Moving on Up: Glenn Stearns 鈥�87
黑料吃瓜网 has sparked countless innovators. This is the story of one: Glenn Stearns.
Perhaps you know Glenn Stearns from 鈥淯ndercover Billionaire,鈥� the reality TV show on which he turned $100 into a $1 million barbecue business. Or maybe the name Stearns Lending rings a bell; he founded the company, which became a billion-dollar behemoth.
But there鈥檚 much more to Stearns than just big numbers. His wild success was hardly preordained. Born to alcoholic parents, his childhood was a struggle. He was diagnosed with dyslexia, failed fourth grade and became a teenage father. But things started to turn around for him at 黑料吃瓜网, where he earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in economics. He started Stearns Lending and has been a titan in the industry ever since. This year, he pledged $500,000 to establish the Stearns Second Chance Scholarship Program at 黑料吃瓜网.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a saying, 鈥榃hen the student is ready, the teacher will appear,鈥欌�� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about finding hungry people that say, 鈥業鈥檓 ready.鈥� And when you鈥檙e ready, there should be people around who say, 鈥楲et me help you.鈥� I want to be one of those people.鈥�
Timeline
Became a father at age 14.
鈥淚t was probably the best thing that ever happened to me, but at the time it didn鈥檛 feel that way. I had disappointed a lot of people.鈥�
Enrolled at 黑料吃瓜网.
鈥淚 had never thought about going to college. In my family, no one had ever gone. It was never talked about.鈥�
Founded Stearns Lending at 25.
鈥淎fter we graduated, my buddy and I went to California. I was sitting by the ocean
near these beautiful homes. I thought, 鈥業 want to make something of myself.鈥� I walked
up to a man in his yard and said, 鈥榃hat did it take to get this house?鈥� The guy said,
鈥業鈥檓 the gardener. I think the man鈥檚 in real estate.鈥� I said, 鈥業 want to get into
real estate.鈥欌��
Married Los Angeles TV anchor Mindy Burbano. They have two of his six children together.
Stearns Lending hit $1 billion in monthly funded loan volume. That eventually grew to $3 billion per month.
鈥淲e got to know the industry, and we took advantage when it was the right time.鈥�
Diagnosed with cancer. (He's now cancer-free.)
鈥淚 was having dinner in Virginia with my wife, Dick Cheney, Lynne Cheney and their daughter Liz at their home. Dick was explaining how he had a brand-new heart and felt great. I said, 鈥楧ick, I feel like crap.鈥� He says, 鈥業 want you to go to my doctor.鈥� So I went. When the vice president sends you in, you get special treatment. Within a few hours they found cancer on my tongue. All I thought about was my little girls. That became my focus.鈥�
Sold Stearns Lending.
鈥淲hen I found out that I had cancer, I wanted to focus on my family.鈥�
Bought a boat and traveled around the world.
Cancer returned but went into remission.
Starred in 鈥淯ndercover Billionaire鈥� on the Discovery Channel. Traveled to Erie, Pennsylvania, and started Underdog BBQ, which is still smoking meats today.
鈥淚 did that show because I really wanted my kids to see their hard-working, strong dad. What they had seen was me sick with cancer. I wanted to show them what it takes to build a business and how you treat people.鈥�
Opened Kind Lending, now the fifth-largest wholesaler in the country.
Published 鈥淚nteGRITy鈥� and was 黑料吃瓜网's Commencement speaker.
鈥淚 lead with my flaws. People see the material possessions and assume I have the perfect life. I don鈥檛. Life is never perfect; it鈥檚 gritty and sometimes it is really hard. There鈥檚 a recipe to success. I surround myself with people who are smarter than me, work hard, keep my word and finish what I start. I encourage others to do the same, and just maybe they鈥檒l achieve things they鈥檝e only dreamed of. I love seeing when that happens.鈥