We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Brad Hart. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Brad below.
Hi Brad, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?
When it comes to money, there are people playing two types of games, scarcity and abundance.
Sometimes, there really isn’t enough to go around, but most of the time, there is more than enough.
It’s really a perception thing. After working on Wall St and in Real Estate during my early career, I quickly tired of seeing people playing the scarcity game- it was like that kids game Hungry Hungry Hippos.
The point of that game– There’s only so many marbles, and you better grab what you can while you can.
But if we could just Make More Marbles, now that would really be something special.
That’s the abundant game we play. Make the pie bigger and everyone wins more. That’s what Make More Marbles is all about.
We do this through helping people build capability networks and mastermind groups, as well as creating assets that provide value at scale through blockchain technology.
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
My first entrepreneurial job was a lawn business when I was only 12 years old.
We grew up pretty much hand to mouth– my dad was a lumber truck driver and my mom worked in a deli, so when he was injured and couldn’t work again, it became clear that I would have to help out the family however I could.
So I basically always worked, just as my mom had been working since she was very young to take care of her 6 younger brothers and sisters.
But I eventually found my own ‘entrepreneurial gateway drug’ which was Rich Dad Poor Dad, that book opened my eyes to a class of people called business owners and investors. I knew that was the way out.
On top of that, when I was 16, my grandfather revealed to us that he had quite a bit of money that had been left to him by his uncle, Standard Oil and Bell Telephone stock, bought for cheap during the depression years, had turned into two dozen oil and telecom companies worth a couple million by his 80’s, churning $100k a year in dividends.
I saw the power of money wisely invested for the long term.
It gave me a new lens. I realize many people don’t get the financial education or have proper role models to break things down for them.
So I do my best to master the skills of entrepreneurship, investing and philanthropy, generating, growing and giving money in ways that fit our core values.
Then I do my very best for our clients to break down these mindsets, habits and strategies for our clients to succeed as well.
Chris was a cop and a personal trainer, joined our program, built a mastermind and training program for cops to keep them emotionally, physically and mentally ready for the job. He got 100 clients in his first year, made $9 for every $1 he spent on Instagram, and had a month that year where he made more in a month than he had ever made in his job, increasing his impact exponentially in the process.
Jasmine had two masterminds when we met her, but she was working 80 hour weeks and making too little money, within 90 days we had her business streamlined, working 30 hour weeks and making 3x the revenue.
AJ launched his first mastermind in 4 weeks, got 14 clients and generated over $150k in revenue.
Victor got 12 clients in his first 5 weeks.
Vamsi filled 3 mastermind groups with referrals from his first one, and was able to quit his job as a corporate VP to do this full time.
Kristine made 6 figures in her first year, as have many others.
Justin went 6/6 on his first 6 sales calls ever, completely changing his paradigm for success and impact forever.
These folks and many others like them are the reason we do what we do, to make sure they have the tools to succeed, grow and prosper, so they can impact the world in ways they never anticipated.
We’ve also been able to raise millions of dollars for multiple charities, like Feeding America, Operation Underground Railroad, The Unstoppable Foundation and The Greatness Foundation, helping to provide food, utilities, shelter and education for people in need around the world.
The more we can bless others, the more we are blessed, and we always start with gratitude. Because you can’t solve a problem from the same level of consciousness in which it was created.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
Warren Buffett always says it takes 20 years to build a reputation and 5 minutes to destroy it. It’s really true.
You have to decide and stick to your rules when it comes to doing business with others.
That’s why it’s so important to have safeguards in place.
I’ve had so many opportunities to make so much money that just didn’t feel aligned to the ultimate mission.
I ultimately pass on those opportunities, because the more you say yes to the things that don’t fit your values or mission, the more off course you go, and the more you’re inviting opportunity for unintended consequences.
I’m the kind of person that I always strive to show up on time, be prepared and do my best.
I expect that from others, and am looking for those who say what they will do and do what they say.
If their word isn’t worth anything, it’s unlikely their work will be worth anything.
So it’s important to notice these things early and decide accordingly who you will invest your time and relational capital with.
I avoid deals where it’s bad for the customer, or the risks aren’t properly disclosed.
I avoid deals that feel like junk food, a quick hit but no sustainable value.
And I avoid relationships where people are too focused on the money. Money is a byproduct of good business, good investments, and not the chief aim.
People who are too focused on money will end up with less than they want… but if you focus on just making the pie bigger for everyone, then you will probably end up with more money as a result.
We’re very proud to have built a great reputation in the industry. I have taken my time and the relationships are the most important part for me.
It’s important to add value and seek to solve any challenges first, take the time to relate, build rapport and create a bond beyond just the lip service that most people pay to networking.
A mentor once taught me- something that you promise might mean nothing to you, but might mean everything to the other person, so always keep your word, no matter how small a thing you might think it is.
And above all, follow through on any promises made– I call it the 200% rule. Promise 90% less things but deliver 110% of what you promise.
This is simple, but not easy. Here’s another framework- SEEDS and CROPS. Seek in Every Encounter to Diagnose, Serve, Support and Solve. Do this by Connecting Resources, Opportunities, People and Systems together.
If you can do this consistently, you will quickly build a network of givers and a great reputation. Then your successes will feel that much better knowing you gave as good as you got, and your failures will be simple detours on the way to success, learning the things you needed to learn in order to create what you were meant to create in this world.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
I was successful at investing before I was truly successful in entrepreneurship. This lead me to have a chip on my shoulder during the transition and having a lot of early failures to launch.
The mindset of a successful investor is much different than the mindset of a successful entrepreneur. I had to be able to create new habits, beliefs and patterns within myself to have success as an entrepreneur, which ultimately led to founding another 2 successful 7 figure businesses after my hedge fund.
The point is that if you’re going to succeed at any new venture, be it trading, investing, entrepreneurship, raising money etc, you can take lessons you’ve learned elsewhere, but you have to approach it with a beginners mind, get mentorship and try and fail a lot until it clicks. You can’t just show up and shine and expect to thrive in a new game you’ve never played before.
Think about any new game, first you learn the rules, then you learn some strategy, then you keep trying and iterating until you achieve success and then you keep going until you achieve mastery.
If you aren’t playing to win, you probably shouldn’t bother playing, because unlike a game, there are real risks in the real world. You will lose time, energy, attention, friends, opportunity and money. So come correct and give it everything you’ve got, don’t rest on your laurels or expect easy success even if you’ve been successful before.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://8minutemastermind.com and http://8minutemoneymanager.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/makemoremarbles
- Facebook: facebook.com/bradhart
- Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/makemoremarbles
- Twitter: http://twitter.com/makemoremarbles
- Other: http://marbles.link/ http://buildamastermind.com/
Image Credits
Andrew Reed