The Founder Files Scaling a Property Business from Scratch - Greg Blend & Grant Friedman, Africrest Properties
In this episode of The Founder Files, we chat with Greg Blend and Grant Friedman from Africrest. From starting with nothing but ambition and a few naive assumptions, they scaled their property business to managing over 3.3 billion rand in assets!
We delve into how they managed to scale their business without initial capital.
We also explore their unique approach to sourcing feedback from tenants and customers at scale, ensuring that property improvements are based on tenant input and preferences.
Additionally, they share insights on building robust systems during rapid expansion and scaling their team effectively to sustain growth and success.
----
This episode is brought to you by Metavolve.
Metavolve turns highly capable African founders into confident business leaders by helping them develop clear and comprehensive business strategies that make building a great sustainable business less complex. Reach out to our team to learn more: https://metavolve.co/
----
To support The Founder Files:
🔔 Follow The Founder Files EVERYWHERE
⭐ Leave a review right here
💭 Share your thoughts on Linkedin and tag Cameron Coutts
----------
00:00 Introduction 02:37 Welcomes 03:02 Africrest’s Business Model 06:28 The Scale Of Africrest Today 09:12 Africrest Founding Story 13:53 Starting A Property Company With No Cash 20:47 Greg & Grant’s First Property 30:34 Getting Useful Feedback From Customers 36:53 Merging Into Africrest 43:57 Brought To You By Metavolve 45:20 How To Stay Aligned As A Leadership Team 49:52 Making Sure You Choose The Right Partnerships 58:24 Converting Office Buildings To Apartments 01:03:29 Scaling The Business Through Covid 01:11:58 Changes To Handle Rapid Growth 01:21:28 Learnings From Rapid Expansion 01:25:53 The Future Of Africrest 01:28:29 Why Choose The South African Market?