We’re looking forward to introducing you to Darsey Nicklassen. Check out our conversation below.
Darsey, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
The culture of genuine care that happens behind the scenes.
People see our buildings and our 23-minute response times, but what they don’t see is the intentional culture we’ve built where caring about people isn’t just policy—it’s instinct.
It’s the maintenance team that knows Mrs. Johnson’s arthritis flares up in winter, so they check her heating first. It’s our leasing staff who remember that the young couple in 2B just got engaged and ask how wedding planning is going. It’s the way we celebrate residents’ wins and show up during their hard times, not because it’s in a manual, but because that’s just who we are.
During COVID and Black Lives Matter, residents told me they didn’t want to leave Blue Dot because they knew they mattered to us as people, not just rent payments. That culture didn’t happen by accident—it was built through hundreds of small, invisible moments of choosing to see people as humans first.
What I’m most proud of is that this culture is self-sustaining now. New team members don’t need to be taught to care—they see it modeled and naturally adopt it. When someone joins Places Management or DHN, they quickly learn that we don’t just manage properties; we create spaces where people feel seen and valued.
Nobody sees the daily choice to prioritize humanity over efficiency, to invest time in relationships that don’t show up on spreadsheets, or to build systems that protect people’s dignity. But that invisible foundation is what makes everything else possible.
It’s the difference between running a business and building a community. And honestly, it’s the thing I’m most proud we’ve created—even if no one ever notices it.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My story started with a bold bet. Eight years ago, my partner Kathy Loo and I developed Blue Dot Place—the first residential building in downtown Colorado Springs since the 1960s. Everyone said downtown living wouldn’t work here. We proved them wrong, and that single project sparked over 2000 new apartments in our downtown area.
Here’s what makes us different: we create people-first housing communities.
Through DHN Development, we’re building people-first communities for Colorado’s “missing middle”—teachers, nurses, first responders who earn too much for affordable housing but can’t afford market rates.
Through Places Management, we bring that same people-first approach to property management. Most companies either want massive complexes or barely return your calls for smaller properties. We specialize in that sweet spot of 25-150 units, delivering professional service with personal attention.
Our people-first approach means: 23-minute responses to inquiries, 23-hour maintenance response, and knowing our residents by name, not just unit number. We believe great communities start with genuine human connection.
Growing up in small Montana & Colorado towns taught me the power of knowing your neighbors. That’s what we’re recreating: modern housing that feels like home and communities where people genuinely connect.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
For years, I carried the deep desire to be everything to everyone. Like many female entrepreneurs and mothers, I believed I could—and should—please everyone and fix everything single-handedly.
This people-pleasing nature actually served me well, for a while. It opened unexpected doors, created opportunities I wouldn’t have otherwise pursued, and helped me build the relationships that became the foundation of my businesses. When I said yes to things that I was unsure about, those yeses often led to possibilities I couldn’t have imagined.
But I’ve reached a phase where I can see the toll this approach has taken as well. I’m learning something I genuinely didn’t know existed: boundaries. I’m discovering that it’s not only okay but necessary to make decisions that serve my family, my business, and myself—even when others don’t understand or agree.
What I’m releasing is the need for universal approval. I’m letting go of the exhausting belief that everyone must like my decisions for them to be right. When people aren’t comfortable with my boundaries, that’s information about them, not a reflection of my worth.
This transition isn’t always graceful, but what I’ve discovered is transformative: when I honor my boundaries, I’m less resentful, genuinely happier, and free from the constant worry about others’ opinions.
The part of me that’s emerging is more authentic and sustainable. I can still care deeply about others and serve my community through DHN Development and Places Management, but from a place of choice rather than compulsion. I’m learning that true leadership sometimes means disappointing people in service of a greater good.
This evolution is allowing me to show up more fully for what truly matters: creating people-first housing communities where others can also find their sense of belonging and authenticity.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering taught me the profound power of vulnerability—something success had actually trained me to avoid.
When all of my early projects were thriving, I thought strength meant having all the answers and protecting others from disappointment. Success reinforced the belief that I could—and should—handle everything myself.
