Lost it All Then Built 400 Homes

In this episode of The Developers Club Podcast, we sit down with Mark Aylwin, Co-Founder & Construction Director at Callisto Homes, to discuss what it really takes to build and scale a residential development business in today's market.

Mark shares his journey from running a construction company to becoming a property developer, explaining how strong partnerships, construction expertise and disciplined decision-making helped build a pipeline of more than 400 homes across Kent.

The conversation also explores one of the toughest periods of Mark's career. Following the collapse of Carillion, he lost his business and his house, forcing him to rebuild from the ground up. He reflects on the lessons that experience taught him about resilience, leadership, risk and long-term thinking.

Alongside his personal story, Mark shares practical insight into funding development projects, managing construction risk, working with joint venture partners, value engineering, scaling a business and why property development is ultimately a finance business as much as a construction one.

Whether you're an experienced developer, working in construction, or looking to build your first development project, this episode offers an honest and practical perspective on the realities of delivering successful residential schemes.

In this episode, we cover:
• Mark's journey from contractor to developer
• Losing everything after the collapse of Carillion
• Building a pipeline of more than 400 homes
• Joint ventures and scaling a development business
• Funding, finance and managing development risk
• Construction, planning and value engineering
• The UK property market and where opportunities exist
• Leadership, resilience and lessons from adversity

🎧 Available now on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts

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