E34: Brian Ginsler on The Real Human Project

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Good news. No disclaimer today. This podcast has nothing to do with finance, investments, financial planning, financial advice or the like. So that's good. This is a special podcast within a podcast edition of the Unlimited Podcast. A few good friends of mine have launched what I think is an amazing company and concept. They call it the Real Human Project. And in this new world of AI, they have developed an AI hosted podcast interview to get to the heart of who you are, which can then be shared with the world within your organization, or frankly, any way you like. And you know, in our, in our current world with its conflicts and challenges, they and I believe that if you can get to the heart or get to know the real human inside each one of us, perhaps we can understand each other a little bit better and live a more harmonious life with each other. So when they asked me if I wanted to be interviewed by their AI to tell the Brian Gensler story, well, it's a departure for me as I'm usually the interviewer, not the interviewee. I jumped at the chance. Is the AI interviewer perfect? Luckily for me, no, as I think I still have a job here hosting my podcast. But please enjoy getting to know me better on the Real Human podcast inside the Unlimited Podcast and stick around until the end to get a special discount code you can use for your own Real Human episode if you want. Let's go.

Welcome to the Real Human Project. Our mission is to help people get to know each other better. Today we are getting to know Brian Ginsler. Record your own episode @RealHuman IO. Brian, welcome to Real Human. Let's start with the song you chose for your intro. Why is that song meaningful for you?

Well actually that song is hand selected and copyright licensed but by Gensler wealth because it's the theme song for my podcast or our podcast called the Unlimited Podcast and is an important sort of indication that it's sort of the song that we use. And so I wanted to have that consistency for anyone who's listening to it so that they'll know it's somehow tied to my company.

A good choice, Brian. Now moving on, tell me about the home and neighborhood you grew up in.

I grew up in Thornhill, just north of Toronto and grew up riding my big wheelers around my neighborhood and into the park and running around long before the cell phones and all the technology came into all the kids hands.

It sounds like you had a fun filled childhood in Thornhill. Did you have siblings growing up? Were they older or younger than you?

I have one sibling, my sister Karen, and she was three years younger than me, so she got to see what I got and what my parents allowed me to do. And then she multiplied that as the younger sibling. She's very, very smart one.

It's always interesting to see how siblings navigate growing up. Moving on. How would your school friends remember you?

I think generally as a student, I sort of had a philosophy. It was get all your work done, and then once the work is done, you could, you know, go out and play or have fun. So work generally always came first. And I was, I think, quite a good student. But after work, especially in my younger days, my high school days, I was also up for having some fun, going out, hanging out, hanging out with my friends, going to parties, doing all the fun stuff that teenagers and young adults do. So I think they probably remember me as someone a little bit more wild and wacky than maybe I am now in my professional life. You know, people evolve, things evolve. But I suspect there's some funny stories that they'd remember of our time as high schoolers and university students that were from a time past that was lots of fun.

It sounds like you struck a good balance between work and play in your school days. Now, tell me about the best teacher you ever had.

I went to two different business schools, one for undergrad, one for an mba. There was a strategy professor that I had in my HBA undergrad business program at Western. I can picture him perfectly, but I actually can't remember his name. And this one professor was focused. It was a strategy class and really helped me understand how you focus on a goal and define a strategy. And he used the story of Kennedy, who made it America's mission to send a man to the moon and back. I think the phrase was send a man to the moon and have him safely return by the end of the decade. I think that decade was the second 60s. And basically the professor said, so once you have your goal, every decision you make is actually way, way simpler. You know, if we invest in certain technology, will that help send a man to the moon by the end of the decade? If the answer is yes, you do it. If the answer is no, then you don't do it. And it's very simple. And so after undergrad of business, I knew I wanted to go to one of the top schools in the US and so as I took a job out of school, it just very, you know, very easy to say, is taking this job going to help me get to one of the top schools in the U.S. if yes, do it. If not, don't do it. At one point I was asked, do you want to move to Montreal and help train and work with the folks in Montreal? Because, you know, there was an acquisition situation and this and that and literally the decision became very simple and easy. Once I knew what my goal was, well, is moving to a new city and doing a new adventure and helping, you know, take a leadership role, going to increase my chances of getting into one of these top schools. The answer was yes. Decision was made very quickly. So all that traces back to that one professor in my undergrad business program. I wish I remembered his name. I know exactly what he looks like. I can picture exactly where I was sitting during that lecture. And it is something that I think about a lot, especially as I'm running our business here now.

It's fascinating how that strategy professor and the lessons from his class have shaped your decision making journey. Now what did you decide to do after high school and why was this a good fit for you at the time?

