My Worst Investment Ever Podcast

BIO: Rashmi Shetty is a Voice and Attitudinal Coach and a Professional Certified Coach from ICF. She brings decades of work experience in various sectors such as academia, hospitality, storytelling, consulting, coaching, radio anchoring, and emceeing.STORY: As a shy young lady in college, Rashmi decided to try out for the Union council secretary, but when it was time to deliver her campaign speech, she froze. The whole school booed her. This event was so embarrassing, and she carried this burden for years only to find out recently that nobody really thought much about it after the elections.LEARNING: People are a lot less interested in you than you think they are. Everyone has their own life to look into, and you’re the last on that list. So just chill, make or break those failures, learn from them and move on. “The moment you start giving external validation importance, you stop looking inward.”Rashmi Shetty Guest profileRashmi Shetty is a Voice and Attitudinal Coach and a Professional Certified Coach from ICF. She brings decades of work experience in various sectors such as academia, hospitality, storytelling, consulting, coaching, radio anchoring, and emceeing.A keynote and motivational speaker, she believes, “Your ATTITUDE decides your ALTITUDE.” A national and international award winner for scripting and narrating radio documentaries, she was honored with the “Iconic woman creating a better world for all” award in July 2020 from the Women Economic Forum and is also an active member of a global body called Climate Coaching Alliance.Worst investment everWhen Rashmi was young, she was super shy. She could barely talk in front of more than one person. She did not know how to get over her shyness.Forgetting about her shyness for a minuteWhen Rashmi was in her final year of graduation, the Union at her college was up for election. Being who she was, she did not even aspire to take a position. She was surprised when one of her classmates, a class representative, suggested that Rashmi nominate herself for secretary. This was the most coveted position in the Union.Rashmi forgot just how shy she was and jumped right into the idea. They went and filed the nomination forms, and later she wrote her speech. She believed this would be her best investment ever to get into leadership and fame.The defining momentThe reality of what Rashmi had got herself into hit her on the day of the election. She was all set. She could say her speech backward. But when she reached the auditorium and saw 5,000 girls staring at her, she froze. With a lot of difficulties, she climbed up the podium and reached the stage.Rashmi’s speech was crumbled entirely. When she looked at it, two big drops of tears followed. Not a single word came out of her mouth. What Rashmi set out as the best investment turned out to be the worst because a little into that moment, by the time she could assimilate what was happening, the girls started booing because nobody knew her name. They did not even know who was talking to them. She said something, then ran backstage and burst out crying.Carrying the unnecessary burden of shame for yearsRashmi was so ashamed that the whole college would now know her and laugh and scoff at her. She carried this experience with her for years, constantly feeling embarrassed. A few years ago, at a college reunion, when sharing their embarrassing moments, she realized that everybody forgot the incident as soon as she left the podium, yet she had let it bother her for years.Lessons learnedLife is not about external validationMost of us stop living the moment external validation stops. But life is not about external validation. What makes a difference is who you are on the inside. That is what helps you turn out to be what you eventually become.People do not care that much about your failuresDo not concern yourself about what other people will think about your failures. Everyone has their own life to look into, and you are the last on that list. So just chill, make or break those failures, learn from them and move on.Andrew’s takeawaysFailure is goodSometimes, when we do a complete wipeout and do not do an excellent job on something, it is essential to remember that it can only get better. This kind of failure powers you up to your greatness. Whether it is public speaking or any other thing that we’re trying to excel at, sometimes we need to fail a little bit. Then from that, we become focused.Actionable adviceGet out of your comfort zone because real life and promise are on the other side. You never know what is on the other side till you get out of it. All of us draw this comfort zone around which we excel, and getting out of that space will only show you how much more you are capable of because your comfort zone is your limitation. The moment you step out of it to try something, maybe the first time you will fail, it is worth it because what comes out of it is way beyond what you can see yourself.No. 1 goal for the next 12 monthsRashmi’s number one goal for the next 12 months is to