Hello, my fellow extraordinary Americans welcome back to the show. Today’s guest, we have Michael Markiewicz. Michael Markiewicz has over 35 years of experience in providing financial guidance to entertainment professionals, family offices, small businesses, and C-level executives. Michael Argyris is also the founder and owner of Markowitz. LC is a New York-based financial service company specializing in CBA services, consulting services, and asset protection.  He’s also a very successful investor who specializes in live shows and film products and is also a speaker. And he’s also very involved in many philanthropic endeavors. 

Michael has been featured on Forbes. 4 traders accounting today, MarketWatch, PR Newswire the Wall Street Journal, IMDb, and investment news. I chose Michael to be a guest on the show because he embodies the pioneering and entrepreneurial spirit that is necessary to create an extraordinary America, and I am glad to have him on the show. Michael, are you there?

Yes, I am. 

Michael, thank you for coming to the Show, we really appreciate it. 

For having me, I’m honored to be here. 

So, Michael, I know that you are a really successful entrepreneur, investor, and speaker. Can you tell us a little bit more about your background and how you got started?

Well, do you want to start from my birth?

Whatever you want.

Well, I grew up in the Boston area, the son of immigrants and I was imbued with this whole sense of professionalism and entrepreneurship and taking care of yourself. And so, I attended a pretty elite undergraduate school and then Graduate School in the Boston area. Which is where I got my degrees and my training and background in becoming a CPA. I started my career out in Boston with one of the big four firms, Deloitte, and went on from there to work with a number of smaller and midsize firms, both in Boston, Northern New England, New Hampshire, and Vermont, and then New York, and have been doing this for, as you said more than 35 at this point, it’s more than 40 years and so I’ve kind of carved out my niche in terms of what it is I do and how I do it. And as you mentioned I do a lot of work with people in the entertainment industry. And that came about from having worked with a business management firm here in New York for several years before it kind of struck out on my own.

Well, that’s awesome. Like, I really like the part that you’re the son of immigrants. And like, there’s it’s like the American ingenuity is based on the immigrant energy. Right. That’s where the entrepreneurial and innovative spirit comes from together. So, Michael, what was the overall arching goal and Vision you had When it came to your career? Like, how did it shape up over this? Period of 35. Three years.

It is constantly evolving, even to this day. OK, so what I did before, I may not be doing today what I’m doing today may not be what I’m doing tomorrow. However, I will say there’s one question, I believe you asked what is the overarching premise of all of this?

The overarching premise is that I love to work with creative people, and I love to work with entrepreneurs. I myself am an entrepreneur. I you know, I think that right there there’s a, you know there’s something that I believe comes together to studious of values and of ideals and of you know morals if you will where we come together and we’re of similar nature and I think that helps me to understand my clients better them to understand me better and want to work with me so that I can help them.

I see. So Michael, a lot of people when they’re starting out, have a fear of failure. And they and They usually don’t end up succeeding. What do they do? However, you succeeded. What was the? What is the worrying factor that helped you push through all the adversities like when you were starting off?

Well, I will tell you again. Let’s take this one piece of their time in terms of the fear of failure. I certainly had that. I certainly still do periodically that fear of failure is like home or what. What if I screw this one up or what if I screw that one up and, you know, am I good enough to be able to handle this and I always go back to the quote. From Richard Branson. Wait, who said that? You know, if someone asks you to do something, you don’t know how to do it. Say yes, and even if you don’t know how to do it now, figure it out and then make it happen.

I often get asked by either prospective clients or existing clients… to do something or to answer a question and my response is always that I may not always know all the answers, but I know how to figure it out and I know how to get those answers. So let me do a little research or a lot of research in some cases and I will become an expert. As the case may be, I will be able to resolve your issues and work with you and make things happen in the way that you want Them to happen. Obviously, all within the law and all above board, but I don’t know. Fear of failure? Is A being a constant, but at the same and you know I. May not get to the Reflect that comes to me when I say, well, I haven’t done this before, but I’ll figure it out. But I think for the most part, most of my clients have. Agreed with me. And said yeah, you know I like that. I like that style. I like the kind of guy that’s going to. go do the research and make it happen. So that’s what I do.

