You’ll gain a wealth of ideas on how to think outside the box and have a positive social impact in this interview with Matt Blesso, a serial entrepreneur and self-made real estate developer. Throughout his career, Matt has sought opportunities that generate outsized returns and has also focused on modeling a healthy environment and community. He has conceived, developed, and managed a diverse and distinctive portfolio of residential, commercial, and hospitality assets in New York, Panama, and Costa Rica. He is the CEO and founder of Blesso Properties, and the mastermind behind Shift Living, a company dedicated to transforming the way people live.

Matt’s career began when he graduated from New York University and got a job in commercial banking. While the work helped pay the bills, Matt had an entrepreneurial mindset and soon spotted a real estate opportunity. He became, as he mentions on the show, an “accidental developer,” when he bought his first apartment one year out of college by using a first-time homebuyers program. He fixed it up and two years later, purchased the apartment next door to it.

Realizing the potential in the development space, Matt switched to real estate banking and learned all he could about the industry. He pursued more real estate projects in New York City, including building conversions and innovative designs which often led to returns that outperformed the market. While visiting a friend in Panama, Matt looked for a boutique hotel in Panama City where he could stay during his trip. When he couldn’t find one, he spotted the chance to develop a place, complete with a public rooftop space—the first of its kind in the historic district.

After doing more projects, Matt felt a pull to connect with nature and carry out sustainable projects with a positive social mission. By this point, he had everything in place to support his lifestyle, but wanted to create a real estate model that would help people improve their lives. His search led him to Costa Rica, where he purchased a former farm and initiated a project to regenerate the land and the soil. His vision includes growing food that residents can eat, and creating an environment where residents can interact and find support for their wellbeing and health.

“When I started, my goal was to make money,” Matt says on the show. “I’ve since learned…that it really comes down to having purpose—and having purpose in my work. I’m much happier doing this project than I was doing my earlier projects.”

You can connect with Matt through LinkedIn, his website Blesso Properties, and his latest project Shift Living.

And I’m always happy to connect with listeners—you can find me online at:

My website: JamesNelson.com

LinkedIn: JamesNelsonNYC

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My Real Estate Weekly articles: REW-online.com/author/jamesnelson

My Forbes.com articles: Forbes.com/sites/jamesnelson