Latest / Harder Than Life / 41: Are You Willing to Give Everything? w/ Brandon Adams

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41: Are You Willing to Give Everything? w/ Brandon Adams · Harder Than Life

• 0:00
  I'm Kelly Siegel and this is harder than life a podcast about self-love self-awareness business and health We tell outrageous stories and boil everything down to simple practical advice. You can start using today. Let's get living
• 0:15
  You've heard me say this time and time again, there are no coincidence. I met this man in black at a speaking event in Nashville and have stayed in touch ever since. This brainiac is into all things money. He is a speaker, advisor, and video marketing expert. Oh, and no big deal, but he's also an Emmy award-winning producer and one heck of a human being. Listen intently because you're going to learn how to make money from your phone. Welcome to the Heart of Life podcast, my brother. How you doing? It's good to be on the show, buddy.
• 0:43
  I am lovely. And you know what? We just reordered all the shows because it's been out of control. And I just walked in and said, guess what? We have to move Brandon's show, uh, to Thursday. So we're going to, we're going to move it around for what we're going to talk about your rise and record, uh,
• 1:02
  event that's coming up on October 17th through 19th. So we'll get that out in a bunch of time, but it seems like everyone this, these days is an influencer and we all have our camera phone. What's the deal with personal branding? Why is it important and how does it fit into your growing revenue through video content? Yeah. So this influencer world, first off,
• 1:21
  Most people out there, they hear the word influencer and they probably think somebody with millions of followers. You think of maybe like a Jake Paul or a Tai Lopez or somebody, Gary V. And you can be a person of influence and only have maybe even a thousand followers. The thing is having an influence with the right people and really you look at a power of a brand. What is a brand? It's what's branded in people's minds of how they remember you, of who you are as a person.
• 1:49
  what you do, how you can help them, and how you build that brand and how you build that influence is by creating consistent content, let's say with the phone or eventually with the videographer like you and I do, eventually high-end production TV shows. But you create content that communicates who you are as a person, what you stand for, the background of your life. It's like we all have our reality TV show on social media.
• 2:13
  And how you can help people grow their business, how you can help bring value to them through your products and services. And when you do that consistently day in and day out, what does it do? It brands in people's minds, but also you're building influence with the right people who will buy your products and services.
• 2:32
  Specifically, Brandon, you told me when we were talking is when you only have a thousand users or let's just say a thousand and they're all engaged. That was so talk a little bit about an engagement with with your with your follower base. Yeah. So first off.
• 2:47
  Be authentic and be you. I see a lot of stuff on social media where, and hey, don't get me wrong. When I was in my early 20s, I was still trying to figure out who I was and communicate somebody, maybe posturing more. Just be you because people can read through the bullshit. They want to really see who you are as a person, what you stand for. Create authentic content.
• 3:09
  I mean, a lot of my content I'm even doing just with my phone. I'm doing on stories like I had this morning. I forgot I was running. Hey, let's go this week. Or when I'm behind the scenes doing a shoot, I'm going speaking at an event. I'm with a client or I'm with my family. I'm just really bringing in my life because, again, people buy from people.
• 3:29
  And the more you can create that authenticity in your brand and who you are, the more likely people are going to become real followers of you and really fall in love with who you are. And eventually they'll be clients for you.
• 3:40
  I always say you get what you need to get what you want when you're your authentic self, because it's just very simple. And I don't need anybody to follow me because I'm acting in a certain way. I'm always going to be me. And I think that's why you and I connected, because I just, yeah, I don't know how to be fake. I never have. I never will. We shot 67 reels yesterday on a Sunday. Nice. Nice.
• 4:04
  And it's going to be, this is the most comfortable I've been in my skin ever. And today's Yom Kippur and the...
• 4:15
  it was a day of atonement for the Jewish people. I'm Jewish. And I, you know, I usually I'm in services, but I said, you know, I don't have anything to atone for. I am complete alignment. I am, I'm loving an inner peace and clarity that I have today. And boy, did I blast it yesterday. So, so when you see the, uh, the reels that come out in the coming weeks, it's going to get very interesting. So yeah, it was, it was the real me. And yeah,
• 4:42
  I get a lot blasted for steroids and for being an alcoholic. People don't realize I don't care when you call me names. It doesn't bother me. I got one yesterday. It was just horrible. I shared it with a few people. They're like, man, that guy's unhealed, unhinged. I look at people that I can help. That's why I like hanging out with you. It's why I like talking to you. You are one of the kindest, most...
• 5:10
  authentic individuals and always want to help everybody. And you're, you're very present engaged. And I just love that about you. So why don't you tell the listeners what your story, Brandon is, and why does it matter, but really talk about that video that explains your life and how creative it was. I love that thing. I wish we could play it right now. But the video that you played at the event was fantastic.
• 5:32
  Thank you, by the way. And I look at you too. Like we're very personal people. That's why we stayed connected. And everything happens for a reason. I'm excited for more dinners and opportunities together. And so the video that we created was, it's called Never Give Up. And it's really like a mini documentary. It's a two and a half minute video that has a compilation of videos and content from the past decade. For me, from going on TV to when I lost everything to you name it.