What is the biggest lesson you have ended up learning over these 35 to 40 years that you have been doing, entrepreneurship, investing, speaking, and all of that? What are the main lessons that you ended up learning?

Well, one of the biggest ones is to do whatever it is that you can get out of your comfort zone. Because the comfort zone is where most people are comfortable clearly, and that’s where the word comfort comes from. But as long as people stay in their comfort zone, they’re never going to rush. One of the things that I’ve learned is that I’ve had mentors and coaches, and I still have them. That pushed me in a way that gets me out of my comfort zone to do things. That I’ve never done before. And to run things to be a leader, to be, to educate people, and to train people. But I think that the comfort zone issue is something that I think people should not, Diane, because there’s no way to advance if you’re staying in your comfort zone. So, get out of your comfort zone. You know, do something every day, whether it’s in your personal life or in your professional life, that you’ve never done before.

It’s, it seems really easy to say, but for most people right about 90% of people. It’s so hard to get out of your comfort zone and to keep pushing the boundaries again and again. It is that feeling of discomfort, that deterrent, that differentiates these entrepreneurs, so people that don’t do entrepreneurship right well.

Make sure that you have one or more mentors. And one or more coaches. Because those are the people that you need in your life to get you out of your comfort zone. I know that if I were doing this all on my own, there was no way that I would get out of my comfort zone because it’s a very comfortable place to be, but because I have these incredible mentors and coaches that I’ve worked with over the years and have a few of them now. They’re the ones that push me. They’re the ones that say to me, hey. Michael goes through that. With you go do that podcast. Go run this for go. You know, do something that you haven’t done that you’re not comfortable doing, but make it happen. And one of the things that I have found. Is that as I have responded to those kinds of, you know, pushes that I’ve gotten is that, you know, I’m not bad at this. I can do these things and It has opened up a whole world to me. In ways that I never thought possible before. So, get your mentors, get your coaches, get your advisors, and the people that are going to, you know, get you out of your comfort zone, or at least and. Encourage you to be out of your comfort zone.

Basically, mentorship combined with getting out of the comfort zone and being and having the drive to be the expert in your field, are the Teams that I’m starting. 

Yes, exactly. I totally. Yeah, you. You’ll get the nail on the head with all three.

It is you that hit the nail on the head.  I’m just trying to get the teams right because we need to know what it is that differentiates them. Successful people from the non-successful. People, because we’ll have to adapt that in order. To be successful, but Michael? What was one of the biggest challenges? You could face this during your time being an entrepreneur and an investor. And how did you overcome it?

Well, fear of financial ruin.

That’s a big one.

It’s huge. I mean I think that I know that I can tell you that. I have gone through many phases in my career and in my life where I thought, oh my God, I’m, you know, I am not going to make it. What’s going to happen to me? I’m not going to have the money that I thought I would. I was not going to have only to do the things that I want to do for myself, but also you know I try to be a philanthropic cause. Can possibly be, but I want to help other people. And so that requires financial, financial resources and. You know, I would always like to do more. I’d always like to contribute more. I’d always like to make more. And I’ve always had this fear throughout my life that, you know, I’m just not successful enough to generate the kind of financial resources that I would like, and why? In order to. Achieve those goals. So, I’m not sure if that really answers your question, but I think that you know the fear of failing financially, that if you’re an entrepreneur, but even if you’re not an entrepreneur, let’s say you’re a W2 employee, there’s always the risk of getting fired or getting let go.

And our economy is such that you know large companies that employ people, it’s not the same as it was when I was growing up. Whether you know people or not even before, I was growing up when people got a job, they stayed at that job for their entire lives. They retired with the pension and the bolt locks. That world is gone. I mean, it’s been gone for a long time. And I think that now, unless you have, at least from my perspective, some entrepreneurial Spirit, you’re making sure that you’re the one that’s responsible for your Success and your financial well-being. You’re the only one that’s. Responsible for that is the mindset that I have that has propelled me forward. 

As in. So yeah, most people have a less financial ruin, but I think what you’re saying is that I mean, right now, we don’t have job security at all. We live in a new world. No longer the world. That was like 60 years ago, or 50 years. Ago where you had this safe job that you could get, and the companies would take care of you, you know. I totally agree. So it’s a different world now.

