My Worst Investment Ever Podcast

BIO: 15 years of experience running his own business, more than enough money, time, and freedom; now Nat Berman teaches the practical steps he’s taken to achieve these results in what now takes only 3-4 hours a day.STORY: Nat got wind of a stock that Jim Cramer would tout on his show and invest in. Nat decided to invest $30,000 in the stock without further research. He lost the money in a short period.LEARNING: Do your research. Never buy a stock that somebody tells you about. “Pause. Read. Invest.”Nat Berman Guest profileAfter fifteen years of experience running his own business, more than enough money, time, and freedom, now Nat Berman teaches the practical steps he’s taken to achieve these results in what now takes only 3-4 hours a day.Worst investment everNat knew a guy that worked for Jim Cramer directly. He got wind of the stock that Cramer was going to tout on his show and would put in his charitable trust. Nat put in $30,000. He lost a lot of it in a short amount of time.Lessons learnedDo your own research, assess your risk, and understand what you’re comfortable losing.Everybody is smart enough to make their own investments.Andrew’s takeawaysInvest in the S&P 500 or an index fund if you’re learning how to invest.Never, ever buy a stock that somebody tells you about. Make your decision that this is the stock that you want to own for a particular reason.Build a portfolio of about 10 stocks to diversify your risk.Actionable adviceWhenever someone tells you about an amazing stock, pause, read about it, and see what kind of news there is about it. Check out the financials too. Just don’t do anything for at least 24 hours to a week.No.1 goal for the next 12 monthsNat’s goal for the next 12 months is to be proud of himself and be able to look into the mirror every day and know that he’s satisfied and comfortable with where he is.Parting words “Stay focused.”Nat Berman [spp-transcript] Connect with Nat BermanLinkedInFacebookInstagramTikTokYouTubeWebsiteAndrew’s booksHow to Start Building Your Wealth Investing in the Stock MarketMy Worst Investment Ever9 Valuation Mistakes and How to Avoid ThemTransform Your Business with Dr.Deming’s 14 PointsAndrew’s online programsValuation Master ClassHow to Start Building Your Wealth Investing in the Stock MarketFinance Made Ridiculously SimpleBecome a Great Presenter and Increase Your InfluenceTransform Your Business with Dr. Deming’s 14 PointsConnect with Andrew Stotz:astotz.comLinkedInFacebookInstagramTwitterYouTubeMy Worst Investment Ever Podcast

BIO: Dave Buck is fascinated by the concept of time and how it is applied in everyday life. It is one of the main reasons he started Kairos Management Solutions.STORY: Dave was a very disciplined saver and investor from the time he got his first job when he was 16. The only mistake he made was not managing his portfolio according to the lifestyle he wanted to live in retirement.LEARNING: Start to save for the future today. Have goals for your savings. “Manage your portfolio to match the desired lifestyle you want to have.”Dave Buck Guest profileDave Buck is fascinated by the concept of time and how it is applied in everyday life. It is one of the main reasons he started Kairos Management Solutions. Kairos is one of the Greek words for time, tied to accomplishing a crucial action or performing in a decisive moment. Through his company, Dave offers a variety of services from individual and corporate time management, leadership management, retirement and lifestyle time management, and sales productivity enhancement. The corporate mission of Kairos Management Solutions and Dave is to help people move their time from finite to infinite.Worst investment everDave got his first job when he was 16, and from then, he started to save diligently until he was in his 50s. When he approached retirement age, he realized that he didn’t know what he wanted to do with the funds he’d been saving for years. He had not aligned his investments with the retirement lifestyle he wanted, and now he wasn’t sure if the funds were even enough to lead the life he wanted.Lessons learnedStart to save for the future today.Adopt a broader strategy of the purpose of the funds you’re saving and how that purpose aligns with your lifestyle.Start by saving a small amount, even if it’s just 5% of your income, and be consistent.Andrew’s takeawaysHave goals for your savings. Are you saving for the sake of saving?What is the purpose of the funds you save?Be frugal, be careful with your money, but stay focused on saving it.Actionable adviceGet started with saving, be disciplined and keep at it. It’s okay to pause due