Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Devin Elder, Principal of DJE Texas Management Group, located in San Antonio, TX, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We are a real estate private equity firm; we manage capital for a large group of investors seeking passive, safe, double digits returns backed by real estate.
Tell us about yourself
I was highly motivated to run my own company, with all the risks and rewards it entails. After college and a decade in the corporate world, I started DJE in 2012 with the purchase of one investment home project. We've since grown to 100 employees and $200M AUM. I am motivated today to be a hero to three groups of stakeholders: our investors, our employees, and the disadvantaged children we support through The DJE Foundation. When our company wins, all of these stakeholders win.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Learning to hire talented people, convey a vision, and get out of their way.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
The buck stops with you! Sometimes that means not getting paid; sometimes, it means writing a big check to keep a project going. The biggest challenges provide the biggest opportunities for personal growth.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Find a mentor, defined as someone who already has the results you want, and copy them exactly.
- Find every capital source you can. Sell things, get lines of credit, develop banking and capital relationships, and be prepared to need a lot of capital.
- Study and implement the concepts in the book "Traction" by Gino Wickman.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://djetexas.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/djetexas/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dje_texas/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dje-texas-management-group/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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