Business
Mike Rolewicz was a successful owner of a staffing firm in Jacksonville, FL for more than 20 years before his life took an unexpected turn—he was diagnosed with cancer. Fortunately, it was treatable. But when he came back from his radiation treatments, he realized that his passion for his business was gone. It was then that he decided to leave his comfort zone and venture into something entirely new. Now, after his first year in real estate, he was able to close 30 houses with 12 million in sales volume, and a GCI of $320,000! Looking back, he started his staffing company when he was only 24 without any industry experience. He just had to believe in himself. He admitted that he could just scale or totally redefine his company’s culture, but he knew when he came back that the fire was lost. So he took a gamble and sold his firm in February 2018, and got his real estate license a few months later. Now based in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, Mike said he and his wife have always had a passion for real estate. But whether it’s rooted in watching too much HGTV, he knew that he just loves getting to know people and their stories, building relationships, and guiding them through real estate. His stellar first year was a great testimony to where his “businessman mentality” had brought him, and he’s hungry for more. Mike shares his strategies and leverage in generating leads, what his typical day looks like, the biggest lessons he learned from his previous company, and the importance of getting the right brokerage to fit in. Believe it or not, Mike owes it a lot to his ugly bout with cancer to where he is today. That despite being broken physically, he was given the clarity and the courage to find his new purpose in life.