We had the good fortune of connecting with James Montague and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi James, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
The most important factors behind my success are tenacity and boldness.
Over the years I’ve experienced the ups and downs in my business as well as my personal life but my faith has kept me moving forward in a positive direction.
With each challenge, I reflect on the lesson to be learned. What mistake did I make and how can I either avoid this outcome from happening the next time.
My business has helped the community by providing Affordable rental housing with my Retirement Home called Elders Peak which is a 48 Unit Senior Housing Complex for seniors who are 62 and up.
I built this and have owned since 2004.
Our company also built 31 Single Family houses for sell to first-time homebuyers in the East College Park neighborhood as a part of the City of Raleigh neighborhood revitalization plan started about 5 years ago.
F7 International Development also has built and still own several Shopping Centers in the region mainly focused on providing quality affordable rental space to tenants with the mission of serving residents of underserved communities.
About 10 years ago, we partnered with some doctors in Osogbo, Nigeria the Xiangyang, Chinese Government to help build a Women’s Birthing Hospital with the support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. We have also been active on the International scene by establishing Sister City diplomatic relationships between Chinese Cities and US cities.
My entire carreer has been risky. The ability to assess situations and weigh out the pro’s and con’s of the options has played a vital role in my success. Taking unneccessary risk can lead you down a dark and lonely path. It can also cost time and money. Money you can always make back. Thats the nature of business but the time wasted can not be replaced.
Yes I am a proud parent of 6 Children and 10 Grandchildren . As for my parenting , i think the most important thing that I’ve done is to always try to be there for them. I attend all birthday parties,games and programs that I’m invited to the show support. My wife and I try to instill a since of stability into our children by being a postive example of what family is supposed to be.
We encourage outside of the box thinking that will set them apart from any negative people that may attempt to lead them down the wrong path.
Yes I definitley believe in having a work life balance. When I first started out in business, I worked 7 days a week/ 14 hours a day. I didnt know anything about work life balance whatsoever.
I thought that I was invinvicible. That is until I had a stroke at the age of 26. That experience really taught me to step back and smell the roses and enjoy life. There’s no sense in making a lot of money and not being around to enjoy the fruits of my labor.
I encourage anyone starting out in business to make a plan to eventually step it back and pass the baton to your next generation but in order to do that ,you must have the systems and controls in place so that you are not setting them up to fail.
The things that make me happy are : Deep Meditation, Dirtbike riding, Spending time with loved ones, The process of Real Estate Development and ownership, spreading knowledge to the youth /future leaders.
Knowing whether to give up or keep going is a difficult choice. Oftentimes I have been known to keep fighting until something positive happens. Even when others ask me why am I still going I persist.
It takes a crazy amount of Faith in GOD and myself during those trying times.
My motto is Never Give Up!!! Sometimes people give up only inches from the goal.
My thought process behind starting my own business was just trying to serve the community and benefit financially at the same time. The reason why I keep going and have never really left this community is because I wanted to show the youth in this communty that they can be build assets to the community verses being a liability to the community.
Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My Name is James Monte Montague. My company is called F7 International Development based in Raleigh,North Carolina.
What sets up apart is that we were born and raised here and have lead the charge in real estate development for over 2 decades in the underserved area known as Southeast Raleigh. We’ve built and own several Shopping Centers, Apartments and own Single Family homes. Now working on many new and large Multi Million Dollar developments around North Carolina.
I’m most proud of being an innovator of my business model and able to grow and sustain since 1997.
I got to where I am today by maintaining my Faith in GOD and my ability to serve as an positive example for folks in our community.
The major lesson that I’ve learned is ” Theres no such thing as a free lunch”. Anything worth having is worth working for and waiting for.
F7 Stands for Faith in Action and I’d like for your readers to understand that ” Faith without works is dead”
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Capital City Club at the 28th Floor of the Wells Fargo in Downtown Raleigh
Several Museums
PNC Arena / Hurricanes Game
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My family
Mother Helen Montague and Wife Wonza Montague
Instagram: Montesf7
Linkedin: James Montague
Facebook: James Montague
Other: Montesf7@gmail.com
Image Credits
James Montague