What is your full name, title, and business name?
Justin Curatola, COO/Co-founder, Ryzer Capital
Follow Ryzer Capital on Social: LinkedIn
Give us a summary of your business in 200 words or less.
Ryzer Capital is a private real estate investment firm founded to help clients achieve risk-adjusted returns through the acquisition and development of value-add properties nationwide. The Ryzer Capital Fund targets recession-resistant opportunities across a variety of asset classes to lower exposure to market volatility for investors while providing a combination of strong cash flow and equity growth. The firm’s principals have over 30 years of combined experience in the acquisition, development, and management of multifamily and commercial real estate.
How did the idea for your business come about?
After working for and with companies like Tesla, Uber, Kroger, Apple on the construction, real estate and development side, my partner and I decided to do this for ourselves and investors.
What is unique about your business?
The partners have worked for/with the largest tech companies in the world at the highest levels. Whether it was building out the whole maintenance department for Tesla globally for sales and service centers or building the first three mobile Uber driver lounges in the world. Everything Liam and I did was to better the bottom line for these companies. When we decided to start Ryzer Capital we had one goal in mind, to take everything that we had learned and apply it to the private sector. Ryzer Capital prides itself on taking an investor-first approach. We are straightforward, ethical, and transparent in all aspects of operations. Our Investors look for diversification from traditional asset classes such as stocks, which can be unpredictable and traditionally riskier. We provide the opportunity to invest in real estate with none of the headaches associated with direct asset ownership. In order to appropriately align our objectives and interests, Ryzer Capital invests alongside institutional partners, developers, and accredited investors in every opportunity. We believe real economic profit and preservation of capital are the primary reasons for investing in real estate. This has been our philosophy since our founding and will continue to be our principal investment objective.
What was the turning point for your business? Was there a moment you knew you had something special?
The turning point for our business was when we decided to leave Silicon Valley and start our own company. When I first realized we had something special I was at Tesla as a vendor doing national rollouts for my partner Liam Smith. Liam and I excelled together as a team and loved doing it. It wasn’t about the money, it was about giving a quality product at the best price possible and proving that we could do it. This became a mountain goal constantly.
Can you provide any advice or tips on how to make successful business partnerships work?
Listening to your partner’s concerns and ideas is crucial. Being open to change and other perspectives is vital as well. Transparency is key.
Liam Smith, President of Ryzer Capital.
What does it mean to you to be an entrepreneur and business owner?
To be an entrepreneur is like riding a roller coaster. You have ups and downs. Either you have the drive to succeed or you don’t. Your future and goals are truly in your own hands.
What are your motivators?
At this point in my career, my motivators are to give back and help others around me succeed in my profession.
What does the city of Columbus mean to your business?
An opportunity to help Columbus and its housing needs for its residents in the future.
Are you from Columbus? If not, please explain what brought you to here and ultimately what made you stay.
No, I am not from Columbus. My wife was born and raised in Columbus, as he father and grandfather were before her. My wife’s baby sister was diagnosed with Stage 4 renal cancer. My decision to leave Nashville, TN and come back to be with family and my wife’s sister was an easy one. Columbus is where we needed to be.
What’s the number one piece of advice you’d give to anyone wanting to start a business?
Understand that you will have to wear all the hats. What you put into your business, you will reap.
What do you wish you knew about entrepreneurship before starting your business?
The work never seems to end.
What’s the most challenging part of your business (i.e, what keeps you up at night)?
Not being able to help everyone the truly needs it.
Every business owner has a flaw. What’s yours?
I talk too much.
Why do you think most business owners fail? What has made you different?
They stop trying. I never stopped trying.
What was your biggest mistake and what did it cost you?
When I was younger my ego. It cost me to make mistakes.
What tool has helped you the most for your business (invoicing, accounting, shipping, plugin for website, etc.)?
Listening.
When did you know it was time to expand your business, make your first hire, etc.?
When we did our first deal.
What is something that you did that was a game-changer for your business?
I was totally transparent in the development realm. I showed other development companies and investment groups where they were losing money.
What was an idea that you spent a lot of time on or thought would make a big difference in your business that didn’t pan out?
I try not to take too much time on ideas, I pitch them to my partner and then we only give it an hour to punch holes in and then make a decision.
What is something that your business spends a lot of money on that’s worth it?
Legal
What is something you’re working on now that you’re very excited about?
Building workforce housing that can be built quickly and efficiently.
What form of marketing is the most valuable for you?
Word of mouth.
Who is your best Columbus resource (accountant, lawyer, marketer, etc.)? Please provide name and business name so we can give them credit!
Tom Duke – Real Estate Agent, Investor, mentor.
Who do you vent to when you have a business problem?
My wife.
Where do you see your business in the next 10 years?
Helping the building industry with development and infrastructure globally.
What was the single worst decision you made regarding your business and how’d you recover?
Opening it durning the Coronavirus. The Coronavirus gave us valuable time to really work out all the kinks with time.
When you’re stressed or overwhelmed, what do you do to overcome this feeling?
I workout.
What’s one component of entrepreneurship that’s much different than what most people think?
The amount of time and sleep you get.
What’s your end goal with the business? Is this something you want to pass down to your kids or would you like to eventually sell?
To help as many people as we can. Liam and I would like to pass Ryzer Capital onto our children.
What other entrepreneur do you look up to most?
My father.
What lessons did your father teach you about entrepreneurship?
Be humble and kind to everyone. Everyone has something you can learn from them. Be open to ideas and opportunities. Take time for yourself to think things out. Anything worth having is never easy. Never look at loss or failure as defeat, but as knowledge and learning that makes you wiser in business.
If you had to tell a visitor one thing to do/see/eat in Columbus, what would it be?
To do, the shops in the Short North and North Market. To see, the beautiful architecture of Columbus. To eat, Brassica.