to various factors. Just don’t stop forever. Your portfolio can grow if you’re not contributing to it but get back to contributing for as long as you possibly can.No.1 goal for the next 12 monthsDave’s goal for the next 12 months is to implement his initial business strategy to such a point that he doesn’t have to draw on his current savings plan.Parting words “As you plan projects, invest your time as you look to how you manage it. Take what you do and add 20% to it. It’s always going to take longer than what you anticipate.”Dave Buck [spp-transcript] Connect with Dave BuckLinkedInYouTubeWebsiteAndrew’s booksHow to Start Building Your Wealth Investing in the Stock MarketMy Worst Investment Ever9 Valuation Mistakes and How to Avoid ThemTransform Your Business with Dr.Deming’s 14 PointsAndrew’s online programsValuation Master ClassHow to Start Building Your Wealth Investing in the Stock MarketFinance Made Ridiculously SimpleBecome a Great Presenter and Increase Your InfluenceTransform Your Business with Dr. Deming’s 14 PointsConnect with Andrew Stotz:astotz.comLinkedInFacebookInstagramTwitterYouTubeMy Worst Investment Ever Podcast

BIO: Akshat Malik, a serial entrepreneur, a risk-taker during the week, and a happy dog dad on Sundays, has undoubtedly had his good and bad investments.STORY: Akshat’s company partnered with a brand and focused on helping it grow. The brand grew 100x, which was good for the company. But, the brand started partnering with other people, which led to Akshat’s company losing its market share and revenue.LEARNING: Don’t get too invested in just one partner or brand. Keep your debt down as low as possible. “Never hesitate to speak about what’s on your mind.”Akshat Malik Guest profileAkshat Malik, a serial entrepreneur, a risk-taker during the week, and a happy dog dad on Sundays, has certainly had his shares of good and bad investments! He started his entrepreneurial tryst early on in the times when e-commerce and e-services were just seeping in, trying to get a foot-holding in India.Fast-forwarding to today, he has revolutionized and enhanced the health and wellness industry by reshaping the niche in the cosmeceutical, derma, and nutraceutical sectors. He is the founder and CEO of ClickOnCare Retail Private Ltd.Worst investment everAkshat’s company engaged a particular brand to help build their entire segment and grow within the nutraceutical market. This partnership helped the company immensely as the brand grew 100x.But then, the brand had its own intentions of partnering with other people in the segment. Akshat’s company had placed all its focus on this one brand, and due to the new partnerships, the company started losing its market share, and its revenues got hit.Lessons learnedDon’t get too invested in just one partner or brand.Know your limits and your boundaries.Andrew’s takeawaysKeep your debt down as low as possible.Don’t have all of your revenue concentrated in just one or a small number of clients. If something happens to them, you’re going to be in trouble.Don’t allow any of the resources you have to be used in a way that doesn’t generate revenue.Actionable adviceNever hesitate to speak up.No.1 goal for the next 12 monthsAkshat’s goal for the next 12 months is to add a line of products that will help add brand value to the organization. [spp-transcript] Connect with Akshat MalikLinkedInTwitterFacebookInstagramYouTubeWebsiteAndrew’s booksHow to Start Building Your Wealth Investing in the Stock MarketMy Worst Investment Ever9 Valuation Mistakes and How to Avoid ThemTransform Your Business with Dr.Deming’s 14 PointsAndrew’s online programsValuation Master ClassHow to Start Building Your Wealth Investing in the Stock MarketFinance Made Ridiculously SimpleBecome a Great Presenter and Increase Your InfluenceTransform Your Business with Dr. Deming’s 14 PointsConnect with Andrew Stotz:astotz.comLinkedInFacebookInstagramTwitterYouTubeMy Worst Investment Ever Podcast

BIO: Gary Belsky is co-author of Why Smart People Make Big Money Mistakes—And How To Correct Them: Lessons from the Life-Changing Science of Behavioral Economics and the former editor in chief of ESPN The Magazine and ESPN Insider.com.STORY: Gary waited for seven years to invest in the Berkshire Hathaway stock hoping the price per share would drop. He missed out on the compounding for the seven years and earned a 14% return instead of 18%.LEARNING: A stock isn’t cheap because it’s $5. A stock is cheap if the Price-to-Earnings ratio is low. “In the short run, people regret actions, but in the long run, they regret inactions.”Gary Belsky Guest profileGary Belsky is co-author of Why Smart People Make