• 6:02
  And the whole point of the story, and I'll go into my background, was to show that you must never give up. In my journey, I've seen the ups and downs. I've made millions, lost millions. I've had everything taken away from me, literally my land, my vehicle repossessed, and how to sell everything. Things off the wall. My guitar, I'll never forget that one. TVs off the wall.
• 6:23
  So I've been through a lot and I talk about the journey of never giving up and from where I started, which is I'm from Iowa, from a small town in Iowa, Garnerville, Iowa.
• 6:33
  I grew up, I've always been an entrepreneur. I always liked selling things and motivated to make money. I sold packaged ice for a living. So I sold ice. I was a delivery guy. And then as I advanced in my career, I got more advanced in the ice business. But where my mind changed, and I always share this because it was like this line in the sand from where my life was and where my life was going, was when I was opened up to what was possible in this world is I read a book by Napoleon Hill called Think and Grow Rich.
• 7:01
  And the book made me realize that I could really achieve anything I set my mind to. If I had a burning desire, if I was persistent with it, I had a real plan in place. And if I surrounded myself with the right mastermind group. And so I really implemented that in my life. The first endeavor I implemented in was I wanted to make more money in ice business. I wasn't thinking beyond that at that point. And I invented a product called Arctic Stick, the cool and flavored drinks, launched the product.
• 7:28
  Never really made any money with it, but I took it from idea to product on the market. But it led me to crowdfunding. So I got into the space of raising money for people through Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and other crowdfunding platforms. And I started building a brand as a crowdfunding expert. Well, what I found out is the key component to raising the money is.
• 7:47
  was the video asset that we created for the landing page for the digital marketing campaigns and etc so i really became more fascinated with getting in front of the camera and think about this this was almost a decade ago and so i was creating content early on
• 8:02
  And then I saw the power of it and where the kind of pivot for me was. A guy said, hey, if you help me raise money for this show, I got a pilot. I will make you my co-host. I did that. And then the next five years of my life led to doing multiple TV shows, documentaries, winning Emmy Awards, and really fascinated around the storytelling side of things and video asset side of things. Because if you can learn to tell a powerful story through a great video asset,
• 8:28
  You can raise money for charities. You can generate millions of dollars. You can do large product launches. You can get people to go into your systems and processes. You can do whatever the hell you want in life. And so I really focused in on the storytelling side of things through video, which now I implement in companies that are going public, private companies, product launches, you name it. And so long story short, Iowa cornfields selling ice to Eskimos, to Emmy Awards, and investing and advising companies today.
• 8:58
  Who was the guy that that was? Wasn't it someone famous that came to you to help you with that? So my invention that I launched was the famous guy named Cactus Jack Berenger, a famous inventor.
• 9:12
  And how I met Jack, it's funny because I was in college. I was failing speech class. Now I get paid a lot of money to speak. I was failing speech class. And in order to pass, I had to go to this guest presentation. And the guy speaking was this entrepreneur named Cactus Jack Behringer. I heard him speak. He's ultimately the guy that led me to the book, Think and Grow Rich. But I saw he made a deal on Shark Tank with Barbara Corican.
• 9:41
  and Kevin Harrington. Well, I believed in the whole proximity side of things. And eventually, what I did is I utilized the relationship to get into business with Kevin Harrington. And then that was my gateway to much bigger things because I was in business with a shark. And then we ultimately kind of became sharks together in business and different endeavors.
• 10:05
  So I have to do the shameless plug for Ric Flair because you sponsored something with Ric Flair. We had an interesting conversation at dinner, so we got to throw the woo in there. Tell a Ric Flair story. So Ric Flair...
• 10:21
  Wow. First off, wow. Like woo and wow are the first things come to mind. Rick is a very nice human being. I was with him six weeks ago, and I will tell you this. This guy is – if you've ever been out with him, it is the most crazy experience. And he is so known. But we had – we partnered with Rick on a product –
• 10:40
  with a company named New Image Medical, or investors and advisors to the company. And we did, it was for erectile dysfunction. It was called Mount Everest. And we got Rick in front of a big screen. And we had literally, it looked like Mount Everest in the background. Hole in production shoot, probably 20, 30 people there. And we got him wooing, no joke, Rick wooing from 9 a.m.,
• 11:05
  to 5 p.m. and and we took those assets and put them into all kinds of campaigns that guy is a character he knows how to woo and he knows how to bring the energy to issue brad i can't stop we laughed hysterically at dinner when you told that story and it just made me laugh again mount everest for erectile dysfunction so oh man it's funny every time and then the link of rick blair who's what 72 or how old is he
• 11:33
  I think he's 74. That guy can out drink anyone. He can out woo everyone. He can out partner anyone. I don't care what age he is. That guy is crazy. The reason I love it, cause Craig and I send each other memes, wrestling memes all the time. And it's like, it was a famous one he says for ladies, you can't be first, but you can be next.
• 11:59
  Bailey is using the Mount Everest. Anyways, I just digress. I apologize for that. So you famously wear always black. What's the background of always having black on? So I...
