We Owned The Building | Our Business Still Wasn't Safe | EP390

What does it actually cost a small business to lose its building? Andrea and George Savard — co-owners of Firepower Training in Milton — spent 10 years navigating an expropriation that reshaped their business, their finances, and their view of the town they helped build. In this episode, Steve sits down with the Savards (George is also a 28-year Toronto firefighter) to unpack their journey from a Cambridge boxing gym to commercial ownership, multi-residential investing, and back to leasing — and what they learned the hard way about real estate, town politics, and building a business worth selling.Check out Firepower: https://teamfirepower.com> Why a member list isn't a sellable business> The $500K mistake their ego almost cost them> What expropriation actually feels like (vs. what you're told)> Lease vs. own commercial real estate — the honest pros and cons> Self-managing a triplex and a 10-plex while running a full-time gym> Why Milton's small business owners feel pushed outVIDEO SECTIONS & TIMESTAMPS0:00 – Intro1:38 – Meet Andrea & George Savard from Firepower4:42 – From Cambridge boxing gym to a Milton CrossFit + boxing hybrid7:43 – The brick-and-mortar lesson: why a member list isn't an asset12:14 – A bad first landlord and the push toward ownership13:37 – First brush with the "e-word": expropriation rumors on Main Street15:13 – Buying the Nipissing building (and the $500K ego lesson)16:50 – Vision vs. the weeds: how a married couple actually runs a business17:33 – When expropriation hits: "I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy"20:11 – Lease vs. own commercial real estate — honest trade offs21:48 – Running a triplex and a 10-plex on top of a full-time gym23:39 – Why Milton doesn't seem to want small businesses27:00 – What's next for Firepower: over-40 fitness and first responders31:35 – OutroWatch on YouTube:https://youtube.com/kormendytrottListen on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/1pwncyet9NydbgTmx5D21kLinktree:https://linktr.ee/kormendytrottInstagram:https://instagram.com/kormendytrottYouTube:https://youtube.com/kormendytrottFacebook:https://facebook.com/kormendytrottX:https://x.com/kormendytrottLinkedIn:https://linkedin.com/company/ktrealtyTikTok:https://tiktok.com/@kormendytrottThe Kormendy Trott Team was formed in 2011 by Ariel Kormendy and Adrian Trott. Originally a team of two in Milton, Ontario, KT has grown into a full-service real estate group serving Halton Region, Peel Region, and the Greater Toronto Area.