My Worst Investment Ever Podcast

BIO: As founder and CEO at Stack, Smriti Tomar strives to make investing accessible and affordable for India's 440 million millennials to help them save for their life goals.STORY: Smriti took feedback from investors and used it to change her product. Customers hated the new version. After listening to her customers, she had to put in more time and money to build the product the customers—not investors—wanted.LEARNING: Invest in your customers, not investors. Be very prudent about where you invest your time in. You need a narrow focus to be successful, particularly with a startup. "Time is the only capital that no investor or VC can give you, so invest it wisely."Smriti Tomar Guest profileAs founder and CEO at Stack, Smriti Tomar strives to make investing accessible and affordable for India's 440 million millennials to help them save for their life goals.Stack is the Vanguard for India. Through its automated savings, investments, and financial planning, Stack helps millennials stop wasting money and start making better financial decisions.She is devoted to and excels in three areas—each area strengthening the others: marketing and product management; creating a venture that creates awareness, accessibility, and personalization around financial services; and women’s business success.Worst investment everWhen Smriti started her company, she soon realized that she would need capital to build many things, hire more people, expand, and ultimately create something that people could use. So she started approaching all kinds of investors, angels, and venture capitalists. Every new investor that Smriti would meet would say they love the product and give her some feedback.Smriti started making changes based on feedback from potential investors. Eventually, the product started deviating from what it was supposed to be. It took Smriti about two to three months to complete the first round of funding and get the capital. She then started working on the product. Once it was complete, she tested with her friends, family, and network. They tried out the product, and they liked the idea, but many people could not use many of its features because they seemed complicated.Smriti spent a lot of time talking to her customers to discover their pain points. She got such simple complaints that she could quickly solve them through the most specific features. Smriti had to start from scratch, causing her to spend a lot of time and put in a lot of money again to build the product customers wanted.Lessons learnedBe very prudent about where you invest your time in.Invest not into the investors but in your customers because these are the people whose lives you're supposed to add value to.Don’t give in to the urge to please others.Don’t give in to the fear of missing out. You're supposed to make mistakes, learn from them, and then move on.Trusting your instincts is much more important than following what others are saying.Andrew's takeawaysIt's so easy to create complexity and so hard to create simplicity.You need a narrow focus to be successful, particularly with a startup.Nail your unique selling point down to that one thing that people would repeat to others.Actionable adviceListen to your customers and interact as much as you can with them. They have all the answers you probably are looking for. Also, be prudent in terms of what feedback and advice you act upon because not every piece of advice is supposed to be taken up and acted upon.No. 1 goal for the next 12 monthsSmriti’s goal for the next 12 months is to get more people to invest.Parting words “Let’s aim to make better mistakes in the future and learn as quickly as we can.”Smriti Tomar [spp-transcript] Connect with Smriti TomarLinkedInFacebookTwitterInstagramYouTubeAndrew’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: Michelle Seiler Tucker is the Founder and CEO of Seiler Tucker Incorporated. She owns many businesses in several different industries. As a 20-year veteran in the M&A industry, she is regarded as the leading authority on buying, selling, fixing, and growing businesses.STORY: Michelle met a business leader at a conference, and he convinced her and others to invest in a tech company in South Africa. The excitement of investing outside of the US got the best of her. She invested over a quarter of a million dollars and even convinced her husband to invest a similar amount. The business leader got into a massive fight with the company’s CEO, and needless to say, the investors never made anything out of it nor got their money back.LEARNING: Always make decisions based on logic, not emotion. Separate the research that you do on risk and return. Have trusted advisors. “Get a mentor that has been down the road you want to travel, early on. This will shorten your learning curve and path to success dramatically.”Michelle Seiler Tucker Guest profileMichelle Seiler Tucker is the Founder and CEO of Seiler Tucker Incorporated. She owns many businesses in several different industries. As a 20-year veteran in the M&A industry, she is regarded as the leading authority on buying, selling, fixing, and growing businesses. She and her firm have sold over a thousand businesses in almost every vertical and have a remarkable track record of success.She is the Best-Selling Author of the book “Sell Your Business for more than It’s Worth” and has a new