Lesson Learned: Play the long game as you build your brokerage

Donald Brennan took a unique path to leadership in the real estate industry as a self-trained real estate agent. “I got a real estate license from New York State because I’ve never worked for a real estate agency,” he said. “By the age of 30, I had made enough transactions in my own account to qualify for a broker’s license.”

Over the next three decades, he built a brokerage that now includes 90 agents and eight full-time staff across four locations in the NYC metro area, and plans to double the agent base by 2026.

One of the differentiators Brennan believes in is Engel & Völkers’ “global boutique luxury model,” which he believes will be more in demand than ever in today’s era of real estate consolidation. That model involves serving as a trusted advisor with deep market knowledge and ongoing professional training, with “a customized approach and meticulous care for every detail, making the client experience customer-centric, transparent and built on long-term trust.”

Find out how this New York City real estate agent got his start and learn about the key leadership principles that define his success.

Name: Donald Brennan

Title: Licensing Partner, Owner | Global advisor

Experience: 30+ years

Broker name: Engel & Völkers New York City, Engel & Völkers Brownstone Brooklyn (2 locations) and Engel & Völkers North Fork

Brokerage size: 90 advisors spread over four stores

Broker transaction sides (YTD from October 21, 2025):

• 274 closed entries
• 30 pending
• 63 active

Broker sales volume:

• Closed $100,651,000
• Pending $47,312,000
• Assets $111,257,000

How did you get started in real estate?

I launched my own real estate brokerage after becoming dissatisfied with the sales support I received from an established broker, operating under an established brand, in the marketing and sale of a boutique apartment I had developed in Brooklyn.

I did this because I believed I was better equipped to tell the story of why our product was superior to the competition and why we felt we deserved a premium for its superiority. We succeeded in this by setting a price record.

How did you choose your brokerage?

Engel & Völkers is the only brokerage I am affiliated with, other than my own brokerage. I chose them because their position as the established global luxury brand was a good fit for me based on our transaction price ($3.5 million average in 2019) and their structure, with a small footprint in all major global markets connected through a truly collaborative network of experienced real estate advisors.

Tell us about a highlight of your real estate career

Carrying out the marketing and sales of a development site I owned, at a price that exceeded the guidelines of the commercial agents I was considering by 30 percent. It was confirmation that I was able to sell complex assets in a challenging market.

What is your top tip for newly licensed real estate agents?

Real estate brokerage is a long game that requires you to work on your business every day. Create a business plan, execute the plan, measure your efforts, repeat. Work for a company that will hold you accountable and help you achieve and hopefully exceed your goals.

What makes a good leader?

Good leaders have a growth mindset. The core beliefs are:

• Malleable skills and intelligence: The fundamental principle is the belief that intelligence, talents and abilities are not fixed traits, but can be developed, nurtured and expanded through effort, learning and perseverance.
• Effort is the path to mastery: Effort is not seen as a sign of low ability (as in a fixed mindset), but as the essential ingredient and powerful catalyst for growth and performance.
• Challenges are opportunities: Difficult tasks and challenges are embraced as opportunities to learn, expand your skills and build new neural pathways in the brain.
• Failure as a stepping stone: Setbacks, mistakes, and failures are reframed as valuable feedback, necessary parts of the learning process, and opportunities to course-correct and grow, rather than evidence of inadequacy.

Email Christy Murdock