use her new program, Vani, to reach out to as many women as possible, so they know they have it all in them. She wants to motivate them to step up and voice out.Parting words “The universe has its plan in place, so don’t stick to muscle memory. Allow yourself to get out there and explore. When you do that, life will be beautiful.”Rashmi Shetty [spp-transcript] Connect with Rashmi ShettyLinkedInPodcastWebsiteAndrew’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: Mustafa Sherif is an urban planner with a big focus on the social sustainability aspect of city development. He is also the host of the Urbanistica podcast.STORY: Mustafa would easily make friends to a point where he had hundreds of friends. However, after running a social experiment, he realized that he had spent so much time and money building friendships that were just one-sided.LEARNING: The smaller your inner circle, the deeper the relationships. Real friendships are two-sided and do not need to drain your energy or time. “I do not need to go all-in when building friendships. I need to let it go with the flow.”Mustafa Sherif Guest profileMustafa Sherif is an urban planner with a big focus on the social sustainability aspect of city development. He is also the host of the Urbanistica podcast. It’s a podcast about how we create smart and livable cities. Mustafa is passionate about planning cities with people and by people.Worst investment everWhen Mustafa moved from Baghdad to Sweden, he had the chance to meet new kinds of people. Back in his home country, he would only meet the same type of people from the same background as his.Mustafa loves talking and doing stuff with people, so he tried to be friends with as many people as possible.One-sided friendshipMustafa found himself putting in all the work into the friendships he formed. He was the one always texting them, checking upon them, and organizing events to bring them together.Out of sight, out of mindWhen Mustafa moved from Sweden to Italy for his master’s degree, not a single of his hundreds of friends in Sweden bothered to check upon him.Interestingly, Mustafa never missed his friends either when he moved to Italy, even though he had spent so many years with them.Same script different castMustafa made new friends in Italy, and the story was the same. Again, he put in most of the work, and when he moved back to Sweden, he only missed one or two of his so-called friends.The social experimentMustafa started to question just how profound his friendships were. He began to experiment whether if his friendships were a good investment for him. Mustafa created a new Facebook account and added all the people that he suspected did not care about him. Then he made a second account and added the people that he was in touch with.Then he deactivated the Facebook account with the people he was not in touch with for a month. Then he reactivated it. Just as Mustafa had suspected, none of these people had tried to contact him. He deactivated the account again for six months. The same story, nobody, contacted him.After a year, Mustafa realized that these people were never his friends and that he had made the worst investment ever, spending so much energy on friendships that never served him. Mustafa decided to be more strategic with how he relates with people, and now he is more focused on building meaningful relationships instead of just having many friends.Lessons learnedTrue friendship is two-sidedYou do not need to go all-in or push so much in a relationship. Just let it flow, and if the other person shares the same sentiments, then the friendship will flourish. Both parties need to put on the work for friendship to work. It cannot be one-sided.Andrew’s takeawaysAlways ask yourself why you are doing somethingBefore you do something, ask yourself, “Why am I doing this?” By asking that question, you will learn a ton about yourself.The smaller your inner circle, the deeper the relationshipsGo deeper with a small number of people. Focus on building deeper relationships that bring more value.Actionable adviceIt is not about the number of people you know; it is about how deep the relationships are with the people. So focus on getting closer to one person instead of just knowing 10 people.No. 1 goal for the next 12 monthsMustafa’s number one goal for the next 12 months is to clean up his friend list and figure out who he should go deeper with and which ones he should cut off.Parting words “Just keep listening. I think there are so many inspiring messages that you can learn from.”Mustafa Sherif  Connect with Mustafa SherifLinkedInTwitterPodcastWebsiteAndrew’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: Michael Stanhope is the Founder & CEO of Hubbis, a leading provider of content and learning solutions for Asia’s Wealth Management & Private Banking Industry. The company has a business in Hong Kong and Singapore and operates across the region.STORY: Michael has made several investment mistakes, each caused by taking a short-term view on his investments as opposed to thinking about them