Chris Brandt Archives

June 19 2016

Spacekraft – Creating Genius

ftyang Archive, Business Seminar Andrew Hall, Business Seminar, Chris Brandt, Mike Tan, Phlipp Postrehovsky, SpaceKraft, Wayne Webb 0

Date: June 2, 2016

Name: Spacekraft – Creating Genius

Presenters: Chris Brandt, Andrew Hall, Mike Tan, Phlipp Postrehovsky, and Wayne Webb

Spacekraft’s event, “Creating Genius”, invites two panels to share their business insights on their industries. In this presentation, both panels will inspire young entrepreneurs, small business owners and many start-up founders with their experience and advices. Moreover, both panels will share their unique stories to motivate future entrepreneurs to move forward their ideas into the right direction.

How to do good and make money at the same time

This panel includes Chris Brandt, the Executive Director of Music Heals, Andrew Hall, the Co-Founder of MealShare, and Mike Tan, the COO and Vice President of Product for ChangeHeroes

Brandt had been in the music industry for over 20 years. When Napster revolved the music industry, Brandt pursued his new passion of being a yoga instructor. The teaching directed his focus into charity. Brandt loved creating relationship and the charity aspect fulfilled his purpose. Hall mentions he and his brother left his job to pursue something greater. Hall believed the concept of appreciate the value and they corporate the concept into MealShare. The idea behind MealShare is “buy one, give on to other family”. Tan mentions the idea of ChangeHeroes is to build many schools as possible. ChangeHeroes focused on 3 keys: online campaign, social campaign, and corporate video. Tan wants to help other corporates to give back to community.

Brandt believes every new idea starts with the answer “Yes”. Hall suggests entrepreneurs to build their own job in an impactful way. Tan believes every social entrepreneur has the desire to let friends to be involved with the right movement.

“Consider your life as a story, by going with life, you fill with characters”

Motivation fuels entrepreneurs’ energy to continue their passion. Hall believes it is easy to start a nonprofit and nonprofit gives Hall the motivation on momentum. However, the model to start nonprofit can be difficult. The model needs to pay for itself in order to survive. Therefore, Hall appreciates every supporter. Brandt emphasizes the first year of business could be a challenge. Storytelling needs to be consistent until the idea is recognized in the community. The process can be long, but consistency will help entrepreneurs outperform other charities. Tan shares that the first year of ChangeHeroes was tough. There was no plan and only one goal. The Founder sold everything and put everything all in. Until people start to donate, the momentum starts. Tan believes when entrepreneurs do good or educate people, others will see and support.

“Follow your heart, good things will happen”

Hall recommends entrepreneurs to start their business with many co-founders. This will provide multiple skill sets into the business. Second, entrepreneurs need to be clear on their mission. When people believe in entrepreneurs’ mission, they will see themselves get there. Brandt recommends entrepreneurs to get used to caffeine. Entrepreneurs need to love what they are doing and willing to do whatever it takes. In addition, entrepreneurs need to surround themselves with strong and not weak. They need to be honest on what they are weak at. They need to focus on what they are good at. Lastly, they need to bring in people. Tan wants entrepreneurs to start with why. Business is not a sprint; in fact it is a marathon. If entrepreneurs want to go fast, they can go alone. If they want to go far, they need go together.

“Get advice, act on it, go back and get more advice”

Hall chooses to pursue nonprofit instead of for profit is because he believes nonprofit appears more audience to earn trust. Tan mentions for profit can attract better talent, but Brandt believes nonprofit can fulfill his life purpose.

Brandt believes how entrepreneurs do anything is how they do everything. Hall believes by setting the right values, entrepreneurs need to stick with it all the way. If entrepreneurs change too frequent, it will be difficult to change in future. Tan believes money is the energy and entrepreneurs need to look for the right intention.

“Shine light on others and let the light reflect on you”

How to grow your SAAS or Startup Company

The panel includes Philipp Postrehovsky, the COO and the Co-Founder of RentMoola, and Wayne Webb, the Director of Operations at Food.ee.

Postrehovsky is also the CEO of RentMoola. The idea behind RentMoola is to eliminate the hassle of preparing rent cheques. The mission is to address the pain point of writing rent cheques in global perspective. Webb shares the idea behind Food.ee is to help restaurants to deliver food to their customers. A friend of his introduced the business to Webb and Webb started to tackle the challenges in Food.ee. Currently the business is grown huge.

Seed money is important for every startup company. Webb would bootstrap the funding and ensure business only spends necessary expenses. Food.ee had angel investor and as the business grew, they needed to scale up the finance. Postrehovsky would also bootstrap the funding. Postrehovsky mentions the business started hard, but they got confident because the model was proven to be profitable. This attracted more investors. Entrepreneurs need to depend on how much they are willing to give up their equity. Postrehovsky suggests entrepreneurs to push as far as possible.

