Rising Star ~ Shauna Clark

SHAUNA CLARK ~ Rising Star

Momentum Realty

By Jennifer Watson

AT 24, SHAUNA CLARK WAS WORKING TWO JOBS: SHE WAS AN ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT BY DAY AND A BARTENDER BY NIGHT. SHE KNEW SHE WANTED MORE OUT OF LIFE, BUT SHE WASN’T SURE IN WHICH DIRECTION SHE SHOULD GO.

In a twist of Irish luck, while she was bartending one night at Shannon’s Irish Pub, one of her regular customers asked her if she’d ever considered going into real estate. He suggested that her personality would be a perfect fit in the industry, and he asked if she’d be willing to work for his investment company.

“[The company] offered to pay for my school and all my association fees and wanted me to help them buy and sell their investment properties,” says Shauna. “I was at a point where I wanted a change, and someone was offering me an opportunity to learn something new and was also going to pay for it. Sounded like a no-brainer!”

Natural Born Go-Getter Shauna has been an entrepreneur since she was 12 years old when she started her own babysitting business. At 15, when she found herself wanting some things her mom couldn’t afford, Shauna solved that dilemma by searching for a job.

“I applied for a position at a nursing home, and they said I was too young and to come back when I was 16,” Shauna says. “Well, that wasn’t the answer I was looking for, and I went back several times trying to convince them to give me a job. They finally ended up creating a work/school program that I could be part of, but it was only a few hours a week.”

Not one to back down from a challenge, Shauna found a second job at a retail store, and, within six months, she was named an assistant manager. She was just 16 years old.

“I learned that if I want something bad enough that I shouldn’t give up, that I should fight for it,” Shauna says. “I learned that most obstacles can be overcome and that hard work will always pay off.”

Shauna’s impressive work ethic continued to guide her into young adulthood as she realized the value of both money and time.

“In my 20s, I looked at hours of the day as money to be earned,” says Shauna. “When I got off work at 5 p.m., I didn’t want to go home and watch TV because that didn’t earn me anything, so I got a restaurant job I could work from 6 to 10 p.m., in addition.”

A Career is Born Shauna took the advice of her customer at the Irish pub, and she pursued real estate as a new career. She hasn’t regretted that decision at all since 2007, when she first became licensed.

“I love that every day, every client, and every transaction is different,” says Shauna. “I love that I constantly get to meet and connect with new people, and I truly enjoy building and nurturing those relationships.”

The Rise Group: Shauna Clark and Savannah Ellison, buyer’s agent

Photo by: Yasha Wells with Wells & Co.

“After every transaction closes, I leave with a new friend,” Shauna smiles.

In fact, when she first began real estate, she felt like she was doing something wrong because she was trying to maintain her relationships with all of her clients-turned-friends. As her business grew, she was having more and more difficulty with keeping in touch, which made her feel guilty about letting them down.

“Turns out I was doing something right,” says Shauna. “I have since implemented some touch programs that make it easy to let them know I am still here and thinking about them. I love to love on my clients!”

“Also, I pray. … I pray hard!” Shauna says. “I pray over my business, my clients, the transaction, the agent on the other side, the outcome, their new house, the future.”

“Hi, I’m Shauna. … Let’s be best friends!” It was Shauna’s personality that made her customer at the bar first approach her about real estate, and clearly, he identified her people-person personality. She explains that she got those interpersonal skills through frequent moves while growing up.

Shauna’s dad worked with a Christian retail store that took them all over Florida to Texas and back to Florida again.

“Moving around quite a bit taught me how to make friends fast, so I was often working on my communication skills and learning how to talk to people I didn’t know,” Shauna recalls. “I never had a comfort zone to step out of because starting over was normal, so I always just put myself out there and jumped right in. I know that has helped me excel in real estate.”

More Irish Luck Shannon’s Irish Pub not only gave

Shauna her career in real estate; it also provided her a husband, Ezra, whom she met at the pub in 2005 and married in 2015. Together, they have a 5-year-old son named Kingston and a 3-year-old daughter named Stella.

“My family is my big ‘why’; they are the reason behind everything I do and how hard I work,” says Shauna.

The Clarks enjoy an active lifestyle full of swimming and visiting parks, and they enjoy traveling together, where they can really disconnect from the world and explore new places.

“I would love to rent my house out, buy an RV and travel the U.S. with my family for a year or two,” Shauna says. “[I’d like to] just experience everything we can together, go on great adventures and make the best memories.”

Shauna enjoys spending time with her husband, Ezra, and their two kids, Kingston and Stella.

Giving Back Shauna and her family are intentional about paying their blessings forward. One significant way they do that is by supporting children who have been removed from their homes and placed in foster care.

“I am passionate about supporting the foster community. We are not yet foster parents, but it is on my heart, and we are actively praying about it,” Shauna says. “In the meantime, I have partnered up with the Duval Isaiah House 117, and a portion of each sale goes toward their mission.”

“Isaiah House is a place children can rest and be loved on after they have been removed from their home but before they are placed with a foster family,” says Shauna. “Sometimes, the process takes a long time, and these kids are sleeping on the floor of the DCF office on the hardest day of their lives. It’s just not OK.”

Shauna says that her family’s motto is to “be genuine and generous,” and they demonstrate that generosity through this partnership with Isaiah House.

“In a world full of Cheerios …” Shauna loves the saying, “In a world full of Cheerios, be a Fruit Loop.” It often encourages her when she finds herself in new situations where she might not feel like she fits in.

“To me, this means to be true to yourself, be who God created you to be, which is unique,” says Shauna. “Don’t compare yourself to others because your journey is different from theirs.”

Being different has worked for Shauna. Her personable persona and enthusiasm for life caught the notice of a patron at an Irish pub who helped Shauna launch her real estate career, a career that led to 29 transactions for $12.3 million in 2021. Shauna’s team, The Rise Group, was established in August of 2021, giving her the needed leverage to be able to still spend time with her family and also run the business successfully. This year, she hopes her team can reach 60 transactions and $25 million.

Her journey has surprised her thus far, and she is looking forward to all the surprises the future holds.

“We don’t always have to know the right answer if we trust God to open and close the right doors,” Shauna says. “I had no idea this is where my life would end up professionally, but I am so grateful I landed here.”