Growing up as a self-described “Navy brat,” Calvin Davis of Keyrenter Property Management Richmond, Virginia, didn’t have a family background in entrepreneurship or in real estate. His career in sales began as the manager of a shampoo shop.
Not wanting to stay in the hair care industry, Calvin took a sales job with a Virginia-based human development software company. It was there he discovered his entrepreneurial side, which eventually led to investing in his own Keyrenter franchise.
An Entrepreneur Is Born
“The software company offered me an internal opportunity to start a new service within the organization,” said Calvin. “This new role had the exciting environment of a startup business, within the safety of a large company. It scratched my entrepreneurial itch and got me thinking about starting my own business one day.”
During this time, Calvin and his wife were expanding their family and needed a larger home. “While looking for a bigger place for my new family, I realized the impact a rental could have,” Calvin recalled. “This started the endless research on investing, rentals and wholesaling.”
Ultimately, the family moved to a larger home and kept their original house as a rental property.
“I realized how much money you could make in rental property and fell in love with the idea of investing in real estate,” Calvin continued. “I always wanted to work for myself, and I realized that real estate was a path to wealth that I understood. I don’t understand stocks, bonds, etc., but I do understand real estate.”
Not ready to leave his corporate job quite yet, Calvin began a career investing in real estate on the side. “I reached out to every real estate investor I could to get more information,” he said. “I wanted them to teach me.”
After doing all that research, Calvin bought another property, which he renovated and rented. That project showed him a different side of the business, and it was then that Calvin knew he would eventually transition to real estate and property management full-time.
Making the Leap of Faith
The final piece of the puzzle fell into place while Calvin was still working at the software company. He met the developers of a new software designed to help individual landlords rent their properties called Tenant Turner. The company was a startup that specifically focused on rentals and investments.
Calvin joined Tenant Turner as a sales representative in 2014, when the startup had only six customers. Over the next four years, Calvin was instrumental in growing the customer base to more than 800 clients. He also made a lot of contacts in the property management industry and continued his side hustle in real estate investing.
“I learned how to build a company and the ins and outs of property management. After eight or nine months with Tenant Turner, I came across Keyrenter Property Management.” Calvin said. “I was very interested in it from a personal perspective. I immediately saw it had a proven business model that could scale on demand.”
Wanting to learn more about Keyrenter, Calvin scheduled a call with CEO Aaron Marshall, who Calvin now considers a mentor and a friend.
“It was a terrible call!” Calvin recalls with a laugh. “Aaron thought I wanted to sell the Tenant Turner software to him! I don’t know if he remembers that call, and I still don’t know how he ever approved my Keyrenter franchise contract!”
Cavin opened his Keyrenter franchise in Richmond, Virginia, in September 2017 while he was still doing software sales. By the end of 2018, he had made the jump to running his Keyrenter franchise full time.
“Keyrenter gave me the ability to be involved in real estate day in and day out,” said Calvin. “I fell in love with their approach to business and decided to take a leap of faith and start my own company. It was the right time. And it was the best decision I ever made.”
Calvin still uses Tenant Turner software in conjunction with his Keyrenter business, where he manages 110 properties in the Richmond area. He’s also still buying and renovating properties of his own and has four in his growing portfolio. Calvin’s wife, Ashley, is also involved in the Keyrenter Richmond business. She works in the office part-time, depending on their children’s schedules.
As for his long-term goals with Keyrenter, Calvin has a simple mindset. “My goal is to leverage the experience I’m gaining in the real estate business with Keyrenter to make money on renovations. I want to find properties to resell to clients, or buy them myself, to renovate and rent.”
Do you have an interest in real estate and property management? Does Keyrenter sound like it would make a good fit for you? Learn more about the benefits of a Keyrenter franchise at https://keyrenter.com/franchise/ten-benefits-keyrenter-franchise/.