The Birth of a Boss Babe: How Julia Wang Built Her Real Estate Brand

Critics were quick to find fault when the black-and-white images of #womensupportingwomen went viral on Instagram this summer. Can a selfie stand for a cause? Can a hashtag say anything of substance? Perhaps in some cases, they had a point. But none of the above applies to the real-life boss babe behind @juliawang_htx.

No sooner had she set her sights on real estate, Julia Wang knew she would have to do things differently. In an industry where gender parity is making steady but slow progress—where who you know and the connections you inherit are often the foundation of your success—she had to forge her own.

And her professional success is something she shares without reservation—both as an example to other businesswomen and as a way to promote the career paths of other females in her field.

“What some might think is a weakness is actually my competitive edge. When my fellow agents across Houston know that I’m rooting for them, they reach out to me first when they have something to offer. As the saying goes: give, and you will receive.”

In just five years, Wang went from trawling for clients on Craigslist to turning over $30 million in annual sales. She attributes this trajectory to hard work and hustle, but also to the female mentors who have helped her along the way—chief among them Nancy Almodovar, the founder and CEO of Wang’s brokerage, Nan and Company Properties.

And so the principles of abundance and giving back were right there at the birth of her boss babe mindset. “There is more than enough to go around,” she says, “be that love, friendship, or business. This has been my guiding philosophy since becoming a realtor and it has always served me well, both as a moral and professional compass.”

Now a mentor herself, she is generous with her advice. Work smart as well as hard. Make no apology for your ambitions. Celebrate others. Be true to yourself. These are the keys to her own success, and the success that she wishes for other women.

“Study after study shows women who support women are more successful in business,” she says. “These have always been my instincts, but everything I have learned as a businesswoman since has proven them to be true. Unkindness doesn’t work. Collaboration does.”

Type “boss babe” into any search engine and it will take you to the “top” definition on Urban Dictionary: “That annoying woman who pretends to be an entrepreneur on social media.” Call it male fragility. Call it the patriarchal status quo. However, you cut them, the cards of perception seem stacked against the female entrepreneur.

A minority woman in a male-dominated world, Wang continues to erode this stereotype with her own brand of female empowerment—for which she refuses to apologize. “Success is the sweetest revenge,” she says with a wry smile. And success she has indeed achieved.