Dream Big with Big Dreamers · Podcast
Serial entrepreneur and TotalBrokerage CEO Michael Mosseri on how a literal fire shaped his entrepreneurial mindset, why curiosity beats fearlessness, and what it really takes to build something that lasts.
Most people spend their lives trying to avoid fire. Michael Mosseri got thrown into one as a kid, and it turned out to be the thing that made him.
On this episode of Dream Big with Big Dreamers, Donna Serdula sits down with Michael, a serial entrepreneur, technologist, and CEO of TotalBrokerage. He is a two-time Gator100 honoree whose companies have been recognized among the fastest-growing businesses led by University of Florida alumni.
He builds businesses the way some people build bonfires: boldly, on purpose, and to spark change. He is also the guy doing backflips off pirate ships.
The throughline of the whole conversation is simple and freeing. A strong entrepreneurial mindset does not require you to be fearless. You just have to be curious enough to start.
Who is Michael Mosseri?
Michael Mosseri, serial entrepreneur, technologist, and CEO of TotalBrokerage.
Michael Mosseri is a serial entrepreneur, technologist, and CEO of TotalBrokerage.
He has built technology businesses designed to solve complicated problems and help people work smarter.
He has also been recognized twice by the University of Florida’s Gator100 program, which celebrates fast-growing businesses led by University of Florida alumni. His entrepreneurial mindset combines technical problem-solving with an adventurer’s appetite for curiosity, experimentation, and growth.
How a garage fire shaped his entire mindset
Michael’s story starts, literally, with fire.
As a curious kid who loved building things, he talked his parents into a gas-powered model airplane. One day in the garage, a gallon of that fuel exploded. Michael describes the fuel as behaving almost like napalm because it sticks to whatever it hits.
He was badly burned and spent about two weeks in the hospital, unconscious for much of it.
He does not sugarcoat the experience, and he would not wish it on anyone. But he points to an idea that stayed with him: fire is fed by everything thrown into it.
The adversity did not extinguish his curiosity. In many ways, it intensified it. That same drive to understand, experiment, and keep moving forward became part of the way he approached business and life.
“Fire is fed by everything that’s thrown into it.”
Why solving problems became a calling, not just a skill
Michael has always been drawn to puzzles, whether they appear in software, business, or life.
Everything clicked when he started his first company and began solving real problems for real people. Problem-solving stopped being something he happened to be good at. It became a calling.
He describes himself as wired to spot inefficiencies, dig into why they exist, and build the fix. The goal is a solution so clean that it seems obvious in hindsight.
And underneath that process is one of the most important traits in an entrepreneurial mindset: the willingness to keep asking why.
What actually makes a high performer?
Ask Michael what makes someone a high performer and you will not get a highlight reel.
You will hear about consistency, clarity, intentional planning, and a commitment to growth. Every day matters. And so does getting comfortable saying three words that many leaders avoid:
I don’t know.
Michael gets coaching. He keeps learning. He shows up day after day, including the days that are difficult, repetitive, or flat-out boring.
Plenty of people say they will do “whatever it takes.” Michael pushes on what that really means. Often, whatever it takes looks a lot less glamorous than people expect. It requires humility, repetition, learning, and doing the work when nobody is watching.
Stack enough of those inputs together and the output is high performance.
“I take risks not because I’m fearless, but because I’m curious.”
The entrepreneurial mindset behind Michael’s appetite for risk
Michael is the guy who backflips off pirate ships, and even he sometimes questions his own choices.
On a recent ski trip, he stopped halfway down a double black diamond and found himself thinking, Wait. Why am I here?
His answer is rooted in the belief that life is meant to be lived fully.
Michael does not take risks because he considers himself fearless. He takes them because he is curious. That same instinct influences how he builds companies.
It starts with something small. You make a move. You learn. You take the next step. Suddenly, metaphorically or literally, you are midair and upside down.
You are rarely 100 percent ready. Instead, you rely on your preparation, your instincts, and your team, then find out what exists on the other side of your comfort zone.
What does it actually mean to SOAR?
