Episode 359: Dreamer Turned Successful Entrepreneur with Tre Lowe
What sets apart successful individuals is not just a polished image or marketing strategy but a deep sense of purpose that drives their actions and resonates with others.
Tre Lowe shares his inspiring journey from a budding musician to a savvy entrepreneur and mentor. His story highlights the importance of finding purpose, embracing authenticity, and leaning into adversity to unlock one’s full potential. Tre’s compelling insights into building a personal brand, overcoming health challenges, and staying true to one’s calling resonate deeply with listeners seeking motivation and guidance in their pursuits.
Through his experiences and wisdom, Tre emphasizes the significance of staying true to oneself, finding one’s charisma, and making a meaningful difference in the lives of others.
Show Highlights:
- Embrace purpose-driven storytelling to build a compelling personal brand
- Overcome challenges by leaning into adversity and finding strength in vulnerability
- Stay authentic, confident, and comfortable in your skin to unlock your charisma
- Empower others through mentorship, coaching, and sharing your unique journey
- Navigate growth and transformation by staying true to your purpose and values
Links Mentioned:
Get your Business Growth Secrets SUCCESS PLANNER for FREE and profit like a pro: https://adamstottplanner.com/free-book47315172
Adam’s website: https://adamstott.com/?el=Pod
Watch the Episode on Adam’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/adamstottcoach?el=Pod
Connect with Adam on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adamstottcoach/?el=Pod
Join Adam’s network on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-stott-coach/?el=Pod
Coaches, consultants, and business owners – lower your marketing costs, increase ticket prices, and get more high-ticket clients: https://3daybrandbuilderworkshop.com/start-here?el=Pod
Transcript:
Please note this is a verbatim transcription from the original audio and therefore may include some minor grammatical errors.
[00:00:00] Adam Stott: Okay, that’s enough. You can sit down, you can sit down, you can sit down. So you’re just like, what on earth happened? What are we doing? We don’t do that at Gold Circle. Very specific reason. Can anybody guess why we were playing that song? That is the song of our guest today, right? So, uh, we’re gonna play it up for you in a minute again.
[00:00:30] He’s got an incredible story. He’s built a magnificent personal brand. Over 20 million streams of, of that record. How many are familiar with that record? Raise your hands if you are. Uh, he was recently on The Apprentice. Um, he’s built an incredible personal brand. Let’s crank it up one more time and give a huge, huge welcome to Trello!
[00:00:52] Tre Lowe: Come on and stand up, Tim! Come on! Come on. I feel like I’m doing a concert. So mundane. Let’s get the chorus. You ready? And you know that music really beats life. Come on, guys. Got to make the body move. You got to let the body groove. Make the body move. You got to let the body groove. Make the body move. You got to let the body groove.
[00:01:20] I love it. Thank you guys. Well done. Woo! Do you normally do that?
[00:01:27] Adam Stott: No, no. That’s a first, right? That’s definitely a first. I love
[00:01:31] Tre Lowe: it. I thought I’d come for an actual concert. I love it. Well, welcome, welcome, welcome. Thank you, thank you. How are we doing? Are we feeling good? Really, really good. It’s just, it’s great to be here, man.
[00:01:43] It’s just, any time I’m in a room like this where people are hungry to learn and grow, I’m in the right place. So it’s just great. Thanks for having me, guys. Very, very,
[00:01:51] Adam Stott: very welcome. So look, we’ve had an amazing career and you’ve built an amazing personal brand. And one of the things that we’ve been talking about today is that personal brand, that halo effect.
[00:02:02] That’s why we we wanted you specifically to be here. You’ve done that in music. You’re now doing that in business in a really effective way and you’ve transitioned and created some amazing results. But if we go back and we want to get to know you Uh, Trey, from the beginning, where do we go back to? What does that look like?
[00:02:20] How did you become an entrepreneur, a music artist? You know, somebody who’s building great businesses. Tell us all about you from the beginning. God,
[00:02:27] Tre Lowe: how long have you guys got? I mean I wish. It literally goes back to my parents probably from an entrepreneurial Dreamer point of view because we’re dreamers aren’t we entrepreneurs and business owners.
[00:02:41] So my dad is from Nigeria From a small little village called I believe it’s called Ezi and any Nigerians in the room had to be one It’s business had to be one. I mean you’d know my story. I mean Nigerian culture is very entrepreneurial It’s very hard working. So my dad’s story is pretty much triumph over adversity.
[00:03:04] So most people might know my story. I lost my brother about four years ago. Some people might know that. My dad lost seven siblings. And the only way he survived was they took him out of his village into a neighbouring village. And the one thing that kept him going, sounds crazy when I say this story, right?
[00:03:20] So this is 1950s, rural Nigeria. And when a plane would go over the school in the 1950s, it was a big occasion. The whole school would come out. And my dad would look up and say, One day, I’m going to be on the white man’s plane. I’m going to London. I’m going to be rich. That was his dream. And you know what they would do to him, everyone else?
[00:03:38] He would get beaten. It’s crazy, right? All the other kids would beat him, even the teachers would beat him. Because their point of view, they’re thinking, who do you think you are? You don’t even have your mom and dad with you. All your siblings are gone. You know, because he’s in another village. His mom and dad had to stay in the first village.
[00:03:52] You know, and they’re thinking, who do you think you are? You know, for them it was, you know, You know, it’s like, as entrepreneurs, you have an idea, people shoot it down, and this idea, they want to beat it out of you, you’re nothing, you’re never going to amount to anything, but that dream kept him going, you know, he worked really, really crazy hard, he was very, very clever, he made it from that village to Lagos, he made it from Lagos to London, he landed in one of the worst parts of London, a horrible neighborhood called Notting Hill, but those who don’t know, 1950s, Notting Hill was an awful neighbor to be in, right?
