Daily Inspiration: Meet Mike James

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike James.

Hi Mike, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today. 
It started when I moved to Los Angeles from Connecticut in January of 2017. I moved into a run-down shared living/co-living house on 3rd and Vendome Street in Korea town. The place was like a trap house. It was for the most part unlivable, for example, bed bugs, roaches, and rats. I was determined to make it work because it was all I could afford at the time; the other option would be to sleep in my car, which I had prepared for. There was only 1 working bathroom for 24 people living there. One time, there had been a small fire from somebody smoking, and the fire department was called. The chief fireman had seen how bad and run down the place was once they entered the building and said they would return. Well, shortly after that, the place was closed down, and we were forced to be relocated to a brand-new building in the downtown area of Los Angeles. After a few months of living at the new property, the owner of the co-living made me the house manager. After a few more months my life would change forever. I found out my mom had stomach cancer. So, as I was being hit with the news of my mom being in the hospital and having to travel back and forth to Connecticut to spend time with her. The owner of the co-living I’m now managing comes to me with the opportunity of taking over the lease and the business of running the house altogether. As if I didn’t have enough on my plate already as I was working part-time for TSA, managing a property, and dealing with my mom dying in the hospital. So, I ended up taking the opportunity to take over the property in December of 2018. I was determined I would never let what happened to me at the other property in Korea town turn into this new property in downtown. Well, a few months later, on February 9th, my mother ended up passing away at the age of 56. I’m only 29 at the time, and now, all of a sudden, I’m a business owner and a landlord. The house was an empty canvas; the past owner had not furnished anything but putting beds in the rooms. So, the 1st year in business, any profit I made, I put right back into the house. I bought couches, Smart TVS, more fridges and kitchenware, anything the house needed. I added cameras for security, and with the 2 empty garages, I turned one into a GYM for working out. The other garage I added a recording studio to help attract more artists. Then a year later 2020 covid 19 hits and I end up losing half my tenants because then went back home because times where uncertain. This made things challenging to keep up with the bills after I had invested so much. 2020 was a completely lose of any profit. 2021 wasn’t much better, but I managed to hang on, and slowly, the house began to fill back up. Finally, by 2022, I was able to start hiring a house manager and house cleaner to help me keep up with the day-to-day work. I’d say by 2023, I was finally turning a decent profit, and the business is a complete success. Looking into starting a new property soon in the Hollywood area is the current goal.  

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way? 
A year later, 2020 covid 19 hit, and I ended up losing half my tenants because they went back home because times were uncertain. This made things challenging to keep up with the bills after I had invested so much. 2020 was a completely loss of any profit. 2021 wasn’t much better, but I managed to hang on, and slowly, the house began to fill back up. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work? 
As musician myself I originally came to los Angeles in search of being in the music industry. I have a few mixtape albums on Spotify under the name Mike James. Hip-hop music is my passion.  

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about? 
That are co-living home houses people from all over the world. We have people from China. Israel, Ukraine seeking asylum and a new start at live.  

I came up with the name Affordable SoCal Living because I wanted to keep the house and brand as the most affordable option as possible in Los Angeles and I always make sure I’m just slightly more affordable than my competitors. 

Pricing:

• $600 for a shared room
• Everything is included
• High-Speed wifi
• We also supply toilet paper, dish soap, hand soap and cleaning supplies
• Parking spaces are an extra $100 a month

Contact Info:

• Website: www.affordablesocalliving.com
• Instagram: @affordablesocalliving
• Facebook: facebook.com/officialmikejames
• Linkedin: instagram.com/mikejam3s
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnrPQqI1YIphdyzQqgzsHaw
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/affordable-socal-living-los-angeles
• SoundCloud: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7MuVx877DGMkgCLplNcHup?si=KlyNKu4nS76rApue19_v_A
• Other: https://maps.app.goo.gl/ziEwohQ6aayCUzdf9