CYLS 129: Don’t Let Your Circumstances Crush Your Soul - How Time in Prison Turned into a Potential Million Dollar Startup with Vincent Bragg
Summary: About our Guest: Vincent Bragg, co-founder and CEO of ConCre8tes, spent 121 months in federal prison. During that time, he studied law, wrote books, and organized think-tanks. The difficulties he experienced working in prison, including the low pay and forced labor, highlighted the need for a fair method to help incarcerated people. Episode Summary Kevin welcomes Vincent Bragg back to the show, and luckily for our audience, he doesn’t mince words when it comes to his past. Giving an intimate and self-analytical examination of the events that led to his incarceration, Vincent shares how he transformed that time in his life into ConCr8tes. In describing the goals of the program, he pushes not only for empowering those whose power was stripped away, he also issues a call to action to others to get involved with the program and raise up their community. Insight from this episode: Secrets to transcending the charisma code. How building a team can make or break your business. Strategies for people transitioning back into society after being incarcerated. Secrets all startup founders should know. How teaching a transferable skill set can have ripple effects throughout a community. Strategies for charting your course when faced with adversity. Strategies for conceptualizing transferable skills. How to use self-evaluation to become more informed. Quotes from the show: “How do we repurpose this skill set and show this individual a new perspective, a new way of thinking and how do we build confidence and success out of that?” - Vincent Bragg, Episode 129 “Leaders always separate themselves from the pack.” - Vincent Bragg, Episode 129 “Being able to cultivate those things that we look at as defects, sometimes are really what the talent is. It’s just raw.” - Vincent Bragg, Episode 129 “You have to feed people’s talents, and help them to see that, ‘You know what? This might not necessarily be a bad thing, because it’s someone else’s opinion.’” - Kevin Y. Brown, Episode 129 “Vision and goals are two different things.” - Vincent Bragg, Episode 129 “To speak about the narrative of making a mistake, getting out, and being able to make something of yourself afterwards. But also to debunk some of the myths around this lifestyle that’s glorified.” - Kevin Y. Brown, Episode 129 “Success is determined by the dreamer but achieved with guidance.” - Kevin Y. Brown, Episode 129 “The only thing that we can really duplicate is your ‘how.’” - Kevin Y. Brown, Episode 129 Resources Mentioned: Outsourcing tasks The Jewish Phenomenon: Seven Keys to the Enduring Wealth of a People by Steven Silbiger Thick Face, Black Heart: The Warrior Philosophy for Conquering the Challenges of Business and Life by Chin-Ning Chu The Charisma Code: Communicating in A Language Beyond Words by Robin Sol Lieberman Favorite Book: The Process of “I”: An Exploration into the Intertwined Relationship between Identity and Environment by Emily Maroutian Favorite Quote: “The scars from the battle are actually what allows the light to shine through” - Marcus Glover 3 keys to Create Your Best Life: Know thyself Know your audience Read as much as you can Stay Connected: Create Your Life Series: https://www.facebook.com/cylseries/ https://www.instagram.com/cylseries/ Kevin: www.kevinybrown.com www.instagram.com/kevinybrown www.twitter.com/kevinybrown www.facebook.com/kevbrown001 Vincent Bragg: www.instagram.com/iamvincentbragg/ twitter.com/IAmVincentBragg?lang=en www.facebook.com/gslicksta ConCre8tes: concreates.com/ www.instagram.com/concre8tes/ twitter.com/CONCREATES_ www.facebook.com/concre8tes/ Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on itunes, google play, stitcher and www.createyourlifeseries.com/podcast
