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March 2016 Member Spotlight

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Member Spotlight

Every newsletter we will shine a bright green light on some of our awesome members! Check out two Mavericks below who are having a profound impact in their respective fields. We love our Mavs!

Rich DesichRich Desich – Maverick #12
Owner/Founder at Equity Trust Company
richdesich@hotmail.com

 

 

Richard Desich, Jr. helped co-found Equity Trust Company and served as its former Chief Information Officer, Director of Compliance/Risk Mitigation and Director of Marketing. He is the current President of Equity Trust’s brokerage affiliate, ETC Brokerage Services.

Rich is also an active real estate investor and has traveled across the country educating individuals on the advantages of self directed IRAs and other retirement strategies.

Rich has co-authored numerous articles, books and educational materials on the topic of retirement planning, including incorporating non-traditional investments into a successful and balanced investment portfolio. Additionally, he has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, and other financial publications about the benefits of real estate IRAs.

He holds Series 7, 24, 55, and 63 licenses with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).

Rich is also the past President of the Retirement Industry Trust Association (RITA) the trade organization representing the self-directed industry and $58 billion in assets under administration by member firms.

1)    What is your greatest superpower? (What is your unique skill/talent that separates you from others in business, personal life, etc.)

My super power in business life is gift at critical thought, analyzing and being able to connect complex dots. In my personal life I am very proud to have the title “World’s Greatest Uncle” (have the t-shirt to prove it!)

 2)    Do you have any passion projects? (Is there anything that you are working on that you wake up so excited to do?  Anything you’re working on that may be different from your day-to-day business?)

My passion project is a new community center I envisioned several years ago for the Boys and Girls Club  in Lorain, Ohio.  The area is special to me because it’s where my great-grandfather immigrated to work in the steel mills when he first came to this country. After steel manufacturing moved to China and India, the area has struggled economically.  Got 16 acres donated for the club and worked hard to make the dream a reality. When we opened it 4 years ago, expectations were to help 30-40 kids a day, we are now averaging 110 kids a day! Serving over 600 meals a week. Donating 250 new shoes for summer and back to school.  160 new winter coats.   And most importantly, we provide a safe zone for the kids to get tutored after school, as well as get involved in mentoring programs.  15 acres left to develop and I want to think game changing big in the future!

 3)    What do you need help with?  (What areas are you looking for growth/development?  If there was one thing you wish you were better at, what would it be?  How can other Mavericks help you?)

Building off the ‘thinking big’ element for the Boys and Girls Club – I would love to hear ideas from Mavericks on best ways to utilize the other 15 acres and thoughts on programs/education to uplift and instill a sense of self-esteem in kids from economically disadvantaged families.

4)    What is one cool thing on your life list that you haven’t yet accomplished?

As a life list goal I want to run 3 marathons. Ran the Marine Corp Marathon a few years back. Training now for the 2nd one, which is the Cleveland Marathon, May 15.  (Any good energy on that day from Mavericks much appreciated!)

 

JimmyJimmy Sweeney – Maverick #21
CEO HonestE Online/President of CareerJimmy.com
jimmys@careerjimmy.com

 

 

 

The Mission of HonestE Online is to educate millions of online shoppers and empower thousands of Web merchants with their “Be Safe, Be Smart, Be Secure” message. They accomplish this goal by allowing Web merchants to join HONESTe Online and display their one-of-a-kind Web 3.0 “HONESTe—Super-Seal” on their site’s pages. Their team is led by their CEO “Head Chef Jimmy”… a 23-year direct marketing professional with 9 years of full-time online success as well.

At CareerJimmy.com, customers receive “Amazing” products and books, which are designed and affordably priced, to provide them with the “information power tools” they need, to once and for all, to land a dream job. Jimmy is the first person to bring proven direct marketing strategies to the job seeker.

As an Internet marketing and copywriting, and the author of Amazing Cover Letter Creator, Amazing Resume Creator, The Job Interview Secret, Jimmy has helped 19,946 job-seekers (and counting), in over 25 different countries, land quality job interviews and job offers in dozens of highly competitive professions and markets using his breakthrough, step-by-step cover letter system.

1)    What is your greatest superpower? (What is your unique skill/talent that separates you from others in business, personal life, etc.)

I can read people extremely well and very quickly. I’ve always had this ability and it became even stronger during my almost two decades of door-to-door sales. I owned the company and continued to knock on doors with all my sales people 5 or 6 nights a week. You simply HAD to read people lightning-fast to adjust your persona and approach to each new person opening their doors to you.

 2)    Do you have any passion projects? (Is there anything that you are working on that you wake up so excited to do?  Anything you’re working on that may be different from your day-to-day business?)

I’ve started the outline of a book on sales secrets learned from so many years as a door-to-door salesman.

3)    What do you need help with?  (What areas are you looking for growth/development?  If there was one thing you wish you were better at, what would it be?  How can other Mavericks help you?)

Looking to expand/revamp my company HONESTe Online. It’s been on the back burner and has a ton of potential and we might be interested in a strategic partner.

