Meet Charles Charlie” Shulman | Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Charles “Charlie” Shulman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Charles “Charlie”, we’d love to start by asking you about lessons learned. Is there a lesson you can share with us?
I’ll never forget being in my early 20’s with eyes wider than ever, having just finished a tour of a friend, and automotive icon’s personal car collection hidden behind Rodeo Drive. I looked up at Bruce Meyer and said “How on earth do you do it?” and without missing a beat, he replied “Invest in commercial real estate and play with cars.”

Growing up as the son of a sitcom TV producer, I watched my mother go from employed to unemployed on a regular basis. Because that’s the nature of television shows, I assumed it was normal and never quite understood the stability, drive and most importantly, passion that kept her in the business. After graduating college, it was my goal to find an industry where I could achieve a similar work ethic.

As a commercial real estate broker I quickly realized that I was a small fish in a very big pond, and that my only shot at standing out was to tackle the deals that nobody wanted to touch. These typically were restaurant, film/tv production, and cannabis sale or lease deals, and so I decided to hone in and refine my skillset around these types of assets and transactions. After 7 years of having the pleasure of doing deals for some of the leading names in these industries and having gotten to meet some of the most incredible business and land owners, a pandemic hit and my industry got rocked – to say the least.

I was faced with more free time than ever before, and got to really think more about what kept my mother in her industry for so long without wavering, despite the constant rollercoaster of emotions that comes with constantly not knowing where your next paycheck will come from. It then hit me — her heart was and still is in it, more than 50 years later. That right there, I knew for a fact, would not come from real estate. While the goal from the start was always to live a life and build a family that I could be wildly proud of, I’ve only really had one main passion; And that’s cars. I had lost touch with the fire that could never be put out: My deep-rooted passion for cars, but I knew I also had to make a living and couldn’t just drop my real estate career. Fast-forward 2 years, I now own and run my own classic, collectible and competition car dealership based in Los Angeles, and still hold my real estate license where I now get to be selective with the clients and properties I work with, ultimately adhering to one daily goal: Keep the passion alive. The most important lesson my career as an entrepreneur has taught me is that if you follow your bliss, the success will follow.

I wish I could’ve stopped my 20 year old self walking out of Bruce Meyer’s garage and tell him that in 9 years I’d be living in West Hollywood, CA with an incredible (and very pregnant) wife, the best dog, supportive friends and family and two businesses that I absolutely adore. As uncertain as both of my industries may be at times, I wake up every day and love what I do, and know that as long as the passion stays alive, sink or swim, I’ll ALWAYS swim.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
For lack of a better term, I buy, sell and broker cars and commercial real estate. It’s always been priority that I work for myself – whatever that would mean. After a few years as an intern under my belt and over 8 years as a broker I got comfortable working with properties and clients that would be a bit more of a challenge as well as deals that got me genuinely excited. Working with some of the top restauranteurs, film/tv names, retailers and visionaries in the country always got me excited. I’ve always loved solving puzzles, so I thoroughly have enjoyed getting to piece together deals where I’m constantly navigating road blocks, mitigating issues between parties, working around government ordinances, solidifying and negotiating deal points, keeping the fine print in my clients’ best interests and ultimately completing the task at hand.

When that fire started to burn out and a pandemic hit, I was already starting to get annoyed, impatient and honestly, slightly depressed on a daily basis in my real estate career. I had two choices: Keep at a path that was starting to compromise my character, or pivot and create the life that I’ve always wanted. I chose the latter.

When I had the idea to open a dealership and tap back into my passion of cars, I kept asking myself “Why not?” Every time I had some stupid excuse for why I couldn’t go through with it. Finally I realized there was no reason not to follow my passion.

Another lesson I’ve learned: Find yourself an amazing partner. I never thought my wife someday would be involved in my work, let alone be the catalyst for following my passion. Looking back, it really was my wife who acknowledged my passion and gave me the confidence to take a leap of faith. Not only is she keeping our house together, growing a baby boy and all while running her own residential real estate firm, but she supports my passion on a daily basis. She’s my real secret to suceess.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
To eat: Phillipe’s Famous French Dip (ask for a double dip) in Downtown LA, or BayCities Deli in Santa Monica (get the GodMother with the works). or the Lasagna at Colapasta in Santa Monica.

Mulholland Highway in Malibu, CA and go for a drive. I recommend 3 pedals, an open top and an engine behind your head.

Website: www.ptwmotorsport.com

Instagram: @__shulman @ptwmotorsport

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlie-shulman-792947116

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PTWMotorsport/

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/power-to-weight-motorsport-los-angeles

Image Credits
Maxx Shostack, Official Photographer of Power-to-Weight Motorsport.