book called “Exit Rich®,” a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller!In addition to being featured in INC, Forbes, Entrepreneur Magazine, and USA Magazine, Michelle is an international keynote speaker and makes regular radio and TV appearances on Fox Business News and CNBC.She has spoken alongside many prominent speakers: Eric Trump, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kathy Ireland, Donna Karen, Stedman Graham, Randi Zuckerberg, Steve Wozniak, and more.She holds the Mergers & Acquisitions Master Intermediary (M&AMI) title, as well as Certified Mergers and Acquisitions Professional (CM&AP) and Certified Senior Business Analyst (CSBA).Worst investment everMichelle met a business leader during a conference who talked her and several other attendees into investing in a technology company in South Africa. Michelle was excited she’d wanted to do something unique outside of the United States.Michelle invested over a quarter of a million and convinced her husband to invest a similar amount. The investment was just a disaster. The business leader ended up getting into a big fight with the company’s CEO, and he went his separate way. Michelle and other investors fought for years to make something work or get their money back. It’s been about seven years now, and they still don’t have their money back.Lessons learnedWhen somebody is trying to raise capital from you, make sure that they’re doing it the right way. Make sure they’re following all the rules with the SEC.If you’re going to invest in a company outside of the United States, do your due diligence and have some alliances in that country.Have trusted advisors.Make sure that you don’t get caught up in the excitement of an investment. Weigh the pros and the cons. Write down all the things that could go right and all that could go wrong.Never make decisions on emotion; always make decisions based on logic.Andrew’s takeawaysWhenever you’re investing your money, especially in startups or small businesses, know that there’s so much risk in it. Try not to bring additional risk on, like going to a foreign country if you can.Step back from your emotions and do your due diligence.Separate the research that you do on risk and return. Write down all the exciting things about the upside on a piece of paper. Then a couple of days later, take that same paper out and write about what could go wrong.Actionable adviceDue diligence, due diligence, and more due diligence.No. 1 goal for the next 12 monthsMichelle’s goal for the next 12 months is to keep helping business owners to save their businesses and put them on the road to riches. She wants to help them to retire rich.Parting words “It’s hard to read the label from the inside of the bottle. You need an outsider’s perspective to read the warning signs and keep you out of the danger zone.”Michelle Seiler Tucker [spp-transcript] Connect with Michelle Seiler TuckerLinkedInFacebookTwitterInstagramYouTubePodcastBookWebsiteAndrew’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: Harry Spaight is a Keynote Speaker, Coach, and Author of Selling with Dignity-Your Formula for Life-Changing Sales Results. STORY: Harry invested in mobile homes in Georgia without researching. He trusted a young man he knew through the father. In just three months, the houses were run down, and the tenants refused to pay rent. Harry lost over $100,000 that he’d made from selling his home.LEARNING: Get a financial advisor that you trust and consult before making an investment decision. Collaborate with the right people. Do your research. “Stick with what you’re doing and get better at it.”Harry Spaight Guest profileHarry Spaight is a Keynote Speaker, Coach, and Author of Selling with Dignity-Your Formula for Life-Changing Sales Results.After spending several years in mission work, Harry has been succeeding in Sales as an Award-Winning Multi-million Dollar Sales Producer and Sales Leader for over two decades.Selling successfully can be achieved with timeless principles. Putting others over self, being a good listener, and doing the right thing all go a long way towards growing a successful business.Worst investment everIn the early 2000s, Harry met this young guy who was a real go-getter. He played golf with his dad, and the three built a great relationship. The young guy moved to South Carolina and got into real estate.The young man called Harry and told him about this opportunity he had investing in mobile homes. He said to him that all he had to do was make a low investment, allow him to use his credit, and the young man would take care of everything. Harry would then receive rent at the end of the month.Harry had just sold a house and made some money from it. He used this money to invest in six properties in a small town in Georgia. Soon enough, he started making passive income from the properties. He was making about $1,000 a month. Everything was working out great.About three months in, everything started going wrong. People stopped paying rent, and the property management left. Now Harry had to fly from Virginia to Georgia to collect his rent. He was shocked by what he saw. The properties were a slum. When he spoke to the tenants, they all refused to pay rent because the houses had so many issues.Now the $1,000 rent he was receiving turned into Harry paying somewhere around $4,000 a month in mortgages. The money he had