We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Robert Biehn a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Robert, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

The inspiration behind developing BountiHunt the platform was never on my list of things to accomplish. It truly came about in a very unexpected way, it was born out of necessity…

…you see, I have been working on a fantasy world/series known as Exousia. Think Hunger Games, meets Avatar the Last Airbender, meets Lord of the Rings. This world, which I have been working on for 17 years is absolutely massive. Let me give you a few examples of just how expansive it is:

-we have over 50 news articles written that describe the events leading up to the first book and then continue alongside the books to tell different parts of the world that we assume or hear whispers about in the book but never get to fully explore in its pages

-we have hundreds of pieces of artwork ranging from character profiles, landmarks from the world, scenes, and other various imagery that really help you to see what this world is like

-we have fan letters from fans in the book who adore a certain popular character in the book

-we have love letters between a certain couple we end up loving in the book, but don’t get to explore further so as not to detract from the main storyline

-we have various other letters and notes from the people within the story who share pieces of their lives and their perspectives within the world of Exousia

-we have propaganda posters that line the streets within the book that you can actually see

-we have merch, clothing based on actual moments and times in the book, and quite literally over 100 years’ worth of a map that if you really want a huge map, includes a theme park (virtual and physical)

-oh, and of course the books themselves

So since I only shared a little bit there, you can see that it is a pretty massive world. And one of the best parts is fans will actually get to help build the parts of the world that aren’t canon. However, we ran into a HUGE problem: where can we effectively host such a massive world, all of its parts, as a complete package, how do we seamlessly reward fans, track loyalty, and allow them to vote, submit, and be a part of this world?

Well, no social media platform even remotely came close to doing what we needed. That’s when I felt forced to do what I didn’t want to do, but had to: build the platform I needed for myself/Exousia.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m going to focus on the “what problems do you solve for your clients/sets you apart from others?” as at the heart of everything I do, I’m just trying to make everyone’s life a little bit better and more meaningful. So I’ll sort of explain this in parts:

What’s the problem?

-Brands and fans struggle to truly connect with each other because social media is designed for consumption, NOT connection

-Social Media often distracts and misleads people, as it is not designed to serve the brand or the fan, but rather to curate to profit and the highest bidder

-Social Media restricts control and monetization for creators and fans

What’s the BountiHunt solution?

-Brands and fans collaborate with each other in a way where both parties are rewarded

-BountiHunt actually gives you the content and connections you want with full transparency

-On BountiHunt, you take charge and can make more money as both creators and fans than any other platform

Now let’s talk about the elephant in the room “How are we different from every other social media platform and better for Brands and fans?”

-Brands & fans have more options to earn cash, prizes, and rewards for their contributions to the Brands they already support and love

-Fans earn and are rewarded by watching relevant ads

-Everyone is incentivized to help sell each other’s products because everyone is automatically an affiliate

-We favor relevancy not popularity, the new social currency from our unique algorithm that favors those who are relevant, not just popular or clickbait

-Daily cash prizes and time-based interactions to inspire daily logins

-Fans and brands are rewarded with badges, achievements, and exclusive items they can even resell in our marketplace

-A unique experience entirely tailored to you, different than everyone else’s

-Fans & brands can finally customize their profiles

I could go on forever, but it’s a lot of information and I don’t want to overdo it. Essentially, when was the last time you were excited to log into your social media account? When was the last time you felt all the support, time, and effort you put into social media led to direct benefit and value for you, for those you care about, not just in words, but monetary and prizes? Our goal is to make sure that every day getting on BountiHunt is filled with adventure, opportunity, and excitement!

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Well, I have quite literally been working on the world of Exousia for 17 years. If I hadn’t stuck through that, the world would have never grown so big, vast, and immersive, which inevitably forced me to have to develop a platform that could encompass it.

That’s BountiHunt.

Had I just given up, or been lax or lazy, rather than diligent, Exousia would have faded away or stayed as just a small idea. It’s really hard to stay diligent on something that doesn’t make you money (since I hadn’t published or sold anything, was just building out the story).

I worked on Exousia when I lost where I was living, when relationships came and went, when jobs were terminated when life crumbled, but also when life felt perfect. It was always a part of my life, which as mentioned before, led to the necessity of a place/platform that could hold something so massive.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

I’ve got a couple, starting with the most important:

The Bible:

-having a strong spiritual foundation, a crystal clear understanding of what you believe and why you believe it. It is a compass to guide you through ethical dilemmas, and controversial things, and keep you pointing in the right direction when the world has no clue what they’re doing, where they are going, and ultimately ends up trying to pull you from your path (whether intentional or not) is a lifesaver. It’ll help you reason through every single problem that ever comes up in life and has truly kept me sane and has not just preserved but grown the strength of my marriage, my role as a father, leader, and protected me from falling for creating products to squeeze money from people rather than improve lives.

A few other ones (I’ve read a lot of great books, but I’m trying to mention pens I’ve referenced instinctively):

-Never Split the Difference – Chris Voss

-$100M Offers – Alex Hormozi

-12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos – Dr. Jordan Peterson

-We’re All Liars: 101 Ways to Live the Truth – Robert Biehn (yeah, it’s a little coffee table book I wrote, but writing that book really firmly established and helped me to write down the principles I believe in while living in a modern world)

-Lord of the Rings – J.R.R. Tolkien

Each of those I’ve quoted, have returned to, or practice pieces of in my personal and/or professional life.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: robertbiehnofficial
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN_M_ovnXDXJB2b6rXXWwCA
• Other: These are my personal ones, which are mainly real estate-dominated right now, but I’ll have ones for BountiHunt coming soon!

Image Credits
My wife Whoever at our church (The Experience Community Church) took a picture of me teaching Sunday school