Big Money Mistakes—And How To Correct Them: Lessons from the Life-Changing Science of Behavioral Economics. The former editor in chief of ESPN The Magazine and ESPN Insider.com, Belsky is president of Elland Road Partners, a storytelling consulting firm based in New York City.Worst investment everGary was working for Money Magazine when he got assigned to write a story about Warren Buffett in 1992. As he researched the story, Gary got convinced that Buffett was an investing genius. This convinced him to invest in the Berkshire Hathaway stock. However, the stock was selling at $8,000 a share at the time. Gary decided to wait for the stock price to go down. He invested in the stock in 1999.Had Gary invested in the stock in 1992, he would have had an average annual return of about 18%. But since he waited until 2009, he only got a 14% average annual return. Over that period, the market was up by about 9%. So he still outperformed the market, but he also missed the compounding between 1992 and 2009.Lessons learnedA stock isn’t cheap because it’s $5. A stock is cheap if the Price-to-Earnings ratio is low.The way people lose money in the stock market is not nearly so much about making bad investments. It’s about trading too often.Long-term patience is the key to success in the stock market.Andrew’s takeawaysTake advantage of the compounding effect because even if you’re an average stock picker, you’ll still have a massive amount of return if you invest for the long term.When you learn something, write it down, internalize it and implement it. You’ll be amazed at what you’ll have achieved when you look back 10 years later.Bring people into your decision. Even if it’s just one other person, you’re almost assured the decision will become better.As a startup, produce a monthly financial statement of your P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow, and talk to your management team about it once a month.Actionable adviceAsk yourself who’s the person that is most likely to annoy you if you asked them what they think about something and then ask them.No.1 goal for the next 12 monthsBrent’s goal for the next 12 months is to finish a project he’s working on. [spp-transcript] Connect with Brent KochubaLinkedInTwitterWebsiteAndrew’s booksHow to Start Building Your Wealth Investing in the Stock MarketMy Worst Investment Ever9 Valuation Mistakes and How to Avoid ThemTransform Your Business with Dr.Deming’s 14 PointsAndrew’s online programsValuation Master ClassHow to Start Building Your Wealth Investing in the Stock MarketFinance Made Ridiculously SimpleBecome a Great Presenter and Increase Your InfluenceTransform Your Business with Dr. Deming’s 14 PointsConnect with Andrew Stotz:astotz.comLinkedInFacebookInstagramTwitterYouTubeMy Worst Investment Ever Podcast

BIO: Brent Kochuba is the Founder of SpotGamma, a financial insights company that applies its proprietary methodology toward modeling index and equity options and then provides unique content to its subscribers.STORY: Brent joined a former client as a trader in his fund. Five days after he started working at the fund, the market opened a limit down and halted trading. The fund lost so much money, and the only way out was to liquidate and shut down.LEARNING: Know whom you’re dealing with. Speak up and ask for clarification when things don’t make sense. “If you’re in a position that is going to make you a lot of money, the risk is likely to be high too.”Brent Kochuba Guest profileBrent Kochuba is the Founder of SpotGamma, a financial insights company, which applies its proprietary methodology toward modeling index and equity options and then provides unique content to its subscribers. SpotGamma has thousands of members and has been featured in publications such as The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg Markets.Worst investment everBrent had been in the institutional broker space for about 15 years when one of his clients—whom he knew reasonably well—decided to start his own fund. Brent chose to leave his then employer to work for this gentleman at this fund. This was in August of 2015. At the time, the gentleman ran a small account. He would short put options—insurance contracts that people often buy to protect themselves if the market declines.Brent was a trader, and the gentleman was the portfolio manager. Brent had been on the trading desk with the gentleman for five days, and on the third Friday of August, massive trades suddenly started to go off right at the close of trading. Two days later, the market opened a limit down and halted trading. The fund was losing money because the market was dropping. Frantically, they