After a winning season on a reality TV gameshow remake of Gilligan’s Island with his wife, Mindy Stearns, Glenn was approached numerous times about starring in a TV series. Working with the Discovery Channel, he signed on for a different kind of show—one that would chronicle the successful mortgage banker who had built his company from the ground up and transform it into the #1 lender in the country as he explored if he could do it all over again. Undercover Billionaire posed the question: Is the American Dream still alive?
His friends didn’t get it. Why would a successful entrepreneur take this risk and televise it? After beating cancer twice, Glenn was determined to show his family, himself, and the world that he could do it all over again. With no contacts, “Glenn Bryant,” as he was called on the show, was dropped off in Erie, Pennsylvania to see if he could go from underdog to leader of the pack in three months’ time. Could Glenn turn $100, an old pickup truck, and a cellphone with no contacts, into a business with a $1 Million valuation company in just 90 days? Glenn Stearns was determined to find out, not knowing what the road ahead looked like!
Find out more about the backstory and the creation of the show during a Grit Happens podcast with Nancy Daniels, Chief Brand Officer at Discovery, Inc. Was the filming of the show everything Glenn expected it to be or was it the challenge of a lifetime?
Undercover Billionaire lit a fire under Glenn to jump back into mortgage banking. Prior to the show, Glenn had grown his namesake company into the top lender in the county. In 2015, he sold Stearns Lending, LLC. to the private equity firm Blackstone Group and headed off to his next adventure.
After the debut of Undercover Billionaire in August 2019, he felt energized and reinvigorated by the overwhelming desire to go back to his roots in mortgage but this time build a different kind of company – one that let go of the stodgy corporate culture of the past and encouraged people to go past their comfort zones and not take life too seriously. He envisioned an edgy and contemporary styled business where people would be put before profits and light-hearted fun was mandatory. With the right people on his team and modern technology, Glenn knew that together they could build a streamlined mortgage process that would revolutionize the mortgage industry while focusing on service where kindness was at the core of every interaction. Today, Kind Lending is headquartered in Santa Ana, California where inspiration is found around every corner, voices are heard, and donuts and cheer are served by Chief Kindness Officer, Mindy Stearns.
With an aggressive drive for reclaiming his spot at #1, Glenn is leading Kind Lending to revolutionize wholesale lending and where kindness is contagious.
When kindness spreads, it gains momentum. With Glenn Stearns, Kind is not just a business, it’s a movement.
One year later, Glenn goes back to Underdog BBQ. Catch the 2020 reunion special on Discovery Channel to get the saucy details on his what’s happening with his business a year after going undercover.
Want to see more with Glenn and the cast of Undercover Billionaire?
Watch the replay of Grit Happens, episode 8 with RJ Messenger and Cowboy Mike Loveranes.
Discovery Channel’s hit reality TV show Undercover Billionaire follows Glenn on a 90-day challenge to build a $1 million company with just $100, a cellphone with no contacts, and an old pickup truck. Season 2 returns to Discovery on Tuesday, April 27th at 9 PM ET/PT with an all-new cast, Grant Cardone, Monique Idlett, and Elaine Culotti.
NEW SEASON PREMIERES TUESDAY, APRIL 27TH AT 11 PM ET/PT
Now an Erie business owner, Glenn has a vested interest to make sure the city thrives. More than that, he’s deeply committed to the community that took him in and gave him a chance when he went undercover in Season 1 of Undercover Billionaire. Glenn’s back in his home away from home, Erie, PA, for an all-new show, Undercover Billionaire: Comeback City. Each week Glenn will focus on a struggling business in Erie. On average, a business has 27 days of cash flow to make it or break it. Can Glenn turn these businesses on the brink of closing their doors around in less than a month?
*Photo Credit: Courtesy of Discovery Channel
Click HERE to Watch the Latest from Undercover Billionaire
From underdog to Undercover Billionaire, Glenn Stearns is a rags-to-riches story that shows what can be accomplished with grit and determination