in the long term. He shares a few of these investments gone bad.LEARNING: Think long-term when building your wealth. Get a qualified financial advisor to help you create a diversified long-term portfolio. “People need to educate themselves around the concept of investing, and thinking about the long term, financial planning, and wealth management.”Michael Stanhope Guest profileMichael Stanhope is the Founder & CEO of Hubbis, a leading provider of content and learning solutions for Asia’s Wealth Management & Private Banking Industry. The company has a business in Hong Kong and Singapore and operates across the region.Michael has an extensive background in financial services in Asia, Europe, and North America. He has been in Asia-Pacific since 1995, first in Hong Kong, then in Sydney and Singapore, returning to Hong Kong in 2007, and now is in Vietnam.Worst investment everMichael got a mortgage at the age of 23 and bought himself a house in Earlsfield, near Wimbledon. He paid 92,000 pounds for this house.Selling too fastA few years after buying this house, he decided to sell it. He was now living in Asia, and so it made sense to sell. He sold the house for 150,000 pounds. At the time, he thought he was smart for making money on the house. Now, when he reflects on that decision, it was not so smart because he sold it too fast. The home is now probably worth a million pounds plus. If he had held onto it, he could have been able to rent it out for a significant amount of money.Compounding his mistakesMichael went on to make other short-term investment decisions. He would buy houses and even businesses and sell them soon after instead of sticking at it for the long term.Lessons learnedThink long-term when building your wealthHave long-term objectives around building your wealth, or generating income, or whatever it is you’re trying to achieve.Get professional helpGet a professional financial advisor who is licensed, qualified and capable to help you especially, when it comes to taking a long-term view. Let them help you map a long-term view of the investment objectives that you have.Andrew’s takeawaysBuild a long-term portfolioSet a long-term goal and try to build a long-term portfolio first, then take a portion of that, as you built it up, and use some of it for short-term investing.Actionable adviceWhen investing, take a long-term view, diversify your portfolio, and save regularly. Also, if you have kids, have conversations with them about money, financial planning, and investments.No. 1 goal for the next 12 monthsMichael’s number one goal for the next 12 months is hopefully to survive the next nine months in this more restricted format in the hope of getting back to something resembling normal. He hopes to get back to enjoying personal interactions soon. [spp-transcript] Connect with Michael StanhopeLinkedInTwitterWebsiteAndrew’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: Lorenzo Flores, a twenty-year veteran in retail leadership, has rejuvenated, inspired, and rebuilt over a dozen teams throughout his career.STORY: After years of hard work, Lorenzo finally became a manager. He was super excited to get this title, and he thought that he had finally arrived at his destination. He plateaued and settled in his title, stagnating his career and personal growth for six years.LEARNING: A title or a job is not the end destination or a place to plateau and settle; you still need to put in work to keep growing. It does not matter how much time it takes to get to where you want to go; it is the work you put in that matters. “If I’m not following my code of leadership, I’m not helping my people get better over time.”Lorenzo Flores Guest profileLorenzo Flores, a twenty-year veteran in retail leadership, has rejuvenated, inspired, and rebuilt over a dozen teams throughout his career. With a passion for music, Mixed Martial Arts, and podcasting (check out Life of Lozo and Hacking Your Leadership!), he understands the importance of connecting personal vision to the workplace.Lorenzo’s insights, experiences, and philosophies on leadership excellence are the fuel to ignite every leader’s optimum potential. Join his Clubhouse here.Worst investment everLorenzo was very excited to finally be made manager after many years of learning how to influence people to be great individual contributors, to show up, and to exceed expectations. He believed that he had made it.The perfect leaderBecoming a manager made Lorenzo think that he was perfect. He believed that all of his opinions were right. Lorenzo thought he had all the skills and competence necessary to lead people. So he just sat back, relaxed, and allowed the everyday elements of the job to take over his life.Getting comfortable with his job titleLorenzo never challenged himself beyond his job title. He never took time to develop and grow his career further. He got comfortable in being a manager.Lorenzo thought that he would develop through osmosis if he just showed up every single day, put in the time, and did what he was told to do.The idea of 10,000 