A brokerage built to last with ‘passion, stamina, grit’ 

Let's start with the first thing you notice about brokerage owner Michael Saunders: Her name.

Saunders was named for Michael Drayton, an Elizabethan poet and contemporary of Shakespeare's who is on Saunders' family tree.

Each time her mother was expecting, the name "Michael" was considered, then dismissed — until she came along.

"'If she's interesting, it will be a great name to have,'" Saunders' parents reasoned. "'If she's not, it won't matter what she's called.'"

Clearly, Saunders is the former.

Now 81, Saunders has spent nearly five decades building that name into one of Florida's largest real estate brokerages, with 16 offices covering four southwest counties, a commercial division, developer services and nearly 600 agents who do approximately $3.7 billion in annual sales.

Looking to make a difference

On a recent afternoon, sitting in her office on the fifth floor of her Sarasota office building, Saunders took in the view.

"I'm looking out at the growth," she said, "and thinking what a big part our company has had over the last 48 years."

"If I can do it, anyone can," she said. "Real estate is not a business of rocket science. A lot of people would like you to think it is. But if you can develop traits that can endure, and you have a lifetime commitment to learning, and you are always curious, you can find your niche in this business."

Finding that niche took some time, however. Back when Saunders started, women were accepted as real estate agents — but not much more.

"It was, 'Go do your thing, join the PTA, sell all the parents' houses,'" she said.

"But that didn't really cut it — what I was looking for was a place at the table where I could make a difference. That's been my driving force in everything I have done."

Getting a foot in the door

Saunders' first transaction was her own, when she tried to borrow $5,000 to start her own brokerage. No bank would lend her the money. So she asked a friend named Sigmund "Siggy" Levy, a Canadian developer and senior partner of the Florida-based MW Development Group, to co-sign the loan.

"He taught me the development game, land and business principles, how to work with banks …"

Many of her mentors were men, she said, "But I feel like I learned something from so many people. National industry leaders and community leaders and just people on the street who tell you what's important to them."

In the process, she learned how to get around the challenges of being a woman in business.

And that's where the name came in handy.

She used to call for appointments with the heads of corporations who thought she was calling for Michael Saunders. Not that she was Michael Saunders.

"I never corrected them," she said. "I never lied to them, and I never told them the truth. And once I got my foot in the door, I never took it out."

Staying independent: 'There are no glass ceilings'

Over the decades, she has worked for, and earned a "seat of respect" at the tables where decisions are made.

And she learned that she loved being independent and controlling her own destiny.

"One of the joys of owning your own business is that you really are responsible for your every action," Saunders said. "I like responsibility — and that there are no glass ceilings when you own your own company."

When she's ready, Saunders will pass the business to her son. She has no interest in being acquired, even though she gets regular calls about it — and, like all brokerage owners, has had to weather the ups and downs of the market over the years.

"I have a son who is amazing and who is my partner in business. So with the next generation by my side and a very deep leadership team, I have not crashed and burned. I have maintained all services."

She has also maintained a charitable foundation that is run by agents and staff and funded through payroll deductions. Since 2011, it has given away about $1.3 million to nonprofits focused on serving immediate needs.

"We do the things that make a difference," she said. "Give people sustenance. Help them thrive."

'Dream impossible dreams'

With those things in place, Saunders said she will be free to pursue her hobbies and, most importantly, be "Honey" to her grandchildren.

"One of my father's favorite quotes was, 'Dream impossible dreams, and prepare to pay the price to make them come true' — and I paid the price," she said.

That price? "A series of things," she said. "It starts with a vision, really doing a check of yourself. Do you have the passion, the stamina and the resiliency and grit to develop that vision?"

Once you do, she said, continue to refine that vision and live by your values. And then you can look back — and out the window — and see what you have built.

Michael Saunders' words of advice for brokerage leaders

• Real estate is constantly changing. "Adapt to it and put that into practice in your business."

• Change the form. Train your agents. Make sure the decisions they are making for their clients and themselves are the right one.

• Try to make your company 1% better every day by "refining, refining, refining."

• Build a brand that is embraced by the community and the industry.

• Be collaborative, have empathy, be curious and focused on problem-solving for buyers and sellers