• 12:14
  For me, I started doing this five years ago. And where it really came to me was a long time ago, I saw what Steve Jobs and Gary Keller, these other people did. They wore the same thing every day because, one, it's proven when you have to think about what you have to wear, you're burning brain power and energy. And so that was one thing. I didn't want to have to think about things all the time. Where it really kind of instilled into me was I was on a shoot in Boston, Massachusetts, and I was looking at the whole week's shoot.
• 12:44
  and like looking at different things to wear and everything. And I was so annoyed by it. I'm just like, this is so stupid. And it came back to the whole thought of like, think what I have to wear. During that shoot, this is back in 2018, May of 2018, I said, I'm just gonna go one color. Ever since then, I've wore black every single day. It's even become almost part of my brand. I have about 30 pairs of black jeans from the store express. I have about 50 of these black t-shirts.
• 13:13
  Black socks, black underwear, heck, black shoes. I wear the same thing every day. Every once in a while in a blue moon to please my wife in terms of different color variation, we'll go out to a date night and she'll pick something out. But for me, it is simplicity. It really is. Think about it's my uniform. It's my brand. And also, I don't waste time thinking about what I have to wear every day.
• 13:37
  Speaking of your amazing wife, her name is Samantha. How long have you been married? Tell us the backstory on how you met and how you make it worth work with your busy schedule. So October 13th of this year will be our five year wedding anniversary. We've been together for a decade now and we're,
• 13:59
  I will say this. It is, I am the most difficult person to be married to, probably, because I'm traveling. I'm nonstop working. My mind never stops. I'm going on podcast shows. I'm speaking, videos, everything. Our life's public. And it really comes down to, you got to have your own time. I guess one secret is one date night a week. I do it every week. We always have a date night a week. For this week, our date night is tonight. We're going to this event together.
• 14:29
  and also communication. It's always communicating. I mean, we went and created a book called, we created a TV show called Success in Your City. We wrote a book on it called The Road to Success. And then now we created the event Rise and Record together. And we have our own things we work on.
• 14:44
  but we have our own things together, like, or individually. You each need your own identity and you need your own thing. These other ways, if you get too tied up into somebody else, you lose yourself. And so that's my advice on it. I'm grateful for my wife and she's been probably the best mastermind, uh, member in my life. I'm always constantly mastermind with her. Wasn't there a story on how you guys met? So, yes. So here's how we met. Um,
• 15:13
  I'm lost in my life. I'm working nonstop. And I'm like on this trip, river trip I did every year with my boys. And we went to Winona, Minnesota. And I'm sitting at this bar. And there's like five of us there. And the bartender says, I said, give me five shots. This girl at the end of the bar that I do not know says, make it six. That girl is my wife today. Okay.
• 15:39
  She took this sixth shot with us. We had the shot. I got her number. I don't know why I even asked. And I didn't see her again, like, in person for three months. But, like, every day I talked on the phone. And eventually, like, I drove all the way to Florida to bring her back to the Midwest. And then that became our story of being together. But it was a shot, baby. So everybody erupted in the background. She sounds perfect. I can't wait to meet her. Oh, she's great. She's great.
• 16:09
  So we talked about the Rise and Record. So I was going to, my next question is what projects or initiatives are you currently working on, excited about? Talk about Rise and Record. Who's going to be there, the dates, and why people should come and visit it?
• 16:24
  Yeah, so Rise and Record is just like it sounds. It's rise up and share your story and record video content. How it even came about is when we started doing documentaries and TV shows, we found out the power of when people shared their story. It helped them as individuals, but it empowered others. But from a branding and marketing standpoint, it helped attract more people to them and buy from their products and services. And so that's what Rise and Record is about. We have speakers. We have performers, entertainment. It's a three-day event in Nashville, Tennessee.
• 16:52
  And my wife and I are the co-hosts. We do it together. It's so amazing. It's a very high-level, intimate event. This year, speakers we have. We have anywhere from Tim Story, who's a life coach of the coaches. Kevin Harrington, Rizzo Shark from Shark Tank. We have one other one, which actually you're the first person for me to announce this publicly. We just signed it.
• 17:15
  was we have Ashley Cook, who's a country star musician. We actually got our career started through some TikTok videos. She's performing at our event. And so it's a combination of education that helps you understand how to actually share your story, then how to use your story and video assets or film to be able to grow your business, and then a bunch of connections and entertainment. And so...
• 17:38
  We put a lot of time, money, energy into it. It's a lot of fun. And if anybody listening wants to check it out, it's at riseandrecord.com.
• 17:46
  Yeah, they'll be in the show notes. The link is October 17th through the 19th. And go check it out. If you don't know who Tim's story is, we recorded his podcast a couple weeks ago. It'll be out soon. He is a remarkable, remarkable individual. His presence on the stage and his storytelling ability is second to none. He and I become very good friends, and he's just remarkable.
