Transcript for Hustle & Heat Episode 18
What’s up, guys? And welcome back to another episode of Hustle and Heat Podcast. My name is George, your host, and this is Episode 18.
For Episode 18, we are welcoming a special guest. This lady has been working all over Southwest Florida, making people’s lives better by helping them find one home at a time.
Without further ado, I’d like to welcome Carla Nix.
Carla, welcome to the podcast.
Oh, thank you.
It’s a pleasure to have you on. Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do.
Oh my gosh, this is such an honor. George, you and I go way back. Of course, I sell real estate and I lead a team here. We’re the number one team in the Coldwell Banker Sunstar family of companies here in Florida, and we’re very proud of that. That’s been four years in a row since we sold back to Coldwell Banker. So, like you said, we’re really trying to make a difference in people’s lives by helping them accomplish their real estate goals.
Nice.
So, for the people that don’t know, Carla sold me my first home a year and a day ago today.
Yes.
March 25, 2025 was a great day, so I really appreciate that. She did an absolutely amazing job. It was really easy dealing with her. She took me around town and showed me home after home, and we finally found the one I liked and we did our thing. The process was real easy. So, if you guys are looking to buy a home, I’d highly recommend using her or her team. I’m sure she trains her team well and they do a great job.
What is it about real estate that you enjoy the most?
The people part. Obviously, we had a relationship before getting started on your journey for your beautiful home that we found for you, but it really is a service business, kind of like the restaurant business. You get to know people, understand what it is they’re trying to accomplish, and for everybody it’s different. So, you get to ask a lot of good questions and figure out what their objectives are, then find a way to help them accomplish that, which is very satisfying.
And the best part is because we really do care. I know you can say the same for yourself because it’s genuine, but everybody on my team really loves serving people. It’s not about the money. It’s not about just getting through the deal and moving on to the next thing. It’s really about getting invited over for barbecues.
This last weekend, I got to go to an 80th birthday party for one of my clients, and I’ve also sold homes to his son and daughter-in-law and their daughter and son-in-law too. So that’s three generations. That transaction was almost five years ago, and they still invited me to his 80th birthday party. That’s the best. It’s so very rewarding and fulfilling to get to do life with so many people. That’s really what I love most about this business.
That’s cool. How long have you been doing this for?
I got my license in 2014. Before that, I was actually in the corporate world and ran a big sales team that, at different points in my career, covered Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, and all over Florida. I was helping with one-to-many marketing, teaching sales training, and networking. So, I was actually working with realtors and builders nationally and regionally.
When I moved here, I didn’t know anybody but realtors, and it was like, okay, they’re not going to buy a house from me, right? So, I had to figure out how to kind of start from the ground up. Fortunately, because I just feel like God placed me in this area and also in this business, I was able to build enough business within 90 days that I could walk away from my corporate job, where I had golden handcuffs and wonderful opportunities, and really go all in on real estate.
From there, kind of the rest is history. We built a company. We built a team through Coldwell Banker, left and built a company, Nix & Associates, and six years into that sold back to Coldwell Banker. We’ve been with Coldwell Banker now for four years, and it’s just been incredible.
Nice. Why did you leave in the first place?
That’s a great question. At that time, there was a lot of loss. I lost the people who raised me and my grandmother, and my husband at the time also had a loss in his family that really helped us crystallize the fact that you don’t know what your tomorrow looks like. That’s really something that has resonated with me ever since.
I had always wanted to have my own company, and being able to step away and just say, okay, we don’t know how many tomorrows we have, so if we’re going to do it, we might as well do it now, was really the impetus because of that loss. We wanted to turn it into something good, and it was amazing.
Being an independent brokerage was really instrumental and very successful for us at the time because pre-COVID, you didn’t necessarily need a big brand to succeed in real estate. You just needed to show up for people and knock it out of the park every time. But as COVID happened, people were less inclined to come together face to face, and you really needed larger platforms and scale online. That helped us decide to get back into a bigger brand, and after working a little over a year and a half on our deal, we sold back to Coldwell Banker. It has just been amazing.
That’s cool. Do you feel like that effect since COVID is still a thing where people don’t want to meet face to face, or do you think everything has gone back to normal?
That is such a great question. I don’t think anything is ever going to be the same again, but I don’t think it’s necessarily because people don’t want to meet face to face. It depends on their age, and also in my business geography is a challenge. We all got trained, whether we wanted to be or not, on how to use the technology that existed before COVID. Zoom, Google Meet, all that stuff was very intimidating to the older population before, but now everybody knows how to do it. They know how to FaceTime. They know how to use all these platforms.