I mean, my father, you know, being an immigrant and a Holocaust survivor, you know, he came to this country. My parents came to this country, and he went to work in a factory and worked in a factory for the rest of his working life until he retired.

And I looked at him and I spoke. You know, he always had a roof over our heads, and we had. to eat and put on clothes. And all of that. I never knew anything there. Was anything more you know? Because that’s what I grew up with, and I realized at some point I can’t tell you exactly when in my professional life. I didn’t want to be dependent on someone else telling me what my projected career and financial life is going to be.

No, totally it is what allows us to be financially free. We have to have that spirit. 

So, Michael, what is one thing you wish you should know before you start your career, and what advice Would you give somebody that’s just starting off and wants to pursue the field and doesn’t know how to get started? Or has the fear of Failure.

I’m sorry, could you repeat your question? Do you want one piece of advice?

What is 1 thing you wish you knew before you start? Like at the beginning of your career, and what advice would you give somebody that’s starting? 

Well, I go back to something I said before, which is mentorship and coaching. If anybody at all is interested in or attracted to the idea of entrepreneurship. I think it’s critical that You have a coach and / or mentor who can guide you along the way. And it’s not just. To have a mentor you know from a professional perspective, but also from a personal perspective. 

So, I’ve worked with coaches whom they’ve helped me with both the personal and the professional because, on the personal side, a lot of it is overcoming the fears or facing the fears that we all have about failure, and with the coaches that I’ve worked with. It’s also about addressing. The obstacles that we all face hit us in the face, sometimes unexpectedly and how we deal with those, I don’t think many of us are prepared for that on our own. But with the right mentors and the right coaches. I’ve learned that there are ways to deal with those obstacles that are effective ways of dealing with those obstacles, and they also help me face some of the risks that I knew I was taking in the fear of failure. 

So I, you know, I always go back to the mentorship and the coaching is critical because none of us works in an element by ourselves. We all need people around us that support us the other thing is that when you’re first starting out as an entrepreneur, it’s like all right, so we’re not going to get my clients from or depending on the business, could be customers from if you’re, say, a retail or online business, we’re not going to get my customers’ shop. 

In my case, it’s clients because I’m in a professional environment, but it’s the same, same kind of thing these are the people who engage with your services or engage you to buy your product. And you have to prove to them that there’s a reason why they want to come to you and stay with you. It’s one of the, you know, one of the reasons I  always look at like if I’m buying something online or not even online, something I buy in a store or the doctor I filter, I always get a survey, ask me what my experience has been like and I think those surveys, I don’t always answer them, but I try to because I think the information that people provide in those surveys is useful to the person who is an entrepreneur who’s selling those services or that products. And I don’t know if I’ve answered your question. I think I’ve gone around it a little bit in a circle. But if I haven’t, please ask me again, but.

They are totally the main team.

Yes, coaching needs A mentor? I highly, highly advise and encourage people you know.

You know. 

Invest whatever money it takes to do that. Because it’ll get. You go through so many, so many obstacles and hurdles and fears that you never thought you might have.

No, totally. So, Michael, you know, they say that America. Is the land of the free and the place where dreams are made. Do you agree or disagree with that statement?

I agree up to a point because I think there are many countries that have lands that are free and have opportunities. America has always been a country, at least in my growing up experience, that had the most opportunity. The more you know the more opportunity for entrepreneurship and success. I think it’s always been a place where people have flocked to from the rest of the world. But I also think there are other countries in the world, and you know, Western Europe and fathers thought have similar kinds of appeal, but I’m not saying America’s going to hold on to that, but it’s certainly been the for a long time that that country that had was light on the hill when it comes to all of this, yeah 

Yeah, I know. For me like when I first came. Here I did. See America as the light of the hill. Like I went to New York City, and I saw the Statue of Liberty and I was like, man, it’s freedom. And I mean, one of the reasons for me doing this show is because, like I noticed that most Americans are not free on the financial front at all, they need financial, education, entrepreneurship. 