• 18:16
  hear him let alone to see Brandon and his wife so um uh what are mistakes or failures you've encountered what did you learn from them because you didn't just boom come out into the people love hearing about the overcoming of adversity so tell us some stories I'll share two because they happened within like a year time frame that almost broke me um
• 18:38
  So during the show, so 2017 was when my wife and I said, what are we going to do next? I just got done doing a TV show. And we said, let's travel the country and create a TV series around success. We did that. It was called Success in Your City. And so we filmed the first episode. We were in Scottsdale, Arizona. We were with Shea Hill and Brand, the baseball player.
• 18:58
  Did that episode, went to the next city. We're in Austin, Texas. What happened is when it rains, it pours, it poured on me well. I had just got off a big event that did not work out financially. I had a business partner that I had to buy out. And I was funding production of our show. So basically, I had a bunch of business things that happened all at once. Or I was sitting negative thousands in the bank account every day. My banker was hitting me up. I was pretty much broke.
• 19:26
  And I'm like in this hotel in Texas and wondering what the fuck am I going to do? And so that was a very difficult time in my life. But what happened is I really found faith. And I found out that sometimes when you're at your lowest moment and then you hit your sense of peace, right beyond that is your biggest success. And so I had, luckily enough, I'd done a deal six months prior that went public and made more money in that deal than I made in the previous year.
• 19:55
  which got me back on the rodeo again. I was back in business and going and filming the show. Well, I share the next obstacle because this is like a big change in my life. I didn't even realize it until last week. Got through the show, marriage, everything. Went through an air obstacle, almost went bankrupt, literally lost everything. They took my land. I had land. They took it away from me.
• 20:20
  They took everything I owned. I lost everything. And the moment that broke me, that made me realize I will never feel like this again, was I was sitting at my parents' house. And my wife was four hours away. She was in Minnesota. I was in Iowa. And I got a call from her. And she said, Brandon, I can't find our vehicle. And we had a Tahoe at the time. And she couldn't find the vehicle because I was late on my payments and they repossessed it.
• 20:48
  And at that moment, I felt like the biggest piece of shit because it was winter. My wife had to get an Uber. Embarrassment of a vehicle is taken away. And I was back at my home. I remember going downstairs and screaming, just screaming and bawling and saying, I will never be in this position ever again.
• 21:13
  And I will do whatever it takes to get out of this and build massive wealth. And that moment was really the change in me. And within 24 months, I built everything back. I built wealth. I made millions of dollars. And I completely had my comeback. But I think sometimes we have to really hit a breaking point in order to find out what we're made of. And it puts us on this other mindset level that we just, there's no stopping us. That's such a good story. The humility is...
• 21:42
  Outstanding. So I congratulate you. Thank you. What was the lesson from the initial losses that you can share with us? I don't want to – I have some speculation, but just tell us what you – there were red flag, red flag, red flag, and you ignored them. What was the lesson there that you believe? I was so obsessed with creating great content, particularly a TV show, that I was willing to do whatever it took to succeed.
• 22:12
  And a lot of people come to me and say, hey, I got a TV show idea, whatever. And part of me laughs because I know I'm a very motivated guy that will go to battle. There's not many people like me. And when they come to me and say what they want to do, I want to help them. But I also know, like, are you willing to give it everything you have? And that's what I did. And so I don't know if it's really a mistake. It was just like, so, you know, I was pouring all my money into the show.
• 22:39
  while trying to figure everything out, I went after a big goal. I didn't realize how big it was going to be, like how much work it would take. And I underestimated what it would take of me. And it put me in a very vulnerable space and position. And I honestly don't regret it because it actually is what allowed me to figure out what potential I had to move forward. So I guess when you're going all in, maybe figure out more plan Bs, but I don't really believe in a plan B.
• 23:08
  It's tough because they talk about burning the boats. I always, I do, excuse me, I have a plan B. You know, it's not even a plan B. It's more of a, if this happens than that, you know, kind of a fork in the road or a variable that, okay, if it doesn't explode and we start seeing the KPIs that say, ooh, this isn't working, what knob can we turn to dial this in? So it sounds like yours was more of just paying attention to what the universe was presenting to you.
• 23:37
  It was, I guess one other thing just kind of that comes to mind. When I was in that point in my life, this was the first time was back in like February, March of 2018. I didn't have near as many revenue streams as I have today. I have dozens of different revenue streams that I know that money's coming in no matter what. And so I was vulnerable where a lot of my money was allocated on a couple areas. And when those areas got shut off, it was like my lifeline was shut off.
• 24:07
  And so that was that easy. Plus, on top of it, I'm funding an entire production for a TV show. And so I guess make more money, have more revenue streams, have more things in place. So you have more leeway in what you can do.
• 24:24
  You said you were so focused on succeeding. And I literally wrote that down. What was succeeding to you? Was it the accolades or was it actual the success? Like we started off talking like it was inner success to me is inner peace. It isn't all the followers I have. It isn't harder than life blowing up. I don't care about anything. I want to know that I'm doing the best I possibly can. What was success for you at that time? And was that possibly the learning? Well,
• 24:53
  That's a great question. I mean, I was trying to figure out success, but what I thought it was, this is actually part of what makes me successful. But part of it makes me like my, my bad areas of me is I've always strived to be seen. I've always strived to prove something to somebody, prove it to my, my wife, prove it to my dad, proved everybody that I belong and I'm enough. And the show is a way to show everybody.
