The Anatomy of an Impact Homebuilding Business

Here’s the cool thing about building an Impact Ecosystem: just about any kind of business can be about “impact.” 

How so?

Well, it’s really just a matter of intention and values. A business is already serving the community, even if it doesn’t know it! Through the products it sells, the people it employs, the taxes it pays…it literally cannot help but leave a mark on the community. Add some purpose and, voila, you have an impact business.

We are a few weeks away from officially launching our new homebuilding and renovation business, Westward Homes. This is a service we started thinking seriously about last year when we noticed that all our friends kept getting ripped off by shady contractors. After the fires, the need became critical.

The problem with construction and renovation in a wild West town like Los Angeles is that it’s so fragmented and opaque there’s almost no price discovery. In other words, no one knows what anything should cost, even savvy consumers. What ends up happening as a result is that people get taken advantage of, often seriously so.

This is not to say that contractors are all making a killing off unsuspecting customers. It’s still very hard to make a living for most. However, a lot of people are getting ripped off, left with a serious quality problem, or both! Westward Homes is our answer to this market breakdown.

One of the big problems with a competitive and heavily regulated market like Los Angeles real estate is that the people who do what we do—i.e. invest in and develop properties—almost always just work for themselves. Why? It’s so darn difficult to make profits that we need the benefits of ownership to justify the effort. With Westward Homes, we are going to provide a level of expertise and sophistication in development and contracting literally not formerly available for hire! Not only are our clients going to get access to our full suite of skills, contacts, and tricks, they are going to get the best of us. Our commitment is to treat every Westward project or home as one of your own.

This commitment on its own is enough to make Westward Homes an impact business but we are taking things a step further through a set of principles—a true North—that we are not going to compromise with under any circumstances.

1. No one is getting ripped off or taken advantage of, ever.

2. We will not sacrifice on quality.

3. Every neighborhood we touch will end up better off.

I am experimenting with a new section here. I’m going to pick one political issue in the news, briefly discuss my thoughts on it, and offer a suggested course of action for concerned citizens who feel the same way. 

I cannot believe I’m even typing this but first up is this Epstein thing. The American people deserve to know the truth. The longer this absurd, sad story remains in the dark, the more damage it does to our wounded civic fabric. Whatever the hell happened or didn’t happen, whoever was involved or not, let’s get this information out in the world. Anyone guilty of a crime, needs to be held to account. Period. The rest of us, we need the opportunity to move on. 

What can you do about? This is one moment where calling or writing into your representatives in Congress to demand action might actually make a difference, especially for those in districts with Congressional representatives on the fence about taking action.

Impact Story of the Week

I’d like to congratulate my friend and former Nick Halaris Show podcast guest Mack Jenkins for being honored by Teach Democracy with the Bill of Rights Award to honor his years of service in defense of our democracy. People might not fully appreciate the nobility of the path Mack chose. As someone who could’ve easily stayed in the private sector and made millions, Mack’s choice to serve the community instead is an inspiration. Please join me in congratulating and thanking both Mack and Teach Democracy for their on-going contributions to the community! 

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