Yeah. So, I agree with you 100%. And by the way, I live in New York. And so, every time I see the Statue of Liberty, or every time I see the Empire State Building, I can see the Empire State Building from my neighborhood where I live almost every day. I am in awe of the fact that we the people have the wherewithal to build that and it’s still an iconic slave, not just for Americans, but for people that come here when they come here to live or to visit. 

And the same with the Statue of Liberty. And I was here on 9/11. I was here when 9/11 happened and it was emotionally devastating for many of us, but I’m also encouraged by the way in which we have rebuilt, and we now have the new World Trade Center. And the spirit that exists in this country for people to do that, to recover from that and rebuild is just phenomenal and inspiring.

I mean, it’s the same thing that happens in business, right? You take setbacks, but then you always come back. You never take no for an answer. You keep going and pushing forward. So yeah, that’s something that has always, like, inspired the entire concert of me booting no matter what happens, I agree. 

So you know, according to you, what do you think is the biggest challenge… like the biggest hurdle or child that Americans are facing when it comes to realizing the American dream and what do you think they need to do to overcome it? 

Well, you know, we’re all in a period of uncertainty economically and politically, right, you and I think I too feel in some sense that the United States has. You know where, where, where, where the honesty of uncertainty we’re at. We don’t. Know what the direction of the country is. You know whether it be politically or economically or both. 

I mean, I think they’re, they’re those two are tied together and the one thing I would say that inspires me and keeps me going. Despite all of that, I know, I know, in my heart of hearts and working with the coaches that I work with, I work with one in particular right now, but is that it? Don’t you know those things? You can let them be obstacles. And let them and you know and step back and say well, like you do anything because of the political environment or the economic environment or some combination thereof. But there are also a lot of things that we can do. And I think we have. To not focus so much on the Let us focus on the positive and see what the possibilities are and what are the opportunities, and the opportunities are there. They’re always there. They always have been there, and they will always be there. So, and I know I’m talking. In general, here, but you know.

No, it makes sense.

In my case, there are a lot of very specific issues that I’m dealing with regarding those opportunities, and I’m pursuing them no matter what is going on politically and economically. And I know in my heart of hearts that as long as I stick with it and as long as I keep pursuing those goals, I’m going to reach them. I mean, it may not happen today or tomorrow, but it’s going to happen and not in the not-too-distant future. So yeah, I think people need to. 

If there was one piece of advice, I would give anybody; don’t focus on the negative. Stop reading the news. You know, because the news is terrible. Let me read them and I read the news and I look. At it, I said. My God, this is the person. Stop reading the news and start focusing on all the possibilities and opportunities.

Michael, it’s really interesting that you said that cause I’ve done a few interviews before this all the people I’ve interviewed had the same thing. You know, like where you have to focus on the positive and the opportunities. Don’t look at the news because the news is all about fear-mongering and profiting from fear-mongering. And so, it’s like all people that are entrepreneurs tend to have this theme of understanding the way you look at the world.

Yes, indeed. You know, look, news organizations, whether they’re online or on TV or whatever they’re first of all, they’re all owned by large corporations. So, there’s no independent news anymore OK, as far as I’m concerned. And the other thing is that they profit off sensationalism and sensationalism comes from bad news. 

So, it’s this war, the war, they are praying for, which is awful. And there’s no taking away from that. There’s the war in Ukraine. There’s this war in that part of the country. There’s large, weather-related things, climate changes, all those things, are awful terrible things, but that’s what the news. It’s all about. There it’s almost, almost never to hear a news report about something great that’s happening. And I know that. 

Positive positivity is boring, isn’t it?

I know that there are a lot. Of great things that are happening, I just know it and yes, you’re right. Positivity is boring. No one was there. They want to hear about the disasters. They want to hear about disasters. Large people dying, you know. They pull that kind of stuff. That’s what. That’s what the news organizations feed into. Then I think. That people need to stop paying so much attention to the news.

No, I totally agree. It’s the one common theme that entrepreneurial people have like they have a tendency to just look at the positive. They’re looking for opportunities. And they understand how the profit machine works, you know, so I agree. 

So, Michael, from your perspective, what is your viewpoint on inflation and debt as you know, right now there’s a lot of inflation going on in the country, right? Especially gas prices and everything. And also, a lot of Americans are suffering from consumer debt, but entrepreneurs look at debt a certain way when it comes to business. So, what is your viewpoint? 

