My Worst Investment Ever Podcast

BIO: Coach JV believes that what you believe in your heart and what you think in your mind will eventually become your words and reality.STORY: Coach JV was introduced to cryptocurrency and decided to invest without an exit plan. In just a year, his investment had fallen by 85%.LEARNING: Diversify inside and outside the asset class. Pull out your money and play on the house money. When you make massive gains, take some profit. “Always take 24 hours to make a decision. When somebody comes to you very excited about something, stop for a moment, listen, use discernment, and also seek wise counsel.”Coach JV Guest profileWhat you believe in your heart and what you think in your mind will eventually become your words and your reality. If you can see it in your mind, eventually you can hold it right here in your hand; what you repeatedly do gets ingrained in your subconscious mind, and what gets ingrained in your subconscious mind becomes your unconscious activity.Worst investment everCoach JV left corporate America super excited about entrepreneurship. However, he didn’t understand the ins and outs of entrepreneurship and scaling. So, at the very beginning, Coach JV lost all his money.Then, this great promise of cryptocurrency came into Coach JV’s life. But he had this deep-rooted indoctrination around those types of things. Nonetheless, when Coach JV was introduced to a coin called XRP, he got curious and started researching it. He saw the excitement of all the money being made in cryptocurrency. He also decided to invest heavily.Coach JV made a lot of money from his investment and couldn’t even keep up with all the different coins being pumped at him. Coach JV even became influential in the space.Unfortunately, he got into this speculative asset with no game plan. Then, suddenly, and it seemed like overnight, he woke up and was down 85%. Coach JV went from a millionaire to a thousandaire between 2021 and 2022.Lessons learnedDiversify inside and outside the asset class.Pull out your money and play on the house money.Andrew’s takeawaysWhen you make massive gains, take some profit.Actionable adviceAlways take 24 hours to make a decision. When somebody comes to you very excited about something, stop for a moment, listen, use discernment, and also seek wise counsel.No.1 goal for the next 12 monthsCoach JV’s number one goal for the next 12 months is to stay non-emotional about what’s happening in America, remain focused on his fundamentals, and be as keen as possible not to get caught up in the greed gene.Parting words “Remember what you believe in your heart and think in your mind will eventually become your words and your reality. If you can see it in your mind, eventually, you can hold it in your hands. What you repeatedly do gets ingrained in your subconscious mind. What gets ingrained in your subconscious mind becomes your unconscious activities.”Coach JV [spp-transcript] Connect with Coach JVTwitterFacebookInstagramYouTubeWebsiteAndrew’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 ClassThe Become a Better Investor CommunityHow to Start Building Your Wealth Investing in the Stock MarketFinance Made Ridiculously SimpleFVMR Investing: Quantamental Investing Across the WorldBecome a Great Presenter and Increase Your InfluenceTransform Your Business with Dr. Deming’s 14 PointsAchieve Your GoalsConnect with Andrew Stotz:astotz.comLinkedInFacebookInstagramThreadsTwitterYouTubeMy Worst Investment Ever Podcast

In this episode of Investment Strategy Made Simple (ISMS), Andrew gets into part two of his discussion with Larry Swedroe: Ignorance is Bliss. Today, they discuss Larry’s recent piece, The Self-healing Mechanism of Risk Assets.LEARNING: Don’t engage in resulting because there will be periods when an investment will underperform and others when it outperforms. Resist recency bias. Avoid performance chasing. “You don’t want to engage in resulting because there will be periods when an investment will underperform and others when it outperforms.”Larry Swedroe In this episode of Investment Strategy Made Simple (ISMS), Andrew gets into part two of his discussion with Larry Swedroe: Ignorance is Bliss. Larry is the head of financial and economic research at Buckingham Wealth Partners. You can learn more about Larry’s Worst Investment Ever story on Ep645: Beware of Idiosyncratic Risks.Larry deeply understands the world of academic research and investing, especially risk. Today, Andrew and Larry discuss two chapters of Larry’s book Investment Mistakes Even Smart Investors Make and How to Avoid Them. Today, they discuss Larry’s recent piece, The Self-healing Mechanism of Risk Assets.Did you miss out on previous mistakes? Check them out:ISMS 8: Larry Swedroe – Are You Overconfident in Your Skills?ISMS 17: Larry Swedroe – Do You Project Recent Trends Indefinitely Into the Future?ISMS 20: Larry Swedroe – Do You Extrapolate From Small Samples and Trust Your Intuition?ISMS 23: Larry Swedroe – Do You Allow Yourself to Be Influenced by Your Ego and Herd Mentality?ISMS 24: Larry Swedroe – Confusing Skill and Luck Can Stop You From Investing WiselyISMS 25: Larry Swedroe – Admit Your Mistakes and Don’t Listen to Fake ExpertsISMS 26: Larry Swedroe – Are You Subject to the Endowment Effect or the Hot Streak Fallacy?ISMS 27: Larry Swedroe – Familiar Doesn’t Make It Safe and You’re Not Playing With the House’s MoneyISMS 29: Larry Swedroe – The Shiny Apple is