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Pipe Dreams and Proformas
By Drew Dolan
After years in the trenches building and managing private equity real estate companies, Drew Dolan saw a developing theme among social influencers pushing their own commercial real estate strategies: "Get rich quick with passive income and no money down…” Though of course, it always required paying for a costly seminar, an online real estate course or an “exclusive” newsletter subscription.
Instead of offering the real lesson that commercial real estate success takes years of dedication, social influencers continue to push real estate shortcuts and rags-to-riches schemes. Their bad advice leads upstart real estate investors to take unsustainable risks, chase the latest trends, or to rely on luck-based schemes rather than putting in the required years of hard work.
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Additional Information
Contrary to the narratives that promote shortcuts to success in commercial real estate, Dolan’s Pipe Dreams and Proformas offers lessons from 20 years’ worth of real-world experience—both successes and failures—without empty promises or tired clichés about passive income, including:
-The importance of weighing downside risks instead of overestimating potential upside when investing in real estate
-Insights on building teams that complement your weaknesses and challenge your perspective
-How learning from mistakes—both your own and others'—is the best way to grow
-The need to stay flexible when markets shift and be able to navigate through uncertainty
-Why doing the right thing is always the best long-term solution
As Dolan explains from experience, real estate investing isn’t about attending the latest seminars, uncovering "hidden" deals or financial engineering. Instead, he reveals his own proven insights on success and how others might find it as well—by building strong relationships, understanding market fundamentals and always making hard decisions with integrity.
Packed with insights from a career raising equity for real estate developments, Pipe Dreams and Proformas is perfect for those seeking the core principles of success without the usual YouTube gimmicks. Rather than strategies based on luck, Dolan’s stories from the highs and lows of his journey offer readers a roadmap with substance to help them navigate through the noise.
About the Author
Drew Dolan is a real estate investor and business founder with 20 years of experience in real estate development. In 2020, he co-founded DXD, a private equity firm specializing in self-storage, which grew to $500 million in assets under management in nearly 20 states in five years. Dolan has been featured in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, served on national and local NAIOP boards and been involved with Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), Urban Land Institute (ULI) and many philanthropic boards. A leader in the industry, he has raised over $500 million in equity and placed more than $1 billion in debt for real estate investments. Pipe Dreams and Proformas is his first book.
ISBNs:
- 978-1-968339-82-1 (Paperback)
- 978-1-968339-83-8 (eBook)Â
Genre:
- Nonfiction
- Business & Entrepreneurship
- Commercial Real Estate
- Leadership
- Decision-Making
- Inspiration
Themes:
- Judgment Over Hype (seeing past optimism to assess real risk)
- Storytelling in Business (why relationships matter more than spreadsheets)
- Asking Better Questions (learning early, often and without ego)
- Ethical Leadership (doing the right thing when profit is on the line)
- Comfort with Discomfort (operating effectively under pressure and uncertainty)
- Long-Term Thinking (building careers and companies that last)
FAQs:Â
Q: What is Pipe Dreams and Proformas about?
A: Pipe Dreams and Proformas is Drew Dolan’s candid, experience-driven look at commercial real estate and business decision-making. Through real deals, real mistakes and real wins, the book explores the gap between optimistic projections and lived reality—and how judgment, integrity and relationships ultimately determine success.
Q: Who is Drew Dolan?
A: Drew Dolan is a seasoned commercial real estate professional with decades of experience across acquisitions, development and leadership. His career spans market booms, downturns and reinvention, giving him a grounded perspective on what actually works beyond the spreadsheet.
Q: What makes this book different from other real estate or business books?
A: Unlike formula-driven investment guides, Pipe Dreams and Proformas focuses on the human side of real estate—decision-making under uncertainty, ethical judgment, asking the right questions and navigating risk when the numbers look perfect on paper.
Q: Who would benefit most from reading Pipe Dreams and Proformas?
A: Aspiring real estate professionals, experienced investors, entrepreneurs and business leaders who want a realistic, principled approach to growth—and who value long-term credibility over short-term wins—will find this book especially valuable.
