Today we’d like to introduce you to James B Kynes Jr.
James, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I often begin my story at the middle point, where the pivot took place, where I heard a voice speak to me, give me instructions, I obeyed, and from this point is where the path of Entrepreneurship truly began. To understand the kanundrum, this call, instructions created for me, let’s explore.
When I was about 12 years old, through the mere defiance, my older brother asked me to give him a haircut, nervously, I obliged and what ensued was a disaster of an attempt. Nonetheless, the hobby gravitated to me, but I was more intrigued with business and facilitation. As I progressed as an adolescent, I was a scholar athlete, and participated in various student government activities, and concluded my high school campaign as President of my Sr Class, to which we are to this day active in our communities, with several of our classmates philanthropic, and as a collective doing community giveback initiatives during the holiday. Around my freshman year of college, one of my best high school friends approached me about becoming his manager, to facilitate his business affairs pertaining to pursuit of a career in the entertainment industry. Knowing that Entrepreneurship was a goal of mine, I accepted and leveraged the platform to begin doing something I loved, facilitating the best outcomes for someone who I have intent desire in representing their interest in situational opportunities with outcomes that directly effect our bottom lines. This experience along with corporate experience I gained while a 9 to 5 sales associates for Panasonic allowed me to expand into sports management, first working directly with a sports agent, and later transitioning to a Business Management Firm. At this point in my life, I felt I was positioned to do what I was destined to do. It was the prime opportunity for me, working as a business manager for the sports division of a business management firm, it was great. Until it wasn’t so great, and all the top picks I was bringing to the table, our Group didn’t land what we desired. And the firm was going through a major restructuring, at this point, I’m frustrated, have a newborn, and on that day home one day, I am crying out to God, “what do you want me to do?”, and it said to turn into that shop.
Now, at that point, barbering is the last thing I wanted to do, but I made the turn, spoke with the owner, and he agreed to place me under his mentorship program. Internally, I’m still burning with desire to be a business manager and manage athletes, and working as a barber was a temporary situation. But what I didn’t realize at the time is that I was in development. I was learning how to serve, how to listen, how to die to myself and how to maximize the power in the position I was in. Once I developed a true understanding of this principle, new opportunities presented themselves. I went on to open my own shop, then later created the Ultimate Lifestyle Grooming Brands featuring Kings Of Atlanta Grooming Lounge And Spa. While barbering, I completed my real estate exam, began doing deals to help clients. But the purpose of getting the license was to satisfy my desire of being in transactions, the facilitator looking out for the interests of the client to protect them in deals. I wanted to be a business broker and learned while working as a business manager how to create and leverage brands. So I created a Business Management firm, which would focus on small to medium business, and athletes as a client demographic. We created a Real Estate division, which is now Rushman Moore Real Estate Group, a commercial brokerage, focused on representing tenants, Entrepreneurs and businesses seeking prime real estate to position their business in a retail, office, industrial or special use like clubs, churches for use.
We have focused our energy now on our real estate business and are creating a movement to empower the next generation of entrepreneurs and business owners with information and insight pertaining to their real estate strategy and overall brand positioning. Our goal is to represent strong companies and in the process of helping them establish a legacy for themselves and their families, we will be doing the same. Rushman Moore is proud to have its root principals based in the Entrepreneurial spirit of creativity, and sound integral business with clarity of vision and focus can accomplish anything.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
If you talk to an entrepreneur and they tell you the road was smooth, you may want to stand back. Some of the obstacles and challenges were having to cope with change and the change associated when you make a choice to change. The anxiety and hoping the choice was the right choice and for me, I have a wife and kids, so the consequences from choices affect more than me. So having to see my family sacrifice along this path brings me joy in that they are being molded and prepared for something greater than they know. I’m proud that some of the challenges created an opportunity for me to develop my faith, often as an entrepreneur, you honestly don’t know how something will happen, so you find peace in the Obstacles and Challenges.
Please tell us about Rushman Moore Real Estate Group.
Our company is Rushman Moore Real Estate Group. We are a Commercial Real Estate Brokerage, focused on Tenant Representation for clients seeking office, retail, industrial or special use real estate. As an entrepreneur, even when I was looking for my business location, I recall calling the number on the window, speaking with this agent who was representing the interest of the landlord. No one represented my interest but me. So as I learned more about the types of brokerages, I learned that you as an agent can represent tenants, and basically the landlord will pay you a commission for bringing the client. So it was a win-win, the clients gets representation, the landlord gets a tenant, we represented the tenant for no cost to the tenant.
We are most proud of stepping out and creating an opportunity for like-minded real estate professionals and entrepreneurs to have a brokerage that speaks to their needs in more than just identifying a space, but helping position them for long term success.
What sets us apart is we understand that we must operate from where we are. The industry is too big for us to have a competition mindset when we can focus that energy on creating our own space and cultivating our client base and resources to leverage success for everyone. We adopted a Killer Whale mindset, Orcas are communal, social and APex Predators meaning they work together for the common success of the Pod. This teamwork will create the opportunities that will keep our associates successful.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I could start over what would I do differently? I needed to keep a better steady income while building businesses. The actual experience feels like a catch 22 like no other because your personal income can and will suffer while building the business. I tell folks now if you have a job, use it to leverage your desires. But you must not allow it to be a crutch and at some point, we must decide when to let go.
Pricing:
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Our pricing for tenant rep services are commission based and generally paid by the landlord in most cases
- Our fee based consultation is based on clients needs and is determined once a needs analysis of the brand is complete.
Contact Info:
- Website: RushmanMooreREG.com
- Phone: 203.900.7874
- Email: info@rushmanmoorereg.co.com
- Instagram: @rushmanmoorereg
- Facebook: Rushman Moore Real Estate Group
- Twitter: RushmanMooreREG
- Other: LinkedIn/RushmanMooreREG
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