hoursLorenzo prescribed very early in his career to the idea that someone becomes a master of his art after practicing it for 10,000 hours. Lorenzo figured that being in a full-time job working 40 hours a week, in five years, he would automatically be the master of his domain and be the best possible assistant manager you can find. The part that he forgot about is that five years have to be dedicated to improving yourself.That is where Lorenzo made a horrible investment decision by believing that just being present in the physical was enough to help him grow and achieve his goals, both professionally and personally.Career stagnationThis mentality caused Lorenzo’s career growth and development to stagnate. He also experienced complacency in relationships.Lorenzo was also complacent when it came to having financial goals. He just lived day by day, week by week, assuming that this is life now. And so for Lorenzo, those six years of complacency were his worst investment ever.Lessons learnedExamine the kind of leader you areTo be a great leader, you have to be your first follower. Take a look in the mirror and ask yourself if you live the life, in all aspects professionally and personally, of somebody you would be inspired to follow. Are you proud of the work that you are putting in?Be the best leader for yourselfLorenzo was not focused on being the best leader for himself. He thought that showing up for people, listening to them, providing them with context, or training them was the right thing to do. He later realized following his code of leadership is a big part of leadership.The kind of leader you are is what matters, not your titles or responsibilitiesMost people tend to confuse milestones with destinations. The next title is not the destination. The next job is not the end game.The infinite end game is that you are bettering yourself every single day as a leader. Focus on learning and growing and challenging yourself to be the best leader possible over time, regardless of your title or responsibility.Andrew’s takeawaysRead, read, readIf you want to improve yourself, read books. There are so many ways to read books thanks to the internet. It’s so easy to build a competitive advantage in this world if you read.Do not chase the clock focus on getting the work doneIt’s not about the time you take but the work you put in to get to where you want to go.Actionable adviceFind the time to invest in yourself. Hold yourself accountable to understand what it is that you are investing in. If you do that, you will be a better you.No. 1 goal for the next 12 monthsLorenzo’s number one goal for the next 12 months is to expand his podcast listening.Parting words “Believe in yourself. The simple fact that you are listening to this show shows that you are interested in making yourself better, so continue that work.”Lorenzo Flores [spp-transcript] Connect with Lorenzo FloresLinkedInTwitterFacebookPodcastWebsiteAndrew’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: Brendan provides consulting services and resources to leaders who want to become more effective and their teams to become less dysfunctional. He is the Host of The Culture of Things Podcast.STORY: Brendan got an idea to buy shares in a telecommunications company in the early 90s. But because he and his partner were just starting a family, his partner discouraged him from making the investment. He ignored her and ended up losing about $150,000.LEARNING: You are not always right, be open to other people’s perspectives. Women, don’t be afraid to ask your partners about money and investing. “Lack of humility is the root of all evil.”Brendan Rogers Guest profileBrendan Rogers’s purpose is to ‘improve the lives of people at work.’ He does this by providing consulting services and resources to leaders who want to become more effective and their teams to become less dysfunctional. He is the Host of The Culture of Things Podcast.Worst investment everBack in the late 90s, Brendan and his girlfriend (now wife) moved back to Sydney from the UK. They were 24 years old, just starting their young family. Brendan was at the time earning decent money.For the love of investingBrendan has always been a person that enjoys investing a lot. So when he and his boss got talking about investing, he was interested. They particularly talked about share investing in a telecommunications company.Ignoring his partner’s inputBrendan was pretty excited about this investment idea, and so he spoke to his girlfriend about it. However, she was flat against it. But, Brendan went against her judgment and invested 5% of his gross salary. The shares then went down very quickly, and he lost about $150,000 in the investment.Struggling to rebuild the lost trustThe most significant impact of Brendan’s worst investment ever was not the money he lost but the level of trust that was broken between him and his girlfriend. It took him a long time to rebuild that trust.Lessons learnedBe open with your spouse about your investmentsWhen in a relationship, and especially a serious one where you live together and have a child together, have conversations around what might be the suitable investments and the amount of risk you are okay to take on.You are not always right, be open to other people’s perspectivesBrendan always gets excited about investment opportunities, and he is always trying to get other people excited too. However, he has had to learn very quickly about his aptitude for getting people excited and dismissing those who are not as excited as him. Now he knows that his way is not always the right way and is not blind to other people’s perspectives.Andrew’s takeawaysWomen, don’t be afraid to ask your partners about money and investingWomen, if you are married or in a serious relationship, do not be scared to ask your partners questions when it comes to money and investing. Find out what they are doing and get involved. Research shows that women are better risk managers—a quality that is key in investing.Actionable adviceTreat investing as a team sport. Go to the right people and build trust in that team. Be open and accept that sometimes your way is not the right way, and be open and humble to look at different perspectives.No. 1 goal for the next 12 monthsBrendan and his wife’s number one goal for the next 12 months is to close their debt on their mortgage. Once they do that, then they can focus on their investment debt.Parting words “Seek out differing opinions to challenge yourself and your thinking.”Brendan Rogers [spp-transcript] Connect with Brendan RogersLinkedInTwitterFacebookYouTubePodcastWebsiteAndrew’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 mentionedJason Zweig (2007), Your Money and Your Brain: How the New Science of Neuroeconomics Can Help Make You Rich

BIO: Brandon Bornancin is a serial entrepreneur; he’s currently the Founder & CEO of one of the fastest-growing SaaS companies in the US, Seamless.AI.STORY: Brandon believes that his worst investment ever was not learning how to make a million dollars sooner.LEARNING: There is no special requirement to becoming a millionaire; you just have to put in the work. “Imperfect action will always be greater than perfect inaction.”Brandon Bornancin Guest profileBrandon Bornancin is a serial entrepreneur, and he’s currently the Founder & CEO of one of the fastest-growing SaaS companies in the US, Seamless.AI. He’s a motivational speaker and 18x sales author obsessed with helping sales professionals maximize their success. At Seamless.AI, he helps 100,000 (and counting) companies flood their calendars and generate millions in sales using artificial intelligence to find anyone’s emails and phone numbers.Worst investment everBrandon believes that his worst investment ever was not learning how to make a million dollars sooner.Lessons learnedAnyone can make a million dollars; you just have to do what it takesTo make your first million, start by building a list with every person in every company in the world you need to sell to.Second, get training and expertise. Once you have your list, you have to know how to sell the list. Read hundreds and hundreds of books on sales, marketing, entrepreneurship, and investing.Lastly, be ready to do the work. If you want to be a millionaire, it will require more work, effort, energy, and more tenacity. So just work hard and do whatever it takes. Do not let any bullshit excuses stand in your way to being a millionaire.Andrew’s takeawaysThis is the time to hustle hardWith the pandemic, it is an easy time to get down and frustrated. But get going. This is your time, don’t let anything hold you back.Making your first million is not that complicatedMaking your first million dollars is not that complicated. First, build a list. Second, get training to know what you’re doing, and third, sell to that list and get to a million.Make as many sales as possible to cushion you from mistakesYou are going to make a million mistakes throughout your life as an entrepreneur. Having growth allows you to absorb those mistakes without getting wiped out. But if you have tiny profit margins, minor errors will knock you out.Actionable adviceBuild your list every day, and then work on connecting and building relationships with the people on your list. Work on marketing, advertising, and selling to your list. That is where opportunities are created.No. 1 goal for the next 12 monthsBrandon’s number one goal for the next 12 months is to transform the lives of his employees and those of the hundreds of thousands of users and companies that rely on Seamless.AI. The best way for Brandon to do this is to IPO and leverage the capital to continue maximizing the success of his users, customers, investors, and employees.Parting words “Do whatever it takes to build your list. Just make it happen; you’ve got this!”Brandon Bornancin [spp-transcript] Connect with Brandon BornancinLinkedInTwitterBlogWebsiteAndrew’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 mentionedBrandon Bornancin (2021), Whatever It Takes: Master the Habits to Transform Your Business, Relationships, and Life

