Carolyn Shamis finds road to success

Specializing in town homes and condominiums located in Turtle Creek, Preston Road and other North Dallas neighborhoods, real estate broker Carolyn Shamis has made more than $7 ½ million in sales in the last year.

She has found many of the locations for television series Dallas, as well as finding residences and offices for the show's stars and personnel.

"My clients know I'm going to give them all my personal attention. I'll listen carefully to what they're saying, and then follow through on every detail until I find exactly what they want," she said.

Such touches as a chauffeur-driven limousine to show her clients around, or a "thank you gram" for favors done is just part of her style.

"I just do a little more than usual to make a customer feel Comfortable," she said.

Just as she treats her clients with special concern, she also gives a great deal of attention and care to the way she looks and the style of living she maintains. "If you look successful, you're going to be successful. People will have confidence in you if you look like you have confidence in yourself," she said

She began her successful career 12 years ago, when she came to Dallas and began working as a director for catering and sales for the Fairmont Hotel. From there, she went to Acapulco, where she sold real estate for the Troy Post Company's Tres Vidas Resort. With this experience behind her, she came back to Dallas and applied with a local agency. Her style shocked the women running the agency, and they told her she'd have to tone it down. So, instead, she entered the male-dominated field of commercial real estate. She soon established a firm reputation through the successful leasing of the 200,000 square foot LBJ Business Park at LBJ. Freeway and Webbs Chapel Road.

Upon finishing that project, she took a vacation to decide on which direction her life should take. During that time, a friend asked her to list her home, which she sold almost immediately. Unexpectedly, another listing came up, which she sold in three days for S650,000. Suddenly, she knew what direction her life was taking. Combining her first and last names, she named her company "Carsha, Inc. What advice does she give anyone starting out in business on their own? "Stick to what you believe," she said. "Decide this is what you're going to do and then -do it. You must be dedicated and persevere."