Today we’d like to introduce you to Sonya Hickman.
Hi Sonya, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Thank you so much for having me. I’m so excited to share my journey with Voyage MIA. While I was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, I relocated to South Florida in 1997 with my 2-year-old daughter to explore new opportunities.
I graduated from Nova Southeastern University with my degree in Business Administration. I then started my 20-year career in sales & marketing at Coca-Cola in Hollywood, FL. After leaving Coke I worked under the PepsiCo umbrella for Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade, and Frito-Lay. Unfortunately, after working for the organization for 8 years I was laid off in October 2008 due to a company reorganization.
In 2009 an opportunity arose for me to relocate to Atlanta, GA to pursuit a career with Keurig/Green Mountain Coffee. After 2 years with the organization, I was laid off yet again due to another company reorganization as Keurig’s K-cup patent had expired, which forced the company to downsize. I returned then returned to South Florida to work for Red Bull North America. Which I then left due to a personal matter.
At this point, I started to wonder, what would be a fulfilling career where I held control of my business. REAL ESTATE it was.
Now, keep in mind when I relocated to South Florida from Wisconsin in 1997, I was blown away by the design, style and home structure. Since new construction was booming in South Florida, my daughter and I would visit all of the new construction models on the weekends.
In 2014, I decided to pursue real estate part-time and registered for a prep class at Gold Coast Real Estate School. I started my journey three nights a week for one month. Registered for the state exam, passed and I was a licensed realtor with no clue what to do next.
I was introduced to a Real Estate Brokerage that’s known worldwide, where I worked about 2 years. Within that time, I only I closed two transactions and I was not happy. Fortunately, I was still able to maintain my income as I had begun working for Atlantic Coffee Solutions after my time with Red Bull. Yet again, I found myself laid off as the company went through another reorganization and later closed permanently.
At this point, I decided I was not going back to Corporate America after being left tired and frustrated.
One day I was working out (running) and fell. A lady by the name of Claudienne Hibbert, who is now my mentor, changed my life. Not only did she stop and ask me if I was alright, but she also walked with me and asked what I did for a living?
I explained to her that I’m a Realtor. She responded that she would have never know by my social media, as I wasn’t as seasoned back then and gave me some pointers. I noticed they started to work as my following began to grow, which led me to finally ask if I could come work with her.
Claudienne agreed, but asked how many transactions I had pending. I was ready to leave the transaction on the table and start with my new brokerage immediately, but she insisted I finish the transaction and confirmed I could join her team after. While I was working through the transaction, Claudienne assisted me as I was not able to obtain assistance from the previous brokerage.
In 2017, I joined The Hibbert Group and closed many deals within my first year. The difference between working with Claudienne versus my previous brokerage is the Hibbert Group invested in a lot of resources for her team to be successful, while maintaining a down to earth attitude.
I have now worked with Claudienne and The Hibbert Group since 2017 and have enjoyed the knowledge, training, and personal guidance the team has provided thus far. I can honestly say they’ve assisted me with changing the trajectory of my Real Estate career.
I must say, Real Estate has provided everything that I wanted and desired in a career as I was tired of punching a clock. I now have the freedom to work when I want and change lives. Keep in mind though, I am now an entrepreneur. I do work hard to have that freedom and I am grateful for Claudienne because I was ready to quit.
Our team has since transitioned to a new brokerage, EXP, which is virtual. One thing the pandemic taught us is that you do not need brick and mortar offices to conduct real estate transactions. 2020 was my best year and I never went into the office. At that point, the EXP virtual first model clicked for me. The company has cutting-edge technology and tools as well as live trainings that are robust and ongoing.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I would definitely say, It has not been a smooth road. I placed my licensed with my first brokerage and I was literally lost in the system for 30 days. No one reached out and gave the guidance and mentorship I needed to be successful in this industry, which ultimately led to my lack of transactions my first two years as a realtor.
As you know, we’re big fans of EXP Realty, LLC. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
eXp Realty is the largest residential real estate brokerage by geography in North America. It is also one of the fastest-growing firms worldwide with more than 65,000 agents in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, India, Mexico, Portugal, France, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Italy, Hong Kong, Colombia, Spain, Israel, Panama and Germany.
Contact Info:
- Email: Sonyah.realtor@gmail.com
- Website: https://sonyahickman.exprealty.com/
- Instagram: Sonya_hickmanrealtor
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sonya.hickman.5
- Twitter: @shickman67
Image Credits
Brandon Smith Nicole Lynn
