Introducing…
…. Our newest friends, like-minded masterminds and Next Big (Ad)venture partners! Who are these Mavericks, what kind of genius do they bring… and what makes them tick after hours? Let’s find out now!
#149 Glen Ledwell
#150 Mark Ling
#151 Blair Gorman
#152 Brian Moran
#153 Don Siclari
Glen Ledwell, Maverick1000 Member #149 – San Diego, CA
“… Always the last one standing.”
Glen has a super cool business, empowering people to create customized movies to help them achieve their dreams. And he’s certainly gone the entrepreneurial route to get there. Check it out:
“Glen is a born and bred serial entrepreneur with a diverse professional upbringing. He has only ever had one boss in his whole life, starting his first business at the age of 19. Since 2007, Glen held the role of Director for Mind Movies, where he continues to be the driving force behind all the marketing strategies.
Prior to launching Mind Movies, he spent five years as the owner of several coffee franchises, developing hugely successful advertising campaigns. He was also Director of a property development company, as well as owning and running a nightclub and event company… all while starting the first in-bathroom advertising entity.
Today Glen spends the majority of his time in San Diego with his wife Natalie, and his holidays in his hometown Sydney, South America and Europe.”
Why did you become a member of Maverick1000 and why are you a good fit for the group?
To network and mastermind with top marketers around the world — and travel to awesome places while doing it. And because Yanik talked me into it when I had just enough tequila.
What top things would you like to gain / learn / do with other Mavericks, and what unique value do you bring to the group?
I have no real “agenda” other than to learn and have fun; and to meet more like-minded people.
What interests, activities or hobbies do you enjoy?
Traveling, golf and drinking fabulous wine with fabulous food and great people in different locations all over the world.
What are the top adventures / things on your Big Life List now?
- Flying in a fighter jet
- A trip to Necker Island
What’s the most “Maverick” thing you’ve ever done?
I bungee-jumped from the highest fixed object in the world — 500 feet high out of a cable car in the Swiss Alps.
What’s the most significant / important contribution you’ve made to a community or nonprofit organization?
I support anti-animal cruelty groups, specifically Free the Bears, an Australian charity that helps horrifically abused bears in India and Asia.
Which books, authors or programs have been a powerful influence in your business and life?
- Tony Robbins
- Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill
- The Magic of Thinking Big, by Dr. David J. Schwartz
- Product Launch Formula, by Jeff Walker
- Mass Control, by Frank Kern
- Continuity Blueprints, by Ryan Deiss
- …and too many more to mention
What’s the weirdest skill, quirk or stupid human trick you’re known for? (C’mon, we’re gonna find out anyway.)
Always being the last man standing.
Glen Ledwell
Director | MindMovies.com | glen@mindmovies.com
Mark Ling, Maverick1000 Member #150 – New Zealand
“I hope to form some strong friendships with other successful people… and to help others live more fun, fulfilling and successful lives.”
Welcome Mark! Tell us about your business…
I run several websites in different niches, most to do with personal development topics such as health, weight loss and wealth (e.g. affilorama.com, salehoo.com, traffictravis.com), dating/relationships (e.g. www.savemymarriagetoday.com, www.meetyoursweet.com), and mindset (e.g. www.amazingself.com, and coming soon: mindtracks.com).
I also founded RocketLanguages.com, however I recently sold a lot of my shares in a good 7-figure deal. It wasn’t for the money; there were other reasons relating to family and tightening up my focus, which motivated me to sell.
Why did you become a member of Maverick1000 and why are you a good fit for the group?
I wanted to meet other successful and inspirational people. I have a lot to share in a business perspective, from my success in several different niches, and I also have a lot to learn from others.
What top things would you like to gain / learn / do with other Mavericks, and what unique value do you bring to the group?
I hope to form some strong friendships with other successful people. I hope to make some great joint venture partners in some of the niches that I’m in. I hope to be able to assist/help other members in achieving their goals. I hope to learn how to run my businesses more successfully through learning from other Mavericks who are in other industries. I hope to have a lot of fun being part of the group, and interact with inspirational successful people. I hope that some of the people I meet in the group would be interested in being interviewed by me at some stage for my various websites, if they have any inspirational/practical advice to share with my readers.
[Is this you? Reach out to Mark now!]What interests, activities or hobbies do you enjoy?
Sports—including cricket, rugby and squash. I love sci-fi movies, and also spending time with friends and family.
