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Whether you’re the next “New York City mama boss” or someone with an “international perspective on real estate reach,” creating a personal brand can feel overwhelming without a clear direction. yeah.
While some people arrive at their brand naturally, panelists at Wednesday’s Inman Connect New York emphasized that successful branding is a strategic process that requires authenticity and consistency.
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By carefully assembling the pieces of the puzzle that define your professional identity, Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty Broker Ro Habibi, Serhant Commercial Managing Director Bernadette Brennan, and Douglas Elliman Managing Director Frances Katzen I shared how I built my brand over time.
Francis Katzen
“If you’re a new agent, the first thing you need to do is determine what’s real,” Katzen told a room packed with real estate professionals. “Who are you in this industry? How do you want to be seen? How would you feel if you were the empowered person you want to be?”
During a panel discussion titled “Agent as Brand: How to Strengthen Personal Identity,” Habibi reflected on how his brand has evolved.
“It’s always evolving, so the idea of the type of brand I wanted to build 14 years ago is very different than what I’m doing today,” he admitted.
He encouraged agents to adopt a “act as if” mindset. This means agents need to demonstrate that they are the professionals they aspire to be, even before they fully reach that level.
“I started trading at $385,000, and that brand is very different than the $30 million homes I’m selling now. You know, the concept is that we’re not even there yet. Yet they act like they’re selling a $5 million home.”
Roh Habibi
Although Habibi had a vision from the beginning, Brennan admitted that her brand, Mama Boss NYC, came about by chance.
After evaluating my social media, I realized that I only have 50 followers and 3 likes. “I’m a mom, and I didn’t want people to think I was just changing diapers and cooking all day long,” she said. “I wanted them to know that I was the boss. ‘Mama Boss,’ and I’m from New York, so I decided to call it ‘Mama Boss NYC.’ ”
Now, wherever she goes, people recognize her brand. People say, “I don’t even know your name, but that’s your boss. You’re the ‘mom boss.'”
Katzen, on the other hand, built his brand with clear intent. She took inspiration from all the top brokers and wanted to establish credibility right away.
“I didn’t want to be ‘Rookie of the Year.’ I tried to build it up as if I’d been doing it forever,” she explained.
Her strategy included leveraging international connections. By featuring friends’ international properties in Australia, Europe and elsewhere on her website, she has positioned herself with a sophisticated brand as an “international perspective on real estate reach.”
nicky miller
When moderator Nikki Miller asked the panelists how new agents can start building their brand, Habibi’s advice was blunt. “Just get started,” he told the audience.
Of course, there are quite a few steps to follow. Consistency is key, Habibi stressed. He suggested that agents create local content to establish strong connections with the market.
“We create a quick 92-second video where we walk around town, go to our favorite coffee spot, and talk about why we love this coffee shop,” he explained. “All of a sudden, people like it, people share it, people even start visiting that space you talked about.”
Brennan recommended taking inventory of your personal and professional goals and blending them together.
“Start with one or two platforms, just own those platforms, and then balance what you want to do for us,” she advised. “Mostly real estate and the rest is everything else. So for me, it’s the kids. Here we bake bread and then we buy this building.”
Bernadette Brennan
She also emphasized authenticity. “If you’re a potter, or a dancer, or a sportsperson, don’t try to start something completely new. Focus on what you’re doing, because it’s not authentic.” she said.
For Katzen, branding starts with visual identity.
“Some people like certain colors. Some people like a certain look,” she said. Katzen finds beauty in architectural components, with a particular focus on staircases. “People send them in and comment on them. Now we’re filming them and posting them, and I think that speaks to the consistency of time.”
“Be patient as you’re trying to build this and be really graceful with the changes you make over time in your career,” Habibi said, highlighting the importance of patience in branding and career growth. I emphasized. “Think as much as possible about who you ideally want to be and what kind of career you want to build in the future, and start doing it right away.”
Email Richelle Hamiel
