A New Model for Citizenship

Welcome Back Everyone!

I had the good fortune recently to appear as a guest on Simon Bowen’s The Wisdom Of… Podcast. If you don’t follow Simon, you should! Not only is he one of the most interesting people I’ve met in a while but also his thought leadership on how business can be a force for good is compelling. Simon regularly advises leaders, C-suite executives and businesses around the world and has developed a rather unique practice involving visual models.  Just to see how good Simon is at creating compelling visual models on the fly, his podcast is worth checking out!

I have appeared on a lot of podcasts lately and this one really stands out. Simon clearly did a bunch of research—much rarer than you’d imagine! I cannot tell you the number of times I’ve showed up to an interview where the host knows absolutely nothing about me and my background—and because of his skill in questioning and intellectual horsepower our discussion reached unusual levels of depth and seriousness.

If you want to learn more about how I came to believe so strongly in all the messages of Profit+, this is a good place to start! You’ll also get to see Simon create a very cool visual model that encapsulates many of my ideas on citizenship. He and I are planning to co-author an article on this later, so stay tuned for that!

NEW EPISODE ALERT: Most entrepreneurs chase the American Dream. Nick Halaris discovered it wasn’t at all what he expected.

While building his $300 million real estate empire, this Stanford Law graduate had everything the culture promised would make him happy. The money, the deals, the success metrics everyone worships.

Amid the inevitable lawsuits, business setbacks and financial stress, the pressure on family becomes crushing.

"I was fully infected with the ethos of the American mythology and the American dream ... I wanted to get rich, and I wanted to get rich as fast as possible."

But in those moments of crisis, Nick found something unexpected … a completely different definition of success.

"We are trained by our society to be selfish, but every philosophy, every religious text, every mystic comes to the opposite conclusion - that a good human life is focused on the welfare of others."

The result? A new model of citizenship and business leadership that transforms how we think about profit, ownership, and community responsibility.

My latest guest on The Wisdom Of ... Show, Nick Halaris from Metros Capital, proves that the path to meaningful success requires unlearning everything American culture teaches about winning.

Key takeaways …
 → Why "success without compromise" isn't just possible - it's essential
 → How to transform your business into a force for good without sacrificing profits
 → The citizenship model that turns rights into responsibilities

Watch me create a live visual framework that maps Nick's entire philosophy of servant leadership - a model you can immediately implement in your leadership approach.

This is a call, again, to all my pro-housing advocate friends here in Los Angeles! We have another opportunity to make a real difference in the development landscape. The Los Angeles City Council is set to consider an ordinance that would eliminate parking minimums. This could be huge as parking spaces have become rather expensive—averaging $60K-$90K per space and in some cases even more. 

I’m slightly embarrassed to admit that we just spent $2M on an 11-space underground parking lot for a luxury Metros Capital project. This is an expense that could’ve be almost completely avoided with just a few small changes to the regulatory landscape—i.e. either by getting rid of the nonsensical height restriction in the neighborhood or eliminating the strict parking requirements. The end result would’ve been housing units on the market at lower prices but alas…

Anyway, this is a great time to use all your political connections, relationships, and leverage.  Don’t hold back. Call, text, and/or email everyone you know on Council. Let’s get this one passed!

Impact Story of the Week 

I am happy to report that our pro-development advocacy work here at Profit+ (in conjunction with our friends at Yimby Action and Abundant Housing LA) is working. The Los Angeles City Council just voted to move forward with the elimination of the double stair requirement! 

While this may seem small and is a decade too late, it’s encouraging that our elected representatives are seeing the light and proof that civic advocacy can and does work! Since the housing industry has been suffering death by a thousand cuts, we’re going to need a lot of little stitches and bandaids to fix things. Thanks to anyone and everyone who stepped up to help.

For Palisades fire victims looking for a trustworthy, cost-effective homebuilder and any Los Angeles homeowners who need help with renovations or ADUs – Westward Homes

For Los Angeles real estate owners looking for sophisticated, professional property and asset management services — DNY Living

For investors interested in proprietary RE investment opportunities – Metros Capital

For RE developers who need flexible capital / savvy partners – Westward Capital