Dava Davin on the athlete mindset and how it translates to her business

This week on the RealTrending podcast, Tracey sits down with Dava Davin, CEO of Portside Real Estate Group, to talk about her journey from working in pharmaceuticals to leading a real estate brokerage with over 200 agents and $1 billion in 2024 sales. Portside focuses on agent growth, community impact, and how to foster a supportive company culture.

Dava highlights the importance of mindset, the value of buyer consultations, and their plan to expand into surrounding communities in New Hampshire. She also talks about their philanthropic work and Portside’s 1% Back to Maine Initiative, which has donated over $300,000 annually to local nonprofits.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

• The biggest challenge is balancing growth with maintaining company culture.
• Buyer consultations are essential for establishing professionalism.
• Key moments in leadership often come from recognizing the importance of relationships.
• Leadership style is about empowering team members and recognizing their strengths.
• Dava prioritizes community involvement and giving back through her brokerage.
• The future of real estate includes more women in leadership roles.

Here’s a small preview of today’s interview. The transcript below has been lightly edited for length and clarity:

Tracey Velt: You left your pharmaceutical job and decided to start a brokerage. So what other personal or professional moments have you had that have impacted you while you’re growing your company?

Dava Davin: I was an agent at a franchise and I thought, I’m just gonna do this on my own. It’s gonna be very agent-centric and we’re gonna just collaborate and we’re gonna have great marketing. And it started out that way and we did some cool, unique things. But then you have that moment of like, my gosh, am I running a business or a charity? If you don’t scale it, this is a hobby.

Then I really focused too much on running the business in the bottom line and I realized that I got to focus back on the people and not be so laser focused on those goals and growing the business. And while all of that that’s important, I think stepping back and just really focusing on the relationships, investing in the relationships with my clients, with my team, with the community — that’s where you build that loyalty and that foundation for a longer term success.

The RealTrending podcast features the brightest minds in real estate. Every week, brokerage leaders, top agents, team leaders, and industry experts share their success secrets, trends, and lessons learned navigating this ever-changing industry. Hosted by Tracey Velt and produced by Elissa Branch.