Today we’d like to introduce you to Brian Jinings.
Hi Brian, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I was born in New York City and raised in San Diego. I started my commercial real estate career when I was 19, working for the president of a small firm in East County. By the time I was 27, I had experienced some success but was also looking for more adventure, so I decided to sell everything I owned, refer out my entire book of business and take a 2-year sabbatical to travel around the world. I went all over Asia, Indonesia, New Zealand, Australia, Mauritius, South and East Africa, and the Middle East. Upon returning, I went back into the commercial real estate industry and joined a larger international firm. While rebuilding my real estate business, I started a meal prep and catering company with a friend. That company operated for 13 years and included a non-profit component which provided 100% of the food service for the downtown homeless shelter. After working with larger real estate firms for approximately 7 years, I started my own company, Venture Commercial, and haven’t looked back since. My focus has been representing local, high-net-worth investors in the acquisition, management, and disposition of their commercial real estate assets. I’ve also acquired or took interest in approximately 17 properties of my own. My career took an interesting twist when I was presented with an opportunity to acquire a bar (with a business partner) in Hillcrest. The bar has been operating for over 43 years and is a staple institution within the Hillcrest community. With all of the development going on in Hillcrest, we felt it was a very important mission for us to make sure the bar was preserved and managed in order to survive this new phase of the neighborhood. The bar continues to thrive as we navigate all the challenges that come with this redevelopment of the Hillcrest community.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Does anyone ever say yes to this question? Ha.
So many challenges along the way, both personal and professional.
Professionally, it’s very difficult to be an entrepreneur/business owner. The markets are always in flux, managing personnel has challenges, global pandemics are a buzz kill, the hours are long and hard, and there are never ANY guarantees. I’ve had to deal with so many issues, especially considering I often had more than one business to operate simultaneously. The financial crisis in 2010 forced me to totally change my real estate business and instead of selling/leasing buildings, I focused on selling portfolios of defaulted debt for a variety of banks, including Wells Fargo, Zion, and California Bank and Trust. The bar purchase was 6 months before Covid and was a real challenge, but we made the best of it and took advantage of the downtime to remodel and refresh parts of the space.
Personally, I’ve weathered breakups, a health scare (I thought I had cancer), the tragic and sudden passing of my sister (only sibling) in 2016, and the sudden passing of my father in 2021. We are a small family, so it’s just my mom and I now. I’m lucky to be surrounded by very good, long-term friends and business associates/partners.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about Venture Commercial?
Venture Commercial is a commercial real estate and investment company that represents property owners, tenants, and investors in all aspects of their commercial real estate needs. We find opportunities and manage them from start to finish. Product types include retail, office, industrial, multifamily, and special-purpose properties such as car washes and storage lots. Venture Commercial is unique in the sense that we work on only a few transactions at a time, with local investors only. It allows us to intensely focus on each client and transaction to ensure success at every step. Although we are qualified to handle higher volume, we choose to keep things small, focused, and nimble. In 2023, almost 80% of our transactions were “off-market” and never advertised, which allows us to operate outside market pressures and identify great opportunities.
What does success mean to you?
Everyone should define their own success and focus on discovering what success really means to them. For me, success is very simple – living in a way that keeps me satisfied and confident that I am living to my maximum potential. Quality relationships are high on my list, while acquiring lots of “stuff” is not.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.venturecp.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatyousaybj
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/brian-jinings-ccim-2b527522
