Ben Walderman has spent more than 15 years helping shape the modern Coachella Valley economy. Born in Phoenix and raised with an appreciation for desert landscapes and Southwestern design, he relocated to Southern California in his early twenties, drawn by Palm Springs’ cultural renaissance and economic potential. After earning his degree in Business Administration with a minor in Urban Planning from Arizona State University in 2009, he started as a junior analyst at a regional commercial real estate firm in Riverside County, where he spent six years studying the shifting demographics and tourism trends of the region. In 2016, he launched his independent consulting practice, focusing on boutique hospitality, adaptive reuse of mid-century modern properties, and helping legacy businesses modernize their operations. Today, he works with independent resort groups, micro-hotels, vacation rental operators, and upscale dining concepts throughout Southern California. His approach blends practical business strategy with a deep understanding of the Palm Springs lifestyle, green building practices for desert climates, and the evolving needs of both tourists and the growing community of remote workers who have made the valley home.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
I wake up around 6 a.m. and start with a walk through one of the neighborhoods near Indian Canyons. The early light in the desert has a way of clearing your head. I use that time to think through what needs attention that day without the noise of email or texts. By 7:30 a.m., I’m at my desk reviewing notes from the previous day and prioritizing three main tasks. I don’t schedule back-to-back meetings. Instead, I block time in the morning for deep work like proposal writing or property assessments, then leave afternoons open for site visits or client calls. I spend a lot of time on-site because you can’t understand a business from behind a computer. Around 4 p.m., I take a second walk or drive through the Uptown Design District to see what’s changing. I wrap up by 6 p.m. most days. Productivity for me is about being present where I am, not trying to multitask my way through a checklist.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I start by observing. Before suggesting changes, I spend time watching how a business operates, how customers move through a space, where staff struggle, and what competitors are doing. I take notes by hand because it forces me to be selective about what matters. Once I see a pattern or opportunity, I sketch it out, sometimes literally if it’s a property layout or branding concept. Then I talk it through with the business owner or property manager to test if it aligns with their goals and capacity. I don’t pitch big transformations right away. I suggest one or two practical improvements that can be implemented quickly and measured. If those work, we build from there. Ideas only matter if they can be executed, and execution depends on the people involved being ready and equipped to follow through.
What’s one trend that excites you?
The rise of remote workers choosing Palm Springs as a home base rather than just a vacation spot. Over the past few years, I’ve watched the demographics shift. People are moving here full-time because they can work from anywhere, and they want access to the lifestyle without sacrificing their careers. That changes the economy in a meaningful way. It’s not just about weekend tourism anymore. These residents need coworking spaces, reliable internet, long-term rental options, childcare, and year-round dining and retail. Businesses that understand this shift and design their services around it are going to thrive. It also means we need to think more carefully about sustainable development and preserving what makes this place special while accommodating growth.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
I keep a running list of observations in a small notebook I carry everywhere. Anytime I notice something interesting, a business doing something clever, a property that’s underutilized, a service gap, I write it down. I review the notebook every Sunday and look for patterns or ideas that connect. It keeps me from forgetting details and helps me spot opportunities I wouldn’t have seen otherwise. The habit also forces me to stay observant instead of moving through the day on autopilot. A lot of my best consulting recommendations have come from something I scribbled down weeks earlier and only made sense later.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Don’t wait for permission to start. When I was in my mid-twenties, I spent too much time thinking I needed more experience or credentials before I could offer my ideas. The truth is, people don’t hire you because you have all the answers. They hire you because you’re willing to look closely at their situation and help them solve real problems. I would also tell myself to spend more time building relationships outside of work. The best opportunities I’ve had came from people I met at community events, not from formal networking. Show up, be helpful, and don’t treat every conversation like a transaction.
Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you on?
