Storytelling, Crowdfunding, and Emmy Awards: Insights from Brandon T. Adams

Want to hear a compelling story about hustle, ingenuity, setbacks and ultimate triumph? Meet Brandon T. Adams: two-time Emmy Award winner, inventor, and investor. Starting off selling ice in small-town Iowa, Brandon's journey is a lesson in grit and determination. Buckle up as we discuss his invention of the Arctic Stick, how he leveraged the power of crowdfunding, and the importance of storytelling and video production in his rise to success. Discover how he transitioned his skills into the realm of video, launching his popular show, Ambitious Adventures.

Moving beyond just his personal journey, Brandon talks about the power of a strong team. Tune in to learn how he built and trusted his dream team to manage multiple businesses and projects. Listen to his stories as he emphasizes the critical factor of wisely using time, and how his biggest setbacks became his most triumphant victories. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, an investor, or just someone who loves a good success story, this episode is brimming with invaluable insights. Join us as we chat with Brandon T Adams about buying back your time, and how you can do it too.

Until next time... Follow on Instagram @buytimepodcast
Follow Jacob K. Mead on all the socials @jacobkmead

Transcript

Buying Back Time

Speaker 1 0:00

Hey everybody, this is Jacob K Mead and this is the Buy Time Podcast, where we discuss everything there is to know about buying back your time. Be sure to like and follow and share with somebody who needs to buy back their time. Enjoy today's episode.

Speaker 2 0:14

Welcome to another episode of the Buy Time Podcast. My name is Jacob K Mead and we have today's guest, Brandon T Adams. Now, Brandon is a two-time Emmy Award winner, inventor and investor. Brandon, before we get started, thank you so much for coming on the show. I appreciate it.

Speaker 3 0:31

I am glad to be here with you. I love just gonna go into the story of my background, but also just power of buying time. But thank you for having me here Just honored.

Speaker 2 0:41

Absolutely. Buying time is so important. So before we get started, tell me a little bit about yourself.

Speaker 3 0:45

Okay, so let's go back. I'm from Iowa, originally born and raised in Northeast Iowa, Garnabillo have you heard of Garnabillo, by the way?

Speaker 2 0:52

I haven't where's it at, where's it located, so it's right by kind of the Mississippi River.

Speaker 3 0:57

It's three and a half hours here from Des Moines I'm actually going there after this and a town of 700 people and I grew up in the ice business so my dad sold packaged ice for a living and I always say as soon as I was born I literally like got on my mom's womb and I'm delivering ice my dad threw me right into it.

Speaker 2 1:13

Selling ice Selling ice.

Speaker 3 1:15

And so that was where I learned early on sales, customer relationships and even manual labor, like we were throwing bags down in the truck. I remember as a kid I was dragging a 20 pound bag at like four years old, and so that was the beginning of my career. And then what kind of led me to what I do today is one day when I was about 19 years old 20, I was driving down the road. I drove a stick shift, a big truck, and I wanted to cool my bottle of beverage. It got warm quick and I could have put ice cubes in. That's time consuming. I wanted a new way, and that's where I had this idea what if I created a product that could fit inside it? But also I was going to college at the time, so I'm like, how can I make strings? But I'll call in and all that stuff.

Speaker 2 1:57

Of course it's college. I know You're not figuring that out.

Speaker 3 2:00

And so what I did is I invented a product called Artic Stick and took it to market, spent over $100,000 in product development, tooling and everything. I launched it. I never really made any money with the product, but what happened is it led me to crowdfunding. So, like I was pitching groups, I was going to different events. I went to Sharkton. Casting call got shut down, and so I learned how to use crowdfunding to raise money for my endeavor. But then I saw there was opportunity in the market to help other people raise money. So this is back in 2014.

Speaker 3 2:34

2014, 15, I started really understanding how to help people raise money. I was building my brain at the time, so podcast show ended up doing a book, all these different things. And so the biggest thing people asked me is what's the key component to raising money? What leads to what I do today? The biggest component to it is telling a powerful story, but doing it through the video assets. So we created a short video, say, hey, here's what we're doing, here's how you get involved and here's how you can give us money. So powerful by you? Yeah, it is, and so did some big campaigns raised millions of dollars.

Speaker 3 3:09

But I got more obsessed with the video production side. I started filming all over. I had people following me around and then I started doing like modeling gigs, acting gigs and all this stuff. And then where my first opportunity came in TV production is a guy came to me and he said, hey, if you help me raise money for this pilot, I'll make you my co-host. Done. I raised him the money.