As the company grows, Postrehovsky wants the philosophy to remain the same. New features are added, but the company stays true to what the original pain point is. Webb shares Food.ee changed a couple of time. It started with a simple model and it got too complicated as the company grew. The model failed and it was forced to go back to original model.

Hiring can be a challenge for startups. Webb wants to hire for fit. Webb conducts many online interviews. Entrepreneurs must realize they can hire anybody, but they cannot train people to fit into culture. Postrehovsky spends a huge amount of time on Human Resources. 75% of hiring for RentMoola comes from referrals. The culture comes naturally. Entrepreneurs will discover the hiring process can be slow, but firing process can be fast. Culture fit is everything.

Postrehovsky believes employees need both sale skills and technology knowledge. RentMoola used to outsource, but Postrehovsky turned it to in house. Postrehovsky suggests entrepreneurs to hire a team that can accomplish and always be scalable. Webb points out the CEO of Food.ee was from sale. When sales increased, the company will keep pushing. Webb wants entrepreneurs to look carefully at the core mission of the company and understand where the momentum is.

Postrehovsky suggests entrepreneurs to hire someone who knows sales because it can save a lot of time in the future. Webb suggests entrepreneurs to look for partnership relationship. It can help them expand the market.

The equity crowdfunding is popular for startups. Postrehovsky suggests entrepreneurs to hire good lawyer who knows the space or to find partner who knows what to do. The biggest challenge for Postrehovsky is to find ways to fundraise faster and scale quicker. Webb needs to build a powerful developer.

In any startups with software application, Postrehovsky think it is wise to spend time on hiring the right developer. It is important to stay local and try not to go over sea due to tax credit advantage. Entrepreneurs can hire co-op students and have someone mentor them.

Entrepreneurs need to look at a larger picture. Moreover, it is wise to test drive first before moving people up for more responsibility.

March 22 2015

ManTalks – Spirituality 5.0

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Date: March 16, 2015

Name: ManTalks – Spirituality 5.0

Presenters: Bradley Morris, Chris Brandt, and Mike Zaremba

One of the important topics in leadership is spirituality. When leaders expose to spirituality, they can unfold many obstacles and confusion. Furthermore, Leaders can discover the deep connection in their freedom, fulfilment and purpose. Mantalks, a community to rebuild relationship with deeper connection and living the truth, invites Bradley Morris, the founder of Cowabungalife, Chris Brandt, the Executive Director of Music Heals, and Mike Zaremba, co-Founder of Float House, to share their journey of spirituality. Their experience will provide leaders a guideline to access their deep understanding of their fulfillment and clarity.

Bradley Morris – Passion leads successful life

Bradley Morris lives as a lifestyle and business coach that educate entrepreneurs the meaning of life and career balance. Morris creates many effective meditation eCourses through his company, Cowabungalife, to support entrepreneurs in many countries. The inspiration and feeling of giving to the world is the fuel of Bradley Morris’ passion.

Spirituality has taught Bradley Morris the meaning of personal growth and discovers everyone has their own unique path to mastery. In Morris’ journey, golf has been his path to mastery. Morris was obsessed with gold since 12 years old. When Morris turned 18, he was determined to play in professional golf. However, work was not supporting his passion. He opened up an online company that sells man shirts, but he got himself into massive debt and got kicked out of the golf club. During his depression moment, he questioned himself and realized he needs to take up responsibility.

The depression forced him to be grateful of every moment in life. He became a speaker and an author. However, due to conflict of interest, he lost everything and lost his momentum. Morris was in depression once again.

Morris started meditation and tried to learn from nature. His life changed when he connected to meditation. He started to teach and conducted workshop; in addition, he launched many eCourses to help benefit people around the world.

The workshop and eCourses cannot sustain his current lifestyle, so he decides to pursue other career for additional revenue. With a rare opportunity, he accepts the job at a golf course and realizes his passion from youth. Morris understands the two worlds has become one and realizes all things in his life are preparing him to understand the missing link in his life. The tension from 10 years ago starts to come back. Morris believes it is time for him to pursue his golf passion once again.

The meditation and coaching have prepared Morris the clarity of his vision. Morris indicates his life has more energy than ever. The spirituality is in Morris’ mindset and now time is his control. Morris will do whatever it takes to conquer his new journey.

Morris recommends leaders to take one moment at a time and one step at a time. It is important to expand leader’s vision to next 10 years and understand what mastery looks like.

Morris shares the path of mastery includes 3 elements.

