How the High-Ticket Mindset Took Me from Rock Bottom to $96M

Issue #18 | March 6, 2025

“?How High-Ticket Thinking Made Me $96M” By Aanant Bisht

The Moment Everything Changed

March 2018

The heat in Dubai was suffocating, but it wasn’t the weather that weighed me down—it was the uncertainty in my chest.

I stepped out of the airport with nothing but 50 lakh rupees ($60,000) in savings, zero connections, zero market knowledge, and absolutely no backup plan.

Just a few weeks before, I had uprooted my family from a comfortable life in India—a life where I had built an e-commerce company, paid off all my loans, owned two cars, and had a support team of maids and drivers. In India, I was someone. In Dubai? I was a stranger in a city that didn’t care who I had been before.

But I made a choice. I had come to one of the most competitive real estate markets in the world to build something bigger than I had ever built before.

What I didn’t know then was how intensely the next 14 months would test my resolve. I had no clue that I would soon sell 96M AED ($26M) worth of real estate and take home 2.4M AED ($650,000) in commissions.

At that moment, all I knew was: I had to make this work. There was no turning back.

The Hard Truth: Dubai Doesn’t Care About Your Past

As soon as I landed, I made a huge mistake. I rented an overpriced apartment in Business Bay, trying to convince myself that I had "made it." I thought a flashy address would somehow make up for my lack of income.

But reality hit hard.

In India, my monthly expenses were around ?200,000 ($2,400). In Dubai? ?800,000 ($9,600).

Every day I watched my savings dwindling with no incoming revenue. I had no salary, no fallback plan, no family safety net. It was just me, my phone, and a city full of strangers. I felt the weight of it all.

I woke up every morning with a pit in my stomach. Was I really going to fail here? Was I just another expat who came to Dubai, chased a dream, and failed spectacularly?

I had two choices:

1. Pack up, head back to India, and admit defeat.
2. Outwork every single agent in this city until success had no choice but to find me.

I chose the second option—and I committed to making it work, no matter what.

The Power of Belief and Value

During those initial weeks, one thing became abundantly clear to me: belief is everything.

When you’re starting from scratch, it’s easy to doubt yourself. But the moment you lose faith in your ability to succeed, you’re already defeated.

I decided that if I was going to make it, I needed to operate with an unwavering belief in my ability to deliver value. Not just to clients, but to everyone I interacted with. Real estate is about solving problems—whether that’s finding someone’s dream home or helping an investor make a wise financial decision.

So, I made it my mission to always offer value. Each conversation, every email, every phone call—I didn’t just focus on selling; I focused on how I could genuinely be of service. If I could offer something of value, money would follow.

But more than that, I needed to build trust. I had no track record in Dubai, but I could control one thing: how I showed up for my clients. I wanted them to feel like they were getting more than just a real estate agent. I wanted them to feel that I was genuinely invested in helping them achieve their goals.

When I shifted my mindset from "How can I make a sale?" to "How can I help solve their problems?", everything started to change. And the best part? People started trusting me. They felt that I wasn’t just interested in making a sale—I was interested in making a difference.

Staying Motivated When Everything Feels Impossible

There were days when the weight of doubt nearly crushed me. I’d been rejected so many times that it felt like I wasn’t getting anywhere. It was easy to question if all the sacrifices had been worth it.

But here’s what I realized: motivation doesn’t just appear out of thin air. It’s something you create every single day. It’s about showing up, even when it feels like nothing is working.

I made a commitment to myself: I was going to wake up at 5:30 AM every single day, rain or shine, and dedicate that first hour to visualizing my success.

I didn’t just imagine closing deals—I imagined every detail:

• The feeling of shaking a client’s hand after signing the deal.
• The sound of the commission check being deposited into my account.
• The satisfaction of knowing I had helped someone make the right decision.

Visualization became a key part of my routine, and I didn’t just “wish” for success. I saw it in my mind first and used that vision to fuel my daily efforts.

The Relentless Pursuit of Success

It wasn’t just about working hard. It was about working smart and being relentless. I had no network, no referrals, and no big-name developers backing me up. But what I did have was a work ethic that would outlast anyone’s.

Every single day, I made 200 calls. Sometimes more. The rejection was brutal, but each “no” was one step closer to a “yes”.

