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Thanks for joining us today on Street Smarts with Harvey McKay, where the biggest room in the world is the room for improvement. And now here's your host, managing partner and co founder of harveymckayacademy.com Cliff Jones.

Hello, everybody. Cliff Jones, co founder, managing partner at Harvey McKay Academy. And I am thrilled to have with us today Sharon Lecter. Sharon is an American accountant, author, businesswoman, investor, motivational speaker, financial literacy activist, and philanthropist. Sharon is the co author of Rich Dad, Poor dad and founder of Is It CEO Pay youy Family first, which is a financial education organization. Sharon, did I say that?

Pay youy Family First. Yes.

Got it. Well, Sharon, thanks for being with us today. If you're new to the Street Smarts podcast, you're just seeing this for the first time. Welcome. What we're going to talk about, Sharon, is what Harvey McKay would refer to as your legendary leadership, thought leadership, business leadership. And tell us what you're working on first and foremost today because you've got a lot going on.

Well, thank you so much, Clifford, and it's an honor to be here. And I send my best to Harvey, a dear friend, and applaud everything that he's achieved. And it is, you know, leadership is, you know, as I would say, leadership comes from within, not necessarily something that comes from other people. I think it's important for people to stand in their own power. And I talk about being the CEO of your own life. And for me, I learned that at a very young age. I grew up in a very entrepreneurial home and thought that I didn't want that. I decided I wanted to be, you know, the consummate professional. So I became a CPA and was rising in the ranks of the Big Eight accounting firm back then when there were Big Eight accounting firms and at the ripe old age of 25, when we think we know everything, I said, you know, if I'm going to work this hard, I should be working for myself. And that's when the entrepreneurial bug bit me. But, and I have, I've never looked back. But at the end of the day, what I do through my mentoring and my teaching, my writing, is teaching people to be in control of their own life. And as a leader, whether you're an employee or a business owner, as long as you are making the decisions that are right for you and the people around you, then that leadership will bubble up to the top. A true leader either needs to be the pit boss, make those tough decisions, or a cheerleader. And the issue is learning when to be which one so you want to duck when there's praise and stand tall when there's criticism. So.

Well, you're the mother of three children and long time marriage to Michael, your husband. Tell us some of the things that you learned as a child and as a young entrepreneur, a business leader that helped your family be successful. Because I know a little bit about your family being quite successful.

Well, thank you. Yes. Mike and I, we just celebrated 39 years together, so. And his parents just celebrated next week, 70 years of marriage. So we've had great, great examples. My parents were, before they passed, would have been married 70 as well. So we lost them a few years ago, but. And part of it is a mutual respect. And I think as an entrepreneur, our children have the opportunity to learn from within. They see the sacrifices, they see the successes. And giving them the opportunity to understand that every choice we make, every choice we make either drives us to success or not. And each of us is where we are today because of the choices we made before today. And if we want something different in our life, we just need to start making different choices. And I think a leader understands that because a leader is taking responsibility for the decisions they're making. You can say, are you a victim or are you a victor? Well, leaders take, tend to be victors because they are taking responsibility and ownership and willing to make the tough decision, that tough call. You know, it's something that I had the honor of coming out with the book Outwitting the Devil, which was hidden away for 73 years, written by Napoleon Hill. And it was his way of addressing. Holds us back, that fear, right? That concept of drifting where you're not making decisions, you're just letting other people make decisions around you. And it was really eye opening. And we've been blessed with being able to bring younger generations to the teachings of Napoleon Hill because it makes you think about it. Okay, am I taking responsibility for the decisions that I'm making? Because that's where leadership starts.

So when you look back at your first business experience, what would you suggest to anybody today looking at starting, starting a business, leaving the sanctity of their job and starting out for the first time. Are there any street smarts, as Harvey would say, that you would advocate?

