I want to cause an explosion in a person’s life. I want that person to feel that an elephant has been lifted off their shoulders by being out of debt. I want these people to see that they can achieve whatever they want out of life, that this knowledge in the book works in all stages of life. And, most importantly, I can work with any set amount of money to start. It all begins with getting the proper knowledge, and then it is up to the reader to choose what they want and commit to doing the work to reach it! It all starts with one person at a time!!
As part of my series about “authors who are making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Magnus Carter.
Magnus started in the workforce at the young age of 12 years old. He was always taught that a man that works hard can achieve anything in life. So, by the age of 21 Magnus was working at a diner in New York City he started to notice all of the people that came in and out of the diner were wearing nice clothes, jewelry, they had fancy cars and a family. As time progressed, he was curious and asked a gentleman how he could afford all these things? The information contained in that conversation sparked a fire into Magnus’s soul and forever changed his outlook on life. He learned that making money wasn’t the only thing he needed to do. But, using the money he already made had to make money as well. After learning that his passion for making a brighter future was way beyond anything he had ever dreamed of. During his journey, he has made many mistakes and learned many new skills. To this day Magnus is still learning and experimenting with new concepts and technologies to help make his future brighter than a morning star.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive into the main focus of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?
My story starts in a close-knit area in Pennsylvania. I grew up with a large family: seven aunts and uncles, many cousins, and two younger sisters. There were always picnics or parties happening throughout the year. Holidays were always a blast with lots of fun trouble happening. I may have found more trouble than I hoped. But, in those days, I thought anything was possible. I didn’t have too many worries or cares in the world. Until I started high school, I started working, driving, bills, girls, and everything changed in a blink of an eye. I graduated high school and decided to move to New York City.
When you were younger, was there a book that you read that inspired you to take action or changed your life? Can you share a story about that?
During those years, I read books pretty much because I had to do a report or understand the classwork or pass a class. Every now and then, there were times I read a book to impress a girl. Throughout all those times, I did find a book that changed my perspective on many things, and that book was “Where the Red Fern Grows”. I remember reading that book and thinking to myself that if someone was willing to work that hard, for something then that person could achieve anything. As the book progressed, he started getting closer to his goals the harder it was to achieve them. That showed me that I need to have a strong mind and discipline.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting mistake that occurred to you in the course of your career? What lesson or take away did you learn from that?
My career has taken me to many different places, and I got to meet many different people. I was working a double shift at a restaurant after working part-time at a car wash to make ends meet. A couple came in, and the wife was strictly vegetarian. She swore that every animal is special and shouldn’t be eaten. But, the husband said he wanted any type of animal as long as it was cooked the way he specified. That broke out a giant argument in the place. I excused myself for a few minutes to check on other customers and returned. I took their orders, and they were as I expected. The husband wanted a giant steak, and eggs plate with a side of sausage, and the wife wanted the vegetarian hamburger. Going on my 10th hour of working, I got their food and served it to the couple. I went back into the kitchen, and the cook was screaming his head off at me, telling me that the vegetarian burger was just getting done. I asked him what I gave the wife. The cook said a bison burger. I waited a moment because I knew this wouldn’t go well. After a minute, I talked to the couple and told them there was a mix-up with the burger. I explained what had happened. The wife was in such shock that she ate the burger. She couldn’t stop eating it. She yelled in between bites about eating a harmless animal. She asked for the manager. I was taking off my apron, ready to go home, and she started yelling at him that this mix-up should have happened sooner. Yes, she loved the burger so much that she wanted to know why she hadn’t had it before.
The lesson I took away from this is that people waste their lives living in the same little bubble day in and day out. Some of the best things in life are those unexpected accidents to shake things up.
Can you describe how you aim to make a significant social impact with your book?
I want to cause an explosion in a person’s life. I want that person to feel that an elephant has been lifted off their shoulders by being out of debt. I want these people to see that they can achieve whatever they want out of life, that this knowledge in the book works in all stages of life. And, most importantly, I can work with any set amount of money to start. It all begins with getting the proper knowledge, and then it is up to the reader to choose what they want and commit to doing the work to reach it! It all starts with one person at a time!!
Can you share with us the most interesting story that you shared in your book?
There is a book chapter named “Fees?! What Fees?” and a funny story goes along with this chapter. While finding the right content to put in this book, I decided that there needs to be a chapter on surcharges, fees, and taxes. After investing and saving a short amount of time, I wanted to buy this car. The car was a 1968 Z28 charger. The car was a beautiful orange with white stripes. The car was something that I have always wanted! So, I worked super hard and invested some money in very high-risk, high-reward stocks with a broker friend. I was watching my accounts like a hawk trying to get enough for it and pay for insurance for the year too. I finally achieved my goal and went to my friend and told him to cash it out, and I wanted my money! I called the car salesman said to him that I had the cash and would be down in a few days. I put a deposit on the car to hold it. Meanwhile, my friend got my money, and we met up. He handed me the money like something you see out of the movie. I opened the envelope up and asked, “where is the rest of the money?” He looked at me and laughed and said, “it’s all there.” There was close to 35% of the money was gone. I asked where the rest was. He said it went to the fees. I shouted at him Fees?!? What #$% Fees?!?! I was so heartbroken. However, I did go to the car lot and ended up driving away in a 1995 Plymouth Sundance instead of a 1968 Camaro. The moral of the story is always take into account that the Taxman and Piper will always collect their money before you get your share!
