Lessons From the Green Room
A lot goes on backstage – particularly with some of the influential people that host and public speaker, Andrew Baxter, has had the pleasure of working with over the years. Here are 5 lessons from 5 influential people learnt in the greenroom:
#1: Tony Robbins and Preparation
As arguably the biggest person (in every which way!) that Andrew Baxter has had the privilege of sharing stage with would be motivational icon, Tony Robbins. As one of the most obsessive people Andrew has worked with, spending time with Tony backstage in the greenroom has taught him a lot about preparation. In order to play at the highest level, Robbins has always stressed having a game plan and a process as key, whilst always remaining flexible in your approach. As a professional trader and educator of nearly 30 years, Baxter can attribute the importance of this lesson given the tumultuous and uncertain nature of stock markets and believes this is something all investors should focus on intently.
#2: Tasting Your Own Blood with Mike Tyson
Here is someone who started off worth less than nothing, and by the time he was 28 years old had a net worth of over $380m USD. As one of the greatest athletes of all time, Baxterhad the privilege of touring with world champion boxer Mike Tyson. One thing that Tyson said backstage in the greenroom was that ‘everyone has a plan in life until they get punched in the face’ which has stuck with Baxter since. The ability to deal with setback and adversity, or tasting your own blood, is what will keep you fighting in the ring of life. As an investor, at times things can go diabolically wrong even despite the best quality research and analysis. How you get off the canvas and keep fighting, says Baxter, is something a lot of us can learn from Tyson.
#3: Mark Boris and the Exit Strategy
This may sound counterintuitive when undertaking a new project, investment, or business – however, one thing Andrew learnt from working alongside Mark Boris was always having an exit strategy in mind. Working with the end in mind and then reverse engineering this to form a plan for today was the sage piece of advice Andrew cherished. From a trading perspective, having an exit level is critical, whether it be a stop loss, profit taker, or closing indicator – you need to have this predetermined so as to remain purely objective the whole way. As Borisonce said to Andrew, once you’re in a trade or have set up that business – you always bring a level of emotional connection to whatever that is. Making the best decisions will always arise from being objective and so having the end in mind is key.
#4: Surround Yourself with Experts like Robert Kiyosaki
We’ve all heard of Rich Dad Poor Dad, The Cash Flow Quadrant, and the great influence of Robert Kiyosaki. After working alongside Robert for many years now across a myriad of his tours, Andrew has been lucky enough understand the importance of surrounding yourself with experts. As a strong advocate for financial literacy, Kiyosaki always stressed the importance of having an expert team of advisors in place in order to give yourself the strongest chance of the best-case scenario. Whether it be a legal team, accountant, stockbroker or mentor – having these kinds of people around you to provide advice when required is invaluable.
#5: Brand Integrity like Sir Richard Branson
As arguably one of the more charismatic successful businesspeople in this world, Baxterlearnt a lot working alongside Sir Richard Branson. Like any business, Branson has had his fair share of peaks and troughs as the CEO of Virgin Airlines, however, one thing he always stressed is to never compromise your brand value. Standing by your integrity, despite the controversy or issues faced, is his key piece of advice. People trust you and they only trust you once, thus, to maintain your own and your brand reputation is what ensures longevity in your desired field.
Bonus Tip: Andrew’s Father – Measure Twice, Cut Once
As we achieve more throughout our lives, build wealth and family success, or reach our most audacious goals – our egos can grow quite large as a result. As a more wholesome story from Andrew’s father himself, one lesson he always shared as the old, wise dog, was to measure twice and cut once. This is sage advice for anyone in almost every industry or line of work, take the time to get it right and you will. As a young boy, Andrew never really appreciated these wise words of his father until he became a professional trader. In the cutthroat environment of the stock market, making accidental errors due to an oversight is simply unacceptable. Despite the advice Andrew has received over his time from some very influential people around the world, sometimes it’s the more simple, wholesome advice which carries the most weight.
