Today we’d like to introduce you to Nikki Shepard.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Nikki. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I am a native Houstonian! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE my city – as it is filled with so much beauty, history, diversity, culture & luxury real estate! I grew up in sixth ward – which is now the infamous “Washington Ave” and/or “Old Sixth Ward”, where you will identify with luxurious real estate and the nightlife of fine restaurants, bars & other established businesses. My beloved and all-time profession has been a Human Resource Professional. I have enjoyed this profession for nearly thirty years in Corporate America. I was tasked to assist with adding growth, focus on company initiatives, operation/development/training and to also seek out and employ great talent from all over the world! As I worked in the medical and oil and gas industries, I have always had a DEEP LOVE for beautiful architecture, real state & interior design! When I was a little girl, I would always re-decorate my mother’s house and when she came home from a long day of work – she would be amused at how I would refashion our house. As time went on, my husband and I had several opportunities to invest into the real estate world. I was intrigued with the business aspect of the of a real estate transaction, negotiations up to the beauty of the actual real estate. After working many years in the business world and not having the “ultimate” flexibility” that my life commanded for my lifestyle, I decided to follow the footsteps of my husband – as a full-blown serial entrepreneur with a “hustle” mentality! Boy, was I scared and nervous about losing a plethora of company benefits and job security! But, with much prayer, holding on to my faith that I was embedded with as a little girl and my unwavering family support, I decided to resign my position, go-to real estate school and become a licensed Houston Realtor! Not to mentioned, all those years of “honing” in my customer service skills, I figured this attribute would transfer nicely into my realty business. Additionally, since I was blessed and afforded an opportunity to work for reputable organizations, I was able to build a wonderful sphere of friends and influence, in which, is an asset to have in the real estate business. In real estate – you are your “own boss” and control your “own destiny”, there is no one in your background managing and impelling you to work!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Being a “Boss” at times is overrated and misconstrued! In my glory days, working as a HR Professional, most of your entire day is spent exclusively working with your business partners, staff and with outside clients to get your job done! In the Human Resources community, once you are able to get the work accomplished (Lol, which is hardly ever!) and can be “accountable” at any time if you are called to an impromptu meeting, then you are sort of privileged to have flex time to be in and out of the office as needed. With all, I became accustomed to working on my own, therefore, I entered into the real estate profession very discipline and understood the pompousness of meeting extreme deadlines! In a real estate transaction, “time is of the essence” is very REAL! If you fail to do something timely, then you can cause your client whom you represent and/or yourself hundreds to thousands of dollars or an utterly epic failed deal! Unfortunately, for a new agent in the real estate industry or business in general this tends to always be a default, you must be capable of communicating effectively, organizing your schedule/client’s obligations to perform on transactions, take charged poise, time management skills, and always always take the initiative to lead generate even, when you do not care to. For good measure, get in the habit of sending out “thank you cards, and/or emails as they will never disappoint your clients. Withal, the business vigor you have today will pay off often immediately or in the next ninety (90) days from now. My conscientious advice to a new entrepreneur, is be extremely customer service oriented, answer your business phone,as it’s not okay to be comfortable with your clients rolling into your voicemail unless, you truly must do so. Routinely, follow-up when you say you will regardless if it is not the message you would like to delivery to your client, work hard every day to be productive & be habitually CONSISTENT! I promise if you incorporate these general ground rules into your daily repertoire, you will be SUCCESSFUL!
What should we know about Pink Door Realty & Design Team? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I was inspired to name my real estate firm Pink Door Realty & Design Team. One noteworthy reason – Pink represent my personality and legacy- Hope, Compassion, Nurturing & Successful. Pink also stands for, intuitive energy and being insightful. At Pink Door Realty & Design Team, we represent and give impeccable customer service to Buyers, Sellers, Lessees & Investor clients. Additionally, we are a unique realty boutique because we offer interior design and staging services to our clients’ homes to appeal to “top buyers”. It is equally important to stage a house correctly in order to expedite the sale of a house, if not, it will discredit the view of the house, maybe even the valuation and the house will sit on the market for undesirable lengths of time. Also, I love and have experience with event planning, hence, for my out-town clientele that are new to Houston, my team and I will coordinate hotel stays, schedule viewing tours of the city and arrange for entertainment during their stint to our beautiful city. Also, I’m blessed to have an arsenal of creditable peers to refer to my clients to such has lenders, insurance brokers, credit repair professionals and trades of many specialties to prepare my clients’ homes to be placed on the market for re-sale. In general, we tender a vast amount of other contributions to give our clients an excellent experience! I’m a connector so, regardless of what services my clients should need that relates to a real estate transaction, I’m pretty sure I can get my clients connected to a reliable and trustworthy resource.
Looking back on your childhood, what experiences do you feel played an important role in shaping the person you grew up to be?
I’m profoundly blessed to be birth into a family that is surpassingly loving, kind, respectful and full of diligent workers. My mother is my beautiful HERO! She taught me the foundation of high-class morals and values. Also, my mother gave me a higher power to always believe in for tough times in my personal and business life. She did everything first-class and if she could not, she did not even bother. I have embraced all of these attributes since a young girl and now into my adult life and have not wavered in applying these principles over my lifetime. Subsequently, any services that I offer to my clients must exceedingly exceed their expectations of my services. Real Estate is a lovely and lucrative business to pursue. The industry lends a fabulous lifestyle however, it holds many challenges, it takes a lot of discipline and an assiduous person to thrive. If you adapted a “learning based mindset” to always WIN and devote yourself fully to best business practices, you will surpass your goals all the time! I live by this saying – It is not about how you start, its about how you finish…remember “the race is not given to the swift nor to the strong but, to the one who endures to the end!”
Contact Info:
- Address: 50/50 Westheimer Road
Suite #200
Houston, TX 77056 - Website: www.pinkdoorrealtyteam.com
- Phone: 713/249-3835
- Email: nikki@pinkdoorrealtyteam.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pinkdoorrealty/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/KiKiLaFleur06
Image Credit:
LetBShootYou
Brandy Hall & Joy Cohen
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