Contrarian views leads to $25 million property portfolio

Meet Chris Gray, owner of Your Empire.

Chris Gray, a well-known TV presenter, financial commentator, property investor, author, and buyer's agent, started his property investment journey at 22. Today, with a successful business and a property portfolio worth over $25 million, he is known for his contrarian views, including renting where he lives and leveraging his time to spend his life doing what he enjoys most.

When traditional banks were limited in supporting his next venture, Capspace stepped in, recognising the value of his property portfolio and helping him elevate his business and investments to the next level.

Download Chris Gray's latest book, The Effortless Empire, to discover his property investment strategies.

A business changing young lives and creating new found freedoms

Meet Tino Carusi, co-founder of Enliven Housing.

In 2018, Tino Carusi co-founded Enliven Housing, a national specialist disability accommodation provider, after his father's dementia diagnosis exposed him to the lack of accessible housing available for young people with disabilities. 

The business quickly carved out a niche in the market and grew rapidly through disruption, persistence, and consistency. In 2023, Capspace stepped in to help optimise and scale the business, and prepare the business for the next stage of growth.

From Masterchef finalist to manufacturing empire

Meet Jimmy Seervai, owner of Essence Group.

Jimmy Seervai's business manufactures nutritional products. It has grown rapidly since its conception over 10 years ago, with over 150 people employed in his Nowra, NSW warehouse.

To Jimmy, maintaining an innovative edge means making fast decisions and gaining rapid access to capital. Due to the banks' rigid systems and slow processes, they weren't able to meet his needs. With Capspace's involvement, the team successfully met Jimmy's timeframes and provided the required capital for his business growth. Capspace will continue to support Jimmy in his global expansion plans.

The sporting professional's retirement game plan

Meet Brendan Renaud, former professional football player.

Former A-league football player Brendan Renaud knew he needed a game plan once he retired from football. A plan that would generate him income post-football and would also serve as a roadmap for future retiring footballers.

When he turned to property development with former Sydney FC captain, Alex Brosque, he applied the same principles from his sporting career to lead him to success in his new venture, including surrounding himself with people he trusted. 

From investment properties and townhouse developments to a football pitch and underground cellar in his home, Brendan worked closely with the Capspace team to turn his goals into a reality.

Being surrounded by solution-oriented people

Meet Grant Pudig, property developer.

Grant Pudig purchased a warehouse shell to convert into 3 houses. Over the next 4 years he then immersed himself into its construction and unique design.
 
One of the biggest challenges Grant faced with the build was dealing with bank bureaucracy. He learned that even after being with a Big 4 bank for over 20 years, he was just a “customer number” and they weren't able to assist him when he needed. When the Capspace team became involved, we had the tools, understanding, and expertise to assist him with completing his project and turning his setbacks into successes.

A gap in the market to a nation-wide business

Meet Maria Levy, Director of Pet Resorts Australia.

After identifying a gap in the market, animal lover Maria Levy had a vision to build a 5-star luxury pet resort. Over a 15-year period Maria opened sites across the country, however when COVID hit the banks weren’t willing to lend her the money she required to continue her growth plans. So, she sought alternative lending solutions.

Once Maria was introduced to the Capspace team we took the time to better understand the business, her needs, and her plans. Capspace was able to assist with the purchase of further sites, resulting in the business growing quickly and helping her turn her vision into reality. 

Creating the "winning" business recipe

Meet Rob Rubis, owner of Manta Restaurant.

Rob Rubis has over 20 years’ experience in the restaurant business and 27+ restaurants under his belt. Best known for his sustainable seafood, he had an intriguing idea that came into fruition when the pandemic hit. The concept was to get more vertical integration of his seafood with a water to plate offering in his restaurants. 

After the banks weren’t able to assist him, Rob was introduced to Capspace by his broker. The Capspace team supported Rob to open a business during the pandemic and provided a roadmap that would set up the lifestyle he was seeking for the next chapter of his life.