Paul Mruk

FINDING THE RIGHT LANE TO FUEL HIS BEST

By Jane K. Asher, Ph.D.

Photos by Stylish Detroit

PAUL MRUK’S DECISION TO BECOME A REAL ESTATE AGENT 31 YEARS AGO DIDN’T JUST REDIRECT HIS PROFESSIONAL PATH — IT MARKED A MAJOR TURNING POINT AND GAVE HIM THE DIRECTION THAT HE WAS DESPERATELY LOOKING FOR IN LIFE.

At the time, Paul, who was studying to become a psychiatrist and selling gym memberships, had racked up $30,000 in debt and $40,000 in student loans. He was a few weeks into his new position at the local jail and found himself listening to an inmate threaten to kill him and his family. “I believed him, and it was then that I thought to myself, ‘I’m 24. What am I doing?’” Paul said. “I thought, I don’t want to sell gym memberships, I don’t want to hear people’s problems, I certainly don’t want to deal with people like this and I don’t want to be a psychiatrist. I’ve got to figure this out.”

This unsettling but life-changing encounter made Paul realize that he could leverage his problem-solving and people skills beyond the field of psychiatry, and he felt that real estate was the best route for doing so. “I quit my job and jumped right into real estate — people thought I was nuts and warned me that if I jumped in, there was no going back,” Paul said. “My girlfriend even said ‘there’s no way you’re going to be successful in real estate,’ and then she dumped me.”

Paul grew up in a poor family in Detroit and often witnessed his parents fight about money. As a child, he also witnessed the murder of a store clerk during an armed robbery. Paul’s upbringing, along with the blow of his girlfriend breaking up with him, made Paul determined to transcend his socio-economic circumstances and forge his own path in real estate and in life. Paul says that after attending a Tony Robbins seminar, he had the clarity and the direction to make that happen. Paul’s path was also greatly influenced by a janitor at General Motors, who Paul describes as a “simple man.” He showed Paul what it means to be a good father, husband and person.

At the start of Paul’s career, selling homes was the easy part; the hard part was learning how to balance his life while giving it his all. “I needed to find the lane where I work best,” Paul said. “In the beginning, I focused on finding new clients, but lately I focus on my past and current clients, listing presentations, negotiating contracts, showing homes and understanding market conditions.”

Now, over three decades later, Paul, who sold $38 million in 2019, says that real estate is “the fuel” that makes his engine run. “My passion is helping clients make the right decisions with buying or selling a home,” he said. “I still love that today — if that passion runs out, I will do something else.” Paul most enjoys making that phone call to a client to inform them that they have bought or sold their home; sometimes “those really hard sales” still bring tears to his eyes.

Paul also loves working with his team at RE/MAX Classic and is dedicated to supporting and building his teammates’ businesses. Paul and his three sales associates — Kristen Henson, Missie McSweeney and Jenny Egan — all share a strong work ethic, value communication and genuinely care about what is best for their clients.

Paul is proud that he was able to see his potential, prove himself, and harness his drive and skills to build a successful business and a good life for himself and his family. Paul refers to his wife Sally as “the glue that holds the kids and the house down.” “Sally doesn’t follow my business at all, but sometimes when I am trying to figure shit out, she chimes in with ‘why don’t you just do X,’” he said. “It’s usually something very simple, but it helps to put things into perspective for me.”

Paul and Sally have two children: Kira, 17, and Connor, 13. Kira is a high-achieving student and a hardworking individual as well as a great swimmer and vocalist. Connor is a happy teen with a great sense of humor; he plays soccer with the Michigan Jaguars FC and is a quick learner. Paul admires how both of his children are finding their lanes in life and appreciates how supportive his family is of one another.

In his free time, Paul enjoys traveling with his family, playing guitar, working out, doing yoga and golfing. His must-read books are “Think and Grow Rich,” “The Greatest Salesman,” and “As Far as My Feet Will Carry Me.” His all-time favorite artist is Prince, with Led Zeppelin being a close #2 and Red Hot Chili Peppers at #3.

In addition to supporting Congregation of Everyone — his friend’s charitable organization that uses 100% of its donations to feed, clothe and support the homeless in Detroit — Paul is big on random acts of kindness, such as buying groceries for someone in need and overtipping servers. “What used to be something I tried to do is now a habit — it’s who I am,” he said.

Paul is a man of humble beginnings who has overcome many challenges to understand who he is; he’s also worked hard to become the person he was meant to be. “In each of us there’s something we want to reach for, but something inside says you should be happy with this, like settling for hamburger when you really want a steak,” Paul said.

“It took me 20 years to reach my first income goal in real estate, and each year after, I have earned more — always go beyond the lines of what you think you should be. If you honestly work hard and get a little uncomfortable, you can really make a difference in many people’s lives, including your own.”

IF YOU HONESTLY WORK HARD AND GET A LITTLE UNCOMFORTABLE, YOU CAN REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN MANY PEOPLE’S LIVES, INCLUDING YOUR OWN

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