made from the house sale started to dwindle. Harry went back to the young man and asked for his money back. The young man suggested that he give him three better houses, which would make him more money. Foolishly, Harry accepted the offer. His bills went up to $6,000 a month. The $100,000 he had made from the house sale was gone within a few months.Lessons learnedGet a financial advisor you trust, and bounce your ideas off of them before putting your money down.Andrew’s takeawaysYou cannot build a sustainable business without relying on others. So spend time thinking about who you’re committing to do something with because chances are, you’re going to be with them a lot longer than you think.Take time to think through every investment and do thorough research before signing off on it.Actionable adviceHave a team of smart people around you.No. 1 goal for the next 12 monthsFor the next 12 months, Harry’s goal is to get his book Selling with Dignity-Your Formula for Life-Changing Sales Results into the hands of 1000s of people. He believes that he can help people have life-changing results in the way they position and sell themselves.Parting words “Be patient even when you’re going through tough times. You’ll get through it.”Harry Spaight [spp-transcript] Connect with Harry SpaightLinkedInFacebookBookAndrew’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: Satima Meanlamai, nicknamed Tao, is the founder of the Vietnam Value Investor group, Thailand.STORY: When Satima started investing in the stock market, she’d only invest in companies she liked and hardly took time to study other stocks or learn more about the companies she invested in. Though lucky initially, this investment strategy didn’t work out for Satima in the long run, and she lost almost all her savings.LEARNING: Invest in yourself and never stop learning. Move beyond home country bias and invest in global stocks. “Hang around people who motivate you to learn.”Satima Meanlamai Guest profileSatima Meanlamai, nicknamed Tao, is the founder of the Vietnam Value Investor group, Thailand. She works full-time as an architect but believes long-term stock investing in Vietnam would grow her savings with less effort.Her motto is, “When in doubt, just keep investing and learning.”Worst investment everWhen Satima started investing, she didn’t know much about the financial industry, P/E ratio, dividends, etc. She would invest in the companies she likes. She barely looked at the details of the companies. Satima got lucky, and the stocks grew, and she made a bit of return.Satima then decided to get more aggressive and put all her savings into the stock market. Again, she barely looked at the details of the companies she invested in. Five years later, economies slowed down, and her stocks started drying up.Lessons learnedInvest in yourself and never stop learning.Andrew’s takeawaysMove beyond home country bias and invest in global stocks.Don’t get stuck on beginner’s luck and think that investing is easy.Keep investing and learning.Actionable adviceMingle with people who love learning, who are inspiring and motivational, and it will rub off on you. Remember, you are the average of five people you spend time with.No. 1 goal for the next 12 monthsSatima’s goal for the next 12 months is to travel to Vietnam and learn Vietnamese.Parting words “Keep investing and learning.”Satima Meanlamai [spp-transcript] Connect with Satima MeanlamaiFacebookYouTubeAndrew’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: Jack McColl, the founder of Credit Stacking, has the knowledge and in-depth understanding of the credit stacking strategy. He has mentored thousands of entrepreneurs and been a part of growing multiple 7-figure businesses.STORY: Jack lived in Bali for three months when he was 26. He saw an opportunity to create an Airbnb business there, got a few houses, and hired locals to help manage day-to-day business activities. He paid rent and wages in cash, but problems from the landlords and his staff were all he got. Jack barely made any returns from the venture.LEARNING: Do a lot of market research before you venture into any business. Finance your deals with 0% interest business credit. “The more you can borrow, the more you can make, and the higher chance of success you’re going to see in any business venture.”Jack McColl Guest profileJack McColl, the founder of Credit Stacking, has been featured on MarketWatch, Disrupt Magazine, Yahoo Finance, and many other publications and podcasts for his knowledge and in-depth understanding of the credit stacking strategy. Jack has mentored thousands of entrepreneurs and been a part of growing multiple 7-figure businesses. He has accessed multiple six figures in credit lines. He’s funded multiple business startups with this money, and he’s shown thousands of other entrepreneurs how to do the same thing. You can trust that the Credit Stacking education and mentorship are in a class of their own, taught by industry experts.Check out Jack’s case study that shows the exact steps he used to get approved for a half-million dollars.Worst investment everWhen Jack was 26, he moved to Bali, Indonesia, and lived there for three months. During that period, he saw an opportunity to create an Airbnb arbitrage business with his brother. They hired locals to help them with the day-to-day management of the venture.The brothers financed the business