Meet Torrance Bard

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Torrance Bard . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Torrance, you’ve got such an interesting story, but before we jump into that, let’s first talk about a topic near and dear to us – generosity. We think success, happiness and wellbeing depends on authentic generosity and empathy and so we’d love to hear about how you become such a generous person – where do you think your generosity comes from?

My generosity hands down comes from my mother Patricia Elrod. I watched her help everyone she came in contact with, even when she didn’t have it. Witnessing her be selfless, even in moments of adversity regarding her ability to provide, had me overwhelmed with joy. As I learned from watching my mother throughout the years, it made me love to give back to the people in my community and around the world. I believe spiritually, helping others feeds our souls. It feels good (to me) to assist others in their time of need. I never will forget when a young guy needed some money to catch the bus in Chicago around my old neighborhood which was The Back Of The Yard. As I watched him ask a few people for assistance and nobody helped, I grew increasingly frustrated and concerned. It made me feel disappointed that nobody would help him, so I walked up to him, and gave him the money to ride the bus and plus a little more.

Then one time I myself had fallen on hard times financially, and I asked a couple of close friends for help but nobody was able to help. Another type of disappointment hit me, seeing that those close to me weren’t able to support me in my time of need. That moment was the moment that I promised myself, when I saw someone in need I would assist them whenever I could. This brings me into remembrance of a time when a man was telling me the tombstone story. He asked me, “Torrance, what do you think the most important thing is on the tombstone? I said, “The person’s name.” He said, “No.” I asked, “How about the day you were born?” He replied, “No.” I asked, “The day you die?” Again, he responded, “No.” Then without hesitation he informed me, “Remember that the most important thing on a tombstone is the dash.”

I was at awe as he educated me how the dash on the tombstone represents experience and a person will always remember the experience you have with them. Another time when I helped a young man get a job at the company I worked for. I wanted to help him on his employment journey because he had been looking for a while. He was so grateful to garner the support and I also felt so proud for helping him. He continually expressed his gratitude to me for believing in him and helping him through the process. I felt amazing and now it made me remember why it was important to watch and take after my mother. It also solidified the power of the dash on any tombstone.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I want everyone to have the ability for financial independence because in this country it’s a very important thing. It is important because as we can see, there is a huge wealth divide. My role is to ensure that that divide is either nonexistent or gets closed significantly.

My own personal journey into entrepreneurship is simply because, after watching my mother work long hours year after year and was still not able to make all ends meet, I knew there had to be more. Hard work pays off, but we also want to see the fruits of our labor. My Dear Mother worked for several companies and one particular closed, after all those years of dedication and commitment (10 to 15 years with the company), she was let go. The company closed. Things happen isn’t enough when you have responsibilities that require your efforts. That was a pivotal moment for me to decide that I wanted to establish my own company. I knew for a fact needed to create my own path and make my own way!

My brand is establishing and building generational wealth. The general purpose of my companies are to give people and other companies the opportunity to not only survive, but thrive in this world. This requires respecting the process and honing in on building skills. We help people build their financial skillset.

Knowledge is power and if a community has the ability to grow together and create wealth together, they are unstoppable and they can make a difference in today’s society and economy. As a leader, I believe in making more leaders than followers. The best way I know how to do create more leaders is through teaching what I know within financial literacy. That was the purpose of me writing my book, Built By Design.

The book is a great read and it will help people understand that no matter what happens in life, you must continue to believe in yourself and never give up. It will be challenging and there may be some difficulties that seem to much to bear, but you were built by design to live the life you were destined for. I recall the time when I was applying for loans for my trucking company and nobody would fund me. I utilized a lot of my own advice to get me through it. Likewise, Built By Design will help people understand that adversity in life comes and you have the power to overcome. No matter how difficult it becomes during your journey, you must continue to work hard towards the goals you set for yourself. The book will take you on my own journey through all of my challenges and failures to see how I was able to overcome them. You will be able to relate and take action. There is a story where I had a very close person betray me and it hurt me to the core, I wanted to just give up and quit. I had to keep pushing through the pain, I could not just up and quit because my son looked up to me to achieve my goals and finish them. That would cause me to betray myself and the next generation, if I had given up after betrayal. Built By Design helps people through rough and tough times.

My brand is special because we create opportunities for everyone without support to have a mentor and someone they can get assistance from when needed. Our unique process accesses a client’s future plans with Now Methods. We tailor the client’s needs in real-time and connect them to others who already have systems in place which can facilitate where they currently are and eventually were they are headed.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Persistence, Zeal, Loyalty. These three qualities are in my Built By Design branding and have impacted my journey the most. Persistence is proof that I believe in myself and also allows me to see the truth in how others feel about themselves as well. The underpinning is “Never Give Up”.

Anyone who decides to move forward when it seems that life itself is holding them back, is more than admirable.

Zeal represents mastering the art of pursuit. I always believe that you have to be in a pursuit of something you are mastering as this helps you grow and mature to become a better version of yourself.

I say loyalty because this quality makes that fine line between not crossing and crossing. For instance, when I’m loyal to you and you are my partner, I will not go into another business adventure trying to dismantle my partner that I respect. I will not cross the unspoken line. If I do need to forge ahead, through integrity, I will make it known ahead of any final decision in which way I may proceed.

These three qualities are prime characteristics to help you become a success story. Honestly, what I would say in the beginning of anyone’s entrepreneurial career, is to keep practicing these terms until you have mastered their definitions in your life. Note, these qualities to help you articulate your goals and dreams, because if you do not get these three characteristics in motion in some shape or form in action, you may delay or destroy your own journey.

The best version of you is always open and ready to receive you. I sincerely believe that persistence, zeal and loyalty are the guides which can accelerate you getting there safe and sound. Maybe the terms are different for you, but no matter which term, the truth is you want a happy, fulfilled journey and you want to have the least stress if at all possible. Your Character can take you to places, a title can’t. Your behaviors will determine how well your life works.

Once you clearly understand the path you choose I know these three, persistence, zeal and loyalty amid other high quality characteristics, will assist and support you to move forward.

What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?

The most important thing that my parents showed me was that hard work will definitely pay off. Earlier I spoke on how persistence is an impactful quality. My parents proved to me, as long as you stay persistent at your goals you will be able to conquer them. This persistence supports you no matter how or when adversity comes and no matter what type of issues arise. Persistence has taught me, whatever is not going according to plan, eventually everything can work out in your favor. Stay the course!

My mother provided for my siblings and me through her hard work. That dedication to taking care of us rubbed off on me. My father was instrumental in revealing how entrepreneurial pursuits and innovation can change the way you see finance and economics. It’s an excellent thing that my father was always thinking of new ideas to opening up different business ventures, which showed me another way for streams of income besides merely relying on a 9-5.

My grandmother is officially accredited with giving me the fortitude to never turning my back on family; this embedded in me that loyalty makes someone a greater person.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://TorranceBard.com
• Other: All of my socials are located on my digital business card.

Image Credits

These are all from my personal cell phone.