Magdalena Doyle

I've been in the real estate industry for nearly 15 years, and I was truly born into it. My family is a real estate family, and my father owns apartment buildings and a construction company in Manhattan. Everything I know, I've learned from him. He is the backbone of everything in my life, both personally and professionally, outside of my husband, of course. I've been very lucky to have a role model to look up to my entire life. After college, I started in hotels but transitioned to commercial real estate because it's all I had known growing up. I worked at SL Green, New York City's largest landlord, for about 8 years and rose through the ranks. Then I moved to Tishman Spire as General Manager for the Spire's first development in New York City, which was very personal to the family who owns it outright. While I was there, I got married and had my daughter, and during my maternity leave, quality of life became more important to me than I realized I wasn't focusing on while working. I wanted to be the type of mother I want to be while also being the type of career woman I wanted to be. So I opened my own property management company in January after moving to Greenwich, Connecticut. I was managing over a million square feet of commercial space, but you're married to your asset in that position. If there's a leak at 3 o'clock in the morning, it's your responsibility to show up and ensure everything is taken care of so your tenant base can work properly the next day. That comes with a lot of personal sacrifice. I wanted the flexibility to prioritize my family, so I transitioned from large commercial assets to managing individual people's homes and larger estates. My most notable achievements include winning the BOMA Award for Best Operating Building in regional New York in 2012 or 2013, then advancing to the Toby Award for Best Operating Property in the Mid-Atlantic region the following year. But secondly, and just as important, having the courage to open up my own property management company. My work now is much more hands-on and personal, overseeing contractors, managing home maintenance, and ensuring every aspect of a property runs seamlessly for my clients. In commercial real estate, you manage scale. In residential estate management, you manage trust, and that requires an even higher level of care and attention.

While my father's background in construction and property ownership influenced me early on, building something independently has been incredibly important to me. Everything I know, I've learned from him. He is the backbone of everything in my life, both personally and professionally, outside of my husband, of course. I've been very lucky to have a role model to look up to my entire life. He never applied any pressure for me to fall in his footsteps, and he's extremely proud and very supportive that I stepped out on my own to run my business, especially in a niche market. In a sense, I did follow in his footsteps, but I'm doing it on my own, not working alongside him, which I think is even a bigger milestone for him. I still lean on him for advice if there's any questions or an approach on how to handle a situation, though it doesn't mean I necessarily follow it. But having someone I can bounce ideas off of, someone I trust who is well-versed in the industry, has been invaluable.

I believe that it is very scary to have the courage to step out on your own. However, if you are confident in your ability, which I am, to execute and have the attention to detail that my clients require, the risk, in the end, is worth the reward. You only have one life to live, and why not try to maximize your career and take control rather than having somebody else control it for you. I truly believe in having a very strong network, because it's not possible to do this job without having an extensive outreach. You need multiple vendors, you need multiple people in your corner. Word of mouth, especially in a very niche market and a very specific town, is extremely important. Having people that you're able to connect to, speak with, and build a level of trust with is extremely important.

You do start at ground zero when you're starting your own company, especially in a different market. Leaving the city and leaving the industry was an extremely difficult decision because I had spent all this time getting myself to a certain position and building a reputation. There's always risk in stepping away from something established. But I've learned that confidence comes from preparation. Years of experience, strong technical knowledge, and a deep understanding of the industry gave me the foundation I needed to take that leap. I had a pretty extensive network in New York City, and pivoting to a more niche market in Greenwich meant starting over in many ways. Expanding my network and letting people know that I'm here has been my top priority.

Quality of life became something that was more important to me that I don't think I realized I wasn't focusing on while I was working. When I had my daughter and was on maternity leave, it gave me an opportunity to really think about the type of mother I want to be, but also what I want my career to look like moving forward. I really wanted to prioritize my family and have the flexibility to be the type of mother that I want to be, but also to be the type of career woman that I wanted to be at the same time. You sacrifice so much of your personal life when you're in commercial property, dealing with tenants that may experience a leak at 3:00 AM, and you have to focus on their needs and making sure the buildings are up to standards. When I had a chance to reevaluate the direction I wanted to go in, I knew I wanted to be able to still have a family life and also reach my personal goals. I wanted the flexibility of my own time now, which is allowing me to focus both on being a mother as well as having this career path outside of my home.