BIO: Kunal Naresh Chandiramani is an Internet entrepreneur, inventor, and best-selling author. He is the founder and CEO of KStar and subsidiaries and host of dToks.STORY: Kunal was launching a new venture, so he paid for media coverage with the hopes of getting thousands of customers. His ROI was horrible.LEARNING: Do not pay for media coverage; instead, attract customers organically. Media coverage does not guarantee sales. “Build a business that the media wants to cover, instead of being the business that wants to be covered.”Kunal Chandiramani Guest profileKunal Naresh Chandiramani is an Internet entrepreneur, inventor, and international best-selling author. He is the founder and CEO of KStar and subsidiaries and host of dToks.He is also a three-time TEDx speaker. In the past, he has been an advisor to various for-profit and not-for-profit boards.Worst investment everKunal was launching a new venture, and he decided to pay for a press release. He thought that to be successful; a business needed media coverage. That is why he chose to spend quite some money for the press release to be published.The fame that never cameKunal had huge expectations about the press release. After he paid for it, he realized that it was just a glorified advertising channel. The ROI was just horrible.Kunal was under the impression that all the best ventures in the world have a lot of media coverage. He also thought that media coverage would get him customers but quickly learned that would not happen.Lessons learnedThe best media is the one you do not pay forYou have to realize the difference between good media and bad media. You do not pay for good media. Organic media will bring you better ROI compared to paid media coverage. So if you want to do press releases, do them organically.Andrew’s takeawaysFocus on attracting your customers instead of promotionAttraction is always better than promotion. The intelligent business person is the one who attracts the media and gets them to come to him. Focus on reaching out to the world about your products or service in a unique way that attracts people to come to you.Media coverage does not guarantee salesTo make sales, you need customers. Getting on TV or any other media channel just for fame will not bring you sales.Actionable adviceIt’s important to realize that not all your decisions will change the world, and it is okay to make a few mistakes.No. 1 goal for the next 12 monthsKunal’s number one goal for the next 12 months is to continue doing stuff that impacts many people.Parting words “Do not get too serious. Just have fun and be yourself.”Kunal Chandiramani [spp-transcript] Connect with Kunal ChandiramaniLinkedInTwitterBlogWebsiteAndrew’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: Troy Holt is a financial educator, an independent coach, speaker, trainer, author, and podcast host. He is also the CEO (Chief Encouragement Officer) of Troy Holt Consulting.STORY: In 2014, Troy decided to quit a job that he no longer enjoyed and got another one that paid him a small salary and a commission. The money he was making could barely sustain his lifestyle. Instead of making lifestyle changes, he used money he’d received after his mom died as his fallback plan.LEARNING: If money is tight, cut down your costs to a bare minimum. Put your trust in your family and friends, not money. “Make money your tool and not your master.”Troy Holt Guest profileTroy Holt’s more than 20 years of experience as a sales and account executive has led to his success in the areas of business growth, development, and financial planning.As an innovative leader and effective communicator, Troy’s success is grounded in his impeccable work ethic and drive. Troy’s expertise allows him to work as both a financial educator and as an independent coach, speaker, and trainer.Troy is a co-author of an Amazon best-selling book and is the host of the Troy Talks podcast. He serves as the CEO (Chief Encouragement Officer) of his Troy Holt Consulting company.Worst investment everTroy worked at a retail store as a sales rep when his mom died suddenly in April of 2014. At the time, Troy had worked this job for 11 years, but suddenly every day he came to work, he would feel pressured and did not want to be at work. He felt like he was in prison.Troy went to see a doctor, and he was diagnosed with anxiety. He decided to go out of work under short-term disability for 60 days. When he went back to the doctor, he was told he was still not fit to work. Troy went back to his employer and submitted his paperwork for an extension, but he got denied. So he resigned.Finding a better jobTroy found another job which started him off at a certain amount plus commission. After a couple of months, they reduced his salary by about 80% but with a higher commission. Troy’s salary was just enough to pay his health insurance and that of his wife and pay taxes.Selling telecommunication systems was a long process, and Troy barely closed any deals.Falling back on his money reservesWhen Troy’s mom died, she left him some money. He planned to save and invest it