[00:04:27] But for this little young Nigerian kid with a dream and no siblings, it was perfect for him because it was at the time when, you know, Notting Hill being so bad, no one really wanted to buy there. All these friends were saying to him, are you stupid? Come and get a council flat somewhere. Like, why are you trying to be buying properties?
[00:04:45] That’s what he got into. But my dad saved up really, really hard and he bought our first property. He had six kids and The reason why I go back is telling my dad’s story. I was actually born into that way of thinking. So I didn’t have this sense of it’s not possible because you’re black or you’re this or you’re that.
[00:05:02] I just thought if I can dream it, I can do it. And it’s naivety that really helps. And you have to have that naivety as a entrepreneur because we’re all mad. Really, if you think about it, it’s much easier. We are, you have to be mad to work way harder than someone is in a normal job for something that probably adds a 67 percent chance of failure in its first year.
[00:05:22] And it continues that way until you finally get to the point you can start scaling and the rest of it. But I just always had this sense that anything was possible. So, that’s the sort of genesis of who I am, was just anything is possible. And another thing that my dad did, which is good and bad, and I’ll explain why, all of those kids that used to bully him and laugh at him and say you’ll never amount to anything, when he became wealthy, because he did, is he sent all of their kids to school because for us in our culture, education is everything.
[00:05:53] So we didn’t have no bitterness in his heart about it because he used all of that bitterness fuel anyway, but he thought for him, money was a tool to make a difference. And that’s all money is, is a tool. You can buy a Ferrari, you can send someone to school, right? So even that has stayed with me, which is why I love what you do, because without self development, as I’ll probably go into a bit later, I may not even be here.
[00:06:15] Self development has been that crucial. To my life that I was able to be able to think it and therefore do it because we’re not taught that in school Are we you know, we’re taught to just follow a path, you know in school I was told Trey just go in to be a PE or something like that be a footballer You know in my days growing up in the 70s 80s if you’re athletic young black kid You’re probably gonna do well in athletics, but you’re not taught about entrepreneurialism.
[00:06:37] No, it’s different now though So for me that sort of learning is been crucial to me, you know, and as we talk about my music career, I’m sure you’re going to talk about that. My upbringing became even more crucial because, you know, fair enough, we dance, enjoy that song, but you know, that is a business that song probably generated.
[00:06:55] A couple of million quid, not for me directly, but generally right as an artist. Back then you probably get 8 percent 16 percent or something tiny. But what I did with the royalties that I got was I invested in property too. So that’s what I love. You know, for you guys who are parents, you being entrepreneurs or you being business owners or you having aspirations, your kids have got the best education ever.
[00:07:16] It really is because I mean, we look now, you know, I mean, if you’re not investing, for your future. What is there? You know, I’m so grateful for my parents instilling that into me that, you know, as a young lad in the music business, surrounded by all the temptations of drugs and God knows what never touched any of that was just give me the money.
[00:07:35] Let me invest in property. And some of the other money was invested in health, which I will Speak to you about as you know,
[00:07:41] Adam Stott: I think that I think the music business is a great place to start Because how do you stand out if it was just about the music? That’d be great But actually you’ve got to be really good at building relationships.
[00:07:52] You’ve got to build a brand, right? You’ve got to be around the right people. You’ve got to get proximity What happened in terms of you starting off in the music industry and and how did you go and create this this kit that you know? So many people went on to know and love So,
[00:08:05] Tre Lowe: like I said, I think the dreaming gene was in me from a young age.
[00:08:09] My dad’s dream was to be rich. My dream was to be on top of the pops. I mean, who remembers Top of the Pops here? Everyone knows Top of the Pops. I always feel like I’m getting a bit older that nobody knows what Top of the Pops is. And that was always my dream. And I think that came about a little bit. I used to be obsessed with um, I’m going to sound like a total nerd, guys.
[00:08:26] I’m sorry if I’m going to bore you a little bit. But who remembers Encyclopedia Britannica, the red little thing? How everyone remembers that? So, obviously, being Nigerian, every Nigerian household had those, right? And I remember looking through them and thinking, I really want to be in this one day.
[00:08:40] Because, again, back then, you never saw anyone that reflected you, right? And I thought, how can I do that? And I always had this sense of create something that even if you weren’t here would live beyond you. And because I love the Beatles, you know, I’m a massive fan of Beethoven. You guys again might think I’m a real nerd, but the Ninth Symphony is one of my favorite So, I noticed that if you could build something so incredible while you’re alive, your legacy could live on.
[00:09:04] Legacy is everything to me. You know, some of my favorite entrepreneurs, the whole reason why I went on The Apprentice, was my love of Lord Sugar himself. Because of his story and his legacy, that he will leave behind. So that was my journey. It was being a dreamer as a kid, because my dad was a dreamer.
[00:09:18] Wanting to be in Britannica Encyclopedia, having a talent for music, because Notting Hill by then was firmly cemented as probably one of the most creative parts of London. Having a Notting Hill Carnival, so many musicians lived there. It was the most bohemian part of London, bar none, apart from maybe Camden.
[00:09:35] So music was just in my blood, do you know? Um, and yeah, I just had a, I had a talent for music, you know? Again, being Nigerian, you always have to have a business side of why you’re doing it. So you can only imagine when I said to my mum and dad, we wanted to make music, my parents were horrified because from their point of view, it’s doctor, lawyer, engineer, businessman, that’s it.
[00:09:58] Like nothing else. So my older brother, Ashley, me and him were in this band, you know, trying to make it music. My mum and dad are trying to talk us out of it. What do you mean music? Are you mad? Music? You know, it’s only when I saw our first check. They’re like, I always knew he would make it. I like you bloody liars.