Poisonous and Information is Not KnowledgeISMS 30: Larry Swedroe – Do You Believe Your Fortune Is in the Stars or Rely on Misleading Information?ISMS 34: Larry Swedroe – Consider All Hidden Costs Before You InvestISMS 35: Larry Swedroe – Great Companies Are Not Always High-Return InvestmentsISMS 36: Larry Swedroe – Two Heads Are Not Better Than One When InvestingISMS 37: Larry Swedroe – Pay Attention to a Fund’s Proper Benchmarks and TaxesCommon biases in investingOne of the biggest problems Larry has found working with advisors and investors is certain biases that lead to mistakes. One is recency bias, which is the tendency to extrapolate the recent performance of assets into the future as if it’s inevitable.Resisting recency bias is critical to earning the premiums available from all risk assets, including reinsurance. Wise investing, as Warren Buffett noted, is simple but not easy. That’s because investors must overcome all the behavioral biases, with recency among the most powerful. It’s tempting to sell out of an investment that has suffered losses because it’s easy to think losses will keep happening.Another bias is performance chasing. This is buying after periods of strong performance when valuations are higher and expected returns are lower and selling after periods of poor performance when valuations are lower and expected returns are higher. What disciplined investors do is the opposite—rebalance to maintain their well-thought-out allocation to risky assetsLarry identifies engaging in resulting as another big issue. This is making the mistake of judging the quality of a decision by the outcome—which is unknown—versus judging it by the quality of the decision-making process.The self-healing mechanism of risk assetsProblems usually arise when stocks or any asset class perform very poorly, and investors flee the costs of these mistakes that they make. However, Larry points out that they fail to understand that a self-healing mechanism is generally in place.An excellent example of the self-healing mechanism at work is that value stocks underperformed by wide margins during the late 1990s technology/dot-com boom. For example, from 1995 to 1999, the S&P 500 Growth Index returned 33.6% per annum, outperforming the Russell 2000 Value Index by 20.5 percentage points per annum. That outperformance led to valuation spreads widening to historic levels. Over the following eight-year period, 2000-07, the Russell 2000 Value Index returned 12.6% per annum, outperforming the S&P 500 Growth Index’s return of -1.7% by 14.3 percentage points per annum. Over the full period, the Russell 2000 Value Index outperformed the S&P 500 Growth Index by 2.2% percentage points per annum (12.8% versus 10.6%).The self-healing mechanism works not only with stocks and value versus growth but also with bonds, credit, insurance, and virtually any risk asset. Thanks to the self-healing mechanism, Larry cautions investors against engaging in resulting because there will be periods when an investment will underperform and others when it outperforms. Instead, he advises that they understand why certain investment vehicles are in their portfolios in the first place.About Larry SwedroeLarry Swedroe is head of financial and economic research at Buckingham Wealth Partners. Since joining the firm in 1996, Larry has spent his time, talent, and energy educating investors on the benefits of evidence-based investing with an enthusiasm few can match.Larry was among the first authors to publish a book that explained the science of investing in layman’s terms, “The Only Guide to a Winning Investment Strategy You’ll Ever Need.” He has authored or co-authored 18 books.Larry’s dedication to helping others has made him a sought-after national speaker. He has made appearances on national television on various outlets.Larry is a prolific writer, regularly contributing to multiple outlets, including AlphaArchitect, Advisor Perspectives, and Wealth Management. [spp-transcript] Connect with Larry SwedroeLinkedInTwitterWebsiteBooksAndrew’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 ClassThe Become a Better Investor CommunityHow to Start Building Your Wealth Investing in the Stock MarketFinance Made Ridiculously SimpleFVMR Investing: Quantamental Investing Across the WorldBecome a Great Presenter and Increase Your InfluenceTransform Your Business with Dr. Deming’s 14 PointsAchieve Your GoalsConnect with Andrew Stotz:astotz.comLinkedInFacebookInstagramTwitterYouTubeMy Worst Investment Ever PodcastFurther reading mentionedLarry Swedroe and RC Balaban, Investment Mistakes Even Smart Investors Make and How to Avoid ThemPhilip E. Tetlock, Expert Political Judgment: How Good Is It? How Can We Know?Gary Belsky and Thomas Gilovich, Why Smart People Make Big Money Mistakes and How to Correct Them: Lessons from the Life-Changing Science of Behavioral EconomicsLarry Swedroe, Think, Act, and Invest Like Warren Buffett: The Winning Strategy to Help You Achieve Your Financial and Life GoalsAndrew L Berkin, Your Complete Guide to Factor-Based Investing: The Way Smart Money Invests TodayLarry Swedroe and Kevin Grogan, Reducing the Risk of Black Swans: Using the Science of Investing to Capture Returns with Less Volatility

