From selling books and Christmas calendars in the streets of Stockholm to peddling luxury real estate and high rises of New York, Fredrik Eklund is an individual that effectively fuses ambition and success. The Swedish real estate hot-shot first visited New York City at age 10 and was instantly smitten by the Big Apple's beautiful, attractive, and enticing skyline.
15 years later, he returned at the age of 25, determined to carve a name for himself, a hard thing to do in a massive city where culture, language, and connections are essential ingredients to success. Eklund did not speak English and doesn't have any friends in New York, but his ambition fueled him to move forward, since going back was never an option for him.
In a recent interview with Entrepeneur, Eklund opened up on his beginnings and his move to the U.S. to fulfill a dream; he also shared how anyone can be as successful as him. His very first real estate sale was an apartment on West 20th street. Having no experience in the field, Eklund managed to seal the deal and score his first paycheck of $16,000. For Eklund, that sale personally meant a lot to him.
"I didn't really know anyone. I didn't know the language. It wasn't like I pretended I had experience. It was just like the client never asked me and I obviously wasn't going to point out that I was fresh off the shrimp boat."
During his first year as a real estate broker, Eklund sold in excess of $50 million worth of properties while working for the defunct JC DeNiro realty firm, which was owned by ack DeNiro, actor Robert DeNiro's uncle. Today, he leads the biggest real estate firm on the East Coast and boasts a clientele that includes Justin Timberlake, Leonardo DiCaprio and Daniel Craig, to name a few.
Eklund never made it a secret that he once dabbled in gay porn movies as Tag Eriksson or sold paninis on the sidewalk. When pressed for tips on how to become a successful broker, Eklund dished the following:
1. Work with a team
2. Lift up the positive aspects, but don't neglect the negatives
3. Don't be afraid to fail
4. Detach yourself from the product
5. It takes five years to be successful
But perhaps his most essential slice of wisdom is this: "I think it's the most basic one, which is very easy to say and difficult to get to. It's to be yourself," he said.