[00:10:15] You did it. But, um, yeah, it was just, it was just in my blood and I wanted to do something that potentially could reverberate through time. That’s a phrase that I use quite a lot. And music was it. You know, it was, it was just something I, I believe me and my brother had talent to do on our first record we did in 1998, which is a remix of the boys mine.
[00:10:35] I don’t expect anyone with, you know it. Yeah. Oh, wow. People know that it’s our first record.
[00:10:41] Adam Stott: We’re all old in here. I think. Yeah,
[00:10:44] Tre Lowe: you got a cool crowd. So that record was a make that sold probably about 50, 000 white labels. I probably made more money from that in theory than body group. Yeah. because it sold much more because it was vinyl.
[00:10:55] Um, so that was the first thing that gave us a sense of, wow, we can actually do this. We can make it. And then two years later, Body Groove came out and I wasn’t even expecting that. Here I am 24 years later, that would be singing Body Groove. But yeah, it was 24 years ago we made that record. It’s nuts that people relate to that song like it’s new.
[00:11:14] It’s a very rare thing. And the reason why I invested money from music into property. It’s because music, literally, you are lucky to have one hit record. And if you blow it on the typical things that people blow it on, which is going out partying, champagne drinks, some people get into drugs and all the other uses stuff.
[00:11:33] A lot of people in our days bought big flashy cars, some of them didn’t even have insurance. I just knew, why invest your money in a depreciating asset? Why not I invest in something that appreciates so I can almost get paid twice? And we have done. So music for me was a no brainer. As long as I could.
[00:11:50] make it into a viable business option, which made my parents happy, obviously, but it was just a smart, prudent thing to do.
[00:11:57] Adam Stott: When we look at that song, when you talk about having that asset that’s lived for 24 years, one of the things that we spoke about earlier. I was talking to the group about was that sometimes one opportunity, one decision, one different direction can, can literally change your life.
[00:12:13] And that seems that in, in your instance, it certainly had that type of impact. What paths and doors did this open up for you? I mean, first of all, getting on top of the pops, right, has been, you know, and who did you hang out with? What did you do? What doors did it open? What happened to you after you got that hit?
[00:12:30] Tre Lowe: I think you’re very right. I think that one of the key successes is how you treat people and the friends you make and the people you know. So the doors that opened up is You know, I can make phone calls and get in contact with people now to this day because of the success we had, because of how we treated people, me and my brother.
[00:12:47] We didn’t really get caught up in the glitz and glamour of the success of music because it doesn’t last forever, does it? But the relationships you have, You know, that’s the main thing that years later I can still open doors of that, but it certainly opened numerous doors. I mean, in effect, it also opened the doors to me being on The Apprentice because, um, I was the very first person to go on The Apprentice that in a way had a bit of a name beforehand.
[00:13:13] Certainly the first muse, musician, In the history of that show to go on to The Apprentice as well. And I remember even going for the audition when I walked in there, a guy called Paul, lovely, lovely soul, who is the main producer of the company that makes the show. I remember me sitting down and looking at him.
[00:13:29] I didn’t know who he was at the time, but I knew he was important. And the minute I said about the song, his eyes lit up. And it’s funny, oh God, you guys are recording this. There’s some things I can’t say. I got NDA, there’s some things I can’t say. But, um, uh, I saw him again, I can’t say where. And I remember, I spoke to him, I goes, What was it like when you first met me for the very first time?
[00:13:52] And he goes, There are some people that you meet, when you’re auditioning for a show like this, that you go home and you punch the air and you dance. And he said, I was one of them. He said, I was one, Flo was another, and Verdi was another one. But don’t tell anyone I said that, or I’m being filmed. But, um, again, it was body groove that opened up the door, because if you didn’t, know me, you’d know the song and any minute you meet me, you’d think, Oh, he’s actually, cause you might think UK garage.
[00:14:20] You may not be the cleverest. We might be a bit street, whatever you might think. Right. But then you meet someone and think, Oh, he’s very eloquent. He’s well spoken. He’s bit cool. He’s charismatic. He’s this you’re thinking bingo grateful show like this because he’s going to perform well. but also probably will be likable as well because I’m just me, you know?
[00:14:36] So yeah, body group opened numerous doors, you know? And I think for me, one of the most important doors it did open though, honestly, I think it is the entrepreneurial door because the music biz is you are on your own. You’re only as good as your last hit and nobody cares. The label act like they care and they love you and they’re your best friend, but they’re not.
[00:14:57] So you’ve really fast, you know, you have to become an entrepreneur because now you’re thinking on your feet, What’s my next move? What am I going to do next? What should I invest it in? Should I do this? Should I do that? Should I get to know that person? Should I do this? What, you know, it really is a baptism of fire and the people who don’t get it, right?
[00:15:13] Unfortunately, some of them will end up maybe like someone like Amy Winehouse very talented But you get caught up in all of that stuff and it consumes you and I think being an entrepreneur You have to be able to weather whatever storm comes your way
[00:15:28] Adam Stott: So in terms of that entrepreneurial gene that was opened up, where did that go?
[00:15:33] What happened next? You know, you’ve done your property investments, uh, you starting to build as a business and a business person. What were some of the things that happened next after the song goes out there and you start to do your thing?
[00:15:43] Tre Lowe: So I think the thing I’ve got to throw in to give some context to my journey, which I spoke to you about, and a lot of people may not know.
[00:15:49] So I deal with a number of health conditions. I probably look very healthy looking at you guys, right? But I have very severe tinnitus, very, everyone knows what tinnitus is. Oh wow, I’m proud of you guys. I campaign a lot around tinnitus and people don’t know the dangers of loud music. And I also have another condition called dissociative disorder.
[00:16:07] So it basically feels like I’m always in a dream. It’s a very weird thing to have. And that happened when I was 15. I went in for, I had appendicitis. That went fine. And then I was given a drug about two, days after the operation, a drug called Stematil. It’s an anti emetic. Um, and I had what is called an oculogyric reaction to it.
