Ann Danner started her own real estate development and homebuilding company, something many people would be scared to do. She grew it to $100 million in revenue, something most entrepreneurs would simply be unable to do. And then she decided to retire from that company to join the board of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. She currently chairs the board’s building committee that will oversee a $1 billion dollar expansion program. I love everything about this story.

We start off by talking about her first projects, how she tried to grow simply by following the broader market trends (hence our title), then spent time discussing her company’s approach to construction management. We closed out by talking about the phenomenon of becoming a “deal junkie” and her advice on why and how to avoid that fate.

Ann’s advice offers an interesting complement to the fantastic conversation I had in Episode 8 with John Anderson, a small development coach. And next time, in Episode 10, I’ll be chatting with Spencer Burton who works in institutional real estate, on both the debt and equity sides, taking part in the biggest deals possible. We’ll talk about what that means, and a lot more, next time. See you then!