Landon Taylor never intended to build a career in the real estate industry, yet three decades and a successful succession plan later, the lifelong entrepreneur knows it is a natural fit.

From starting a marketing company in his early 20s to co-founding investment firm Legacy First Partners, Taylor has taken over the helm of MacFarlane Partners, one of the country's first and largest black-owned development firms. The real estate veteran, a father of three who beats the sun when he wakes up daily at 4:45 a.m., recently replaced founder Victor MacFarlane and took over the day-to-day operations of the San Francisco-based firm as its next CEO.

"My career has been 30 years of taking on new challenges and stretching opportunities," Taylor, who plans to split his time between his home in Seattle and his new office in the Bay Area, told CoStar News of his plans to preserve MacFarlane's legacy while scaling the firm's investment management platform.

He adds that, "I'm going to hold onto and leverage [MacFarlane's] wisdom and what he's created while stepping into his shoes and carrying that history forward. It's an honor, but it's also a challenge."

Taylor says he "is known for innovation and creating new pathways." Since the beginning of his real estate career as a broker at a local Century 21 office, he has built a resume stocked with experiences with Fortune 500 companies and multibillion-dollar development projects, rising in the ranks in an industry long dominated by affluent white men.

"This is an industry that doesn't have many people of color or many women at all," he said. But when he started in sales at the $8 billion real estate information services company First American, "I was given the opportunity to bring my own ideas about growth."

Five years and six unrequested promotions later, Taylor founded a tech company under the First American umbrella and was able to convince his superiors that investing in urban centers across the United States wasn't just a measure of good will, it was essential to staying competitive.

"There were not many people that looked like me, but it was a firm that rewarded performance," Taylor said. "I was able to make it so that my focus was on investing and strategic technology, and being able to show how that could be profitable became part of my DNA."

With his passion for urban redevelopment and the capital to help fund it, it was only a matter of time before his path crossed with MacFarlane, who founded MacFarlane Partners in 1987 and led the firm to manage upwards of $20 billion in real estate assets across more than 30 cities on behalf of about 40 institutions.

The pair met while partnering on the $2 billion Freedom West project in San Francisco's Fillmore District, which is expected to replace a dilapidated 382 co-op complex with more than 2,000 new homes.

Even with his plate filling up at MacFarlane Partners, Taylor somehow still makes time to travel, play and spend time with his family, which includes wife and Legacy First Partners co-founder Dr. Michelle Flowers-Taylor, their 4-year-old daughter, and two adult sons from his previous marriage.

"I'm big on family," he said of spending his mornings with his daughter and going to as many of her swim races and music recitals as his schedule allows. " We're all voracious readers and challenge each other with books and documentaries. I also made a pledge to take up family golf."

How do you start your day?

I wake up at 4:45 a.m. each morning, work out for 30 minutes, spend time meditating and visualizing and, if I'm not traveling, playing with my 4-year-old daughter and cooking breakfast for her and my wife. We start our day at the kitchen table sharing what we are looking forward to for the day ahead.

Any tips or habits while you're on the road traveling?

Keep your morning routine in place as much as possible. It keeps you grounded and in the flow. I also stay connected to family at home with short FaceTime calls. It is important to show your spouse and kids that they are a priority, even when you are traveling for business.

What career would you have if you hadn't landed in real estate?

I have no idea! I started in real estate when I was only 21 years old. Even that wasn't really planned.

What are you reading now, and what is next on the list?

"Essentialism" by Greg McKeown for the third time and up next is "Relentless" by Tim Grover for the second time.

Best advice a mentor or colleague has ever given you?

Always be willing to go the extra mile and do way more than you are paid to do.