Initially, I wasn’t getting much traction. But I knew that if I kept going, I would eventually find the people who were ready to take the next step. I didn’t let rejection define me—I let my resolve push me forward.

Soon, I started tweaking my approach. Instead of saying, “Hi, I’m Aanant, a real estate agent in Dubai,” I began saying:

“Hi James, it’s Aanant. We spoke last time when you were looking for a property.”

Of course, we hadn’t spoken before, but in a city as fast-paced as Dubai, people forget about calls quickly. That small shift helped me build rapport and get past the initial rejection. One of those conversations turned into my first deal.

The First Deal: The 1.75M AED Lesson

One afternoon, after weeks of rejection and frustration, I finally caught a break. A prospect reached out and said, “I’m looking for a ready property in Dubai Properties.”

The truth was, I didn’t have all the answers. I didn’t know exactly what inventory was available at that moment. But I didn’t let that stop me. Instead of pretending I knew everything or bluffing my way through, I took a different approach. I asked, “If I find exactly what you’re looking for, will you buy from me?”

To my surprise, he said yes.

Now, here’s the thing: when you’re just starting out, you don’t always have a lot to lose, but you also don’t have a safety net to fall back on. The pressure to deliver can feel suffocating, but that’s exactly what I needed. I had nothing but my hustle and my desire to succeed.

So, I got to work like my life depended on it—because, in many ways, it did. I scoured the listings, did the research, and found him a 1.75 million AED property in Arabella.

When that deal closed, I walked away with a commission of 34,000 AED ($9,250), which felt like a huge victory. But it was more than just the money—it was a profound moment of realization. I understood something that shifted my entire mindset: Dubai wasn’t against me. It was simply waiting to see if I had the persistence, the resilience, and the commitment to make it here.

That first deal wasn’t luck. It was proof that I could thrive in this market. But it also made me realize that in order to scale and keep winning, I needed to work smarter, not just harder.

The Million-Dirham Lessons from My First 4 Months in Dubai

That first win felt like a small step in the right direction. But I quickly learned that one deal wasn’t going to change my life. If I wanted to build a sustainable business, I needed a system—a way to approach real estate that was repeatable and scalable.

Looking back at my first four months, I can pinpoint several key lessons that helped me drastically improve my results and mindset. Here’s what I learned:

The Focus Rule: Avoid Secondary Market Properties

One of the biggest mistakes I see new agents making is chasing low-ticket deals in the secondary market. Sure, these properties might seem like an easy win—they’re already built, often have lower asking prices, and the deals can happen quickly. But the reality is that they don’t bring in enough financial reward to justify the time and energy spent.

I quickly realized that if I wanted to make real money, I needed to focus on the right kind of deals—specifically, off-plan properties (new developments). It was a major mindset shift for me. The secondary market was cluttered with competition, and clients were constantly shopping around, looking for the best deal. On the other hand, off-plan properties had the potential to bring in higher commissions, fewer competitors, and a much smoother process for both the buyer and the seller.

So, I changed my focus. Instead of wasting time on smaller, secondary market deals, I shifted my energy toward premium, off-plan properties—and it paid off.

The Off-Plan Advantage

New developments came with several clear advantages:

• Higher commissions (often between 4-6% compared to 2-3% in the secondary market)
• Less competition (developers were actively looking to sell properties, which meant there was less saturation in the market)
• Lower upfront investment for buyers, making it easier for them to commit and purchase

Developers like Emaar, Nakheel, and Damac were offering attractive incentives and commissions on their inventory, as they needed to move properties quickly. Why would I fight over scraps in the secondary market when I could be selling luxury penthouses, villas, and skyscrapers instead?

This shift wasn’t just strategic; it was about shifting my mindset from “playing it safe” to “aiming for the high-ticket opportunities that were more lucrative and less crowded.”

The $100K Mistake That Changed Everything

As I began to focus more on luxury properties, I thought I had landed my biggest deal yet. I was working at the Dubai Hills Sales Center when a client showed serious interest in a stunning villa in Arabian Ranches 2. He seemed ready to move forward.

The client handed me a 50,000 AED booking check. I was ecstatic—I thought I had finally hit a home run. But then, a huge setback occurred. The check bounced.