But when the industry and economy changed and my projects hit serious challenges, I had no choice but to open up. I had to have difficult conversations with investors, admit what wasn’t working, and ask for wisdom instead of projecting invincibility.
What I discovered shocked me: the more I opened up about our struggles, the more support and compassion surrounded me. The investors I thought would be disappointed became my greatest sources of guidance.
Success had taught me to keep others at arm’s length in order to maintain competence. Suffering taught me that isolation is the worst strategy of all.
If everything had continued smoothly, I would have missed discovering the depth of caring in my community. I would have remained trapped in the exhausting cycle of trying to hold it all together in a glass tower.
The technical skills I’m gaining—better financial understanding, improved processes, stronger communication—I could have learned from books. But the wisdom that comes from leaning into others’ experience, from admitting I don’t have all the answers, from discovering that people want to help when you’re honest about needing it—that only comes through real challenges.
Suffering stripped away my need to appear perfect and revealed something far more valuable: authentic community.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
Creating genuine community and connection. It’s something I always find myself coming back to.
Growing up in small Montana and Colorado towns, I took community for granted. People naturally supported each other, shoveled neighbors’ sidewalks, and looked after one another. It was simply how life worked, and I didn’t fully appreciate its value then.
As a parent, I see community’s power more clearly. It’s hard to do everything alone, and children benefit enormously from having other caring adults in their lives—even neighbors willing to tell you what’s happening when you’re not around. What I disliked as a child, I now treasure as a parent.
My commitment deepened through personal tragedy. When I lost my son Jackson, people I barely knew reached out, cared for me, and invited me into their businesses and communities. I received an incredible gift of belonging during my darkest time.
When I started Blue Dot Place, I unknowingly recreated this by treating people the way I’d been raised to treat them. Tenants trusted me with their engagement news—I saw the ring before anyone else! I wasn’t just collecting rent; I was part of their lives.
During COVID, residents taught me that simple acts of kindness can create profound belonging. They told me directly they didn’t want to leave Blue Dot Places because they knew they were more than a number, that their lives mattered to someone.
That’s when I realized I had created something special without even knowing it. Now I actively build entire companies around this principle. I’ve ingrained it so deeply into our team and our systems that that’s just how we operate.
Everyone wants connection. Everyone wants to be seen and heard. If we can provide that sense of belonging for even 10% of the people who spend time with us, it’s simply the right thing to do—to share in their joy, support them through sorrow, and let them know they’re not alone.
This commitment is woven into everything we do at DHN Development and Places Management.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What will you regret not doing?
I’m trying really hard to live a life without regrets, and honestly, I’m proud that I can say I won’t regret not taking a shot at development—because I did take that shot. Even with all the challenges we’ve faced and the lessons I’ve been forced to learn, I’m grateful I had the courage to try.
What I would deeply regret is not taking every opportunity to travel and experience the world.
There’s something profoundly transformative about opening yourself up to new cultures and different ways of life. Travel offers a perspective you simply can’t get any other way, it shows you how beautifully diverse human experience can be, and paradoxically, how connected we all are despite our differences.
Most importantly, it reminds you how insignificant your daily worries really are. Whether you’re witnessing an entire Cape Town neighborhood grateful to share a single water spigot, filling jugs for their families, or walking among temples built by ancient Greeks thousands of years ago, travel puts everything in perspective. The problems that feel overwhelming at home—the investor calls, the construction delays, the sleepless nights—suddenly seem manageable within the vastness of human experience and resilience.
Travel knocks you back into reality in the best possible way. It reminds you that life is so much bigger than your immediate circumstances, that the world will continue spinning regardless of whether your latest project succeeds or fails. It reminds you that you will figure it out, you will survive, and through this hardship, you may even learn, evolve and come out better on the other side.
That perspective is invaluable for an entrepreneur. It keeps you grounded, humble, and open to possibilities you might never have considered. It teaches you that there are countless ways to solve problems, build communities, and create meaning.
I never want to look back and realize I was so consumed with building my businesses that I forgot to experience the incredible world we’re all part of.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://placesmanagement.com
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darsey-nicklasson-65773b42/
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Pollinate Marketing
