Interviews with purpose-driven business leaders who have dedicated their work to helping others and making a positive impact in the world.
Carl Hartman is the President & CEO of Business 303. Follow him on LinkedIn and learn more at business303.com.
TELL US, WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT DO YOU DO?
My name is Carl Hartman and I am the president, business consultant, and coach for Business303 and the brands Your Business by Design and Superhero Boot Camp. These brands were launched to help business owners with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).
HOW DID YOU GET HERE?
My journey began as early as elementary school when I would collect pencils from the schoolyard. I’d sharpen them and resell them to students in my first successful business effort. When other kids had saved up their money for college, I’d saved up my money for investing. I achieved multiple university degrees, had a successful career and life, but then my world turned upside down. I was formally diagnosed with ADHD and ASD (autism spectrum disorder) and eventually lost everything three separate times.
My wife spent years trying to fix my ADHD. She says she became a psychologist because of it. My ADHD and ASD allow me to see the world from a completely different perspective. I was finally able to gain mastery over ADHD and autism and created The Superhero Boot Camp. Rather than view spectrum disorders as a negative, we choose to regard them as a superpower – because they are. So many people with ADHD and ASD are higher performing in mental abilities than the average person. While we serve all companies, helping those lead by people with ADHD is our passion.
Carl Hartman is the President & CEO of Business 303. Follow him on LinkedIn and learn more at business303.com.
WHAT DO YOU STAND FOR? WHY IS THIS WORK IMPORTANT TO YOU?
I know the pain that goes along with spectrum disorder. Imagine how much we’ve lost by not helping these people? My goal is to help them, the more than 60% of business leaders who are managing their own symptoms. Many of the people similar to me have been able to become successful, but we can’t waste this potential.
Traditional business coaching isn’t effective because you don’t know what you don’t know. Your mindset is probably the most important thing you can master, the most important tool you can learn.
WHAT IMPACT ARE YOU MAKING?
First, we help people understand how their brain functions. The brain runs very predictable patterns. I teach that as very young children we learn the emotions we will have for the rest of our lives. The reactions we have to certain circumstances and the subjective interpretation about fear or other emotions are carried with us and can create anxiety.
When you have an experienced coach on your side who understands why you do what you do – the psychology behind your mindset – you become almost unstoppable. We became coaches and started Superhero Boot Camp because we’re passionate about helping this population. We came up with a business plan around helping people who are business owners to step away for two weeks and learn what they need to do. We want to be able to train and anchor them with things they can use when they get back. This is something I’m passionate about. I know so many people who struggle with it. Rather than griping about it, take action.
Our clients have said they see growth in their business up to 300% in the first year when we help them with their spectrum disorder. They record videos to share with the rest of the world, saying how we’ve helped them. But for me, it’s when they’re finally smiling for the first time in years because they’re no longer so stressed. That’s the biggest impact.
WHAT (OR WHO) INSPIRES YOU TO DO THIS WORK?
I do this because I get what it feels like. I’ve been there, and nobody was helping me. For me now it’s a service to the people who are out there who need this.
I’m not inspired just by business. I was co-producer for the first online high school specifically for at-risk populations which includes students with ADHD and autism. It’s been my vision to help others after helping myself for decades.
WHAT’S ONE THING YOU WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT THE WORK YOU’RE DOING?
We’re told as kids that distraction is bad, but distraction is merely the mind hunting for answers. It’s how we learn, so how can it be bad? Adults in business need to make the connection between business elements and teaching them how they learn so they have that context. That’s what people with spectrum disorder need. Nobody has made it clear why they have to do what they have to do. We connect the dots for them and show them how to be successful. We’re changing their direction.
There’s a myth that most of us with spectrum disorders can’t learn. We just don’t learn in the same way as everyone else.
DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE QUOTE OR WORDS OF INSPIRATION TO SHARE?
Tony Robbins has a saying, “Blame elegantly.” Something bad happened, but what we don’t realize is that while we may be upset about things that happen we perceive as being negative, sometimes those are positive things in our life. You have a choice to look at that history and blame or try to use it. It’s more valuable to just figure out how to use it.
HOW CAN OTHERS SUPPORT YOU OR YOUR CAUSE?
If you’re in a business where you’re struggling, and you need direction, I can point you in the right direction. Sometimes you just need to hear that you’re not broken. Many times you just need the right information or the right focus. Most of the people who work for me are experienced in business; in fact, many are retired. It’s my goal to help you find a business consultant or mentor and help you get in the right mindset. That can make all the difference. You can find me at business303.com.
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