How to Become a Successful Yacht Broker?

By Erika Rosenstein

The yacht industry is a fascinating world that, every year, attracts young talent from around the world. Many universities offer ad hoc courses and degrees with the goal of helping the most ambitious to become a successful yacht broker.

I had the pleasure to meet David Jakabovic, one of the most successful brokers in the yachting industry. David, who is based in Monaco and works at Morley Yachts, has built his reputation for professionalism, discretion and delivering amazing experiences to his clients.

David, what is your role at Morley Yachts and how did you get there?

My „dream come true“ story started back in 2012 when I joined the International University of Monaco to accomplish my MSc in International Business Management. The first work experience in yachting came through an internship for one of the leading yacht brokerage companies in the world already during my studies and later on led into my today’s role of sales & charter yacht broker. My job is to guide clients interested in yacht purchase, sale or charter to make the right decisions.

What does your normal day look like?
I would say that is a balance between hours spent in the office and time spent onboard superyachts. There is also quite a lot of traveling involved, since it’s extremely important for me to know yachts, which are available for sale and charter around the world in order to give valuable advise to my clients. Considering that I’m not only doing sales, but also charter, is important for me to know not only the quality and level of maintenance of the yacht, but also the quality of the crew onbaord or selection of water toys. Therefore, I would say that my work day is usually split between work on ongoing projects, preparation of new charter proposals and yacht inspections.

What brought you to the yacht industry?
Passion. I fell in love with this beautiful industry and lifestyle when I first stepped onboard of a superyacht during my studies in Monaco. You need to love your job to be successful in what you do no matter what business you are in and that’s not just a fraze. There is a lot of hard work behind it if you want to be successful. Moreover, I love challenges and working with the most successful people in the world with zero room for error is definitely one.

What are the biggest challenges that you’ve faced so far?
Every person is different, which makes it even more interesting. It’s extremely important to understand my client‘s hobbies, carefully listen to their ideas and preferences. Once we get the idea that makes them happy, we start working hard on transforming their dreams into reality. It sounds funny, but I really know some of my clients so well that I literally know what time their prefer to find their daily newspaper on the table, how they like their breakfast prepared, or when they do their morning yoga. Keep in mind that we’re talking about some of the most important people in the world!

What are the skills that every person should have to be successful yacht broker?
It’s all about the personal approach to each and every client, respect, hard work, honesty and mutual trust. I always try to go the extra mile and that’s maybe why I have a long term relationships with the absolute majority of my clients. As a perfect example of this, I’m currently replying to this interview from a 60m superyacht, which I’ve sold to my long standing client, who was very kind and generous to invite me with him and his family on their cruise through the Caribbean. Good work always pays off and clients appreciate it.

Any recommendations for those who would like to start a career as a yacht
broker?
There is one simple rule behind all of my business decisions. I want to make sure that when I will meet my clients a few years after making a deal together, I will see a smile on their face and I will be sure that they are happy with the decision they made based on my advice. Therefore, I would suggest to always deliver the best possible service you can and it will always pay off in the long term.