As I was chatting with Michael Olivieri, the 351st person I’ve met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, I was reminded of a quote from Tony Robbins.

“The quality of your life is a direct reflection of the quality of the questions you are asking yourself,” Tony Robbins once said.

When Michael was a teenager, he asked himself a surprisingly profound question: when I become an adult, how can I make money without working so I can continue living a carefree life?

One way, his dad explained, was through property investing.

That inspired Michael to learn about property, money and compounding. After leaving school, he went to university to do a bachelor of business and commerce with a major in property. From there, he began a career in commercial property leasing and portfolio management.

Most importantly, when Michael was just 21, he bought his first investment property. He worked very hard to save a deposit, because while property can deliver a passive income in the long-term, it requires sacrifice in the short-term. Michael then went on to buy more properties, while also doing renovations and subdivisions.

In 2021, Michael turned his hobby into a business by founding Central Coast Buyers Agent, which helps property investors and owner-occupiers buy property on the Central Coast. Michael remembers how hungry he was for knowledge when he started his property journey, so one of the things he prides himself on doing is educating his clients about the process, rather than merely managing a transaction for them.

Recently, Michael has been pondering another question, which is similar to the one he asked himself as a child: what can I do to maximise my quality of life? That’s made him think about whether to expand the business, restructure the business or even buy a second business.

The question is still open, but it says something about Michael’s personality that he’s actively thinking about it, rather than just drifting through life.