The CEO Series

"There were a lot of moments that felt like failure," says Mike Kirban, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Vita Coco. From early supply chain challenges to competing with giants like Coke, building the coconut water category was far from smooth.

In this episode of The CEO Series, William Salvi sits down with Mike to talk about taking a simple idea from Brazil and turning it into Vita Coco, navigating the lowest moments of his career, standing up to major beverage players, and what changed when he stepped into the Executive Chairman role.

What part of you has to die to become the leader you're meant to be? In this episode of The CEO Series, William Salvi sits down with Ryan Serhantt‬ , CEO and Founder of SERHANT and star of Netflix's Owning Manhattan, inside a $45M New York City mansion to talk about the real cost of leadership, not the Instagram version.

This conversation isn't about flexing deals or views. It's about:

• The parts of himself Ryan had to sacrifice to become a CEO.

• Why being at the top is lonely, relentless, and often misunderstood.

• How he balances running a fast-growing company with being the face of a Netflix show.

• His biggest fear: wasted potential.

• What he really thinks about AI, housing affordability, and "the American dream" of homeownership.

• The mindset it takes to build a number one brokerage in the world If you're a founder, executive, or ambitious operator trying to scale your life and your business without losing your soul, this episode is for you.

0:57 | Introduction and $45M Upper East Side Listing

3:00 | SERHANT'S "Brokerage 3.0" Model and Core Mission

4:38 | CEO Role, Delegation, and Strategic Media Planning

6:09 | The Battle of Work and Calculating Brand Power Ratio (BPR)

8:49 | Career Origin: From Actor to Agent

11:12 | The Sacrifice and Weight of Being a CEO

12:23 | Pressure, Risk, and the Fear of Wasted Potential

15:33 | Selling "Signature Properties" and the Necessity of Brand Power

17:30 | Market Threats and Housing Policy

23:30 | Home Ownership Advice and the Final Fire Round

Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPSt5h7Bdkk

🎙️ If you enjoyed this episode of The CEO Series with Marc Malnati, don't miss the full video, can find here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4LMXsHxb1g&t=1s

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Published On: Aug 11, 2022

🎙️ If you enjoyed this episode of The CEO Series with Katlin Smith, don't miss the full video, can find here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YI3JGwKxPG0&t=147s

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Published On: Jun 30, 2022

🎙️ If you enjoyed this episode of The CEO Series with Jerry Reinsdorf, don't miss the full video, can find here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teKemaOwweQ&t=79s

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Published On: Jun 30, 2022

🎙️ If you enjoyed this episode of The CEO Series with Jenica Myszkowski, don't miss the full video, can find here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9bTBaPHbNo&t=8s

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Published On: Aug 3, 2022

🎙️ If you enjoyed this episode of The CEO Series with Ed Wehmer, don't miss the full video, can find here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oD2sqjo78Ps&t=2s

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Published On: Jun 30, 2022

🎙️ If you enjoyed this episode of The CEO Series with Tom Ricketts, don't miss the full video, can find here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHTPD2RbtPQ&t=189s

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Published On: Jun 30, 2022

🎙️ If you enjoyed this episode of The CEO Series with Dhruv Saxena, don't miss the full video, can find here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pd1XhPSd9As&t=101s

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Published On: August 3, 2022

🎙️ If you enjoyed this episode of The CEO Series with Mike Golden & Thad Wong, don't miss the full video, can find here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66oExZCWOLU

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Published On: October 3, 2022