As a newcomer in a strange town and a tough market, Medina knew he couldn’t wait for referrals when he started selling homes in Canton, Ohio, in 2002. “I was on the phone and knocking on doors all the time,” he recalls. Six years and several hundred deals later, that mindset continues to drive Medina. “I like coming up with different ways to be successful,” he says. Medina’s ideas include buying a moving truck that he lends to clients and charities. Plastered with ads for his own business and various vendors, the truck is a rolling billboard, spreading goodwill. 

SEEKING INCENTIVE: After earning a public communications degree, Medina was a recruiter for Grand Canyon College in Phoenix. What he really wanted, though, was to find a profession in which the harder he worked, the greater the potential reward. He chose real estate. Last year, he and his four-person team closed 112 transaction sides worth $15.2 million. 

THINKING AHEAD: Many of Medina’s strategies come via Star Power, an idea sharing network for real estate professionals. “My job now is all about forward thinking and business planning,” says Medina. “When you stop doing that and stop growing, that’s when the competition is going to catch up with you.”