real estate).

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Modeling GP Fees for Real Estate Syndication Deals

Today, we'll be delving into the realm of real estate fund mathematics. Our main focus will be on GP fees and how they flow through to the waterfall. I've already provided a rough sketch, and we'll now go through the calculations and discuss the process. For more real estate waterfall models, navigate to the real estate tab at the top.

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SaaS Cohort Financial Modeling Example

 In the below video I discusses cohort modeling for SaaS (Software as a Service) businesses and its impact on financial forecasting. Cohort modeling involves analyzing a group of customers who join in a specific month and tracking their performance over time. I explain the configuration and assumptions used in the model, such as contract value, retention rate, and churn.

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Short-term Rental Businesses and Occupancy

 If you want to know the number one risk and number one biggest factor that will determine the success or failure of your STR real estate business, it is occupancy. You want to track and measure this over time if nothing else. Below are some ways you can optimize occupancy.

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The Purpose of Doing a Cost Segregation Study

 Cost segregation is a tax planning strategy that involves the identification and reclassification of components of a property for the purpose of accelerating depreciation deductions. In simpler terms, it is a method used by property owners to optimize their tax savings by breaking down the cost of a property into different components that can be depreciated at different rates.

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Methods to Derive Investment Requirements in a Startup Financial Model

 Most of the financial model templates you see here on the site can be used as a startup forecasting tool. One of the more complicated logical things to build is the initial investment requirement. It may seem simple at first, but once you get down into the nitty gritty things can become less clear.

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Why is Financial Modeling so Tough for SaaS Businesses?

If you didn't know, the first ever financial model template I built was for SaaS businesses. It was a long journey to get from there to here and along the way my modeling techniques have evolved to meet the needs of customers. There are all sorts of permutations in the industry and usually everyone has their own unique monetization strategy / subscription pricing that they want to use. However, general templates can be very useful when you stick to building the underlying logic and doing it just right can mean a long-term useful model to a wide audience. This is probably the most challenging type of financial model I have built next to cash flow waterfalls for real estate.

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New Housing Development or Condos: 10 Year Real Estate Financial Model

 The financial analysis of a new housing development involves assessing the costs and potential returns associated with the project. It includes evaluating factors such as land acquisition, construction costs, financing options, projected sales, and operating expenses. By conducting a comprehensive financial analysis, developers can make informed decisions about the feasibility and profitability of the housing development before proceeding with the project. You get a detailed and ready-to-work template out of the box with this file.

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Excited for the New Condo Development Template

 Hey everyone, happy Friday. I'll be headed out on some family stuff over the weekend, but on Monday I've got a brand new template I'm building from scratch. It is going to be for the development of condos. Here I'll talk about some general things I'm considering prior to jumping into the sheet.

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Biggest Reasons Hospitality Businesses Fail

 Hospitality businesses include hotels, airbnb / short-term rentals, assisted living facilities, coffee shops, and cruise ships. There are more, but those are the ones I've done a financial model template for. Once you think you've got a good financial plan in place, there are other things to do to avoid failure. These are not rocket science things, but they are really valuable if you just do them.

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Conservative Growth Strategies for SaaS Businesses

 First and foremost, if you are scaling a SaaS business, you need to know your numbers and the unit economics of the business. No matter if you are scaling slowly and conservatively with lower budgets or quickly and with large budgets, a firm understanding of things like average CAC, average LTV of a customer, all your pricing / bundle strategies, and any costs that scale up with user counts. That means a good financial model of some sort will be useful. These things are hard to visualize and calculate in your head if not near impossible.

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Why I Include a Pro Forma Detail Between Assumptions and Financial Statements in my Templates

 Using a financial model template is valuable because it provides a structured framework for analyzing and projecting financial data, saving time and effort in building models from scratch. Additionally, templates often incorporate best practices and industry-specific formulas, improving accuracy and reliability of financial forecasts.

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Working on Spreadsheets with Others

 Besides building financial model templates, I also end up doing work for clients that involve me jumping into spreadsheets where there are multiple people doing various things. I don't do it quite as much now as I used to, but it still happens from time to time. So, I'll try to share some things that may help reduce some of the headaches that will inevitably pop up.

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Financial Modeling Approaches for Franchisor / Licensing Business Acquisition

 When reviewing a franchisor's financial model template, there are several key aspects you should pay attention to. These elements can provide insights into the franchisor's financial health and potential profitability. 

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