Today, we’d like to introduce you to John Zupancic.
Thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I moved to Nashville in the summer of 2016 to pursue a career in the music industry as a drummer. After touring professionally and playing in town on Broadway for a year and a half, I decided to hang up the drumsticks and get a job in corporate America. My wife, Alex, and I bought our first house in the spring of 2018, and I completely fell in love with the process, the hunt, and all the behind-the-scenes aspects of real estate. The more I thought about getting my license, the more excited I got about the potential of a career in real estate. So, by the summer of 2018, I was licensed and ready to see where the path would lead!
In real estate, you have to work for a firm for three years before you can open your own firm and go off on your own, so the second the three-year mark hit, I got my Broker’s license and opened Muttz Realty. As a sister business to Movement Lounge, By Yoga Muttz, the relationships with local rescues were already established, and I was very excited to take that even further with my own business. I am so proud that we have two businesses that have formed incredible communities of people who love, respect, and care for others and for animals.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has not always been smooth sailing. Real estate is a 100% commission-based business, so for the first year and a half (as well as the entirety of my time as an affiliate broker), I was working in real estate part-time while maintaining a full-time W2 job.
Juggling both businesses was not easy. I needed to support both my clients and agents, at the same time I was building my business and working over 50+ hours a week for my full-time gig. On top of all that, my wife was also building her business, so we were going through the same stressors that many new business owners experienced, but at the same time.
This is why I am a firm believer that you DO NOT have to do real estate full-time to be successful. Agents are absolutely capable of balancing what is best for themselves and their families (such as a job with consistent pay/benefits) and advocating for their real estate clients at the highest level.
In my situation, I worked the two jobs until it became impossible to give the attention needed to both, and the line basically became either “Muttz Realty is going to plateau if you keep splitting time” or “the sky’s the limit for Muttz if you focus solely here.” Thankfully, as a family, we were able to decide to take the risk and jump into Muttz Realty full-time. I could not be happier with that decision.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I started Muttz Realty in October of 2021 – what started as me being the Principal Broker and lone agent has grown to 19 licensed Realtors and some incredible partnerships in Nashville.
My wife owns Movement Lounge By Yoga Muttz, and when we started our respective businesses, we made a firm decision that we would use our platforms to give back to the community, do good, and bring awareness and support to the groups that we love. We have five dogs, three cats, and two rabbits (all rescues), so our primary focus is to support animal welfare and local rescues. One of our main partners is SOAR Rescue, a local foster-based rescue committed to reducing the stress on our overburdened shelter systems throughout the Middle Tennessee area. Along with SOAR Rescue, we share a goal to help make our city become a no-kill Nashville.
Muttz Realty is proud to not only donate a portion of every single one of our closings to local rescue groups, but we also foster dogs at the Muttz Realty office. Since we started fostering, we have hosted 32 dogs in the office, including three different Mama dogs and their litters (3 puppies, ten puppies, nine puppies) from 3 days old to when they are old enough to find their forever homes.
Our passions for community extend far beyond animals. When I started Muttz Realty, it was extremely important to me to create a safer space in real estate for all people to not only be able to find their forever homes but to set people up to create generational wealth for themselves through real estate. Because of that, we are proud to be the inaugural sponsor of the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance in Nashville, to have worked closely with Nashville GSA, and to have a booth at Pride each year. Real estate is a scary, intimidating, and sometimes not a friendly world. At Muttz Realty, our agents and clients have an open and collaborative space where they are loved, heard, supported, and know that their money is going further through our partnerships with the rescue animal community and our overall community efforts.
In terms of real estate- we work with all aspects of the business, from first-time homebuyers and sellers to some of the most experienced investors in the industry. Each of the agents here specializes in their specific fields, and we have agents from all walks of life – so whether you are looking for someone to take your investment portfolio to the next level, looking for someone to help you along the process of buying your first home, or just looking for someone to have a drink with and make a new friend, we welcome you to the Muttz Pack!
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Moving to Nashville without a job lined up, without knowing anyone, and without any connections to lean on was probably the biggest risk I have ever taken. And I can honestly say it was the best decision I have ever made. Moving to a place where you don’t know anyone is a complete start-over: you formulate new relationships with people who are like-minded in your current headspace, you have to forge your path, and you have the opportunity to experience growth by stepping out of your comfort zone.
If I hadn’t moved to Nashville, I’d never have adopted Mr. Bud (my first dog, whom I rescued from the Nashville Humane Society). If I didn’t adopt Mr. Bud, I probably wouldn’t have met my wife. If I hadn’t met my wife, I may not have bought a house and fallen in love with the process. I could have continued down my path of music, and who knows where I would have ended up, but I’m so happy I took the risks I did because it helped me create the life I have today.
My view on risk-taking is that it is completely the individual’s choice – if you want to take a chance and go for something, I fully support you. But, if you would rather stay within your means, stay in your comfort zone, and stay close to “home,” there is absolutely nothing wrong with that decision. There is no one way to do something, and no one has all the answers. So often, we find ourselves trusting the advice of influencers on social media or other influential people, all while we have zero clue what their backstory is, and they are giving advice without knowing each individual’s situation.
So, to answer that question – my personal stance is that taking risks has been the best decision I have made, regardless of whether the outcome was super positive or not. But, I fully appreciate and support anyone who turns and runs in the other direction when the opportunity to take a risk arises. I don’t know everyone’s situation, and they should never be judged based on making the decision that they feel is best for themselves or their families at the time.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.muttzrealty.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nashvilledogrealtor/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-zupancic-nash/
Image Credits
Schuyler Phoenix, Zach Ellsworth, and Margaret Gale
