Brothers Thomas and Daniel Caspar believe that winning is good for everyone.

Starting up a UK property investment company during a pandemic, hundreds of miles away from their home in Switzerland, was not an easy option for brothers Thomas and Daniel Caspar. But the brothers are used to problem solving, and although they knew little about real estate, their finance and project management backgrounds meant that they took it all in their stride.

With more than 27 properties in their portfolio in less than two years, the brothers’ company Pillar-X Ltd is certainly here to stay.

What’s your philosophy?

When Daniel and I founded Pillar-X Ltd in 2020, it was clear that we both shared the same values and principles, which obviously helps when running a business together.

Our company stands for full transparency and reliability. So it’s imperative that we share a common goal. When we work with our business partners on a project, deal, task or whatever it may be, the outcome needs to be a win for all involved otherwise it’s a no deal for us. We feel strongly about this and it’s something that we will continue to instill in our company values moving forward.

What is your background?

I (Thomas), started my career graduating as a business economist and have been working in project management in an international environment for many years. Daniel and I both live and manage Pillar-X Ltd, our UK company, from Switzerland, so with this experience I know exactly what it takes to manage international projects. It has also given me the opportunity to develop close connections with UK business partners and develop my strong knowledge of the UK sector.

Daniel is also used to leading highly complex projects. He started his career as an electrician and also has extensive business management experience. So his skills are invaluable when leading big projects; always striving to firstly find the best deal to get a good return on investment, but most importantly delivering projects on time and profitably.

How did you get into property?

Daniel and I always wanted to start our own business. We didn’t have much knowledge in real estate but we both had interests in the financial system and how money works, so after many books, training courses and self-education we were on our way. Starting a UK company from overseas in the midst of a pandemic was never going to be easy, and if anything, the pandemic has taught us all that agile working can be done and is very much the norm nowadays.

What has been your worst and best experience so far?

There have been many types of experiences over the last two years, however, we don’t treat any bad experiences as problems but more as challenges where we can find solutions, adapt and learn from them. That’s all part of the journey.

Our best experience so far has been employing Louise, our first employee, who is based in the UK. While managing Pillar-X Ltd from overseas has been challenging, it has not been impossible, but having someone like Louise on board, who is on the ground and understands how UK business works means we can move and grow faster as a business.

What are your biggest frustrations at the moment?

For us it is striking a balance to have investors lined up at the right time when the right deal lands. For example, we had investors ready for a purchase of a large portfolio of 40+ properties at the beginning of the year, however, this deal is still not ready due to delays with the seller. This was disappointing at the time, as the properties were in an area we are familiar with and was perfect for us. However, we didn’t let that stop us and so we purchased some other properties in the meantime, while we wait for the original deal to become ready.

Another frustration is the impact of the currency conversion rate between GBP and CHF. If the GBP rate continues to drop, then this ultimately shrinks our assets. However, we believe the UK economy will be okay in the long term as will the Swiss economy whose currency is strong. It is therefore important to us that we work with a professional currency broker who helps us to deal with these challenges while providing the most protection to our assets and minimising risk as much as possible.

What are your long-term goals?

To continue to create affordable properties in the UK, providing liveable spaces for people in need, either through our social housing strategy or by continuing to grow our property portfolio.

However, our ultimate long-term goal is to build a brand that provides financial education. This is something that is not talked about enough in schools, if at all, and we’d love nothing more than to pass on our knowledge of how to make money worthwhile. In Switzerland, there is a three-pillar pension system and it was this that inspired our name Pillar-X as we want to build a brand that provides a secure foundation (pillars) for all our stakeholders involved as well as ourselves.

 

– Published by Landlord Focus, Issue 43, Autumn 2022, Page 37