[00:16:28] Basically, it means you’re basically trapped in your body. And one of my biggest fears as a kid was being trapped in, you know, in small spaces. It doesn’t get smaller than your own body, right? I’m talking about proper confinement. So, um, A big part of my journey and who I became was pretty much battling that.
[00:16:44] And that was 15, 1990 February, I was 15 years old when that happened. And it took 18 years, and in the 18 years I went to university, got a degree in advertising, did body groove, had all this success, but literally it was the best of times and the worst of times. Because the other thing I did with my money, which I alluded to earlier, was I would spend it on medical treatments.
[00:17:05] I probably had more MRI brain scans and CT scans than anyone I know. Because, can you imagine waiting for your brain scans? Royalty check and everyone’s thinking I’m gonna go to the club and get champagne. I’m thinking now I’m gonna go to Queen Square Imaging Center to get another brain scan because no doctor could give me answers.
[00:17:20] Because normally what happens when you have an oculodriac crisis, whatever happens you go back to normal. But when it happened to me, I never did. The doctors all said these conditions you got are temporary. I didn’t know what they were called. I just felt weird and had a red world, a weird ringing in my ears.
[00:17:34] It never got better. So for 18 years, I’m battling these conditions. I don’t know what it is. Can you imagine what that’s like, right? Because you’ve got the best of times, I end up on top of the pops. I’m on stage with like Spice Girls and Robbie Williams and Kylie Minogue. These are like dream stuff. But then the other time I’m dealing with nightmare stuff of, I’ve got these conditions that I was told would get better and it’s not, they’re getting worse and worse.
[00:17:55] And how I survived that time was, and it might sound shocking that I say this, Oh, well, if it gets bad, I can always jump off a building. Like, I completely understand why people go to somewhere like Dignitas. And I hope I’m not triggering anyone that’s dealing with anything that I’m saying. It’s just my story, right?
[00:18:10] But I got through every single day where if it gets bad, I can always hop off a building, which is not the same as wanting to end your life. It’s just a pragmatic response to where your health might take you. So fast forward 18 years I had it. So from 1990 to 2008, by 2008, it got really, really bad. By now the ringing in the ears was excruciating.
[00:18:31] I mean, my ringing now is so bad, it’s like if I stood on the M25, I could hear it perfectly. It’s not one noise, it’s about a hundred different noises. It’s a bit like, have you got a chalkboard up here? No, it’s like that. But it doesn’t bother me, and I’m gonna explain why it doesn’t bother me. It used to bother me really badly.
[00:18:47] Um, but the worst sensation I had was the head pressure sensation, because that felt like a brain tumour. That was the one where I’d go in and the neurologist would say, Good news, everything’s okay, you don’t have a brain tumour. And I’d be crying my eyes out, what do you mean I don’t have a brain tumour?
[00:19:00] Tell me there’s something wrong, nobody gave me answers. So fast forward, 2008, I DJed in this club called Sugar Hut in, um, Fulham. And I came back the next day, woke up the next day and I was totally deaf. The problem with tinnitus is you don’t need to hear to have tinnitus. So you can be completely deaf and all you’ve got is tinnitus.
[00:19:18] So these whole years where I kept saying if it gets bad I can jump off a building, that morning I had to really think for the first time. You might have to go and find the tallest building you’ve got, which back then might’ve been BT tower. That made the shot. Yeah, I would have booked an appointment at the shot at that point.
[00:19:32] But I remember digging deep and thinking about my dad’s story, lost seven siblings and all the things I’ve been through in life. And the thing about adversity is it just makes you stronger if you let it. And most of us try and avoid adversity, but I say lean into it because you know, what doesn’t kill you make you stronger.
[00:19:48] It’s so true and it hadn’t killed me and it wasn’t gonna kill me now as far as I’m concerned. So I thought you got two choices, tool building, dig deep. Now I’ve grown up Roman Catholic, so you can’t actually talk to yourself. Even if you want to do when you’re Roman Catholic, anyone that knows about being a Roman Catholic.
[00:20:03] Um, and I would never have done that to my family anyway. So I thought, right, dig deep, dig deep for me was get back on the internet. Cause when it happened, you know, there wasn’t really much of an internet, but by 2008 there was and I just thought you’re going to stay on to this until you find out. So it’s.
[00:20:17] And I remember reading about, um, this woman on some blog, she called herself Starchild. And she described her life as, Every single day feels like I’m dreaming. I was like, wow, for the very first time in 18 years, someone’s described my symptoms and it had a name. It was called derealization depersonalization disorder.
[00:20:34] So I was like, wow, I’m not going mad. If it’s got a name, there’s a reason why it happened. And I pieced it all together. Age 15, 1990. I get given this drug. I’ve always had a fear of enclosed spaces. It happened twice. It happened once. I might’ve been all right. Twice. What does your body do? Your body tries to dissociate you from the trauma.
[00:20:51] That’s what my body did. Except my body didn’t know when to let me back out. Right? And that’s what your body does. The things that are done to protect you can then harm you, right? Um, so the new symptoms became the new threat as far as my body was concerned. And that is why all my symptoms were getting worse.
[00:21:09] There was nothing wrong with me. It was just me. I was fueling it. The minute I got that information, I treated it just like you would any old PTSD type disorder, which is your deep breathing, your meditation, your being with yourself and all the rest of that stuff. And within about three weeks, the head pressure disappeared.
[00:21:26] When I tell you I’ve tried every single drug up to that point, nothing worked. But meditation and deep breathing, like, I mean, come on, it was like a miracle. Now, the other symptoms stayed. Obviously, I’d done a lot of damage to my hearing in that time being a musician, so the tinnitus was not going anywhere.