Well, the first thing, make sure you're really building a business and not building a job for yourself. One of my biggest missions is getting more companies and more businesses over that million dollar in revenue mark. There are way too many businesses that are stuck way well under a million dollars. And that's because they're Building jobs for themselves. They're not building the systems and the ability to make a successful company. It's not just enough to be successful. You need to build the right systems so that that success can be sustainable, scalable, and eventually saleable. And that's how businesses truly succeed. And way too many business owners spend too much time working in their business and instead of working on their business. And the power of association is making sure you have the right people on your team. And you hire your weaknesses, focus on your own strengths and create a business that can live with that beyond you. We want business to be. We talk about small business versus big businesses. Big business, you can walk away for six months, come back, and it's stronger than when you left because the right people are in the right seats, you have the right systems, and it's built to scale.

What are some of the skills that a new business owner you know in the throes of creating a job, which is a pretty compelling proposition, especially if you're cast out of a company or seeking a little more freedom, financial freedom, whatever that looks like. So what do you suggest in terms of some of the key skill sets initially to help companies stuck below a million dollars break through? Is it delegation or other things that you advocate and talk about?

Well, many times I'd say the number one issue is a lack of self confidence and taking action in three feet from gold. The first book that I went with the foundation, we wrote, we released something called the Personal Success Equation. And this applies to you whether you're an employee or a business owner. And that is we learn about finding our why, right? The passion plus your talent, that's all about you. So my passion was I was mad that we weren't teaching our kids about money in school. My talent was I'm a CPA by training. I had many years in publishing, so I was able to combine those. And most of us stop there. We think we have to do it on our own. Certainly that's what we're taught in school. You need to do it on your own. But in the real world, truly be successful. You have to add that a association, that power of association. Now, having the right people, opening doors for you, having the right mentoring. I love mentoring companies and helping them see things that are right there, opportunities that they just haven't recognized yet, or steering them around pitfalls, opening doors of new opportunity, having the right people underneath you, doing the things that you shouldn't be doing, having the right partners out there, advisors, all of those are very important to build a Sustainable business and then taking the right action. Too many times we know what we're supposed to do, we just don't do it. And that's where really the driver a true entrepreneur is action oriented execution is the name of the game. Then the last element of your personal success equation, passion plus talent times association times action, is faith. Having faith in yourself, having faith in what you're doing, having faith that it's needed and necessary. And so many times that F is really fear. And that's what holds us back. And many of it is fear inside us, things that maybe happened to us as a child. And we have to break through that fear and turn that fear, fear from paralyzing us. Because fear does one of two things. It paralyzes us or motivates us. And most of us, it paralyzes. And you have to recognize it, illuminate it, get rid of it so that you can keep going forward. And that's truly how you can create success in your life and not let that in. That little devil in your ear telling you're not good enough, you're not worthy or easy for her to say and just get rid of it and realize that everyone has the opportunity and the ability to create the success that they deserve in their lives.

I recall as a young boy, 12 years old, Bretton Woods Agreement ends. Hyperinflation kicks in Post opec, my father's hotel in New Hampshire, it was devastated. Nobody was vacationing. So you talk about fear. You mentioned anger in terms of anger at financial literacy not being taught in school. Sounds like you use both to more as a springboard to courage and the faith you referenced and tell us what made you particularly angry or mad about the schools not teaching financial literacy, because it certainly doesn't seem to be taught at home very often. We were told it's not polite to ask about money in the 60s and 70s, so we didn't. We just assumed we wouldn't talk about it. So what made you particularly angry to be such an activist this way?

