By the thinkBIG Team
Prior to becoming a trading educator, Aussie Rob's career took many twists. He tells ThinkBig about his growth as a trading educator as well as how the current GFC will affect future markets.
Aussie Rob has covered all bases when it comes to employment. Having run away from home at age 16, he took up an apprenticeship as a diesel mechanic before joining the army, which he says taught him systems and discipline; a combination of ideals which helped him later in his trading career.
After a short period of time in the army, he swore never to work for a boss again as "there was no incentive for working harder or smarter than the guy next to you."
Having learnt his systems, he did what any good systems man does and became a Financial Planner (before the term was even created) and developed several franchise systems, which led him into international banking and retirement in the Bahamas.
Most people who have retired to the Bahamas, usually stay retired. Although Aussie Rob says he still feels like he is putting his feet up, he is working harder than ever, coming out of retirement by accident after advising people how to trade.
Think Big (TB): You have been known as Aussie Rob for quite some time now, how did your brand come about and how important is this to who you are and what you do?
Aussie Rob: It's quite surreal how 'Aussie Rob' is becoming a global brand. It started with an internet-based talk back radio show in the US back in early 2000. The show was a new concept where the listeners would email in questions and a financial expert would give their opinion. I sent in an email and signed off as Rob. Then the next three emails were from 'Rob's' as well with the last guy signing off as 'Rob from Chicago'. I then shot off another email and signed off as 'Aussie Rob'. The host then said, "Ah, I've got an email from 'me' mate from Down Under, Aussie Rob." That was interesting considering the guy had never met me before. Anyway to cut a long story short, I was invited to Dallas to co-host the show one day and the rest is history.
The brand has become my second life. It enables me to push the envelope while training. I can say and do things that a person in a suit cannot. So I guess it enables me the freedom to have some fun, enables my students to have fun, which in turn provides them with a great learning environment.
People get so uptight about money so I find humour enables them to relax. When they're relaxed, they're more receptive to learn.
Aussie Rob’s five favourite books
1. Watership Down by Richard Adams
This is the only book I remember enjoying reading as a child. I guess it was my escape from the real world or what I perceived as the real world. You’ve now motivated me to read it again and see what my perspective of it is now as an adult.
2. Success through a Positive Mental Attitude by W Clement Stone
This was the very first motivational book that I ever read. I underwent a sales training course with Combined Insurance Company of America, whom W Clement Stone founded, so part of their curriculum was to read his book. It opened my eyes to a total new world of opportunity. It’s funny, I still have their mantra "I feel healthy, I feel happy, I feel terrific" implanted in my head. They made us yell it out every morning from their training room balcony in North Sydney during peak hour. I’m sure everyone walking below must have thought we were crazy!
3. Richest Man of Babylon by George Samuel Clason
The 'save 10% of what you earn principle’ is a must. This book should be compulsory for every child to read after their parents have read it first so that there can be congruency in their family monetary values. I’ve lost count of how many copies of this book I have given away to teenage kids.
4. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
Well what can I say? This book is legendary in the way that it opens your mind to the endless possibilities of where you can go with your life. When you learn the possibilities, the choice on which direction you take is really yours. And I guess that’s what I’m all about. I want to be the master of my own ship, the master of my life. I want to choose where I am going, how I am going to get there and what will be there when I arrive.
5. Catching the Wolf of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort.
This is the book that I am currently reading. It is a true story that illustrates how greed can take over a person's life. Greed is the killer of all principles as far as I'm concerned. It's great to have goals and the desire to be mega successful but it must be acquired by creating value. This is what I attribute my personal success to, to create value in other peoples' lives. With being in the wealth creation industry, I've seen the good, the bad and the ugly. This book really illustrates how corrupt Wall Street is and has instilled an even stronger desire for me to continue educating people to take control of their own finances instead of relying on someone else. It has also made me stop for a moment and think about how easy it could be to get caught up in all of the hype and success which could eat into your own core values.
Think Big: When did you realise that trading would be your career?
Aussie Rob: Back in '84 I invested $3,000 of my hard earned money with a commodities broker. The trade went well for three days then turned around sharply and took me out. It took me out of the game and my money went down the gurgler.
I was 21 at the time and $3,000 was a lot of money so it hurt pretty badly, especially considering that it really wasn't my money. It was money borrowed on my credit card. They were my first two lessons in trading:
1. Don't invest money that you can't afford to lose! My minimum monthly repayment was something like $25 per month so it took a long time to repay my frivolous dabble in the markets.
2. Don't trust anyone else with your money. After all, no-one will take care of your money better than you!
In hindsight, if I didn't have that moment of greed, I may never have been exposed to the thrill of 'what could have been'. It whet my appetite and opened my mind to new possibilities in my search for financial freedom as I knew that working for a boss was definitely not going to make me financially free. So I'm glad I went through what I did as it conditioned me to be a very astute trader in years to come.
Think Big: You advise on markets, but what kind of student were you?
My mentor was a stickler at being methodical. He was purely a numbers guys. He kept enforcing his favourite saying, "The numbers don't lie!"
That has stuck in my head all of these years and whenever I sense that I am about to stray from my trading plan, a little voice in my head keeps saying, "The numbers don't lie!"
I was and still am an 'all in' kind of guy. If I'm going to do something, I jump in boots and all. There is no point in doing something by halves. If it's worth doing by halves, then it must be worth doing completely, or don't do it at all.
I immersed myself into my mentor's teachings and kept practicing until I was totally confident in what I was doing. There was no way that I was going to lose my money this time similarly to what happened when I gave my money to a broker!