I think most hospitality businesses focus too much on amenities and not enough on transitions. Everyone wants to talk about thread count or pool design, but the moments that really shape a guest’s experience are the transitions: checking in, asking a question, resolving a problem, checking out. Those moments are where trust and memory get built. A beautiful room won’t save a clunky check-in process. I’ve seen properties with modest interiors earn incredible reviews because their staff made every transition seamless and personal. The industry still undervalues those interactions compared to the physical environment, and I think that’s backward.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
Walk the property or business location at different times of day and week. Most owners and managers only see their space during business hours or when things are running smoothly. I visit early in the morning, late at night, on weekdays, and on weekends. You notice different things each time: how light moves through a space, when foot traffic peaks, what maintenance issues appear, how noise travels. It’s one of the simplest ways to understand what’s really happening and where improvements are needed. I recommend this to every client, and the ones who actually do it always come back with new insights.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
I drive out to one of the canyon roads and spend an hour away from town. The combination of movement and open space helps me reset. I don’t listen to anything, just drive and think. If I’m really stuck, I’ll pull over and write out everything that’s bothering me on a single page, then prioritize what actually needs to happen in the next 48 hours. Usually, the overwhelm comes from treating every task like it’s urgent when most things can wait. Physical distance from my desk makes that easier to see. I also make sure I’m sleeping enough. When I’m unfocused, it’s often because I’ve been cutting sleep to fit in more work, which never actually helps.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
Building long-term relationships instead of chasing projects. Early on, I took any consulting gig I could get, which meant constantly hustling for the next client. Around 2018, I shifted to focusing on a smaller number of clients and staying engaged with them over time. I started checking in even when there wasn’t active work, sharing relevant articles or introductions, and being available for quick questions without billing for every interaction. That approach led to repeat business, referrals, and eventually retainer arrangements where clients kept me on for ongoing support. It’s less stressful than constantly prospecting, and the work is better because I understand the business deeply. Most of my current work comes from people I’ve known for five or more years.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
In 2017, I consulted for a boutique hotel group that wanted to rebrand and expand. I put together a detailed plan that looked great on paper, but I didn’t spend enough time understanding the internal dynamics of their team. The general manager and the owners had different visions, and my recommendations ended up stuck in the middle. The project stalled, and they eventually went in a different direction. I didn’t get paid for the last phase of work, and I felt like I’d wasted months. I overcame it by being honest with myself about what went wrong. I hadn’t asked enough questions up front about decision-making authority and alignment. Now, before I take on a project, I make sure everyone involved agrees on the goals and that there’s a clear process for making decisions. I also build payment milestones tied to deliverables, not completion, so I’m protected if things fall apart.
What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?
A subscription service for curated Palm Springs experiences designed specifically for remote workers and long-term residents, not tourists. Think of it as a membership that gives access to rotating events like morning hikes with local naturalists, architecture tours of lesser-known mid-century homes, coworking meetups at different cafes, wellness workshops, and insider dinner series at new restaurants. The focus would be on building community and helping people who moved here feel connected to the culture and landscape beyond the typical visitor attractions. Charge a monthly fee and partner with local businesses who want access to this demographic. It’s a way to turn the influx of remote workers into a sustainable, engaged community instead of transient residents.
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
I use Notion to organize everything: client notes, project timelines, research, and my observation log. I used to have information scattered across notebooks, Google Docs, and email, which made it hard to find what I needed. Notion lets me build databases that link together, so I can tag a note by client, topic, or project and pull it up later in different views. I have templates for site assessments, meeting agendas, and monthly reviews, which saves time and keeps my process consistent. I also use it to track industry trends and articles I want to revisit. It’s flexible enough that I can adapt it as my work changes, and the search function is fast, which matters when I’m in a conversation and need to reference something quickly.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?
I keep coming back to “The Power of Place” by Winifred Gallagher. It’s about how physical environments shape our behavior, mood, and decisions. That idea is central to my work, whether I’m advising a hotel on lobby layout or helping a restaurant rethink its outdoor seating. The book reinforced that small changes in how a space is organized can have a big impact on how people feel and act. It’s not overly academic, and it draws from neuroscience, architecture, and urban planning in a way that’s practical. I recommend it to clients who want to understand why certain design decisions matter beyond aesthetics.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
I watched “Chinatown” again recently. It’s set in Los Angeles during the 1930s and deals with water rights, land development, and corruption. Obviously, it’s a noir thriller, but it’s also a story about how infrastructure and resources shape communities, especially in arid climates. That tension between growth, sustainability, and power is still relevant in the Coachella Valley today. The film also captures a specific sense of place, the architecture, the light, the way the desert edges into the city, which resonates with me. I like revisiting it because I notice new details each time about how place and ambition intersect.
Key learnings
- Observing how businesses and properties function in real conditions is more valuable than relying solely on reports or theory.
- Building long-term relationships and staying engaged with clients over time leads to more sustainable business growth than constantly pursuing new projects.
- The transitions and interactions within a hospitality experience often matter more than the physical amenities when shaping customer satisfaction.
- Remote workers relocating to resort towns like Palm Springs represent a significant demographic shift that requires businesses to adapt their services beyond traditional tourism models.
- Practical, incremental improvements aligned with a business’s capacity are more effective than ambitious transformations that exceed what a team can realistically execute.