BIO: Solomon Thimothy is an entrepreneur with over 17 years of experience in marketing and sales. As the co-founder and CEO of OneIMS, a leading inbound marketing and sales agency, and Clickx, he has helped businesses double their revenue using the 10X Framework.STORY: When Solomon started his service business, he built software unique to his business. The problem was it cost thousands of dollars, and he was a broke out-of-collage kid. His model was terrible; nobody would invest in his business.LEARNING: Every entrepreneur fails, so give yourself permission to fail. “Make sure that whatever you invest in is what you want to spend your next decade trying to figure out.”Solomon Thimothy Guest profileSolomon Thimothy is a highly accomplished entrepreneur with over 17 years of experience in marketing and sales. As the co-founder and CEO of OneIMS, a leading inbound marketing and sales agency, and Clickx, he has helped businesses double their revenue using the 10X Framework. Solomon is also an expert in lead generation and customer acquisition, and a USA Today and Wall Street Journal best-selling author.In addition to his work, Solomon is also an angel investor and startup advisor. He has helped numerous startups grow and scale, leveraging his marketing, sales, and business strategy expertise.Worst investment everSolomon started a service company building websites right off college. He hired other college kids with zero experience, and the process was terrible. Due to their inexperience, Solomon and his staff spent much more time on the work, which led to less money at the end of the day. Solomon decided to create some systems to try and reduce this time wastage.Being a techie, he thought of building software to help onboard customers and enable them to see their reports from the lead gen ads. The software would allow Solomon to automate the process.This meant Solomon would build his own software. All this cost tens of millions of dollars, and he was just a kid out of college with barely enough money to pay the bills and now had to hire developers and pay thousands of dollars—money he didn’t have. On paper, this model was terrible; nobody would invest in his business.Lessons learnedEvery entrepreneur fails, so permit yourself to fail.Andrew’s takeawaysNever develop your own app or software; use what already exists and has been tried and tested.Actionable adviceMake sure that whatever you invest in is what you want to spend your next decade trying to figure out.Solomon’s recommendationsSolomon recommends reading 10x Is Easier than 2x: How World-Class Entrepreneurs Achieve More by Doing Less to understand and apply the 10x framework.No.1 goal for the next 12 monthsSolomon’s number one goal for the next 12 months is to impact the business and income of 10,000 entrepreneurs.Parting words “Keep taking risks. I know you want to reduce them, but there are those that will win big.”Solomon Thimothy [spp-transcript] Connect with Solomon ThimothyLinkedinTwitterFacebookInstagramYouTubeWebsitePodcastAndrew’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 ClassThe Become a Better Investor CommunityHow to Start Building Your Wealth Investing in the Stock MarketFinance Made Ridiculously SimpleFVMR Investing: Quantamental Investing Across the WorldBecome a Great Presenter and Increase Your InfluenceTransform Your Business with Dr. Deming’s 14 PointsAchieve Your GoalsConnect with Andrew Stotz:astotz.comLinkedInFacebookInstagramThreadsTwitterYouTubeMy Worst Investment Ever Podcast

BIO: Tony began a career in equity sales in varying capacities, including running sales and trading at Bank Hapoalim for three years and a team of sales traders at Dahlman Rose for five years. In November 2016, Tony launched the Morning Navigator, a macro trading newsletter distributed to over 800 professionals worldwide.STORY: Tony invested six figures into a small ophthalmic company his friend told him about. He didn’t know much about the company besides what his friend told him. He lost investment when the share price collapsed.LEARNING: Understand the nuts and bolts of the business you want to invest in. Be patient and willing to get rich slowly. The stock markets are for growing wealth, not creating it. Time is the only surefire thing on your side. “Live to trade another day.”Anthony Greer Guest profileAfter graduating from Cornell University in 1990, Anthony Greer began his trading career in the foreign exchange market for Sumitomo Bank and Union Bank of Switzerland, where he began running large bank books. He joined the J. Aron division of Goldman Sachs in 1994, where he learned the rigor of risk management in trading gold and the Goldman Sachs Commodities Index. Tony left the commodity desk at Goldman Sachs to launch his equity trading operation in 2000, surfing the dot.com crash for two years. Tony began a career in equity sales in varying capacities, including running sales and trading at Bank Hapoalim for three years and a team of sales traders at Dahlman Rose for five years. In November 2016, Tony launched the Morning Navigator, a macro trading newsletter currently distributed to over 800 professionals worldwide.Worst investment everWhen Tony was at Goldman Sachs in the ’90s, he managed to get into the Dotcom bubble. His love for music led him to discover Amazon. Tony would order records he was dying to have on Amazon, which would be delivered to his door in a few days. This business model fascinated Tony so much that he invested in tech stocks.During that period, Tony decided to expand his portfolio. A friend of his put a name in front of him. The friend insisted that he knew a lot about the company and that