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Founder@ Interview
Interview with Melissa Lewis
“If you have an idea, you have to act upon it. Nothing worse than living life with regrets. Regardless of what the outcome is or where the journey takes you – just start!.” – Melissa Lewis
Today we feature Melissa Lewis, the founder at ML Property Venture. We hear their story in their own words, their successes, their challenges and their insights.
Let’s start by getting to know you. Can you please tell us a little bit about you and what you do?
I’m 30, currently live in Essex and I run my own property business – ML Property Venture. We find properties and developments for investors, manage our own HMO portfolio and offer property services, such as viewings, inventories, inspections, tenant check-ins & outs, etc. I see life as a journey with ups and downs and I embrace each day – some days I’m embracing it on the road meeting clients, and other days I’m embracing it on the sofa wrapped in a duvet watching Netflix.
A great introduction and start to this interview. Can you please tell us, how did you start, from what age, and what made you decide to change direction and start?
My background is originally HR. I set myself a goal whilst I was at university (studying HR Management), that I wanted to be a Senior HR Officer/HR Manager by the time I turned 30.
I achieved this goal when I was 26. It was during this year that I purchased my property which I live in now. I had started avidly saving at 16 and after buying my first and second car, realised I had enough for a deposit. There was a moment one day when I thought ‘right, I’ve completed what I had set out to do, what’s next?’.
I decided that I would pack in my comfortable and stable full time HR job and join an online estate agency as a franchisee. Whilst I was doing that, I networked with investors and they started to ask me for specific types of properties. They told me what to look for, how to roughly calculate return on investment percentages, refurb costs, etc; and teamed with the knowledge I had of my local property market, I decided to set up ML Property Venture.
I started off just looking for properties in Essex for investors, but as time went on and I networked more, I was able to expand to the rest of the UK and looking for developments also. Additionally I expanded into offering property services and during lockdown decided it was time to work on building our own HMO portfolio.
Thank you for that insight. So can you tell us…What does your business do and where is your company based?
Our business finds properties and developments in the UK for our investors. We also offer property services, such as viewings, inspections, inventories, tenant check ins/outs, etc. Finally we look after our HMO portfolio. We are based in Essex but cover the UK. Our goal for the next 5 – 10 years is to start our single buy-to-let portfolio and continue offering our customers help and assistance with all of their property needs.
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What’s the story behind your success? What led to your aha moment? how did you get to where you are now?
I felt that as I had achieved a goal that I had set, 4 years earlier than planned; that there was more out there in the world for me. I felt that there was more that I could achieve. I also hated working full time – having to deal with annoying coworkers, office politics and having the same weekly conversations with the same people (‘ergh, it’s Monday – oh it’s hump day, half way there – yay it’s Friday, what are you doing at the weekend’); so I would look at what else I could do.
One summer when I was at uni, because I had so much time off, I done a course on how to set up and run your own events company. I realised I didn’t enjoy events enough, but I guess from my late teens, I subconsciously knew that I wanted to have my own business.
Going through the property purchasing process, was my first taste of anything property related.
It’s been tough, especially living alone and setting up a business. I got to where I am now, thanks to my network – people I met along the way, my friends and family who probably thought I was mad or delusional (or both). No one could help me as I didn’t have any close people who ran their own business, but networking events were my absolute saving grace.
I probably wouldn’t be where I am, if I did venture out to networking events.
The main thing I done, to get to where I am – was keep going. I then got to a point where things felt hard and lonely, but I had come too far to just stop or go backwards. I had no other option that to keep going.
Thank you for sharing that. What’s been your life’s biggest lesson so far?
My biggest lesson so far, is that nothing is straight forward. Even when you plan, things don’t follow this plan and projects take longer and more expensive than you originally anticipated. I’ve faced deals not crossing the line – at first it was disappointing because of the amount of time and effort that goes into it, but eventually I got better at managing my own expectations.
