Ahmed Elbatrawy is the founder and licensed partner of Engel & Völkers in Orlando. Leading one of the global real estate brand’s regional offices is a culmination of all his hard work. He has risen through the ranks, growing into an expert for the ever-evolving Central Florida real estate market. When this partnership was announced in March of 2021, the press release lauded Ahmed Elbatrawy and his accolades and nuanced approach to buying and selling.
It’s an approach Ahmed Elbatrawy has perfected over the last two decades. At the core of his philosophy is an understanding that every area is different. Despite doing business in Spain, London, Dubai, and Egypt, the Orange County market is entirely unique. Yet, there are some common practices that have contributed to his success. Ahmed Elbatrawy prides himself on visualization, being able to imagine a home or apartment and anticipate what might attract potential buyers. Through purposeful, focused staging and improvements, he’s confident he can lure in the ideal buyer. Additionally, the same willingness to help others through coaching and mentoring has propelled him to these achievements. Ahmed Elbatrawy is always eager to serve.
Ahmed Elbatrawy’s latest endeavor has taken him across the globe and with lofty expectations. His aim is to redefine the real estate industry in the Middle East. His company, Platform Leaders, will lead the way. The solution-driven brand is unified by a single mission: to aid agencies in fostering client relationships, automating sales, and ultimately closing more deals. Ahmed Elbatrawy draws on his vast experience to introduce their debut product, homes.com.eg. To call the website revolutionary is an understatement. It ushers in a digital transformation for an industry that’s often traditional. The lead-capturing tool is the first of its kind in Egypt. Homes.com.eg can immediately generate results, connecting prospective buyers with available homes. Essentially, it’s a one-stop hub for key information, like tax records, title documents, and other essential data needed by real estate agents. Expected to launch in 2022, there is obviously a lot of buzz building for this pioneering project.
“There are so many people out there who don’t have access to the knowledge and resources required to make their real estate dream come true,” Ahmed Elbatrawy said. “Homes.com.eg is going to arm them with these resources and make it all possible. It’s going to be an exciting journey.”
Where did the idea for Platform Leaders come from?
I realized that the real estate market place still needed a lot of help, in order to reach its full potential. In the middle east especially, the market there is rudimentary and way behind any other market. I wanted to leave a legacy that will help people to be better and more successful, that’s when the idea came to me. With Platform Leaders I want to help both the professional and the consumer reach their goals with ease; I want to give everyone the tools they need to be successful and help the market to reach new heights.
What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?
First thing I do is get my favorite coffee, sit down and start going through my goals for the day. I never really stop working, in order to achieve your dreams you have to put in the hours and strive for them. Once I finished all my goals I like to spend the rest of my day with my kids
How do you bring ideas to life?
I usually have a goal in mind that I want to reach. I break up that goal into smaller steps and go from there, mapping out each step I have to take in order to bring my ideas to life. Sometimes you can face difficulties, but if you go through them and be patient you’ll usually find a different route to take.
What’s one trend that excites you?
At the moment I’m really excited about the metaverse and all the possibilities for the future it creates. I’ve been watching and investing in Crypto for a while, now I’m always thinking how can I integrate the metaverse into my business.
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
I taught myself to never give up on my dreams and to always keep learning and improving myself. If I have a dream i’ll work for it and i’ll keep working till I achieve it. Things take time and effort, nothing comes easy but through all the hardships you still have to have fun along the way.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Focus on your end goal and don’t let your current problems bother you. You can’t control everything. You have to accept that holding onto negativity from the past will not change the outcome to the better. What has happened, happened don’t linger anymore on it and let go of your anger and regrets, accept the outcome and learn from it.
Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.
I believe that you can sacrifice a lot financially if you believe and trust in your idea to succeed, even by putting yourself at the edge.
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
Always keep learning! I never stop sharpening my skills or gaining knowledge about my field of work. I never believed that talent is the key to success, you can be talented but never go any further, because you don’t better yourself. I believe that if you learn it you can do it. I always tell the agents I’ve coached, know everything about your market, follow the trends and read every day. You have to always try to be better, even if you’re already successful you still have to keep learning.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?
Building a strong Team. surround yourself with people you can trust, people that can help you grow.
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
I don’t count anything bad that happened in my business as a failure, I take them as a lesson to learn and grow from.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
I would say as a start there are a lot of good ideas to get you going; like amazon FBA, vending machines, flipping cars or creating/flipping NFT’s. Start small and work your way up.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
I recently bought 3 books. I always improve my knowledge and enjoy reading a lot, it’s one of the most important things I do.
What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?
SalesForce. It helps me manage all my businesses productively and efficiently, also helps me to communicate better with customers.
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
It would have to be “Rich Dad Poor Dad” by Robert Kiyosaki. This book helped me change my mindset and outlook towards many different things in life, it really helped me better myself. It puts you into the business mindset.
What is your favorite quote?
“It always seems impossible until it’s done” Nelson Mandela
“Fall down seven times, get up eight” Nana Korobi Ya Oki
Key Learnings:
- It doesn’t matter what you pursue more so how you pursue it. Going the extra mile is something that has helped me stand out from the competition.
- Surrounding yourself with good people is fundamental. 1 person going in the wrong direction can really distract the rest of the team.
- Progress over perfection. I use to slow myself down but try to make everything perfect but soon realized that it is more about the journey.
- Setting goals and making progress is much more important and keeps you on your path.
Steve (Stefan) Junge hails from Germany and helps with the day-to-day publishing of interviews on IdeaMensch. While he and Mario don’t share a favorite soccer club, their enthusiasm to help entrepreneurs is a shared passion.