Making the Jump

Before the pandemic I was completing my first residential project. It was simultaneously chilling and thrilling performing work on my own. There was a feeling of apprehension and uncertainty. I learned that I worked with greater vigor for myself as I would if working under the watch of a large corporation. I was inspired and empowered by holding myself accountable for results. I was collecting checks and writing them too.

Most of the important lessons were from basic occurrences which often go unnoticed. The project was a small house built in Wilmington, a working-class neighborhood adjacent to the Port of Los Angeles. The building department in Los Angeles has a reputation as being demanding and there are a lot of hurdles to jump through even for a small house. As a San Diego based company, navigating those waters was a great experience. The building department staff was helpful and presented a neutral position when conflicts arose during construction.

Prior to completion, the pandemic hit and delayed the project over three months. I originally planned to complete the house, finish my renovation project in San Diego, then begin developing my own work. The pandemic created chaos but did not derail my plans entirely. Everything that needed to be done was new, undetermined, and lacked a set timeline. The extended time presented a wonderful opportunity to increase my studies.

Before the project in Los Angeles, I have been working on an ongoing house renovation which has a very complicated outdoor patio space. I am designing, fabricating, and assembling all of the various elements which has presented many challenges with constructability and time management. It has been rewarding to perform the work and the project has informed me of what my future as a designer will be. In those moments of building, I spend a huge amount of time repetitiously welding and digging and connecting elements together. That time has allowed me to dive into the depths of my mind and think.

I arrived at the point where I believed I could make the jump into a larger project as a developer. Even though my work thus far has been small, my intricate involvement with each one has given me great confidence in my abilities. When thinking in real terms from an outside perspective, I always arrived at the same place: “No one is going to entrust me, an unproven entity, with capital to get my feet wet.” I thought this over again and again. But equally, I remained confident that I could accomplish the task. I’ve shared my thoughts with others and it seemed crazy to them. I still believe in myself but understand that there is truth in the skepticism. I understand the reality and economics, but focus on the long-term prospects rather than the where I am now.

I understand that I must build the level of trust first before anyone entrusts me with capital. It is the typical conundrum of the entrepreneur who needs the experience to get the capital, but needs the capital to get the experience.

My studies brought me to the technology sector. I researched the Silicon Valley start-ups that raised funds for ideas that were not fully complete, but had a vision of where they were heading. At least Real estate is a product that arrives at a definitive and measurable destination. I can move forward in similar ways.

Thinking of those start-ups makes me think “why not - why not me?” I believe it’s possible. I’ve tried to convince myself that it’s not, but the ideas just returns. That is strange to me. It’s like having an inner struggle where my logical mind is conforming to the rules but my life is saying that it is possible.

My optimistic thoughts are built on facts and experience of those that have already done it. I found that not every developer starts the path building a granny flat or single family home. There are developers out there that started on large buildings. I do not aspire to that scale, but want to start at a range of ten to twenty units. It has been done and I can do it as well. I recently spoke with a developer and his first work was 16 units.

In a world where generating trust is a challenge, isn’t it important to trust yourself? As long as you live true to yourself, that inner voice is the truth. I’m at the point m where the notion doesn’t cause turmoil anymore. I’ve surrendered to the idea that I am qualified and capable. I love the internal calm and acceptance which understands that certain aspects of what will be is sometimes beyond my control. My purpose now is to continue along and build every day. Everything else will just establish its natural course.

What set me free was the chatter about housing crisis and equality and the current buzzwords and societal trends. I figured that if we are serious about actually solving these problems, the opportunities to develop at scale will open.

I see it is like this: if we are in an all hands on deck situation to solve the housing problems, then I am ready to be a part of that movement. If making the leap upward opens up, we will begin to solve the problems and operate with the flexibility and speed that larger entities cannot match.