So after high school actually didn't really know what I wanted to do with my life. I thought it would be computer science. Took some programming computer courses and enjoyed it, but not as much as I thought I would. And eventually one of my good friends I lived with in my second year and he was in this HBA business program at the Ivy Business School at Western. And he said to me, you should apply to this program. And so I hadn't really considered business. I wasn't sure. But I applied to the program and a few months later I guess I found out, I got in and so I did decide to go. And within the first three, four months, which is first semester, I realized I absolutely love this stuff and that friend, first of all, that letter getting in and then the first semester, that program really set me on the professional journey for the rest of my life. So you know these little things that happen over life. If I didn't meet my roommate through my stuff, some good friends that I met a few years earlier, if he wasn't in that program, if he didn't tell me to apply, if I didn't say yes or accept that letter, who knows what I'd be doing right now. But that was very critical.

Now, focusing on your work life, what's the first job you had that's not on your resume and what did you learn from that experience?

The first real job that I had was in high school. I was working at the J.W. quinter's Hot Dog stand, I guess at the local mall in Thorn Hill. And I was a hot dog preparer and served hot dogs and fries to folks in the mall. What did I learn from that experience? Number one, you know, there was two options with the hot dogs. You know, you can have them come out of the sort of water, the boiled dogs, or you could take a little bit longer and we would barbecue them up on the grill in the back in sort of behind the counter there. And I could grill a mean dog. And the care that I would put into making my hot dog on the grill with all the fixins and all that stuff, it was spectacular. And most people just wanted it quick and easy. They didn't want to wait to take the time to have a really good end result. And you know, for me, what I try to do in life is do things well. I say to my team, we don't want to do it fast. We want to do it right. So I think that's sort of an important lesson that I learned. Take a little bit more time, do things right, and things might just be a little bit better. And also gave me sort of the reminder to respect everyone, the job they do, especially if they're serving you food or drink or whatever it is, they're doing a nice service for you and you want to treat everyone with care and respect.

Changing gears, who's the most successful person?

You know, when I was doing my mba, there was a really smart guy who sat directly beside me in class, guy named Saul Town. And he became the president of our. Of our entire class or co president with another lady. And he ultimately founded something called the Khan Academy, which is essentially the early days of online learning, really using YouTube video to teach his cousin in India math and then continue to grow and grow that until he's now become sort of the educator of the world. Free education through this thing called Khan Academy. So, you know, I have no idea what he earns. And I think the point of the story is it actually doesn't matter what he earns. If it's a jillion dollars or one dollar. I think I put him up up there as one of the most successful people I know because he has been successful at making a major difference in the world because of what he launched and does. And I think that's amazing.

Sal Khan and his work with Khan Academy sound truly inspiring and impactful. Moving on. What's the bravest thing you've ever done?

The bravest thing I've ever done is probably leave a. You know, I started my own wealth management firm three years ago called Gensler Wealth. I've Been in the industry for 20 years or working professionally in the finance and wealth industry for 20 years for the most part. Always had some good paying jobs and left the firm that I was at just prior to starting my firm, which, you know, I was, had a good, a very senior role there and financial stability and whatnot and just decide, you know, when it's time to offer the world my services the way, sort of I think they should be delivered at the standard that I want to deliver them. But what that also meant was, you know, virtually immediately stopping income, digging into our savings. Thankfully my wife is amazing and encouraged me the whole way and not even for a second said, you know, maybe you shouldn't consider this because you know, how are we going to afford life and all that and three years in, it's, I would say, a success. Is it the hugest success in the world? Not yet, but we're moving and you know, I have no regrets whatsoever and I think jumping into entrepreneurship and taking that leap and you know, you don't have much of a safety net. So I feel pretty good about that and I think that was pretty brave if I do say so myself.

Leaving a senior role to start your own firm and pursue your own vision is definitely a brave choice. Brian, switching gears on your very best day at work, the day you come home and think you have the best job in the world, what did you do that day?

Yeah, so I love what we do over here. We're providing a service and hopefully making people happy. Also, very importantly, giving people peace of mind. So, you know, the best days are when we execute something for our clients. It doesn't have to be investment returns. It could be a plan, a tax plan, help them figure out what credit card to use or get anything of that nature. But when I get feedback from our clients where they say, well, thank you so much, you know, really what you're doing is making a difference or gives us peace of mind or I feel settled or, you know, I know I can count on you. It's not the, you know, a specific task or a project that is the best day. It's feeling that we are helping people, you know, and making them feel comfortable that they can go to sleep at night knowing that we've got them taken care of. At least on the wealth and financial side. Those are nice days.

It sounds rewarding to know that you're making a difference in your clients lives. Moving on, what's the best piece of advice you've ever been given and who gave you that advice?

My father was Straight as an arrow, you know, honest, never wanted to do, never did, as far as I know, anything untoward, anything unethical and just sort of built in my brain a model of, well, doing the right thing. And my father in law, who has passed unfortunately was a tank commander in the Israeli army. And he certainly worked his whole life to be a great man and a great person and exude a sort of image of, you know, how you conduct yourself. He definitely had a few sayings or pieces of advice, a couple that spring to mind. Number one, are a shortcut will usually end up becoming a long cut which sort of goes back to the if you're going to do something, do it right the first time, take the time and don't rush it. Number two, very important in my mind is if you're on time, you're late. So I try desperately to make sure I'm always early for meetings. And especially if I'm meeting somebody, I'm always early. I can count on one hand where I'd shown up to the meeting and the person I'm meeting is already there. So, you know, it's watching people that I admire and love and trust and see the good things they do as they conduct themselves that I think had the biggest impact on me. I've only mentioned my father and my father in law. Certainly there's a whole host of other folks, but that gives you hopefully a glimpse into that answer.