it would be a nationwide chain where everybody went to check their eyes and buy glasses. He said that PE funds were investing in it. Tony amassed a massive position in this company, whose shares sold at 20 cents a share. Tony had six figures worth of this little ophthalmic company that he didn’t know much about. Suddenly, the bottom dropped out, and the PE companies sold their shares, causing the share price to collapse even further.Lessons learnedAlways consider the total dollar value of money invested, no matter what percentage of your portfolio it is.First, understand the nuts and bolts of the business you want to invest in.Starting early is very valuable. Be patient and willing to get rich slowly.Andrew’s takeawaysPosition sizing matters most, no matter how much you want to make your investment a big bet.The stock markets are for growing wealth, not creating it.Time is the only surefire thing on your side.Actionable adviceLive to trade another day by trading carefully without greed.Tony’s recommendationsTony recommends subscribing to his Morning Navigator newsletter and reading No Worries: How to live a stress-free financial life. The book is about getting the three big ones right, i.e., education, home, and car. You’ll learn how to live a life without worrying about your finances.No.1 goal for the next 12 monthsTony’s number one goal for the next 12 months is to immerse himself in his business.Parting words “If you’re interested in getting some help looking for trades and taking risks, contact me; that’s what I do.”Anthony Greer [spp-transcript] Connect with Anthony GreerLinkedinTwitterWebsitePodcastAndrew’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 ClassThe Become a Better Investor CommunityHow to Start Building Your Wealth Investing in the Stock MarketFinance Made Ridiculously SimpleFVMR Investing: Quantamental Investing Across the WorldBecome a Great Presenter and Increase Your InfluenceTransform Your Business with Dr. Deming’s 14 PointsAchieve Your GoalsConnect with Andrew Stotz:astotz.comLinkedInFacebookInstagramThreadsTwitterYouTubeMy Worst Investment Ever Podcast

BIO: Kevin Sutantyo is the Partner for South East Asia investments for Sovereign’s Capital, a venture capital fund focused on early-stage, tech-driven, scalable companies.STORY: Kevin invested in a company, thinking that he had more influence over the outcome of the company than he actually did. So, he directed the company owners on what to do, making them over-dependent on Kevin’s opinion. As an investor, he wasn’t always in the office, so sometimes he wouldn’t be reachable. The company would get stuck without Kevin’s decision.LEARNING: You have to back the right founders. As investors, you’re here to guide companies, not to be prescriptive. The founders ultimately have to make final decisions because it’s still their company. “As investors we’re here to guide companies, but not be prescriptive. We need to help them when they ask for our help.”Kevin Sutantiyo Guest profileKevin Sutantyo is the Partner for South East Asia investments for Sovereign’s Capital, a venture capital fund focused on early-stage, tech-driven, scalable companies.Kevin was an active Angel investor in both the US and SEA prior to his work at Sovereign’s Capital.He was an operator/investor for four years at an environmental biotechnology company focused on waste management.Kevin also has experience with the Indonesian public markets as a Commissioner at a local Indonesian securities brokerage, maintaining a fit and proper standing with the Indonesian regulator (Otoritas Jasa Keuangan).Worst investment everKevin’s worst mistake was investing in a company and thinking he had more influence over the company’s outcome than he actually did. For some reason, Kevin thought he was more experienced and knew better, so he directed the company owners on what to do. This made them over-dependent on Kevin’s opinion. As an investor, he wasn’t always in the office, so sometimes he wouldn’t be reachable. The company would get stuck without Kevin’s decision.Lessons learnedYou have to back the right founders.As investors, you’re here to guide companies, not to be prescriptive. Help them only when they ask.The founders ultimately have to make final decisions because it’s still their company.Realize that your influence may have some limitations.Trust the founder.Endeavor to be in a helpful position instead of a combative one, even when you and the founder have a difference of opinion.Andrew’s takeawaysAs an angel investor, your responsibility is to provide ideas and outside views.Actionable adviceDon’t be a burden to the company. Take the approach that you’re investing in someone’s hopes, dreams, and mission and are here to support it. If you don’t believe in those hopes, dreams, and missions, don’t invest. Wait until you find another company that will align with precisely what you are looking for.No.1 goal for the next 12 monthsKevin’s number one goal for the next 12 months is to continue with the fundraising trail. At the same time, he’ll continue looking for new, high-growth, and potential startups in Southeast Asia.Parting words “Be excited about the investment space and innovation. Get in there, and keep building. Our region is exciting, and I do see a bright future ahead.”Kevin Sutantiyo [spp-transcript] Connect with Kevin SutantiyoLinkedinWebsiteAndrew’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 ClassThe Become a Better Investor CommunityHow to Start Building Your Wealth Investing in the Stock MarketFinance Made Ridiculously SimpleFVMR Investing: Quantamental Investing Across the WorldBecome a Great Presenter and Increase Your InfluenceTransform Your Business with Dr. Deming’s 14 PointsAchieve Your GoalsConnect with Andrew Stotz:astotz.comLinkedInFacebookInstagramThreadsTwitterYouTubeMy Worst Investment Ever Podcast