So, it’s become a tool of convenience a lot of times for our first connection if they’re not local people, but it’s not all that way. For us, if we can sit down with people and talk to them, they feel our energy, our sincerity, and we’re able to accomplish more in person because we can just roll straight out and see everything.
Technology has definitely helped, and it will forevermore be a part of our business because we do virtual tours and virtual meetings and showings. If people can’t get on a plane and get down here, especially if it’s a hot property, we’ll show them the house virtually, get it under contract for them, then they book their plane ticket and spend their investments on an inspection and all that kind of stuff once they know it’s theirs. So, it definitely changed the business in a big way.
So, how many of your deals, if you gave me a percentage, are done virtually?
Very few now. In the COVID marketplace, we had a lot of times where we had to do closings in people’s cars, wearing masks in parking lots, and it was so weird. I’m so glad that’s over with.
But now, I would say a small percentage, and it depends on the time of the year because people can get on planes again and they can go wherever they want fairly easily. It’s so easy to get here, whether it’s on Allegiant or through Sarasota, Tampa, RSW, Miami, or driving down 75. People want to be in Florida, and I don’t see that we have as much virtual work that we’re doing without meeting people at all. It’s just a segment of the business that really kind of catapulted us into more efficiency, I think.
One hundred percent. So, with every profession there are pros and cons. What do you think your biggest struggles are with the real estate world?
That’s a great question. I’m going to ask you that question too.
For me, I think that there are so many people in this business for the wrong reasons, and that gives the rest of us a bad name. As somebody who has a degree, who has worked in corporate America, and has worked really since I was 13, I take this seriously. We are both hustlers. We like to work.
I have credentialing. I have the highest level of negotiations training. I have all sorts of things that make me a credentialed businessperson, let alone a real estate professional. I care genuinely about my craft and doing it to the best of my ability, as does my team every single time.
There are other people in this business in real estate part-time just because they want something else to do to get them out of the house. And to me, that is terrifying, quite frankly, that somebody could be on the other side of a deal representing a client who is making maybe the biggest financial decision of their life, and they’re with somebody who is just doing it for fun.
You don’t think someone could do it for fun and still be good at it?
I didn’t say that, but thank you for asking. I think it is less likely when you’re not in the rhythm of doing business every day.
Yeah, I can see that.
Not because of intentionality, but because of repetition. You have to stay immersed. There are nuances to every deal and there are changes to contracts and things you have to know. If you’re not immersed in the industry, you wouldn’t know.
Just like in your business, there are so many cool new tools and gadgets and implements and styles of being a chef, right?
One hundred percent.
And so, if you’re not doing it every day, if you’re just kind of winging it, you don’t have that rhythm. In the kitchen, if you slow down and you’re not there often, you don’t find your rhythm.
Right.
When I start new cooks, I make them work seven days for the first week because they need that repetition to figure out if they like the kitchen or not.
Yeah, I think that’s awesome. So for me, I guess to summarize, the thing I don’t like is that I feel consumers are exposed to liability unnecessarily because of the way people can get into the real estate business and not be required to benchmark every so often to stay in the business.
What about for you?
Just keeping a good staff is the biggest downside and making sure that, you know, you’re only one person. You can’t see everything.
Right.
But you have to delegate to see everything, and sometimes communication gets lost, or this happens, or that happens. So it’s a bunch of tracing things down. It’s stressful, but I love it. If I didn’t love it, I wouldn’t do it.
Yeah, I totally get that. I think we both are very blessed with getting to do what we’re called to do.
Yeah.
Your family being in the restaurant business and always kind of growing up around this, when did you know you wanted to open Dubz?
I always knew I wanted to be in the restaurant industry, but growing up, my parents never wanted me in the restaurant industry. When I was younger, I wanted to go to culinary school, and I went to college instead because my parents kept telling me, “Don’t do it. Don’t do it.”
I went to college for four years. I hated it.
Yeah.
Then I came home and went back to college, and I actually enjoyed doing finance at FGCU because I was going to UCF at first. When I went to FGCU, I was really happy, and I was working for my uncle at the time and really excelling in the kitchen a lot. It just came about and happened, and I never looked back since.
It’s in your blood.
I’m pretty sure it is.
