About this episode

Gavin Rubinstein interviews Ben Bandari about his journey in Dubai's real estate market and the lessons learned along the way.

In this episode, Gavin sits down in Dubai with Ben Bandari, one of the city’s most recognisable real estate figures and the driving force behind Million Dollar Listing Dubai. With over two decades in the market, Ben has witnessed and helped shape Dubai’s transformation from a desert outpost into one of the most dynamic real estate arenas in the world  From delivering pizzas in Vancouver to closing half-a-billion-dollar deals, Ben’s journey is built on belief, relentless hustle and an obsession with being number one. He shares what it took to survive market crashes, rebuild after losing half his wealth, launch multiple businesses during COVID, and leverage global exposure to scale across brokerage, development and investment. Episode Breakdown 00:00 – 03:00 Introduction to Ben and his 23-year journey in Dubai real estate 03:00 – 06:00 Arriving in Dubai in the early 2000s — culture shock, no social media, pure hustle and building business through cold calling and hotel networking 06:00 – 08:00 Selling the dream of Dubai before it was built. Belief, conviction and backing a vision others doubted 08:00 – 10:00 Career mistakes…

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