Glenn Stearns had an admittedly challenging upbringing in a low-income neighborhood of Baltimore, navigating life with alcoholic parents and becoming a father at age 14. On Thursday at the eXp Shareholder Summit, Glenn took the stage to promote his memoir “InteGRITy: My Slow and Painful Journey to Success” and reflect on what inspired him to write about his rags-to-riches journey.
“I don’t want to take myself too seriously and believe my own BS, so I am reluctantly writing this book. So many people were inspired by my story. I did this for my kids. I had cancer. After seeing so many people being touched, I wrote about my flaws and how I overcame them. So, if I can help someone, let’s do it,” Glenn said.
Stearns’ memoir, to be released on May 23, 2023, is of resilience and persistence that tracks his life from being labeled “most likely to fail” and “the biggest loser” as a child to that of a successful entrepreneur, philanthropist, podcaster and a star on the Discovery Channel series “Undercover Billionaire.”
He reflected on a moment in his life when he felt he was at his lowest low.
“I went through a divorce and walked into my house and I cried, bawling my eyes out. I can’t get any lower than this. Then I thought, ‘There is nowhere to go but up.’ I was at the bottom, which is a wonderful spot.”
For Glenn, it’s a person’s reaction to a challenge that shows character.
“It’s not about what happens, but what we do when something like this happens. When you’re low and are in financial trouble or personal trouble, it’s how you respond that shows what you are made of.”
Glenn was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 and feels he didn’t want to squander life or opportunities.
“After having cancer. I want to take chances and feel alive again. I want to feel proud about what I do.”
Stearns achieved incredible success in business, founding Stearns Lending LLC, one of the largest privately held mortgage lending companies in the U.S.
He also founded Kind Lending, which created a joint venture partnership with eXp to form SUCCESS Lending in 2021. Stearns attributes his resilience to putting “people before profit” and having transparency and integrity in lending standards.
“Kind Lending has tripled in the last few months. We are doing very well due to a lot of support within eXp. We are able to grow the infrastructure.”
Glenn Provides 3 Important Pieces of Advice
In conclusion, he was asked to provide three pieces of advice to someone new to the business:
1. Be completely 100% authentic. Don’t be someone you’re not. This is not a transactional business we are in, we are in the people business. You have to be you. Don’t just turn and burn a deal.
2. Follow your own gift – whatever that is. If it’s sales or analytics, follow your own gifts. So many people try to be something else. Find out what you’re good at and work at it.
3. Lead with integrity. It’s so easy to do the right thing. I had to give a speech at my alma mater, Towson. And I generated the speech via chatGPT. It was beautiful. I recited it to my daughters and they were crying. I said, “It’s all bull-sh–!” That’s not me! You have to be yourself. Stand tall. That’s what life is about. When you’re breathing that last breath, you want to be proud of what you did and the impact you made on others.
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Missed the eXp Shareholder Summit this year? Be sure to register for EXPCON, being held Oct. 2-5 in Las Vegas, where you can attend valuable panel discussions like this one.
