At just 26 years old, Abraham Sarway is consistently named the #1 real estate agent at Douglas Elliman—for both sales and rentals. Abraham’s team, The Sarway Team at Douglas Elliman, transacts hundreds of millions of dollars worth of real estate every year.

In this episode, we dive into Abie’s journey from an 18-year-old cold-caller to leading one of the top-ranked rental teams in the industry.

He shares the key principles that set him apart—how to make a lasting first impression, why persistence is everything, and the biggest mistake young professionals make when trying to grow in their careers.

We break down his approach to negotiation, the mindset shifts that changed the game for him, and the hard lessons he learned from losing a major deal.

We also touch on his emphasis on giving back in his own unique way.

Enjoy!

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Some of Abie’s favorite CEO essays:

• https://pmarchive.com/how_to_hire_the_best_people.html​
• https://paulgraham.com/hwh.html
• https://paulgraham.com/greatwork.html

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Discover how The Hedaya Capital Group’s factoring can help power your business’s financials: hedayacapital.com

(00:00) Who is Abraham Sarway?

(03:09) Early beginnings and high school hustle

(07:07) Timeless business lessons learned from high school business

(08:21) Negotiating with his high school teachers

(11:31) Transition to real estate and early challenges

(13:40) Being 18 years old in a veteran's industry

(15:17) Early hard work and dedication

(18:16) Learning from mistakes and the importance of action

(21:42) Going solo and facing reality

(22:16) Fumbling his first opportunity

(27:50) Set input goals, not output goals

(29:48) Learning from a sophisticated client

(33:49) Learning from high-profile clients

(35:32) Adding structure to his day

(38:42) Building up his team at Douglas

(39:52) Core principles of success

(47:16) What goes into closing a multimillion dollar deal?

(51:06) Abraham’s accomplishments

(52:00) What separates a top-notch real estate agent from everybody else?

(55:03) The importance of listening to others

(58:03) How do you balance work and life?

(1:02:02) The importance of a strong personal brand

(1:05:39) 1st step young adults should take

(1:07:53) Make mistakes early and START!!

(1:11:37) Biggest failure of your career?

(1:14:22) Follow your passion or chase the money?

(1:16:37) Favorite books/resources?

(1:19:27) Why is giving back so important to you?

(1:23:40) Momentum Moment

(1:26:43) Outro and key takeaways