Episode 324: Chris Volk part 2

SummaryChristopher Volk discussed his experience starting and growing real estate companies that provided a solution by being a landlord rather than a banker, allowing for assumable leases and providing all the capital for the real estate, freeing up equity for business expansion. He emphasized the importance of lowering the cost of capital to make a business more valuable and explained the benefits of choosing a lease over owning a building. The group emphasized the importance of prioritizing the customer and adapting to change.Key Points• Christopher discusses his experience taking his first company public, which owned over a thousand chain restaurant properties, and how they expanded to include other ventures like Flying J truck stops. (12:53)• Christopher Volk talks about his experience starting and growing three real estate companies, each with a different focus and business model (13:49)• When asked why someone would want to own a business but lease the real estate, Christopher explains that owning real estate can come with problems such as lack of long-term financing options and non-assumable loans, which can prevent business growth and flexibility (18:48)• His companies provided a solution by being a landlord rather than a banker, allowing for assumable leases and providing all the capital for the real estate, freeing up equity for business expansion and ultimately creating millionaires. (20:42)• Christopher discusses the cost of capital, which includes the cost of leases, debt, and equity, and how lowering the cost of capital can make a business more valuable (23:45)• Sam asks for a simplified explanation, and Christopher explains that choosing a lease eliminates the need for a down payment and allows for more cash flow to expand the business, while owning a building has opportunity costs and restrictions (24:51)• They emphasize that all businesses are there to solve a problem for a customer, and that the customer should always be the top priority (29:29)• Christopher gives an example of Blockbuster's failure to adapt to changing technology and emphasizes the need to embrace and make change happen for oneself. (49:42)