Speaker 3 3:30

We did the first show, season one of, called in Bish's Adventures Travel in the Country, interview in Entrepreneurs. We launched it on Prime, we launched it on Facebook watch back when it first became a thing and even on the entrepreneur network. And that was my beginning and so fast forward. That was my first show. I've done money documentaries, we've won Emmys and everything else, but it led me to using my talents in storytelling and video production to do a couple of things. One help people tell their story. Two now I invest in advising companies and use my talents with video to help scale companies. Long story short started in the ice business to an inventor, to doing video production and now an investor and advisor.

Speaker 2 4:10

Using your time to help other people now.

Speaker 3 4:12

Exactly, I love it my time, my resources and energy.

Speaker 2 4:14

Absolutely. It's not something that happens overnight.

Speaker 3 4:17

So when you were A decade, one full decade we got there.

Speaker 2 4:22

So tell me, when you were making this video and you're making this show, did you get on Netflix at all?

Speaker 3 4:27

Are you on Netflix. So no, funny story, I wrote this in my book. So we, I wanted to go on Netflix, I so wanted to go on Netflix. We shot the show and, by the way, we did the shows for how most shows work, people will shoot a pilot, they'll have a pitch book and they'll go to these networks and say, hey, will you get behind this, get a suspicion and then basically buy or give them money to go fund it because it's very expensive. I never went that route. I did the route Most people don't do it, because it couldn't figure out a fund it. I knew how to raise money. I created the show, we shot it, we had it all done and then we went to distribution. So our first show for ambitious adventures. We had connections and we got distribution through uh, entrepreneur network and then we did Amazon prime and all that so important, so important the connections I had the mentors.

Speaker 3 5:18

And then, when I got to the show success in your city that my wife and I did, I wanted to get on Netflix, and so we shot the whole show, put a half a million dollars into the show, put my heart and soul into it, and then I couldn't get, uh, to Netflix. What happened is I had these people that wanted to represent me. They promised all these things. They also had one group that said we definitely could sell this Netflix, but we want to take everything you shot and basically pitch it, and then we want to do the show all about you and your wife more like reality style. I didn't want to do that, and so you knew what you wanted and you're going to stick to it.

Speaker 3 5:50

I knew what my own version of success was, and so what I I did? I said, screw it, I'm going to fly over, and this was to Los Gatos, where one of the Netflix locations is. I first shipped three of the executives I won't say their names, shipped them and I spent a lot of money, ship all these things and basically thumb drive and some pictures and say, hey, here's a show all about redefining success. It'd be great for um, I've been wrote a mockup story that Netflix partners with uh couple for success in your city. Oh my gosh.

Speaker 2 6:21

So you, we went all out. You read this already to go I by the way.

Speaker 3 6:24

I posted that as if it was a cover of magazine and people thought I was in Netflix and your comedy and everything. So I fly there. I fly there, Jacob. I'm on the plane. I'm like, oh shit, am I actually going to do this? Because I was just showing up. I showed up to the front and I saw I got a meeting with so and so, like, you're on the list. I said, well, I sent him a package. Here's proof. They accepted it because they had to sign for it. Well, we're not going to let you. And I'm like, can I go over here and email him? Yeah, sure, Within two minutes, a security guard came and they escorted me out of Netflix and I was so like frustrated and angry, but also, okay, I get it. I knew there was a small chance I would get connected with anybody in Netflix, but I knew I had to do it. He's about I'm thinking about you now.

Speaker 2 7:05

I got him thinking about but here, what did I do, though?

Speaker 3 7:09

I was recording content before I went in and then, after I said, hey, that's going to be out whatever, within 24 hours I had two different companies that wanted to represent me and actually get it to Netflix. Never did Netflix, which was fine. The funny thing is now I have ownership in a TV network and we're launching our show, relaunching this summer on the spoke TV and direct TV, and so this full circle. Five years later, it's all come to fruition, but no Netflix. But I did this, I went for the endeavor, but you know what Netflix? I will say this about Netflix Just because you get a Netflix deal doesn't mean your life has changed. I know some people that spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on a documentary or show. They go to Netflix and Netflix say we'll give you 15 grand for all of it and you can't do anything else with it and we own it. And I'm not going to do that. Yeah, no, you made it, you invested your time.

Speaker 2 8:05

So now I own it. I do whatever I want, I do whatever I want, and that's awesome, that's awesome, that's awesome. Yes, such a powerful story. It just really shows that your greatest defeats can become your greatest journey, you know, and it's the greatest success down the road.

Speaker 3 8:18

Yes, it's awesome there were so many other opportunities that were better than Netflix. I think sometimes we need to not be so on this. Be open to other opportunities.

Speaker 2 8:30

We're so hyper focused on what we want and we don't see what's right.

Speaker 3 8:32

Great night beside us, Exactly exactly.

Speaker 2 8:35

It's such a powerful story. So you did this Netflix. What did you do after that? So you were an inventor you're an investor, two-time Emmy Award winner. So where are you at now?