I never think of that as being a bad time, OK? We all. We all. As individuals, most of us anyway. We have a house. Or a place that is our condo or whatever. We call and. Most of us have a mortgage. I think that debt you know, that’s just one thing. I’m not an advocate of people acquiring a lot of credit card debt or consumer debt because the rates are way too high and it’s just devastating to a lot of people. But you know, death by itself is not a bad thing whether it’s a mortgage for a place to live or a business that is for either acquiring a business or growing your business because I think debt can be very, very useful and helpful for a lot of different things. Inflation Is another animal altogether. 

So, inflation, I think it’s hurting, it’s hurting a lot of people right now. People are struggling to figure out, you know, they’re cutting back on certain aspects of consumerism and focusing more on a lot of people based at least based on what I read in the news. That people are focusing a lot more on the essentials, making sure that they’re. You know the utilities are paid for food, clothing, and their education. If they have families and kids and you know, so on and so forth.

So, inflation I think is an issue that is with us right now. That is hurting a lot of people, but I also don’t believe that long-term place inflation is far from staying with us. I think that’s an issue that is going to be resolved somehow, whether it’s through the actions of the Fed or what you are looking for. We went through a very, very long time. Very long ferry, one of the longest in history. With almost no inflation, in fact, 0, inflation, OK, and very low-interest rates. And people were living higher than low. And, and that’s great, except for the fact that nothing lasts forever. This is a cycle. We’re going through a cycle, just like, you know, I’m not a professional economist, even though my undergraduate degree is in economics and sociology. But I’m not A professional economist, but we’re going through a cycle. We always go through these cycles. 

Well, no. Inflation or low inflation and high inflation that goes back to low. And the same is true with taxes. And with everything else. We go through. All of these different economic cycles right now, you know, after having gone through such a long period of virtually no inflation. The inflation that we have today, it’s a shock to a lot of people to go from paying out depending on what part of the country. You’re paying two or two dollars or $2.50 a gallon of gas to $4 to $5 a gallon for gas. And in California, over 6. Wow, it’s a shock to a lot of people, I mean, we felt I have felt it, but at the same time, I don’t. I haven’t, and I don’t…. You know, I’ve been fortunate that I haven’t had to adjust my lifestyle. But I think a lot of people have had to. And I think that that’s OK if that’s your lifestyle. Afford right now. 

But this goes back to something you mentioned before. Which is that if you had any inkling about being an entrepreneur? I think now is the time to do it. Now is the time to act on it and to start gelling your ideas. They’ll find a mentor, find a coach and start putting your plans together. Because when you do that, as I am an entrepreneur, I’ve been fortunate where I haven’t had to react that much to the vagaries of inflation and gas prices and all that kind of stuff, thankfully not one word, but now I’m aware of it. I’m aware of it and I think that it all goes back to how we started this conversation about entrepreneurship, and I think I encourage people if they have any inkling at all, that’s a time to. Really start thinking about it. How are you going to be an entrepreneur? What you’re going to be doing as an entrepreneur. And not be subjected to the vagaries of inflation and economic downturn?

No, I totally agree because at the end of the day it’s all about freedom financially, right? Like, if you’re going to have inflation. They’re going to reduce your purchasing power. You have to find a region free like I always tell anybody that would listen, like, invest in precious metals right now like gold, and silver, they’ll protect the purchasing power, but at the end of the day, it’s about that. Entrepreneur spirit. Because we are Americans, we have to think in terms of freedom. And right now, like. We cannot control inflation, that’s happening, but we can adapt. And see what to do, you know. 

You know you don’t know this about me yet, I’m also the CFO of a private equity firm and we own precious metal mines in Colorado. So, we, you know, the mines are gold, silver, platinum, copper, etcetera. That’s my hedge. That’s my hedge. Right there. 

That is, that is incredible. Yes, I like it. I personally believe they have to like either the right cryptocurrencies, but I don’t know as much about cryptos, but I know for a fact that gold and silver can protect your purchasing power in the long term, and I would advise everybody in the audience to do so. 

