Rich M. Killian is a veteran who after getting out of the military started 24 successful companies.
In 1999 at the age of 25 and as a U.S. Army veteran and Southern Illinois University graduate, Killian started his business career. Unable to find work as a civil engineer, he started selling real estate during the week, worked in demolition as a laborer on weekends and attended night school for his MBA at Roosevelt University in Chicago. In 2000, he incorporated his first company, Prospect Equities®, which is a nationally licensed real estate franchise system with a uniquely integrated full-service approach to both residential and commercial real estate brokerage. His concept has been coined, “The Freedom Concept of Real Estate” and Rich has been a successful entrepreneur since the inception of his first company. Rich has averaged an acquisition or formation of 2 companies per year and now controls over 20 companies and corporations. In 2003, Rich’s 6 companies formed Infinity Capital Holding Corporation (ICH) with Rich as chairman. In the 2008 recession, Rich offered his real estate and mortgage companies’ services to distressed home owners and renters at discounted fees, paid various mortgages and rent to help those in hardship while creating salaried jobs and opportunities within his companies. In 2010, he founded The Hardship Home Foundation, a public charity which helps people keep their homes.
Today, Rich is Chairman of the Board for ICH and its 23 companies which produce over $0.5 billion in annual sales.
What are you working on right now?
My online radio talk show, The American Businessperson, www.theamericanbusinessperson.com, and franchising my real estate company www.Prospectequities.com.
What does your typical day look like?
No breather. I’m at the gym at 6:30 AM and in the office at 9 AM where I deal with new challenges every day.
3 trends that excite you?
1. the dynamic world of social media
2. the dynamic changes in the economy
3. consumer education
How do you bring ideas to life?
Execution
What inspires you?
Seeing others prosper.
What is one mistake you’ve made and what did you learn from it?
Trusting the wrong people. I learned to research everyone.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
Charge less, make more.
What do you read every day and why?
I read a personal script daily because it reminds me of who I am, where I am and where I’m going.
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
Read the Art of War because it ties the military and business together perfectly.
What is your favorite gadget, app or piece of software that helps you every day?
My BlackBerry phone
Three people we should follow on Twitter and why?
1. Warren Buffet in order to follow one of the smartest business people
2. Ben Bernacke to keep a pulse on the economy
3. John Q. Public to know what the public is saying
Who would you love to see interviewed on IdeaMensch?
Me—Richard M. Killian!
When was the last time you laughed out loud and what caused it.
Today at levity in the workplace.
What give you the drive to accomplish what you do?
The excitement of seeing other peoples’ dreams become reality.
Why do you still spit shine your shoes?
To continuously remind me of the importance of attention to detail and pride.
Mario Schulzke is the Founder of ideamensch, which he started a decade ago to learn from entrepreneurs and give them a platform for their ideas.