It’s definitely in the blood. Growing up seeing my mom cooking and then my dad cooking, you just see what they do and how they cook and how it’s done. It’s a visual thing.
And how you love on people, right? I mean, you’ve created such a great place here with repetitive customers and people that think of this as their meeting place, and that carries forward.
Yeah, we have a lot of regulars, and we’re blessed with that. We build relationships with them, build relationships with the employees too, and make sure everyone feels comfortable here because if they don’t feel comfortable at the workplace, especially in such a high-anxiety, high-pressure industry, they’re just going to lash out and leave. So, I have to make sure as a leader that everyone’s happy where they’re at, hear what they need and what they want, and see if I can fulfill that. And if I can’t, then it’s not the home for them.
I’m a firm believer every person has a home when it comes to the restaurant industry.
Yeah, I love that. And I think it goes back to what you just said a minute ago about how you’re called into this business, I’m called into my business, and also for our staff and employees. We want to coach them up and help them find their fit, whether it’s with us or someplace else.
Yeah. And honestly, it’s really nice as a leader building those protégés and seeing them grow. I’ve had two chefs open restaurants after they worked for me, and it’s honestly such a blessing to see. It’s inspirational and humbling.
That’s cool. I didn’t know that.
Yeah. The first guy I opened with when I first opened Dubz, he opened Brothers Fish House in Port Charlotte. Then the second guy recently opened Cabo Breeze in Venice on Venice Island.
Okay. Awesome.
And they’re both doing great, and it’s awesome to see. I love it, and I go support them whenever I can.
Of course you do.
You’re the networking master. Do you ever talk much about your growth in BNI?
Pretty good. Pretty solid. Chris is in BNI with me.
Awesome.
I met him before BNI, but I’ve been in BNI for two years and I really did not want to join.
Yeah. Isn’t that funny how that works?
It’s a cult.
Yeah.
But it works well. We have, what, 62 members in our group? That’s 61 people representing your business for you when you’re not there and giving you business. It’s made me some money and definitely worth the investment.
But it’s not just that. I took it as an opportunity to build my networking skills, whether it’s standing up and talking in front of people or just going out and having those one-to-one meetings and learning how to talk to other people who are higher up in the world and have their own businesses. It’s definitely helped me build my skills and sharpen my knives, if you would say.
I love that. I read something just yesterday because I follow a bunch of different people that I find inspirational or that give little nuggets of truth, and it was about networking specifically because I do a ton of networking. It’s actually how I built our business, and I love people and understanding what’s going on. Anybody that knows me well knows I ask a lot of questions. It’s just who I am.
What is so cool about networking specifically is that you can have one conversation with one person that changes your life or their life.
One hundred percent.
And you don’t know. It’s funny that you resisted that because it really has made such a dynamic impact in your world.
It has because I built my business on networking too. When I first opened Dubz, I never said no. Whether it was a donation or going out to a networking event, I always tried my best to make it happen, whether I had the money to donate or not. It’s helped.
You give and you receive. BNI is all about givers gain, and that’s why I’m in it because I believed that before I even knew BNI was a thing.
Right.
You give and you receive, and you’re going to receive what you give.
Yeah. It’s all about motivation. I think the best networkers really go into it with that mindset of how can I help you? Forget about me. What do you need? What would make your world, your personal life, or your professional life better? Sometimes it’s just talking to somebody. Sometimes it’s going for a walk. Sometimes it’s that they need something specifically for their business, and you may have just talked to somebody networking who has that. You can put those things together. It’s so cool.
It’s like you said, I’ve built a lot of relationships that don’t have to deal with business because of networking events. I’ve met a lot of good friends who are my friends now and a lot of good people who are a big part of my life, and I’ll forever be appreciative of it. I think it’s just about leveling up and meeting people.
Yeah. That are after the same mission that you are, right?
One hundred percent.
Very cool.
Let’s go back to you. You’re a woman of faith, and I know I’m a man of faith. When you’re faithful, you know there’s always more out there and God’s always going to give and bless. What’s next for Carla?
Oh, I love talking about what the Lord has done. I feel very fortunate for a lot of the doors He has opened for me in the last six months. I was being prepared for something more, and I didn’t know it at the time.
Vulnerability and authenticity are a part of who I am, and I’m happy to share that six months ago today, my life changed completely. On the other side of looking at all of that, God has really given me space to care for others very well and also to serve in a greater capacity.