Back then, it was too bloody hard to make so I didn't want to frivolously squander it.
Think Big: Are there any hard and fast basic rules you tell people who are looking to invest?
Aussie Rob: Yes, definitely… You've got to get educated. If you jump into the market without knowing exactly what you are doing, you're going to lose. You'll simply be donating your hard earned cash to the market and then what will you have? If you invest in your wealth creation education first, you'll have that knowledge to use for the rest of your life.
Think Big: What is your take on the GFC? What should people do to ensure their wealth and continue their path to success?
Aussie Rob: The GFC is very exciting… We're going to see the biggest transference of wealth in the history of mankind. You see, after every recession/depression, the people in the know accumulate insane amounts of wealth. Take the Great Depression for example. It created more millionaires than any other time in history.
So let's think about the opportunity that lies in front of us right now. While the media paints 'doom and gloom', people are positioning themselves to take advantage of the enormous opportunity that is just around the corner.
People are more financially savvy nowadays and those who are not have easy access to great information that can be immediately implemented. We're in an instant gratification world so we need to grab every opportunity as it presents itself. And they're everywhere, people just have to remove their blinkers, their old school mainstream conditioning so they can see the trees through the forest.
Now with that said and done, if people would simply take the time to get educated on trading both sides of the market, then the market can give them total financial freedom for life! By that I mean to learn how to go 'short' in the market as well as going 'long'.
'Shorting' or 'short selling' is the strategy that enables you to capitalise on falling markets. While going 'long' is the strategy that enables you to capitalise on rising markets.
When you master both of these, it really doesn't matter what the markets do so long as they do something.
Think Big: Will the market correct itself, if needed, and when?
Aussie Rob: Yeah it will. It always does. I believe that everything works on cycles and cycles are based on fear and greed. In the good times, greed takes over and markets rise. Then when prices become way over-inflated, fear kicks in and markets fall.
We are definitely still in fear mode. Eventually, people will start to think, 'Gee, that price is bloody good, I want a slice of that action'. Whether it is the share market, real estate or business, there will become a time that a low price will overcome the fear. Then prices will start to rise again due to supply and demand.
When there are more buyers in the market – prices go up. When there are more sellers in the market – prices go down. I like taking the rocket science out of stuff and keeping it simple. This is basic economics 101.
When? Gee, that’s a million dollar question, isn’t it? I’m on my way back home from a seven week seminar tour of the US and I’ve noticed that the public’s attitude has definitely changed since I was running training classes there in January.
People are now starting to look at alternative ways to get ahead. Australia is not there yet. We have not had the pain that the US has had and I think we have a way to go yet before we do.
The sad thing about humans is that we’re driven more so by pain than we are by pleasure. The pain has to be strong enough to make us want to make a move, to want to make a change.
The US is the leading indicator of the GFC and from what I’ve personally experienced from my grassroots travel. I believe that we’re about a year behind where they’re at.
Think Big: Given your knowledge in trading and the vast amounts of jobs you've had, what were your dreams as a kid?
Aussie Rob: That's a difficult one. As strange as it might sound, I don't really think I had any. I grew up without a mother and my father was an interstate truck driver who was always working, so as a young child I started working too. I had numerous jobs in primary school from working in a fish and chip shop peeling spuds, to scrubbing a butcher shop and it continued in high school with washing shop windows to pumping petrol and of course, washing my dad's friends' trucks.
At a young age I knew that I wasn't going to be rich by working for someone else. I knew that things had to be different as all I knew was: be on the river at 6am with my rowing crew, run home, get ready for school, go to school, run home and get changed to go to work then run home again so I wouldn't be late for dinner, do my homework then go to bed. So I guess my dream was a subliminal one. The dream was to work out a better way.
Think Big: What does it take to realise your dreams?
Aussie Rob: To be relentless. Just keep trying. Keep focused and most importantly, don't listen to those who doubt you! You'll find more people out there that will crush your dreams and give you all of the reasons why you can't succeed than those who will support and encourage you.
You need to look at your peers. Reassess with whom you associate and only associate with those who add value to your life. At first that might seem strange as you wonder where these 'added value people' will come from. I've found that the best way to find them is to attract them. It's really simply to do. Change yourself and you'll attract people like yourself. In other words, become a positive and encouraging person who only says positive stuff and you'll become a magnet that only attracts positive people. Try it and you'll be amazed at how it works.
Think Big: What are your future goals?
Aussie Rob: As far as my business goals go, I have two that are related to my Lifestyle Education Group.
We have built a solid foundation in both Australia and the US so the next step on this journey is to expand into the UK.
My second goal is to diversify our education for our students to cover real estate and internet marketing.
I see a massive opportunity over the next five years for people to capitalise on the correction in real estate pricing as well as the exponential growth of the Internet.
The addition of real estate and internet marketing will then complete the 'Circle of Wealth Creation' (trading, real estate and business) to enable clients the best opportunity of gaining total financial freedom for life.
One of my most important goals is to really develop my foundation, the Aussie Rob Foundation. There is not enough space to write about it here but I'd love for you to check it out at www.aussierobfoundation.org. Together we can make a difference!
Think Big: Have you fulfilled your goals?
Aussie Rob: Always and never…
I like to set two levels of goals. My short-term goals I always achieve while my long-term goals never come to fruition as they are always changing and evolving. I love change. I live by change. So by knowing my makeup, I am constantly living a life of metamorphosis. I couldn't think of living any other way!
The last nine years have been phenomenal for me but it is just the start. I have so much more that I want to give and this GFC has made my desire even stronger.
