Justin Goodbread, Owner, Founder, CEO, Heritage Investors
Justin Goodbread, the owner, founder and CEO of Heritage Investors, leads by lifting others up. He tells The Industry Leaders about why he loves his job and about the far-reaching, positive effects leadership can have for others.
How did you end up sitting where you are today?
It took a lot of hard work, education, and failure, among other things. The only reason I'm where I am today is that I am too stubborn to quit.
What kind of work does your role involve?
As the CEO, I manage the direction of the company. As a planner, I help clients make it possible for them to double their net worth every three to five years through intensive financial planning and business advising.
What gets you excited about your industry?
I get really excited over the fact that the industry is full of business owners who need help. There's not a lot of people who are equipped to work with business owners because they're a special breed of clients. I believe that in order to help business owners you need to be a business owner. Helping them to reach their potential, their goals and dreams is exciting to me. The fact that I can directly impact not just the owner but their employees as well is just amazing to me.
What's the best advice anyone ever gave you?
It may be simple, but I like simple things. I don't believe something has to be complex to have a profound impact. So, the best advice I think I've ever received was, "Life is hard. Don't quit!"
How do you support aspiring leaders in your field?
Simply put, I teach. I speak on business and financial concepts at a number of institutions and events each year. Likewise, I've written hundreds of blogs, a couple of books, and I host a podcast. I love educating people so they can be better equipped to reach their goals.
How do you keep up to speed with what's happening in your industry?
One of my biggest and best habits is reading. I read at least a book a week — sometimes more! But I also read research and white papers, articles, etc. I do it for professional reasons, but I genuinely love it too. I really love to be constantly learning and improving.
What was the most challenging project or situation you've overcome?
I think the mind is something that can either make or break us. So the biggest challenge I've had to overcome is to stop listening to that voice of self-doubt. If you're going to be successful, you have to ignore the noise, even when it's coming from within. You're going to face far too many setbacks and failures on the way to success to allow those thoughts to gain a foothold in your life.
You finish work today and step outside the office to find a lottery ticket that ends up winning $10 million. What would you do?
I always find this question interesting. Many people have such grandiose ideas for what they would do with unlimited time and money being no object. However, I've always thought that my life wouldn't change that much. I genuinely love what I do, and I would want to continue doing it.
How do you define failure?
Failure is not giving your best. If you've done all that you could possibly do to succeed, the rest is beyond your control. You have to press into the struggle and do everything within your power to achieve what you've set out to achieve. Anything less than that is a failure.
If you had one wish for the future of your industry, what would it be?
I wish people would get out of sales, and, instead, become true advocates for their clients. Helping others make their dreams a reality is so much more rewarding than selling a product.
What book or podcast should everyone know about?
One of my favourite books is Jocko Willink's Extreme Ownership. It's such a powerful book with a simple message: Everybody can own what they're given; only you can change your circumstances. You're responsible for everything you directly control, but you're also responsible for everything that affects whether you're successful.
How should people connect with you?
The best way to connect with me is through my website, FinanciallySimple.com.
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