The Fort RE #61: Clayton Collins - President & CEO of HousingWire
On this episode of The FORT, Clayton and Chris discuss Clayton's journey from the banking world to discovering entrepreneurship via search funds. They discuss his acquisition of HousingWire.com and housing/construction trends over the last 90 days.
As president and CEO, Clayton Collins leads HousingWire’s corporate strategy, product and editorial roadmap, while building a world-class team of business media professionals. He is also the founder and managing partner of Riomar Capital, an entrepreneurial investment firm that acquired HousingWire in 2016. His drive to increase HousingWire’s impact earned him a spot on the 2018 Folio: 100, a prestigious list of thought leaders in the magazine and media industry. Enjoy!
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02:27 — Clayton’s Story Leading Up to HousingWire.com
03:18 — Why did you leave the banking world and purchase a media company?
05:44 — What was the search fund model experience like?
08:16 — How long was your search and how many businesses did you look at?
10:53 — Why did you choose HousingWire and how did the transaction go?
15:25 — Have you made any other acquisitions since?
16:38 — How do you value a media business?
17:48 — How much has the business grown since you bought it?
18:43 — How is the team structured?
21:19 — How do you convince someone to use your paid service versus the many free options available?
23:34 — Who is your target market?
24:27 — What’s the environment around housing-lending like right now?
28:36 — Do you see the housing market doing well coming out of COVID-19?
32:27 — Are you able to track where the demand is?
35:37 — Do you see a wave of people motivated to sell right now?
36:48 — Has COVID shined a light on any new housing innovations?
38:58 — Do you have any insight on changes in residential construction costs?
40:00 — Are there any companies that you have your eye on in Fintech or REtech?
42:38 — Do you have any insight on the single-family rental sector?
44:35 — First-Time Homebuyer Trends
48:10 — Smaller Home Trends
50:18 — Clayton's Thoughts on Airbnb Post-COVID
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