later. However, when his job woes started, he started dipping into his money reserves bit by bit to sustain his lifestyle. In his mind, he thought he would be able to put back the money once he closed a deal and got his commission.Troy did a lot of prospecting and working deals but barely closed anything due to the long sales process.Things got tougherTroy’s money reserves were dipping by the day. He figured it was time to get another job. He ended up having to take another job making less money, but at least it was not commissioned.His reserves were drying out at this point, and he still had so many expenses to cover. Troy realized that his worst investment ever was continuing to live the same lifestyle despite his financial hardship. He should have cut his costs, but he did not, and now he had no money to invest.Lessons learnedMoney is not your source of happinessThe experience taught Troy that God is his source and provider. No matter how much or little money he has, God is the one who will sustain him, not money.Cut your spending to a bare minimum when money is tightWhen money is tight, do not carry on as usual. Buckle down and curb your spending to the bare minimum.Andrew’s takeawaysPut your trust in your family and friends, not moneyWhen you are losing it all, and it seems hopeless, and you cannot see a way out, remember that money is not the source of your happiness. Your God, your family, and your friends are the key to happiness.You can deal with the tough times by controlling your costsThere are tough times in our lives that we do not want to have to deal with, but we must if we are going to survive and thrive. When such times come, the one thing you can control is your costs, so cut those costs down as much as possible.Actionable adviceWhen you are facing financial hardship, stop and cut the expenses. It’s not going to last forever. It may be tough, but you can survive and get through it.No. 1 goal for the next 12 monthsTroy’s number one goal for the next 12 months is to eradicate and erase financial illiteracy, and he wants to educate people on how money works.Parting words “You can get through tough times. Even if you have to reach out to someone and just have a conversation with them, do it.”Troy Holt [spp-transcript] Connect with Troy HoltLinkedInTwitterPodcastWebsiteAndrew’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: Yaswanth Sai Palaghat is a YouTuber who focuses on tech and career development (as well as many other areas), and he also interviews leaders and influencers.STORY: Yaswanth made the mistake of following the crowd and chose to take an engineering course. After a year at the university, he realized that he was wasting his money, he topped engineering while following his passion.LEARNING: Follow your passion, teach yourself so you can turn it into a skill, then create an opportunity from it. Over and above your education, develop a skill that differentiates you. “The only thing that you need is clarity on what your passion is. Once you have the clarity, you can create your own opportunities.”Yaswanth Sai Palaghat Guest profileYaswanth Sai Palaghat is a YouTuber who focuses on tech and career development (as well as many other areas), and he also interviews leaders and influencers. And even though he is only 23 years old, he has the big goal of creating the largest digital tech community.Worst investment everAfter high school, Yaswanth decided to go to university and do an engineering course. This was not what he was passionate about, but it is one of India’s most popular courses. Almost everyone is doing engineering.Having the courage to follow his passionAfter a year of studying engineering, Yaswanth realized that this degree would take him nowhere. With everyone doing engineering, the field is so crowded, and the opportunities are too few. So he went on to start his YouTube channel, something that he enjoys doing.Lessons learnedFollow your passionIf you have a passion, do not ignore it. It does not matter how complex it is; just make time to pursue it.Do not be afraid to start even if you failStart whatever you want to. Even if you fail, you will have lessons to take from it. The most important thing is to start.Network to stay relevantEven if we are in the internet era, you can still network and stay relevant. Talk and interact with multiple people and make good connections online.Take advantage of the internet to learnEveryone can learn freely on the internet. So you have no excuse not to learn by yourself. If you know the path you want to be on in two to three years, you ultimately need to work on that on your own. No one will guide you because everyone is busy building their own lives.Hone your public speakingIf you want to build a successful enterprise, you must work on your public speaking skills. An excellent public speaker oozes confidence, a trait that is important for entrepreneurs.Andrew’s takeawaysIf at first, you do not succeed, try againDo not be afraid to fail. If at first, you do not succeed, try again. Get more used to failure than success because