Why I'm Not a CEO

Most people expect the founder of a company to call themselves CEO. It’s the default title — the one you put on a business card, the one people nod at in recognition. But when I started Little Haven, I knew that wasn’t the story I wanted to tell.

 

I didn’t build this company to climb some corporate ladder or sit at the top of a hierarchy. I built it to challenge a broken housing system. And “CEO” just doesn’t say that.

 

So instead, I chose Director of Housing Innovation.

 

Why? Because this role isn’t about managing from above — it’s about leading change from the ground up. My job isn’t to maximize shareholder returns or polish quarterly reports. My job is to break barriers: the zoning rules that shut out smaller homes, the lending practices that punish single incomes, the idea that accessibility should be an “upgrade.”

 

Innovation here doesn’t mean flashy tech or trendy buzzwords. It means rethinking the basics — affordability, accessibility, ownership — and proving through Little Haven that housing can actually work for the people who need it most.

 

I’m not here to imitate the developers and executives who got us into this mess. I’m here to build something that works differently… better.

 

Titles don’t build trust — actions do. “CEO” has become shorthand for a system I don’t intend to copy. My work isn’t about prestige or profit margins. It’s about breaking barriers and building possibility. As long as I need a title, this one says it best: Director of Housing Innovation. We’re here to innovate, not to imitate.

 

If that means stepping outside the box of what business “should” look like, then good. That’s exactly where change begins.