It's fascinating how we can learn valuable lessons from observing the actions of those we admire. Now, let's talk about a time you really disagreed with people more senior to you. What happened?

I do recall a situation where I had to sit down with the CEO of a firm and basically say, you know, we've been putting out certain reports that say we're in compliance with A, B, C and D. I noticed that we are sort of missing some step in this process that makes me concerned that we're not totally compliant. I'm not going to sign a document where I don't feel that we are totally compliant. And the steps to bring us on side are A, B and C. And luckily that leader also with strong ethics like myself basically said, well, if you can't sign it, then I can't sign it either and take the steps and make sure we can. So there's one thing when you maybe disagree with the business leader's decision and it's their business and you know, it relates to day to day things. It's a complete other things when it relates to something that is legal or ethical or something that might impact my integrity. There's no standing for any of that or no standing against any of that. I guess I should say you got to take the steps that are. That are right, that are just. That are legal, that are ethical, of course. And that's a critical piece of how I think and operate, because our whole life, to be honest, but my whole business stands on the shoulders of doing the right thing for folks.

Now, let's talk about luck. Can you tell me about a time you got really, really lucky?

I went to a day school for up until the end of grade 8. Most of my peers went to the logical next high school to go to. A few others went to a different high school that was more in our neighborhood. And so that was the second logical place to go to if it wasn't going to be the first high school. And for some reason, I don't really know why I didn't want to go to either. And my parents had gone to the school called McKenzie, which is 20 minutes away from my house. And so I said, okay, heck, I don't really know anybody at this McKenzie School, but I think I'll go there. And so I went to the school. I didn't know anybody, and I went to this new school. And, you know, it was a little bit weird and strange and a little lonely for the first number of months that I was there, you know, just trying to get to know people and whatever. Luckily, about halfway through the first year, I sort of latched on to a couple nice guys and became pretty close with three other guys that became good friends. And then, most importantly, though, speaking of luck, the following year when I was in grade 10, all the new grade nines came in. And the most beautiful girl I had ever seen was part of that grade nine group. And through one friend in particular that I met in that grade my first year, who happened to know this most beautiful girl and agreed to introduce us. And so middle of grade 10, I basically met the girl that, lo and behold, many years later, was going to be my wife and is my wife. And so could I have gotten any luckier to have, not randomly, but somewhat strangely, chosen to go to a high school where really none of my friends were going to like, none of all of all my friends. And I went there and a year in, found the most important person in my life. Can't get much luckier than that.

That's a beautiful story of how luck led you to your wife. Now we all use different strategies to cope. How do you get yourself out of A bad mood and make yourself feel better.

There's a couple things that I really love. I love music and I love tennis. And when I was 14, I took up the guitar and really got into that. And so when I was younger, from 14 through to end of university, I'd play a lot of guitar. Especially later in high school. I play a lot of guitar in my basement. My mom would have to bang her foot on the floor when it was dinner time or bedtime because I couldn't hear anything because I was jamming away. I remember in university my first or second year getting a pretty bad mark on and again, I was a good student. I worked hard, so getting a bad mark was a real blow sometimes. And I got a bad mark on a math test. And I remember going into my room where I lived at school and just playing guitar for a little bit and eventually that helped me get out of my funk. No pun intended. And so I'd say that's an outlet for me to, you know if I'm feeling a little sad or in a bad mood or something like that. Going down to the basement and plugging in and rocking out a little bit always makes me feel great.

Next, I have some rapid fire questions for you, Brian. Try to answer with one word or two. Here comes the first question. Cake or ice cream?

Ice cream.

Favorite sandwich?

Cheryl's Club roll from the Centre Street Deli. Childhood hero Superman.

If a movie was made of your life, who would play you?

Well, everyone says Brad Pitt, right? But I would say, actually people say I look like and maybe sound like Jerry Seinfeld. He's older than me, but in my older years he would play me. Or maybe I would play him in a movie. That would be awesome.

A concert. You'll never forget one.

Or actually all of the very many fish concerts I've been to over the years with some of my best buddies.

Thank you so much for being on the show today, Brian. People will love hearing the stories you've shared. This is Sam and you have been listening to the Real Human Project. Record your own episode at Realhuman IO.

Well, there you have it. A little bit of insight. Insight into Brian Gensler and what makes me tick. If you liked what you heard and think you might want to do one of these yourselves, you can go to realhuman IO and if you use the code unlimited, you will get $50 off. That's $50 USD, so think about that off your podcast. Share with your friends. Share within your organization. Enjoy. So thanks again for listening and more of the unlimited podcast coming at you soon.

Bye. Bye.