Bobby Henebry: Global Speaker On Blockchain And Cryptocurrencies | The Business Blast Podcast #882

Alright everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Business Blast Podcast. I'm your host Tyler Wagner as always. Today's sponsor is Authors Unite, and if you want to become a successful author, Authors Unite is the place to go. So head on over to authorsunite.com to check out a free case study that will teach you how to do exactly that. And now, let's jump into the episode.

And do you prefer Tyler or Ty?

Tyler works. Okay, that's perfect. So yeah, if you're, if you're ready, I mean, I've already hit record, so if you're ready, I'll introduce you, and then I'm looking forward to your answers.

All right, break a leg.

All right, let's do it. Um, all right everyone, well, welcome back to another episode of the Business Blast podcast. I'm your host Tyler Wagner, um, and today I have Bobby Henebry with us. He is a global speaker on blockchain and cryptocurrencies that helps translate nerd to layman. Also a partner in a traditional stock picking fund and founder of Cord Savvy, a YouTube music education platform. So welcome to the show, man.

Hey, thanks for having me. How are you today?

I'm good. How are you doing?

Well, I'm hanging in there. I'm between international trips, flying all over the planet as part of what I do in this network and for the speaking gigs, and, uh, you know, trying to get off to the right start this new year.

Yes, man, I like it. And you're talking to a Gamecock, as you know, so you're in good company.

Yeah, I'm a Yellow Jacket, so, you know, we're in different conferences, so this should be a clean match.

Yes, I like it. So the first one I got for you, man, is what is the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable message?

Man, that's a great, uh, that's a great question. I like how you go deep on this. Um, you know, I The most powerful thing I'm involved with right now is networks. And there's a few groups, the Society of International Business Fellows, and out of that, these academies in the Middle East and Central Eurasia that I network in and facilitate for rising leaders. And my mentor was a guy named Garnett Keith. I met him in a class at Georgia Tech. And it's kind of funny how one opportunity snowballs into a bunch of others. And the class I was taking was called Ethical Leadership in a Multicultural World and was taught by a guy named Joel Cowen. And I had met Joel Cowen while I was in business school at Georgia Tech. And he was at a networking event, actually. And so he was teaching this new special topics course that was really just about expanding our horizons to see kind of more of the world. And Garnett, who subsequently became my partner and boss, he was a guest lecturer in one of those classes. And I— this guy was the retired chief investment officer of Prudential and vice chair of the company and trustee for the Kennedy family and some other big offices around the world. And I thought, man, what's the right question to ask a guy like this? You're always kind of playing that game. And I just asked him, hey, you know, "Man, you got a lot of wisdom. What books should I be reading to learn more about investments and that you found helpful in your life and career?" And that was the right question because Garnett loves books more than anything else. And then, it led to us having kind of breakfasts and lunches when he was in town. He ended up hiring me out of business school and I spent 11 years working with him. And that was thanks to the introduction from Joel Cowen who brought in all these guest lecturers. And then, subsequently, Joel Cowen, a decade later, said, hey Bobby, go check out this thing called SIVF. And now that network has just changed my life. I've been in 30 countries in the last 2 years through that network. I sold my interest in SeaBridge, the firm with Garnett. I've still got a great relationship with him. And, uh, you know, it's just kind of the power of networking and putting yourself out there and taking opportunities. It's really amazing what, uh, what it opens up for your life and career.

Absolutely, man. I tell people all the time, like, you never know what, like, one connection can do for you. So I, I just think the best approach is, you know, you treat everybody the same no matter if they're, you know, bigger than you, smaller than you, whatever. Um, you know, you just treat everybody how you would want to be treated. And then whether it's a year from now, 5 years from now, you never know. Even just me and you doing this podcast could lead to something that we had not expected.

So yeah, no, that's the, uh, the abundance mentality. And I, yeah, you know, I'm in my value system, I'm very much a helper and I like helping people. And I think especially in the new world with social media and how you kind of build a brand, you know, the more you give early on, you know, just in the spirit of helping people, the reciprocity comes back to you. And so it served me well and I'm excited to see where it takes me and my friends and the people I care about around the planet going forward.

Um, so my next one for you is what is the most valuable piece of information we should know that's within your expertise or industry?

Oh man, there's so much good information. You know, I kind of have a couple hats on because I have broad interests. In the blockchain space, which is where I'm spending a lot of time educating people around the world, you know, on the technical front, understand the distinction between blockchain and cryptocurrencies because because a lot of people conflate them. And that's the number one rule is don't conflate them. Blockchain's a protocol and a technology that allows you to transfer digital assets, and cryptocurrencies are the first asset that have been used. Bitcoin is the big one, but there's thousands of them out there. And so even though the crypto market is rolled over, it's been around for 10 years, it's done this before, and there's been a huge inflow of capital that's now trying to apply blockchain in new ways. And we're kind of waiting to see what happens in this space. So, you know, just because crypto is lying flat on its back, uh, you know, because Clowny kind of rushed the line and sacked the quarterback, which is Bitcoin, you know, doesn't mean that quarterback's not going to get back up and try some more passes, uh, in other ways. So anyway, that's, that's what I would say on the blockchain front.

