Connect
To Top

Meet David Chen of Sperry Commercial in Pasadena

Avatar photo

Today we’d like to introduce you to David Chen.

Thanks for sharing your story with us David. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
After graduating from college almost 15 years ago, I really had no idea what I wanted to do. I went through several years searching for the career path that best suited me. I worked in corporate America, the family business and even taught English in Taiwan. I guess you could say I was relatively successful in each field, but I was not passionate nor interested in any of those jobs.

Looking back, I can trace back my commercial real estate path back to one decision I made over 10 years ago. One of my best friends from college asked me to be a groomsman in his fancy NYC wedding. This was a very difficult decision for me at the time as I was living in Taiwan making peanuts and pretty much had to spend my entire year’s savings on a roundtrip flight to NYC. After about 10 minutes of thought I decided to bite the bullet. Thank God, I did! While in NYC my brother who also lived there arranged an interview with a commercial real estate developer and off I went.

After working for the NYC based developer, I moved back to LA to get my MBA and Master in Real Estate Development. This gave me the opportunity to work for many large corporate commercial real estate firms in consulting, acquisitions, and leasing. Though I loved commercial real estate, there was something missing.

At some point I realized I had no desire to work for “the man”, so I turned my attention to entrepreneurship and running my own firm. It was about a year ago that I decided to franchise the Sperry Commercial office in Pasadena. Many people say that starting a company is like having a child.

You have never been happier nor more stressed in your life. I would agree with that analogy. Either way, I am extremely excited about our growth and progress to date and I can honestly say that I would not want it any other way.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The past year has been filled with daily ups and downs. Some days you wake up thinking “why am I doing this” and other days you are ready to take on the world. Though I am typically a very rational and even tempered person, I think owning your own business creates these emotional peaks and valleys, especially in the beginning, which are not for the faint of heart. I started my business with very little capital, a credit card and some account receivables. This meant that my marketing budget was nonexistent for a while as everything went to keeping the lights on. Ramping up and gaining new business without marketing dollars has proven to be the most challenging aspect of starting my own business thus far. I have had to rely on my past clients, cold calling, referrals and networking events to get new business. I did not have the ad dollars to send mailers, buy online ads, etc. Nonetheless, I am grateful that I have an opportunity to pursue my own business and chase my dreams. I understand that it’s going to come with struggle, but that is also what makes the success more fulfilling and the road worth traveling.

One other huge obstacle that I have face has to do with the perceived notion that a “young” commercial broker cannot be the best broker. With no gray hair and a babyface, I have done everything in my ability short of intentional sun damage to build credibility in the local community. In the past few years I have acquired my CCIM and CIPS designations, taught multiple classes at local Realtor Associations and the local city college and even obtained a Notary Public stamp for good measure. And currently I serve on the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Chapters for CCIM & AREAA. Luckily for me, at this point I can say that my approach has worked as I am starting to reap the rewards of all the extracurricular activities, and clients are looking at me as a reliable professional and an expert in my field.

Sperry Commercial – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We are a full service commercial real estate brokerage firm. We do purchase and sale, leasing, business sales, real estate consulting and property management of commercial real estate.

Our company caters to an underserved niche, which is the Asian and Asian American small business community. Our team is able to bridge the cultural and language gap that exists in the San Gabriel Valley to better serve our clientele, whether they are landlords, tenants, buyers or sellers. Many transactions that otherwise would have not closed have been closed due to our unique understanding of the market and its players.

In the past few years I have helped over 15 small business owners open their first or second businesses and I am proud to say that each one is still in business today, which is a difficult task when it comes to restaurants and retailers. I pride myself in giving my honest opinion to each client, even if it means not closing a deal. I work hard to close the right deals that benefit both landlord and tenant, or buyer and seller, so that both parties can move forward and prosper.

Aside from my credentials and brutal honesty my broad background in commercial real estate is what sets me apart. My credibility lies in my formal commercial real estate education and my prior work experiences as a developer, consultant and in-house leasing manager. Combining these varying experiences rounds out my commercial real estate knowledge and gives me the ability to view each transaction through my clients’ perspective, whether they are an investor, small business owner, developer, etc. This ability allows me to essentially service all of my clients’ commercial real estate needs in-house, which I believe will be in high demand in the commercial real estate industry in the near future.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Many people define success based on specific achievements; however, I find that success can be achieved daily in the preparation and the process. I am a firm believer in respecting the process and not cheating preparation. I don’t believe in shortcuts unless you have a rich dad. Being a UCLA alumni, I obviously read John Wooden’s book “Wooden” and firmly believe in his teachings. The quote that most resonates with me is, “Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming.” – John Wooden. At the end of the day, if I can go to sleep knowing I put in real work and effort that day, whether it’s in the gym, the office, at home or anywhere in between, I define that as success.

Contact Info:

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

Related Items

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More in