With my team, we’ve opened a second office that was already there. We’re staffing our Fishermen’s Village office for Coldwell Banker. I’ve also had a lot of opportunities to speak nationally to other Coldwell Banker agents to help them level up their production and opportunities. Then I got an opportunity within our company.
We’re the second largest franchise in the United States for Coldwell Banker. It’s called Coldwell Banker Schmidt Family of Companies. Our corporate offices are based in Michigan, but we have offices all over Michigan, Ohio, all over Florida, and in the Virgin Islands. Within our company, our team sells more luxury homes in Florida than any other team, so I’m one of four luxury ambassadors. I get to travel all over and teach in these mastermind events that we put together and help people know how to work specifically in the luxury space, even though obviously we sell everything, and also how to network. I teach a lot of people how to do networking well and also how to build successful real estate teams.
All of that has been so great, but what is coolest to me is that in every single opportunity I’ve been given, I’ve gotten to talk about my faith in the Lord and how much He does for me every single day. Most people that know me know I get up crazy early and do a devotion and meditation time, then I work out and then I go to work. It’s the rhythm of my life seven days a week. I always make time to go to church on Sunday, but it’s not just about Sundays. It’s a daily rhythm.
It makes me very proud and also grateful that I’ve been given an opportunity and a platform to talk about that more with people that are grinding and struggling and striving because this is a hard business, just like your business. Some days just beat you down, whether it’s the world or people just being human. It can be really challenging, and to have your faith and be able to lean into that and know that God’s got it, and you just have to give it up to Him and trust that He’ll handle it. You do your part. Obviously, we show up prepared and ready to rock and roll every day, but He’s going to handle the rest, and He always does.
Yeah. I agree with you. That’s why I stay calm throughout it all, because whatever is bad or good, it’s all going to work out. God always has a plan whether I see it or not. I’ve learned that many times in my life. So, I just go with the flow, live day by day, have faith, stay centered, and that’s what I think it’s all about.
Yeah. Thank you for asking that. I love getting to talk about that.
So, who knows beyond that what’s next? I love to travel, love to have different opportunities. I get to go on a mission trip this summer, which I’m pretty jazzed about.
Where are you going?
I’m going to Honduras, which will be really great.
What are you doing there?
I go to Deep Creek Community Church down in Punta Gorda, and there’s a group of women that are going to do some counseling and love on the ladies in a particular village there that before has been really neglected. So, we’ll do some hands-on labor, but then also some Bible studies and some meal prep and just some time together talking.
That’s cool. That should be a humbling experience.
I’m excited about it.
That’s good.
Yeah. Thank you for asking.
No problem. So, you say you’re out there preaching, networking, doing all this. Do you think you’re going to continue to do that and get bigger and bigger in that aspect of business?
That’s a great question. In real estate, I think there are teams that really push for more, more, more, and I’m not one of them. Our team is really about quality over quantity. We don’t have 20-plus agents stepping on each other’s throats to get deals done and competing with each other.
I have what is called a micro team. We have AI agents that work with us, plus we have a marketing staff, plus we have on-site support staff. Renee Lock is fantastic and she keeps all our ducks in a row. But for Laura, Ryan, Katie, and myself, we’ll probably add one other agent going into next year because we are so busy. But we really like to stay at this scale because our culture is so very healthy and supportive and wonderful that we’re quite protective of it.
So, the goal really more for us, because we do so much in the luxury space, is to continue to serve our clients well and at that highest concierge level, so they continue to support new opportunities for us and we grow in that way, but not necessarily to have any more locations or anything like that. For me, that is not the plan. The plan is to leave a lasting legacy on our clients and be able to do exactly what I mentioned before, sell for generations to families who know us, know our hearts, and know our desire to help them succeed.
One hundred percent. So, in business they say when you own a business, you should know what your ideal customer is. For you, what is your ideal customer?
Yeah, that’s a great question. I would say each of my teammates would probably answer differently, but for us, we really have quite a broad brush of opportunity. I love working with first-time home buyers. It was so special to me to get to walk that path with you.
Yeah, it was awesome.
And then I also love helping people through difficult times. I feel like because of my faith, I can help people through divorce sales or help them through estate sales or transitions in life where maybe they’re leaving our area because their kids want them to be closer because a spouse has passed or whatever. The difficult transactions, while that sounds weird to say, are something that we do well because we want to do life with people.