I was devastated. This wasn’t just another deal—it felt like it was going to be the one that validated all my efforts. Instead, I was facing a $100K loss.

Now, in that moment, I could’ve panicked. I could’ve gotten angry or frustrated with the client. But instead, I took a deep breath and asked myself two critical questions:

• What’s the lesson here?
• How can I make sure this never happens again?

This mindset shift was the game-changer. Rather than getting caught up in the disappointment, I focused on finding a solution.

And that’s when I discovered the Credit Card Rule—something that would forever change the way I approached transactions.

The Credit Card Rule

I learned that Emaar—one of the largest developers in Dubai—accepted credit card payments for up to $10K per transaction. It was a simple but brilliant solution to the problem of delayed payments. Rather than waiting for checks to clear or dealing with payment issues, I could now accept payments instantly.

This single shift in my process saved me 90% of the deal-killing delays I had faced before. No more waiting for checks to clear, no more uncertainty. This change didn’t just speed up the process; it gave me peace of mind, knowing that my deals were more likely to close without issues.

It was a powerful reminder that small tweaks in your approach can have a massive impact on your success.

Building a Resilient Mindset

Through these experiences, I learned that mindset is everything. The highs and lows of real estate can be overwhelming at times. You’ll encounter setbacks, deal with rejection, and face moments where it feels like success is just out of reach. But it’s during these moments that your mindset will determine whether you push through or give up.

The key is to stay adaptable and never stop learning. Every mistake is an opportunity to improve, every failure is a lesson, and every rejection is a step closer to the next success.

If I had given up after my first few rejections or when that check bounced, I wouldn’t have had the chance to close the deals that followed. It was that relentless belief in myself—paired with a commitment to improvement—that allowed me to keep moving forward, even when things were tough.

In real estate, as in life, success doesn’t happen overnight. It’s about putting in the work, adjusting when necessary, and learning from each experience.

From Setbacks to Success: The Power of Persistence in Dubai Real Estate

Looking back on these early experiences, it’s clear that every challenge I faced was an opportunity in disguise. Whether it was a missed deal, a mistake with a bounced check, or simply a moment of doubt—I learned something new every time. And that’s what allowed me to continue growing, evolving, and eventually thriving in the competitive world of Dubai real estate.

The road wasn’t easy, but it was worth it. Success in any field, especially real estate, doesn’t come from luck—it comes from persistence, the ability to learn from mistakes, and a relentless focus on your goals.

In the end, it was mindset—a belief in myself and the willingness to keep going despite setbacks—that truly made the difference. And I’m here to tell you: You can do it too.

?The Visualization System That Built an Empire

One of the most powerful tools I used in my journey was visualization. Every morning, I woke up at 5:30 AM and visualized:

• Closing deals at Emaar
• Confidently talking to clients and convincing them of my value
• Clients shaking my hand after signing contracts
• Commission checks being deposited into my account

I didn’t just work hard—I also lived my success mentally before it happened. Every successful sale, every deal, I pictured it in my mind first. Within 14 months, I had sold 96M AED ($26M) in real estate and earned 2.4M AED ($650,000) in commissions.

What I Learned

Dubai doesn’t care about your past. It only cares about what you do today.

When I first came to this city, I had no experience, no connections, and no safety net. But I had one thing: an unwavering belief in my ability to create value, work harder than anyone else, and never give up.

Success isn’t about luck—it’s about perseverance and commitment.

The Final Truth

Looking back, the biggest lesson I learned was that real success comes from controlling demand, not chasing it. This high-ticket mindset gave me the ability to build relationships, create exclusivity, and become the go-to expert in Dubai’s luxury real estate market.

If you want to transform your career, you need to shift from thinking about sales and commissions to thinking about creating value—for your clients, for your brand, and for your future. And once you do, the deals will follow. You’ll win before the deal even begins.

And trust me, once you embrace this mindset, you’ll never look at real estate the same way again.

P.S.

If you’re ready to make this mindset shift and start attracting the clients and deals you’ve always wanted, I’d love to help you.

Click below to book a free strategy call. Together, we’ll uncover the limiting beliefs holding you back and start building a success-driven mindset.

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