tried to hedge their portfolio but couldn’t and were forced to liquidate and shut down.Lessons learnedKnow whom you’re dealing with.Speak up and ask for clarification when things don’t make sense.The more money you stand to make from a position, the higher the risk.Andrew’s takeawaysBanks will always take away the umbrella just when it starts raining.Actionable adviceUnderstand what it is you’re involved in. Instead of looking for the shortcut, go with the tried and true ways of succeeding.No.1 goal for the next 12 monthsBrent’s company is part of a documentary coming out on MSNBC and Peacock. His goal for the next 12 months is to use this platform to educate people on the power of options and investing in the market. [spp-transcript] Connect with Brent KochubaLinkedInYouTubeWebsiteAndrew’s booksHow to Start Building Your Wealth Investing in the Stock MarketMy Worst Investment Ever9 Valuation Mistakes and How to Avoid ThemTransform Your Business with Dr.Deming’s 14 PointsAndrew’s online programsValuation Master ClassHow to Start Building Your Wealth Investing in the Stock MarketFinance Made Ridiculously SimpleBecome a Great Presenter and Increase Your InfluenceTransform Your Business with Dr. Deming’s 14 PointsConnect with Andrew Stotz:astotz.comLinkedInFacebookInstagramTwitterYouTubeMy Worst Investment Ever Podcast

BIO: Sourabh Goyal is the Founder of SuccessBrew (a growth marketing company) and The Goalchy Club community that is focused on the personal and professional growth of people.STORY: Sourabh studied engineering, not out of choice, but because it’s what was expected of him. He hated it and believes he should have invested the four years of college in a much better way of knowing himself.LEARNING: Make yourself a priority in your 20s and build yourself in the manner that makes you happy. “Experiment with life instead of going with the society-created life structure.”Sourabh Goyal Guest profileSourabh Goyal is the Founder of SuccessBrew (a growth marketing company) and The Goalchy Club community that is focused on the personal and professional growth of people. A LinkedIn influencer by accident and content creator with the intent of sharing his life experiences. Trained over 10k people across 7 countries on subjects like Goal Setting, Personal Branding, and Organic Social Media Strategies.Sourabh is also the Co-Author and Associate partner of the internationally bestselling and Golden Books of World Record holding The Growth Hacking Book #2.Worst investment everSourabh’s worst investment ever was studying engineering, not out of choice, but because it’s what society expected of him. Sourabh started college during the 2007/08 recession. When he finished college in 2011, there were no jobs.Sourabh believes he should have invested the four years of college in a much better way of knowing himself.Lessons learnedTake a pause, shut out all influence, think about what is best for you and jot down whatever comes to mind.If you go to college, go for your happiness, not to show people that you went to an Ivy League college.Make yourself a priority in your 20s. Build yourself, your joy, your learning, your career, and your growth, irrespective of what somebody else is doing.Andrew’s takeawaysThe foundation that we get from our parents is the foundation that we carry throughout our lives.Build a trusting family because that’s the ultimate strength to take you through life.Actionable adviceGrowth = mindset + skill set + tools.No.1 goal for the next 12 monthsSourabh’s goal for the next 12 months is to scale his community. He plans to hold many meetups and meet with at least 10,000 people across Dubai, the UK, the US, and Asia to bring them together and build a support system for each other. [spp-transcript] Connect with Sourabh GoyalLinkedInInstagramTwitterFacebookBookAndrew’s booksHow to Start Building Your Wealth Investing in the Stock MarketMy Worst Investment Ever9 Valuation Mistakes and How to Avoid ThemTransform Your Business with Dr.Deming’s 14 PointsAndrew’s online programsValuation Master ClassHow to Start Building Your Wealth Investing in the Stock MarketFinance Made Ridiculously SimpleBecome a Great Presenter and Increase Your InfluenceTransform Your Business with Dr. Deming’s 14 PointsConnect with Andrew Stotz:astotz.comLinkedInFacebookInstagramTwitterYouTubeMy Worst Investment Ever Podcast

