Collaborate
Collaborate is Highfield Property Network’s closest level of project support for developers ready to take their experience further. Work alongside Paul Highfield as your opportunity develops – testing the numbers, challenging assumptions and navigating the key decisions that shape a successful project.
Bespoke support tailored to your project.
That’s where Collaborate comes in.
If you have completed a deal, are progressing your first serious project or are preparing to take on something more ambitious, Collaborate gives you closer access to proven development experience. Paul works alongside you on a bespoke basis, helping you see the opportunity clearly, make better-informed decisions and keep the project moving in the right direction.
Every project is different. So is the support it needs.
Collaborate is shaped around your opportunity, your experience and the stage your project has reached.
Rather than being centred on the regular membership’s education pathway and scheduled programme, the support follows the needs and decision points of your project – from early appraisal and due diligence to strategy, delivery and review.
Collaborate is structured around where you are now and the decisions in front of you.
Start with where you are, what you’re working on and what you want to achieve.
Examine the opportunity, assumptions, constraints and available information together.
Agree the priorities, actions and decision points that will move the project forward.
Stay connected as the project develops, with closer support around challenges and key decisions.
Property development involves a chain of connected decisions. A change in programme, specification, funding, planning or exit can affect the whole project.
Collaborate gives you direct access to Paul’s experience so you do not have to make those decisions in isolation. He will challenge your thinking where needed, help you recognise risk, highlight opportunities you may have missed and keep bringing the conversation back to the commercial reality of the deal.
Collaborate is designed for people who are serious about property development and want experienced guidance alongside them as they take their next step.
Collaborate is designed for people who are serious about property development and want experienced guidance alongside them.
Collaborate is about having someone experienced in your corner – someone who can help you step back, see the whole picture and challenge or confirm the thinking behind your next move.
Paul brings real-world practical experience from more than 35 years delivering completed projects with a combined value of more than £125m. He understands that good development is not just about spotting a promising site. It is about making sound decisions across appraisal, planning, funding, design, delivery and exit.
You retain ownership of your project and your decisions. Paul provides the perspective, strategic challenge and close support that can help you move forward with greater confidence.
Both offers draw on genuine development experience, but they are designed to do different jobs.
The regular membership is the structured learning and community route. It combines 40+ lessons with monthly immersive days, monthly networking, HPN team support, tools and templates, and scheduled one-to-one mentoring within the membership journey. It is designed to help members learn, plan and build the capability to deliver successful projects.
Collaborate is the closer, project-led route for someone with experience and a genuine opportunity in front of them. Paul stays much nearer to the live project, with support shaped around its changing needs and the decisions being made.
Regular membership develops you as a developer. Collaborate works much more closely with you on the development opportunity in front of you.
Collaborate is HPN’s closest level of project support. It gives experienced and progressing developers more frequent, project-specific access to Paul Highfield’s experience as they assess opportunities, make key decisions and move a live project forward.
The regular membership is a structured education and community programme. It includes 40+ lessons, monthly immersive days and networking, HPN team support, tools and templates, and scheduled one-to-one mentoring within the membership journey.
Collaborate is a closer, bespoke relationship centred on a genuine opportunity or live project. Paul stays nearer to the project and the decisions arising throughout the agreed period of support.
No. There is no fixed curriculum to complete. The work is shaped around your experience, your opportunity and the stage your project has reached.
It is for people with some property or development experience who are ready to progress further and want closer support around a real opportunity. That may include developers stepping up to a larger project, people already working through a live deal, or those assessing an opportunity before making a significant commitment.
Not necessarily. Relevant experience and a serious, credible opportunity may be enough. The important questions are whether Collaborate matches your current needs and whether you are ready to move the work forward. We will explore that in the initial conversation.
Collaborate is most valuable when there is a genuine opportunity to assess or a project to progress. You do not necessarily need to have completed the purchase, but there should usually be something real and sufficiently developed for the support to focus on.
Depending on your project and the support agreed, Paul can help you work through areas such as initial appraisal, development strategy, key assumptions, risk, planning, professional teams, project delivery and exit strategy.
Where specialist advice is needed, you will remain responsible for appointing the appropriate qualified professional. However, Paul may be able to introduce you to trusted professionals within his network.
Unlike the regular membership’s scheduled mentoring sessions, Collaborate contact is agreed around the needs and decision points of your project. The expected frequency, channels and boundaries of support will be set out clearly before you begin.
Not through Collaborate alone. Collaborate is a mentoring and strategic support relationship, not a legal partnership or joint venture. Any separate commercial arrangement would require its own discussion, due diligence and written agreement.
No. Paul will help you examine the information, challenge assumptions and consider the implications of different routes. You remain responsible for your project, professional appointments and final decisions.
No. Collaborate provides experienced development mentoring and strategic challenge. It does not replace legal, tax, financial, planning, surveying or other regulated or specialist professional advice.
No. Property development carries risk and outcomes cannot be guaranteed. Collaborate is intended to improve the quality of your thinking and decision-making, help expose potential issues earlier and give you experienced support as you progress.
The length of support depends on the opportunity and the agreed scope. We will discuss the likely project journey and confirm the initial term before you join.
Collaborate is tailored to the level and duration of support required. Following an initial conversation, we will explain the recommended scope and fee clearly before you make any commitment.
Potentially. Where a member has gained relevant experience and has a genuine opportunity requiring closer support, they can speak to the HPN team about whether Collaborate is the right fit and whether capacity is available.
Yes. Because Collaborate involves much closer personal input from Paul, the number of active places is limited. Availability will be discussed during your initial conversation.
We start with a conversation about your experience, your opportunity, the decisions ahead and what you want the support to achieve. If Collaborate looks suitable, we will set out the proposed scope, contact arrangements, fees and next steps.
