For years I would plan houses, travel widely and observe communities. I also had the privilege of working for New Zealand’s largest dairy company in both New Zealand and Malaysia. All the while supported by my husband and young daughter. After a while, our roles swapped and we moved to the Arabian Gulf. Meanwhile my passion for property and communities continued to simmer.

Along came COVID and I had no choice but to pivot. In the words of Robert Frost, I looked for and “found the road less travelled by” and decided that maybe I could “make all the difference”. However, my timing was possibly the worst I could have chosen. The market went from slow, to boom, to bust. But opportunities to learn were handed to me on a plate.

I was forced to embed myself in the construction process, gain formal training, put on my steel capped boots, negotiate my own supply lines, and fight my own battles.

Developing a consumer food is surprisingly similar to developing a house! I took my corporate experience with me and found my place in residential construction.

Good business is about service—you serve first. I choose to serve society through housing. I am financially rewarded by delivering homes that my community wants, and I do it by simplifying my delivery process.

No matter what I do, I focus on delivering what my community needs and I rewarded through the resulting profits.