Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ari Schonbrun. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Ari thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. One deeply underappreciated facet of entrepreneurship is the kind of crazy stuff we have to deal with as business owners. Sometimes it’s crazy positive sometimes it’s crazy negative, but crazy experiences unite entrepreneurs regardless of industry. Can you share a crazy story with our readers?
As a motivational speaker I travel a lot. Before I left my Wall Street job I was building my speaking business in my spare time which meant I was working every waking minute of everyday that I wasn’t working at my job building my business. Any speaking gig that was within driving distance (2 hours each way) was easy because those were usually evening gigs after work. The harder ones were those required me to get on a plane. Those were usually doable as long as they were in the northeast. I was usually able to leave my office at 3:00 and arrive at my destination at about 7:00 which would be right on time to speak. After the event I would catch a late flight which would get me home at about 1:00 AM and I would go to work as usual the next day. One day, I get a call from a guy in Mexico City who wants me to come down to Mexico and speak in 3 schools and a town hall. That would require a day and a half. It turns out that I the date he wanted was Columbus Day. My office happened to be closed on Columbus day. We negotiated a price and I booked my trip. I left JFK at 1:00 AM, Arrived in Mexico City at 5:30 AM. Got to where I was staying, went to morning services, came back for breakfast, showered and c hanged and off we went. I spoke in a school at 9:00 AM, went to another school and spoke at 11:00 AM, went to a third school and spoke at 1:00 PM, went for lunch at 3:30 PM, arrived back at the place where i was staying at 6:00 PM, took a 1 hour nap, Got up, showered, changed clothes, went to the town hall meeting and spoke at 8:30 PM. From there went to the airport and got on a midnight flight, arrived in NY at 7:00 AM, Went to services and then straight to the office where I arrived at 9:00 AM and started my regular day job.
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
Ari Schonbrun is a 9/11 survivor turned Author, Speaker, Podcast Host and Executive Performance Coach. He was the Chief Administrative Officer of Cantor Fitzgerald and Co., one of the world’s leading financial services firms. He was responsible for overseeing and directing the day-to-day operations and administrative processes across Cantor Fitzgerald’s Capital Markets group.
Mr. Schonbrun was on the 78th floor of Tower One when the first plane hit on September 11, 2001. He helped a colleague suffering third degree burns to safety and was thrown into the national spotlight thereafter. His miraculous first-hand account about survival has been retold in newspapers, magazines, broadcast outlets, and books.
Mr. Schonbrun is a renowned inspirational speaker and the author of Miracles & Fate on 78. He draws from the personal heartbreak he endured during the devastation of 9/11, deftly weaving in his capital markets expertise after more than three decades of working on Wall Street. He speaks with energy, fluency and wisdom, utilizing his humorous and engaging personality to stir and inspire audiences worldwide.
He is also the host of Whispers & Bricks Podcast and the creator of Whispers & Bricks Coaching Academy, focusing on middle management and executive life coaching.
We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.
Side hustle started after 9/11 and it was by accident. I was asked to be on a panel and speak about 9/11 experience at a local school dinner. I didn’t realize it then but I found out that i had a knack for public speaking. After that evening I was approached by the Dean of the school to deliver my story to the high school. One of the kids taped my talk and gave it to his mom who ran an annual tea for a charity and she called me to speak at their event. That became my first paid speaking gig. I think they paid me $175. After that it was more word of mouth and part time. I finally got to a point where I said to myself that I was either going to do this or not but if I was, I had to go all in. That’s when I hired a web designer to build a website for me. I joined all social media and started to get my name out there. I think my big break came when a friend of mine convinced me to write a book about my experience and I had a friend who was a producer for Fox and Friends and she got me on that show where I was able to tout my book. It was 6 years later that I made the decision to leave my job and go into speaking full time.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Covid – 19. No live events, my business went to zero. I told my wife that our lifestyle was going to have to change as i figured out what to do next. I knew that Covid wasn’t going to last forever but in the interim I need another revenue stream. I started doing virtual talks (very difficult). Then I started my podcast and coaching business. Now that Covid is over I have 3 revenue streams.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.arischonbrun.com, www.WhispersAndBricks.com
- Facebook: Ari Schonbrun
- Linkedin: Ari Schonbrun
- Twitter: @AriSchonbrun2