Most people either invest in businesses or they invest in real estate.

Connor Robertson

But some of the most resilient long-term wealth comes from owning both—at the same time.

I’ve come to believe that one of the smartest moves an operator can make is to focus on businesses that are physically tied to real estate. Think about laundromats, car washes, child care centers, storage facilities, clinics, funeral homes, restaurants that own their property, or even regional service companies with warehouse space.

When you own the real estate, you protect your downside. And when you operate the business well, you expand your upside.

Here’s what happens when the two are combined strategically.

First, you create income layers. The business produces revenue. The property generates rental income or equity growth. If the business stumbles, you can repurpose or lease out the space. If the business booms, you get two kinds of appreciation—cash flow and asset value.

Second, you build leverage with lenders. Banks love when there’s hard collateral. It makes the deal safer. That means better terms, faster closings, and more opportunities to refinance later. You can also leverage real estate appreciation to fund expansion without touching the business’s cash flow.

Third, you insulate against market shifts. If consumer demand changes or competition increases, you still own a tangible asset. Real estate gives you time to pivot. It slows the clock. It lets you recover instead of collapse.

But this strategy only works when you’re intentional. Not every business needs to own its building. And not every building makes sense for a business.

You need alignment.

I look for situations where the property enhances the business model—not just inflates the purchase price. That usually means buying underutilized or underappreciated space and then extracting operational value from it.

Sometimes that means buying a larger footprint than necessary, knowing I can lease the extra space. Sometimes it means targeting zones with future infrastructure upgrades. Sometimes it means looking for businesses in gateway corridors—areas with high traffic and low competition.

I’ve made acquisitions where the property alone was worth the entire deal price. The business was just a bonus. I’ve also done the reverse—where the business carried the deal, but the property gave me tax advantages and long-term flexibility.

And in every case, owning both gave me control.

Control is underrated. It’s what lets you avoid sudden rent hikes, move quickly on capital improvements, and design customer experiences that make sense. When you own the space, you own the rules.

I think the next wave of smart operators will lean heavily into this model. They won’t just flip businesses. They’ll build compounds—ecosystems that grow equity through multiple levers.

That’s what I’m doing now. Quietly. Deliberately.

If you’re someone who wants to think more creatively about deal structures and long-term wealth, I write more at drconnorrobertson.com.