Serendipitously, when I heard Obama, in his farewell address, urge Americans to “escape our insulated bubbles where everyone looks and thinks the same,” I thought of how Jared Kleinert has enjoyed success by escaping that bubble trap. He has gone out of his way to meet disparate, trailblazing young people -- and those of other ages who have played a role in their journey to succeed. Then he collaborated with Stacey Ferreira to create a book, 2 Billion Under 20, about how many of them managed to accomplish so much, early in their life, and become so influential. I was impressed with Jared’s ability to recruit them so rapidly. He has done again, covering stories of others he has befriended, for his new book, 3 Billion Under 30. Perhaps via this interview with him you might gain motivation and insights for attract apt allies for your trailblazing project, team or other endeavor.
Kare Anderson: What kind of young entrepreneurs were you most seeking to include in this book and why?
Jared Kleinert: I was seeking diverse, trailblazing individuals in their twenties and early thirties who had achieved early, exponential success. Some built companies worth billions of dollars and, in the process, redefined or created entire industries. Others rose to the top of their sport or profession, raised millions for charity, attracted over a 50 million fans on social media, or other break-through accomplishment.
The 77 individuals whose stories I cover in the book can seem very different from one another. Matt Mullenweg is a Texan, and the founder of WordPress, and created an open-source content management platform that now powers 26% of all websites on the Internet. Katrin Davisdottir is an Icelandic 23 year old, a two-time defending CrossFit Games champion, which earns her the title of “Fittest Woman In The World.” Behnaz Shafiei is a professional MotoSuperBike rider despite living in the country of Iran where women aren't allowed to possess licenses.
Of course, they aren't representative of the entire Millennial generation. However, it is because of their unexpectedly early success that I single them out to inspire others to believe, they, too be successful trailblazers, using their experience. For example, one thing the people I describe all do is to look for ways to go against the grain and try something different than what's "institutional" or "normal".
Matt made open-source software while everyone else kept their code secretive and closed.
Katrin focuses heavily on mental toughness in her training regiment whereas most her competitors place physical training ahead of the mental "game", which she sees as equally important.
Behnaz is attempting to shatter a glass ceiling in her sport and country. This sort of decision-making sets you up for long-term success if done correctly and consistently.
Anderson: Clearly, the opportunity to be in your book is an alluring opportunity Jared. What, specifically, did you do to make it easy and attractive for these busy entrepreneurs to participate quickly and well?
Kleinert: When bringing people together, showing evident empathy is vital. In my interview I sought to prove that I really cared about what most motivated them. For some individuals the possibility of gaining media visibility by having their entrepreneurial success story described in this book was important. And I could cite how much press coverage 2 Billion Under 20, my last book of compelling interviews around a core topic generated. I could make a credible case that, together, we could replicate this success. Plus,
For others, the exposure mattered less than helping people. Someone like Furious Pete, a YouTuber with over 5 million subscribers, doesn't need help getting exposure for his supplement and apparel companies. He's already created his own "distribution network" for his ideas, as I'm trying to do over time with 3 Billion Under 30. and as I would suggest any individual or company do in order to have security in sharing your work. That being said, Pete is motivated, as a cancer survivor, to his ideas about fresh, proven, fundraising opportunities, coping mechanisms, and resources someone could use if they were in a similar battle as the one he's had to face as a young adult. In that case, I suggested that citing those ideas in my book could support that mission.
Anderson: It seems, at 21, you already have already attracted a large, diverse and strong network of friends and colleagues -- and some mighty compelling labels including USA College asking if you are “The world’s most connected millennial?” and Dave Kerpen in Inc. suggesting you are “The Most Connected “Kid You Don’t Know Yet, But Probably Should.” How did you get started in building your network?
Kleinert: I became an entrepreneur at 15, and yet made every single business mistake you could think of with my first company. I also had a "mentor" who I found out later had served time in prison for securities fraud on a Wall Street. Rather than "giving up" after building negative experiences and networks, I continued self-educating and attempted to find better mentors and experiences from which to learn.
I offered to work unpaid for a few VC-backed startups in San Francisco when I got started. I applied my time and energy to the needs of others, and eventually got introductions and new skill sets “on the job” (even in a remote working situation!).
At other points in time, as I grew a consulting firm, I would do free consultations or make helpful introductions to potential clients, regardless of whether they would go on to work with me or not. Even today, I connect friends with press opportunities, new clients, and more each day.
By making it a priority to provide value to others, I've become a "go-to" person for the kind of research and business in which I am involved in. Yet it takes years to build this type of trust and goodwill. Over time it gets easier.
Anderson: What are some specific ways to begin building a network if someone doesn’t already have connections with top-performing individuals that could support their project or other initiative?
Kleinert: If you don't have a "network" already, start by being self-awareness regarding the type of people you want to meet and the value you could provide to them. Too often, the basis of our outreach to people is ego-based. We want to meet the near universally famous folks like Richard Branson and Elon Musk, simply to take a selfie with them to post on social media, or to name-drop at a party, rather than because we want to help them in ways that matter to them so they are included to help us along the way.
When you make an attempt to reach out, provide value to them in keeping with their hottest needs and interests. Does that person have an important work milestone you could help with, like a book launch? Do they prefer short emails and permission-based phone calls, or would they like all the details upfront in an email, no matter the length as long as the facts and "asks" are present?
When you are able to build early relationships, leverage those for specific introductions to other individuals who are well-networked and highly regarded in your industry, and repeat the process of providing value to these new connections. As you have said, Kare, mutuality-centric relationship can be the healthiest and strongest kind, where you aren’t expecting a quid pro quo yet providing an ebb and flow of mutual support over time.”
Anderson: Back to your goals for this book, how do believe it can help spur others to realize that they can have a more successful, meaningful life, too, if they, too, “escape our insulated bubbles where everyone looks and thinks the same”?
Kleinert: It is my hope that the book serves as inspiration to those who read it and as an excuse for different readers and thought leaders to meet each other IRL (text speak for “in real life"). My team and I certainly didn't invest thousands of collective hours, spend tens of thousands of dollars, and curate these stories with the intent of having copies of the book collect dust on readers’ coffee tables or taking up space in their clouds. We expect readers to act, and that's the clearly defined expectation even in the Introduction to the book which I wrote before handing the mic to the contributors we've curated.
If someone doesn’t yet know what they are passionate about in life, they can use the stories from the seventy-five contributors we've amassed as inspiration to figure that out. Then, they can examine what skills they already possess through self-reflection, assessment from peers, and other methods.
At the end of the day, I hope readers are compelled to look around them and find problems in their business or community to solve. Ultimately, we can end up with a community around this project of people who are both really good at the specific things they do, and are really passionate about doing those things on a daily basis.
If we accomplish this, we will have a generational task force to utilize in solving any society-threatening challenges that come our way.