venture with their cash and paid all payments, including paying the workers, using that cash. Unfortunately, these people didn’t deliver on what they were supposed to. The business was suffering from poor reviews and ratings on AirBnB, and the brothers were having issues with landlords who refused to rectify the problems with the houses, yet they had already paid rent in full.It turns out, running a business abroad from home is not a walk in the park. Jack regretted not doing more research before embarking on this venture.Lessons learnedDo a lot of market research before you venture into any business.Vet and hire high-quality talent to help manage the business.Finance your deals with 0% interest business credit. It’s safer because you can charge it back if the service providers don’t deliver. It also gives you more time because you’re not paying interest.Andrew’s takeawaysSetting up a business in a foreign land is hard, so don’t be overconfident and overlook the challenges.Anytime you can protect your purchase. Do it.Actionable adviceHave as much access to capital as you can because the more access you have, the stronger you will be in any business negotiation or business venture. You don’t even have to have money. You just need to have access to cash.No. 1 goal for the next 12 monthsJack went from zero to getting approved for half a million dollars in credit. And so, over the next 12 months, his goal is to get approved for another half a million dollars because he wants a total of a million dollars of approved credit.Parting words “Build your credit.”Jack McColl [spp-transcript] Connect with Jack McCollLinkedInFacebookInstagramYouTubePodcastWebsiteAndrew’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: Donald Cohen is the founder of doncohenconsulting.com. He is collaboratively empowering LinkedIn proficiency and performance.STORY: Donald opened a successful store in Detroit and sold it after four years. He and his girlfriend got married and moved to Denver, where he decided to open a similar store. He didn’t realize that the two markets were different, and he couldn’t replicate his Detroit success in Denver.LEARNING: Failure isn’t final. You don’t lose until you quit. Have a plan and write it down. “Little things done right compounded over time are huge.”Donald Cohen Guest profileDonald Cohen is the founder of doncohenconsulting.com. He is collaboratively empowering LinkedIn proficiency and performance. He is the founder/CEO of Tool King. He was a two-time internet retailer of the year, a two-time top 50 website of the year by an internet retailer, a three-time INC 500 CEO. He was also the top Amazon and Walmart Marketplace partner, generating $200,000,000 in sales, beginning with $4 on e-Bay.Worst investment everDonald opened up a little tool store in Detroit. He made $50 a week for the first year. By the second year, he had bought the building, the restaurant next door, and lived in an incredible high rise with a new car. After four years of being pretty successful, He sold the business and the building. Donald and his girlfriend of seven years decided to get married and move to Denver.In Denver, Donald decided to open a store similar to his in Detroit. On the day he opened the store, nobody showed up. This was the trend for two weeks. In the third week, a competitor opened a bigger store making things more complicated for Donald.Eventually, Donald decided to close down for a few weeks to regroup and develop a better strategy. After a while, he decided to go wholesale instead of retail, and he was able to make the business a success in a few weeks.Lessons learnedFailure isn’t final. You don’t lose until you quit.You need perseverance to deal with and move on from poor business decisions.Anybody can run a successful business. Be disciplined, pace yourself, and have fun while at it.Have an informal board of directors for your business.Actionable adviceHave a plan and write it down. Anything you put in writing becomes powerful. Also, always take action, don’t just sit around.No. 1 goal for the next 12 monthsDonald’s goal for the next 12 months is to continue accelerating the path he’s on.Parting words “Reach for the stars and reach out to me if I can help in any way.”Donald Cohen [spp-transcript] Connect with Donald CohenLinkedInTwitterFacebookWebsiteAndrew’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: Collin Mitchell is a 4x Founder, Father of 4, and host of Sales Transformation.STORY: Collin’s first business was a huge success, bringing in annual revenues of $5 million in just 26 months. He decided to diversify the business and got into print services, something he had zero experience in. He hired a consultant to help him do the job and paid him tens of thousands of dollars. Unfortunately, he never saw any ROI; instead, he accrued so much debt he had to pull the plug on the new service.LEARNING: Know the industry first before delving into it. Understand your core competency before diversifying. “Just because you think your idea is the best idea ever doesn’t mean it is. Validate it first.”Collin Mitchell Guest profileCollin Mitchell is a 4x Founder, Father of 4, and host of Sales Transformation.Worst investment everThe first business that Collin and his wife built got to $5 million annual revenue in 26 months. This was fueled by sales and $0 spent on marketing. Now you’d imagine that they’d