Because of Fiat money, it’s just going to. Inflate away, you know. It’s and there’s not. In a single yacht currency that has survived all throughout history. And they always go back to sound money, such as gold, and silver. But since cryptocurrencies have come in, we do not know what the future might be, you know.

I think the only real issue with Crypto is that our number one people don’t understand it. And I don’t fully understand it. I have Meyer investments in that, but I don’t fully understand it, but. You know that that’s another form of currency slash investment that I think people need to take a really hard look at. And right now, you know, the cryptocurrencies have been beaten down significantly, and it may be a time to be looking at those as a place for people to put some money in. 

No, totally. 

I’m not suggesting that people do. I’m not making that recommendation because I’m not qualified to do that. Just something to think about.

No. Yeah, but at the end of the day, if you’re having some amount of money in your savings account and the money is getting flagged away over a period of time, it’s eating at your savings like you’ll be able to only get fewer and fewer goods and services like, you know, like, since the 1980s 90s, the same amount. You could take a $20 bill, but now you take a $20 bill. How much are groceries? Have you bought so? Yeah, I Agree with you this, this, this is. 

Your inflations are at 9% and you’re getting 1% on your savings account.

Just now, yeah, I know. So, Michael, you know, in the last few years, there’s been a deterioration in not just the financial sector in America, but also when it comes to the family and government.

Where do you think America is headed and shouldn’t be optimistic about the future? 

God, I wish I knew the answer. If I did, I’d feel very welcome. I don’t know. I think there are some ways we’re heading in the right direction with respect to respecting people from different backgrounds and economic strata, belief systems and orientations, and whatnot. 

I think we are hopefully heading in the right direction with all of that, I think that you know, when I look at other cultures, for example. I bought a place in Spain, and I’m looking at the family structure. There is very, very, very strong energy there; you know where it is. Families are everything. Multigenerational families are everything. 

I don’t think we have that in this country. I don’t know that we’ve had it for a very long time, at least that I can recall, and I have. Been around for a long time. But I don’t think we have that, but I think that. That’s why we need to, you know, find out what our values are and what our core morals are. And that is not religion-based to me. It is not because I am. I’m not going to ever propose that, but it’s just that we need to look at what matters to us and what those are values we have. Not just as blood families, but as you know, in circles of people who love each other. And take care of your grandmother.

 I feel like on a national level, there’s been a deterioration in terms of morality altogether. And yeah, I see what you’re saying. Yeah, we need to prioritize. 

That, yeah, I agree. I agree. But you know what that means to different things to different people. It does. It just means different things to different people. So, I’m not going to pontificate on there. 

No. Yeah, I know. So, I know that you’ve been investing in films like you’re like, you’re an investor, come to live shows that film projects. Can you tell the audience a little more about this? The premise of how you got started is to like some of the films that you’re investing in.

I’ve put more money into the lives of electric pharmacists than I have in a little show. Yeah, I’ve been bought. I started when I started investing in any of these kinds of projects. They initially were Broadway shows. OK. And I happen to love the Broadway theater, the off-Broadway theater, and the off-Broadway theater. 

And I was lucky enough to meet a few people who are in that realm and they invited me if I were interested, which I was, to invest in some of their projects. There hasn’t been a single Broadway production in decades. Now, that was done by one producer. Because of the cost. Those staging the show right now on Broadway are so huge.

I was actually thinking about that because Broadway is right at the epicenter of everything, you know.

But the cost of producing a show on Broadway is so huge that whatever happens, you get this group of a conglomeration of a number of different producers Band to Gill And then they put their money in but then they are also responsible for going out and raising money from investors. So I have been an investor in a couple of our shows. I’ve invested in some stuff, and then I invested in touring companies for rock shows. And I invested in a show in Las Vegas, which was never performed on Broadway. A magic show. And that’s actually giving me my best return. One of the things you know is this: It was a hard Lesson to learn at one point, because generally speaking, Broadway shows unless You hit it real big. Huge success. The Book of Mormon, or Mamma Mia, or…

I saw the book of Mormon, by the way. I went to Broadway to see that it was so interesting. It’s hilarious. I mean, I didn’t know what Mormonism was… And then, like, I went through with that, that that was kind of like my education about it. 

