From hanging out with Derek Jeter, helping Mickey Mantle launch a business, to making $60 million from dirt, Brandon Steiner is the ultimate rags to riches story.
Brandon came from humble beginnings, growing up in New York, and living on food stamps. When asked when he realized he was poor, he shared the story of a humbling moment when in grade five, his teacher presented him with a collection of money so his family could buy food and clothes. Brandon went home and told his mom that he would have a job the next day. At ten years old he went to work for Freddie the Fruit Man and he never looked back.
As a young man, Brandon went to work in the hospitality industry. He was always seeking ways to improve himself through results. One method to do this was by asking bigger questions. Working for the Hyatt, he asked himself how his department could improve profitability. He looked at everything they sold and found that iced tea had the highest margin. After this, he instructed all of his wait staff to promote iced tea and had them carry pictures of it with sliced lemon. Naturally, the profits soared, as did Brandon’s career.
Always passionate about sports, Brandon opened a bar, and then had famous athletes like the baseball legend Mickey Mantle request his services in starting their own establishments. Through it all, Brandon remained humble, self-effacing, and most importantly – hungry. One of the keys to Brandon’s success is to keep that hunger. He says that having a chip on your shoulder is healthy. It doesn’t matter what age you are – if you are hungry and have a reason to strive, you can get there.
Eventually Brandon started Steiner Sports in 1987 with $8000. He grew it into a massive company employing over 100 people and signing lucrative deals with teams such as The Yankees and The Cowboys. One day, Brandon was watching a Yankee’s game and thinking about how he could make more money. It dawned on him that he could sell dirt from the stadium and that is how he made $60 million selling dirt.
Brandon says that the answers are often right out in front of us. If we are hungry, willing to hustle, and go after what we want, we can get there.
He also says that it is never too late. We can always re-start our story. The biggest secret to his success is that he maintains that notion that we must first be a champion before we win a championship and that means mental discipline, preparation, and exceptional habits before anyone witnesses our results.
Lastly, Brandon counsels us to not resist change. Change is inevitable. We need to invest in people, make them feel important, drive them to become better, and surround ourselves with the best of the best. In doing this, we are not alone in fielding change, we have a team that can help us win those championships and keep us hungry.
Listen to Brandon’s amazing interview
Susan Sly is a bestselling author, keynote speaker, certified NLP practitioner, coach, and trauma recovery specialist. Susan specializes in helping people become more productive so they can lead ridiculously fulfilling lives. She is the mother of five and has been working in human potential for over two decades.
