‘Undercover Billionaire’ Glenn Stearns ’87 shares life story, business advice

By Rebecca Kirkman on October 11, 2022

Glenn Stearns ’87 and his wife, Mindy, shared their story of adversity, attitude and action for the inaugural Susan Ganz College Speaker Series on Oct. 3 at the StarTUp at the Armory.

In an interview with Dr. Nancy Grasmick Leadership Institute Executive Director Erin Moran, the star of Discovery Channel’s “Undercover Billionaire” discussed his journey from humble beginnings to achieving his wildest dreams.

“I am so thrilled we were able to establish this annual, signature event. It truly is a gathering for the entire campus and greater community, and it showcases extraordinary individuals and organizations who innovate, create, transform and destruct the status quo—but in the most positive ways,” said Towson University President Kim Schatzel in her introduction of Stearns.

After graduating from TU with a bachelor's degree in economics, Stearns moved to California and worked as a loan officer for 10 months before forming his own mortgage company, Stearns Lending, at 25. By 2010, Stearns Lending reached nearly $1 billion in monthly funded loan volume and was experiencing record growth.

“I know a lot of people that plan and plan and plan. By the time you get finished planning, your opportunity is gone,” Stearns said of his decision to start his own business and the importance of taking risks.

“I’ve learned from a lot of great mentors of mine that sometimes you’ve just got to fly the plane and start putting all the pieces together while you’re in the air. And that’s basically what I did—I just got into it and didn’t know what I was doing at all. I gathered a lot of people and convinced them we can do this together. And it worked.”

Throughout the conversation, the Stearnses emphasized the importance of leading with kindness and putting people before profits. In early 2020, Stearns returned to the mortgage lending space and launched Kind Lending.

He also shared with entrepreneurs in the audience the importance of surrounding themselves with mentors, knowing their own strengths and weaknesses and building a team that fills in the gaps. 

“A lot of times we go through life and think, ‘If I say I don’t know something, I might look dumb,’” Stearns said. “I don’t care about that. I’m just like, ’Hey, I don’t know that, could you help me?’ And if you ask for help, you'll find that people love to help.”

Earlier in the day, Stearns toured campus and shared advice with students in the College of Business & Economics.

The Susan Ganz College Speaker Series is made possible by the generosity of Susan Ganz, chair of the Towson University Board of Visitors.

Through this annual series, TU will host exceptional innovators and leaders who have created new organizations, knowledge and solutions that change the world.