• 25:21
  I'm enough. I did it. I'm successful. Look at me. And so what was that focus on? Creating a very successful show and showing that I would do it. And that really what it drived down to. Now that I'm where I'm at today, it's not like I need to get seen. I look at building a brand and helping more people. But I'm a whole different person now. Like I'm just a different kind of vibe, different kind of energy than I was back then.
• 25:45
  And that's good. I'm still a work in progress. By no means am I figured out. I'm not fixed. I don't know if I'll ever be fixed. But I'm constantly working on it and I'm acknowledging it to the world.
• 26:02
  Bam, that's what I wanted to hear, brother. So if you're looking at a tremendously financially successful person, just said, I didn't think I was enough. I needed external validation. So if you're listening to this and you're seeking external validation, it wasn't until he surrendered and said, hey, I am enough that he actually achieved the success, quote unquote, success that he was looking for. You want to expand upon that a little bit more?
• 26:33
  I mean validation. Sorry, I used that word. No, you think about it. I look at it like – I know billionaires, like their validation is different things.
• 26:44
  And it almost is insecurity, insecure with who they are. And, and they do different things to feel like they are enough and, and feel secure. And maybe that's when they go buy a very nice car. They go and go on the speaking circuit or try to win trophies and awards because they want to go down another path. I mean, you can look at two sides. One, it makes them the crazy people that they are. They have some insecurities and things that actually maybe sometimes make them not the best people to be around. But two,
• 27:14
  It does drive them to be massively successful. It will, let's successful in the eyes of wealth and material things. So the real question is that I continuously ask myself is how can I combine them and get the ultimatum where I can achieve both without being that person that is difficult to do?
• 27:39
  And you're doing it. I'm working on it. Yeah, yeah. No, you're doing it. That's why I have you on the Hard Life Podcast. That's why I'm moving things around to make sure that your message gets shared. Thank you. It took a while like it does. I mean, it took me until I was 43. How old are you? 33. See, if I had your brain at 33, I was still partying like a rock. Actually, at 33, I had my daughter.
• 28:02
  So that saved my life because I was partying like a rock star. So you're well, give yourself some grace and enjoy every single day because you're doing fabulous. Thank you. Having said that, let's talk some personal stuff. We got to chat for a couple hours, but what can you share any hobbies or interests outside of your professional life?
• 28:26
  I mean, for one, my professional life is an obsession. I do love traveling. I mean, if you look at like really fun things, I love going back to Iowa. So I go back to Iowa where my parents and I grew up and my parents got a cabin.
• 28:41
  Um, I own a bunch of guns. So shooting guns, target practicing, I even go hunting sometimes. Um, so that's one side. I also have a camper in Minnesota. I like to go back and have internet there. So I I'll spend a week there at a time and can do some work, but it's kind of disconnect and be where there is no city. Um, and so that is hobbies of mine. And then I like you, man,
• 29:12
  puts the inner peace to me and makes me feel better. Um, those are really my hobbies. What's one thing about you that people might be surprised to know? I used to share, but this is probably known now is I grew up when I was a kid, I had a speech impediment, um, I had a list and I eventually had overcome that. And I did, and it led me to different things that I do now. But
• 29:37
  I'll share this one. I share this because I think it's helpful for some people. People always say to me, you're so successful. Everything's figured out and all that. Because I see like whether online or the Emmys or business relationships or everything I do. But I'm a human being. And there's some mornings I wake up and I feel like a piece of shit. I feel like I'm worthless. I feel like I'm not enough. I feel like I'm not far enough in life. I feel like I don't know what the hell I'm doing.
• 30:06
  I feel all these different things. But what I do that not everybody does is I say, okay, Brennan, I'm acknowledging this bullshit in my head called the devil. And it's just there, but I'm not going to let it speak into me. And then what I do is I go to the gym and I crush the workout or I go for a run and it's gone. And so I do wake up with those feelings sometimes. And it's, I think we all do, but it's a matter of what you do with it. You let it get to you.
• 30:35
  Or you eliminate it. I eliminate the enemy. And that's the enemy in my head sometimes. I got to tell you, you just triggered me pretty good because I'm the same way. And I'll give you full vulnerability. I wake up more days feeling less than than I do days that I feel like I can conquer the world. But you'd never know it because...
• 30:58
  I'm having these inner conversations with myself that before I come show up, I'm coming to, I'm going to show that up. So you're going to war, you're going to war with yourself. You're going to war. I saw something the other day and I thought about this and I do this and you probably do too. Tom Brady talked about,
• 31:17
  his inner like emotional self. And when he goes into a game, he says he looks at his enemy as an enemy that he's going to kill, not like physically kill, but literally he's in battle and they are the enemy. And he draws that emotion and he goes towards it in my life.
• 31:34
  When I've drawn from emotional moments and I've drawn through anger and all these different things, I channel that emotion towards where I'm going. I channel towards what I call an enemy, which allows me to be more successful. It's that little edge that you get. So how can you channel that emotion to achieving something or progress?