If you’re lucky enough to get in on a show like that at the beginning, which I was not, then you know you’re caching, caching, caching, and the cash register just keeps opening up and taking money. Keep pouring in. It’s fantastic, but most Broadway shows are successful, even if not critically successful. It’s very, very hard to get a return on your money on those. Most of them don’t even recoup their original investment. 

What I have found is that touring companies do much better because their capitalization is a lot lower than that of a Broadway show. And the other thing is a show like the magic show I’m doing in Vegas, which I’m not doing, but I’m an investor in it. Because it has such a huge appeal to people who go to Vegas, it’s doing well. Every so often, I Get money flowing into my bank account. You know it’s wired into my account without anybody even telling me all of a sudden. It shows up. And I love that. That’s really great. 

Years ago, I invested in a film project. The project, and the reason I invested in the person I knew who was involved in that project, asked me if I would be interested in developing it. And I said sure. And so I put some money into that, and it had a big name associated with it. And I thought, well, if he’s associated with this, it’s probably going to do well, and it didn’t, but I still invested in it, and, you know, it’s one of those things that’s a learning experience. There’s a learning curve.

I’m currently invested in a show where I will be an executive producer and potentially get a walk-on role in a film that is currently in development and still being written, so I don’t want to say too much more about it right now, but. You know, even if it doesn’t make money, it increases my leverage as someone who is a film investor. An executive producer. 

So I do these things now more strategically than I used to. It looked interesting to me. Liked it? I would put my weight behind it now. I don’t do that. Because I’m now much more strategic, about how I deployed my investments in the entertainment world.

So Michael, is there any other work which you would that you’re doing right now that you’d like the audience to get a glimpse into?

Well, you know, I do a lot of international work where I work. With people over from various different parts of the world, actually on every continent, with the exception of Antarctica that is. If not, 

I mean, there are a lot of people in Antarctica that are tired of a good place to be an entrepreneur, right? 

And Penguins are not entrepreneurs like. 

I had no idea. 

But anyway, so you know, I know that it was a niche that I found myself in. People are from various different countries and are looking to set up a business in the United States and do business in the United States. And so I help them do that, and I help them with all their US-based accounting and tax services here within the borders of the United States, OK? 

So that’s kind of become an itch of mine, where I literally work with people you know, people who are from various different countries and are looking to set up a business in the United States and do business in the United States. And so I help them do that, and I help them with all their US-expats accounting and tax services here within the borders of the United States, OK? So that’s kind of become an itch of mine, where I literally work with people. All over the world do that. And so, there’s that. 

And then I have a number of clients in my practice who are US expatriates who have left the United States and moved to other countries, where I am still working with them. With their accountants overseas, because we need to do what they need. To do both. 

So, they have an accountant in their country, and their account is in the US. OK, so that’s kind of, you know, a nice little niche in mind. The other thing I do is back on the entertainment side, I do some business management services for people in the entertainment and sports industries, and essentially, what that is like a family office where you basically handle all their financial affairs. Many of those people either. Don’t have the knowledge to do it themselves. Or are those who are willing to do it themselves just too Busy to do it themselves? 

So, they hire people like me. It’s called business management and we manage all of their financial affairs for them, everything from the day-to-day cash management bill payment to, you know, more sophisticated trust in the state and income tax planning and overall financial planning.

That’s awesome. So, Michael, where can our audience go to connect with you and also get to know more about you and the? Work that you’re doing.

Well, they can go to my website and https://www.michaelmarkiewiczmedia.com/. So those are two really good places. I would say that you know, people could find out more. About me.

Well, Michael, I really appreciate you coming to this show. I would like you to know that you are amazing. You have, like, the entrepreneurial spirit. That’s exactly what an extra America is about, and that’s what extra Americans have to do, you know, and it’s hard to turn everything around in their personal lines and also, on the national level.

That I’m flattered. I’m very flattered that you say that.

It’s all about the Mindset and thoughts and actions. Right. And so. We would love to have you back at the show at some point.

Future point I would love to be back. On your show, yeah.

Yeah, totally. And I want to conclude this show by telling you there is an extraordinary American within each and every one of us. It’s our duty to empower and unleash them until next time. 

For now, bye for now. Thank you for having me on. I appreciate it. Thank you.