Find Your Dream Home

My number one role has always been as a wife and a mother. I’m proud of that. It hasn’t always been easy raising six kids, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. When they were growing up, I began to look at my future, and I knew I wanted a job that focused on relationships.

My first business experience was closely tied to my family. At the time, I had five of my six kids, and they were skilled at waving down cars and getting people’s attention. Once they hooked the customer, the rest was simple. It’s tough to turn down a homemade brownie. I didn’t make them with a store-bought mix. I made brownies and cookies from scratch to melt-in your-mouth perfection. Every Wednesday, there we were on the street corner, hawking our wares.

It started because I was determined to keep our family out of debt. My husband and I met when we were earning our bachelor’s degrees from Cal Poly. My husband loved his job as a math teacher, but with our family growing, we both knew we would have to make a change. When my husband decided to get his Master’s degree, we fretted over how we would afford it. We had only just paid off our student loans. The last thing we wanted to do was accumulate more. That’s when I suggested selling baked goods. But how much could we possibly make off of baked goods? As it turns out, those brownies paid for half of his tuition!

I have that resourceful, hardworking mentality. I grew up in an immigrant family who were strong believers in the American Dream. Most of them were entrepreneurs and business owners. Some started out with nothing and became multi-millionaires. The idea of bringing my kids along while working in an independently-run business seemed perfectly logical to me.

My grandmother in particular taught me the most important aspect of business: relationships. My grandfather owned a liquor store, and he was a shrewd businessman. That was also an important part of the equation, but what kept their customers returning was my grandmother. She was the heart of the store. She knew everyone by name, remembered their birthdays and asked about their kids. Everyone loved her. That’s something I’ve carried with me in every business I’ve had.

The biggest challenge was yet to come. When my husband went back to school for his Ph.D., we found ourselves doing a lot of moving all over the country. Personally, I was managing the household on a shoestring budget. I knew the brownie business wasn’t going to cut it anymore.

Instead, I joined a network marketing company that sold skincare. I learned a lot about social media and marketing dynamics. I built a team. In spite of the struggles, we got by. It taught our family about sacrifice and willpower. My family has always been my “why” and made everything worthwhile.

Once my husband was done with school and had found a successful new career, he told me it was my turn to get my master’s degree and find a job I was passionate about. To be honest, I hadn't considered getting my MBA until he brought it up because I was always focused on the kids. However, I’m so glad he suggested that I return to school. I have a huge passion for education.

It was also at this time that I decided to pursue real estate. I had always been fascinated by houses. I remember my dad would take me to look at open houses and model homes when I was a kid. The captivated feeling I got from looking at houses never went away. Now that I had sales experience, I could get a job that provided me with a challenge and revolved around something I'm deeply interested in. I look forward to working with you!

I vividly remember one occasion holding an open house. It had been a long day, and there was only an hour left. For a moment, I considered leaving early but ultimately decided against it. In the last 15 minutes, a couple came into the house, and they became my next clients. It reinforced what I already knew: I will do whatever I need to do to help someone. However long I have to stay or whatever details I need to iron out, I will go the extra mile.

Real estate is a business where I can be present for my clients as well as my husband and our kids. I always treat my clients the way I’d want an agent to treat my family. I’m always my authentic, honest self. I thrive off of feedback, both receiving it and giving it. I love helping clients see the positives, and I always let my clients know if I see a potential problem. I hope I have the opportunity to work with you!

Sincerely,

Nikki Dauphin