{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Beyond the Startup","title":"Beyond the Startup Ep. 4: Larry Carver","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3235,"description":"Building a Hotel Procurement & Design Firm Through Booms, Busts, and Global ExpansionIn this episode of Beyond the Startup, Larry Carver, founder and president of Carver & Associates, shares how he entered the real estate and design field simply by needing a job after college and the Army. He’s worked with and learned from some of the industry's heavy hitters, including Jack DeBoer, John Portman, and mentor Lowell Goldman, who taught him hotel FF&E procurement. Larry opened his firm in 1983 with $500 and a rented desk, landing major hotel projects and building the business on relationships. He recounts major downturns, including the late-1980s tax changes and savings-and-loan fallout, 9/11, the 2008 financial crisis, and COVID, describing staff reductions, perseverance, and recovery through projects in Taiwan, Korea, Las Vegas, and the Middle East. He discusses risk-taking, hiring experts for finance and design, and advises entrepreneurs to find work they genuinely like.00:00 Hard Times Happen00:30 Meet Larry Carver01:08 First Break in Real Estate04:07 Atlanta and Colony Square05:52 Luck Meets Preparation07:54 Portman and a Mentor12:27 Starting Carver and Associates16:32 Bootstrapping with Tech18:08 Relationships Drive Business22:16 Surviving the S&L Crash26:06 Cutting Back to Survive26:37 Adversity Builds Strength27:13 Asia Expansion Wins29:16 Culture And Logistics31:51 Turnkey Business Pivot33:45 Risk Taking Mindset36:43 Know When To Quit37:58 Money Skills And Delegation42:50 Crises And Middle East46:07 Covid Shock And Rebound47:52 Entrepreneur Reflections51:04 Advice For New Founders52:47 Closing Thanks ","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/wdEP5kxLXZor2olvL3ehuWvX12eIjQRTrSAdLm5qkQQ/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS85OGI0/ZmIzODA4N2NkYTE5/NDNjNWYzMmQ1MGEw/MDhkMS5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}