Long Doan decided at age 13 that he was lucky. After fleeing Vietnam in the early '80s, Doan found himself in a Malaysian refugee camp nicknamed Hell Island, with a 50/50 chance of survival. During one emotional night at the camp, Doan found his "why" and decided that he would view himself as lucky in life from that point forward. Fast forward to 2009, when Doan started Realty Group in Minnesota with just eight agents—today, it is the No. 1 brokerage firm in Minnesota and No. 12 in the country, home to 550 real estate professionals.
In this week's episode of RISMedia's RealEdge podcast, Doan gets granular about the systems and processes he and his partners put in place to grow their firm to such success, and why people and values are at the root of it all. "We're in the people business—you have to understand who you are and why we do the things we do," he explains. "That will lead you with conviction and passion to move forward and build your business."
On this week's episode you'll learn:
0:38 – All about Doan's journey, from Vietnam to top brokerage
3:18 – The moment Doan discovered his 'why' and decided to be a victor not a victim
6:50 – Why it's important to identify points of reference, and how they shape who you become
8:43 – Why systems and people are crucial to business…not necessarily in that order
13:40 – Key strategies, from SWAT analysis to a 'then what' process
17:42 – Why nothing is more important than mindset
20:53 – Why most run at 120% when they should be at 80%
22:08 – Why a plug-and-play model works
25:55 – The elements of Doan's "culture code"
27:28 – Advice for succeeding in COVID times, or in any challenging market
30:48 – Long's 10-step recruiting process, and why you need to focus on human capital.
34:39 – The three reasons why agents don't work out
36:42 – Long's advice for moving forward: "Feed the right voice."
About Long Doan
Long Doan spent 15 years in the mortgage side of the industry before making his move to sales and launching Realty Group in 2009. Eleven years later he is the founder of the fastest-growing, largest independent brokerage in Minnesota. Today, Doan is still extremely driven and an influential leader in the industry as he continues to grow his business. He is on the board of directors for a few local real estate associations and can be found speaking at national conferences around the U.S.
