Walter Mendenhall | BH SS March 2024

Walter Mendenhall: "Hello, my name is Walter Mendenhall. I played in the NFL for two years for the Eagles, the Colts, the Bengals, and the Bills. The Eagles! I hear the Eagles somewhere over here."

Interviewer: "What visualization, affirmation, goal-setting rituals, and strategies have you used to become one of the top 0.1 percenters?"

Walter Mendenhall: "For myself, I would say that doing things outside of myself was important—having something that’s bigger than just a personal goal. For me, it was about playing for others, for a team goal, as opposed to just for myself. And this approach made me less likely to quit."

Interviewer: "Wow."

Interviewer: "What was the most costly financial mistake you've ever made, or something you want to teach people to avoid?"

Walter Mendenhall: "Yes, so I went into a partnership on a contract. This was actually after I was done playing. A six-figure contract, and we went in together. Unfortunately, it ended up being misallocated by my partner, and I didn’t get my return. So I’ll just leave it at that. That wasn’t fun, huh?"

Interviewer: "Not at all."

Interviewer: "What is the $1 million lesson that you’ve learned as a pro athlete that you plan to implement outside of sports to help you get into beast mode?"

Walter Mendenhall: "I would say life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond to it. Being a bottom roster guy, never knowing when you were going to get cut, and getting cut multiple times, I learned resilience. I learned that there are things I can’t control, but I can control the things that I can control. And that will, in turn, work for my benefit no matter what the initial outcome was."

Interviewer: "Last question. If somebody wants to be a 0.1%er in their field, how can they be disciplined, surround themselves with different circles, and become the best version of themselves?"

Walter Mendenhall: "For me, it’s about getting outside your comfort zone, being willing to learn, and collaborating with people who are not like you. I know, as an ex-NFL player, the scariest thing for me was what was next. Not being an expert in my new field led me to learn and figure out who I was outside of that helmet. That really made me a lifelong learner."

Interviewer: "We smashed that in like three minutes!"

Interviewer: "I’d love to talk about what you’re up to today, the impact you’re making, the company you're building. Do you want to talk a little bit about that?"

Walter Mendenhall: "Sure. I’ve currently partnered with a high school friend of mine, and we created an award-winning fintech platform called RShare. It helps fairly assess entrepreneurs based on real-time data. We’re currently in the process of acquiring another fintech platform that will help accelerate our growth, particularly in blockchain and AI. We’re raising a $10 million Series A round for RShare."

Interviewer: "Tell me about your purpose, your passion. I know you love business, but you're also in Chicago. You talk about impacting kids’ lives. You used to be a teacher. Can you talk a little bit about that?"

Walter Mendenhall: "Yes, I have a nonprofit called the Bell Mogul Initiative, which seeks to positively transform the way young men live and lead in their communities through leadership, entrepreneurship, and workforce development. We’ve been able to create over 200 jobs and become a part of the Obama Foundation’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative. We’re doing some really great things in Chicago to help curb the violence in the city through job creation and new enterprises.

We’re focused on solving two major problems in Chicago: First, 80% of the capital needs for black and brown entrepreneurs go unmet each year, totaling $146 million annually. Second, 45% of African American young men aged 18 to 24 are neither in school nor working. By addressing these two issues, with RShare and the Bell Mogul Initiative, I believe we can make my city a better place."

Interviewer: "Nice. Let’s give a round of applause for that, guys. Thank you. Appreciate it."

Interviewer: "So I’d love to throw one thing out there: If you know a pro athlete who would love to speak, we’d love to have them on a panel to give more added value. This will be part of the Athlete Office Club video series that we put on the website. We want to build this so that we can impact more people's lives, giving advice and ideas on how they can become the best in business and their personal life. If you guys have time, meet these guys—they’re amazing. But we’d love to get referrals if you know anyone who’d be really good, whether in New York, Florida, or any of the other states where we’re doing stuff. Thank you all very much. Have an amazing day. Appreciate you guys!"