BIO: Dan McClure is an innovation choreographer. That’s someone whose job is to run into burning buildings, looking for opportunities to reinvent how the world works.STORY: Dan took up a senior management job because his friends and family insisted he should have a ‘real’ job. However, Dan hated the job and was terrible at it.LEARNING: Understand who you are and what you’re about. Be committed to following your passion and talents. Otherwise, you’ll be dragged into things that make you miserable. “Have the courage to say; I’m not good at that, and therefore, I’m not going to build my life around it. Instead, I’m going to embrace these other things that I am good at.”Dan McClure Guest profileDan McClure is an innovation choreographer. That’s someone whose job is to run into burning buildings, looking for opportunities to reinvent the way the world works. He’s a thought leader in the emerging practice of ecosystem innovation and the co-author of the Fast Company Press book “Do Bigger Things – A Practical Guide to Powerful Innovation in a Changing World.” Across his 40-year career, he’s worked with firms facing the threat of obsolescence, helped business pioneers thrive in fast-changing markets, and supported activists tackling tough challenges like climate change. He’s a passionate optimist who’s excited about the future.Worst investment everWhen Dan was in college, he was looking for something to do. He was thinking of the Peace Corps. Dan applied and was three weeks away from traveling. While doing the medical exam, the doctor told him he had an umbilical hernia, and they didn’t let any hernias into the Peace Corps. And with that, Dan was out of the Peace Corps.Dan found a job at a local utility company as an engineer. It was a good job, but he wasn’t very good at it. Dan was chugging along. Then he realized if he wrote a computer program, it could do his job, and Dan wouldn’t have to do everything he was doing. So Dan started writing the computer program. Then, the federal government deregulated the entire energy industry and threw everything into turmoil. Luckily, Dan had a computer program that could save the day. He got an innovation team and started fixing and changing things.Everybody around Dan kept telling him to get a real job. His innovation stuff wasn’t so cool back then. After about six or seven years, things began to calm down. There was a senior manager position in the newly created marketing department in Dan’s company. He decided to take the job. Finally, he had a real job and could settle down. With that job, Dan could move up in the company and be an executive-level person. This was a great opportunity, but Dan hated the job. And even worse than that, he was terrible at it. Dan had invested his future in this success that he had earned, and it was what everybody else said he should want and do, but it was a catastrophe.Lessons learnedUnderstand who you are and what you’re about.Be committed to following your passion and talents. Otherwise, you’ll be dragged into things that make you miserable.Andrew’s takeawaysFind your place in the world.Actionable adviceInvest time and effort in figuring out what you really are and are not.Dan’s recommendationsDan recommends reading Do Bigger Things. It’s fun to read and has a lot of stories that illustrate complex concepts.No.1 goal for the next 12 monthsDan’s number one goal for the next 12 months is to create a tribe of choreographers.Parting words “Go do bigger things, muck around in the world, and change stuff. It’s a lot of fun.”Dan McClure [spp-transcript] Connect with Dan McClureLinkedinTwitterWebsiteBookAndrew’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 ClassThe Become a Better Investor CommunityHow to Start Building Your Wealth Investing in the Stock MarketFinance Made Ridiculously SimpleFVMR Investing: Quantamental Investing Across the WorldBecome a Great Presenter and Increase Your InfluenceTransform Your Business with Dr. Deming’s 14 PointsAchieve Your GoalsConnect with Andrew Stotz:astotz.comLinkedInFacebookInstagramThreadsTwitterYouTubeMy Worst Investment Ever Podcast

BIO: Bryan Kramer is a renowned business strategist, global keynote speaker, executive trainer and coach, investor, two-time bestselling author, and Forbes contributor.STORY: Bryan decided to expand his business, but the growth snowballed out of control to the point where he traveled 200 days a year and missed out on family time. Being on the road too much also saw him develop type two diabetes. Only after his 11-year-old son pointed out the horrible life he was living did Bryan decide to quit it all.LEARNING: Relationships carry us through the highs, the mid-levels, and the lows. First, look at what you need today and then how you can serve others. “Relationships, I believe, is the thing that carries us through the highs, the mid-levels, and lows. I will never stop being a fight for relationships and being human, especially right now.”Bryan Kramer Guest profileBryan Kramer is a renowned business strategist, global keynote speaker, executive