[00:21:43] But my hearing did actually come back. And the derealization stayed, but the thing about frets is once you know what it is, it’s not a fret anymore. Isn’t it weird, isn’t it? The minute we have an answer for something, it stops being dangerous to us. So me knowing what derealization was, it stopped being an issue.
[00:21:57] But that’s what got me into this, because I learned that we have the capacity to heal ourselves. I leaned, I leaned into that even more to the point where I became a mentor and coach to answer your question what I did afterwards. I was so fascinated at the ability that we have. to compound our own suffering.
[00:22:18] And at the same time, the ability we have to alleviate it. And I wanted to teach others that, which is why I love talking and doing this because it’s very easy to show people the highlight rule of your life. I could sit here and be my life is amazing. I did. Oh my God. Great. That’s not the truth. I’ve been through some of the toughest stuff that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy, but that tough stuff is what made me.
[00:22:38] And that’s why I teach others. So to answer your question, it was music business. That fizzled out. I then thought, what else can I do? What can I monetize that I love? I did things like DJing for a while. Worst thing you could do for tinnitus, I had to give that up eventually because it was like, Trey, even as much as you love music, you can’t sacrifice your hearing for that.
[00:22:58] And then I thought, what else can I monetize that I love? I did a bit of personal training, but the thing I fully settled on was mentoring and coaching. So I did that for years and still do that to this very day. Because I’ve never met anyone that’s got a problem that can’t be solved truly and by solved It doesn’t mean it disappears it but it might just be you come to terms of it Which is the same as solving right?
[00:23:19] There are some things we can’t change But if you can be with it, you can be powerful in the face of it So I spend a lot of my time talking and inspiring and mentoring other people So yeah, that’s one of the things that I started doing as well as obviously the property stuff
[00:23:33] Adam Stott: and you You’ve clearly got a good understanding of branding in terms of building your brand.
[00:23:38] Um, you clearly understand the power of story. Would we agree team? Yeah, you know, got a great story and you clearly understand that. One of the things that I’ve been working with everyone today is building their origin story out, um, and, and understanding how to use that origin story in, in different ways to build a brand effect, right.
[00:23:56] And to build the halo effect. What’s really interesting is how did you come to that realization? Um, with story. You know, because you, there’s lots more story as well. You mentioned your brother, you know, which is a really hard thing for you. How did you understand how to use that to help others? I don’t think you use it for promo, and I think that’s the whole point of what a lot of us need to understand.
[00:24:19] It’s not about promo, it’s actually about using it for impact and helping others. How did that come about for you?
[00:24:25] Tre Lowe: I mean, if you think about what I said, I mean, I grew up reading encyclopedias, which is someone’s story, you know? Um, the reason why I talk about, um, Beethoven being what I give an example of like an origin story.
[00:24:36] How many people know that Beethoven had tinnitus? Anyone? Oh, you got some smart people in the room. Wow. Wow. How many of you know that when he made when he performed the Ninth Symphony, I believe in Vienna for the very first time he was actually totally deaf, right? And he had to be turned around to get the applause.
[00:24:55] Now one of the interesting things about Beethoven story was in his diaries. You know, apparently he’s a very miserable person by all contemporary accounts, but you bloody well would be if you’ve got tinnitus. I know what that’s like, right? But one thing he recognized, because he toyed, like me, with the idea of potentially ending it all, because it was hard for him being deaf and being a composer.
[00:25:16] But he said, he recognized that his art or his music was more important than him, and that was what he wanted to leave behind as his legacy. And that’s why I say legacy is everything when it comes to story. It’s almost stingy, Or selfish not to share your story because it’s something that you’ve done that you might think is insignificant that was probably save someone’s life, right?
[00:25:36] I love that
[00:25:37] Adam Stott: frame, by the way. We didn’t catch that. That frame is an incredible frame of mind, frame of reference to have, yeah.
[00:25:44] Tre Lowe: It’s, it’s, it’s almost like selflessness. We’re all scared to get on the mic and share our story. Of course, we’re embarrassed and what are people going to think? I actually don’t care what anyone thinks.
[00:25:52] I care about sharing the story because I know it’s going to impact people’s life. But Beethoven’s story is very important to me because one thing that kept me going when life was hard was listening to the Ninth Symphony, especially a bit, the Ode to Joy, which is like this think about that. I mean, it’s the most happiest, joyful thing you could ever listen to.
[00:26:10] Yet he was miserable. But here I was, what, 107 years after he was alive. This little young kid of Nigerian immigrants and that store, his music kept me going in my darkest times. I mean, how’s that for legacy? He had no idea that his music would touch me. Same like you guys, you have no idea who at some point will keep going and find the strength because you shared your story.
[00:26:34] Remember how small you think your story is, you shared it. And it gave strength to someone. Someone that I can’t touch, someone that you can’t touch, but someone here can. Because it resonates with them, like Beethoven resonated with me. So for me, story wasn’t actually something I consciously thought about, it was just part of my narrative.
[00:26:50] Like when I tell my dad’s story, it’s just He tells it in a way that’s so figurative, I can see it, I can almost see this little kid with nothing but shorts on, standing with his little skinny self and his little, pointing at the sky at this little plane going overhead and being attacked for it. It’s, it’s so visual when you think about that, right?
[00:27:07] And then that kid, Making it, coming to a country in the days of no blacks, no dogs, no Irish, not caring about any of that stuff. In fact, he was a Tory voter from the minute he got here. He wasn’t bothered that, you know, powered, probably, you know, said things only a year or two before he actually arrived there.
[00:27:23] He didn’t care. Why? Because he loved the country. You know, a party, I guess, for his point of view, that said it doesn’t matter where you’re from, you can make it. That’s why he loved Margaret Thatcher. He was a real lover of this Greengrocer’s daughter. I don’t care who you are, what your color is, but you can make it if you work hard.