you will fail more than you succeed, but you will learn a lot from your failures.Over and above your education, develop a skill that differentiates youEducation is not enough these days. You have got to create some skill that differentiates you from your peers. So look for at least one skill and work on it.Actionable adviceThere are three kinds of people in general. The first one is someone who waits for opportunities. The second one is someone who searches for opportunities. And the third one is someone who creates opportunities. Be the third one. If you are clear about what your passion is, try to make an opportunity there.No. 1 goal for the next 12 monthsYaswanth’s number one goal for the next 12 months is to build the largest tech community. The community will focus on gathering people with similar minds and creating some awareness on setting goals and choosing the right career.Parting words “Follow your passion with clarity.”Yaswanth Sai Palaghat [spp-transcript] Connect with Yaswanth Sai PalaghatLinkedInFacebookYouTubeWebsiteAndrew’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: Kenny Weiss is a Life Coach, YouTuber, Podcaster, and Author. His mission is to help people learn about their ‘worst day cycle’ so they can stop repeating events that hold them back and live up to their full potential.STORY: Kenny has faced so much pain in his life. From childhood trauma to multiple addictions to an abusive marriage to bankruptcy and more. All this pushed him to contemplate suicide. While writing a suicide note to his kids, Kenny realized that all he needed to do was to let go and surrender to his pain to find healing.LEARNING: To heal, you have to let go and accept your flaws and mistakes. Write down all your mistakes—this will give you clarity and start you on the path of self-forgiveness. “The only way to reach your authenticity is by letting go.”Kenny Weiss Guest profileKenny Weiss is a Life Coach, YouTuber, Podcaster, and Author of Your Journey to Success. He founded The Greatness Movement in 2018.His mission is to help as many people as possible learn about their ‘worst day cycle’ so they can stop repeating events that hold them back and live up to their full potential.Worst investment everAbout eight years ago, Kenny was suicidal. He had suffered a difficult childhood. His mother was an alcoholic, his father was distant, and his brother was abusive. Kenny also struggled with multiple addictions, went through two horrific divorces, a child custody battle, and bankruptcy.In one of his marriages, his wife was physically and verbally abusive. All this was too much for him, and he just wanted to end it all.Giving up controlKenny had held it together for so long that he had convinced himself that he was in control of his pain. He never wanted to let go of that control. But when he decided to commit suicide, as he wrote a suicide note to his kids, he could not justify why he was choosing suicide.Kenny realized that the one thing he had never done was to let go of control. At that moment, he realized that the best way to deal with his pain was to give up control. To simply let go of his pain. And that is what he did and was able to heal.Lessons learnedBe brave and face your pain to heal from itThe one reason why most people hold back on dealing with their pain is that they think it will be this horrible thing that they will not survive. They do not realize that once you choose to face your pain, you start to grasp it and realize that it was not as bad as you feared it is.Self-forgiveness starts with accepting your flaws and mistakesFor the self-forgiveness process to work, you must accept your flaws and mistakes. Once you accept them, you start letting go, and you start pushing yourself to your true self.If you can make peace within yourself and forgive yourself, you open yourself up to love.Andrew’s takeawaysLet go and see change happenThe most significant change in your life will happen when you let go, not when you hold on.Write it all down to find healingPeople still have behaviors, mannerisms, and reactions based upon things that happened at a young age. You can benefit from this by grabbing a piece of paper and writing down the top 3-5 worst things you’ve done.Do not show them to anybody; just write them down. This will begin the process of healing and letting go. By the end of this exercise, you will realize that you can face the monster in your closet.Actionable adviceWhatever it is you are going through, whatever the pain that you do not want to face, become an expert in it because that is the only way out.No. 1 goal for the next 12 monthsKenny’s number one goal for the next 12 months is to have a deeper connection with his kids, and the more he heals, the more that connection will be possible.Parting words “If anyone is struggling, just go to my website. I’m offering a free breakthrough call. I’d be happy to help you in any way I can.”Kenny Weiss [spp-transcript] Connect with Kenny WeissLinkedInFacebookYouTubePodcastWebsiteAndrew’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