trainer and coach, investor, two-time bestselling author, and Forbes contributor.As President and co-owner of PureMatter, a Silicon Valley global marketing agency since 2001, and CEO of H2H Companies, he sparked the Human-to-Human “H2H” global movement that sets out to humanize business through simpler communication, empathy, and celebrating our imperfections.His TED Talk featured a TED “first” – allowing mobile devices during the event to illustrate his belief that even a small inspirational share holds the power to change the world for the better.Bryan has spoken all over the world, over 200 times at global companies including Mastercard, L‘oreal Paris, NASA, GoDaddy, Harvard University, Charles Schwab, SXSW, International Culinary Institute, Verizon, Dell, NFL, and Hawaii Lodging & Tourism, to name a few.Worst investment everBryan decided to expand his business to more than 10 people and then expanded into a 6,000-square-foot space and later to a 10,000-square-foot space. He continued to increase his employees and hired around the United States. Bryan was looking at fame and power from speaking, keynoting, creating a bigger business, more money, and more clients. It was just a never-ending process, and it got to the point where Bryan was speaking on the road. He’d written two best-selling books, given a TED talk, and was speaking on the road. Bryan was traveling for 200 days a year, eating food around the world because it was so good. But he blew up and became morbidly obese. All of a sudden, he got type two diabetes. His business growth had snowballed into something I had no control over anymore.The worst part was missing out on family time. Bryan had two young kids at the time. One day, he went home, and his 11-year-old son complained about not seeing him anymore, complained about his drinking, and called him fat. This hit Bryan right in the heart. A week later, when he returned from another trip, he told his wife he wanted to reverse everything. So, he walked out of the business and consolidated everything between them over the next six months.Lessons learnedRelationships carry us through the highs, the mid-levels, and the lows.Look around for people you can be in a relationship with that will help you create more of what you need right now.We have to take care of ourselves first and then care for everyone else.First, consider what you need today, then how you can serve others.Andrew’s takeawaysFigure out what you need to fix and how to start fixing it today.Actionable adviceAsk yourself what will this make possible when things don’t work out or when things do work out. Be okay and be present with what you have. Look at the next challenge as an opportunity.Bryan’s recommendationsBryan recommends subscribing to his newsletter. He writes a letter every two weeks discussing leadership, self-development, and growth. Bryan also recommends reading The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself. The book speaks volumes about how to stay connected and unconnected at the same time with your true self. It also teaches how to remain unattached to the things you don’t need to be attached to that aren’t serving you.No.1 goal for the next 12 monthsBryan’s number one goal for the next 12 months is to finish his third book about trust. The book will tackle what, how, why, when, and where we trust and how to rebuild it.Parting words “Remember that being human is now your competitive advantage. That’s what’s going to help you stand out. Andrew, thank you so much. I really appreciate you having me on the show, and I’m honored to have the alumni status.”Bryan Kramer [spp-transcript] Connect with Bryan KramerLinkedinTwitterFacebookInstagramYouTubeWebsitePodcastBooksAndrew’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 ClassThe Become a Better Investor CommunityHow to Start Building Your Wealth Investing in the Stock MarketFinance Made Ridiculously SimpleFVMR Investing: Quantamental Investing Across the WorldBecome a Great Presenter and Increase Your InfluenceTransform Your Business with Dr. Deming’s 14 PointsAchieve Your GoalsConnect with Andrew Stotz:astotz.comLinkedInFacebookInstagramThreadsTwitterYouTubeMy Worst Investment Ever Podcast

Isn’t Capitalism Great!? Here are eight key benefits of increasing the profits of your business. And I challenge you to set the goal for 2024 to increase the profits of your business.Why is increasing profit so important? Because without profit any business will eventually die. Your obligation as a founder, owner, leader, or director is to ensure that profit remains strong.Reinvestment and Growth: Higher profits enable reinvestment in research and development, operations expansion, infrastructure improvements, and inventory, ensuring growth and long-term sustainability.Attracting Investment: Profitable businesses demonstrate a viable business model and robust financial health, making them more attractive to investors and lenders, thus increasing financing options.Competitive Advantage: Businesses can use increased profits to lower prices, enhance product quality, or boost marketing efforts, which helps them gain a competitive advantage.Market Expansion: With higher profits, businesses can invest in new markets or acquire competitors, expanding their market share and solidifying their industry position.Employee Satisfaction: Profitability allows businesses to offer employees better salaries, benefits, and growth