What are the top adventures / things on your Big Life List now?
Here’s 4 🙂
- To sponsor and help with the coaching/training of world-class cricket players, so New Zealand can become the best cricket team in the world. (I have many ideas here that I intend to implement).
- To see my children grow up to be happy, have lots of friends, and be successful.
- To help others live more fun, fulfilling and successful lives. I intend to do this through my upcoming Mindtracks product/brand, which I intend to launch shortly. I hope to run live events and so forth, and make this into something big over the years.
- To be a best-selling author.
I used to have other goals, which I’ve already achieved (e.g.: travel, house, meet the woman of my dreams, get married, have kids, etc.).
What’s the most “Maverick” thing you’ve ever done?
Not sure, as I haven’t really delved into what it is to be a Maverick1000 member yet 🙂 I guess perhaps when I was 20, I decided to backpack around the United States with a friend of mine for a couple of months on next to no money. (I had only just started making money online a few months before this trip.) That was quite a feat for someone from little ‘ol New Zealand.
What’s the most significant / important contribution you’ve made to a community or nonprofit organization?
I’ve donated a lot to different charities, appeals, schools, etc., bought lots of Christmas presents for underprivileged kids each year, and sponsored CCF children, etc. for years… but I can’t think of any one great contribution I’ve made that I should be proud of. That’s another thing for me to work on.
A lot of the non-profit stuff I do is for family and friends, like getting a nice house for my mother, spending time teaching my little sister, Dad and friends to make money online, shouting my friend Mark on a trip back to New Zealand (he’s in Mexico), getting Dad a car and so forth. I’ve sponsored kids at cricket too, though not through an official non-profit organization. I usually make a donation most weeks to different charities that call me up on the phone. (I must be on some sort of list, LOL).
Which books, authors or programs have been a powerful influence in your business and life?
When I was 16 years old, a friend of my father’s gave me a copy of Mind Power by John Kehoe. That was very influential in helping me re-program my mindset, and set me on a very different path to the one that I may have been heading in life. I have learned a lot from several authors and developmental programs over the years, as I’m a bit of a self-improvement junkie. Blueprint to a Billion was one of the best business books I’ve read. Recently I read The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor, and that was a very good book. Robert Kiyosaki’s Cashflow Quadrant is also a must read book.
What’s the weirdest skill, quirk or stupid human trick you’re known for? (C’mon, we’re gonna find out anyway.)
I can bat both left and right handed at cricket. This is usually quite handy when facing spin bowlers who turn the ball away from me right-handed, so they end up being pretty easy to play left-handed. I also play pool and snooker left and right handed, but I’m not all that good at pool/snooker, LOL.
Mark Ling | mark@unica.co.nz
mindtracks.com | affilorama.com | salehoo.com | traffictravis.com | www.savemymarriagetoday.com
www.meetyoursweet.com | www.amazingself.com
Blair Gorman, Maverick1000 Member #151 – New Zealand
“All of the Mavericks I have met so far have been totally awesome people! We’ve got on extremely well, creating relationships I look forward to fostering and deepening…”
Hey Blair! Tell us about your business…
I run a number of websites in the personal growth / new-age industry; our primary site being Numerologist.com, which has 1.8 million loyal subscribers. (Well, most of them are loyal!)
Why did you become a member of Maverick1000 and why are you a good fit for the group?
Aside from the great times I’ve had with fellow Mavericks at several events last year, I’d like to network with like-minded individuals, continue to grow our business, and be reminded that the entrepreneurial lifestyle does not mean working crazy hours (which is something I tend to do). New Zealand is a beautiful country, however it’s kind of in the middle of nowhere, so (other than recent events!) I have been something of a marketing recluse… so it’ll be great to continue networking while at home. All of the Mavericks I have met so far have been totally awesome people! We’ve got on extremely well, creating relationships I look forward to fostering and deepening.
What top things would you like to gain / learn / do with other Mavericks, and what unique value do you bring to the group?
I admit it: I love to party — and will get to the USA to hang out as often as I am able. I am interested in joint ventures, relevant mailing opportunities, masterminding to share which techniques and strategies are currently working, and learning how to systematize my business so I it can grow without me, rather than me being at the helm.
I am a fanatical tester — in fact, I wrote one of the world’s first turnkey multivariate website testing software packages many years ago, before anyone sold them. Although my software is now very outdated, what remains is a keen testing mindset, which has been elemental in the growth of our business.
