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Interested In Commercial Real Estate? Get Started With Rob Finlay’s 5 Keys to First-Time Investments

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Despite being battered through 2020 due to the pandemic, commercial real estate is back and as lucrative and viable as ever. Investor sentiment is sweetening as deal processing time has doubled its rate when compared to last year, and secondary markets are garnering unprecedented attention.

Everyone knew the $10 billion industry wouldn’t stay down forever, but commercial real estate is coming back in a big way that should excite anyone interested in getting in on the action.

For first-time investors looking to expand their portfolio in one of the traditionally most stable markets, it’s helpful to have a few keys handy before you reach the door. One man happy to share the secrets of the industry is Rob Finlay, founder and CEO of Thirty Capital, whose services for years have been the solution for many looking to break into commercial real estate.

1. Identify an Expert

Flying blind is a risky strategy no matter what game you’re playing, and one that can lead to unnecessary disaster. While some might be tempted to forge a path out on their own without outside advice, this kind of thinking can land one in the gutter just as often as it might to the top.

By identifying the experts and weighing their advice appropriately, you can ultimately save yourself both crucial time and money. “We’ve had our fair share of setbacks over the years,” says Finlay.

“But these missteps are precisely what led to our current success. We’ve experienced it all over the years, commercial real estate is a multi-faceted and constantly evolving industry. We are here to help guide our clients towards profitable CRE investments that are based on our robust collective experience rather than just theory and guesswork.”

Having an experienced ally in the field is invaluable, and for those looking to seriously invest, it’s all but essential to first learn the ropes via an industry leader.

2. Rally All Resources

Before making any major moves, it is essential you know exactly what you have at your disposal. This includes everything from your network of experts to credit lines. “A well-defined budget does two main things for any first-time investor,” notes Finlay.

“First, it provides a sense of order to your overall situation and goals. And second — and perhaps most importantly — it allows you to decide whether additional funding is needed or not, based on the best available information at the time. Investing isn’t something to be done half-heartedly, and information is everything in making the best move.”

Organization is key to have a clear understanding of what is within your current reach, and once you have this kind of view, you can then make decisions with confidence.

3. Consider Your Options

Today’s market is a far cry from that of last year and almost an entirely different animal to that of twenty or even ten years ago. There are still traditional apartment rentals and retail spaces, but now there are a plethora of tech-based options that simply didn’t exist in years past.

“When looking at an area of investment,” says Finlay.

“It’s helpful to imagine the variety of ways you could make the location ideally function. What role it fills in the market now, and how this might change over the years. Properties need to be efficient, reliable, and ultimately quite flexible in what it can provide if you truly want it to remain profitable long-term.”

These kinds of thought exercises are helpful in mentally identifying a potential investment’s strengths and weaknesses, and determining the estimated timeline of the investment.

4. Toe Before Foot

Before you build out your commercial real estate empire with multiple properties occupying different roles, it can be helpful to start small. “While we encourage our clients to be aggressive in their research when it comes to actual investing, it’s best to begin with a walk rather than run,” advises Finlay.

“Getting used to the feeling of owning commercial space is a skill in itself, and one that for most requires time. Once you have some experience, then it’s time to branch out, but it’s important to not overwhelm yourself right out of the gate.”

As with any new endeavor, there will inevitably be some growing pains to begin. It’s best to go through these on a smaller scale where the damage is mitigated but the lesson is still learned.

5. Polish and Prepare

Once you have a property or two running to the point where they no longer needs as much direct attention, at that point, it might be time to prepare for the next steps. Polish your current holdings, everything from your website to your internal team.

You should be making regular assessments of your properties’ total cost vs. income, lead generation, and fine-tuning the process as you go until you get a feel for things. With polished systems in place, you are then better prepared for the future.

“We know how intimidating it can be as a first-time investor,” comments Finlay.

“Commercial real estate is a challenging but immensely rewarding investment opportunity. We are here to help people make the most of a historically unique market and substantiate their ambitions in physical spaces.”

The idea of Bigtime Daily landed this engineer cum journalist from a multi-national company to the digital avenue. Matthew brought life to this idea and rendered all that was necessary to create an interactive and attractive platform for the readers. Apart from managing the platform, he also contributes his expertise in business niche.

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Business

Scaling Success: Why Smart Habits Beat Growth Hacks in Modern eCommerce

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There’s a romanticized image of the eCommerce founder: a daring risk-taker chasing the next big idea, fueled by late-night caffeine and last-minute inspiration. But the reality behind scaled, sustainable brands tells a different story. Success in digital commerce doesn’t come from chaos or clever hacks. It comes from habits. Repetitive, structured, often unglamorous habits.

Change, a digital platform created by eCommerce strategist Ryan, builds its entire philosophy around this truth. Through education, mentorship, and infrastructure, Change helps founders shift from scrambling for quick wins to building strong systems that grow with them. The company doesn’t just offer software. It provides the foundation for digital trade, particularly for those in the B2B space.

The Habits That Build Momentum

At the heart of Change’s philosophy are five core habits Ryan considers non-negotiable. These aren’t buzzwords; they’re the foundation of sustainable growth.

First, obsess over data. Successful founders replace guesswork with metrics. They don’t rely on gut feelings. They measure performance and iterate.

Second, know your customer deeply. Not just what they buy, but why they buy. The most resilient brands build emotional loyalty, not just transactional volume.

Third, test fast. Algorithms shift. Consumer behavior changes. High-performing teams don’t resist this; they test weekly, sometimes daily, and adapt.

Fourth, manage time like a CEO. Every decision has a cost. Prioritizing high-impact actions isn’t optional; it’s survival.

Fifth, stay connected to mentorship and learning. The digital market moves quickly. The remaining founders are the ones who keep learning, never assuming they know it all. 

Turning Habits into Infrastructure

What begins as personal discipline must eventually evolve into a team structure. Change teaches founders how to scale their systems, not just their sales.

Tools are essential for starting, think Notion for documentation, Asana for project management, Mixpanel or PostHog for analytics, and Loom for async communication. But tools alone don’t create momentum.

Teams need Monday metric check-ins, weekly test cycles, customer insight reviews, just to name a few. Founders set the tone by modeling behavior. It’s the rituals that matter, then, they turn it into company culture.

Ryan puts it simply: “We’re not just building tools; we’re building infrastructure for digital trade.”

Avoiding the Common Traps

Even with structure, the path isn’t always smooth. Some founders over-focus on short-term results, chasing vanity metrics or shiny tactics that feel productive but don’t move the needle.

Others fall into micromanagement, drowning in dashboards instead of building intuition. Discipline should sharpen clarity, not create rigidity. Flexibility is part of the process. Knowing when to pivot is just as important as knowing when to persist.

Scaling Through Self-Replication

In the end, eCommerce scale isn’t just about growing a business. It’s about repeating successful systems at every level. When founders internalize high-performance habits, they turn them into processes, then culture, then legacy.

Growth doesn’t require more motivation. It requires more precision. More consistency. Your calendar, not your to-do list, is your business plan.

In a space dominated by noise and novelty, Change and its founder are quietly reshaping the conversation. They aren’t chasing trends but building resilience, one habit at a time.

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