Yeah, no, I think that's really important too. And I, I would even take it like a level deeper where it's like, I think people just say like they equate Bitcoin as being the same as crypto and as being the same as blockchain. Like, it's just like, that is what it is. And they like, there's so much more to it than just like one thing, you know?

Yeah. And also as a deeper observation on that is then where else in your life are you conflating things that are distinctly different? And I think that's partially a risk in the— I, what I would argue is kind of the headline culture. And we have so much information coming at us. But, you know, I've really spent the last 2 years, you know, I started off mining, you know, thanks to a brilliant friend of mine, a guy named Ben Lorber, who really helped me set up the mining side of things. That got me into the conversation to kind of translate the nerd, you know, in the intro. What does this mean in layman's terms? And as I dug in and started watching YouTube videos and reading articles and just going to conferences and talking to people in the space, you know, you realize there's way more depth to to it. And so, you know, for whatever industry you're in or the things you may be cynical about, sometimes it's worth taking a deeper look and a few more cuts down to really dig in and see what's there.

Yeah, I agree, man. That's a great point. Like, where else in— like, what other aspects of our lives are we doing this? That's pretty interesting outlook on that.

Yeah.

So my next one for you is, what is your best piece of overall business advice?

So not necessarily industry-specific, Yeah, you know, my mentor has all sorts of great bits of wisdom, and one of the things that resonates whenever I get this question is, you know, virtue is its own reward. Meaning if you do the right thing, you know, you can sleep at night, first off. And sometimes doing the right thing is hard for a lot of reasons, you know, relationships, or you're not sure if it's right in the context of strategy or tactically what you're doing, or just the uncertainty of your future. But, you know, if you do good things for people, this goes back to that comment earlier about reciprocity. If you're willing to show up and help people and, you know, be virtuous effectively, that's a reward in and of itself. I find that quite fulfilling. And then just be open to the possibilities that come afterwards. That's really honestly the way I've conducted myself the last year and a half. I sold my interest in the former registered investment advisor I was in, SeaBridge, in July of '17. And then I just started traveling the world, been to 30 countries, like I said. And I just started facilitating in the Middle East Leadership Academy and Central Eurasian Leadership Academies as part of this SIBF network. And I just learned so much about the world. I learned a lot about myself. And by being willing to help other people, it's coming back in ways where I've gotten some speaking engagements and But most importantly, just a lot of really wonderful friends around the world that have changed my perspective.

And then, um, so next one is, if you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?

You know, I, I asked this question as a conversation started to people. I say, you know, what would— I'm 38— I'd say, what would 38-year-old Bobby say to 18-year-old Bobby? And, uh, there's a lot that I would say. On a number of fronts— personally, professionally, and other. And, uh, and I think the best piece of advice is this, is, hey, younger Bobby, um, don't let perfection get in the way of good enough. Because, you know, I've— my YouTube channel, for example, Chord Savvy, you know, it spent 3 years on paper, and I just wanted it to be perfect. And like every— and I, you know, I'm very thoughtful, I'm an engineer and analytical, but it's like too thoughtful. Right? And then you get paralyzed from thinking about it. And if you just show up and you fail forward fast, or you just do, right? And you learn and you don't let your worry about your ego being hurt, you're going to accomplish way more. And I, you know, I certainly worked hard in my 20s, but there's some other things that I kind of kept pushing off. And life's short, man. So don't let perfection get in the way. Good enough. Just make it happen. Iterate, learn. And I'm sure that's how it works for you, Tyler. And kind of how you built this fabulous platform for your business and also helping other entrepreneurs and authors around the world.

Absolutely, man. And the biggest way I can relate to that, I tell people all the time, because, you know, obviously with my business, a lot of people come to me with writing books, and I tell them, do not try to perfect the process, but rather complete the process, and then complete it again and again until it's up to your standard. And what I mean by that is why most people fail in finishing their book is because they're trying to perfect their first draft, which is like impossible. And actually the way to do it is to allow yourself to just complete your first draft knowing that it's probably not going to be that good. And that, that's okay because it's a first draft. So you just finish it and then you can go back, self-edit a couple times, and then hire a professional editor. And then the final draft is up to your standard before you put it out into the world. But it's the same thing with even business, right? Like, you want to stay in being lean, and a lot of businesses pivot. Like, what your business may start out, what you think it's going to be, like 3 years down the road, it could be serving a completely different customer. But if you had never took action and made the moves, then you would have never made it to that point to even realize that. Ultimately, that whole ramble, what I mean is just the key, like you're saying, is just to take action. It doesn't mean you put out like crappy work, 'cause I think that can be confused sometimes. That's not what we're saying. What we're saying is you have to ship it. Like as Seth Godin says, if you're familiar with him, you gotta put out something to get feedback from the market, and then you can pivot or iterate from there. Um, but you can't just stay in your head and strategize forever because like you're saying, life is short. And if you never put anything, then you'll never know.

