What to Focus on When You Don’t Have Experience Yet

This week on Landed Not Handed, we sat down with Thomas Clark, a real estate development leader who didn’t enter his field until age 27 with no formal experience, no clear roadmap, and a whole lot to learn.

From leaving the Air Force during a downsizing, to making $18k his first year in development, to now helping shape Chattanooga’s downtown and the future home of Chattanooga Football Club, Thomas’s story is a reminder that growth is often built through small, faithful steps, not instant clarity.

In this conversation, Thomas shares what he focused on when he didn’t have experience, how team culture is shaped (or broken), and why controlling what you can is one of the most underrated career advantages.

If you’re early in your career, navigating a transition, or wondering if you’re “behind,” this one’s for you.

What are some key takeaways from any of your career transitions?

It really comes down to asking, “What can I control?” I can control my work ethic, what kind of teammate I am, and how well I work with others. No matter the industry, there’s always a team goal, so it’s about understanding that goal and knowing what role you play in helping get there.

In real estate development, there’s a clear step-by-step process from a piece of dirt to handing over the keys. The constant question is: how do you make that process better and more efficient? That pursuit of improvement is where growth happens.

Early on, reading and learning helped me a lot, and it’s something I know I need to continue. It all comes back to becoming an expert in your craft and letting that growth either move you forward or clarify what’s next.

If you had to describe your ideal team player, what would you say?

In a way, the answer is in the question. If someone’s going to be a teammate, what actually makes a team work better, a bad teammate or a good one?

People obviously need to take care of themselves, but they also need to take care of the team and the business. You can tell pretty quickly if someone is totally self-centered in how they’re pursuing their work, and that usually shows up in unfortunate ways.

The people who think about others and pursue the end goal together are the teams where the ship rises together. They’re working to better the company, the business, and the opportunity, with open arms instead of a closed-off, “I’m doing this on my own” mindset. When it’s done alone, it doesn’t help anybody.

From a team perspective, it comes down to how well someone works with others, how open they are, and how committed they are to the shared goal. Integrity is incredibly important. There are industries where it can feel dog-eat-dog and early bird gets the worm, but you can still pursue things aggressively and do it together.

It’s a dangerous environment when integrity and openness aren’t valued. Those are the things that help people and teams succeed.

What is a common mistake you see candidates/team members make that harms team culture?

One common mistake I see is allowing money or short-term financial gain to become the primary motivator. Financial viability matters, especially in real estate, but when the pursuit of money turns into greed, motivation becomes unstable.

When motivations aren’t aligned around something deeper, it’s easy for people to jump ship when challenges arise. Strong teams are built to ride both the good waves and the bad ones together.

I’ve seen this with Chattanooga FC. What kept us going through both success and difficulty was a shared purpose, asking whether we were making Chattanooga better. When teams are built on purpose rather than short-term gain, culture holds, even when things get hard.

What are some challenges you’ve faced in your career?

One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced is being the bearer of bad news. In real estate development, delays and issues are inevitable, and early in my career, it was nerve-wracking to communicate them.

I learned the hard way that holding onto bad news only makes things worse. When problems come up whether it’s a contractor mistake, a delay, or something on my end it’s far better to communicate early and clearly. That gives the entire team time to adjust, reset expectations, and stay flexible.

The earlier you have those conversations, the better the outcome. Waiting too long only creates bigger problems than the issue itself ever would.

What’s one piece of advice you want to leave with people looking to level up in their careers?

It comes back to focusing on what you can control, especially before you have expertise or experience. You can control how hard you work, the energy you bring, how open you are to asking questions, and whether you show up on time.

It’s easy to get discouraged when you see others moving ahead, but if you keep focusing on the controllables and intentionally using your time to learn through school or by going deeper into your craft, you start to set yourself apart.

Thank you so much, Thomas! To learn more about Thomas, check out his LinkedIn here.