So, there’s not necessarily a specific customer for us. It’s more somebody who understands what we bring to the table and trusts us to guide them in the most appropriate way. There’s a lot of suspicion because of what I mentioned before, where there are people in this business that don’t know what they’re doing. Maybe somewhere along the way people are scarred because they’ve had a bad experience. It’s national. It’s not just a Florida thing.
Maybe they’ve had somebody swindle them into buying something or told them a lie or didn’t represent them well in a past real estate experience. We always just want to make sure that whatever opportunity comes our way, we help dispel any of those myths, make people have that five-star experience from beginning to end, stay in touch with us, know they can call us if they need a landscaper or a fence company or whatever, and that we just get to do life with the right people.
That’s awesome.
So, from what I hear, you’re very passionate about what you do. You love what you do. You love to help people and inspire people.
What do you do for fun when you’re not working?
That’s a great question. I do love work, so it is fun. I love to walk, which sounds so boring.
Me too.
I walk usually like four to six miles a day somewhere. I love to hike and I love to travel, so I have some trips on the books that involve all of that. I’ve been doing some solo travel this year.
One of the best trips sometimes.
You know, it really is true. It’s illuminating to me, and so I’ve enjoyed some of that.
I’ve done it a few times.
Where have you gone?
By myself, I’ve gone to the Middle East by myself. I’ve gone to New York by myself. I’ve gone to Georgia by myself. I’ve actually been to New York twice by myself.
Awesome.
I don’t know where’s next, but I’ll do it again and again and again.
I think it’s a good thing. It’s a healthy thing for people to know themselves. The world is full of so much noise that you forget to settle down, be quiet, and listen. So, those are things that I do for fun. How about you, George?
I like to walk.
Yeah, I love that. Where do you walk?
Around the block. Around my neighborhood.
That’s how you stay so calm. You’ve got to metabolize all the stress.
That’s my therapy. I don’t need a therapist. I just put my headphones in and I walk and walk. When I’m not angry anymore, I go back inside.
That’s a good plan. That’s a healthy plan. I like it.
But no, I walk the bridge sometimes. I walk in Punta Gorda by Gilchrist and all that by the water. I like the water a lot.
Me too.
I like to go boating, but I don’t really have a boat. So, whenever the chance presents itself, I never say no.
We need some more friends with boats, don’t we? I used to have one, but not anymore.
Me neither. Used to go out a lot, but not anymore.
I just think it’s soothing. Whatever is peaceful. When I’m here, it’s all hectic, hectic, hectic. So now it’s just whatever peace I can find.
Same. It’s definitely a balance for sure. Once you figure that out and how to stay centered amidst all the chaos, because everything feels so urgent and it’s hard to tell between what’s urgent and what’s essential, I think having that pause and that moment to think it through matters.
Self-care too, whether it’s getting your nails done, getting a pedicure — I get pedicures sometimes — going to the chiropractor, getting a massage here and there, and just making sure your mind’s good and your body’s good. That’s more important because if my mind or body is not good, I’m not going to perform well, and I’m not going to be the best person for these guys to lead.
And I think that makes you a great leader. I have for a long time neglected myself, so I’m leaning pretty hard into that as well.
It makes a difference. It’s definitely a change.
Yeah. And just staying sober, not drinking, not smoking marijuana or anything like that, it just gives you mental clarity. You’re not tired all the time or whatever.
It’s amazing what you see too, right?
Yeah. And you don’t see it until you stop.
That’s right.
Well, I’ve learned so much today about you. That’s interesting.
Yeah. So, we’re going to wrap this up. Is there any last words you want to give the people? You want to tell them what makes your team different from everyone else and why they should use you guys? One last plug.
Well, I really feel like if they’ve watched this from beginning to end, they’ll have a pretty good idea of why we’re different.
She was confident.
Definitely check us out. We launched a new website this last year, nixandassociates.com. It’s really sexy and easy to use and has all of our listings, but also a lot of extra information about communities and different things that make it very simple to find us and know about our stats and credentials, but beyond that just get to what the consumer actually wants, which is an easy place to look for properties and get answers to different things.
But I really feel like every single day we get the right people either through our door or reaching out to us by phone. Our office number is 941-225-4663, which spells the word HOME. People get to us, and we’re very, very fortunate every single time to be able to serve their needs.
That’s awesome. Like I said, she sold me my first home. It was the best process ever, easiest process ever. So, I’d highly recommend her.
Thank you guys for watching. If you guys liked this video, please like, comment, and subscribe. We’ll see you on Episode 19.
