I began my life as the son of a single mother, struggling to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table. My father abandoned us when I was born and never played a role in my life. Later, I was adopted by a man I came to know as “Pop.” Although he raised me, I often felt like I didn’t belong—some members of his family never let me forget that I wasn’t “blood.”

We lived on a chicken farm, where I literally had my hands in chicken waste every day, collecting eggs. My mother always stood up for me when she thought Pop was being too hard. But he’d tell her, “Leave me alone. I’m trying to make something of the boy.” At the time, I took that to mean he thought I was nothing. Looking back as an adult, I know that’s not what he meant. But that interpretation stuck with me for decades and together with being abandoned by my real father at birth deeply shaped my self-worth.

I never had a desire to meet my biological father, but I didn’t realize just how much his absence—and the constant reminders from my adopted family that I didn’t belong—had affected me. I carried the belief that I wasn’t good enough well into my 50s.

That pain became my fuel. I used it to push myself—to be better, to learn more, to climb higher, to earn more. All to prove, mostly to myself, that I was worth something, that they were wrong about me.

From a young age, I had a clear vision of my future. I saw myself running a company, being respected, and I can still see the image that was in my head of the property I owned, under construction. I didn’t know how I’d get there—I just knew I would.

I began my career as a carpenter and steadily worked my way up through senior executive roles in operations, marketing, branding, business development, pre-construction, and ultimately, real estate development—all within the commercial mixed-use sector.

The journey was long, painful, and filled with setbacks. I was constantly overlooked by those with advanced degrees, because I had not gone to college. They did everything they could to keep me beneath them, as if I didn’t belong in their world. But I kept moving forward. I took course after course aligned with the future I envisioned for myself. While I don’t hold a college degree, I’m highly educated in every aspect of commercial mixed-use real estate and business strategy.

After nearly 35 years in construction and real estate, I stepped away from corporate life to launch my own business. I quickly learned that building something from scratch is a completely different challenge. But like every other obstacle in my life, I knew I’d figure it out. I had an inner drive I’d finally learned to harness—and that changed everything.

My unique perspective became my advantage. I saw deals, strategies, and structures others couldn’t. That vision allowed me to stand out and succeed.

What some may have already considered “success” was only the beginning. For me, it felt like lightning had finally started striking everywhere. Today, we are a respected national brand—comprised of eight vertically integrated companies that fuel each other’s growth:

➤ M Vincent Real Estate Debt Fund – National debt capital for our in-house ventures

➤ M Vincent Real Estate Equity Fund – National equity capital for in-house ventures

➤ M Vincent Assets LLC – National commercial mixed-use investments

➤ M Vincent & Associates LLC – Commercial & residential real estate agency (DE, MD, NJ, PA, NC, FL)

➤ M Vincent Real Estate Management LLC – Property management in DE, MD, and PA

➤ M Vincent Real Estate Maintenance LLC – Property maintenance in DE, MD, and PA

➤ Rezcom Steel Structures LLC – National steel distribution, producing steel in 13 states

➤ Painted Horse Properties LLC – National direct-to-owner marketing for acquisitions

Our companies are frequently featured in the media, and I speak across the country as a keynote speaker and panelist at major regional and national events, including universities. I’m honored to be featured in a documentary airing in Fall 2025, which tells the story of my life and my entrepreneurial rise.

I’ve also received multiple local and national entrepreneurial awards. But beyond all of that, what matters most is that I proved—first to myself, and then to the world—that I was enough all along.