Meet katalina klein | Founder and Owner of Kubed Living

We had the good fortune of connecting with katalina klein and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi katalina, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I have been a real estate broker for over 2o years. Sometime in 2014-2015 I began to notice a trend where many middle eraners were starting to move out of certain areas because they could no longer afford homes in those areas. So basically, you had the core of society: teachers, fire fighters, clerks etc.. that could no lomger afford to live where they worked. That is what prompted me to look for affordable housing solutions.

As a European-American (I grew up in EUrope) I was already familiar with shipping container structures. They were not readily available here in the US at that time- but I began to explore the possibility of starting that fad.

It took me 3 years between the time I first introduced the idea to an investor to my first client. Everyone thought I was nuts! Who wanted to live in a steel box? I opened a showroom with a one bedroom one bath home on display…..

The next steps were educating the local jurisdictions on the fact that these structures could be code compliant and in fact were engineered exactly to the same codes as stick built structures.

Today almost 8 years after that first thought popped in my head we are building structures around the US. Structures that are sustainable, attractive, and most importantly are aimed to the middle earners who otherwise would never be able to afford to design and build a structure to fit their needs.

What should our readers know about your business?
I am an entrepreneur. It is in my blood. My dad and gradfathers were entrepreneurs. Education was expected of me and therefore after college (major in arts) I went back and got an MBA in corporate strategy. I worked for DHL Airways in their coprate struategy department for several years, before branching out on my own. Although I loved strategy, the idea of having to abide by a set of corporate rules was not for me. I opened up a wine bar in Pasadena, CA the first of its kind. L’Ecluse did well and we broke even the first year. Soon after I married and had children and the wine/retail business and small kids did not mesh for me. I got my real estate broker’s license and opened up my own borkerage. After 15 years of selling residential and commercial real estate I began to notice a trend: the middle earners being pushed out of geographic areas where they worked. In trying to find a solution to affordable housing, Kubed Living was born. It is the culmination of my work and life expereinces, blending art with real estate and business.

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?
I love water and I love the beach. Being a CA girl (now) I would take my friend to Malibu. We would lay on the beach, stare out to the sea, walk on the sand. Talk, laugh. In the middle of the afternoon we would hit some of the Malibu vineyards that are so much fun. After having sampled some good wine and cheese we would head out to a restaurant overlooking the water for a wonderful meal to cap the great california day.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Gueston Smith. I met him in 2018. He was a graduate of USC architecture program and had a passion for shipping container structures. He came to work with me and Kubed Living. He believed in our vision and mission and not only hung in there through all the growing pains, but also grew and developed into an integral part of our business.

I would also like to shout out my husband Larry Schlossberg who supported me throughout the ups and downs of this incredible journey. He was always there for me, teaching me some foundamentals of architecture, researching a certain building code and more importantly offering amazing and consistent support.

Website: www.kubedliving.com

Instagram: kubed_Living

Twitter: katalina_klein

Facebook: Kubed_Living

Image Credits
kubed Living