Remarkability Commands Attention with Fred Schebesta

Episode #9

Pauline Nguyen and special guest Fred Schebesta

There are certain people who are here to push the boundaries, to be extraordinary and set the vision for where the world is going.

One of those remarkable people is my guest today, Fred Schebesta, a serial entrepreneur and the Founder of Finder, the most innovative and comprehensive money app in Australia.

Fred is a world-famous entrepreneur known for his out-of-the-box thinking and quirky persona. He encourages people to make mistakes, try new things, push the boundaries and be uncomfortable. Because when there is permission to fail, there is the potential to grow and the opportunity to achieve remarkable success.

My conversation with Fred was no ordinary discussion about business strategy or tips for remarkable success. Fred is an extraordinary person, a creative genius in my books. To climb to the level of success that Fred has achieved requires an enormous capacity and ability to think beyond the boundaries of normality. He is a visionary with a true champion mind.

We talked about Fred’s upbringing, his ability to think big, his thoughts on raising children, the early days of his business and how things have expanded and evolved over the years.

Perhaps it was growing up with intelligent parents that forced Fred to think further and bring a vision of his own into being. The universe has its way of bending around us to allow our unique design to flourish. Fred is a testament to this.

It was a delight to share a delicious cup of Tiger Purrr chai and go deeper with Fred today into the thoughts and creative landscape in which he thrives.

Topics Discussed

[03:25]	One of the prerequisites for working at Red Lantern is to be QAF (quirky as fuck). Fred’s first job was in a kitchen and he shares the two meals that he cooks.
[05:40]	Fred talks about his business partner, Frank. He’s non-confrontational and very supportive when Fred experiences big highs and lows.
[08:00]	Fred and Frank have very similar values which have helped them stay together. They share a synergistic relationship.
[11:00]	Fred had very traditional and intelligent parents who are both doctors. He felt like he needed to start something new to gain self-actualisation and naturally moved the game.
[13:10]	Fred is a very slow reader and a terrible speller and because of that, the way he communicates is different. He’s very visual and people appreciate it when he shares a narrative.
[15:00]	Fred is now the executive chairman of Finder, working with the CEO but no longer day-to-day operational. In the very early days, he did every role and created the patterns for the business.
[17:28]	Reflecting back to the early days, Fred shares how he was brainstorming many business ideas and launched 5 of them, including Finder. He’s great at coming up with ideas, relentlessly pursuing them and manifesting them in a fast timeframe.
[20:00]	In the book, The 3-Mind Revolution, David Chiem talks about how the ability to learn from your failures and pivot quickly will determine your level of success or failure. The 3 minds are the champion mind, learner mind and creative mind.
[21:25]	Pauline reads an excerpt from The 3-Mind Revolution about the Champion mind. Fred shares how he wrote “reject the ordinary” on his wall and resonates with this a lot.
[25:15]	Fred talks about the uniqueness of his children, their creativity and how the universe moulds them in incredible ways.
[27:45]	Encouraging out-of-the-box thinking isn’t a naturally occurring skill for teachers. They are restrained by time, resources and restrictions but some teachers can go the extra mile to encourage kids to go further.
[30:45]	Clear intention is what gives Fred his competitive edge and he often sets unimaginable goals. The first law of the universe is the Law of Intention.
[31:58]	There are quiet moments where Fred pauses to acknowledge his success and moments of joy, which gives him peace of mind.
[33:30]	Fred would like his kids to understand that it took a lot of hard work to create everything that they enjoy as a family.
[35:30]	If Fred could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, one of them would be Edward Land who built the polaroid camera in 1947. He talks about the magic of that level of creative thinking and would love to know the foundational stones that drove him.
[40:00]	The Golden Shadow is when we can see ourselves in a person that has the ability to achieve greatness.
[41:46]	Fred likes a home-style meal with others where everyone feels contented sharing it together.