Conversations with Mike Borrello of Heroes Next Door

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike Borrello.

Hi Mike, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
The company started after my daughter got married to a person who had never been in public services such as Fire, EMS, or Police. I was telling stories during the holidays to him when suddenly he asked the question ” why don’t more people know about this?” This got us talking about how to share what I have experienced as a 28yr veteran in the public service with the next generations and the general public.

He was working for a YouTube channel at this time and suggested we use that platform to begin to share. It took another 2yrs to develop a business plan and mission for the company. We formed the LLC in November of 2019 but did not launch our first video until March of 2020, right in the midst of the COVID pandemic.

Our goal is to raise public awareness of the EMS, Police, and firefighters, across the country and beyond. Through Station Cribs, Station Rigs, Day in the Life, Real stories, interviews, and product reviews, we give you (the viewers) an inside look at the people, stations, and equipment it takes to be a First Responder. An additional goal is to visit a least one station in ALL 50 states across America. With your support and invitations, we will accomplish this goal.

The biggest issue for public services is recruitment and retention. Both volunteers and paid staff across America continues to drop creating a shortage of professional willing to take on the tasks. Funding is another major problem with public services. In order to create a video for recruitment and retention, companies can be charged anywhere from 6 to 10 thousand dollars for a 20-30 minute spot.

We feel very strongly that these struggling companies should not pay anything but yet get their 15 minutes of fame that they can use to recruit from. Heroes Next Door LLC does not charge anything to come film. We receive payment from ad sense and from other sponsors that allow us to travel and pay our filmers and editors.

The unexpected result of the channel was the global response and interest. We have over 250 requests for us to go see different stations and equipment. Many states in America have requested us but also globally we have been invited to places like the UK, Germany, Australia, Costa Rica, Sweden, etc.

As we continue to build and get more subscribers (which costs nothing to the viewers) and our views go up, it will allow us to build the revenue to travel, showing off all the stations and people we can. We will be developing Heroes Next Door Worldwide in the near future.

In order to be part of the Heroes Next Door family and get a station on the show, all you have to do is send an email with the location, contact numbers, and names, along with a brief description of the stations and our staff will work on getting the schedule together.

Keep in mind the company must remain financially responsible and would try and coordinate multiple stations within your area to film in order to get that return on investment from the ad and sponsorships. Again a request and visit from Heroes Next Door cost the company nothing.

All this being said, we are looking for additional sponsors to help us on a more regular basis. We have a sponsorship profile we would share if there are companies looking to advertise on Youtube. Youtube will provide your company with thousands of views that will hopefully increase your business too.

watchheroesnextdoor.com, Heroes Next Door Youtube/Facebook/Instagram/ TikTok.

Before we end we also provide those stations where we film access to the footage to promote where they feel fit too. Again at no charge.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Start-up and development of a youtube channel are very difficult. There were years of planning. Then once launched make sure your content is good, sound, lighting, and concepts are what people want. The first year is the most difficult. To get monetized on Youtube you must have a certain amount of subscribers, view hours, and consistent content being made.

You have to promote your video where ever and whenever you can. Start with friends and family followed by other social media like Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, and TikTok. The major struggle is finance. In our first year, we made nothing but worked and invested a lot. This was expected in the business plan but it does not make it easier.

We actually lost my son-in-law from the company because of finance. He worked an entire year without pay until another company offered him a job he just could not refuse. It was next to impossible to replace him, but we understood.

The key for our company is making sure we don’t go over our initial investment. We have the company sustain itself. This means paying close attention to budgets, looking for sponsors, and understanding that as an owner I most likely will not collect any income for the first 5 years.

The company must grow strong before the owner is able to start to get any benefits. We make sure our staff is paid on time and in full, our bills are paid in time and in full, and we plan our trips accordingly so as to not have too much expense that we can’t recoup with the returns from ads and sponsorships.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Before starting Heroes Next Door I was a Paramedic Firefighter who worked two and three jobs most of my adult life just to make ends meet. I have had a great career and even went to get my education to continue in the Prehospital field.

I received my bachelor’s degree in Public Safety Administration from Neumann University, followed by my Masters’s in Organizational Leadership from Regent University. This was all in the hopes of one day becoming an EMS chief of a department. However, God’s plan was much bigger than mine and now I am running a successful YouTube channel.

The thing I am most proud of is my foundation in Jesus, my family life, and the opportunities I had working in the prehospital setting. I have worked with Fire Departments, Police Departments, and many EMS units throughout my career. I have done critical care transport both by ground and flight, and I have done 911 responses in a chase car and ambulance.

I have also been able to help other states and countries during disasters like the 911 terrorist attacks, and hurricanes Katina and Rita, plus travel to Nepal to put on medical clinics in the Himalayas. Not to mention the countless of lives I have been part of trying to save lives.

We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up.
I grew up doing sports. I was a football and baseball player. With that, I was hurt a lot (typical boy stuff). My mother was going to school to become an RN after she had three kids. She had to do what was needed to go to school and care for a family.

One day she took me to class because of some childcare issues or another. I can’t remember exactly. But, I was there during one of her anatomy classes where they dissect sheep’s brains. I thought this was the coolest thing. This got me hooked on medicine and my sports injuries showed me the personal and professional people it takes to do medicine.

So I followed in their footsteps. The absolute best part of being a Paramedic Firefighter is I get that same adrenaline rush I did playing sport, but now it applies to saving lives. Without my mother taking me to the class that one day, I don’t think I would have even considered it.

Contact Info:

• Website: watchheroesnextdoor.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/watchheroes…
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WatchHeroesNextDoor
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/HeroesNextDoor