Meet Marilyn Torres Jenkins Michael Jenkins | Texas REALTORS®
We had the good fortune of connecting with Marilyn Torres Jenkins Michael Jenkins and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Marilyn Torres Jenkins, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
We always wanted to own our business and had mulled over various ideas and opportunities. Our background was in the Hospitality industry and always thought of owning a small venue that offered catering services. After much thought and prayer, we knew that in the season of life we were in, this type of business would require a lot more time, energy, and capital than what we had.
In 2001, Mike lost his job due to 911. As many Americans, we had some very tough decisions to make about our family and sustainability. Mike’s dad was a very successful Realtor in San Francisco, CA for all of Mike’s life. He grew up in the business and had a sense of how it worked. So, he decided to go into Real Estate and got his license in 2001. He worked full time with several brokers during those years. Even though he had experienced success, it was not enough to sustain his growing family. He went back to corporate America. Both he and Marilyn had corporate jobs and were doing very well.
In 2018, Marilyn’s mom got very ill with terminal stomach cancer. She decided to leave her corporate job as a Personal Banker and give full time care to her mom. During the last days of her mother’s life, they began talking about Marilyn’s next steps. Her mom suggested she go into Real Estate. And that is how the process began. Marilyn got her license in January of 2020. She was very excited. To the point that she and Mike had started discussing their future. They decided that he would eventually quit his corporate job and join her in Real Estate in a couple of years as business partners. Well, we all know what happen in March of 2020, COVID. Once again, Mike had lost his job. So, their two-year plan now became a fast-track plan. This time around, it was much easier to decide since their children were all grown and gone. They decided they never wanted to be in that position again of losing their jobs. So, their journey began as fulltime business partners in the real estate industry.
It has been the most rewarding decision they made. They have had the privilege of helping so many families find their dream home and make so many families happy. But what is most rewarding is that they have learned so much from working together full time and still be happily married after 33 years.
Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
All of our professional career has been in customer service. Being in the frontline and working directly with people we have learned to take a step back, assess and evaluate. We have learned to consider what we are going to say, how we are going to say and how our body language will be.
We believe that the best way to serve others is through communication. Being an active listener is extremely important in our business. We want our clients to feel they have been heard and listened to. For them to know we understand their needs and wants, even when at times those wants may be unrealistic. We are truthful and honest in our assessment of any situation, but at the same time we never want to offend someone because of careless words or quick actions on our part.
Commitment and determination have been the cornerstone of our business. Serving our clients to the best of their interest not ours. We are people persons, so being around people has always been easy for us. Sometimes working for people is never easy! There were many lessons learned along the way that brought us to where we are today. We have learned to see ourselves from their perspective.
Rejection is difficult. So, we learned to listen before answering. Getting the whole picture by asking lots of questions to peel back the layers of an onion. We love what we do, it is all about the people. Selling your home or buying your first home is a very daunting process. And there is no greater feeling when our clients tell us how wonderful we were and how amazing and smooth this whole process was for them.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The first place we always take anyone visiting us is to the Ft. Worth Stockyards. It is as close as we can get to the cowboy culture. Most definitely stop at Cooper’s Old Time Pit BBQ for real Texas BBQ.
Then of course our next stop is downtown Dallas. Downtown Dallas over the past decade has taken on such a different vibe. We would visit Klyde Warren Park and order from the Truck Stop and eat on the picnic tables.
Take a hike on the Katy Trails and order margarita from the Katy Trails Ice House (ask me why).
On another day we definitely would have to stop at The Star in Frisco. Tour the campus, take photos and, take some photos on The Huddle, and then get a bite to eat Mi Cocina my favorite Latin cuisine restaurant.
Of course, then we also have to stop at the Shops of Legacy to walk around and shop, then end up at Legacy West for more shopping and our final stop is Legacy Hall to eat!
Another place we would take them is Historic Downtown McKinney Square. We love it there. We would shop, have some wine at Lonestar Winery and then get dinner at the Mellow Mushroom and dessert at Cocktail Creamery!
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The first shoutout would have to go to Marilyn’s mom, Maria Torres. She was the one who planted the seed in Marilyn’s heart to start her career in Real Estate. Maria was an entrepreneur at heart and was always looking for opportunities to build a business. She lived her dream through her only daughter Marilyn.
Another shoutout would have to go to their 3 grown children; Alyssa, Daniel, and James who are so proud of their parents for starting over again when others would have just given up. They have been their biggest cheerleaders, motivators, counselors, mentors and encouragers during this journey. On their toughest days, Mike & Marilyn can always pick up the phone and know that one of them will surely speak life into them and build them back up.
Website: https://www.thejenkinsrealtygroup.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejenkinsrealtygroup/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marilyn-torres-jenkins-gri%C2%AE-psa%C2%AE-6758a61a8/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thejenkinsrealtygroup
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8492YMnBjdre9UwoDIwQYQ
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