“I’m a different person coming down a mountain than I am going up. Every single time. No matter how high the climb, I learn something. I grow. I change. There is no better way to force yourself to grow especially in a pressure situation than to climb a mountain,” said Brian Danney, Senior Sales Executive on The Beer Team/ eXp Realty. 

Brian has climbed mountains all over the world from the Pacific Northwest all the way down to Ecuador. He’s not always successful. In fact, weather, health, and life have all been roadblocks at times, but none of that has ever stopped him from trying. Real estate is no different. He’s had many mountains to climb but every single day, he’s looking to ascend bigger and bigger peaks. 

Growing up playing ice hockey in Los Angeles made Brian a self-described “oddball” that found himself in an ice rink. When he was 15, his family moved to a small town in Maine; where he felt even more isolated. Things changed when Brian was able to play college hockey at Syracuse University, a sport he loves to this day. Through college friends years later, Brian met his wife and the pair moved back to the warmth of California. 

After college, he got into marketing and PR, working for PlayStation. Brian found he was good at his job, but didn’t have a big passion for it. Brian’s other love has always been music. This led him to start a music management company where he leveraged his connections to help bands thrive; Brian even got a band he represented on the first iteration of Guitar Hero. 

When his parents moved back to California, Brian began touring office spaces with his father – a dentist looking for a new home for his practice. “This was a defining moment in my career. That day, I fell in love with real estate. It was incredibly interesting and I could see how life-changing it could be for real, everyday people,” he said. 

Brian left the music industry and became a commercial real estate agent, a job he successfully held for many years. “Unfortunately, the company I hung my license with went bankrupt, and in effect, derailed my journey as I lost a significant amount of commission,” he explained. “I was broke. I’ll never forget the feeling I had in my gut for putting us in a situation in which I had to sell everything we had out of our garage to make ends meet. It was awful.”

While deciding to part with real estate Brian coincidentally, ran into an old college buddy named Daniel Beer. “He told me he was starting a residential real estate team and asked me to join him.,” Brian said with a laugh. “I’d never even really considered residential because for whatever reason I had preconceived notions that it was a less professional route. Despite everyone’s opinion telling me to make a safer decision, I trusted my gut and I jumped right in. Ten years later, we've been together ever since.” 

That chance meeting changed the course of Brian’s life for the better. “Change has always been something I am battling. In fact, the moment I made a conscious effort to embrace it helped me pave the way for me to be here today. I get to work with the most amazing people and one of my best friends, Daniel. We travel, climb mountains together, and get to work together. It’s all been worth it,” he said. 

“Daniel has given me so much and I try to emulate that and give back. The entire team is phenomenal. I wouldn’t even call us a team, we’re a family,” he said. Brian notes that he couldn’t do it without his assistant, Danielle Portus, and his showing partner, Miguel Beer. 

“The leadership at The Beer Team is like nothing I’ve ever seen before – Daniel Beer, Laura Branca, Isacc Guzman, and Jen Williams – they’ve made me who I am. I am successful because we all make each other better while putting all ego’s aside,” Brian added. The Beer Team is one of the top agencies in the San Diego area and now, there are more than 84 people on the team. 

Brian is a Senior Sales Executive and averages north of $100 million in sales volume with more than 90 per year consistently. His clients trust him as evidenced by the fact that nearly all of his business is earned on a referral basis. 

“The reason that people work with me is because I'm proactive but most importantly, I show up when I say I will. I have a plan, stay curious and go deep with people so I can bring the right value and options to help them. If climbing has taught me anything, it’s to check my ego at the door. These mountains don’t care what you have going on in your life. What you’ve accomplished before. It’s about living in the moment. You can’t get anywhere with an agenda. My clients notice that. They know I’m there for them and them only,” he said. 

Brian isn’t just climbing the proverbial real estate ladder though. He has also made a name for himself coaching real estate through Agent Academy. Agent Academy is the fastest-growing coaching space for anyone in real estate. He guides teams – big and small – across the globe to success. “I teach real estate the same way that I would teach climbing,” he said. “It’s all about systems, consistency. You can’t make it to the top of the mountain without having a plan. You can’t become a top agent without a plan either. I give people a map. I help them conquer their mountains.” 

From climbing to real estate, Brian is all in. He lives by the words, “Squeeze the lemon.” To him, that means – squeeze the lemon on every opportunity, every relationship, and everything he does. Brian is squeezing out every last drop of and maximizing all that comes his way. 

Brian is equally passionate about his family as he is about everything else he does. Brian has been married to his wife, Lauren, for 11 years. They have two kids – Dylan (7) and Noa (4). He loves spending time with them, watching Dylan play hockey, Noa with her dance routines, and traveling together. He’s also making plans to summit Denali in the near future. 

“We have a special community. Be an agent’s agent,” he said. “There’s enough business for all of us and we can all conquer this together.” 

Connect with Brian at brian@beerhometeam.com.