Well, let me take exception to saying that it's not taught at home. It may not be taught like where you actually discuss it, but believe me, that's where children learn about money because they see the mistakes their parents make. They see the parent, you know, the opportunities or the new things. And that's, you know, I talk about the state, the statement, the rich get richer, the poor get poorer. Well, that's because that's where you learn it at home. You don't learn it demonstratively, but you learn it through experience, seeing those decisions your parents make. And so many times when I work with teenagers who say, my parents need to learn this, but, you know, that's how we can level the playing field, is making sure young people are taught about money, because that's where opportunity, once a child knows how to make money, the sky's the limit. And so my anger came from the fact that I didn't realize people weren't taught about money in school because I was taught by my parents. I grew up in that environment. And it. When we had our own child and our oldest son went off to college here at asu and unbeknownst to us, gets to college and his first quarter, first semester, he had a really good time. He got himself into $2,500 of credit card debt. I was livid. I was mad at him, but I was so mad at myself because I thought I had taught him. I taught him the lessons that I had learned. But when I went to college, there weren't credit cards on every corner. And so that was December of 1992. And that's really when I dedicated the rest of my career to financial education and financial literacy. And I'm as angry about it today as I was back then. Even though we continue to make incremental progress, it just slays me that adults, caring adults, don't just stamp their feet and say, teach my children what they need to succeed when it comes to money.

So if I heard you correctly, financial literacy habits are basically learned at home. I mean, what I learned from my parents was. Wasn't polite to ask about money back then. People didn't necessarily. Middle America didn't have a stockbroker or things like that. But I certainly learned lessons by watching, and that motivated me to learn on my own. So tell us, ladies and gentlemen, if you don't know Sharon and the work she did with rich dad, poor dad, I'd like you, Sharon, to talk about that, because that made a major impact all over the world. I mean, a global brand. And you were really a driver of that business. And that stemmed from your passion. Was it that desire to really make a difference, that that drove that?

Oh, absolutely. You know, I think just before I go into that, I just want to add something that you just talked about. You know, if you think about what your kid, your parents said to you about money, we can't afford it. Save for rainy days, pinch your pennies. All of those statements have something in common. They're negative. So as we're growing up, money negative. Money negative. That's what we're hearing. So subconsciously, we have this subconscious attitude of scarcity. And so that colors our attitude towards money unless we learn to get past that and release that negativity. And so I recognize that with our own son. And my husband is an intellectual property attorney. And one day he called me back in 2006 and said, you know, he had met this guy, Robert Kiyosaki, and he had this idea for a board game. So I went to the very first beta test of the game, Cash Flow. I love the concept because it was teaching the same thing that I taught, and that was the importance of building, buying, or creating assets, assets that generate income. Because financial freedom is truly, when your income from your assets exceeds your monthly expenses, you are truly financially free. You're no longer reliant on a paycheck, and that's financial freedom. And so I volunteered to help Robert make the game commercial. Because of my background. I had done talking electronic books. I built that global brand. So I had all the connections on games and that type of thing. So we, in the process of releasing that game, Robert told me, wanted to spend charged $200 for it. And I said, well, probably should write a brochure that kind of explains the philosophy. That's kind of pricey for a board game. And so at that time, he asked me to be his partner and. And we wrote Rich Dad, Poor dad as the brochure. We never expected that it was going to take on a life of its own. We thought it was going to be one and done. One book. Well, 15 books later, 30 million books sold in 100 countries, 50 languages. I mean, took the world by storm because it was simply weren't telling. We weren't shaking our fingers at people. We were sharing a story, a story of how you can take control of your financial life. And it was the right message at the right time. And it was really, truly at that time, I thought that was my legacy. We were partners for 10 years, and he owned the company and built it around the globe. And it was an incredible opportunity to build the largest personal finance brand. And when I made the decision to leave, that was when the Napoleon Hill foundation reached out to me and asked me to step in and reinvigorate the teachings of Napoleon Hill. And that was talk about a huge honor. Having built the largest personal finance brand, being asked to step into the largest personal development brand was an incredible honor. And that wouldn't have happened if I hadn't made the decision to leave Rich Dad. So sometimes you have to close one Door for other doors to open.

