A P R I L 2 0 2 4 C O M M U N I T Y C O N N E C T I O N S
OAK & KEY REALTY
APRIL 2024 COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS SPOTLIGHT
Jessica Fulkerson and Shonna McBride are co-owners and brokers of Oak & Key Realty. They are two of the most hardworking, dedicated, and inspirational women you may ever meet They founded Oak & Key back in 2019 after deciding that they wanted to build a business where they could pride themselves on offering a true boutique experience for their clients.
Their entire business model is based around putting clients first and providing a quality over quantity experience. This speaks through in their business results in the fact that their clients are 99% referral based
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LIVING THEIR MANTRA
Their mantra is to be kind, honest, and hardworking These are the values they look for when hiring new members onto their team and that they hold one another to as they do business. It is very common to not have direct experience when getting into real estate and that holds true as we dive a bit deeper into Shonna and Jess’ background
Shonna has a degree in business, and she spent 8 years of her career working in the electrical industry in account management and project management
She has always loved interior design but decided to stick to a broader degree program. She has lived in both Minnesota and Colorado prior to moving to South Dakota, where she decided to get her license and pursue a career in real estate.
Jess is from Northwest Colorado; she started to get her nursing degree and quickly decided it was not for her and decided to switch to interior design After college, she was passionate about getting into Commercial Design and found herself shifting into Residential Design work, where she did a lot of project management While going down that path, she realized she wanted more out of her career, which ultimately drove her into real estate.
Outside of work, Jess loves being outside with her three kids and husband, whether it is tending to their flower farm or taking care of their animals, to traveling and trying new foods. Fun fact about Jess is that she owns a pig, two geese, two goats, one duck, two frenchies, two cats, and a bunch of chickens
Shonna also loves being outside with her two kids and husband. She enjoys traveling, spending time at the lake, and trying new food and wine Fun fact about Shonna is that she is working to become a Sommelier, which means she will be a wine expert!
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CAREER ADVICE
Hold yourself to a high standard and be consistent
Be willing to get uncomfortable and to take risks
Have a good support system in place
Find work that you enjoy!
HOW THEY HELP THEIR TEAM SUCCEED
They have created and implemented processes to lay a strong foundation for prime client service
They encourage open and honest feedback all the way around They create vision boards and set goals as a team
HOW THEY HELP ONE ANOTHER SUCCEED
They built a working relationship on trust, patience, and shared goals
They communicate often and about everything
They play off each other’s strengths and interests (Jess is good at design and Shonna is good with the numbers)
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