The Dealmaker

Thank you for downloading this Simon & Schuster ebook.Get a FREE ebook when you join our mailing list. Plus, get updates on new releases, deals, recommended reads, and more from Simon & Schuster. Click below to sign up and see terms and conditions.CLICK HERE TO SIGN UPAlready a subscriber? Provide your email again so we can register this ebook and send you more of what you like to read. You will continue to receive exclusive offers in your inbox. Dedicated to my family, clients, and colleagues for the trust and support that has carried me through the years INTRODUCTIONHow was your day?” My wife, Kyle, asked, greeting me at the front door with a welcoming smile and already anticipating my typical answer.“It was amazing. The best day of my life,” I replied, kissing her on the lips.She laughed. “How is it possible that every single day is that perfect for you?”“When you’re passionate about what you do and you love the people and the place you come home to, that’s just the way it is.”It was the only explanation I could offer, and I knew it to be true, especially because we were in the trenches of launching a business from the ground up and it was a wild roller-coaster ride, fraught with rapid inclines, sharp turns, and steep slopes.There was rarely a reprieve from the chaos. We’d set up shop with three days’ notice and were clamoring to get everything done. Plastic rentals served as our desk chairs; our transaction coordinator doubled as the receptionist; my partner Billy Rose was making runs to the Home Depot to swap out the dilapidated toilet seats, and our office had such horrific parking that I was acting as the valet. If our agents needed to leave, I would literally run downstairs and move cars so that they could arrive at their listings on time. We were a small team but a motivated one. We rolled up our sleeves. Got our hands dirty. And made shit happen.“Most people would be exhausted and overwhelmed in your position.” Kyle shook her head incredulously. “I don’t know how you do it all and remain so positive.”She was right. Most people would have been completely stressed out in my shoes. But I’m not most people, and learning to find balance in my life, while maintaining an optimistic outlook, is something that was ingrained in me from a young age.As a child, my grandfather Abraham taught me this important historical adage: “There are twenty-four hours in a day—eight for sleep, eight for work, and eight for play. It’s up to you to decide how to divide your time wisely.” I’ve carried this advice with me for the last five decades, as I’ve strived to give 100 percent to everything I do, which includes my career, my personal relationships, and the many extracurricular activities that fulfill me.Striking this balance is often easier said than done, yet I believe that if you lead with confidence and a positive attitude, success is not only achievable but probable, and the possibilities are endless.This way of thinking originates from my upbringing and being raised by a very loving and supportive Jewish family from the day I was born on June 25, 1970, in Mexico City. Judaism was a big part of my life growing up. Even though we weren’t orthodox, we honored holidays and traditions—imparted by my mother—which I still follow today. My grandparents emigrated, by boat, from Russia, Lithuania, Turkey, and Minsk—fleeing these countries, as so many Jews did in order to obtain freedom—and landed in Mexico, where my parents were born, so I was a second-generation Mexican.My parents; my sister, Sharon; and I ate dinner together every night, and my father, who’s always had a passion for philosophical books, would talk to us about Dostoevsky and all kinds of existential stuff. So, early on, we were part of these very interesting and educational conversations that taught us we could do anything we put our minds to. The world was our oyster.But well before I became one of the top ten real estate agents in the country, boasting the most homes sold above twenty million dollars, I had quite a bit to overcome. The first major obstacle I faced was being born with a potentially fatal blood disease called neutropenia, which is when you have too few neutrophils, a type of white blood cell that fights infection and bacteria. At the time I was diagnosed with neutropenia, most people died from it. Therefore, the first six years of my life were consumed by my parents’ fear.I was their first child and the first grandchild in the family, which meant I grew up extremely nurtured and bolstered, particularly since I had this horrible disease and was at the hospital multiple times a week, if not every day, being poked and prodded and having my blood taken. I basically got away with whatever I wanted because my family didn’t want to upset me.Incredibly, when I was six years old, after a visit to the Boston Children’s Hospital for a regular blood test, the doctors told me I was cured and that I no longer had neutropenia. It was a medical miracle that set the tone for the self-assured man I was destined to become.Still, the trauma of those six years took a mental toll on me and are completely blocked from my memory.It was at this point that my family decided we needed a fresh start, and we relocated from Mexico to Bel Air, a residential neighborhood in Los Angeles, California. We moved there for a few reasons. One was that there was a major devaluation of the peso in addition to other politically motivated concerns in Mexico. Another was so my father could diversify the family textile business he was running with his two brothers and my grandfather. They knew better than to put all of their eggs in one basket, and my father volunteered to pursue opportunities in America—a resolution that allowed