Randy Garn is a successful entrepreneur, best-selling author, and an admired mentor. As he prepares to climb to his next milestone, he reflects on and shares his journey as the teacher he is becoming and the student he continues to be.
As a serial entrepreneur and investor, Garn wears many different hats in the myriad of companies he’s associated with. Although he’s founded or partnered with several companies like Prosper, Hero Partners, Education Success Inc, High-Performance Institute, Parachut.co, and more, becoming a serial entrepreneur was never his goal. He says, “being an entrepreneur teaches you a lot about life. For one, it taught me that there is a huge difference between growth and goal. I never set out to become a serial entrepreneur. That wasn’t my goal. However, as my work progressed, one thing led to another, and I found myself creating companies or partnering with like-minded individuals to create forward-thinking businesses.”
Working with interesting individuals, seeing what drives them, and how they, in turn, drive their company culture and business is what influences Garn the most. “As an entrepreneur, it’s my job to stay in touch with the origin of my passion and keep my mind fresh by continually learning. And nothing does that better than engaging with people who feel the same way I do.”
Garn’s new book, appropriately titled ‘Prosper,’ is on the New York Times best-seller list. Talking about his book and process, Garn says, “I thrive because of the people I choose to listen to. My mentors come from all over the place. I have benefitted tremendously from the right guidance given at the right time. I felt it was time for me to share what had helped me become a better man, husband, entrepreneur in my own eyes. The reason I wrote this book wasn’t that I considered myself very successful, but because I felt a deep contentment wouldn’t have been possible if I hadn’t learned the lessons that being an entrepreneur taught me. I wanted to share this same contentment with others.”
As a mentor, Garn doesn’t like to crack whip. Instead, he believes that earnestness cannot be forced, only inspired. He adds, “a mentor’s job is to reduce his/her presence in the life of those he/she is mentoring. It’s not directed by the spirit of invasion but of observation. As a mentor, I’d rather remind people of what they possess and have forgotten rather than dish out new advice and ideas that make them build a new shell instead of breaking out of the old one.”
Here’s wishing Randy Garn the best in all his future endeavors.