Introduction
Clifford Blanquicet, founder and president of Blanq Real Estate, joins Jack Ossa on The Power of Design Podcast to talk about building a commercial real estate firm from the ground up. Blanq is based in Charlotte, North Carolina, and was expanding to other regions when the episode was recorded.
Clifford started as a professional golfer, and he brings that competitive mindset to brokerage, team building and long-term planning. The conversation covers motivation, mentors, the first hard years as a broker and why he is not afraid of failing.
About the Episode
Clifford explains that his biggest motivation is his family and the example he wants to leave his children, followed by his competitive nature and the satisfaction of helping other people succeed. He describes how a job managing and cleaning buildings after his golf career turned into leasing, property management and finally a commission-only brokerage license in 2014.
He is open about how slow the start was: about 20 months before the work gained traction. He opened Blanq Real Estate on November 1, 2016, and says his wife pushed him to think bigger than keeping his own commissions. The firm grew to about 20 commercial brokers, and Clifford notes that every person on the team came to him rather than being recruited.
Jack shares his own early years in the United States working as a busboy and cleaning toilets while already an architect, and how he committed to doing even that job at the highest level. The two agree that doing your best with whatever is in front of you is what opens the next opportunity.
Key Takeaways
- Do the job in front of you well: managing buildings, cleaning and repairs led Clifford to leasing and then brokerage.
- Expect a slow start: it took about 20 months before his brokerage career gained momentum.
- Build your own brand: even inside a large firm, a broker has a personal reputation that should be developed through marketing, education and relationships.
- Find a mentor and give back: ask someone who has done what you want to do, and help them in return.
- Surround yourself with a team: an accountant, an attorney, an insurance broker and a commercial lender make starting a business less lonely.
- Stay a generalist: Blanq follows the market across industrial, multi-family, retail and other asset classes.
- Failure should not stop you: Clifford says the biggest mistake is not trying.
Highlights from the Conversation
Invest in your brand even if you know you're with another firm. You have a brand.
Clifford Blanquicet
Find a mentor, and in the meantime do whatever you can to make their life better, and they're going to be a great mentor for you.
Clifford Blanquicet
You will fail every time if you don't try.
Clifford Blanquicet
Topics Discussed
- Motivation, family and leaving a legacy
- From professional golf to managing buildings and brokerage
- The first 20 months as a commission-only broker
- Opening Blanq Real Estate and growing the team
- A generalist firm: leasing, sales, property management and advisory
- Advice for brokers who want their own firm
- Mentors, brand and building a support team
- Expanding nationally and overcoming fear of failure
Why This Conversation Matters
Commercial real estate is a relationship business, and this episode shows how reputation and a recognizable brand support it. A broker's name, logo and track record carry the same weight as the property itself, which is the reasoning behind our branding work, including the identity we created for Gresset Real Estate. Clifford also talks about following the market across building types, and the buildings behind those deals often need repositioning, as in our interior architecture work on Coliseum Drive.
About the Guest
Clifford Blanquicet is the founder and president of Blanq Real Estate, a commercial real estate firm based in Charlotte, North Carolina. He began as a professional golfer, moved into property management and leasing, and became a commercial broker in 2014. He opened Blanq Real Estate in 2016 and lives in the Concord area with his wife and four children. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn.
