Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Worman.
Jessica, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My twin sister, Susan, and I grew up in an entrepreneurial household. We are the youngest of 5 and our parents had their own real estate company, so we were basically their employees. Every decision from as far back as I can remember was discussed with us. They instilled in us from a very young age that you had to work hard to get where you wanted to go.
Susan and I both then went to TCU and quickly gravitated toward commercial real estate. We interned with Trademark Property Company our Junior and Senior years and then went full time with them when we graduated. I started as an Acquisition Analyst and quickly transitioned into Leasing and Susan started as a Financial Analyst and worked her way up to Vice President of Finance and Developer.
I left after 4 years and went to the retailer side of the business, working for Open Realty Advisors in Dallas. They are an out of office real estate arm for some of the best retailers in the world, doing everything from site selection, to proformas, to strategy, to lease negotiation. I was fortunate to lead and assist on strategies for Apple, J Crew, Tesla, Spanx, Diane Von Furstenberg, etc.
After 7 years with Trademark, Susan left in October of 2014 to start M2G Ventures. I made it another 3 months and then decided to join. We always knew we wanted to have our own company together and then was as good of time as any. Since our founding in October of 2014, we have transacted on $60M in property in primarily the Fort Worth area, specializing in adaptive reuse and historic conversions.
We pride ourselves on being visionary storytellers who are setting the standard for the fast-growing real estate industry through holistic, innovative property development and raw, industrial designs.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
For both Susan and myself, leaving stable, well-paying corporate jobs was difficult. We always loved what we did for those companies and are hard workers so leaving something you put so much effort, energy and passion it was not easy.
Commercial real estate is very fast paced; keeping up the momentum with speed and passion is always a challenge. We love it so much though, it is all we generally talk about. We are extremely hands-on, so expanding to other markets has been more challenging than we would want to admit. Finding good teams to partner with is the key to that and that will be a challenge we will undertake in 2018.
M2G Ventures – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We are known for taking buildings that seem to be forgotten in some way or need to be brought into the current century and making them creative and relevant again. We use public art in some ways at all of our projects which gives each of them a unique personality and perspective.
We are proud to be disruptors in what is typically a very traditional field. We see value where others don’t and they tend to make them even more valuable than others could even imagine. We like to do the unexpected. We rarely see a building and say it can’t be more than it currently is.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success to me, personally, is about being able to give your family what they need and ultimately want, not to an excess, but to a point where you can enjoy life together. I want my daughter to look at me one day and understand what it takes to be successful, hard work and some good luck.
Professionally, it is to continue to work on challenging projects that are still successful financially. My sister and I always joke that there has to be an easier way, but the reality is, we love the puzzle that real estate is, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Contact Info:
- Address: 200 Carroll Street, Suite 140, Fort Worth, Texas 76107
- Website: www.m2gventures.com
- Phone: 972-679-7567
- Email: jmworman@m2gventures.com
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