Now I understand that things are constantly going to be up and down, so I try to remain as neutral as possible. I also take a moment to celebrate the small wins and it’s easy to be so focused on the big picture, that you miss the small steps that got you there.
The main thing that I wished I had known prior to starting my business, was how hard it would be. I knew it would be tough, but I felt no one warned me. Also, there is so much information and different perspectives to take in at the beginning and this is where I truly learned that overwhelm is a thing.
If I had known this, would it have put me off?…probably not! But I would have appreciated a heads up. You go from not wanting to working 9am – 5pm for someone else, to effectively working around the clock. And even those moments that you try to disconnect/unwind, your business (whether it’s something that has been done or you need to do or a new idea) is always on your mind.
If you were to go back in time, what piece of advice would you give to your younger self?
The advice that I’d give to my younger self, is to believe in myself. I’m more resilient, confident and brave that I give myself credit for. I do still suffer with imposter syndrome at times, but I remind myself of how hard I’ve worked to get to where I am now.
I also remember that this is a journey. I wasn’t meant to start my business and then click my fingers and suddenly be chauffeur driven to my private jet all in the same day. And if that had happened, I would probably start to wonder what I should do next, so I’m happy with where I am now and focused on hitting the next milestone.
There are times where I wished that I wanted to be a 9am – 5pmer for the rest of my life. If you get into a job you enjoy, with a good manager and a coworker or 2 that you like – you’re set! But no amount of money in the world, could keep me in a full time job from now until retirement.
We’re nearly halfway through our interview so it’s a great time to ask how does your business run. What three tools make your business run better?
My top 3 tools are: Hubspot CRM system, Trello & Canva. I found out about these tools from networking with other entrepreneurs and I wouldn’t be able to run my business without it. Trello is especially helpful when outsourcing projects or delegating tasks to staff as you can keep track on where everyone is at.
Also, Canva – I couldn’t post and manage our social platforms without it.
I originally started off just using notebooks and excel spreadsheets to keep contact details and updates on where we would be at with each project. But it can become difficult to search for exactly what or who you need, without an effective CRM system. I honestly wouldn’t be able to function without the business systems and processes that are in place.
What do you know now that you wished you had known before?
The main thing that I wished I had known prior to starting my business, was how ha
rd it would be. I knew it would be tough, but I felt no one warned me. Also, there is so much information and different perspectives to take in at the beginning and this is where I truly learned that overwhelm is a thing.
If I had known this, would it have put me off?…probably not! But I would have appreciated a heads up.
You go from not wanting to working 9am – 5pm for someone else, to effectively working around the clock. And even those moments that you try to disconnect/unwind, your business (whether it’s something that has been done or you need to do or a new idea) is always on your mind.
What has been your greatest or proudest achievement or moment?
There are so many achievements and proud moments, and this is what keeps me going. I’m proud of myself for getting featured in articles and meeting people who want to hear my journey. I’m proud of the network and business that I’ve built. I’m proud that I effectively started with nothing: no contacts, no knowledge and I built everything from scratch by myself. Overall, my greatest achievement is getting to the point where I’m at now.
What future life goals do you want to achieve and why?
My future life goal is to build my own property portfolio. I love helping others start and grow there portfolios and once I’ve got some time back, I want to focus on my own. But for now I love helping my clients with all of their property needs.
To finish our inspire questions…”We believe that sharing inspiring words can inspire others.” If there was one positive thing you would say to someone to inspire and empower them what would it be and why?
The main piece of advice that I would give to anyone who is thinking of starting their own business, is to go for it. And once you start, keep going. It will be hard. But you will learn so much and that and looking at what you’ve achieved at each point is where you will feel fulfilled. If you have an idea, you have to act upon it. Nothing worse than living life with regrets. Regardless of what the outcome is or where the journey takes you – just start!
“Thank you it has been great learning more about your founder story and ML Property Venture”
To learn more about ML Property Venture Visit www.mlpropertyventure.co.uk
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