Yesterday, Agent News introduced you to Dave Liniger, the remarkable founder and chairman of RE/MAX International. You learned that he is an adrenaline-driven thrill seeker, but he is also a man of compassion and caring. What makes him risk everything he has for a few seconds of life-threatening danger?

"What I have done is interconnected adventures with business purposes. It is fun for the agents. It is advertising, only it has more glitz and appeal. It's fun to take the balloon logo and put on the side of a racecar. We sponsor racing series, and the agents come out and watch us race, buy t-shirts, and model cars of our drivers by the thousands. It is exciting," explains Liniger.

"I am a project person and RE/MAX is a huge project. And it was not an overnight success. We had to build a referral network, we had to learn to do conventions. For example. our first convention was 16 people now it is 10,000. The satellite system was a big project. If you look at all these projects, each one is an adventure. For the balloon mission, just the planning of search and rescue, getting permission to fly over 17 countries, the tours, the press conferences - that is a huge project," he continues. "What the racing and the balloon mission and the other things have done for me is that it keeps the business fresh. If I was doing business the same way I did 25 years ago, I possibly would have burned out."

"This is the spice."

How important is the ability to take risks in business? "It is very important," says Liniger, his voice serious. "The REALTOR mentality is that of a risk taker. These aren't people that get a paycheck every two weeks, they don't get a salary, they don't get bonuses. If they don't produce there is no pay day. Other things such as fluctuations in the economy affects them significantly. And the RE/MAX agent is an even bigger risk taker. Not only do they have to pay us in advance, they pay so that they can make more income."

"The person that bets on themselves indicate that these people are by nature risk-takers."

So which is better- higher or faster? "The driving of a NASCAR race care is a very thrilling experience, but most people would be surprised how casual you become about it after you have done it enough. As a rookie it gets your attention because it is a complex task to drive precisely, but after a while, it is like driving on the feeway."

"As far as going high, it is not a casual thing to be going into outer space. Unless there is an emergency, it will be very peaceful. We will be able to work our way through minor problems, because we are moving slowly, but if there is a catastrophe, our reaction time will only be about three to five seconds," says Liniger.

"Yet it isn't a daredevil activity. It is a scientific endeavor. We are basically picking up where the military left off in the late '50s when they were studying what the lack of atmosphere would do to the astronauts. We are taking a proven technology into the '90s."

"No one has ever attempted what we are doing before. We have extensive computer studs that say it will work. It is very complex, not just getting into a balloon basker. We can't make mistakes - we will be in an extremely hostile environment at 130,000 ft. Weather and the jet stream stop at about 60,000 feet. We are in touch with scientists and universities all over the world and we will be collecting a wide range of scientific data."

"We will be the first civilian space mission."

On Monday Agent News will feature "What You Didn't Know About Liniger's Space Mission."

Click here to read Part I