The Road to Approval: Zoning Out the Noise with Jake Malott

In this episode, Jamie sits down with Jake Malott, the founder of Whitestone DCI, a Los Angeles-based consulting firm that specializes in preconstruction project management and land use consulting. From giving Segway tours and dressing as a pineapple to breaking through LA’s regulatory red tape, Jake’s journey into business ownership is anything but conventional.

He shares how persistence, creativity, and valuing his own work were key to launching and sustaining his company — all while building a team, learning on the fly, and reinventing his pricing model in an ultra-competitive, bureaucratic environment.

Whether you’re in real estate or just trying to figure out how to charge what you’re worth, Jake’s story is packed with insight and hard-won wisdom.

📌 Key Takeaways & Notes

🎯 Getting Started with Nothing

• Jake moved to LA without a job and followed a trail of seven connections to land his first role in the preconstruction space.
• He literally said, “I’ll dig a ditch, just get me into this industry,” to show how badly he wanted the opportunity.

💡 Finding a Niche

• He entered an obscure, specialized field (land use consulting) most people haven’t heard of unless they’re already deep in development.
• Recognized a gap and built Whitestone to serve clients big firms passed over.

💸 Undervaluing Himself at First

• Initially nervous to send even a $500 invoice.
• Over time, he realized:

“If it takes me an hour to do something, it's because it took me years to get to being able to do it in an hour.”

🛠️ Building a Business from the Ground Up

• Used creative compensation strategies (like profit-sharing with consultants) because he couldn’t afford to pay salaries.
• Created a pricing model around “blocks of work” instead of traditional hourly rates to improve clarity and client buy-in.

👥 Team Building & Culture

• Focuses on hiring people with emotional intelligence and curiosity — not just technical skill.
• Built a culture that reflects his creative, liberal arts background, with a workspace that feels inspiring and community-driven.
• “You never have to be selling what you do. Just be passionate and build communities.”

🔁 Reinvention & Learning

• Shared how he's constantly evolving processes, services, and pricing based on customer feedback and internal capabilities.
• Learned the hard way that “There’s no rulebook — you get to decide how your business runs.”

💬 Signature Question — What it takes to be a business owner:

“You give up your 9 to 5 to work 24/7. It takes believing that you can grow something, and just starting—even before you’re ready.”

“Done is better than perfect. Just take a step. Then take the next one.”

💬 Memorable Quotes

• “You jump off a cliff and sew your parachute while you’re falling.”
• “No one should ever second guess whether they’re going to get paid on time.”
• “People mirror the value you place on yourself — so price accordingly.”
• “There’s no handbook — you can make up the rules of your business as you go.”
• “Leadership isn’t about being someone else. It’s about owning who you are and building around that.”
• “Find your people. They’re a reflection of you — and you of them.”