We had the good fortune of connecting with Mark McCloskey and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mark, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
For the first decade of my time working, I always worked for someone else. i.e. I was not the boss. Over time I became very tired of watching poor decisions get made despite my protestations. Finally, after my last company declared bankruptcy, I declared to myself that I would always be my own boss.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I run two businesses. One is a real estate brokerage, the other is an Outdoor Advertising Agency. I got my real estate license, first, in 2004 when the real estate market in Phoenix was exceptionally strong. Things were pretty easy those first few years as there was tremendous interest in Phoenix as a destination for out of state buyers looking for warmer weather and generally a low cost of living. But that changed during the housing crash of 2008/2009. The company I worked for declared bankruptcy and things felt very uncertain.

It was at this point that I took the biggest risk I probably ever took in my career. I invested a fair amount of money to purchase my outdoor advertising business, Billboard Connection Phoenix. I did this to help offset the slow real estate market and to diversify my income. It was a challenge to start a business from scratch and it took some time to become profitable. But once we found our stride, we paid back our initial investment and have never looked back. That was 11.5 years ago.

The greatest lesson learned along the way here has been that your business is what you make of it. You can work hard, provide amazing service and reap the benefits. I also am a huge proponent of innovation & not being beholden to a W2. So many people are fearful of not having a regular paycheck, yet they don’t understand the amount of freedom that comes with working for yourself.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Phoenix is an extremely metropolitan city. I have lived here since 1992 and watched it grow up to one of the top five most populous cities in the country. One thing that not many people realize is that Phoenix has a culinary scene that is second to none. There are so many great places that I could take someone, with specific culinary preferences, that it’s extremely difficult to narrow it down. Suffice to say, almost no matter where we are in the city, we can find fantastic places to eat and drink. Beyond that, Phoenix has some fun places to see. Like the Musical Instrument Museum, TopGolf, The Desert Botanical Garden, Taliesin West (Frank Lloyd Wright Home), The Japanese Friendship Garden and so much more. Another thing about Phoenix is that it is very diverse. With multiple major cities, the variety of people, cultures and things to do in each of the cities is as varied as almost any city in the country.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My ex-wife deserves some credit for having supported my initial endeavors & for helping to support our family as the businesses began to get off of the ground. More recently, my girlfriend, Katrena McCandless, has worked for the company and assisted in making it successful.

Website: www.paradisevalleyestates.com

Instagram: @azmarkrealtor

Twitter: @AZMarkRealtor

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