[00:27:37] And I love that. So for me, it’s just, Stories are my whole life, you know. And being a musician, it’s all stories, isn’t it? You know, you listen to whether it’s Biggie, whether it’s Prince, whoever it might be, David Bowie. They’re really telling you stories. So, being a musician, you know, body group is a story.
[00:27:52] It’s the weekend. You’re ready to make your move. You’ve been working so hard. Nine to five, it ain’t so smooth. You know, make the body move. It’s just a story, isn’t it? Everyone can relate to that in some way, shape, form. So stories for me are the easiest way to really penetrate and emotionally invigorate people by telling the story.
[00:28:11] You know, when you tell your story, there’ll be some element of it where people can see themselves in some way, shape, form or be inspired by that story. So as entrepreneurs and for you guys, I mean, God, craft your story and don’t be afraid to tell it. You know, I mean, even when I first started talking about tinnitus, I would go on TV and my friends really tried to convince me out of it.
[00:28:30] They’re like, Trey, you look absolutely well, you know, bearing my name with DJs, are all cool and most of them are deaf and most of them are suffering, right? Why would you go on TV and talk about tinnitus? I’m thinking, Mate, you only speak to me about a week ago about how you feel like topping yourself because you’re tinnitus And you don’t want me to go on TV and cheer because I might look stupid I’ll look stupid then because back then it wasn’t the days where especially men would go on and talk about mental health and things like That but I love the fact that men now are talking about things like that because it does save lives And what are you risking?
[00:29:02] Oh someone might think he’s an idiot. Okay So what? Oh, he’s, who does he think, yeah. Oh, what’s that? Are ringing in the ears? Why is he hopping on about it? So what? But some of us will think, thank God, Trey, you’ve shared it, because even I talk about chalkboards, there are people who just have that classic ringing tinnitus that you can only hear when you’re about to sleep, and for them it’s everything.
[00:29:20] Then they hear me speak, and they think, Oh, it can’t be that bad, because I train them. Tinnitus is just a mental thing, it’s actually more of a brain issue than an ear issue. It’s how, what you’re making the noise mean that’s causing you suffering, not the noise itself. Because if you’re living next to a lovely river, and you can hear the sound of the stream all day, it’s not scary, is it?
[00:29:38] So why is there ringing in your ears? But it takes training and people to see you, and say, you know, if he can, I can too. And that’s, that’s why for me, being humble about who you are. Genuinely, being vulnerably humble about who you are, warts and all, that’s what resonates. People can see it when you’re full of BS.
[00:29:56] If I was talking to you full of BS, you guys would sniff it. This guy’s full of himself. But when you’re talking authentically, that’s, I think, what resonates. If you guys are crafting a story, be authentic. Don’t try and look cool. I’ve tried the look cool thing before. Nobody cares. But when you’re authentic, it actually does touch people.
[00:30:12] Adam Stott: What we spoke about outside, which is really important, is You spoke about finding your own charisma. Because charisma is quite an elusive thing, right? So, because you can’t necessarily measure it, it’s quite an elusive thing that people can’t often see. And I think what you’re talking about is how you find your own charisma, to actually be in your own skin, be 100 percent comfortable, be comfortable being yourself.
[00:30:37] And that’s something that you were lauded for on the show recently, which I think is really, really cool. Now, to add to that, You’ve used that you’ve built the brand out. What would you say about building a personal brand becoming comfortable? In your own skin and going out there and being you what would you say the lessons you’ve learned on that?
[00:30:55] I
[00:30:55] Tre Lowe: mean the first lesson I think is It’s probably got to be purpose driven. I would say purpose is everything. Yeah, I think it’s got to be purpose driven. And my purpose is that people get their greatness now. And the minute you’ve got purpose, it’s a bit like getting in your car and putting in your cords, coordination in the sat nav, right?
[00:31:13] If purpose is what guides you, you don’t need anything else. No one can derail you. If my purpose is that people get their greatness now, and I say now, today, not tomorrow. Don’t do what I’m saying next week, or the year, or whatever, I’ll do it right now, be it now. Then it doesn’t matter because that’s just my guide.
[00:31:29] So when you say to me, come and speak, is it in line with my purpose? Yes. I don’t have to think about it, right? If, you know, I get called up all the time to go on TV and talk about, it could be anything, is it in line with my purpose? Yes. But when purpose guides you, purpose is bigger than you. Does that make sense when I say that your purpose is bigger than you?
[00:31:46] Because if I was just speaking to you from just me, Trey Lowe, just me, the identity me. You know, I’ve just recovered from flu, bit tired, nearly went the wrong way, nearly went to Gatwick instead of Stansted. I could easily be in my head thinking, Oh God, and it’s hot in here, blah, blah, blah. Because we’re just, we’re like, us human beings are like very ordinary, aren’t we really?
[00:32:06] We’re just always whinging or complaining or moaning. Not all the time, but we can do, we can be very ordinary, or we can be very affected by the smallness of things. But when you’re coming from purpose. You know, a big purpose might be Mandela. His purpose was to free his country. You would then weather whatever comes your way.
[00:32:22] Doesn’t matter, does it? Because your purpose is guiding you. The first thing I think to do with your personal brand is really think, well, what’s my purpose? What is my gift? What have I been sent here to do? Whether you believe in God, or you believe in whatever you believe in, what is your purpose?
[00:32:38] Everyone’s got a purpose. There is every single person in this room has touched someone’s life, whether directly or indirectly. You’ve said something or been been a certain way that has actually touched someone’s life. Everyone here, I don’t need people to put their hands up. So what is that? You know, what is your skill?
[00:32:54] My skill might be being kind of charismatic and speaking on a mic. Someone else’s skill might be speaking to someone once one or certain groups of people that I can’t penetrate. You know, someone else’s skill might be incredible with money. I don’t know what anyone’s skill is, But what is that thing that you feel called to do that you can then bring your skill to it?
