Before becoming a Long Beach real estate agent in a blazer and leather sneakers, Ben Fisher was a professional skateboarder flying down 12-stair sets in San Pedro at 2 a.m. and skating schoolyards under generator lights in ripped jeans and a shoelace for a belt.
He poured his energy into late-night skate sessions and filming tricks, but now brings that same dedication to open houses, neighborhood projects and supporting local businesses and community groups.
“You get out what you put in,” Ben said. “No one’s going to skateboard for you, and no one’s going to do real estate for you either. You have to be self-made, independent and focus on doing the right things and showing up.”
He grew up near Long Beach’s traffic circle, spending long days at the now-closed Java Lanes bowling alley, where his mother worked, and participating in summer sports programs at Whaley Park. He attended Bryant Elementary off Anaheim Street and Naples Elementary on the island, where he first saw how daily routines and after-school activities looked in each neighborhood.
“It was a really culturally diverse upbringing,” he said. “You just get exposed to a lot, and you learn a lot about different ways that life happens.”
By the time he reached fifth grade, skateboarding piqued his interest. Neighbors on his block had boards and ramps, and trips to Belmont Pool and Cherry Park gave him a front-row view of skaters on the ledges and stage.
“Having played all the sports as a little kid and then realizing how much structure there was to it wasn’t really my thing,” he said. “I’m more of an abstract kind of thinker, so having the freedom to do whatever you wanted, whenever you wanted, was super appealing to me.”
In skateboarding, there were no set plays or practices — just the freedom to decide where to go, what to try and how long to keep at it. Then, skating with friends eventually turned into something bigger.
“I skateboarded professionally,” Ben said. “I traveled the world and had sponsors paying my salary, so I had the privilege and opportunity to be completely immersed in that world.”
But over time, the dream faded as he got older.
“As fun and free as it is, it’s not a very financially stable career,” he said. “At some point you kind of have to call a spade a spade.”
The door to his next chapter opened at a clothing warehouse, where Ben walked in wearing a T-shirt, ripped jeans and a beanie to pick up a sponsor package. He noticed someone in a suit sitting in a room, making phone calls, and when he asked about it, he learned the caller was a real estate agent prospecting for clients.
Curiosity got the best of him, and he picked the real estate agent’s brain on the industry.
“I started to ask him what this is,” he said. “And he goes, ‘Listen, if you get your license, I’ll teach you what this is.’”
With nothing to lose, Ben stepped off his skateboard. He took classes at Long Beach City College, passed his real estate exam and over the next couple of years, learned the basics of cold calling and door knocking. But after not agreeing with the agent’s practices, he joined the Kato Group.
“I owe Scott Kato a lot because he really showed me the fundamentals of what this is,” he said. “How does a contract work? How does an open house go? All those fundamentals, I didn’t know.”
In 2017, Ben placed a bet on himself and built his brand, which turned into his own brokerage. In his first year, he held more than 75 open houses and closed 11 deals, often with simple signage rather than anything with his name on it. He worked hard, and that grind has since turned into a successful career.
“Fast forward to today, I have an amazing team, and I’m number one in individual agent closed volume for the entire city,” he said. “And that’s just from the same things I believed in from the beginning — head down, do the work.”
He pointed out how real estate felt similar to skating in its self-direction and creativity, but this time it came with financial security.
Ben now lives in Naples with his family and has built the stability he wanted. He serves as president of the Naples Improvement Association, is a board member of The Rancho Art Crawl and spotlights small businesses he grew up around.
His style has evolved along the way, from AAA T-shirts and beat-up skate shoes to soft tees, jeans, blazers and the leather Common Projects sneakers he wears almost every day, paired with one of the vintage watches he collects.
To him, style is not only about the clothes, but it’s also about how he moves through rooms and shows up for his family, friends and clients.
“If you saw me now, you probably wouldn’t think I grew up the way I did,” Ben said. “This is all self-made — none of this was handed to me. It’s hard work and doing the right thing over and over, and over time you become what you want to be.”