Speaker 3 8:48

Okay, so this is kind of where the journey went. I COVID hit and before COVID I was speaking around the country I was traveling. Covid hit, stopped all that.

Speaker 2 8:56

It's like everyone remembers that like it was yesterday. Yeah, I know.

Speaker 3 8:59

I mastered the margarita. That was one thing I did, but I also I kind of reinvented what I was doing. I got more into doing consulting and advisory deals, so I was doing like 10, 15 Zoom calls a day and I was connected with people and I was accelerating my partnership with Kevin Harrington, as you know from Shark Tank, and so him and I started really growing our investment advisory business, and so what that is is I'll advise companies, I'll make introductions, I'll help them tell their story through video content, we'll help get them connected to different things. We might even speak on their behalf and in return, we get basically ownership in their company. Some of these companies are public, some are private, and so what I do today is we help scale companies, help grow the portfolio. And then the other set of things is I really love we do an event called Rise and Record, where we bring in people and it's all about rising up and sharing your story, specifically through film content Everyone has a story.

Speaker 3 9:56

You have a story, we have a story, and when you tell your story, it makes a bigger impact than other people's lives.

Speaker 2 10:01

It does, and you may not think it does, but there's gonna be people that message you, that say, hey, this impacted me.

Speaker 3 10:05

Yeah, you know all the videos you're doing.

Speaker 2 10:07

I sent a message yesterday actually, and someone said hey, thank you for sharing your inspiration.

Speaker 3 10:11

I really needed it and it feels good to hear that it's like, that's what I do, that's why I do this.

Speaker 2 10:15

It's because I love hearing people say you helped me and you got me to think at this and that's honestly like beyond the business.

Speaker 3 10:22

It does lead to getting clients and everything and growth and branding. But the part that I love is when you have that message Like, oh, this story, this video helped me so much and I found when you least want to do the video is when you have to do it, because I found when I do that video that's when somebody's like I need to hear that video.

Speaker 2 10:39

Yep 100%. I may not want to do it necessarily at the time.

Building a Dream Team for Success

Speaker 3 10:41

Yeah, just do it, press that damn button.

Speaker 2 10:44

You know Kevin Harrington, by the way, great guy. I was just on a call with him last week.

Speaker 3 10:47

I know, isn't he amazing?

Speaker 2 10:49

He's a great guy. I was like so how do you buy time? And one of the things he says you have to have the right leadership in place. You have to have the right people in place. Because, they don't want to be there constantly overseeing every little aspect that they have to trust their team.

Speaker 3 10:59

It's so true.

Speaker 2 11:00

And I'm like that is so true. If you want to build multiple companies, you want to have multiple businesses. You've got to trust your team. You've got to have the right talent in place 100%, so you have a lot of talent on your team right.

Speaker 3 11:12

Yes.

Speaker 2 11:13

You have video producers Yep, tell me a little bit about that. What do you do to kind of make sure everyone's doing their right tasks and get everyone to go so?

Speaker 3 11:20

I'll tell you this I have multiple teams, internal teams. I don't want hundreds of employees, so I'll give you an example.

Speaker 2 11:27

I want to ask more headaches, yeah.

Speaker 3 11:29

So there's my internal team that I some are on payroll, some I'm paying as subcontractors, consultants, and Leah, who you know, she's my multimedia manager.

Speaker 2 11:39

Oh, she's great, she's amazing. She's always telling me tips and tricks on how to help my social media. I'm like I didn't know that Girls are going to be 19.

Speaker 3 11:45

And she's so smart and she understands reels, tiktoks, and so she manages all my content. So, like somebody like her, every day she's like, hey, brandon, get this video, she can see things I don't. So like that's one person. I have an editor who edits all my content. I have multiple editors I choose from. I have somebody that helps me, really holds me accountable with my finances, with my accounting, so I have my dream team in different areas who are all helping me grow as Brandy and T Adams and they're growing our Accelerator Media Group company and RISM Accord and that. And then I have teams like, for example, I'm an investor in the DripR, so they have I don't know, probably 40 employees, so I'm a shareholder in the company, but I am basically consulting the executive team to help them execute with their team. So there's multiple teams I have around the country. I just don't want to in-house like hundreds of employees, but really, to answer your question, surround yourself with people that can take direction and coaching and run with it.

Speaker 2 12:45

Kevin said the same thing and building your dream team first before you build out your project.

Speaker 3 12:51

You're not going to be able to talk about that, and you know this too. The worst thing people could say is how does it go? If you want to get done right, you got to do it yourself, that's bullshit Because you're not an expert in everything, you can't ever grow, and so let other people do it. It might not be how you're going to do it, but if you want to actually grow, you got to give them the freedom to do it. You got to have people that have the ability to actually run with it.