[00:33:12] And then you can then do it now the good thing about purpose it always leaves leaves clue clues It can’t be something you find easy. Do you notice that when you’re in purpose? It’s not easy Is it when I first used to speak? Live on the mic. I used to be terrified. I mean terrified and terror and fear is a good indication for where you need to go Because growth doesn’t happen in your comfort zone does it?
[00:33:34] It happens in your discomfort zone. So if I’m uncomfortable That’s probably a guide of where my purpose is because we’re always growing everyone in this room is always concerned about growth You if you weren’t you won’t be here I know you almost about knowing you because if you’re here sat down you guys are all committed to growing, right?
[00:33:51] So find that thing that you’re good at Find a thing you might have a bit of skill at. Find a thing that kind of terrifies you or scares you. Find a thing that when you do, there’s an innate feeling of, that felt right, it felt good. Because when people come up to me, and I get it all the time from The Apprentice, I can’t even believe how much I get it.
[00:34:09] People say things to me, Trey, you’ve given me so much confidence. I’m thinking, I’ve never met you before. But they say, just the way you’ve been being, the way you were on the show, the way you conducted yourself, I now think things are possible. And we had this young lad, I think his name’s Billy. He came to one of our viewing parties.
[00:34:25] We used to do viewing parties. And he used to work here, and I believe it was Tesco, and he had a dream of being a pilot. Um, and he messaged me, and he thought I would never get back to him. I don’t know why people think you go on Apprentice, you’re going to be a celebrity, and you won’t answer people back.
[00:34:38] Of course I do. So I said, come along, right? And he’s thinking, wow, not only did you answer, you invited me to come and view, view a party with you? So he came to this viewing party, he watched the show with me, because our viewing parties, I had them like, a viewing party and we had a networking thing. So, I literally got a message from him about two weeks ago.
[00:34:55] And he said, Trey, since then, I’ve left my job in Tesco. I listened to what you said about speaking with people. I met a guy who was a pilot. He’s given me three lessons, four free lessons. And now I’m working in reception at this pilot school. So he’s gone from working in Tesco, I used to have a dream, it’s not possible, to now actually doing it.
[00:35:15] Do you know what I mean? It’s like,
[00:35:17] Adam Stott: it’s, it’s
[00:35:19] Tre Lowe: And that comes from actually just sharing your story. Authentically about who you are, coming from Pelopas. I want people to get inspired. Inspiration as well. Yeah. Inspiring, yeah. So that’s how you craft your story, I think. It’s just, what is it I’ve been through?
[00:35:32] You know, and what is it I can leave the world? Is it uncomfortable? Maybe. That’s probably a good guide. And just sharing it and not bothering about getting it right. I don’t speak from getting it right. I’m just speaking to you guys. I don’t know. Do you know what I mean? It’s not like I’m thinking. You guys have seen me pitch, so you know I can pitch, right?
[00:35:50] But it’s not a pitch, it’s just sharing my story in the hope that you guys on your journey share your story knowing that your then personal brand gets cemented, you know. And I think another thing that’s pretty key, now this is involving other people, is become an expert. Like you go on TV like I go on TV because you’re an expert in your field, right?
[00:36:09] I think that’s another thing about your personal story. Become an expert where You know, authorities in that world want you to come on TV, or wherever it might be, to come and share. I think that’s very, very important when you’re crafting your personal brand. Otherwise, everyone’s trying to put a story out there.
[00:36:24] It’s called social media. Most of them are putting the highlight reels out. And that’s what you’re competing against. But if you can create something very authentic, you know, the, the, the real powers that can be, can actually have you where you can be heard, you know?
[00:36:35] Adam Stott: I would really like to, to just ask the question based off what you said.
[00:36:39] How many of you feel like you are operating from a purpose driven place? Like, honestly, raise your hands if you do. That’s pretty good, right? That’s, that’s a lot of people, isn’t it? Right? It’s a large percentage. And, and if you don’t just, you know, um, it’s a really good thing to sit and reflect on and really have a conversation with yourself.
[00:36:59] And because if you do, You only, you know, in my experience, if you make Because a lot of people, they get into business to make money, but when it’s just about the money, you never really get the heights and the juice. Because when it’s about something else, that’s when you start to really, you know, that’s why I love what you’re saying.
[00:37:18] And that’s why it’s quite
[00:37:18] Tre Lowe: shocking, you know, I know a lot of, everyone wants to make money. I mean, I’m a capitalist, of course I want to make money. And I’m Nigerian, I definitely want to make money. But, do you know, I know a lot of, like, millionaires and even billionaires who are not happy at all. And it’s weird how we, we think money is it, and it’s not.
[00:37:34] It really isn’t. All I know, a lot of people are very wealthy and they’ve got an awful relationship with their kids or they’re on their fifth marriage. It’s like, I don’t know anyone who lives from purpose who’s unhappy. Not really. Somebody who spends their life generally making a difference in the lives of other people, they tend to be more fulfilled than someone who’s like, right, let me get my next Ferrari and the next Bugatti and the next this.
[00:37:57] It’s like, Okay, when you get ill and God forbid you’ve got something growing and dividing your body, that bigot is not going to be by your bedside saying, how are you? It’s like, do you know what I mean? It’s, it’s, it’s people. Do you know, if you, if you genuinely love people,
[00:38:12] Adam Stott: that’s what matters. I think we’ve been speaking so much about relationships today, so much about brand.
[00:38:17] I think you’ve added some, some great things in, in, in that area. Um, anything else that you’d say on branding or position, any other tips? I love what you just said about being purpose driven. After the purpose driven. What are your next moves to build your brand up, would you say, from, from, from what you’ve done?
[00:38:34] You should have some really great things around branding.
