The Effects of Rapid Growth on Personal Health - The Inspirational Story of Chris Michael Harris

Today’s episode is a bit different because I am joined by a guest that does not come from the real-estate realm. Joining me today is Chris Michael Harris. Chris is a serial entrepreneur, business and performance coach, keynote speaker, and an online expert. He is also the founder and CEO of Startup U and the host of the popular Startup U Podcast.

We begin this episode with Chris sharing his background story. Chris grew up in Georgia and throughout his childhood and his teenage years, he always had an entrepreneurial spirit. As a kid, he spent his summers mowing lawns, detailing cars, and doing all different kinds of DIY projects. He was able to build his business to a point where he made $16,000 over the course of one summer. This side-hustling continued well into his college years, where he made $43,000 in only two weeks by reselling clothing items on eBay and he continued to make thousands of dollars with a moving company that he started with his brother. After he graduated from college, Chris got a “real job” but continued working with his moving company over the weekends. Six months into his new job, while he was on a vacation in Vegas, he decided to quit his job to dedicate all of his time to his moving company. Within 36 months, they were a multimillionaire dollar company doing business in thirty-two states.

We then move on to discussing how this rapid growth affected his business. He explains how his business grew faster than his ability to stay on top of things. Chris found himself not being able to keep up and soon his dream became his nightmare. He eventually ended up spending 95% of his time plugging holes, managing cash flow, basically being in survival mode, instead of actually building a sustainable business. He shares some of the problems he encountered during this time, one of which was hiring crews in a short amount of time, and not really being able to vet people probably before hiring them.

Chris then goes on to talk about the effects of this rapid growth on his health. In January of 2016, the state of Georgia no longer allowed moving companies to use rental trucks, unless they had one of their own. On top of the fact that they had to buy their own truck, as a new company, they had to pay outrageous insurance rates as well. So, $200,000 later, Chris was able to get a single truck. By May, Chris’s health got so bad to a point that he had to seek medical help. After running some tests, they came to the conclusion that his gut was in a really bad shape, his thyroid was not working properly, and he had almost every vitamin and mineral deficiency. He was told that if he continued to live like this, he would be gone by the time he was 50 years old.

Next, we talk about how Chris realized that he needed capital. He pitched 725 different investors in three months. He got several commitment letters from people who wanted to sit down with him, have a look at his business and go over all the details. He was able to get a loan of $100,000, but in August of 2016, his moving truck was coming back from Florida and got into an accident on the freeway. At this point, Chris believed that he was going to jail because workman’s comp for his workers had expired, and he couldn’t afford to renew it. Fortunately, none of the people were injured, but Chris realized then and there that his business was finished.

We then talk about how after losing his business, Chris focused on his health. Seeing his father suffer from Crohn’s disease, he knew that he didn’t want to go the pharmaceutical route. He immersed himself in learning about health, wellness, and natural ways to get his health back. He also started to look for motivation externally, and because of that, he created his podcast. During this time, his greatest support was his wife who started her own online business and was able to get him everything he needed to continue in his path of recovery. Very soon, his podcast was in the trending top five podcasts in the world in business, health, and education. He was able to interview some of the most successful people in the world and get some great advice and much-needed inspiration. Chris then goes on to share some of his best advice when it comes to sleep, diet, and stress management.

Lastly, we talk about Chris’s business at the moment and what he does now. He explains how after he started his podcast, he decided to focus completely on wisdom work. He started with mentorship and coaching for different companies, and he founded the StartupU Training Programs to help entrepreneurs navigate some of the things that he experienced.

Make sure you don’t miss this amazing episode of the Just Start Real Estate Podcast, with the amazing Chris Michael Harris, that will help you not only take care of your business but your health as well!

Notable Quotes:

“80% of business is fundamentally the same, it's the 20% that’s the nuance, the trade-specific stuff.”

Chris Michael Harris

“There was a time when entrepreneurship meant unemployed.”

Mike Simmons

“Eventually I just fell into it and realized that entrepreneurship for me was a lifestyle, not a career.”

Chris Michael Harris

“Real estate investors struggle with where they find their groove and they start growing, and then the business grows faster than their ability to stay on top of it.”

Mike Simmons

“My dream became my nightmare so quickly because of growth.”

Chris Michael Harris

“What you end up experiencing is that you spend 95% of your time plugging holes or managing cash flow or doing things in survival mode, not actually building a sustainable business.”