Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to MICHAEL RIPIA. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

MICHAEL, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

My mission is simple: help everyday people and small businesses grow online, even if they’re starting with nothing.

It’s personal. I grew up in Rotorua, New Zealand, and watched my mother build a childcare business from the ground up with zero handouts. She didn’t have a marketing team. She had grit, passion, and a vision to serve her community. But like most small business owners, she struggled to compete with big-name centers that had deeper pockets and flashier brands.

I saw firsthand how unfair that game could be and how much of an opportunity was being lost just because people didn’t know how to get seen online.

Years later, after moving to Sydney and building Halo, I made it my mission to bridge that gap. Through Halo Marketing and Synero Systems, we focus on giving underdog founders and mission-driven businesses access to the same tools, automations, and digital strategies that billion-dollar companies use.

This isn’t just marketing for me, it’s economic empowerment. When I help a local gym go from surviving to thriving, or a solo founder scale to six figures, that ripple creates real jobs, real income, and real change.

That’s what keeps me showing up. Because I’ve lived what it’s like to start with nothing and I know exactly what’s possible when someone finally believes in your vision and gives you the tools to scale it.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m Michael Ripia, a founder, marketer and competitive tennis player who’s spent the last 9 years building businesses that empower people to grow online and unlock their full potential.

I grew up in Rotorua, New Zealand, where my first lessons in entrepreneurship came from helping my mum run her childcare center. I watched her navigate the challenges of small business ownership without any formal training. That foundation shaped everything I’ve done since.

I moved to Sydney after high school, studied Business Management and Law, and then launched my first company at 21. Since then, I’ve built and scaled multiple ventures, including:

Halo Marketing, an award-winning digital agency that helps brands generate leads, build authority, and grow their revenue through smart strategy, automation, and creative content.

Synero Systems, a SaaS platform that simplifies client acquisition for service-based businesses through AI workflows and done-for-you systems.

Sydney Tennis NSW, Sydney’s largest tennis community to exist with over 20,000 members, bringing coaches,players and clubs together through competition, fitness, and lifestyle.

What sets me apart? We’re not selling hype. We build systems that help clients create momentum, not just get attention. Our clients don’t need massive budgets, they need clarity, tools that actually convert, and someone who gives a damn about their success.

Whether it’s removing negative online reviews through our reputation management service, launching a new product funnel, or helping a founder go from DMs to $10K months.

If there’s one thing I want people to know about me and my work, it’s this:
I believe in building businesses that actually serve people, and I’ll go all in to help the underdog win.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Definitely. There’s one chapter that stands out, the early days of building my agency, Halo Marketing.

When I first started, I had no investors, no safety net and honestly no clue how I’d survive the next six months…. I was just a young guy with a laptop and the belief that if I could help one business grow, that momentum would snowball.

But what most people don’t see is what happened behind the scenes.

I remember a stretch where I’d lost two major clients in one week. Projects got delayed. My bank account was nearly flatlined. And I had just committed to hiring my first full-time contractor, a move that felt impossible to reverse. I could’ve pulled the pin. I could’ve downsized. I could’ve gone back to a job.

But I didn’t.

Instead, I doubled down.

I worked 16-hour days…. not just to survive, but to rebuild. I reworked our entire offer, refined the messaging, recorded cold video pitches, and sent over 200 personalized outreach messages in one week. I studied buyer psychology until 2am, tested email subject lines like my life depended on it (because at that point, it kinda did), and pitched every business that looked like they needed help but didn’t know where to start.

Within 30 days, we closed three new clients.

That season taught me what resilience really is. It’s not just grinding, it’s staying clear on your vision even when the scoreboard shows zero. It’s believing in the long-term when everything short-term is screaming “quit.”

Now, when things get hard, I look back at that moment and think: if I could build from rock bottom once, I can do it again, stronger, faster, and with more clarity.

That mindset has become my edge.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

That working harder always equals better results.

For years, I wore hustle like a badge of honour. 16-hour days, no weekends…..always on the go. I convinced myself that outworking everyone else was the only path to success. And in the short term? It worked. I built traction fast, grew multiple ventures, and scaled my agency in record time.

But under the surface, I was running myself into the ground.

I wasn’t leading…. I was surviving.

One day, I was on a client call, and my mind just went blank. Zero clarity. I couldn’t remember what we discussed last week, and I realized I hadn’t properly slept in days. I was building my dream but doing it in a completely unsustainable way.

That’s when it hit me,,this can’t be the trade-off.

So I flipped the script. I stopped glorifying the grind and started building systems…. hiring smart, automating smarter, and designing the business to run without me in every gear.

I work fewer hours but deliver more value. I lead with energy, not exhaustion. And I’ve built a team and infrastructure that grows without burning us out.

Here’s the truth I had to unlearn:
Productivity isn’t about doing more, it’s about doing less of what doesn’t move the needle.

Unlearning hustle culture saved my business. But more importantly, it saved me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.michaelripia.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michael_ripia/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michaelmripia/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelripia/
• Twitter: https://x.com/michael_ripia