• 31:56
  Even if it's made up, I do the same thing. I recently did this. As I've healed and we've had conversations, I lost a chip on my shoulder. I lost a, I got to prove everybody, I got to show that I'm loved, that I'm worthy and I'm enough. This is why we, you and I connected so well. I lost that edge because I don't, I get everything I need from inside. And to manifest that, I take all of the naysayers on Instagram
• 32:26
  I channel them and say, they want me to fail. So it's a lot like the water boy, Adam Sandler, the water boy. Yeah. Mama said, mama said. That's such a good example. And he channels and tackles them.
• 32:40
  on my way to the podcast, you were talking to my best friend and his mother's, you know, she just got read her last, last, right. She's 83 years old. She was like a second mother to me. And I just immediately got teared up and it was just like, you know, 83, you start doing the math, you know, brandy, you're 32. It's, you know, it's not a long time. I mean, we might as well make it count. So we've been talking a lot about success and I just want to kind of, I don't want to say corny, but let's, what is Brandon Adams at 32 is definition of success now? Yeah.
• 33:10
  Success to me is, I mean, what my success is different than everybody else. First off, the question is ask everybody, everybody should ask themselves, what does success mean to you in your finances, in your business life, in your personal life, in your relationships, in your health, in your wellness? So I always ask that question for me as being the best I could be for one exercising health wise, working towards eating the best things, even though I do love sugar here and there and being the best husband.
• 33:39
  Providing value to my wife, and that's what I believe makes a great relationship, and my family. And then from a business side and my communication, speaking, selling, doing deals, helping companies, is being the most professional at what I do and being the best at what I do. Not compared to everybody else, but how can I be the best me?
• 34:01
  And so that really includes a lot of discipline, whether I'm going and continuously educating myself, investing in other people, being around the right people. Because if I can be the best me, not only can I help a lot more people, but I can make more money and I can do more service to the world. Because when I do die, whenever that day is, and I meet my maker, I better be proud of what I did and not –
• 34:25
  show up like, oh, I let myself like down. I didn't reach my full potential. So that's for me, success to me.
• 34:35
  Such an outstanding answer. Brandon, 32 years old, you are killing it. And I got to tell everybody, I did hear you speak. It was phenomenal. I had my phone out taking notes. You are must-see TV. And it's genuine and authentic. So keep doing what you're doing. I can't wait to see where you're going to be in 10 years. You have 10 more years experience. But I want to reiterate something you just said because it's paramount.
• 35:01
  especially for the young listeners. And there's a lot of them. I have a, my demographic is very young to, to, you know, I think 15 to 20 to 35 is a main demographic. So write down what your definition of success is. Exactly what Brandon just said, because you'd be surprised if you ask somebody, the first thing is, Oh, I want to be rich and famous. Do you?
• 35:25
  And that is so far not what I want. I wish I could do what I'm doing without being on social media. I don't like the attention that comes with it, but I have to because my goal of donating a million dollars a year to charity is that's the way I got to do it. So success to me is being the best I can, doing the best I can every single day and making an impact in this world. It's nothing to do with money. I'm going to give away more money than I've ever made in my life.
• 35:55
  That's what's important to me. It's what burns my fire inside of me. I love that. If you could have dinner with one person who is alive or dead, who would it be and why? Napoleon Hill. Ooh. The reason why is Napoleon Hill got to interview
• 36:19
  some of the most successful people that really became the Titans that created our whole industry of everything. You look at Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Andrew Carnegie, and the list goes on. I would sit down with him and I would break down every single principle that he wrote about. And I would ask his own perspective of how he implemented his life, but also I'd ask very targeted questions around those people I just mentioned that really created these mass companies that are still here today.
• 36:49
  Um, that would be the person I would sit down with. Those people you mentioned to made a lot of failures before they hit it. And it's kind of the, the, the metaphor of your life. I mean, how many things did, uh, would you say Ben Franklin, how many different things that he screw up before he hit? Um,
• 37:06
  You know, it's yeah. Yeah, it's it's insane. They all. But what they did is they knew they were eventually going to succeed and they didn't let failure hold them back. They knew it was another thing that taught them a lesson that got them closer to where they wanted to go. The word failure is just overused these days. I mean, who actually fails and says, that's it? I can't do it. I mean, does do you know?
• 37:30
  I can't think of very many people, oh, I didn't win the championship. That's it. I'm done. I'm setting my career down. I think we overuse failure because I think it's crabs in a bucket. We try to, oh, they didn't make it. Ha, ha, ha. We're so quick to tear down and so much slower to build up. And that's what I agree about you. You're always building everybody up and saying any of you can do it. All you need is a cell phone and a positive attitude and let's roll.
• 37:57
  It's true. It's really true. Like we live in a society now. There's no reason why you can't succeed, make money, do things with the phone. You have access to anyone. You just got to have work ethic and the ability to take action.
• 38:11
  To wait, why don't people do that? So I started about, literally, I started doing it three years ago and where I just did these morning mantras and it took two years until anybody noticed it. I think up until a year ago, we'd get 100 views and now it's thousands, but it took two and a half years for it to explode. Everybody thought it was crazy. Like, what are you doing? Why are you doing that? What do you think? You're so smart. And why doesn't everybody just grab their phone?