Connect to leaders’ breath
Penetrate leaders’ targets
Get rid of fear

“Either living in the alignment or moving away from the alignment”

Chris Brandt – Journey of a music spirituality

Working as an Executive Director of Music Heals, Chris Brandt creates awareness for music therapy. Chris Brandt has over 10 years of music experience, including releasing his own record label. His passion of music has broadened his career, such as music editor, contributing editor and radio show host. Moreover, Chris Brandt also teaches music in BCIT and yoga workshops in meditation and educates many people around the world.

Chris Brandt shares people have the conception of believing yoga and spirituality are connected. People are more into yoga than regular tradition. The experience in yoga changed Brandt’s life and believes the idea of helping others is essential. Brandt believes in yoga, people are projecting from the teacher; in fact, it is experience from yoga projecting them.

“Spirituality is like a swimming pool, it all starts in shallow end”

Brandt visits Peru to climb the hill of Machu Picchu. He is able to communicate with himself during the experience in cave. Next, Brandt visits Tibet. He discovers the shift of reconnection is a part of life experience. The region from Tibet grows on him. Lastly, Brandt visits Ashram. He feels the instant karma of able to figure out everything immediately. During his intensive 10 days silent meditation in Ashram, he accomplishes the difficulty of let himself out and communicates to himself.

Last year, he was diagnosed with cancer and he was depressed. However, he treated as the next life test. Brandt realizes this might be the graduate class from his journey. If he is able to relate it to his life experience, he is able to help others with his experience.

Brandt suggests leaders to connect themselves through spirituality. There is always something worth teaching and leaders should find something worth teaching for the next generation.

“Truth sometimes is ridiculous; instead, speak the truth now because it is going to change in the future.

Mike Zaremba – Journey of spirituality

Mike Zaremba, the co-founder of Float House, believes floating practice is an important spiritual practice that uses the contemporary medicine. Mike Zaremba operates the Float House over 20 years in Vancouver. Moreover, he always challenges himself into uncomfortable experience to discover more deep connection with his life.

Coming from a religious family background, Mike Zaremba shares his father believes “spirituality is a crock”. Zaremba received this awareness from his father and determined to research the topic of spirituality. Zaremba shares his 3 phases in his journey of exposing his spiritual life.

Phase 1: Curiosity of knowledge

Zaremba emphasizes at the beginning of his journey, he wants to know everything. He reads all kind books, but Zaremba feels like an empty vessel that is pouring in limitation. Zaremba believes when people describe what they know, they limit themselves. This is the idea of subjectivity. People develop a filter based on their previous experience, which can limit how others are able to communicate their thoughts and feelings. Moreover, Zaremba believes all books are similar and he needs to discover the deeper meaning through personal experience.

Phase 2: Primary experience

Zaremba starts to dive into a practice of yoga. Yoga is believed to be the great way to connect to the inner body. Zaremba also experiences meditation and it brings the awareness to another level. He is able to see the nature’s cons.

The second Zaremba experienced is Pranayama. He is able to sense the energy of his body and understand the way of inhale and exhale from breath work can help him understand his presence.

The third Zaremba experienced is floating. Floating uses a device of float tank to minimize the environment and forces to go within. The depth is infinite and it can embrace people to create dream.

All practices prepare Zaremba to understand the reality. Moreover, Zaremba is aware of his conscious.

“Conscious is like a sea, what is your relationship with these compound?”

Phase 3: Journey in Peru

After the end of Zaremba’s relationship, he realizes there is no conscious connection with his heart. By trying to develop this connection, Zaremba got a great advice from his mentor.

“Focus on your conscious in your mind and bring it to your heart”

When he discovers the way to connect, Zaremba is able to feel the sensation. Zaremba describes the feeling as the force takes him up above the cloud and beyond the space. When Zaremba wants it back, the feeling goes back down. It is considered as the heart connection. Zaremba believes it is important for leaders to understand the importance to have the primary space in their hearts.

Questions and Answers

Zaremba’s most inspired moment in his journey is during his road of recovering from surgery. He feels grateful of everything he has. Morris’ moment is when he realizes he is good enough to believe. Brandt’s moment is when he realizes he does not have to be great, but he has the obligation to help others.

Zaremba’s father quote has created the distance between him and his father, but it shapes him the life his has right now. Zaremba mentions the conscious mind connects him from awareness, sensation and to heart.

As leaders, it is important to do something they love. By connecting their inner self from disconnecting the noises, such as cellphone, from the environment, leaders can discover the force from small meditation. Meditation is considered as daily maintenance. It is a moment of clarity and freedom is a mindset. Fully commit and adopt spirituality.