Fares Elsabbagh: From Subsidized Housing to a $20M Construction Company

He grew up in subsidized housing, hated being told what to do at McDonald's, and figured out at 15 he was "screwed for life" — so he built an eight-figure construction company without ever lifting a hammer.

Fares Elsabbagh is the founder of Ottawa General Contractors, a design-build company doing $20M+ across Ottawa, Halifax, and Vancouver. In this episode of Laid Off to 8 Figures, we get into how a Tim Ferriss book and a landing page started it all, the $1M walk-away offer he almost took right before COVID doubled his business, why he rebuilt the company around "construction experiences" instead of construction services, growing through acquisition, and the Ottawa zoning changes that turn almost any lot into a multi-unit opportunity.

⏱️ Timestamps
00:00 Trailer
00:34 Meet Fares: Ottawa General Contractors & 40 Under 40
01:44 The 4-Hour Workweek, a Landing Page & Prenatal Vitamins
04:29 "Nobody's Gonna Open a Door for Me": Why Entrepreneurship Was Do or Die
05:50 The McDonald's Aha Moment at 15
07:23 $1M in Year One Without Ever Lifting a Hammer
08:38 Sell First, Figure Out the Back End Later
11:23 The Shower Panic Attack & Building Mental Strength
13:29 The Fear of Looking Like a Failure
16:28 The First $50K: Student Travel, Proms & Side Hustles
17:59 The CSIS Interview Story
19:44 $10M a Year and Everybody Was Pissed Off
21:30 The $1M Walk-Away Offer He Turned Down
22:06 Construction Services vs. Construction Experiences
28:28 COVID Doubled the Business: $10M to $20M
33:31 Growing by Acquisition: 1,000 Companies Prospected, 1 Bought
36:26 "People Are Too Comfortable": On Hunger and Hard Things
40:41 Ottawa's Zoning Changes: Every Lot Can Be a Multi-Unit
43:30 ADUs, Coach Houses & Housing Your Kids (or Parents)
45:46 The Multi-Unit Math: 8–12 Units, Refinance & Get Your Cash Back
47:39 A 10-Unit Build, Start to Finish: Costs, Timelines & Returns
52:17 Trades Are Calling Back: Reading the Softening Market
54:39 The 3-Month Vacancy: Is the Housing Demand Really There?
56:07 "I Don't Think Real Estate's It": Betting on Yourself Instead
58:58 Taxes, Healthcare & Why He Sees the States in 6 Years
01:05:28 AI in Construction: Sales Coaches, Renders & Zoning Bylaws
01:12:20 His Advice to Young Guys: Master AI Now
01:19:02 Getting Referrals From ChatGPT & Claude (GEO Is Coming)
01:21:27 Why He Fired the Agencies: Specialized Subs Only
01:25:29 The Sticky Note: "Losers Look for Excuses, Winners Look for Opportunities"

🔗 Connect with Fares
Instagram: @iamfares
LinkedIn: Fares Elsabbagh

📬 Get in Touch with David
Instagram: 📸 instagram.com/davidrdinardo
LinkedIn: 💼 linkedin.com/in/davidrdinardo
Website: laidoffto8figures.com
Email: me@daviddinardo.com

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