Joshua Simon isn’t deterred by the downturn.

He says now is the perfect time to launch his Scottsdale real estate firm.

Called S/I Real Estate (currently SimonCRE), which stands for “strategic” and “innovative,” Simon is building on his experience in the commercial real estate industry to develop his own brand.

“I have always had big dreams of running my own company. I am not married and don’t have any kids, so now is a perfect time,” he said.

Simon is self-financing his venture, which focuses on tenant representation for commercial clients across industries. His firm also works with investors to purchase and rehabilitate commercial properties nationwide.

Simon launched the business late last month. His first priority was to hire a website designer to establish an online presence.

“It is so very important to maintain a virtual presence, not only to make sure that people know where you are professionally, but also to reflect information about my firm in a professional and easily accessible way,” he said. “If you don’t have a website, you are just not credible.”

Simon recently left his position with an undisclosed Valley shopping center developer to devote his full attention to this venture. So far, he has one associate on board.

He also is involved with a side business called Knowledge Safari. That online project focuses on special needs children to connect parents, therapists, educators and others. 

Featured in Phoenix Business Journal (Original article)