- Story by Angela Cowan Photography by Don Denton

It was less than a year ago that Kyle Velikovsky took a leap of faith when he created and became his own boss, but the risk has already paid off in more ways than one.

鈥淚t鈥檚 exceeded our expectations in terms of where I thought it would go,鈥� says Kyle, who officially transitioned to the business full time last November. 鈥淚 thought we鈥檇 have a few homes, but we鈥檙e on track to have 17 or 18 projects on the go right now.鈥�

His experience and hands-on approach likely play a big part in why White Wolf Homes has been so successful so quickly; Kyle has a lifelong history with building. His mom and dad (a government employee and an electrician, respectively) would build and sell a house every year or two while Kyle was growing up, and he鈥檇 spend after-school hours and weekends helping out.

From an early age, he saw what worked, what didn鈥檛 and what he liked, and that carried over to his young adulthood.

鈥淲hen I was younger and doing renovations and fixes in my first home, I kind of got the bug for it,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 like the fact it鈥檚 a challenge, and that every single site is different.鈥�

Becoming his own boss has also had significant benefits for his family and home life. Kyle and his partner Ashley have two young sons, and being able to work on a flexible schedule has opened up a huge amount of opportunity to spend time with his family.

鈥淚鈥檝e been working full time since I was 16. I gave up a lot of my fun years, and while I had a great life and a great career, I didn鈥檛 want to look back and be sitting in my office and ultimately making someone else money,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 thought, 鈥楢m I going to regret not doing what I want to do?鈥欌��

Now, he鈥檚 able to work when he needs to while enjoying the rest of his life. Kyle, a former Iron Man and triathlon competitor, coaches his boys鈥� baseball twice a week, gets out with the dog for a quick break in the afternoon, and often takes a swim at Elk Lake before the kids wake up in the morning.

鈥淲e just recently purchased a boat, and we鈥檙e looking forward to getting out and exploring the Gulf Islands,鈥� he adds. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just the four of us, so there鈥檚 a lot of family time.鈥�

He adds: 鈥淚鈥檓 very grateful for my supportive partner Ashley. She saw my potential, and my realtor saw my potential, and I鈥檝e had a few people strongly encourage me to go out and do this. It鈥檚 been a really cool experience in such a short period of time to see how quickly our brand has become well known.鈥�

The 7 Sins

Envy:

Whose shoes would you like to walk in?

My partner Ashley to see her perspective on my crazy factor! But in all honesty, likely my grandfather. I didn鈥檛 know him well as I was too young and busy growing up to spend the time, but he left everything behind in the late 鈥�60s and moved in the middle of the night to come to Canada. I鈥檓 extremely blessed to have the life and opportunities I do because of a major sacrifice he made. He came here with one suitcase and couldn鈥檛 speak English, and found opportunity here at an age when many people would be coasting out the rest of their career.

Gluttony:

What is the food you could eat over and

over again?

Ben and Jerry鈥檚 Half Baked ice cream. I should probably stop this habit.

Greed:

You鈥檙e given $1 million that you have to spend selfishly. What would you spend it on?

A boat to explore the ocean with my family.

Wrath:

Pet peeves?

A messy job site. You鈥檒l often find me sweeping myself or offering to vacuum the site. It isn鈥檛 uncommon for me to sneak onto the site before the trades show up to ensure it鈥檚 clean for the day.

Sloth:

Where would you spend a long time doing nothing?

On a boat. See the above $1 million question. I would live on the water if Ashley would let me.

Pride:

What is the one thing you鈥檙e secretly proud of?

I鈥檓 proud of leaving a very stable business and career to start this business, and rebounding in life after going through a divorce.

Lust:

What makes your heart beat faster?

My beautiful partner, Ashley, my boys and cycling way too fast.

Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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