• 38:40
  and just talk into it. What do you think the fear is of that? Well, I think you look at anything in life, whether it's a video or anything else, I think they don't realize if they knew that if they kept moving forward and kept doing the reps, that they eventually would hit their goal. Like if they just knew for sure, 100% guaranteed, if they spent the next two years
• 39:02
  doing the reps every single day, that they would get their goal, if they actually knew that and knew that it was going to be true, then they would probably do it. Most people don't think that is a possible thing for them. The reason why I've stuck with everything in life is because I knew it's possible. Why do they not for a phone specifically? Why don't they create videos? One, they care too much about what other people think. They think, oh, what is someone going to think about me? Am I going to say the wrong thing? How am I going to be judged?
• 39:30
  F that. Screw that. Who cares? You got to do what you want to do. And also they think it needs to be just right. It doesn't need to be just right. Let's put it out there. I believe in cracking things up, breaking things, disrupting, doing and learning. That's the only way you're going to get progress. And just start. Share who you are. Share what you do in a video and post it. And don't look at it again. Let it go to the world.
• 39:54
  So I read this somewhere, but I think you brought it up in your speech too. Isn't it something like 90% of what people is you as the person in like the last time? I read this somewhere, but I think you brought it up in your speech too. Isn't it something like 90% of what people is...
• 40:13
  is you as the person and like the last 10% is just what you said. For one, it said that I have the percentages wrong. What is that thing that came to me? It's how you say it. Who you are. I look at people and how do you get people to really like you and know you?
• 40:29
  is by really being authentic and sharing your story. And they may not remember what you said, but they'll remember how you made them feel. And so if you can draw emotion to them through your speaking abilities, through your storytelling abilities, through your videos, they will have a moment where they don't forget you.
• 40:47
  And if they have an emotional moment where they don't forget you, people buy with emotion, people act on emotion. It means they'll do something with their life. They'll take action towards something that you have to offer. You got to draw that emotion with them through your storytelling, speaking and abilities through a camera. Yeah.
• 41:13
  And my buddy, Ryan Alfred of the Radcast says agitation sells. So he's like, I just, I just, I, sometimes I mean, I agitate. I don't mean to, and it's just me being my authentic self. Is there the weirdest thing about social media is when I think of a reels, go viral. It doesn't. I'll tell you one. I think one sucks. It goes viral. And could I, what is a piece of content that you released? You're like a video of my wife. I always wear my ring every day and I,
• 41:41
  And when I go sometimes, yeah. And sometimes when I go paste my hair or I'm working out, I take my ring off. And so every once in a while, I forget to put it back on. Well, my wife is joking with me, which she does. And she's filming a video and she goes up to me and I'm sitting on the couch on the computer. She's like joking. What are you doing without your ring? Blah, blah, blah. And I was caught guard. And then I kind of played with it joking wise. And then I grabbed it and put it in my finger. Well, my wife added some music.
• 42:09
  and transition, and she posted it. And it got, I mean, it got a million views within a few days, went up now at around 6 million. 100,000 people liked it, comments, everything. Now, let me tell you something about that. For one, this is why it doesn't necessarily matter how many followers you have, how many views. I personally gained less than 100 followers from that. I personally made no money from that video. None of those people will probably ever buy from me.
• 42:37
  but technically went semi-viral. At the end of the day, you just need to speak to the right people and create the right message because that'll attract the right people in your life. If you're thinking very strategically for your business, who is your ideal client avatar? Whoever that is, speak to them directly. And those hundreds of followers, in my world, 100 clients is a $10 million business. And so you only need the right people to follow you, like, and comment,
• 43:07
  And that will ultimately turn into revenue. I know, Kelly, there's people I know that have millions of followers. And they're coming to me and they're saying, Brandon, I don't know how to make over six figures a year. I don't know how to make over 200 grand a year. And so it's because they're not understanding how to articulate the right kind of message and value to the people. Then they don't know how to turn it into money. And so just keep the right things. And you're right. The ones that you think are gonna go viral don't. And the ones that you're like,
• 43:37
  Why did that go viral? I'm sorry. That was so good. I love having conversations with you. What, if you could create one law in the universe, universal law that everybody had to follow, what would it be and why? The law would be to daily take some kind of action
• 44:05
  towards your desires in life. And what that could be is one phone call, one text, one sales call, one book you read, one more thing,
• 44:18
  builds up to momentum. And so most people, they don't. And so for me, I know the law of momentum or the law, whatever you want to call the universal law here, is every single day, I'm doing at least one thing. I'm scheduling it, another podcast show, another video, another 10 text messages. The more things that you do, touch points, the more success you're going to have in your life.
• 44:43
  And I got to share the story that I shared with you is I was doing podcast prep for your show. And I, cause I was leaving town and I was looking at reels, trying to see what, you know, what, what you were all about after we've already talked several times, but yeah.
