Ryan Serhant on Owning Manhattan, Wasted Potential & AI in Real Estate

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