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Mark ‘The Fridge’ Roberts, managing director of Breakaway Finance Group in Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast, hasn’t had a typical career.
The former AFL premiership player for North Melbourne and the Sydney Swans started his footy career in seniors at age 18 and played for 15 years.
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He had his fair share of setbacks while playing ball, including several knee reconstructions and other injuries. Yet his determination kept him coming back.
“Being injured as an athlete can be a very lonely place. There aren’t many blokes around when you’re at home during the day. Beyond spending time with my physio and trainers, I spent a lot of time alone. I got to know myself really well,” he says.
“During this time, you realise that total commitment is required to overcome major injuries quickly, and I didn’t want to miss out on playing in a premiership, so you push your body to its limits to avoid any regrets.”
After retiring from the sports world, he started Breakaway Finance Group and became a qualified financial planner, mortgage broker and real estate agent.
“In the early days of my business, I referred people to financial planners and to real estate businesses, but I wasn’t happy with the customer experience they were giving my clients. I decided I could do a better job myself, so expanded my qualifi cations,” he explains.
There are still many lessons in teamwork and discipline that Mr Roberts implements into his business from his time playing sports.
“In a team, you’re only as strong as your weakest link. Not everyone is going to be the star player, but everyone on the team has strengths and a part to play. They all need to be supported.”
Mr Roberts is currently mentoring his daughter to move into the business.
“I may be a bit of a control freak, but I think if you’re serious about keeping your clients, then you need to take care of all their needs so they are ‘caught in the web’. If too many areas of a person’s finances are with you, it’s very hard for them to unravel themselves from you and leave,” he says.