• 44:58
  I clicked on that video that said do one more. And I looked over at this card of me having to call a fitness company to shoot reels at because we're launching a fitness app. And I'm like, I'm so tired. It was like 5 o'clock. I've been up since 4 a.m. And I'm 13 hours into this thing. And I just picked up and made a phone call. The guy answered. No, I actually made two phone calls. I made one, got a hold of the general manager. He goes, oh, no, no, you got to call this guy. I'm like, oh, no.
• 45:27
  And I'm like, all right, I'm going to call and make that call. I call him. He picks up. Turns out I was dealing with a company in Florida. The guy's from Michigan. He's like, dude, I know who you are. And he's like, you could come in and shoot anything you want. I'm like, what do you mean? He's like, just tag us. We know who you are. He said, and when one of those goes viral, we'll talk about sponsorship. And that was from one more of me just watching your video. Remember when he sent you the voicemail? Yes, I do. That really happened. That's what I love.
• 45:52
  So I shot some reels yesterday at the gym with my shirt off. Everybody's looking at me funny. No shame because, again, I told you this is for charity, man. I don't care. And they're going to be good ones. There's going to be a couple in there that went viral. We did a funny skit that you'll actually appreciate about gym etiquette, you know, not being on your phone and standing in the – it's going to be fun. And I just keep – you know, I'm getting better and better and better. I just –
• 46:21
  I just started this like the fourth round of videos we've shot and they'd get better and better and better. So practice makes the master or, you know, practice doesn't make perfect. It just makes progress. So that seems to be your mantra. And I want to say that listen to him because I do. Did I ask you? I didn't ask you this. What's your biggest fear? We've been talking about it. We've been bouncing around. But what do you fear most? I guess what I fear most is when I do die, I feel like I didn't achieve enough during my time here on Earth.
• 46:52
  Oh, you've got a long way to go, my friend. And I can tell you right now, I get it. I'm biased because I love you and I think the world of you. But your future is even brighter. You just keep doing what you're doing. And you're light years ahead of me. I'm 47. You're 15 years younger than me and 15 years ahead of me. And I can't wait to watch, which leads me to when I say, how can I personally support you?
• 47:19
  for one, I love what you're doing. I love what you stand for. I love your videos. Just keep doing that. Keep helping people and keep finding ways that we can collaborate. I really think you and I together can do some cool stuff. We're on the same kind of wavelength, same kind of vibe and energy. And I just like being around good people. I really like being around high achievers. It helps me become a better person. And I enjoy the value of it, how it makes me feel. So thank you for having me on the show. And
• 47:47
  And allow me to share some wisdom with your audience. So the next time we're together, let's shoot some silly video. We'll post it on each other or something. We'll do something totally unscripted and goofball-ish. I had to get to know you first because it was like – when I first met you, I'm like, is this guy for real? He's so energetic and fun. And when you come on, your eyes are all big. You're like, yes. And I just –
• 48:09
  Man, I just, your zest for life comes through and I really feel it and I hope the audience feels it. And I want to end it with, is there something I haven't asked you that you feel compelled to share? It's a good question to ask. Give us your best wisdom nugget. Yeah, I would say this. I would say if I look back to anything that's allowed me to get to the things I have today,
• 48:34
  I mean, yes, taking action, being around the right people and everything is, I would say find somebody that has already achieved what you want to achieve in your life. Find that person, study them, research them, and then take some action by buying their stuff, investing, sending them wires, sending them money towards their charity, speaking into what they want, becoming a person of value. And then after you bring enough value to them,
• 49:03
  Allow them to ask you, how can I help you? And then that's your opportunity. But also, how can I help you? It goes into how can we work together? Become business partners with them. And then you will become light years ahead of everybody. Now, you have to put the initial work in. I did it for years, get into business the right people. And then it's a lot easier. So find somebody who's already achieved what we want to achieve. Study them. Help them. Make them money. Pay them.
• 49:32
  get into business with them and you'll be light years ahead of everybody else. I'm going to take that a step further. Shortly after I first met you, we had a conversation. It was, you know, pay attention to the rooms you're getting yourself in because you can go to this rise and record and see some amazing people and be behind the scenes with people doing what you want to do in life. So that's what you really meant is just put your money where your mouth is and get in those rooms that are doing the things that you are.
• 49:58
  that you're doing. So again, rise and record October 17th through the 19th. This is going to air this Thursday. We're going to bump it up for you because I love you and it's the least I can do, my brother. I wish you nothing but health and happiness is success. And I'm sure this event's going to be amazing. Tell my boy, Tim story. I said, hi, I'll probably text him because he's going to be there the following week for Jim Morris's event. So yeah, he's down there. I might, I might have to figure out a way to go see my boy and come see all you guys.
• 50:28
  That's the show. Please rate and share this podcast. Also, I do my best to respond to the comments on all social platforms. So if you want to see more of something or less of something, leave a comment. Each and every episode is sponsored by National Technology Management, the easiest and best IT company to do business with, delivering peace of mind with technology every day. Visit TrustNTM.com for more info. And until next week, be harder than life.
• 50:52
  Thank you for listening. Please rate and subscribe to Harder Than Life, and let's take this to the next level. Get connected at the links below.