My Worst Investment Ever Podcast
Business:Investing
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 profile
Bryan 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 learnedAsk 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
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Connect with Bryan Kramer
Jason Brown – You Never Go Broke Taking a Profit
ISMS 35: Larry Swedroe – Great Companies Are Not Always High-Return Investments
Chris Vermeulen – Find What You’re Passionate About
Kenny Rose – Don’t Invest in Anything You’re Not Fully Educated In
ISMS 34: Larry Swedroe – Consider All Hidden Costs Before You Invest
Chong Ser Jing – Pay Attention to What Drives Business Results
James M. Dahle – Don’t Buy More Insurance Than You Need
Harley Bassman – Sizing Is More Important Than Entry Level
Mike Philbrick – Just Because You’re Winning Doesn’t Mean You’re Smart
Sam Burns – Understand What You’re Really Betting On
Jay Pelosky – You Can Be Right but at the Wrong Time
Reuben Mattinson – Have Solid Proof That Trading Is Happening and It’s Regulated
Jerry Parker – Understand Your Investing Capabilities and Limitations
ISMS 33: Fed Success! High LT Rates & Recession Coming
William Cohan – Get the Numbers Right Before You Invest
Neil Johnson – Take the Profit When You Can
Jeremy Deal – Use Differentiated Insight to Evaluate an Investment
William Bernstein – Never Invest Based on the Headlines
ISMS 32: 5 Signs of Impending Recession
ISMS 31: Global CPI saw 2nd MoM uptick in August
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