continue doing what they were doing since it was working. Nope! Collin was trying to develop all these ideas of diversifying the business and getting some recurring revenue.Since the business was selling IT products, it made a lot of sense to get into IT services. Collin found these different companies to partner with and be their sales engine. The business kind of fell on his face. He spent some money trying to figure it out and didn’t have a lot to show for it. Then Collin tried another service selling backup recovery and cloud backup. He had a little bit of success there.Collin later decided to venture into managing print services. You ship the consumables such as toner cartridges to the customers and have technicians that service the machines. Collin did a bit of research and found there was interest in this kind of service, but he didn’t have the experience to do it on his own. So he started looking around and found a consultant. He seemed like he knew this space and had some clients that were similar to Collin. Collin paid the consultant tens of thousands of dollars to get him to build this offering for these clients. He didn’t receive much value from the consultant. He went on a spending spree on marketing, purchasing fancy tools that the consultant recommended, redoing his website, and more to become an expert in something that he didn’t know a lot about.Eventually, Collin closed that program down after building up some debt and didn’t have much to show for it. The money didn’t hurt as much as the failure to deliver and all the time and energy that could have been spent doing something else.Lessons learnedThere are no shortcuts in business.Please don’t rush into a new industry quickly without educating yourself about it.Before you launch a product or service, first understand the needs of the clients, your capabilities, and the staff, knowledge, and experience that’s needed.Andrew’s takeawaysMany things appear more straightforward in business than they are, causing you to jump in without enough research.Know your core competency.Actionable adviceDo your research and market validation before you take action on your idea. Just because you think your idea is the best doesn’t mean it is.No. 1 goal for the next 12 monthsCollin’s goal for the next 12 months is to change the way people sell through relationship building. He’s on a mission to launch 100+ podcasts. [spp-transcript] Connect with Collin MitchellLinkedInPodcastAndrew’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: Catherine Morgan is a multi-award-winning qualified financial planner and award-winning financial coach on a mission to reduce financial anxiety and increase financial empowerment and resilience for 1 million women worldwide.STORY: Catherine and her husband bought a residential property at the markets’ peak. They sold that property for the same amount they purchased it seven years later.LEARNING: Separate your sense of self from your money. Just take the next step, no matter how small. “The more work we do on ourselves, the better financial decisions we will make.”Catherine Morgan Guest profileCatherine Morgan is a multi-award-winning qualified financial planner and award-winning financial coach on a mission to reduce financial anxiety and increase financial empowerment & resilience for 1 million women around the world. She was featured as one of the top 32 female entrepreneurs to look out for in Business Insider. Top 1% global podcast host of the show In Her Financial Shoes.Worst investment everCatherine and her husband bought a residential property at the markets’ peak. Now bearing in mind, she was a financial advisor, and her husband was a mortgage advisor. Seven years later, they sold that property for the same amount they bought it.Catherine and her husband held on to so much self-judgment as financial professionals. They should have seen this coming. They should have known the markets were going to crash. Catherine held on to so much of that guilt for so long, which was the worst investment decision of her life. It was even worse than buying the property.Lessons learnedSeparate your sense of self from money because the two are not intrinsically linked.Action steps don’t necessarily have to be big, gigantic, massive action steps. It’s the compound effect of making small decisions that build that momentum.Andrew’s takeawaysJust take the next step, no matter how small.Actionable adviceGo inwards and reflect on your relationship with money. Think about where that came from, who does it belong to? How does it serve you? How does it sabotage you? Then, once you’ve taken that awareness and curiosity step, start practicing how to forgive yourself and others.No. 1 goal for the next 12 monthsFor the next 12 months, Catherine intends to go from serving a million to a billion women. She plans to do this by forging stronger relationships, collaborations, connecting with wonderful people like Andrew, and supporting one another.Parting words “Be curious about yourself and the possibilities that exist to turn those lessons into opportunities for the future.”Catherine Morgan [spp-transcript] Connect with Catherine MorganLinkedInFacebookTwitterPodcastWebsiteAndrew’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 PodcastFurther reading mentionedJulia Cameron (October 2016), The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity

BIO: John is on a mission to unlock growth in people, businesses, and communities to help them go from where they currently are to where they want to be.STORY: John believed in what people said about him. This caused him to lose his greatest strengths—energy, youthful exuberance, and creativity.LEARNING: Explore who you truly are and then build on that. Age should not stop you from dreaming big. “Whether we want to believe it or not, we are needed. No matter what you are, you’re someone’s idol, whether you know it or not.”John Osberg Guest profileJohn Osberg’s life mantra is “Serve to Soar.”John is on a mission to unlock growth in people, businesses, and communities to help them go from where they currently are to where they want to be.You will find his posts on LinkedIn about mental models, transformative growth insights, impactful content sources aimed at personal/professional development, and he showcases acts of egalitarian community building. Listen to him on his POWER of OZmosis podcast.Worst investment everJohn’s worst investment ever was investing in what others thought of him. He let these opinions take over his inner voice and form his identity. He believed people when they told him that he was too young to know enough.John let such things dim his energy, youthful exuberance, and creativity. Yet, these are some of his greatest strengths. It took him about nine years and a lot of soul searching to finally realize that other people’s voices should not have a place in his mind.Lessons learnedIf you’re good enough, you’re old enough. Age should not stop you from dreaming big.The time is here and now. If you take your shot and miss, well, at least you took the shot, and you’ll learn from making that mistake.Andrew’s takeawaysLearn how to form your own ideas and formulate opinions without opposing everybody.Explore who you truly are and then build on that.Actionable adviceIf you’re struggling to find your true identity, call your inner circle and ask them what they think of you as a person and a professional. Write those descriptive words down and then look at them later. Ask yourself which of these descriptive words align with you, and then start to ingrain that in your brain. With time, they become your norm.No. 1 goal for the next 12 monthsJohn’s number one goal for the next 12 months is to have a robust library of digital courses that are all about unlocking one’s growth on various levels.Parting words “Keep serving to keep soaring.”John Osberg [spp-transcript] Connect with John OsbergLinkedInTwitterPodcastWebsiteAndrew’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: Manuj Aggarwal is an engineer, inventor, author, and entrepreneur.STORY: Manuj was convinced by a dentist to get into forex trading, an area he had no idea how it worked. He traded $75,000 and lost it in under an hour.LEARNING: Learn how to control your risk. There are no short shots. “Before you go into the market, learn about volatility, probability, and money management.”Manuj Aggarwal Guest profileManuj Aggarwal is an engineer, inventor, author, and entrepreneur.He is currently working on a groundbreaking AI-based technology that builds meaningful relationships and establishes thought leaders at scale on auto-pilot. He uses behavioral science and AI to help companies solve complex problems, gain traction, and increase revenue.He is also the CIO/Founder of Tetranoodle Technologies, which is a boutique big data consulting company that provides strategic insights and develops problem-solving digital solutions for businesses of all sizes.His popular entrepreneurial podcast Bootstrapping Your Dreams got ranked as Top 100 next to Tony Robbins, Gary Vee, and Tim Ferriss.Worst investment everWhen the 2008 financial crisis hit, Manuj lost 50% of his investment portfolio. He had relied on a financial advisor to build the portfolio, which hadn’t brought any significant returns in the 10 years he’d held it. After the loss, Manuj decided to learn how to manage his money and invest independently.As Manuj learned about investing in the stock market, he met a dentist who told him that he also wanted to learn about it, but it was too dull. The dentist said he knew someone experienced in forex trading and would trade for them.Even though Manuj didn’t know much about forex trading, he was curious about the high returns. He put in a few dollars, and the first trade went well. He decided to trade again, and he put in $75,000. The transaction didn’t go well, and he lost all the money in under an hour.Lessons learnedLearn how to control your risk.There are no short shots.Andrew’s takeawaysNo financial advisor works for free. Know how yours is compensated for helping you.Always follow an investment framework.Actionable adviceIf you want to manage money and trade the markets, you must have a system. Your system needs to be personalized based on your preference.No. 1 goal for the next 12 monthsManuj’s number one goal for the next 12 months is to share the AI he’s developing with as many Fortune 500 companies as well as individual entrepreneurs or startup founders.Parting words “Learn about the market before you get into it. It can be rewarding, but it will be very merciless if you don’t do your research.”Manuj Aggarwal [spp-transcript] Connect with Manuj AggarwalLinkedInFacebookYouTubePodcastWebsiteAndrew’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