Real Estate Rebel - Succeeding in the Boys' Club

For readers inspired by Private Equity and Exit Interview, a single mother’s memoir of perseverance in the face of rampant sexism and discrimination—and, ultimately, of achieving incredible success—in the 1970s–1990s real estate industry.

After becoming a single mom at just twenty-four—and losing her job not long after—Sybil was struggling to make ends meet. But just when she felt she was at the end of her rope, she caught a break and, despite her lack of experience in the industry, was offered a job in commercial real estate investments. In the months that followed, she made a surprising discovery: She was really great at this job.

From the chauvinistic Deep South of the late ’70s through the 1990s, Chicago and beyond, Real Estate Rebel takes the reader along on Sybil’s journey through the “boys’ club” of the real estate investment industry, with its sexism and discrimination, while struggling to provide a better life for her daughter on her own. With humor and the benefit of hindsight, Sybil details the roadblocks she encountered along the way—both personal and professional—as well as her meteoric rise through the ranks of the real estate world. Relatable and inspiring, this is the tale of an ordinary woman who led an extraordinary life in a dog-eat-dog industry, achieving great success against seemingly insurmountable odds.