Breadcrumbs: Forging an Entrepreneurial Trail

The breadcrumbs led me down a winding path, each crumb a tantalizing clue to the next step in my entrepreneurial journey. At 24, with a wife and two young children, I yearned for something more than an unsatisfying job. The desire to be my own boss burned within me, and with my wife’s support, we took a leap of faith, moving to Victoria, British Columbia. Looking back, that’s the best way to describe it. I followed breadcrumbs.?

I had no formal training in business practices or financial management. There was no Internet like today. You made phone calls, hoping that someone had a lead you could follow. Or they could refer you to someone who knew somebody else whose best friend had a lead.? What could I do? I needed to make money to pay rent and put food on the table for my family.?

Have you ever stared down the barrel of a gun pointed straight at you? At one point, I fell into the gritty world of scrap metal salvaging. Yes, It’s a real business. Companies take decrepit old ships, no longer seaworthy, and scuttle them. They carefully calculate the costs of tearing apart the hulking vessels and transporting the scrap metal to buyers.

We were in Russia right after the chaotic fall of the Soviet Union. We took a train to Mykolaiv, an important port on the Black Sea. The mayor and the police chief were newly appointed – by whom we had no idea. The old KGB or the new regime? We were scouting a port on the Black Sea for potential salvage sites when we apparently disturbed a group of local militia drinking vodka under a nearby pedestrian bridge. Suddenly, guns were drawn on us. We were roughly searched at gunpoint, and our cameras were seized. Fortunately, one of our local partners was with us. He disappeared with one of the militia through the nearby ancient archway of the Turkish fortress of Ochakoven and negotiated our release after surrendering most of our cash. The cameras were returned, but they kept the film.??

Looking back, harrowing experiences like that taught me to envision solutions that others might overlook in the direst of situations. Such resourceful flexibility has been invaluable, allowing my company and partners to identify and seize favorable entrepreneurial opportunities that others might miss.??

Crafting Success in Construction and Life

David Babakaiff is the local partner for Alair Homes in Vancouver, British Columbia. Alair builds and renovates custom homes and multifamily homes in the USA and Canada. They are partners with established architects, designers, trade experts, and other industry professionals.?

If you are interested in living in a high-quality custom-made home or want to turn your present home into one, call David at 604 367 5496 or email him at [email protected].