Moving on up

James, congratulations on winning. How does it feel to be Young Property Entrepreneur of the Year 2010?
Why thank you. A lot of hard work has been put in behind closed doors over the last five years and it’s certainly very gratifying to receive such a prestigious award from Estates Review.

You’ve covered much ground in five years and you seem to have had a very successful 2010 with setting new sales and acquisition precedents in Islington and Knightsbridge. Are there any particular traits or directives you put that down to?
I think it’s important to remain humble and grounded no matter what you achieve. Arrogance is rarely an appealing trait and that very much applies in business. If people like you, usually more people will want to do business with you. Being personable and creating that good atmosphere in and around you, certainly improves the motivational psyche of others and their willingness to go that extra yard for you, which ultimately contributes to your own success.
Our property investment model is targeted at the London super prime, a market which is hugely resilient and seemingly unaffected by fluctuations in the UK market. We then compliment this with a 20 percent segmented investment into up and coming localities which we feel are on the cusp of potential capital growth. One recent example of this was De Beauvoir in London where we gained a 100 percent market in just 12 months.
 
How did you get into the industry? Is this what you’ve always wanted to do?
I am fortunate enough to have a good bloodline. My grandfather was an accountant and my father a local solicitor. My father’s work ethic is second to none and my grandfather, who I am very close to, is a very considered man. I guess I’ve endeavoured to blend both together and apply it to the field I was interested in. Property has always intrigued me, both the physical aspect and in the way it drafts in all aspects of business; from finance to law, right through to the more creative areas such as architecture and design. It was a good choice I feel.

What key factors do you attribute to your success?
I’ve been patient I think. A lot of entrepreneurs want to go from zero to sixty in the blink of an eye. Initially I did too, but I soon realised that it’s very difficult. I therefore began building a knowledge base taking on relatively modest projects, but assured that I would be able to scale up to bigger and better things in due course. In reality what I’m doing now is very similar to when I first started, it’s just the execution of all phases are improved and that only comes with knowledge and experience.

I was never daunted by scaling up. It’s the same banks, same planning, same tax system, same over caffeinated estate agents. It’s just that now it’s South Kensington as opposed to St Helens now, and there a couple of additional noughts on the  overall purchase price.

That’s not to say it’s all been plain sailing. In property, you’re always likely to encounter setbacks and obstacles. Financial, legal, workforce related; they’re all commonplace, but you’ve got to see them as speed bumps as opposed to brick walls and push on.

What are your aims for the future?
Strangely enough, I don’t feel that I’ve got my feet wet yet. This award is a fantastic pat on the back and the culmination of a lot of hard work, but the real success will be in pushing on from here.

Solely motivating from the financial side has never been my preferred way of doing things, and I would like to build a business that correlates with wellbeing and a healthy lifestyle. I have always found the hotel industry attractive and I guess breaking into that on a substantial level is the ultimate goal for me.

I’m set to open offices in L.A. in first quarter 2011 and hope to begin working on an international scale sooner rather later. Primarily, we are looking at the small town of Mammoth Lakes, California, which we have cited as capable of  impressive growth over a five year lease period.