opportunities, improving morale and job satisfaction. This helps attract and retain top talent.Risk Reduction: Higher profits allow you to set aside reserves, which can help you better survive unexpected downturns, maintain stability, and even thrive when competitors struggle.Social Impact: A profitable business can contribute to communities through charitable efforts, community service, or sustainable practices, positively impacting society beyond its operations.Personal Rewards: Increased profits mean higher dividends for owners and shareholders, leading to improved lifestyles, enhanced retirement security, and greater personal investment opportunities. Andrew’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 ClassThe Become a Better Investor CommunityHow to Start Building Your Wealth Investing in the Stock MarketFinance Made Ridiculously SimpleFVMR Investing: Quantamental Investing Across the WorldBecome a Great Presenter and Increase Your InfluenceTransform Your Business with Dr. Deming’s 14 PointsAchieve Your GoalsConnect with Andrew Stotz:astotz.comLinkedInFacebookInstagramThreadsTwitterYouTubeMy Worst Investment Ever Podcast

BIO: A born and bred Oklahoman, Nathaniel Harding is an innovator and market maker who has founded, scaled, and sold companies. He is a successful investor in energy, biotech, and ag tech.STORY: Nathaniel’s company decided to deploy new technology to explore oil and gas fields. The venture was cash-intensive and an absolute commercial zero.LEARNING: Categorize risks. Limit your investments to one risk. Do one risk at a time and do it sequentially. “There is such a thing as too many firsts. When you stack that house of cards up high enough, it’s going to fall.” Nathaniel Harding Guest profileA born and bred Oklahoman, Nathaniel Harding is an innovator and market maker who has founded, scaled, and sold companies. He is a successful investor in energy, biotech, and ag tech. Nathaniel was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and a Most Admired CEO in Oklahoma by the Journal Record.Worst investment everAbout 10 years ago, Nathaniel’s company evaluated new oil and gas fields that they believed were underdeveloped or underdeveloped. The company developed competence in using analytical methods using high science to assess potential areas. Then, it deployed the infrastructure and equipment personnel to prove and develop it. The company would do that and increase production throughout a new area and then sell it to a bigger, more established oil and gas company.After much success with that model, the company decided to do it again. They believed they had the Midas touch. They were now working with some very well-established and accomplished geologists and geoscientists. This time, they took the model outside of their home state of Oklahoma to Michigan. In this new location, they went the extra mile. They introduced a new technology that no other company had used before. This was cash-intensive, and they had to find an investor. They needed upfront capital to lease the acreage and go through the many regulatory steps to have the right to operate in a new environment. Unfortunately, the project was an absolute commercial zero.Lessons learnedCategorize risks.Limit your investments to one risk.Do one risk at a time and do it sequentially.Andrew’s takeawaysIsolate your risks.Actionable adviceIf embarking on something with many firsts or new experiences, partner with someone who knows that territory. Also, make your first 10 customers wildly happy, which will help with execution and scale risk.Nathaniel’s recommendationsNathaniel recommends traveling often to get yourself out of the daily grind so you can think more aspirationally and creatively.No.1 goal for the next 12 monthsNathaniel’s number one goal for the next 12 months is to be a top decile fund.Parting words “Never stop learning, never stop growing. You learn more from failure.”Nathaniel Harding Connect with Nathaniel HardingLinkedinTwitterInstagramWebsitePodcast [spp-transcript] Connect with Nathaniel HardingLinkedinTwitterInstagramWebsitePodcastAndrew’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 ClassThe Become a Better Investor CommunityHow to Start Building Your Wealth Investing in the Stock MarketFinance Made Ridiculously SimpleFVMR Investing: Quantamental Investing Across the WorldBecome a Great Presenter and Increase Your InfluenceTransform Your Business with Dr. Deming’s 14 PointsAchieve Your GoalsConnect with Andrew Stotz:astotz.comLinkedInFacebookInstagramThreadsTwitterYouTubeMy Worst Investment Ever Podcast

BIO: Will Roundtree offers the world a unique lens into wealth-building strategies and examines opportunities for his communities to expound on their knowledge and have effective practices to apply it.STORY: Will invested in a small tax franchise after he bought into the owner’s lavish lifestyle. He didn’t do his due diligence, only to discover that the owner had been stealing from his clients. This saw him lose over $40,000.LEARNING: Do your due diligence. Study the actual industry you want to invest in and verify its legitimacy. There’s no hack or shortcut to earning trust. “People want to look like they’re running a business. So they go and get all these business expenses. I’d say the number one thing you should do is get a customer first.”Will Roundtree Guest profileWill Roundtree offers the world a unique lens into wealth-building strategies and examines opportunities