Well, you mentioned Napoleon Hill. And ladies and gentlemen, if you don't know who Napoleon Hill is, and actually, I meet quite a number of people who don't know who Napoleon Hill is. He's the author of Think and Grow Rich, I would say, unquestionably one of the most legendary leaders in the world's history. And. And for those of you not looking at my background or bookshelf, that book is there. And what are some of the principles that you carried forth from the foundation? It was Outwitting the devil, I think you mentioned was one of the books. You were right.

My first book was three Feet From Gold, and they reached out to me because we all remember what happened to the economy in 2008. So that was the original Think and Grow Rich was released in 1937. And many of today's successful companies credit Think and Grow Rich for helping them establish their companies and grow their companies. But as you say, many people young. And today my definition of young people is anybody under 50 keeps getting older, didn't really know who he was, but when I talk to them, I say, you know, you may not know his name, you may not even recognize the book Think and Grow Rich, but you know his legacy. He created the concept mastermind. He created the concept of there's nothing to fear but fear itself. President Roosevelt is credited for it, but Napoleon Hill actually wrote it. Napoleon Hill was the one who started the concept pay yourself first, and you've heard that from personal financial planners and bankers, but it was a Hill concept. And he actually was the first one to talk about the law of attraction. Now, Rhonda Byrdes, of course, made it hugely famous through the movie and the book the Secret. But Napoleon Hill first wrote about it in 19. So while you might not know his name or even think of Goric, you definitely know his work and his mark on our society. And it continues. All of his work is still as valid today as when he released it.

So these days, you're never a dull moment for you. It's hard to keep up. Tell everybody what you're working on right now. You mentioned the play Big Movement. Tell us about that.

Well, as you said, I have three children. Unfortunately, six years ago, I lost my youngest son and I was working, like, crazy hours. But when something like that happens, it kind of stops you in your tracks. And I kind of put my life in neutral. And I had been playing a big game all of my life. Stood with the talking books, taking them globally with Disney and Warner Brothers and Sesame street. And then with Rich dad taking it globally with Warner Books and Time Life, it's just how I operate. I said, you're gonna, if you're gonna work hard, work hard with big players that can make you have more of an impact. But losing a son redefined everything. Things that used to upset me didn't upset me anymore. And so about a year and a half ago, I made the decision that I should probably retire because I wasn't feeling the same excitement about what I was doing. And I got a lot of pushback, a lot of pushback from my family, my friends, my fans. And I think I even got a little pushback from my son upstairs. I could hear him saying, get over it, Mom. You've got more to do. And everyone watching and listening to this, you have more to do. You have a contribution to make. You're still here. There's so many people who can improve their lives by knowing you, knowing what your successes and even knowing your failures because you can help people prevent them from repeating them. And so I made the decision just about a year ago to what for me called Play Big Again. And that is to really start playing a bigger game and supporting people in playing a bigger game in their own environments. And so this is. There's a private Facebook page called the Play Big Movement. It's free to join. And it's something that I want people to understand. You know, it's. The program is not. So if you, maybe if you're financially stressed. Alright, so I have one program that I offer that gets people from being financially disturbed or stressed to break even. But then if you're truly out there and you're kind of comfortable, but you're not quite where you want to be, I want to help you get from where you are. Maybe it's survival mode, maybe even comfortable mode, but too financially free. And you do that by changing the way you think. And so I talk about action steps you can take financially, action steps you need to take up here. Because so much of our success is mental or so many of the barriers that keeps us from being success are up here. And that's why I want to support people getting to that level.

Okay, so Sharon, thanks for that. Now you're working on some new things. Never a dull moment in your life. Tell everybody about the Play Big Movement that you're working on, please.

