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Flying High Mike Pero now in his mid fifties is recognised as one of the iconic brands in home finance and real estate sales.
The name Mike Pero has been synonymous with real estate and real estate fi nance for over 25 years. So; if you haven’t heard the name or don’t recognise the brand, then you’re one of the 4% of Kiwis that haven’t. Mike Pero left school at age 16 to work in a cardboard factory. Today, he is the managing director of New Zealand’s fastest growing real estate brand, Mike Pero Real Estate.
Over the past 25 years, Pero estimates that he has built business values in excess of $60,000,000 – with revenue strengths of significantly more. The other businesses that Pero has built, usually from the ground up, he has on-sold. “I consider business like a platform of three games – Monopoly, Chess and Snakes and Ladders. It’s full of surprises, challenges, skill and luck. Some elements you can control and some you can’t.”
In his working career, Pero has raced motorcycles, sold in the grocery trade, sold tyres, sold insurance, flown as a commercial pilot and owned airlines. In the 1990’s, it was all about mortgages and his Mike Pero Mortgages brand grew from nothing to a $25 million publicly-listed company. Pero went on to build his second major company in 2004 from almost nothing – this time a light-simulator business based around the Boeing 737. This business went global and again Pero on-sold this multi-million dollar export company to very keen investors. It’s something that is almost second nature to Pero, who openly confesses to being a serial business initiator. “I just can’t help myself, I see an opportunity and I love to take on a challenge. Some people like breeding dogs, cats or birds and some other like playing golf or restoring vehicles. My passion is building businesses.”
Above: He’s six times New Zealand Road Racing Champion from the ea ally on Grand Prix Machines