Introducing…
…. Our newest friends, business gurus, and Next Fun (Ad)Venture partners…
Tom Karadza, Maverick1000 Member #202 – Oakville, Ontario – Canada
“ It’s pretty lonely running a business. Our friends just don’t understand us – so to have the opportunity to hang around other like minded people is valuable. “
Welcome Tom! What businesses do you operate?
My brother Nick and I run Rock Star Real Estate Inc.: a real estate brokerage firm that consists of a team of 22 people. We work hand-in-hand with clients who purchase rental properties all around the Greater Toronto Area. We’ve completed hundreds of millions in property purchases in the last 5 years.
We force (is it OK to say that?) all our clients to become “members” of our Rock Star Inner Circle membership where they pay a monthly fee (recurring revenue is great!) to be a part of our brokerage network. In return they get access to our team, classes, 12-page monthly based newsletter, monthly audio interviews and large quarterly member events with guest speakers (400+ people).
Nick and I don’t actually work with clients any longer but we do all of the marketing for the business to drive in new clients for our team.
Why did you become a member of Maverick1000 and why are you a good fit for the group?
Boredom + Loneliness. It’s pretty lonely running a business. Our friends just don’t understand us – so to have the opportunity to hang around other like minded people is valuable. We’ve been a part of other groups but the Maverick group has the right mix of learning, inspiration and fun. So far we are very impressed.
Super Hero Skills?
Tough one, I have a mean slap-shot. Very mean. (Uh-oh guys…better look out!)
What top things would you like to gain / learn / do with other Mavericks, and what unique value do you bring to the group?
Unique value? Hmm….it’s a pretty diverse group. I hang out and cruise the Croatian islands with my family every summer for a month so if anyone needs to know a private beach on the Adriatic Sea with a little swim up restaurant on it … I’m your guy. On a serious note, we’re pretty good at growing a very effective sales team, with good team culture, from scratch.
What is the most “Maverick” thing you have ever done?
Hands down…definitely skydiving!
What interests, activities or hobbies do you enjoy?
- Reading
- Crossfit
- Sipping espresso at European cafes and then downing excessive quantities of wine
What are the Top adventures/things on your Big Life List?
- I want to fly in space on Virgin Galactic
- Take wine making lessons from a master Italian Winemaker
- Take my entire family to Nepal and build a school or Library for the locals
- Surf in Australia
- Take Italian cooking lessons in Tuscany
What’s the most significant / important contribution you’ve made to a community or nonprofit organization?
Every year we sponsor local families during Christmas to make sure they have what they need. Last year as a team, we stepped it up and on Christmas Eve volunteered at one of the busiest homeless shelters in Toronto. I have a long term goal to make a very significant contribution to the Sick Kids Hospital of Toronto.
Which books, authors or programs have been a powerful influence in your business and life?
- Stuart Wilde
- Dr. John DeMartini
- Personal Power II, Tony Robbins
Tom Karadza
Co-Founder of Rock Star Real Estate Inc.
tom.karadza@gmail.com
Paul Bigham, Maverick1000 Member #203 – Plano, Texas
“Life is full of experiences, both good and bad, and I am hopeful that my sharing those of my own with the group will brighten someone’s path and add a hitch to their step.“
Welcome Paul! What businesses do you operate?
I am the Owner of The Bigham Agency: a full-service advertising and design shop with an experience base in Direct Response. In short, we create pretty things that work, high-level design that moves merchandise, confirms a concept, advocates a cause, connects with a constituency, or supports a social change. We do everything from annual reports to websites, lead generation to reactivation programs, and strategy to data analysis. Currently we mail about 2 million pieces a month and right at 10 million acquisition packages a year. Organizations we support range from faith-based humanitarians to million dollar home builders, and from equestrian centers to para-legal service providers. Coming out of a retail mens clothing background with Hart Schaffner & Marx, I switched over to the advertising world and have been running my agency for the past 30 years. In essence I am more often and better equipped as a merchandiser and marketer.
Why did you become a member of Maverick1000 and why are you a good fit for the group?
Maverick 1000 drew my interest during an X-Prize bus ride on which Mike Cline shared what this group does to introduce, inform, and engage in online marketing. This is an area my agency has moved into and continues to seek additional growth in. Also Mike said Maverick 1000 flies Russian fighter jets. He had me at “jets.” The fit seems to form around new adventures, making futures bigger than pasts, Internet marketing, mutual growth, and professional sharing.
Super Hero Skills?
I am extremely good at knowing when something undetected is going on and equally bad at knowing what it is that is going on; plenty of “near miss” induced bravery; helped raise over $80 million dollars in relief funds for the State of Israel last year, and almost a half billion over the last ten years; and a card-carrying cult member of Van Morrison.
What top things would you like to gain / learn / do with other Mavericks, and what unique value do you bring to the group?
Areas of benefit for me are in catching up and staying ahead in the information/online marketing arena and being exposed to people who are smarter than I am. I like being around people who are consistently getting smarter. Life is full of experiences, both good and bad, and I am hopeful that my sharing those of my own with the group will brighten someone’s path and add a hitch to their step.
What is the most “Maverick” thing you have ever done?
Maverick things I have done are fly on Zero Gravity without losing it, but could have in a few more parabolas; gone deep into the white countryside of Ukraine in the winter to assist Holocaust survivors; and worked inside the “FBI area” during the Murrah Building bombing in OKC.
What interests, activities or hobbies do you enjoy?
- I enjoy figuring how things work and then applying those things to consumer behavior to, in the end, make it easier for people to do what they already want to do.
- Musicals
- Designing my own cowboy boot
- Playing with my extensive bourbon collection and exploring the world of small batch whisky
- Great books and engaging stories.
What’s the most significant / important contribution you’ve made to a community or nonprofit organization?
Having worked in the nonprofit arena for over thirty years, there have fortunately been a number of good experiences in helping the needy such as taking a $5 million nonprofit organization to over $110 million in roughly 15 years. Collectively, over time, I have had the pleasure of helping raise right at $1 billion in aid to feed the hungry, house the homeless, clothe the naked, and heal the sick. The core principle in my agency is to make money and change lives for the better. I am pleased to say we continue to do both.
Which books, authors or programs have been a powerful influence in your business and life?
- Dan Sullivan’s Strategic Coach
- Rand Stagen’s Integral Leadership Program
- Peter Diamandis’s Singularity University/X-Prize/Adventure/
360 programs - Joe Polish’s 25K Group and Conscious Capitalism
- Icarus Deception
- The Rational Optimist
- Singularity Is Near
- Power of Full Engagement
- Daring Greatly
- David and Goliath
- The Bible
- Create Your Own Economy
- It’s Not Easy Being Green
Paul Bigham
President at The Bigham Advertising Agency
pbigham@BighamAgency.com
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