Grant Collard: Fired, Broke, a New Dad. From Basement to Billion-Dollar Portfolio

Описание: Grant Collard, Founder and CEO of Redstone Residential, shares his unconventional journey into entrepreneurship and real estate. Raised in a non-entrepreneurial environment, Grant initially pursued pre-med before realizing his true interests lay in building, finance, and independence. He entered real estate just before the 2008 financial crisis, experienced job loss, and started Redstone in 2009 while broke, living in his in-laws’ basement, and welcoming his first child.

Redstone grew from a tiny student-housing management company into one of the largest student housing owners/operators west of the Rockies. Grant emphasizes focus, resilience, and “staying the course” through cycles like the Great Financial Crisis, COVID, and today’s high-interest-rate environment. He discusses disciplined capital structures, long-term ownership, avoiding over-leverage, and slowing acquisitions when markets overheated.

Beyond strategy, Grant reflects deeply on leadership, culture, and personal growth. Influenced by stoicism, biographies of resilient leaders, and experiences at Harvard Business School’s OPM and in Bhutan, he now seeks to balance high performance with high humanity—building a business that delivers strong returns while fostering community, happiness, and purpose for employees and residents alike.