Even as a little girl, I never felt constrained by my gender. I had my collection of Barbies, but I also played baseball and could out skateboard any boy in my neighborhood. I had the best Farrah Fawcett feathered hair and the worst skinned knees. My father built racecars for a living, and as a teenager I was the only girl in the pits. I would be completely greasy helping fix a car to get it back on the track and then run to the bathroom, get cleaned up, change clothes and help hand out trophies at the end of the race.
It didn’t occur to me when I chose a career in the male-dominated commercial real estate (CRE) industry that I would be anything other than successful. Broken arms, bruises and scabs became 16-hour days, seven days a week. The outcome was the same: I excelled. While some male brokers smirked, I busied myself learning everything I could about the industry. I built relationships. I provided added value to my clients. I worked hard.
I remember that in my first year in the industry, everybody assumed I would gravitate toward office leasing because that’s what the few women in CRE did. So I went after industrial and not just small industrial -- big. After all, it’s the same process, just more square footage. My very first deal sold for $7.6 million.
Now I’m co-founder in a startup. Groups like Catalyst inspire me http://www.catalyst.org/ and all they’re trying to do to help women advance in business. Catalyst monitors many topics of interest, including the percentage of Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 companies that are led by women. Less than 5%. Sigh. http://www.catalyst.org/knowledge/women-ceos-fortune-1000
Not everyone is lucky enough to have a dad like mine. He taught me that in order to see change, you have to be the change. How great it would be if we could each help “parent” those around us to likewise feel the power inside them and reach for whatever future they want. I’ve chosen the commercial real estate industry, and one day, I hope to earn a place on that Catalyst list.