How much money would you give up to make your job a lot more interesting and fun? A few thousand dollars? Tens of thousands? For Atit Jariwala, the answer might be millions.

Atit is the founder and CEO of Bridgeton, a real estate company that creates and manages distinctive properties, including boutique hotels. Each Bridgeton property starts from scratch: a new concept, a new location, and a backstory that informs countless decisions.

The effort and resources Bridgeton puts into a single building could easily produce three or four cookie-cutter branded hotels that reliably generate revenue. But Atit thinks that’s boring. And he’s convinced the 1,500 people who work at Bridgeton to do things the hard way—or, as he sees it, the fun way.

He spoke with Lionel Foster and Camber Creek General Partner Jeffrey Berman about why it’s wor ...