What interests, activities or hobbies do you enjoy?
My wife Wendy and I both love to travel (although sadly we will probably not be making it to Underground; we traveled so much last year that we are currently “traveled out” and need to spend some time at home). Hobbies include electronic music composition/production, fast cars, remote controlled helicopters and eating great food (with drinking to match!). Physical activities include mountain biking, swimming, working out with kettle bells, and anything involving toys (electric skateboarding, jet skis, etc). I am also long overdue to start back at Wing Chun (a martial art), and will do so when I stop traveling / working so much!
What are the top adventures / things on your Big Life List now?
- I’d like to take a world trip with a bunch of other crazy marketers, along the lines of this: http://www.luxuryworldjettravel.com/ (Travel around the world on a private jet, staying at the Four Seasons at every stop.)
- A year’s sabbatical, where the business is not just maintained, but continues to grow on autopilot.
- To learn fluent French, and have a luxurious “summer house” in the South of France.
What’s the most “Maverick” thing you’ve ever done?
Last year was pretty crazy! In the space of a few months, we took three big trips to the USA, attending marketing event after marketing event, and almost crawling back to New Zealand for some much needed recuperation! Working hard and playing hard… but now I’d like to work less and play even more!
What’s the most significant / important contribution you’ve made to a community or nonprofit organization?
Funded my wife into a couple of convertible stretch limousines, which she often uses for charity work, particularly breast cancer (the pink limo being a tie-in there) and those affected by the earthquakes here in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Which books, authors or programs have been a powerful influence in your business and life?
Anything and everything by Jay Abraham and Gary Halbert (who, incidentally, wrote our sales letters).
What’s the weirdest skill, quirk or stupid human trick you’re known for? (C’mon, we’re gonna find out anyway.)
Hmm, apart from my knack of turning up to parties when they’re about to run dry, with large amounts of alcohol? (… which I consider a social duty) Probably my obsessive split testing. I have split tested everything from emails to landing pages; from margaritas to Wagyu steak.
[HA! Love it! Can’t wait to “split test” our way around the world, Blair!]
Blair Gorman | Numerologist.com | blair@inet.net.nz
Brian Moran, Maverick1000 Member #152 – Baltimore, MD
“I knew I needed to get around other entrepreneurs that have been through what I’m going through, and I feel this is the group to be in.”
Hey Brian! Tell us about your business…
- TrainBaseball.com – My first online business, started in 2009 after graduating college as an All-American baseball player.
- Get10000fans.com – I started this after I found using Facebook as a marketing tool worked so well with TrainBaseball.com; and it’s become the biggest business I’m running to date.
- 5FigurePhotography.com – A new business start-up with my sister (the photographer), where we teach photographers how to use the internet to grow their biz.
- UpYourPlus.com – New Google+ training for businesses
Why did you become a member of Maverick1000 and why are you a good fit for the group?
I met Yanik a while back and always saw him as one of the guys in the marketing world I’d like to become more like — which is tough to say for a lot of guys out there. Respect him like crazy, so as my business grew and he asked me to think about joining, it was a no-brainer. I knew I needed to get around other entrepreneurs that have been through what I’m going through, and I feel this is the group to be in.
What top things would you like to gain / learn / do with other Mavericks, and what unique value do you bring to the group?
I’d like to get a “vision” for my business — a long term plan to build on and strive toward. I’d like to learn new strategies and develop a bigger network that will let me grow my current businesses and engage in new opportunities. And—I think I bring some pretty unique marketing capabilities, especially within the Facebook marketing world.
What interests, activities or hobbies do you enjoy?
Sports. Baseball in my #1 but I love any sport out there.
Travel. Just about anywhere in the world.
Building vision. One of my passions is helping guys like me build a dream to chase. It’s one of the most motivating things I can think of doing with my life.
What are the top adventures / things on your Big Life List now?
- Visit Africa and make some kind of large impact there. (I have a dream of building a little league baseball stadium there.)
- Ski down the Alps
- Take batting practice with the Baltimore Orioles
What’s the most “Maverick” thing you’ve ever done?
I think starting a business that no one believed would work — and sacrificing my own time/money until I made it work.
What’s the most significant / important contribution you’ve made to a community or nonprofit organization?
I’ve been pretty active in our local church and led a high school study group for two years.
Which books, authors or programs have been a powerful influence in your business and life?
