beginnings
Asmaa Olayan was born into an ancient Saudi family in the real estate field. She grew up between a father who has been working in the market for decades, and conversations about queues, prices, and plans. Despite this legacy, its beginning was not carefully considered. Rather, it started with a simple experiment in 2012, when she bought a small land in Qassim, developed it herself and sold it years later to discover the first seeds of passion in this field.
From real estate to coffee... then back furiously
In 2017, Asmaa was attracted to the idea of opening a coffee shop in Al Muaiqlia, with the help of a partner who promised to prepare and operate it. She paid the amount and the project started, but the partner suddenly withdrew, leaving her alone in the face of all the details: from moving the tables with her hands, to monitoring the workers, to installing the chairs by herself. Then she had a new opportunity: a branch within Princess Noura University. She opened the coffee shop every day at 6 am. She works until the time of her business administration diploma lectures, and then returns to the cashier in the breaks. She was running the business, studying and making coffee all at the same time.
The Great Transformation
Its profits at the peak of the project amounted to more than 42,000 riyals per month, but the Corona pandemic has upended the equation. It lost its branches, closed the activity, and found itself again at zero.
Back to real estate — but this time, as a fight
Asmaa has returned to the real estate field, without specialized relationships or certificates, with only a red notebook in which street names, land numbers, and plans of Al-Arid, Namar, and Al-Ruwaieb are recorded. I learned real estate brokerage from scratch through YouTube, experience, and field photography. Although some offices refused to deal with her because she was a “woman” and the field was not considered a female field at the time, she proved her presence, until she was called “Jabal Tuwaiq Real Estate” — in recognition of her steadfastness and patience from a prominent real estate engineer in the market.
The challenges I've faced
- Society's limited view of women in the real estate market.
- Losing business projects is painful.
- Learn all the skills of real estate marketing, photography, and relationship management from scratch.
- Difficult situations in collecting commission, and some owners refused to sign official contracts.
The biggest achievement
Today, Asma Olayan leads one of the most prominent real estate companies that combines marketing, development, and property management. She has managed more than 300 real estate brokers under her supervision and has implemented real estate development projects in different areas. She is active in training and raising awareness of new mediators, especially women.
Its investment idea
- You see that “success does not always require capital, but a head full of knowledge.”
She believes that personal marketing should precede real estate marketing, saying:
- “Are you anonymous? No one will hear you. Start selling yourself before you sell any product.”
Her media appearance
She has appeared in several interviews such as the “Wissam” podcast, Rotana channel, and real estate conferences, where she shares her experience and encourages the empowerment of women in real estate brokerage.
Impact and Mission
- Honesty and transparency with customers.
- The importance of long-term relationships in the market.
- The need to specialize and identify the target market.
- Invest in yourself first, before engaging in any business.
- In each meeting, Asma emphasizes:
