We recently connected with Christine Cardona and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Christine, thanks for joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
Thank you for spending the time with me and allowing me to share a bit about myself and my work with your readers. Well, I’ll start with my Real Estate career. From my first after school job selling trendy shoes at Katy Mills Mall to my first 9 to 5 in the Oil & Gas industry, and on to my last 9 to 5 where I managed a waxing salon and over a dozen employees in total, I’d say I’ve obtained a variety of skills and experience over the last 15 years. The most noteworthy being in Communication, Customer Service, Problem-Solving and Management. Sounds like the perfect recipe for a Real Estate Agent, doesn’t it? Well, it was something I had always thought of, but considered it unrealistic considering my circumstances.
Working for someone else has never been an issue, but there has always been something in me that had an issue with working for individuals or companies whose morals didn’t sit right with the masses. Not their personal morals, but the morals that dictate how employees and or consumers are handled. As I got older, depending on the role I played, I felt more obligated to speak my mind and speak up for those around me that would pour their concerns into me; I martyrized myself sometimes by doing so. Haven’t regretted that part of my character as of yet. Don’t get me wrong, the 9 to 5 life can be great. It afforded me a lot of stability during my years as a single mother, but there was a point where I yearned for something more. Something that allowed me to show up as the woman I wanted to be and serve others in a capacity that made a difference. It was in 2020 that I had enough of those pesky morals that used me as a weapon and I acted on what I used to write off as unrealistic. Entrepreneurship.
Ta-da! I am a Houston REALTOR® and love what I do. I’ve represented buyers, sellers, landlords, tenants and plan to take my career even further. There is a sense of pride and success after each transaction is complete. It’s when my clients become friends and or friends become clients, that my motivation to stay in the game and grow amplifies. I think it’s important for the readers to know that my past doesn’t define me, but I promise, it has refined me to be the best me I can be for my clients, 3 children, life partner and loved ones. For any readers that have contemplated taking on the beast that Real Estate is, I suggest finding a mentor or someone with some skin in the game that can help be a resource. I owe a huge thank you to mine. Cris Reyna is the one who introduced the brokerage, JAM Real Estate, LLC to me, and he also happens to double as one of my longest friends.
On top of my Real Estate business, I lost my mind and started building Pretty Little Whisk out of my kitchen in July of 2022 for my oldest, Natalie. I’m a Momma on a mission and if you’re a parent, you too have that urge to help set your child up for success. As a full-time #RealtorMom going through the ebbs and flow of raising children, especially in a time of phones and screens, I asked myself what more could I do? I wanted something that would make room for a creative outlet, bonding, to share a skillset, and allow me to utilize my ongoing entrepreneurial journey to jumpstart one for Natalie. Then I found myself thinking back to when I was a single mother who had picked up baking as an outlet. I sat on the idea for a while, hesitating on the chance it would flop – but that wasn’t the entrepreneurial spirit. To be honest, she definitely didn’t have faith in our little home bakery right from the start, but so far I’ve managed to teach her a lesson. If you bake it, they will come… I’m kidding. The lesson was that you won’t know unless you try. Now that she’s seen the support and orders pouring in, she has become more open to learning (when she and her brother, Matthew, aren’t learning Brazilian jiu-jitsu after school). As a self-taught baker, we seem to really have a niche for custom cakes – cupcakes, too! After all, they are just single serve cakes. *wink wink* In addition to other goodies on our menu, we also offer some heart-healthy options; Mason, our red headed 2 year old can vouch for the waffles!
My mission is simple. To whisk up youth-entrepreneurship for my daughter and yum for our customers. My role is to build its reputation and Natalie’s skill set enough to hand it over to her someday. She finds joy and comfort in being creative. I picture her doing it while in High School, while in College vs working for someone else, and saving money while figuring out adulting. I know that requires trial and error to improve my own skill set and I am up for the challenge! Want to know a secret? I really feel good about what I’m doing with Pretty Little Whisk. Down to the captions of our Instagram posts. Every order and every piece of feedback received from the moment our mixer was plugged in has been greatly appreciated. I’m no pro, but I am very proud of what we put out. This July will be our 1 year anniversary. Perhaps I’m jumping the gun and none of my children will have an interest in taking it over, but I can’t help but feel that we’ll never know unless I try.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Hello hello! My name is Christine Ashley Cardona and I am a full-time REALTOR® and part-time home baker. I mean it when I say I love what I do, even through the occasional headache. The Real Estate industry is always evolving and the rush I get from the hustle and bustle is stronger than anything on a Starbucks menu. Keeping busy is all this Momma knows! I started adulthood as a single mother without a solid path, jaded by the 9 to 5 life. Now I’m dedicated to the entrepreneur life that has afforded me so much thus far – and I’m not speaking about material items. No, I’m talking about the opportunity to help people with their next chapters in life, to contribute to the celebration of milestones, to be present for my 3 children and set an example alongside my hardworking Fiancé, Mario Sandoval. I’m making a living without compromising my morals or health. Come on, isn’t that all just priceless? And it’s my willingness to be transparent mixed with my unwillingness to fold under pressure that I believe helps set me apart from the crowd. Oh, and my personality – can’t forget that!
Want some background? Let’s rewind to 19 year old Christine. I had been tangled in a toxic web for some years, and from that spun a pregnant 19 year old me. Knowing the odds of being a single mother, I dropped my college courses after completing 1 semester and my mother helped me get an entry level position with an Oil & Gas company she worked for. Once my Natalie was a few months old, I picked up events here and there through a catering company, then once she was 6 months old, I transitioned to working afternoons and nights at a Bar & Grill in Katy, Tx. I fought really hard to be the best mother I could be, aiming for the dreams I had for us.
At 20 years old, I was waitressing and training to be a bartender so that I could earn more when a regular took notice of me. She and I had engaged in many conversations over some months. During one of them, she told me I was too smart to be where I was and asked for my WHY. At that time, I explained that I was a single mother who had her own apartment, a baby girl and a live-in teenage brother to feed. I was simply doing what I felt I needed to. She told me about her Oil & Gas job hiring and set up an interview for me. Within a week, I traded my night time shifts for a desk near the Galleria with a heart full of hope. I actually remember receiving my first raise from the owner after only a week there and was promoted to Data Management Lead in less than a year. After 2 years, I added a second job title in the publication department to my email signature line. I had been able to put myself back in college, afford medical benefits for my daughter and I, move to the Westchase District, and worked overtime during the weekends as much as I could. Albeit, as great as it all should have been from then on, I was still silently dealing with that toxic web I mentioned. It eventually got bad enough that I left after a few years. I moved back to Katy to be closer to family, focused more towards my Real Estate dream and worked in the leasing office of an apartment complex while still taking courses. Here I was so defeated yet so determined; so alone yet surrounded by safeguards. Anyone who truly knows me, knows I will burn in fire and still handle what I need to. It was all for Natalie. Her life made mine worth fighting for. Honestly, it makes me emotional every time I speak that truth. And if you were to ask my daughter what she did for her Mom when she was born, she’d respond with, “I saved her life” without hesitation.
A handful of years later, I met someone special who unintentionally helped me face that toxic web of mine and I untangled myself from it. Looking back, I cannot explain how crucial that was for my future. It contributed to the force that I am today. Mario and I quickly started to intertwine our lives and share the privilege of raising each other’s children together. Remember those dreams I used to have for my daughter and myself? Well they started to evolve and get bigger for my family. Swapping heels for scrubs, I started helping him manage a med spa, where he and I would talk about my old silly Real Estate dream, only he didn’t think it was silly at all. I always chalked it up to never having the time to give it my all.
Fast forward to COVID. The 5 letter word that caused the earth to stop spinning. Not literally, but it did do some irreparable damage. While managing the waxing salon one Saturday, I was pregnant, throwing up and on the verge of passing out, but was told I had to remain there. The following day, December 23rd, 2019, before they had COVID tests, Mario took me to the ER with extreme flu-like symptoms that worsened. It was there that I tested negative for everything but learned I would endure a missed miscarriage at only 11 weeks. Life painfully went on and work was the last place I wanted to be while healing. I was told to take my time, but less than 2 weeks later, my employers demanded my return through my District Manager. So I did; bleeding, crying and hurting. The owners would even reprimand me for my mandatory doctor follow-ups. To put things into perspective, it took 2 doses and almost 2 months to stop coming up positive on pregnancy tests…
It was later in April 2020 that Mario and our 2 children had decided to take a family trip to Florida as an attempt to help us bounce back after our loss. It was there that I got the work messages regarding employee safety and how us Managers needed to respond to employee concerns and call-outs due to COVID. The owners targeted me for my compassion towards the situation, with other managers personally contacting me with support. The owners ultimately left a nasty taste in my mouth. It was then that I knew our morals didn’t align; I knew I needed to get myself out of there. There was a disdain for the 9 to 5 life. Shortly after returning from our trip, the waxing salon closed its doors with every other non-essential business, including schools. Mario has been in the medical field for over a decade now, so he continued to work and ran all of our essential errands while I homeschooled the kids. I couldn’t tell if it was my new normal daily routine or depression, but I was struggling. He took notice and we talked (over margaritas at home) and as an attempt to get out of the house and deflect, I jokingly suggested we get a pregnancy test. Turns out Mom brought back more than souvenirs from that Florida trip. Needless to say, I didn’t finish my marg. Pregnant, scared, temporarily unemployed and homeschooling 2 kids in the midst of a pandemic, I did the only logical thing I could think of… I planned my go as a full-time Real Estate Agent! I repeat, I will burn in fire and still handle what I need to.
Moral of my very personal story? Where you are doesn’t have to be where you are. When life tests you, bet on yourself, every time.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
As a REALTOR® and a part-time home baker, I’d like to contribute my referrals and new clients/customers to being genuinely me as I can be in person and across social media. I’m a powerhouse; a headstrong, passionate, goal-oriented working professional with a real life and family that I prioritize. I believe these qualities resonate with the majority. Those I have represented and or served speak highly of me to their friends and family, and I am so very grateful when they do! Afterall, referrals are the best compliment I can receive.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
There are multiple brands and types of bread at the grocery store, right? Imagine if there was only one brand and one type to choose from. Luckily, there were others wanting to throw their name in the hat and didn’t hesitate just because someone else was already stocking the shelves. They felt they had something more or different to offer. As a licensed REALTOR® in Texas, I am one of many thousands, however, I believe I have something special to offer. I may just be someone’s preference while the others are not. Same thing rings true with the bakery. I recommend you test my theory for yourself. * wink wink*
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @christine_ashley and @pretty.little.whisk