By: Emma Sterling

The morning light streams through the windows of a sleek Austin office as Tamar Hermes settles into a chair, laughing about how different this moment is from where she started. Three decades ago, as a 28-year-old television executive earning $150,000 annually—a significant sum in the early ’90s—she appeared to have it all. Corner office, impressive title, enviable salary.

She didn’t.

“I was trapped in golden handcuffs,” Hermes says, her voice carrying the quiet confidence of someone who’s moved beyond conventional expectations. “I had the trappings of success but not the freedom. My schedule, my decisions, my life—it all belonged to someone else’s timeline.”

Today, Hermes runs Women Growing Wealth, an organization helping professional women explore financial independence through real estate investing. Her journey from corporate executive to wealth mentor wasn’t planned. It just unfolded—like revolutions, one small step at a time.

The Decision That Changed Everything

Photo Courtesy: Joi Conti

In 1999, while still working in television, Hermes made a move that would significantly impact her life’s trajectory. She purchased a duplex for $400,000, putting down just $40,000—10% of the purchase price.

“That property,” she says, pausing for effect, “has appreciated over the years, though the numbers are just part of the story.”

The math is compelling. A $40,000 investment that has grown in value over time. But the numbers only tell part of the story.

“I didn’t grow up with money,” Hermes confesses. “Real estate investing seemed like something reserved for the wealthy elite—not for someone like me.”

Her perception changed after observing her landlord, who worked in the entertainment industry just like her. “Seeing someone from my professional world investing in property made me realize this wasn’t some mysterious realm I couldn’t access.”

What’s revealing about Hermes’ approach wasn’t grand ambition but gradual, manageable steps. “I never focused on some massive end goal that would have overwhelmed me,” she explains. “I just took one step, then another.”

That first step—the duplex—was calculated to minimize risk. By purchasing a property where tenant rent could offset expenses, and by limiting her down payment to just 10%, she created a safety net that made the leap seem less intimidating.

“I’ve spoken with dozens of wealth creators over my journalism career, and this pattern repeats: significant changes rarely begin with significant actions. It starts with manageable steps that can lead to increasingly meaningful results.”

From Personal Success to Mission

The birth of Women Growing Wealth wasn’t inevitable. For years, Hermes quietly built her own portfolio, learning, sometimes failing, but consistently growing her assets. The organization that now helps many women started from her own lessons, some of which were costly.

“I lost money following ‘gurus’ without properly vetting their advice,” she admits with unvarnished frankness. “I made an uncollateralized personal loan to a partner who ran into trouble. Nearly lost everything.”

She shakes her head, still processing the memory. “That experience taught me to implement stronger checks and balances, to be more selective. I realized there’s often another deal—you don’t have to act quickly out of fear.”

These hard-earned insights became the foundation for her book, “The Millionaire’s Mentality: A Professional Women’s Guide to Building Wealth Through Real Estate,” and eventually, Women Growing Wealth itself.

What began as casual mentoring evolved into something more structured about a decade ago. “I wanted to help women achieve what I had, but without making the same costly mistakes,” Hermes says. “Too many accomplished women—doctors, lawyers, executives—are brilliant in their careers but remain financially vulnerable.”

The Blind Spot of Success

One pattern Hermes has observed repeatedly is worth attention: successful entrepreneurs who fail to build personal wealth outside their businesses.

“I worked with a client who had built an extraordinarily successful company,” Hermes recalls. “But almost all her net worth was tied up in the business. She felt overwhelmed by investing elsewhere.”

Through Hermes’ guidance, this entrepreneur purchased buildings for her business operations—converting rent into equity—and began investing in multifamily properties. The strategy diversified her assets while creating potential tax advantages and passive income streams.

“Business owners often pour everything back into their companies,” Hermes observes. “That’s understandable, but it can be risky. What happens if the industry changes? If health issues arise? If you simply want to step back?”

This insight reveals a critical distinction that many miss: business assets aren’t the same as personal wealth. True financial independence requires building both.

The Female Approach to Risk

When I ask about gender differences in investing, Hermes offers a perspective I hadn’t considered.

“Women’s risk profiles tend to be thoughtful but rational,” she suggests. “We’re not afraid of risk, but we’re more likely to consider it carefully. We might avoid certain high-risk asset classes like some private equity deals—not out of fear but because the risk-reward ratio doesn’t always seem favorable.”

This measured approach informs how Women Growing Wealth educates its members. “We teach about different asset classes, investment criteria, and aligning investments with both financial goals and emotional comfort,” Hermes explains. “It’s not about pushing anyone into a particular investment vehicle—it’s about empowering informed choices.”

Her organization exposes members to a range of opportunities—from real estate syndications to dividend stocks to private lending—always emphasizing due diligence and alignment with personal goals.

Sometimes this means saying no to seemingly attractive deals. Other times it means having the confidence to move forward when others hesitate.

Beyond Numbers: The Human Element of Wealth

Sitting across from Hermes, what strikes me isn’t her investment acumen—though that’s considerable—but her understanding of wealth’s emotional dimensions.

“Financial empowerment isn’t just about building a portfolio,” she says. “It’s about knowing your family is cared for. It’s about understanding your finances and feeling confident in your decisions. Ultimately, it’s about creating the freedom to live your fullest dreams and give back to the world.”

This philosophy shapes her vision for Women Growing Wealth: creating a community of thousands of women who support each other while gaining access to vetted investment opportunities.

For those just beginning their journey toward financial independence, Hermes offers advice distilled from decades of experience: research thoroughly before investing, trust your instincts, practice patience, and “bet on the jockey, not the horse”—prioritize good leadership in any investment opportunity.

Importantly, she emphasizes community. “Being part of a collective focused on growing wealth, learning tax strategies, planning for retirement, and accessing investment opportunities—that’s invaluable,” she says. “No one should have to figure this out alone.”

As our conversation ends, I’m reminded that the profound revolutions often happen quietly, one decision at a time. Hermes didn’t set out to transform her life when she put $40,000 down on that first duplex. She just wanted a little more control, a bit more freedom.

Sometimes that’s all it takes for everything to change.

Published by Joseph T.