From "The Boy Wonder" to "The 8th One"
Born and raised in Atlanta, Ga., Mr. Beane has often been quoted as saying his success is due to a combination of "book smarts and street smarts."
"My father's side of the family was full of educators. My grandmother and great grandmother were professors in Memphis, Tennessee who taught on the collegiate level. My mother's side of the family, however, represented the 'other side of the tracks.' Let's just say getting a formal education was NOT top priority," he says.
This dichotomy followed Mr. Beane all the way through his teenage years and even into high school. He went to school on the "north and south" side. He was raised in the suburbs of College Park, Ga., but his backyard and a fence were the only things separating him from 'the elements.'
"But that's what made me who I am on stage today. I would go to school (Westlake High), read a lot, write my own poetry and short stories and go home to the basketball court....that was it. It would have been extremely easy to hop the fence and let the ‘other side’ raise me, but I can honestly say the neighborhood wouldn't allow it...neither would my parents. So while drugs were being sold on the other side of my fence, my mother was giving me self improvement quotes and books on "my side" of the fence. The funny thing is, this was at an age where I couldn't even understand them" he explains.
Once Mr. Beane realized he was a looonnnnnggg shot away from making any money in the NBA, he accepted an internship with the Bank of America and learned every aspect of banking from being a teller to commercial lending.
"My years as a teller had to be some of the BEST YEARS OF MY LIFE. I had a ball and met tons of people, but I also found it frustrating that I was counting other peoples' money, yet I was struggling with my own bills. The eye opener was appraising million dollar homes during my 9-5, while the homeowners were with me watching their dreams come true. The problem was they were 'watching' during my 9-5!! It was that frustration that opened my eyes to the the things that separate the wealthy from the poor. The bottom line is the wealthy incorporate the efforts of others, while the poor get incorporated.
One may think that Mr. Beane's network marketing career began like a fairy tale. He says, "The truth is a guy came to my mother's house to recruit her into a telecom company. I over heard him say 'you can get paid every time people pay their phone bills,' and the next thing you know I'm at the meeting instead. My Morehouse colleagues hate to hear me say this, but once I got a dose of network marketing, my degree and getting a job became my Plan B."
After a brief stint in ACN (1996), Mr. Beane took the training he learned, formed a partnership, Co-Founded one of the most successful organizations in the history of the industry, and retired at the age of 22. "My friends joke with me to this day about the retirement party I had after only working a job for 4 months. The sad thing is all of them watched me retire instead of retiring with me. Honestly, I had to find a 'new set' of friends, because no one was available to shop with, work out with, and hang out with during the day."
As Mr. Beane helped pioneer Localnet/E.TV, a telecom company Co-Founded by the son of billionaire Ted Turner, he became known as the 'Boy Wonder' from 1997-1999. "We really thought we 'arrived' back then....SL 600s, Porches, Ferraris and cash, but no stability or business sense whatsoever. All I know is I woke up one day, cruising in that same convertible Porsche, and got a call telling me we were out of business with the stroke of a pen." Mr. Beane hit the top of his second company (The Free Network) in 1999-2002, but eventually lost his passion for the telecommunication industry as the margins got smaller and smaller. After a series of events, Mr. Beane made the decision join his first product based company, and 8th Wonder Enterprises was born in June of 2002.
"8th Wonder and the concepts behind it came to me in the middle of the night and the messages were crystal clear. The colors are from my high school and the pyramid represented 2 things: The strongest structure on the planet and a slap in the face to those who call the industry that retired me a 'scheme' he says as he laughs. "See the '2 sides' of me are always working. I think it's important to clap for positivity and slap at negativity all at the same time." 'The 8,' of course, follows the 7 wonders of the world as I was determined to 'shake up the industry' and bring fresh ideas to the table. Our team logo was actually designed by my older brother Darryl in a Pontiac, Michigan hotel room while we mourned the loss of my uncle. I took every aspect in the development of my organization seriously because of the circumstances surrounding me at the time."
8th Wonder quickly became a major player in Tahitian Noni International (2002-2008), and Mr. Beane remained a Top 5 Producer over the next 5 years. He was featured in the company's very first Tradewinds Magazine. He was the keynote speaker at the company's very first advanced training event before a crowd of over 8,000. He was also asked to write and conduct a training before thousands at the Georgia World Congress Center at the launch of TNI's first North American Cafe.
Never interested in success for himself only, it was the lack of financial rewards for his team that inspired Mr. Beane to create a training company, Mentor to Millions, Inc. "As the 8th Wonder brand continued to grow, and several opportunities to help all the leaders who have believed in me started to emerge, I started to feel like it was time for me to step aside and help my others experience the success I achieved after a decade in the industry."
After consulting with some very successful CEOs, multi-millionaires and moguls from all walks of life, Mr. Beane decided to build partnerships with some of the nation's most talented networkers, and MTM, Inc was created to help them become top producers in the companies they were passionate about. The leaders of 8th Wonder have been able to take the group from a small organization that created a buzz in the beverage industry, to a giant in industries of travel, wellness, and personal development.
"My job is to see to it that all the leaders I develop supersede anything I ever dreamed of accomplishing personally. I'll be the first to admit that the 'people business' has not been an easy road, but nothing worthwhile ever is. What makes me unique are those two sides of the tracks I thrive in. I know what it's like to be broke because I have been there. I know what it's like to lose money because I've lost tons. I know what it's like to make money because I have made tons. I know what it's like being a single parent because I am one. I know what it's like to lose so-called friends and burn bridges because I've lost and burned some. It's part of the 'people business.' My point is, I don't listen to excuses because I don't give any. I simply live, learn, love and laugh. A lady pulled me to the side one day and said to me, 'Brian, God has really blessed you. You always seem so happy!! You present yourself well, you can motivate thousands, you can even dance....is there anything you cannot do....?" Mr. Beane's response to her....
"YES! 2 things: Cook and get everyone to like you!!"
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