Well, Clifford, I'm sure everybody watching or listening has had something in their life that kind of stopped them in their tracks. Six years ago, I lost my youngest son. You mentioned I had three Children. But we lost our youngest son six years ago. And there's just nothing worse. I mean, you really. Everything gets redefined. You're not supposed to outlive your children. And so I continued working. I was speaking and still writing, but I didn't have the same passion for what I was doing. And about a year and a half ago, I decided maybe I should retire and just change scenery. Right. And I got a little pushback from my family, my friends and my fans. And I think even from my son above, I could hear him say, get over it, mom. There's more for you to do. And everybody watching and listening, there's more for you to do. There are people out there that can benefit from. From what you know, both the successes you've had and the failures that you've had. And so I made a commitment that I was going to continue striving to support as many people as I can to create financial freedom in their lives. And so I created the Play Big movement. And as a private Facebook group, it's completely free. But I'm sharing the things that I'm doing and what I'm doing now to continue growing my new brand and growing my impact on people. And it's amazing when you start opening yourself to the opportunity, what things come to you. I just came back last week from being on the get motivated stages. So I've had the opportunity now to be on bigger platforms, on bigger stages, to be able to reach more people with the message of taking control of your own life. You are the CEO of your own life. And when you talk about Harvey's message of leadership. Leadership. Are you a good leader for yourself? I go. That's where leadership starts. The choices that you make and the decisions that you make for yourself. And then you can lead others if you lead yourself.

Well, you also mentioned earlier that you've got a new books in the works. Please tell us about that.

Well, I have another book coming out in September of 19 and that is called Success in Something and it is also with the Napoleon Hill Foundation. And then I'm also working on Think and Grow Rich for Kids and that will probably be out in early 2020. So excited about both of those.

Well, you clearly have a passion for writing, teaching, making a difference. You've led by example. If there were one thing, we have a lot of budding authors and business owners who want to write books and approach Harvey McKay about this. So there one thing you would suggest to anybody listening about writing a book. Any street smarts there?

Well, if you're Expecting to write a book and make millions of dollars, I would say you should probably reevaluate that. A book is a way to start building your platform. And so it's not the book that you need to pay attention to, it's the business and the systems around the book. In fact, I just this morning had a marketing call with a publisher of the new book Success in Something Greater. Now I can sit back and do nothing because of the fact that it's got my name and my network and it's got the foundation and we'll sell a lot of copies. But I want to expand our network. I want to reach more people. And so that by having the systems in place and the marketing plan to help get the message out to as many people as possible. And so if you're looking at writing a book, I liken it to a three legged stool. All right, you have your book and it could be fantastically written. Then you have yourself, your ability to communicate, your ability to speak about the book, your ability to share it, and you can get training there as well. But what happens when you only have two legs of a three legged stool? Right. Your third leg is your platform. How are you going to communicate to the world that you and the book are there? And how are you going to be able to give them the ability to feed back into you? And what are the ongoing services that you can provide? So you need to. You've heard the term funnel. Well, a funnel is not going to do you any good if you don't have the platform existing that you can get to people. And so you need to build that system and that business around the book. Then that book is just the pinnacle of what you do. Everything else is what makes you money.

Words of wisdom for sure. So, ladies and gentlemen, we've been speaking with Sharon Lecter, American. Well, certified public accountant, prolific author, hugely successful business person, continuing to invest.

Speak.

And you're on the road again. What is it you mentioned the platform that you're beginning to speak with?

Just get motivated Stages. Get motivated. It used to be many, many years of Peter Lowe seminars, but it's now getmotivatedseminars.com you can go for information.

Well, we're glad you didn't retire. We're thrilled that you spent a little time with us today. Very appreciative of that. And thank you very much, Sharon.

Well, thank you. I invite everybody to come Visit me. Sharon Lecter.com has information about where I am. I'm on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, all under Sharon Lecter so I'll look forward to hearing from everyone.

That's wonderful. Thank you.

Sharon thank you.

Thank you for listening to Street Smarts with Harvey Mackay. If you've enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or wherever you consume your favorite audio. Don't forget to leave a positive rating and review before you sign up for your free membership@harveymckayacademy.com to learn more about Harvey Mackay, make sure to visit www.harveymckayacademy.com. thanks for listening and we'll be back soon with a new episode.

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