When I was fifteen, I thought I needed to accomplish something significant before adults would take me seriously.
I was interested in commercial real estate. I liked the idea of owning or investing in properties and turning them into places people would enjoy. But I had no idea how to get started beyond reading books. I wanted to learn from people who had experience, but I worried I wouldn't know enough to have a meaningful conversation. I had never really sat down with an adult one-on-one to discuss my future, and I thought it would be awkward.
Looking back, I realize I had it backward. I didn't need to wait until I had accomplished something to start having conversations with people who had.
Getting Past the First Conversation
I remember sitting at my computer struggling to write an email to a real estate executive my mom knew, asking if she'd be willing to meet with me and talk about her career. I kept wondering why someone with experience in the industry would want to meet with a 15-year-old who was still figuring things out.
I got the words out with some coaching from my parents. I couldn’t believe it when I had a response in my inbox a few days later.
When we met at a coffee shop, I still wondered if she would think I was wasting her time. I had expected the conversation to be uncomfortable with me mostly asking questions. But what surprised me the most was how interested she was in what I was doing too. Once we started talking, the conversation felt natural.
I told her about the projects I liked doing with my dad around our house and how satisfying it was to improve something that everyone could enjoy. I also shared that I had recently started a LEGO resale business. She shared that she was an entrepreneur too and encouraged me to keep going—there was a lot to learn from any business at any age. She taught me to be open to having job experience overseas, where she learned the most, which was not something I had ever thought about.
I left feeling proud that I had pushed myself outside my comfort zone. I had spent so much time worrying about how the meeting would go that I hadn't considered the possibility that it might actually be enjoyable. Afterward, I wanted to reach out to more people. I realized I didn't need to have everything figured out before I could start learning from someone who did.
Seeing What a Career Could Look Like
That positive experience encouraged me to reach out to another real estate professional through my dad. I emailed him because I wanted to understand how he entered the industry and what he had learned throughout his career.
I was surprised that he had worked in sports before moving into real estate. I was so focused on figuring out my future that I hadn't considered how much someone's plans could change along the way.
Visiting his office made the industry feel more real. I watched people around a table discuss plans for a property and why it was a good investment. It was different from reading about real estate or imagining what I wanted to do. Now, I was seeing an environment that I could actually picture myself being part of.
When a Conversation Became an Opportunity
Not every helpful conversation was one where I had to work up the courage to start. This past summer, I spent a lot of hours at my golf club looking for lost balls that I could resell for my golf ball business. Maybe it was seeing me dressed to play golf but not actually playing. Or maybe it was seeing my big orange Home Depot buckets filled with hundreds of balls. But I caught the attention of my club manager, and we started talking about my business.
Then something unexpected happened. He offered to help and mentioned he had done something similar when he was younger.
He suggested specific places to look that I hadn't considered including holes with water hazards. One particularly good spot was a 150-yard par 3 over a large pond. His advice helped me find thousands of balls. He also connected me with head professionals at three other courses and put in a good word for me, helping me get approved to search there.
I hadn't approached him expecting any of that. I was simply working on my business and talking to someone who understood what I was doing. That spontaneous conversation ended up helping me improve the business and expand where I could look for inventory.
Starting Before I Felt Ready
Looking back, each conversation gave me something different. The first helped me get past the fear of reaching out. The second gave me a broader perspective on what my future could look like. The third helped me find opportunities I hadn't even been looking for.
I used to think I needed more experience before I could learn from people who had already built successful careers. Now I realize that speaking with them is one of the ways I can gain that experience.
I still don't know exactly where I'll end up. But I'm glad I didn't wait until I was older to start conversations that I was once afraid to have.
