Brand Protection with Mike “Ski” Jaczewski, Episode #51

Today’s guest on the Mitlin Money Mindset™ is Mike Jaczewski, known as “Ski” by his friends and colleagues. Mike is President and CEO of Toltec and has spent over 19 years as a professional investigator handling matters for individuals, entrepreneurs, attorneys, and numerous Fortune 500 companies. With encouragement and spiritual support from family and friends Mike launched Toltec and has since become the go-to investigator for countless clients who’ve come to rely on his efficiency and professionalism. Mike has built an extensive network of professional partners and during his career has investigated and managed case files in all 50 states and over 60 countries. Listen in as Mike shares his personal story and some gems about the work he has done as an investigator.

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in…

  • Mike’s path to founding Toltec [2:25]
  • What does Toltec do and who’s it for? [4:04]
  • What does the name Toltec mean? [6:43]
  • What drew Mike to this line of work [9:44]
  • Counterfeiting issues businesses face [11:58]
  • Can a solo entrepreneur afford to defend their product? [14:12]
  • Mike’s war stories working as a PI [18:48]
  • Is there a specific mindset you need to have to be an investigator like Mike? [22:19]
  • What are the next big steps for Toltec? [29:16]
  • What Mike did today that put him in the right mindset for success? [32:32]

How Toltec came to be

Mike started out in the military and felt his career path was heading towards federal law enforcement. He was approaching and applying for a lot of those federal departments like US Marshals, FBI, and DEA. He wanted to go down the federal road. Those application processes are long so in the meantime Mike needed a job. He took a job with a small PI firm in St. Petersburg, Florida and it didn’t take long for him to fall in love with the freedom of private investigations and operating in a way that isn’t so restricted and regulated. Mike did work for a number of PI firms before he realized that to grow and do the things he wanted, and to make the kind of money he wanted, he would have to start his own agency and about 10 years ago that’s exactly what he did. That agency became Toltec Brand Protection and its parent company Toltec Investigations.

How can the little guy protect their products?

Big companies have big pockets and the wherewithal but what about the little guy, the entrepreneur or the solo inventor who comes up with a product? Can they defend their product or is it so difficult that they just have to deal with the counterfeiters?

Mike tells people you have to do something. When you’re an inventor or an entrepreneur and have created a product, the first time you see a knockoff version of it, it’s almost a cause for celebration because the counterfeiters, especially in China, are not going to counterfeit anything that’s not in demand and in demand globally. You know, the first thing to do is to celebrate that your product is so hot right now that someone felt that they wanted to get a little piece of your customer demand. The second thing to do right after that is to start coming up with a strategy to protect it. For the smaller entrepreneur or the new product inventor, a lot of it is proactive. It’s educating your customer and your prospect on where to get the right thing, where to get the genuine, and how to avoid the counterfeit.

Having a PI mindset

Is there a specific mindset that somebody needs to have if they want to be an investigator like Mike Ski? Mike says there are a lot of different aspects of private investigations. There are investigators who never leave the office, cyber investigations, forensic things, but for field investigators, for people doing a lot of surveillance or interviews or undercover work, you’ve got to be able to turn things on and off. You sort of need a chameleon mindset. You have to be able to fit in at a polo match at a country club one day and then be able to fit in at an inner-city basketball court the next day. You need to be able to operate in those areas and know your targets and understand what’s going to resonate with them when you want to have a conversation with them. Everything from your mannerisms, the way you dress, the way you speak, accents, anything that will help you fit in and put the other person at ease.

Connect with Mike Jaczewski

Bio

Affectionately known as Ski by most friends and colleagues, Mike Jaczewski has spent over 19 years as a Professional Investigator, handling matters for individuals, entrepreneurs, attorneys, and numerous Fortune 500 companies. With encouragement and spiritual support from family and friends, Mike launched Toltec Investigations and has since become the go-to investigator for countless clients who have come to rely on his efficiency and professionalism. Ski has built an extensive network of professional partners and during his career, has investigated and managed case files in all 50 states and over 60 countries.

Passionate about beautiful weather and beaches, Ski moved from Buffalo, New York to, “The Sunshine City” of Saint Petersburg, Florida while serving in the United States Coast Guard.

Grateful for the many clients that place their trust in him, Mike makes certain that every case assigned to Toltec is handled efficiently and endeavors both personally and professionally to follow the four agreements of the Toltec philosophy;

  • Be impeccable with your word
  • Do not take anything personally
  • Do not make assumptions
  • ALWAYS do your best

Most importantly, outside the business, you’ll find Ski exploring new ways to connect with his teenage son and daughter who are his true inspirations for getting up each day and working so hard.

Guests on the Mitlin Money Mindset Show are not affiliated with CWM, LLC, and opinions expressed herein may not be representative of CWM, LLC. CWM, LLC is not responsible for the guest’s content linked on this site.

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