John Maxwell – Leadership
Ryan Deiss – Marketing
What’s the weirdest skill, quirk or stupid human trick you’re known for? (C’mon, we’re gonna find out anyway.)
I can flick coins at great distances with good accuracy (I accidentally set off my high school sprinkler system with a quarter after flicking it at a friend of mine.)
[HEY Yanik: Looks like you’ve got some competition there… When’s the showdown?]
Brian Moran
TrainBaseball.com | Get10000fans.com | 5FigurePhotography.com | UpYourPlus.com
brianmoran01@gmail.com
Don Siclari, Maverick1000 Member #153 – Las Vegas, NV
“I am usually the most resourceful one among my friends; and I like to be able to go on an adventure on a whim… I’m looking forward adventures and getting together with / entertaining members when they are in SF, LV or NY.”
Welcome Don! Tell us about your business…
I own InChek Merchant Services, a company I started in college while working as a firefighter/paramedic. We provide merchant processing services to e-commerce and retail merchants, as well as a suite of check and collections services. Though we serve all markets, our niche is medium to higher risk internet verticals. My sister is my right-hand person and runs the office while I travel. Our site is www.inchek.net and my bio is at: http://www.inchek.ndoet/about.html (Need to update a couple of things). In addition, I am currently starting a charity and a security company.
Why did you become a member of Maverick1000 and why are you a good fit for the group?
I am usually the most resourceful one among my friends; and I like to be able to go on an adventure on a whim, and many of them cannot. Also, whenever I am around new entrepreneurs, I am usually the most successful. So, I wanted a group of people who are way more successful than I am, so I can learn and also have a group of friends who can go adventuring.
What top things would you like to gain / learn / do with other Mavericks, and what unique value do you bring to the group?
In a business sense, I’ve developed an interest in investing and I am hopeful some of the other members will both be able to teach me a bit about it and open some doors. I can offer merchant accounts to the group — and just about every business owner needs a merchant account.
But other than that, I’m looking forward to the adventures and getting together with / entertaining members when they are in SF, LV or NY.
What interests, activities or hobbies do you enjoy?
I originally went to Las Vegas to rent a condo owned by a client, because I thought it would be cool to have a place there to use when in town and to offer out to clients and friends when I’m not there. Then, I started training with a couple of Cirque du Soleil acrobats and discovered I have a passion for gymnastics and circus arts. So that’s my newest hobby. On top of that, I’ve been practicing Japanese martial arts and spiritual practices since my teens, have a ham radio license, and like high-end stereo equipment.
What are the top adventures / things on your Big Life List now?
I want to spend time in Eastern Europe, Nepal and the South Pacific. I want to finish my private pilot training and fly. And to have more time to dedicate to helping others.
What’s the most “Maverick” thing you’ve ever done?
Wow I don’t know how to answer this…I guess first I need to know exactly how you define “Maverick thing!”
[Um… by the looks of things, sounds like you have an encyclopedia of things your could list. And I have no doubt we’ll be discovering those soon…]
What’s the most significant / important contribution you’ve made to a community or nonprofit organization?
I would say the years I spent as a volunteer firefighter/EMT in college. These days, I devote some resources every month to helping people connect with resources they need but can’t afford (that’s the premise of the charity I am working on).
Which books, authors or programs have been a powerful influence in your business and life?
In my case, I’ve learned the most from mentors I’ve been very fortunate to connect with since my teens. But there are some important books too:
- The Craft of the Warrior, by Robert L. Spencer
- The Gift of Fear, by Gavin DeBecker
- Big Bucks! by Ken Blanchard
- The Tao of Sex, Health and Longevity, by Daniel P. Reid
What’s the weirdest skill, quirk or stupid human trick you’re known for? (C’mon, we’re gonna find out anyway.)
I’m just weird all around—but I’d say I get super excited about the littlest things. For example, one of my acrobatics teachers is starting an internet business; and we were driving one day and I was getting all excited about all the Cirque artists he knows, and going to a Cirque party. He’s like, “Dude, circus people are weird. You know billionaires and have clients who own infomercial companies. I’d love to be where you are. That’s impressive to me.”
And I was like “Yeah that’s cool…but circus people do really cool shit and you can walk down six flights of stairs on your hands!” Ha ha!
Don Siclari
President | InCheck Merhant Services | www.inchek.net/
dons@inchek.net
