Having faced some of the most daunting career and life crises, Robert B. Foster offers unusual depth and value to audiences hungry for personal growth. Despite a knee injury at the age of thirty-four and being told he’d never run or jump again, he persevered and changed his story. Even when facing foreclosure and a struggling business, he never gave up. These experiences only strengthened his resolve and gave him the perfect jump board for unprecedented success. Now with his podcast, Shut Up and GRIND, he inspires thousands of people spanning 35 countries.

My name is Robert B. Foster and I am from Cranston, RI. I am the youngest of 7 kids (we were all athletes) and that definitely helped to develop my drive. Watching them compete gave me the desire to match or exceed their success. Growing up in a competitive household definitely taught me drive, discipline, hard work, and playing to win.

One of my biggest passions is helping people crush self limiting beliefs and find their confidence!

Oprah once quoted ‘Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher’. How important is it to you to surround yourself with the right people?

It’s one of the most important parts to achieving success in anything. It’s difficult to become a millionaire while surrounding yourself with unsuccessful people. If you want to lose weight, it’s tough to attain if you are constantly around people with unhealthy habits.

You have to surround yourself with people that have what you are working for! Learn from them, adopt their habits, learn from their mistakes, and gain their wisdom.

Nelson Mandela once quoted – ‘I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.’

What has been one fear you have overcome?

The biggest fear that I have overcome is the fear of rejection. I stalled way longer than I should have in launching my speaking business and my podcast out of fear that people wouldn’t resonate with my message. That was further from the truth. I went from my first, very sloppy, episode of my podcast to now having a well-polished show that is booked out for months with guests from all over the world looking to share their stories of overcoming obstacles.

Tell us what the word “empowerment” means to you?

Empowerment means the willingness to take bold action, in the face of fear, for the betterment of other people.

Fear comes in many different forms. Courage is formed from facing those fears. Empowerment appears when you conquer your fears and are now helping other people conquer theirs.

What has been one of the biggest business ideas you have had and how did you have the courage to implement it?

With consumers always loving a good deal, implementing a higher ticket premium coaching program was a challenge for me. We tend to view our own situation as the situation for everyone and that is far from the case. You are worth every penny that you charge! You have the passion, you put in the work, you believe in your product, your product/service helps others and you deserve to be paid top dollar for what you do!

Running your own business can be scary.  Success requires moments of courage to push through to the next level, please tell us one of the moments you have had to push through to take your business to the next level?

I had two business coaches and that relationship went sour. It ended up tanking the business very badly. I am very strong on the front end of the business and they were very good on the back end so once the partnership dissolved I struggled badly with trust.

Doing everything in a business by yourself is a recipe for a struggling business and I dealt with that. I finally was able to trust again and aligned myself with someone that is great on the backend of the business and I am back doing what I do best…inspiring people 🙂

Tell us what attributes you feel make a good leader in business today?

You must be committed to bettering the lives of others.

You must listen first and respond with empathy

You must fully believe in your product or service

Must be able to fully articulate your brand’s vision to your staff

Must do what you say and say what you mean

Must not be afraid to give tough love but also be able to receive tough feedback

What is your favourite quote about empowerment?

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

― Martin Luther King Jr.

This is my all-time favorite! Anyone can thrive when all of the chips fall where they are supposed. In life, business, parenting, or just within society, there will always be hard times but that’s a given. The tough part is making the choice to persevere through them in order to reach your goals.

What advice would you give to anyone wanting to start their own business?

My advice is to reverse engineer the plan. Begin by mapping out what you want your business venture to bring for you and your family. Did you ever dream of a certain type of house/car/lifestyle? Do you want to travel or start a non-profit? Be very specific.

Next, how much will you need to profit to make that happen? Who is your target market, and what is their biggest need(s)? Do you want to work with women who were in abusive relationships or help teens that grew up without a father? Do you want to make products to help children with dyslexia? See how specific the examples are that I gave? The reason is that you don’t want to be just another fish in the sea. You want to stand out in your niche and be the authority and leader in that space. That will make you very in demand, be able to charge premium prices and make your business profitable.

What would be one (1) question you would you ask the person who most inspires you? Also share with us about this person and why they inspire you?

Michael Jordan!! I would love the opportunity to meet him. He has been an inspiration to me since I was a kid and now he is a brilliant businessman. He has the wisdom that can help me inspire even more people in this world!

I would ask him what fuels his drive to win. I have seen many documentaries about him and I’d love to ask him directly and get the answer straight from him 🙂

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https://www.instagram.com/robert_b_foster/
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