So no, that's right. I mean, even the way my, the, the blockchain business has evolved, I started out mining and then all of a sudden, you know, I got in in late 2016. So it was actually right before it took off and it's better to be lucky than smart. That's for sure. And, uh, and then all my financial planner friends said, hey Bobby, my friends are asking me about Bitcoin. And so I'd invite them to my house and I'd show them my mining rig and operation. You know, looks great in your living room. And obviously I'm a bachelor because I have computer servers in my living room. And so anyway, I just like started getting questions and then people started asking me to speak. And so I just followed demand, right? And then I wanted to, I've been working with a bunch of startups, but you know, startups are tough because they don't have any cash and you got to give a lot of yourself away for free. And so I continue to help with a few, But, you know, where I've gotten the most traction, and it's been exciting because I also was— am in this business network that's fabulous, you know, I started becoming an international speaker. So I did speak at some of our conferences, and then people started, you know, paying me fees and hiring me to do it. And so that's been really cool. And I found out I'm really good, as in the intro, like communicating nerd to layman or nerd to business, um, because I don't get stuck too much in the technicals. And, and that's kind of fun where now I've shut down the mining operation because it's not profitable with my home residential rates. But that was an entry into the conversation, and then you just followed.

Absolutely, man. And that's— I cannot— I, I can relate to it so much because when I wrote my book, I didn't write it to help other people with their books, but due to me writing it and just taking action, it ended up creating my entire business, you know. So, but that wasn't the goal in the beginning, so Yeah, that was good. I like that.

Yeah, no, no, it's cool. And it's, you know, that's what's wonderful about life is, you know, I'm, you know, I'm 38-year-old Bobby talking to 18-year-old Bobby, but 48-year-old Bobby's going to have a lot of great advice for 38-year-old me right now. I wish he could tell it to me, and I wonder where I'm messing up. But, you know, that's part of the joy of life. Yeah. And, you know, even in the Cord Savvy, the YouTube channel I've got, you know, I look at back at my first batch of videos and I'm like, man, my, my energy isn't right. Or yeah, I messed up on this. But you know what, that was a stepping stone to where I'm at now. And it's just, that's exciting, man. Like when you're really creating value, you're doing things you're passionate about, you know, it's, you know, and I get a lot of likes and really nice comments and affirmations and that lets you know you're moving the right direction.

So kind of a good segue here. So my next one for you, it's a little bit down a different path. In your opinion, then what is the key to happiness?

You know, I just finished this book, The Happiness Advantage, which is a great book. And the author who wrote it, which forgive me for forgetting his name, but if you look up Happiness Advantage, you'll see a big yellow book with a smiley face on the COVID Yeah, he was— he started presenting to a bunch of corporations in the financial crisis about happiness, and he's like, man, I don't know if this is the right thing, but it's exactly what people needed at the time of, you know, Maximum uncertainty. And, you know, as I read that and I think about kind of my journey— if I was in a career for 11 years and then I left it, honestly, to kind of bet on myself and then build this blockchain opportunity out, and then the YouTube stuff, and then really pour my heart into this global network— you know, for me, the key to happiness is just being true to yourself. And freedom for me is important, at least the freedom to travel and do what I want when I want, you know, within some constraints, right? And so as long as you're being honest with yourself and being honest with others, you know, you'll enroll the right people and opportunities. And, um, you know, because you can play the self-judgment game and hold yourself back. Well, oh, people won't like that, or that sounds crazy. But then you end up at the end of your life with nothing but regrets. And I have no regrets about the move I've made the past couple years, and I would advise other people that if you're not happy, then take that leap of faith, bet on yourself. And I would argue that there's more upside risk than there is downside risk on the other side of that decision. So don't hold yourself back.

And then, uh, talking about books, uh, what is the best book that you've read and what was the number one thing you learned from that?

