Meet Oleg Bortman of The Brokery

Today we’d like to introduce you to Oleg Bortman.

Hi Oleg, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I earned my Arizona real estate license in 2009 and got one of my first listings in Arcadia not too long after. Tucker, my soon-to-be business partner, had also recently obtained his real estate license and wanted to purchase the home I had listed. After working together on the sale, we decided to partner up. I wanted to develop a business partnership with him because he is a Marine veteran, an Arcadia native and his work ethic, integrity and eye for marketing was amazing.

My career background was in managing, coaching, and developing large sales teams in the pharmaceutical industry. I knew Tucker and I could create an ideal business relationship with our blend of sales and marketing skills. Together, we created a real estate team called “The Suits.” Our broker at the time had an office in the lobby of the Arizona Biltmore Hotel and within 18 months of the launching of the team, we became the number one team in the Biltmore. As we reviewed our business and envisioned our potential growth, we knew we had to expand our reach. Tucker and his family decided to acquire a piece of land on the corner of 40th Street and Hazelwood in 2013. Four years later, we opened our flagship office in Arcadia and bought our broker out to initiate the birth of The Brokery! In our humble beginning, we sold roughly $2 million in residential real estate. Fast forward ten years and our company sold just under $200 million in 2020. We now have two neighborhood offices, a 3rd office currently in the works, more than 30 agents and five employees. The Brokery is on track to sell nearly $300 million in homes in 2021. What a journey it has been!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Overall, the road has been very smooth because we are planners who are constantly refining our 5-10 year business strategy. We hired an amazing business coach, Jon Bohm, who helps us stay on track.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about The Brokery?
The Brokery is a local real estate company that is relentlessly focused on serving residents in the Arcadia and Biltmore neighborhoods. Unlike other brokerages tucked away in corporate centers, our two prime neighborhood locations provide high visibility for our seller’s properties and allow for neighbors to engage 1-on-1 with brokers that have extensive knowledge of the area. Overall, the road has been very smooth because we are planners who are constantly refining our 5-10 year business strategy. We hired an amazing business coach, Jon Bohm, who helps us stay on track.

Can you talk about how you think about risk?
Every day, when I wake up, I remind myself that the greatest risk I can take is not being true to myself. I am a husband, dad, brother, and son, above all else. When it comes to work, I absolutely love what I do, so I do not consider this a job. It is my passion and my calling. I love to see everyone around me become successful in whatever that person views as success and happiness. My wife calls me a coach because she sees how much I love to mentor the people in my life. A big risk for me is not having an opportunity to coach someone. The reason our business continues to grow steadily is because I take great pride in being coached by people who inspire me and I pass that along to all the agents at The Brokery. As I see the fruits of my labor through the successes of the agents on my team, I know that all the hard work is paying off. When I see agents doubling or tripling their business within 6-12 months of joining the company, then I can see that the risk we took on that individual has paid off. Once again, I love what I do!

Contact Info:

• Email: oleg@thebrokery.com
• Website: www.thebrokery.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/olegbortman1/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBrokeryAZ

Image Credits
Personal head shot: Trisha Madrid Family photo with dog: Claudia Johnstone