Meet Melissa Bryan | Founder, Hope and Homeownership, LLC

We had the good fortune of connecting with Melissa Bryan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Melissa, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
For me, the choice to start a business has always been a mixture of curiosity, necessity, and opportunity. I started my first business when I was an MBA student because I needed to have control over my schedule. At the time, I was extremely interested in fitness and nutrition, having undergone my own fitness transformation while I was an undergraduate student. I decided to use that interest to help others do the same. I obtained an NSCA personal training certificate and bought a small retail space that I converted into a personal training studio. The thought process behind my next business was similar. I wanted to invest in something tangible that would provide a steady return. I wasn’t in the mortgage industry yet and had no real estate knowledge, but I was an MBA graduate and understood numbers, so I bought a struggling business with a plan to turn it around and make it profitable. That was my first real life lesson in overhead, working capital and cash flow and those lessons are why now, when I evaluate any business opportunity, I consider the overhead costs and working capital requirements before I commit. Any time you have curiosity, opportunity, and minimal overhead, you have a recipe for long-term success as long as you are committed to putting in the effort.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Even though I have been a serial entrepreneur 2009, Hope and Homeownership LLC is still in its infancy. It started as just a name in 2023 and has grown into a broader idea that I’m allowing to evolve as the universe gives me direction. If I had to box it in, I would say it is a business financial services firm with an altruistic edge. My life has been filled with obstacles and overcoming, and that experience is exactly what brings value to anyone I help. It instilled determination and resourcefulness in me that I might not have developed otherwise. Right now, I provide fractional controller services to small companies, but my broader vision is to help people who are starting with just a dream and determination see those dreams come to life. Long term, I want Hope and Homeownership be part of an initiative to bring low-cost housing and a community of accountability and support to young people, especially young parents who need additional resources as they work toward self-sufficiency, like I did in my own life. I am proud of accomplishing what, statistically, most people in my situation haven’t. It wasn’t easy as I am sure you can imagine, but the biggest lesson that I want to share with others is that if you believe in yourself, have patience, and are willing to work for it, there is not a single thing that is out of your reach.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oh a week is a long time! There is a prevalent myth that entrepreneurs have a lot of free time. We don’t. We have some flexibility in how we spend our time, but as an entrepreneur, I work harder than I ever did as an employee on someone else’s payroll. Now that that I’ve dispelled the myth, this is what I would plan for a friend coming into town for the weekend. On Friday evening, I would want us to get dressed up and head to one of Houston’s many fine dining establishments. Steak 48 and Mussafer both check all the boxes for me in terms of food, service, and ambiance. Saturday morning, I would plan to visit the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center for a guided nature hike full of beautiful plants, flowers and trails. After that, we could go to Trill Burgers for lunch because I feel like that is about as “Houston” as it gets, culture wise, at least for my generation. Plus, the burger is worth the wait in line. Houston is home to eclectic shops for every interest so we would browse around Montrose or Rice Village after lunch, with plenty of water to survive the Houston heat. We’d cap our shopping excursion off at Jeni’s Ice Creams before heading over to Miller Outdoor Theatre for a show. The next day would be Sunday and that is my day for rest, study, and planning, so that is exactly what we would do. We would grab a book, notebook and pen and head to the pool or a quiet coffee shop for the morning. I’m a pretty thoughtful friend and I like to say a proper goodbye, so around mid-afternoon, I’d drive my friend to the airport before going our separate ways.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
That’s a great question. Junior Achievement influenced my inclination toward entrepreneurship from an early age. In middle school, they ran a program called Project Business. The Project Business volunteer at our school was a woman, and I can remember admiring how professional and powerful she was and instantly deciding that I wanted to be like her when I grew up. I also have to credit my daughter’s father with the moral support and encouragement he provided during my first two business ventures. He is very entrepreneurial himself, and it is impossible to spend so much of your life with a person and not share in each other’s work ethic and drive. I have to thank my kids for being my greatest reason to keep going through every obstacle. And now, my biggest supporters are my friends who are also entrepreneurs and of course my clients. When my clients tell me what working with me meant to them, it uplifts my spirit so much. I am incredibly grateful when they take the time to do that.

Website: https://hopeandhomeownership.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/gritglamngrace

Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/melissa-bryan-58346411

Facebook: https://facebook.com/melissab789