Meet the Team: Q&A with Bryan Flaherty
Today we are doing a Q&A session conducted by Tyler Chesser with Co-Founder and Managing Partner of CF Capital, Bryan Flaherty (see bio). This will be the beginning of a series of interviews with the team at CF Capital, so there will be plenty more to share in the future. Our hope is for us to share some things so that you all learn a bit more about us and the way we think.
Interviewer (Tyler Chesser - “Tyler”): To break the ice, would you be able tell us a little about your background, before entering the real estate world?
Bryan Flaherty (“Bryan”): I am a Kentucky boy through and through. I was born and raised in Louisville, KY where I still live today with my wife, 2 boys, and daughter on the way!
I attended the University of Kentucky (go Wildcats!) for undergrad before looking to refine my business expertise and earning my MBA at Indiana University, a top 20 nationally ranked MBA school. I spent time with an institutional investment management firm that specialized in value-oriented equity management for institutional investors around the world before discovering my love for the commercial real estate industry.
Outside of the office I enjoy traveling, enjoying the great outdoors, participating at my church, and living an overall active lifestyle!
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Tyler: May I ask, what did you want to be when you were growing up?
Bryan: The same thing most little boys wanted to be – a firefighter, an astronaut, and a professional basketball player! While all of those dreams took a bit of a detour, I think I knew I always liked numbers, wanted to run my own firm, and like watching things being built. While I had no idea what that meant growing up, it’s probably not surprising that I ended up starting my own firm focused on acquiring and developing real estate.
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Tyler: How did you originally get involved in real estate and the multifamily market?
Bryan: I realized that the Wall Street life wasn’t my long-term passion and I knew that I wanted to marry my financial and institutional background with real assets like commercial real estate. When I decided to pursue a career in commercial real estate, I did my best to educate myself on the different asset classes within the industry and the nuances with each. I always say that there is no “right” or “wrong” asset class to enter as a whole as they each provide their own strengths/weaknesses and well run groups are successful across all asset classes, however, I do feel that it is important to have a passion for the sector which you choose to spend time in. I naturally gravitated to the multifamily sector which has been a great tailwind for me.
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Tyler: What motivates you every day to get up out of bed everyday?
Bryan: First and foremost, my family. They mean everything to me and providing for them is my ultimate responsibility.
Outside of them it’s a combination of my never-ending curiosity and desire for continuous improvement. Both of those have served me well in the past and keep me focused and pushing myself.
Additionally, there is a tremendous need and demand for quality and affordable housing throughout the nation. We have the ability to provide this type of opportunity to thousands of families, while also being able to give back to the community beyond their housing needs through local and national charities that our firm supports.
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Tyler: Since beginning your journey with CF Capital, what do you think has been your greatest achievement?
Bryan: Building the foundation of our firm from the ground up and in a scalable manner. We put an emphasis on putting the right people on our team, in the right position, at the right time. I am a big believer that small teams of highly motivated individuals are the best way to accomplish great achievements. We have been very tactical in the way that we have built out the infrastructure of the firm from day 1.
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Tyler: Off the top of your head, were there any mentors or even books that have influenced you the most to get to where you are today with CF Capital?
Bryan: Too many to mention here!! Part of my never-ending curiosity drives me to pick up quite a few books and also take time to network with as many colleagues as possible.
When it comes to general business philosophy, Michael Gerber and Greg McKeown are two mentors of mine (who I have yet to meet) due to their work with The E-Myth and Essentialism, respectfully.
As it relates to the commercial real estate field, Sam Zell has an amazing story and incredibly inspiring career. What he has done as a visionary and pioneer within our industry is hard to match and the goal of most that enter the field.
I am also a big believer in business coaching mentors. Finding someone who can help with the psychological piece of our business and push you to be a peak performer is vital.
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Tyler: So you and Tyler read books together… Out of all the books that you have read during the pandemic, do you have a favorite?
Bryan: Traction, hands down! It has been very impactful with the way that we run the day-to-day of our business. It came highly recommended to us from other successful business owners and one that I have already gifted to others a number of times.
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Interviewer: What are your plans and goals for the future of CF Capital? What are you most excited about?
Bryan: We have aggressive, but achievable goals for the growth of the firm over the next 5-10 years. While I am excited to see the number of assets under management grow, I am even more excited to see the impact our firm will provide to our employees and their charities of choice. We put a heavy emphasis on philanthropy and have pledged to donate at least 10% of the firm’s earnings to charity on an annual basis.
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Tyler: To finish things up, I wanted to ask, ‘what advice would you have for an up-and-comer in the multifamily world?’
Bryan: Get educated and start building your team! Successful investing is absolutely a team sport and that includes both your internal team as well as partners within the industry that you can lean on and learn from. Remember, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
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