What was the “aha moment” or series of events that made you decide to bring your message to the greater world? Can you share a story about that?
After thinking about this question over a few days, it wasn’t just one event or one string of events but the same scenarios playing out in different age groups and locations. During my travels and daily life activities, I noticed that people were having the same problems with money such as overspending, credit debt, loans, mortgages, and the list goes on and on. These issues happen no matter where they are in life. No two situations were the same but, they played out the same way 99% of the time. Those results included fighting, blaming, disbelief, and even crying in some events. However, that 1% intrigued me and inspired me to write the book. Those person(s) questioned what happened and tried to understand the situation — ultimately deciding to find the issues and fix them instead of fighting or blaming. That 1% shows hope is out there, and the financial freedom that everyone seeks after is possible.
Without sharing specific names, can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
A group of individuals not so long ago truly helped forge this path that I am on now. After working with these people for multiple years, it was clear that a string of events showed their true colors. Meaning, these people were only concerned about making money and getting as much work out of a person that was humanly possible. When I have surpassed my goals for given tasks, one, in particular, was never satisfied. When approached about it, there was never a clear answer that would direct me in the proper direction or help me achieve my next goal. Rather I was humiliated in front of my peers and customers multiple times about not being a team player and not progressing fast enough. After the last said event, I chose to leave the company and pursue another position elsewhere. After starting that job, I was happy but not satisfied like, there was something more that I should be doing. I found an ad for a writing course and enrolled in it.
At last, I found a passion for writing! The course instructed me to pick a topic that I can relate to and help someone’s problem. Right then and there, the choice to help people become financially free became so clear it almost blinded me. And since then, I have continued writing books, interviewing with people, and assisting people in taking control back by giving them the tools to use the money to get what they want.
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
The three things that can help address the problem I am trying to solve are:
Proper education of money, debt and the consequences of misusing it.
Changing the way money is viewed. Money is to be used as a tool to acquire things and not a means to an end.
The quality of a person’s life should not revolve around how much money is in their bank account.
How do you define “Leadership”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?
I define “Leadership” as setting an example for others that does not corrupt nor disdain one’s self-beliefs or the beliefs person doing the work. Allowing to individual make the best decision based on facts, morals, and current circumstances. To give knowledge on overcoming obstacles but not doing the work for the person/people you are setting the example.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
Video URL: https://youtu.be/2VGkd-__0JY
- Time is scarce. — Time is something that can never be duplicated or reused. When I first started I thought I had all the time in the world… that was until the deadlines started to creep up and not a lot of work was done. I learned the hard way because I rushed the work and got really bad reviews and comments on it. Since then I started to take things a lot more seriously by managing my time better. The time that I put into the work is higher quality.
- Know your target audience. — I have found that writing a book for a select audience has a greater outcome rather than writing a book for the masses. When I wrote for the masses my points never got across clearly and the reviews showed it. I revamped the books to be tailored to the readers that left the bad reviews everything started to change. A lot of the reviews were retracted or edited.
- Measure your success by the people your book helps. — When I started writing books that helped people with their issues I found out book sales increased. When I wrote a book just to sell it the book sold for a bit but then died out. However, the books that helped people are continuing to sell. This I found was due to the reviews and from word of mouth of people that had the issue resolved it by reading one of my books. So, in short, I write for the people and not my bank account.
- Writing a quality book takes time. — Time and effort is needed for a quality book. It starts with what the book is supposed to be about. Then it goes into researching the topic chosen. After that, the flow and the tone of the book need to be set. All of these items and a bunch more things need to be taken into consideration when writing a quality book. Time varies from each of these stages along with the book.
- Bad reviews make great learning opportunities. Getting feedback from the reader is a great tool on what needs to be fixed and what is working. This type of feedback is crucial in determining how the next book gets written. Changing minor things can have a huge impact on the delivery, content and tone of the new book.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
My all-time favorite “Life Lesson Quote” is from the 90’s movie The Crow: “It can’t rain all the time.”
Once I heard this quote, it spoke to me on many different levels. For starters, there will always be rain or bad things that will happen in your life. To some say, it is this gloomy or pessimistic; however, only half of the experience. Without the rain or bad things, you cannot learn to appreciate the sun or good things in your life!~
On another level, to know that the rain is only temporary gave me hope that the sun was right around the corner. No matter how harsh or destructive it was in that particular moment in time.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
There are many people that I would love to meet and get to know in this life. Pick just one is a challenging task and not to be taken lightly. The person that I choose for this experience is Robert Downey Jr.
I chose Robert Downey Jr. because he turned his life around by taking accountability for his actions, getting the tools he needed to make better life choices, and working consistently to keep progress moving in the right direction.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
I have a few ways you can follow me
Magnus Carter YouTube channel.
Join my email list by emailing me at mcarter@legendaryproductsandservices.com
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
Social Impact Authors: How & Why Author Magnus Carter Is Helping To Change Our World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.