James was raised to work hard, to show up with dedication, and to be of service to others. Those values shaped him deeply and still do. He’s always had a strong drive - not simply to build things, but to become the most beneficial version of the human he was designed to be. He’s a lifelong student with a beginner’s mind, endlessly curious about growth, human nature, and the invisible but powerful forces that shape how we live, lead, and relate. The running joke in his family is that he questions everything. Apparently, even as a little kid, when relatives would come to visit, he’d ask question after question until someone eventually told him to give it a rest. That curiosity never left.

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That curiosity, paired with relentless drive, led James to start his first company at 24 years old with no capital, no financing, and no traditional path forward. The banks said no, so he built something different - a customer experience so compelling and valuable that people were willing to commit before the product even existed.

That experience shaped much of how he still thinks today: create something of real value, test honestly, prepare exceptionally well, and avoid unnecessary complexity. It’s the same lens he brings to business and investing now - seeking asymmetric opportunities where the upside is meaningful, while doing everything possible up front to reduce avoidable risk. He’s always loved building companies, ideas, systems, futures, and helping others think further ahead than the moment they’re standing in.

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If he’s honest, though, the first half of his life was also fueled by proving. Proving to himself, and sadly, to others too. Trying to prove his worth through doing. Through achievement. Through elevating his financial position. Through attempting to convince himself and others that he was enough, worthy, valuable, and lovable. And while that probably served a purpose for a season as it helped shape the person he is today, it eventually became clear that anxious striving and performance had to be replaced with something genuinely more helpful.

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Years ago, after a business meeting where it was obvious he wasn’t enjoying himself, his wife Meg asked him a question on their walk home that changed his life forever. A question he’ll always be grateful for:

“Why don’t you sell the company, transition into becoming a full-time investor, and just be a dude that helps people?”

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It sounds funny, but it hit deeply. He’d spent years building businesses, identities, and external markers of success, and suddenly the idea of simply becoming more human, less polished, less performative, and less attached to image felt profoundly freeing. The suits and dress shoes disappeared, and T-shirts and sandals showed up.

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He still invests and builds companies, and yes, he still very much appreciates a strong ROI; however, his day-to-day work has become a little different. His 9–5 now involves meeting with really good people, and helping leaders, founders, and business owners navigate complexity, decisions, growth, and the realities of carrying meaningful responsibility, while helping them discover deeper fulfillment inside the success they’re already creating.

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Since letting go of his custom home company in 2015, much of James’s work has been internal.  Learning how to return to his essence. Maybe it’s partly because he just turned 50, but he’s just no longer interested in chasing anything. Rather, he has a little rule for himself that he follows to the letter. He doesn’t start his day by thinking about what he needs or wants to do, bring, create, or serve, but rather, he starts by receiving the sunshine or the rain (living in Vancouver) until his cup overflows. For him, doing anything different puts him at risk of looking for inner value based on his performance, and that’s when all of his inner enjoyment goes straight out the window.

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Those who know James best would likely describe him as someone who is deeply driven while simultaneously committed to being at peace. He very much still loves intensity, and he intentionally schedules discomfort into his life, like jumping into his cold plunge pool, because he believes inner musculature matters, and he wants to be ready when the moment requires something of him.

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He’s learned that peace is a worthy discipline. That gentleness is strength, and that patience is powerful beyond measure.

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At the center of it all, James is a husband of 25 years, a grateful dad to 2 great sons, a loyal friend, an investor in people and ideas that create meaningful impact, and someone who genuinely cares about reducing unnecessary suffering, whether in business, leadership, or life itself.

What lights James up most is being present in that space just before clarity arrives.

In the moment when there’s an overabundance of uncertainty in the room, and the better question hasn’t fully formed, but something meaningful is trying to emerge.

That moment in a boardroom, over coffee, during a hard season, or in the quiet honesty of a real conversation, that’s where he feels most alive.

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I want to invite you to live your life fully, 
Go for what matters to you.
Choose to leave your love behind because life is ashes and rust, till we all turn to dust in the end. 

 

In your corner,