Episode Summary

When you buy a business, are you really getting a company—or are you just buying yourself a job? In this conversation with Grant Findlay-Shirras, we explore the often-overlooked difference and why sometimes buying a job can actually be the right move if it aligns with your goals and lifestyle.

Grant’s story is one of resilience and reinvention:

• Launching Canada’s largest mobile fitness franchise.
• Scaling a $37M real estate marketing technology company from scratch, without investors.
• Hitting rock bottom multiple times and discovering the power of systems.
• Acquiring Dekora, a 20+ year-old home staging company, and applying his playbook to the creative industry.

This episode pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to acquire, grow, and enjoy running a business—or a job you choose on purpose.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• The difference between buying a business and buying a job.
• Why buying a job can be the right option for some people.
• How to evaluate whether an acquisition is sustainable—or just another paycheck.
• Why systems are the secret to growth, profit, and freedom.
• What stagers and designers can learn from entrepreneurs outside the industry.

Connect with Grant

• Instagram: @grantfindlayshirras
  Check out Dekora in Calgary: Dekora Home Staging & Design