The Billion-Dollar Standard: How Ryan Serhant Built a Brand That Won’t Stop | Ryan Serhant

Ryan Serhant

Ryan Serhant is the CEO and founder of SERHANT., a multi-faceted real estate and media company operating in 12 states. He's the star of Netflix's "Owning Manhattan" (with Season 2 releasing December 5), a former star of "Million Dollar Listing New York" for 10 years, and author of multiple best-selling books including "Sell It Like Serhant" and "Big Money Energy." With over a decade as a top broker in NYC, his company recently raised $45 million to expand their tech-driven ecosystem for modern agents and entrepreneurs.

Justin Colby

Justin Colby is a real estate investor with over 18 years of experience and nearly 3,000 deals completed. He runs multiple companies generating 7 figures in active income through wholesaling and fix-and-flipping, while accumulating millions in rental properties including 5 apartment buildings, 50+ single-family homes, and 1 storage facility. He hosts "The Entrepreneur DNA" and "The Science Of Flipping" podcasts and has coached thousands of investors through his education company and REI LIVE platform.

Leverage People Over Personal Effort

Serhant's core philosophy centers on scaling through people rather than trying to do everything yourself. (00:41) He observed early in his real estate career that there was "nobility in being able to do everything by yourself," but realized this approach has severe limitations. Instead, he focused on learning how to train and teach others, comparing great managers to teachers rather than just directors. The key insight is that you can hire people to do everything except hire people - making recruitment and team building the most critical skill for any leader looking to scale.

This approach allows him to maintain multiple ventures simultaneously while preserving the authenticity that his audience values. By building systems and training people effectively, leaders can expand their impact without losing the personal touch that makes them successful.

Reframe Your Relationship with Failure

Serhant's breakthrough mindset shift involves redefining his job from "winning deals" to "losing deals." (18:59) He explains that if you believe your job is to win every deal, you'll be devastated when you don't succeed. However, if you flip the script and accept that your job is to pitch hard and lose most opportunities, then every win becomes a bonus rather than an expectation.

This mental reframing helps maintain emotional stability in high-rejection industries. When combined with his "30-day calendar technique" - writing angry notes about failures and reviewing them a month later - it creates emotional distance from setbacks and builds resilience over time.

Authentic Content Beats Produced Content

In today's content landscape, audiences have developed sophisticated filters for detecting authenticity versus manufactured content. (02:46) Serhant emphasizes that people "really see through bullshit" and can instantly identify when content is produced versus authentic. This is why reality TV dominates streaming platforms - even though moments may be staged, there's more genuine emotion than in polished, advertisement-driven content.

The practical application is to focus on being genuinely helpful and vulnerable rather than trying to create perfect, polished content. Authenticity creates deeper connections and longer-lasting audience relationships than high-production value but soulless content.

Work for Your Future Self

Serhant's goal-setting philosophy revolves around working for "future me" rather than present gratification. (13:38) He visualizes himself at 75 years old and asks what that person would want him to do today. This long-term perspective helps him make decisions that compound over time rather than providing short-term satisfaction.

This mindset extends to his business decisions, health choices, and family priorities. By consistently asking "What would 75-year-old Ryan want me to do?" he maintains focus on activities that will matter in the long run, rather than getting caught up in daily urgencies that won't matter decades from now.

Lead People to Believe in Themselves

The distinction between good and great leadership lies in the impact on followers. (36:12) Good leaders convince people to believe in them, while great leaders convince people to believe in themselves. This principle applies directly to content creation and community building - instead of showcasing an unattainable lifestyle, focus on empowering your audience to see their own potential.

Content that makes people think "my life could be great" rather than "his life is great" creates deeper engagement and loyalty. This approach builds genuine community rather than passive viewership, leading to more meaningful business relationships and opportunities.