How Did Foresight — and a Lot of Grit — Turn One Client into a Thriving Business?

Can tenacity turn setbacks like the 2008 GFC into career breakthroughs?

This week on Retail Retold, Chris Ressa sits down with Bethany Babcock, founder of Foresite Commercial Real Estate — and a mom of three who has built a thriving firm through sheer tenacity.

Bethany’s journey is anything but conventional. Born in the U.S. but raised in Chile, she came to Texas at 18 with no financial support and worked her way through college while getting her start in real estate. When the 2008 financial crisis hit, she doubled down instead of walking away — jumping into commission-only investment sales and eventually founding her own firm in 2014 with a single client.

Since then, Bethany has grown Foresite into a respected full-service company with offices in San Antonio, Austin, and Houston. Along the way she created the CRE Launch Program, an internship pipeline that’s bringing fresh talent into the industry. Her story blends personal grit with professional innovation, offering valuable lessons for anyone navigating today’s retail real estate market.

From raising bilingual kids to raising capital, Bethany shows what it takes to persevere — and why “trust but verify” is more than just a business mantra.

What you'll hear:

• How a mom of three turned setbacks into a thriving CRE business
• Why 2008’s downturn became a springboard, not a stumbling block
• How mentorship and grit fueled Bethany’s career shift into retail
• The inside story of launching Foresite with one client and growing from there
• The birth of the CRE Launch Program and its role in shaping new talent
• Market insights: San Antonio and Austin leasing strength, local buyers vs. international investors
• A high-stakes deal that fell apart — and the hard lesson learned

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Bethany Babcock

02:43 Bethany's Journey into Commercial Real Estate

06:05 Career Development and Starting Foresite

08:52 Growth and Challenges in Business

11:39 Current Market Insights and Trends

14:53 Local vs. International Investors

17:55 Lessons from a Challenging Deal

21:40 The CRE Launch Program and Closing Thoughts