[00:38:35] Tre Lowe: Yeah, I mean, like I say, some things I can’t share because of NDAs and God knows what, but, um, definitely a lot more TV stuff. The funny thing about the Apprentice, I mean, has anyone ever seen the video for Body Groove, for instance? Anyone here? No one’s probably seen it, you probably have.
[00:38:51] You’ll probably notice that I’m, me and my brother are not in it much, right? Now, the voice on that track is actually my brother, Ashley, who passed away. It’s actually his voice. So they wanted him to do it, he said no. Then the second person, obviously they wanted to do it was me. The whole me the body movement.
[00:39:06] So we had to get someone else in on the video. So if you see the guy in the video, he’s actually not on that song. A lot of people don’t realize that and the reason for that is both me and my brother hated the idea of fame Which is weird, right? I end up on The Apprentice But for me fame always felt like a double edged sword a little bit, you know Because I’ve seen a lot of people become famous and it consumes them But the reason why I ended up on The Apprentice was because my brother died and he died at 49 the age I am now Um, and he died just like that, COVID, as far as we know, although he wasn’t tested for it, because it was in January of 2020, but his post mortem showed things like blood sepsis and all the typical markers, and he was, um, of the profile to have COVID.
[00:39:50] But what struck me about his death was just the suddenness of it, you know, a real, real sudden thing. And when that happened, It made me, going back to that old Brandon thing, think, Okay, Trey, you talk a lot about people living their greatest life and being their greatest self. Why are you not then doing that?
[00:40:09] And then I noticed that me not wanting to be famous was an extension of almost trying to be safe a little bit. So, going on the show for me was the ultimate in branding because if you want to be seen, be seen on a show like that. Because it isn’t Love Island, where you’re, I’m not saying it’s easy, if anyone has ever done Love Island.
[00:40:30] No, clearly not. Wrong crowd. Oh, there we go. Oh, really? Okay. So, I’m not going to say anything bad about Love Island.
[00:40:41] No, but Love Island is a different, Program is what I’m saying. You’re, you’re not being judged on how competent you might be under pressure. You’re pretty much can get hammered, pretty much, and have a laugh, take your top off. It’s kind of easy. Whereas the reason why I chose something like The Apprentice, it’s probably the hardest, if you can call it a reality TV show to do.
[00:41:01] Because I, people that go on there are like you guys, pretty much. I don’t know, who here would go on The Apprentice? Anyone here would? Oh, there’s quite a few people that’ll do it. Um, who here would be concerned about their reputation getting on The Apprentice? Oh, you would. And that’s what most people are afraid of on that show, and that’s what I love about it, because it’s the hardest show to go on in terms of being on it, dealing with the psychological side of the show, but still performing.
[00:41:27] And I thought to myself, Treyarche, you brand yourself and your story is of this mentor, of this powerful person who wants to make a difference. There you go, I’m gonna put you on TV, because you don’t necessarily want to be on TV. And I think that’s the ultimate in facing your fear. But what was good from a branding point of view, it was literally hit or miss.
[00:41:45] If I’d come out the first time or come across obnoxious, wherever it might be, you’re with the smartest mind Lord sugar. He’s got no time for that. He’ll spot that in a second. You’re gone. Right? So I knew for me from a branding, from a story point of view, there was nothing better than I can do than go on that show.
[00:42:00] Why? I talk about wellness. It’s a wellness product. It was a wellness product aimed at men. My brother died that I knew. I’m not saying the product could have saved him, but I campaign a lot for men not to be single. And God, I’d have to do another talk if I was to explain why I say that. But ultimately, if my brother was not single, he probably would have been alive.
[00:42:18] Because men tend to not take their health seriously. He had very serious conditions and did absolutely nothing about it. And that’s why I wanted to go on the show, right? To be able to talk about that and have a product around men and testosterone and all this sort of stuff. Because it’s, it’s linked to so much.
[00:42:31] So For me, that show was an opportunity to really brand myself. Now I’m not saying everyone go on a show like that, but linking to that branding thing, it’s literally what can you do to really elevate your branding. I know that’s extreme what I did, but you want to look at that. How can I brand myself in a way that just takes me up to another level really quickly.
[00:42:52] And in terms of what I’ve done after that is creating a lot of, I can’t talk too much about the details, but creating pilots and shows around a lot of the topics I’m very passionate about, whether it’s like men self or whether it’s I’m doing one thing that’s talking about being fabulous over 50 because I’m going to be 50 in six months.
[00:43:09] Um, and it’s talking about how this whole notion of age has changed. I don’t know if everyone agrees with that, but I think age has changed. Like, even when I look around the room, they’re varying ages. There was a time when people thought being an entrepreneur was something you did when you were young. Or before you had kids.
[00:43:26] I know people over 50, 60 are creating the most incredible businesses. So I want to shine a light on that. Post a show there is so much stuff that I’m now doing around that
[00:43:36] Adam Stott: opportunities open doors
[00:43:37] Tre Lowe: Opportunities opened everywhere. So yeah, I mean if anyone’s thinking about being on a show I mean, I’m sure you teach people how to get on TV and things like that, right?
[00:43:46] Could you there are ways to do that go for it, man? Wow, definitely go for it because the doors that will open and I think fundamentally Like I say, if it’s a purpose thing, it won’t just be for you because money is a byproduct of service to others, right? So the more you can serve others, the more you make money.
[00:44:01] You don’t even have to think about that. It’s how much can I serve and how can I serve more people? So I’ve gone from being known by a, I mean, even though we’ve streamed a lot of records, but only a few people would know me, to now where millions of people would know who I am, you know? So that’s the ultimate in branding and I get to talk more about what I’m, you know, Passionate about in the time I’ve got because I don’t know how long I do have shall we give you up for trays?
[00:44:23] You’ve been amazing everybody