Juggling a demanding job, running a successful business, and raising two young kids are things that most families struggle with. Still, Charles Wells, a real estate entrepreneur, and Dr. Stacey Wells, a physician, have managed to do it with ease. We sat down with them to know how they deal with the various and demanding aspects of their lives effortlessly.
Meet Charles and Stacey Wells: Successful Entrepreneurs, Loving Parents, and Passionate Philanthropists
Q: Charles, how did you, an IT professional, end up in real estate?
I worked as an IT Manager in the Air Force before working as an IT consultant with the audit firm PWC in London. While they were good jobs, I didn’t like the monotony that came with the job. I wanted a position where I could tap into my creative side more while having autonomy over my schedule, which I couldn’t have while employed. I was also far from my wife and daughter when in London, and I knew that I wanted to be close to them. I had to look for a way to make changes in my life to move back to the United States and be with them.
A good friend recommended real estate as a way of making money while having a flexible schedule, and after looking into it, I decided to jump in, and I’ve never looked back. I now run a real estate firm where I build and remodel homes to add to my real estate portfolio.
Q: Stacey, you followed a path different from your husband’s by working in the health industry. What would you say influenced you to study medicine?
My grandfather’s illness and death when I was young, affected me greatly. I was very close to him, and not being able to spend time with him due to his illnesses and hospitalizations hurt me. Not only that, but seeing the physical and financial burden of caregiving on my mother and parents also was unsettling. When he died, I realized that his illnesses could have been prevented, and I decided to go to medical school to find out how.
I got my Doctor of Medicine degree from Boston University School of Medicine and did my Internal Medicine Residency at the LSU Shreveport University Center. I am now a physician at St. Joseph Hospital in Houston, and encourage my patients to take care of their bodies by eating healthy and high-quality food and exercising daily to prevent the most common chronic diseases.
Q: You are dedicated to educating people on the importance of good diet, exercise, and weight loss. Why?
Stacey: As a doctor, I see lots of patients who come to the hospital with problems that could have been easily avoided if their diet was healthier or if they had a regular workout routine. My very health-conscious parents are in their seventies but are healthier and fitter than people in their late forties and fifties. They learned from experiences with my Gramps, and in turn, they taught me how to live healthy. I am implementing that education in my own home and in my hospital and clinic practice to help save lives.
I’m working on starting a project to teach people how to be healthier and prevent lifestyle diseases. While medicines work well when one is sick, I want to show them that they can dodge some of the diseases from developing in the first place.
Q: With your busy lives working and running businesses, how do you have time for family?
Charles: I have a more flexible schedule than Stacey’s, but we both try to be home by dinnertime to spend time with our two children unless Stacey is working the nightshift. Family is important to us, and we ensure that our children don’t go to bed without seeing at least one of us. This has worked well so far and is one reason I do not regret quitting my IT job.
Q: What was the biggest hurdle that you had to overcome when starting your business?
Stacey: Getting started has been difficult for me. I had some fear that almost prevented me from taking that all-important first step. I’m also still dealing with the fear of rejection from people when it comes to my business, but I am taking it one step at a time.
Charles: When establishing my business, I had to do everything by myself. I was both the brains and the brawn of the business, and the mental fortitude and stamina required took a toll on me. However, I knew that failure was unacceptable, so I pushed myself to work harder, and soon I started to see the returns of my investment.
Q: As successful entrepreneurs, what tips can you give aspiring entrepreneurs?
Charles: Success in real estate does not come by chance; you have to work hard for it. You may not see any meaningful progress in the first few months, but you have to keep pushing. Start small and avoid investing large amounts of money in your first ever project. This is because the first few projects you do will be a learning experience. You will definitely make mistakes; making mistakes when you have invested little money is better than investing millions and ending up with nothing. The most vital advice I can give any entrepreneur, whether in real estate or any other business, is to always research the target market before you invest. Imagine building multiple single-family homes that cost you millions, only to discover that people in that area prefer renting apartments. A costly mistake like that could be avoided if you simply do some research beforehand.