Michael’s mission is helping people solve problems, work smarter, and soar.
Ask him what soaring actually looks like and the answer is freedom.
Freedom to do your best work. Freedom to live in alignment with your values. Freedom to create without unnecessary constraint.
That becomes possible when you clear away some of the noise, reconnect with your inner why, and get out of survival mode.
Survival mode is where many people get stuck: nose to the grindstone, moving from task to task without enough room to think beyond whatever is directly in front of them.
On the other side, Michael says, work feels energizing, fulfilling, and genuinely impactful.
That is soaring.
How does Michael define success now?
Michael’s definition of success has changed.
Earlier in his career, success was about milestones: revenue, users, growth, or whatever metric sat two steps ahead.
Today, he thinks much more about alignment.
Is the work genuinely impactful? Are the people around him treated with mutual respect? Does what he is building reflect who he is? Is he present? Is he proud of how he shows up?
His current definition of real success comes down to three things: impact, integrity, and inner peace, and whether those three are aligned.
Why asking for help is a strength, not a weakness
If there is one thing Michael wants people to understand about his story, it is that he is not afraid to ask for help.
He works with a coach. He is part of Vistage, a peer advisory organization for CEOs and executives. He actively seeks mentors and outside perspectives that can help him recognize his own blind spots.
Nobody builds something meaningful completely alone. Pretending otherwise can simply slow down the process.
The willingness to say I don’t know, and then find somebody who does, is not a crack in Michael’s confidence. It is part of the engine behind his growth.
Advice for anyone who wants to build something big
Michael’s advice is refreshingly short.
Start.
Start small. Start now.
Do not wait around for perfect clarity because, as Michael sees it, clarity comes from doing.
Find a problem. Solve it for one person. Refine the solution. Repeat. Build from there.
Then get help as you grow. Find coaches, mentors, and people willing to challenge you and show you what you cannot easily see on your own.
Every successful person started as someone willing to try, give something their best effort, learn from what happened, and keep going.
You do not have to be perfect. You have to show up, and keep showing up.
“Start. Start small. Start now.”
Frequently asked questions about Michael Mosseri and the entrepreneurial mindset
Who is Michael Mosseri?
Michael Mosseri is a serial entrepreneur, technologist, and CEO of TotalBrokerage. He has been recognized twice through the University of Florida’s Gator100 program and has built technology businesses designed to solve complex problems and help people work more efficiently.
How did a childhood accident shape Michael Mosseri’s career?
As a child, Michael was badly burned when model-airplane fuel exploded in his family’s garage, leaving him hospitalized for about two weeks. He connects the experience with the curiosity, resilience, and determination that later influenced the way he approaches business and problem-solving.
What does Michael Mosseri mean by SOAR?
For Michael, soaring means freedom: the freedom to do your best work, live according to your values, and create without unnecessary constraint. It means getting beyond survival mode and into work that feels energizing, aligned, and impactful.
How does Michael Mosseri define success?
His definition has shifted away from external milestones such as revenue and user numbers toward alignment and meaning. Today, he describes success through impact, integrity, and inner peace.
What is Michael Mosseri’s advice for aspiring entrepreneurs?
Start small and start now. Michael believes clarity comes from doing rather than waiting. Solve a real problem for one person, learn from the experience, refine the solution, and bring in coaches and mentors as you grow.
What does an entrepreneurial mindset look like?
In Michael Mosseri’s experience, an entrepreneurial mindset is built around curiosity, resilience, consistent action, problem-solving, humility, and a willingness to ask for help. It is less about being fearless and more about being curious enough to move forward even when the outcome is uncertain.
Hear the full conversation
Listen to the full episode of Dream Big with Big Dreamers to hear Michael tell the story himself, from the garage fire to the double black diamond and the lessons that shaped how he builds companies today.
Michael knows who he is, how he operates, and what he is building. That clarity makes it easier for other people to understand what he stands for and where he is going.
If your own professional story is not that clear yet, that is fixable. Explore Vision Board Media’s executive branding and career branding services.