E53: From Firefighter To Passive Income Powerhouse with Tim Lyons

Tim Lyons of Cityside Capital joins Co-Host Rob Coldwell to tell his fascinating story of passive income. Tim is a New York City Firefighter who decided to start investing in property in just 2019. With a duplex bought and sold under his belt Tim went on to start a Private Equity Firm with over 5,000 units called Cityside Capital. His story hits home because it’s further proof that if you put your mind to building something, you can make it happen. Join us for this amazing and inspiring story! https://citysidecap.com/ More about Tim: Tim Lyons is the co-founder and Managing Partner of Cityside Capital along with his brother Greg. He is a Registered Representative of Phase One Financial Services, LLC, a broker-dealer based in New York City (member FINRA/SIPC). Tim holds the Series 82 and 63 licenses and is focused on raising capital for multifamily, self-storage and industrial assets that provide great risk-adjusted returns, tax advantages, passive income, and equity upside. Tim is also an 18 year veteran of the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) and currently serves as a lieutenant in the borough of Queens. He also worked part-time as an emergency room RN at a level 1 trauma center before starting his real estate investing journey. He brings years of real world management and leadership experience to his real estate investment career. Tim’s initial goal with real estate was to create passive income and in turn, be able to spend more time with his wife and three little girls. After partnering on a multifamily property he saw first-hand the power of real estate investing as an opportunity to create passive income and build wealth for his family. He started Cityside Capital with the goal of not only growing his own portfolio but also to help others realize the power that real estate investing can have on creating passive income and building wealth. Cityside Capital has partnered in over $1.4 billion of commercial real estate assets including more than 6,000 multifamily units. Tim has also invested as a limited partner in several multifamily, self storage, industrial and land opportunities across the United States. Tim attributes his early success in real estate investing to education, investing in coaches and mentors, and surrounding himself with other like minded people. In April 2021, Tim became an Amazon #1 bestselling author in a book he co-authored with other authorities such as The Real Estate Radio Guys’ Robert Helms, Jim Rohn’s 18 year business partner and master marketer, Kyle Wilson and many more, called “Bringing Value, Solving Problems and Leaving a Legacy”. Tim is co-host of The Passive Income Brothers Podcast alongside his brother, and business partner, Greg Lyons. The Passive Income Brothers Podcast highlights the investor journey in creating multiple streams of passive income. Since launching the podcast in December of 2022, The Passive Income Brothers podcast has become a top rated show that has garnered over 130+ 5-star ratings and nearly 40,000 downloads in the first year. Tim lives with his lovely wife, Kristina, and their 3 amazing little girls. When he is not coaching their sports teams, watching dance recitals or horseback riding competitions, Tim and his girls can be found rooting on the Providence College Friars basketball team. Timestamps: 0:00 - Start 1:00 - Your first real estate deal 6:46 - Going from a triplex to 5,000 units in 3 years 14:45 - How did your reputation as a Fire Captain help you raise capital? 21:03 - What percent of the capital does cityside end up with? 28:30 - Why are you called a Private Equity firm? * 33:22 - Are the companies deals yours or other peoples? 38:52 - What do your capital stacks typically look like? 41:46 - How do you give back to the community?