Saying No to “Can’t”
When the world is in a tailspin, do a little spinning of your own
IF I HAVE A goal in life, it isn’t to be driving a Rolls-Royce. It’s to be giving away more than $1 million a year and having an impact on people’s lives. I never expected the success I have today. On the other hand, I did expect it. I always had to work for what I wanted. I grew up accustomed to risks and disappointments, so I was used to moving forward, no matter what.
In 2008, I went to Los Angeles where I tried to get hired as an agent, an analyst, a mortgage lender and a financial broker. All these doors slammed in my face. The world’s economy was in a tailspin, so I knew I would have to do a little spinning of my own. If I couldn’t get hired by someone else, I had to hire myself instead.
Youth entails a certain naivete, but also perseverance. The word “can’t” wasn’t in my vocabulary. I partnered with a friend buying distressed multifamily properties around Houston. Even though we were enthusiastic and backed with start-up sums, I didn’t have the track record to make a deal work. My friend moved on to other projects. Solo, I put all my money into the next real-estate project. I put the time in, I dreamed it, but once again the deal fell through. Two months later, though,
If I couldn’t get hired by someone else, I had to hire myself instead.
the deal came back around. They were ready to talk. That was when the path opened, luck changed, and I was ready to form my own company. I haven’t looked back. Only ahead.
I’m now able to give back to communities and causes that are important to me. I donate about $500,000 a year, much of that going to research to cure ALS. Most associate that disease with Lou Gehrig, or more recently Stephen Hawking. But I had close relatives who died from that disease—my aunt and uncle, and then my father died of a related neurological disorder. If this is something that can be cured, I want to help with that research. We also support a lot of services for underprivileged children in Houston and other places, and I work with The Jewish Federation.
I have always been someone who can see the big picture and have never been distracted by things that get in the way. There are lessons to be learned, and the biggest of those is to keep going. You may have to change the path, but always keep that vision in front of you.
Eric Barvin is a multifamily real estate investor, developer and operator. He is the founder and CEO of Barvin, a property management and investment services group. Barvin owns and develops communities in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.