Man, there's a lot of books. I, you know, back to that question I asked Garnett, my mentor, was, you know, what should I read? Um, you know, I've read a lot of investment books early on, and my, my 20s were more about technical knowledge, right? You know, kind of, and get the CFA designation, understand investing and business and leadership and all that. And then my 30s were more— have become more of a journey of understanding me and how I operate, right? And now leveraging social media. So those are kind of the themes that are interesting to me. But, um, I read 30 books last year and I got a goal to read 50 this year. So we'll see if that happens. But, um, the book that really stands out, um, is called The Great— The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino. OG Mandino. And OG Og is short for Augustine. He's a Bostonian. It's Og Mandino, I think, if you hear him pronounce it. But You know, Og was kind of the first Tony Robbins, if you will, and he was big back in the '60s, right? And the book is a parable about this young protégé and his mentor is about to sell his empire, this trading empire in the Middle East, you know, 300 years ago. And he's saying, you know, master, master, why, why are you doing this? And you're going to give it all away? And he says, well, look in this chest and there are 10 scrolls. And each scroll is a few pages and it has some sort of wisdom. And, you know, the first one effectively is, I will divorce myself from bad habits and marry myself to good habits and become their slave. And in order to do that, I will read this scroll for the next 30 days, 3 times a day. When I wake in the morning, after my midday meal, and before I go to bed. And before I go to bed, I will read it aloud to myself so as to reinforce the lessons in it. I mean, it's kind of almost got like a biblical tone to it, but it's, The second scroll is like, I'll wake up with love in my heart every day. And there's a number of lessons and anecdotes. And it was a really powerful book for me because, you know, I'm passionate about music, like I said, and I would come home in the evenings and I'd prepare dinner and I'd sit on the couch and I'd be stuck watching movies for 2 hours. And I reached a low about 3 years ago where I watched Jaws 2 twice in one week. And I said, what am I doing? Like, this is not adding value to my life. And I started reading that book. And what's great about it is it's, you know, if you have the 10 scrolls and you read them 30 days, it takes 300 days to read it in the way that he prescribes it. And so in that, it really reinforces some great lessons. It builds in discipline. And I wasn't doing the discipline of playing my guitar and writing and recording. And so that was a book that, you know, really helped me jumpstart my life. And I heard about it from a woman named Britton Prigge of Ballantine. Which is a prominent wealth investor here in Atlanta, you know, fabulous firm. And she was a guest lecturer at a CFA conference. So, you know, there are opportunities and bits of wisdom coming at you every day. And that was one where just the way she talked about the book impressed me. I bought it, you know, it sat on my shelf for a few months, and then I finally read it and it really put me in a new direction in my life. So it's very powerful and I would recommend anyone read it.

And then what is your favorite quote and why?

Oh man, I'm really, you know, for as much as I love music, I remember melodies and rhythms and I am horrible at remembering lyrics. So as far as quotes go, there are not any quotes that I live by. There's all sorts of bits of wisdom that I pick up along the way. But the one that comes to mind right now that I seem to use on a regular basis is from a brilliant leadership guru, a guy by the name of Michael Cooley, who's Lebanese and just a fabulous human being. And he's very active in our leadership academies abroad. And he says, you know, when people are getting frustrated or angry and there are sessions where people really kind of erupt in kind of how we structure things, He says, whatever you say about me is not about me, it's about you. And I have found that to be very powerful because oftentimes people pass very strong judgments with very limited information, and you realize you may take that personally, but you can't, you can't do that, right? Because they're saying and they're revealing more about their attitude than they are about you in your life and your actions. And I've found moments where I've been, you know, almost kind of attacked, and that quote comes to my mind and I say, whatever this guy is saying right now has nothing to do with me. So I don't let my emotions get too wrapped up in it, and then you don't get pulled down. And so that's, that's the quote and the bit of wisdom I, I would share.

Mm-hmm. Yes, I love it, man. Dude, thank you so much for coming on. The last one I got for you before we let you go is, where can our listeners best find you online?

Yeah, well, I mean, you can ask me 10 more questions. I love these kinds of conversations, Tyler, so thanks for taking the time. I really, really do appreciate it, and I hope what I've shared is valuable. Absolutely. If people want to reach out to me, there are, there are two kind of forums. One is my kind of blockchain consulting business and the speaker deal. You know, I'm speaking at conferences all over the world. The website is hbcc llc.com. That's Henebry Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Consulting LLC. So you can search for that and I'll pop right up. And the second is Chord Savvy. So if you're into music and want to see what I'm doing in social media, if you Google Chord Savvy, C-H-O-R-D, meaning like a music chord, not like an umbilical cord, but you know, search that and you'll see me sitting on my couch, you know, probably doing in a Grinch t-shirt for, you know, the Grinch Stole Christmas tune, or, you know, Tennessee Whiskey or some of the other songs that I'm doing tutorials on. But that's a cool platform, and those are the two things I would suggest. And feel free to reach out or keep in touch. Perfect.

Thanks again for coming on, man.

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