for his communities to expound on their knowledge and have effective practices to apply it.From homeless to millionaire, Will has established himself as a staple in the real estate investment sector. His expertise has garnered recognition among his peers and community members as the founder and top-grossing principal at WE Management Services. Will has helped over 3,500 small to medium-sized businesses access over 300 million dollars in business funding over the 36 months.In 2005, he left his hometown of Milwaukee, WI, with a borrowed 500 dollars and headed towards Las Vegas. Once there, Roundtree found the ruthless realities of living without a financial plan and imperfect credit. His applications were denied for housing, and this left him homeless and living out of his car.Roundtree was inspired to diligently educate himself on personal finance and credit. He would walk into libraries and read books about consumer credit laws, standard operating procedures, regulations, and economics. This led to him becoming a FICO Certified Consultant and eventually to the creation of WE Management Services, a highly-rated financial services company. In this role, Roundtree has helped numerous families successfully restore credit, become homeowners, obtain financial freedom, and become flourishing business owners. More than a decade later, Roundtree tours the country as a notable financial advisor, author, motivational speaker, mentor, community organizer, real estate investor, and wealth builder. Just recently, he completed a nationwide tour headlining his innovative Cocktails and Credit seminars. He is also the creator and host of the Full Time CEO Podcast: The $h!t They Don’t Tell You!Worst investment everWill invested in a small tax franchise when they were up and coming. The owner of the franchise pitched Will by showing him how much money he had made the year before. Will didn’t ask to see any financials or verify if the company was legit. He was impressed by the profit and loss statement and pictures of the guy’s automobiles and the trips he took. So he sold Will on the lifestyle, not necessarily the business.After liquidating his 401-K, Will also took out some personal loans to invest in the tax franchise. His total investment into the franchise was about $40,000 upfront, plus additional yearly fees. After the purchase was completed, Will had to lease an office. He negotiated for a tenant improvement allowance of about $25,000. For the landlord to renovate the building, Will had to go from a three to a six-year lease. Now, he had a 3,000-square-foot office for six years. Next, he went out and hired over 35 tax preparers.When the tax season started, Will believed he would have over 500 clients coming in, but that wasn’t the case. At the time, he had partnered with a bank to make tax payouts, and close to the end of the tax season, the bank just shut him off. He got a letter saying the bank was auditing all of his financials. Turns out the parent tax company had been stealing clients’ money. The owner would stuff a bunch of fake expenses into a client’s tax refund, help them get a large refund, and then charge the client $1,500 in software costs. This money would be deposited into the company’s bank account, and that’s why the bank was now auditing Will’s accounts.Will had to take the franchise owner to court, leading to a long, expensive legal battle that lasted years.Lessons learnedWhen you do something solely for money, you overlook all the other outpoints it takes to make money.Do your due diligence.Study the actual industry you want to invest in and verify its legitimacy.Andrew’s takeawaysThere’s no hack or shortcut to earning trust.Be super careful when you go into any business with no experience and no client base on which you can build a revenue stream.Actionable adviceGet experience in the space you want to start a business to see if you’ll like it. Go work for someone in that industry. Before jumping in, this will help you determine if you like that business model and the industry.Will’s recommendationsWill has over 300 videos on YouTube that you can watch. You can also follow him across all social media platforms: LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Will is also a two-time author of Credit is King, one of the fastest and most-sold books in the credit industry. And Full Time CEO, which teaches the unglamorous side of entrepreneurship.No.1 goal for the next 12 monthsWill’s number one goal for the next 12 months is to license his information. He also wants to help over 1,000 people get their first investment property and increase their net worth in their assets.Parting words “It’s been a pleasure, Andrew. Thank you for this platform. Hopefully, one day, I’ll come back not necessarily with a worse story, but just an update on the success we’re helping others with.”Will Roundtree [spp-transcript] Connect with Will RoundtreeLinkedinTwitterFacebookInstagramWebsitePodcastAndrew’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 ClassThe Become a Better Investor CommunityHow to Start Building Your Wealth Investing in the Stock MarketFinance Made Ridiculously SimpleFVMR Investing: Quantamental Investing Across the WorldBecome a Great Presenter and Increase Your InfluenceTransform Your Business with Dr. Deming’s 14 PointsAchieve Your GoalsConnect with Andrew Stotz:astotz.comLinkedInFacebookInstagramThreadsTwitterYouTubeMy Worst Investment Ever Podcast