Speaker 2 13:13

And give them the opportunity to make mistakes, because we're going to make them your teacher to make mistakes and they learn from it, and when they do, they're more loyal to you because you have the opportunity to let them learn and you coach them, and you coach them, let them learn, you coach them. You 100% know what it is. It's so powerful to have the right team in place in order to build the right kind of products and services that you want. It's awesome hearing your story.

Speaker 3 13:33

You know from going on Netflix to being turned away and now all the success that you have because of that.

Speaker 2 13:40

You know, sometimes our greatest defeats can become our best journey.

Speaker 3 13:42

It is so true. I look at Jacob Blake In my journey. I think back as this interview happens. I started podcasting in February of 2015. And I started out sleeping in my truck driving around the country setting up mics and interviewing people. And I still look back to that and I have so many great memories of doing that journey and along the way, the little wins because you talk about success we have our Emmy moments, I call it. You have big win, you make a lot of money or whatever it is, but I love that. But just know 99% of it is a journey and I still miss the times. My wife's like you don't need to be sleeping in your vehicle, we'll do long trips.

Speaker 3 14:21

And I'll be like I'll just sleep in this thing because I don't need to go get a hotel, because I miss some of the times where I started out, I had no money, I was eating canned food in my vehicle and editing my podcast in my truck. Like I enjoy those journeys and the little wins along the way. You don't forget and you look back and that'd be like, oh, I'm so grateful for taking that action. But it comes down to actually taking action. Oh, 100%, recording that video, starting the podcast and just doing it. Because if you ultimately go after your dreams and put in the work, you buy your time back. Because then a day, if you create a real system in place, it gives you more freedom more money, more opportunity to focus on things that are more what's the word?

Speaker 3 15:04

compelling and passionate for you, whether it's your kids or me. I like doing projects that are creating video content. That's not even business ready, it's just me creating something because it's my craft.

Speaker 2 15:14

It's so true. I mean, you know, and time was one of those things that just moves so fast you look back on it and the last thing you want to do is say what did I do in two years? What did I accomplish? And so many people don't accomplish what they want because it lives up here, it lives in their mind. They say I'm going to do this and now is not the right time to do this. I can't do this now. I'll wait until later.

Speaker 3 15:33

I'll wait until later. Do it like just take action, it's what matters. Take it it is.

Speaker 2 15:41

It's crazy. I wish I could just tell everyone hey, take action. The smallest things that you do now is going to make the big difference. You know the thing I love?

Speaker 3 15:48

about what you do. Jacob is like you. You help people buy their time back, but through your workshops and training and consulting, it's you show people hey, here's your system. Yes, you've done this. What got you here, got you this? But a lot of people. What happens is they maybe they're making the money, but they're tied to their business and they don't have the freedom.

Speaker 2 16:05

They're like oh, I see it, they're working 70 hour a week. They're working their business.

Speaker 3 16:09

They created a job for themselves and 67 hours, but you show them just as you do. Hey, here's how you put these systems in place and you can work 20 hours. If you want to work six, you can be worked 20 hours on this endeavor and spend 40 on other areas, or 40 hours extra on growing and not working in your business. And that's what I love about what you do.

Speaker 2 16:30

You do your business versus working in your business and make sure your business is a time and not a time liability. It's the biggest thing to learn, because you don't want to start off wrong in the wrong foot and be investing all of this time. That's what you're going to do for 20 years. No, you're going to build up that business, make it a time asset.

Speaker 1 16:45

That's what matters. Yup.

Speaker 2 16:46

Amen, it's. Oh my gosh, Brandon. Well, hey, I appreciate you coming on in giving us your advice and kind of what you do, and so how could people find out more about you?

Speaker 3 16:56

Yeah, so I make it pretty easy. I'm at Brandon T Adams everywhere. That's easy BrandonTatomscom. And if anybody wants to come hang out at the event we have this year, rise and Record, just go to RiseandRecordcom. But I'm active. If anybody listening, watching, reach out to me. I'm pretty open. I run all my social. You have a book too. I got the book the Road to Success. My wife and I wrote together.

Speaker 3 17:18

Great book by the way and there's a chapter in there about the Netflix journey. I tell the whole journey and I tell how hundreds of people basically said my career was over for what I do with the Netflix. But hey, it's not over.

Speaker 2 17:33

Look where you're at right now Everything you've accomplished. Well, Brandon, I really do appreciate you coming on and sharing your advice on how you were able to buy time. My name is Jacob K Mead and if you are looking to buy your time, you can check out other episodes of our podcast on the buytimepodcastcom. There'll be episodes on there. Feel free to like share this with somebody that needs more of their time back, and if you're looking to work one-on-one with me, jacobkmeadcom, click the link. Apply Until next time.

Speaker 1 18:00

Thanks for listening to today's episode. My name is Jacob K Mead, and until next time.