BIO: Corina Burton is the co-founder and co-owner of CPR Construction Cleaning, CPR Productions, and host of the Unstoppable podcast.STORY: Corina returned to an old job and gave up a good salary even though her gut told her not to. The old employer could not pay her, causing her to hit a financial rock bottom.LEARNING: Listen to your intuition. “Business is not linear. Learn to pair your analytical and spiritual self.”Corina Burton Guest profileCorina Burton is the co-founder and co-owner of CPR Construction Cleaning, CPR Productions, and host of the Unstoppable podcast.She is a mother of 4, serial entrepreneur, brand builder, marketing expert, and industry/generational disrupter. She has over 15 years of industry expertise in business-to-business authentic marketing, sales and brand building.Corina is an industry leader driven by her passion and skills in negotiating contracts, multi-seven-figure sales, business development, customer relationship management, event management, and brand recognition creator.As a mindset coach and marketing expert, Corina lives her life believing and knowing she is truly Unstoppable.Worst investment everCorina had been a stay-at-home mom for years. When she suddenly became a single parent, she decided to look for a job. Corina got employed in the construction industry, and she thrived. But soon, she felt like she had hit a glass ceiling. Corina decided to try something new when a recruiter in a different industry headhunted her and offered her a fantastic salary.After a while, Corina’s old employer approached her and asked her to go back. Even though her gut told her to say no, she returned to her old job. The company started struggling in just a few months and couldn’t pay her. In about eight months, Corina had run out of her savings.She was conflicted about what to do. If she walked away, she would lose everything and would never be able to recoup what her employer owed her. She would lose out on the time she spent and start over with another job. Eventually, after a year and a half, she decided to quit.Lessons learnedListen to your intuition.Andrew’s takeawaysHave intuition awareness.Don’t be asset-rich and cash poor. If you don’t have the cash you need when you need it, you’re facing a liquidity crunch.Beware of the physical warning signs.When you invest in a business, make sure you have monthly complete financial statements (a balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow statement). Close the books every single month.Actionable adviceNot everything analytically correct on paper is going to work. So pair logical and analytical. Write it down and make sure it makes sense.No.1 goal for the next 12 monthsCorina’s goal for the next 12 months is to have a stronger outreach. She’s focusing on the Unstoppable brand so that she can reach more people.Parting words “Your circumstances don’t define you; your choices do 100%.”Corina Burton [spp-transcript] Connect with Corina BurtonLinkedInInstagramYouTubeWebsiteBlogPodcastAndrew’s booksHow to Start Building Your Wealth Investing in the Stock MarketMy Worst Investment Ever9 Valuation Mistakes and How to Avoid ThemTransform Your Business with Dr.Deming’s 14 PointsAndrew’s online programsValuation Master ClassHow to Start Building Your Wealth Investing in the Stock MarketFinance Made Ridiculously SimpleBecome a Great Presenter and Increase Your InfluenceTransform Your Business with Dr. Deming’s 14 PointsConnect with Andrew Stotz:astotz.comLinkedInFacebookInstagramTwitterYouTubeMy Worst Investment Ever Podcast

BIO: MJ DeMarco is the international best-selling author of The Millionaire Fastlane, Unscripted, and the Great Rat Race Escape. He’s also the founder of Viperion Publishing and the Fastlane Business Forum.STORY: MJ sold his business in 2000 for $1.2 million. Of this, $700,000 was held in an earnout. Because of the recession, the buyer paid MJ $500,000. He put the money in tech stocks, but they imploded in just a few months. MJ lost everything he had invested.LEARNING: Never accept an earnout. “Don’t let the stock market control your wealth.”MJ DeMarco Guest profileMJ DeMarco is the international best-selling author of The Millionaire Fastlane, Unscripted, and the Great Rat Race Escape. His books have been translated in over 25 languages worldwide and he’s the founder of Viperion Publishing, and the Fastlane Business Forum, a global business and entrepreneurial community with over 70,000 users and nearly 1,000,000 contributions.Worst investment everIn 2000 MJ decided to sell his business for $1.2 million. $700,000 of this amount was held in an earnout. This was at a period when the tech stocks were booming. A few months later, there was a recession, and MJ got $500,000 of the $700,000 owed.MJ put the entire $500,000 in tech stocks, and a few months later, the stocks imploded. He lost most of the money, and because he had not paid tax on this money, he owed almost as much as was left. MJ had to liquidate, and he had virtually nothing left of the $500,000.Lessons learnedDon’t tie all your wealth to the stock markets.Don’t accept an earnout when selling your business.Andrew’s takeawaysAlternatives to an earnout you should consider:Build a business with robust systems.Take a lower priceBe an advisor and get paid for it.When building your business, always ask yourself if you’re overexposed to the market.No.1 goal for the next 12 monthsMJ’s goal for the next 12 months is to write another book related to goal setting and productivity.Parting words “You only live once, so go after your dream, whatever it is, and do not live in fear.”MJ DeMarco [spp-transcript] Connect with MJ DeMarcoLinkedInTwitterFacebookInstagramYouTubeWebsiteBooksAndrew’s booksHow to Start Building Your Wealth Investing in the Stock MarketMy Worst Investment Ever9 Valuation Mistakes and How to Avoid ThemTransform Your Business with Dr.Deming’s 14 PointsAndrew’s online programsValuation Master ClassHow to Start Building Your Wealth Investing in the Stock MarketFinance Made Ridiculously SimpleBecome a Great Presenter and Increase Your InfluenceTransform Your Business with Dr. Deming’s 14 PointsConnect with Andrew Stotz:astotz.comLinkedInFacebookInstagramTwitterYouTubeMy Worst Investment Ever Podcast

BIO: Shane Senior is a British actor who started his acting career as a motivational public speaker. After losing a large sum of money in the cryptocurrency market, he changed his career into acting.STORY: Shane invested in cryptocurrency in 2017, and the investment was growing. He got greedy, took out the money from the currencies, and invested £500,000 in ICOs. Within as little as 18 months, he had zero money left.LEARNING: Don’t just jump on the bandwagon; do your due diligence. When you fail, learn lessons from your mistakes and move on. “Do your due diligence and stick with what you know works, not what possibly will work.”Shane Senior Guest profileShane Senior is a British actor who started his acting career as a motivational public speaker, who by chance happened to fall in love with the art of character building. He has experience on set of a vast range of productions and he specializes in action acting, who is stage combat trained and an ex-serviceman with martial arts experience. Shane is also an author and motivational speaker who changed his career into acting after losing a large sum of money in the cryptocurrency market. Life changed for the better!Worst investment everShane started a law enforcement business, working on behalf of the magistrate’s court in the UK, conducting enforcement warrants. Surprisingly, the company turned out to be very successful, and Shane earned around half a million British pounds.This success made Shane get interested in investing. He started looking at various investment opportunities, including property. Shane even looked at buying multiple businesses and acquisitions. At one point, he got close to buying a taxi rank. However, he skipped those opportunities and joined the 2017/18 cryptocurrency bubble. Shane invested in Bitcoin and Ethereum—the two most prominent cryptocurrencies.The currencies were doing well. Unfortunately, Shane got greedy, and instead of waiting a little longer, he took his proceeds and invested about £500,000 in ICOs (initial coin offerings). He split the money into about 20 different companies. And within as little as 18 months, Shane had zero money left. Had Shane kept his money in Bitcoin and Ethereum for just two years, he’d now be sitting on 5-10 million pounds.Lessons learnedAlways do your checks on every part of that investment you’re involved with.It doesn’t matter if an investment fails. Don’t let it stop you from future ventures—simply learn the lessons from these mistakes.Andrew’s takeawaysDon’t just jump on the bandwagon because of the excitement; do your research first.ICOs, unlike IPOs, are tricky because they’re all about raising capital before the business idea has been put into action.Actionable adviceDo your due diligence and stick with what you know works, not what possibly will work.No.1 goal for the next 12 monthsShane’s goal for the next 12 months is to get the funding for a film he’s just pitched to Netflix and make that film a reality.Parting words “For every outcome, there is a positive to it.”Shane Senior [spp-transcript] Connect with Shane SeniorLinkedInTwitterFacebookInstagramBooksAndrew’s booksHow to Start Building Your Wealth Investing in the Stock MarketMy Worst Investment Ever9 Valuation Mistakes and How to Avoid ThemTransform Your Business with Dr.Deming’s 14 PointsAndrew’s online programsValuation Master ClassHow to Start Building Your Wealth Investing in the Stock MarketFinance Made Ridiculously SimpleBecome a Great Presenter and Increase Your InfluenceTransform Your Business with Dr. Deming’s 14 PointsConnect with Andrew Stotz:astotz.comLinkedInFacebookInstagramTwitterYouTubeMy Worst Investment Ever Podcast

