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

Hi Juan, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
My business endeavor started “naturally”. I was an internal consultant for a corporate group and my job was to help start new locations from the ground up. I learned much on the job and was always willing to go outside of my job description and gain new knowledge. I became involved with different organizations in Atlanta and through networking opportunities word started to get out about what I did for work. Once people found out that I helped new businesses start-up and assisted them throughout the growth stage, I had people that were interested in hiring me for just that! I had a conversation with the rest of the leadership at the company and that is when I decided to transition to an external role to help more businesses and organizations. The commercial real estate part of our business started about three years later once several of our clients were ready to expand, open other locations, or go from e-commerce to a brick-and-mortar location. While I had built great relationships with brokers throughout the years I could not find a fully bilingual broker that could best serve the Spanish-speaking clients. That is when I decided to pursue my real estate license to best serve all of our clients’ needs.

What should our readers know about your business?
JCM Ventures is a consulting firm founded on the belief that every company can succeed, all you need is the right guidance. It has not been an easy journey, and that is one of the first things I tell my clients as they start their entrepreneurial journey. We are a small boutique firm that cares about quality over quantity. We learned that the difficult way. In the beginning, we were taking business that would want to hire us. We spread ourselves too thin and started to see our quality go down. We would rather say we helped six organizations succeed in a year than sharing how many clients we represent. We want to make sure we can provide value to our clients and keep working together! We have been able to work with restaurants, professional service providers (medical, legal, and financial), nonprofits, and even foreign countries’ consulates based in Atlanta. At the heart of our business is giving back to the community. That is why we are committed to giving our time, talent, and treasure to amazing nonprofit organizations. A percentage of our profits are set aside to be able to give to those that give so much already.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I am all about experiences and as a travel enthusiast myself like to show my visitors a bit of all Atlanta has to offer. I love finding live events when possible: whether it’s a play at the Fox or a performance of our amazing Atlanta Ballet you can find me supporting the arts when a show is in town. In the evening there are always events happening anything from a casual live Spanish Rock put on by DJ Eu or a casual Sunday rooftop sunset at Estrella overseeing the skyline. Food is one of my favorite things in Atlanta with all different types of cuisine. We have great wings at Bantam Pub, excited to also try the TRMV Bodega opening soon, or a nice evening meal at Storico Fresco. There is always something to do in a great city like Atlanta!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are so many shout-outs to give. I often say in speaking engagements that I am a product of my community. I migrated to the United States seeking the American Dream. My mother and I came with little resources and community organizations pour into us and allowed me to become the person I am today. Since I have space to publicly do so I want to recognize a couple of people and organizations: Ser Familia, Inc. for serving Latino families and creating a space for youth to give back that allowed me to form a passion for community involvement. Judge Cuadra for believing in me when he decided to run for public office and put me to oversee his campaign. The Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce created a space for young professionals and entrepreneurs that allowed my business to flourish when it began and make lasting friendships. The Atlanta Commercial Board of Realtors for pairing me with an amazing mentor, Kirk Rich, as I expanded the business to serve our clients’ commercial real estate needs. Along the way, I have had amazing friends, mentors, supervisors, and community leaders keep me accountable to myself and continue to push me forward.

Website: www.jcmvpro.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jcmejiatl/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcmejiatl/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jcmejiatl

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jcmejiatl

Youtube: Coming Soon

Other: Clubhouse: @jcmejiatl Just look for me @jcmejiatl in most platforms.

Image Credits
Latino Community Fund, Cafe En Mano Podcast, Georgia Governor’s Office, Hispanics in Philanthropy, Arturo Gutierrez.

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutAtlanta is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.