4)    What is one cool thing on your life list that you haven’t yet accomplished?

Perform standup comedy. I did a little open mic one time and also some improv. I was pretty nervous but got some laughs and it was a rush. I love standup comedy and will look to check this off my list soon.

 

11059811_10155516173855078_1165750415636170255_oScott Picken – Maverick #265
Founder/CEO of Wealth Migrate
scottpicken@wealthmigrate.com

 

 

 

Scott Picken is the founder and CEO of Wealth Migrate, the premier global real estate investment marketplace, and an expert in global real estate markets with more than 16 years of experience. Wealth Migrate provides investors access to below-market real estate in first world markets through crowdfunding technology with a low investment minimum of just $10,000 USD.

Originally from South Africa, Scott began his career in real estate in London working for a mid-sized Irish developer; at 22, he partnered with another investor to acquire his first international real estate property— a residence in Cape Town; at 24, he completed his first investment in London real estate. These and subsequent investments led him to found his first real estate investment firm at age 26, International Property Solutions (IPS). Through IPS, he executed on his philosophy of working closely with local partners to offer quality investment opportunities to a global network of investors, helping them gain access to the wealth-building assets previously reserved for the only the top echelon of investors worldwide.

Most recently, Scott launched his book, Property Going Global, written in association with Clem Sunter, a scenario planning expert and an internationally renowned South African businessman. The book is widely recognized as the authority on international real estate investing and provides guidance on how to create wealth safely via a tried-and-tested system.

Through Wealth Migrate, Scott is spearheading “The Wealth Movement,” an initiative to inspire entrepreneurism in the upcoming generation of business leaders and to expand access to wealth for all investors. Through a strategic partnership with LemonadeDay.org in the U.S., supported by Google for Entrepreneurs, he founded Lemonade Day Africa, an empowering training in entrepreneurial and business principles for children between 8 and 16 years old. This fun course helps children run their own lemonade stands, thereby gaining valuable experience in starting their own businesses and developing the self-confidence needed to follow their future dreams.

When Scott is not trying to revolutionize the real estate industry, he loves spending time with his wife, Kelly, and their two-year-old son, Jonty. He enjoys many sports, including rugby, hockey, kite surfing, barefoot water skiing, surfing and more. Among his many pursuits, he has climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro and run the longest one-day road race–the Comrades Marathon–three times.

1)    What is your greatest superpower? (What is your unique skill/talent that separates you from others in business, personal life, etc.)

Perseverance, I keep going until I achieve what I set out to achieve. This is combined with energy which surpasses most and allows me to keep going longer – whether it is working, partying, sport, etc…. More recently in the last few years I have believe I have truly discovered my purpose and this gives me even more motivation.
I also believe I was very lucky to have a dad who taught me, “Dream big my son, men become what they dream.” He literally taught us that we can do anything that we put our minds to, which allowed my brother and I to believe it was possible.
Finally having traveled the world, grown up in Africa and lived in London for 9 years I feel I have a unique understanding of global business and how to marry the first world and the emerging world to create global companies.

 2)    Do you have any passion projects? (Is there anything that you are working on that you wake up so excited to do?  Anything you’re working on that may be different from your day-to-day business?)

I want to solve the greatest challenge on the planet – The Wealth Gap. We formed and are driving the Wealth Movement whose mission is to empower a billion people by 2020. We have 3 major focus areas:
  1. Empowering children with entrepreneurship education
    1. We brought an NGO from the USA called Lemonade Day, which is endorsed by Google for Entrepreneurs and trains over 200,000 children a year in the USA on how to run a business through running a lemonade day stand.
    2. We believe they learn two things:
      1. Self confidence, and
      2. How to make money, which once you have these the world is your oyster.
    3. We started with a pilot project in South Africa and are now looking to roll this out across the continent.
    4. Empowering children is really the only future we have in the emerging world!
  2. Empowering women with access to education and wealth
    1. When you empower a woman they have 9 times more impact on a community than a man.
    2. Hilda Lunderstedt (Maverick #245) is driving this.
  3. Empowering all with access to the wealth effect of real estate through crowdfunding
    1. This video explains it best – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zk8iOmL2Pa0
    2. Why can we not put the power of the Family Office, which only the Wealthiest People have access to, in the hands of everyone through their mobile phones?

 For more information go to www.wealthmovement.com .

3)    What do you need help with?  (What areas are you looking for growth/development?  If there was one thing you wish you were better at, what would it be?  How can other Mavericks help you?)

Being introduced to the change makers who can assist the Wealth Movement in making it happen. Richard Branson, Peter Diamandis, Tony Robbins, Robert Kiyosaki, Yunus Khan, Tim Ferris. It is time we need to let the world know there is a better way. Let’s create a better and more sustainable planet for all.

4)    What is one cool thing on your life list that you haven’t yet accomplished?

Climb Mount Everest, talk at TED, learn mandarin or take all my mates (all expenses paid) to Vegas for a party, are just a few!