BIO: Gisela Hausmann is one of a dying breed of adventurers – she digs in and researches topics of interest from the ground up, then tells things as she sees them.STORY: Gisela published a book about her time working at Amazon. In the book, she suggested what Amazon should do to improve working conditions. Amazon implemented these suggestions.LEARNING: Know who your friend is and who is not. Look at criticism as an opportunity. “If you just get going and try to do your thing, you’re probably gonna get it.”Gisela Hausmann Guest profileGisela Hausmann graduated with a master’s degree in film & mass media from the University of Vienna, the oldest university in the German-speaking world.She is one of a dying breed of adventurers – she digs in and researches topics of interest from the ground up, then tells things as she sees them.An author of two dozen books, her work has been featured in regional, national, and international publications, including GeekWire, Inc, Success (print magazine), Entrepreneur, and Bloomberg’s podcast ‘Decrypted.’ She is also the winner of the 2016 Sparky Award “Best Subject Line.”Born to be an adventurer, she hiked in the Himalayas and the Gobi Desert, crossed Russia on the Trans-Siberian Railway twice, and meditated in the Dalai Lama’s private room at the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet.Her motto is: “Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.” – Napoleon HillWorst investment everGisela has written very many books throughout her career as an author. Her books have won various recognitions, including Kindle book review awards, and have been featured on Success Magazine and Bloomberg podcast.At some point in Gisela’s career, many of the cheaters came in and made her life miserable on Amazon. So she decided to have a downtime phase and went to work in Amazon’s logistics department.While working at Amazon, Gisela found out that all the many principles that the company preaches did not happen there. She even wanted to quit at some point because she was miserable there. Then came COVID, and Gisela was now stuck where she didn’t want to be.Gisela then came up with a great idea to write a book about her experience at Amazon and published the book. She thought the journalists who constantly investigated everything about Amazon would be thrilled to finally hear from a logistics professional about what needed to be done. But they were not interested in her book.When Gisela submitted her book on Amazon, it took 104 hours for it to be put online. In most cases, it takes a maximum of 72 hours for a book to be approved. Gisela would soon learn why her book took so long to be published on Amazon. Amazon’s legal department forked over this book in every little detail. Then they literally went ahead and took many of the changes Gisela suggested in her book and implemented them. Amazon is now doing what Gisela wrote.Lessons learnedThink through in a creative way who is your friend and who is not worth anything.Andrew’s takeawaysLook at criticism as an opportunity.Actionable adviceIf you’re an author and want to contact reviewers, read one of Gisela’s audiobooks. If you run a business and sell on Amazon, read Gisela’s book Naked Truth About Getting Book Reviews, and you’ll find seven tips to boost sales. Another great book everyone should read is Naked Determination, 41 Stories About Overcoming Fear.No.1 goal for the next 12 monthsGisela Hausmann’s goal for the next 12 months is to refocus and do more for the environment. She wants to write a serial fable in the style of Animal Farm, a standard book that can be read by everybody.Parting words “Do it. You don’t know if the opportunities are gonna be there tomorrow. So focus on it; it can be done.”Gisela Hausmann [spp-transcript] Connect with Gisela HausmannLinkedInTwitterBooksAndrew’s booksHow to Start Building Your Wealth Investing in the Stock MarketMy Worst Investment Ever9 Valuation Mistakes and How to Avoid ThemTransform Your Business with Dr.Deming’s 14 PointsAndrew’s online programsValuation Master ClassHow to Start Building Your Wealth Investing in the Stock MarketFinance Made Ridiculously SimpleBecome a Great Presenter and Increase Your InfluenceTransform Your Business with Dr. Deming’s 14 PointsConnect with Andrew Stotz:astotz.comLinkedInFacebookInstagramTwitterYouTubeMy Worst Investment Ever Podcast