EP 85: From Paper Shredder to Mining Millionaire. Jonathan More, CEO Starr Peak Mining
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This week on The Millionaire Choice Podcast, Tony talks with Johnathan More, CEO of Starr Peak Mining Ltd. Tony and Johnathan discuss dressing for success, the value of precious metals, and how to ready yourself for taking advantage of opportunities when they arise.
Johnathan started working at age 13. He spent his summers in the back of an office shredding papers, running errands, and meeting people in the industry. Learning golf and playing during college eventually landed him his first job out of school.
About Johnathan More
Johnathan More is the CEO of Starr Peak Mining Ltd., which is focused on mining discoveries and finding new places to drill. The company currently has a $100M valuation and has raised over $9 million in just over a year, which will help avoid any down time in exploration and drilling work.
Johnathan More has over 25 years of experience in North American and European capital markets focused on natural resource industries. He had a history of achievement from his years with Canaccord Capital. In August 2008, Mr. More retired from Canaccord Capital as an investment advisor to apply his experience and contacts to the public company sector. Mr. More also serves as a Director of Power Metals Corp. and Superior Mining International Corp.
Learn more about Johnathan More, https://starrpeakminingltd.com/
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Show Transcript
Tony (00:00):
Welcome back to the millionaire choice show. Today on the show, we're gonna be talking about mining. And, I'm not talking about cryptocurrency mining like some of you may be learning about today. I'm talking about real resource mining, real goods, real world stuff; not digital stuff. I'm gonna be talking with Johnathan More, chairman and CEO of Starr Peak Mining limited. Welcome to the show, Johnathan.
Johnathan More (00:24):
Thanks Tony. It's great to be here.
Tony (00:26):
Thanks for coming on. I honestly have to say, I don't think I've talked to any miners yet, so I'm interested in this; because, as I started to expand my financial knowledge past mutual funds, which I was stuck in for 15 years, I started learning about all the different ways that you can invest in so many different things. There are so many different avenues to build wealth. You don't have to be locked into just mutual funds. In fact, you probably shouldn't be locked into mutual funds even for an average investor, but I never really had considered the idea of, investing as a partial owner in a mining operation. That fascinates me. I haven't currently done that, but I've been learning more about it. And, that's the place you operate.
Johnathan More (01:08):
I will say that I'm not a geologist by all means. I probably know enough to be dangerous. So, for the geology side of things, we rely on experts, and I think we've amassed a pretty good team to handle all the geological aspects of what we do, but I'm a finance guy like yourself. I'm, self-taught; I'm a man of knowledge; I like to read. When I get into something; I really wanna get as much information as I possibly can. I'm still learning every day. I mean, everything I read, I wanna just get more and more and more. So, really, it's a fascinating area to sink into. And, it is cyclical. So, if you're doing it for your whole life, you're gonna see a lot of ups and downs, but I think the timing of it right now is very unique. And, we're in one of those situations. It's something that I'm glad we're talking about; because, I really want people to know that this is an important aspect of people's portfolios and people really have to pay attention to this.
Tony (02:07):
I think for the average America, when you look back, the old days versus today, old economies, like where wealth really came from, you were looking at like resources, land, gold, silver, small business, and those things. And, today the economy- it's very interesting to see how over the 100-200 years that you really have this ascension of what is more like 'fake wealth' or 'paper wealth' or 'stock wealth,' which, if you're buying a company, you are buying into something, but it's still it's paper. It's not like you really own it. And, I think that's most evident in things like the general motor stuff that went down in 2008/9, when the economy crashed. And, people that thought they owned shares of general motor stock, but then it went bankrupt and the government wiped out all that shareholder value. Only the debtors were the ones that got paid; not the shareholders. And, so it is an interesting time. But, you got into to gold and mining and stuff. Before that, your story was very interesting to me because not everybody that is millionaire was born with a silver spoon, but you did get a very, very early start didn't you?
Johnathan More (03:23):
You know what I did, growing up in Vancouver, I had a great education. One of the things my parents really, really enforced in me, and actually I now give to my kids is; the first check that I'll write any year, as my parents did for me; was to make sure I had the best education. And, I was very fortunate for that. That was the biggest part of why I'm thankful for my parents; the fact that they really, really pushed my education. So, I was young and in my summertime, I had to work at 13 years old, when I started; I think it was in the summer; I actually started instead of getting a paper out, I went and, started working in the back office of a Vancouver Brokerage firm, and put on a suit and tie at that age and went to sit in the back office.
Johnathan More (04:17):
And I was filing, but my main job was shredding paper. I shredded all the documents that had to be shredded and the thing would jam up and I'd have to un-jam it. And, I did it day after day for the entire summer. And, I'd come home every day covered in white dust from all the paper that was being shred in that room. And, really that's, that's what I did. And, I think the following summer I came back and then I was shredding paper and I was getting lunches. I got all the brokers and all the bankers lunches every day. I was the gopher. I was the runner that was running around doing things that people didn't wanna do. It was a job, but what really got me into it was getting into meeting the people in the industry, and really seeing how they interact on a daily basis and seeing how they would speak to people, how they would answer the phone, whatever it might be.
Johnathan More (05:09):
I was fascinated by it. I had a mother that was actually at the same company. So, she'd drive me in and I'd go home with her in the afternoons.I did it for three or four years, and every summer I'd get a different gig. And, when I was getting a little bit older in my last year, I started golfing with all these brokers and financial advisors. And, I was the young kid, but I was a good golfer. I actually continued golfing into my college years. The more I hung out with these types of people, and saw them doing their business; I knew that's what I wanted to do. That's what I wanted to do in my life. So, when I left, I went into university and continued my golf career. But, that's how I got my start. It was in Vancouver.
Tony (06:04):
Well, I had to laugh at that because I'm thinking of you going to work every day as a 13 year old in a suit and a tie. I'm like, wow, that's committed right there.
Johnathan More (06:16):
It was. You feel important, you put that suit on and your friends are maybe going and working at the local pool or at the ice cream shop or whatever it might be. And then, there was me putting on this, probably suit I bought for 40 bucks and put on a tie as well. But, that was a part of me. And then, for the next 30 years that I was in the business, the suit and tie went on every day. It's not like it is today. Mind you, I mean, you look at the bar, the markets today, and everyone seems to be dressed in golf shirts. I think it's been relaxed a little bit, but I had a great time and I have no regret on the direction I took, and going into that at a very young age.
Tony (07:01):
When you talked about that, it hit me up with that principle, the guy, John T Molloy, 'dressed for success.' I don't know if you've ever read that book. I've not read it, but I grew up in a very different job. I was wearing shorts and t-shirts and wearing gloves when I could afford them or have them, to pull weeds and paint curbs. My mom managed convenience stores. So, I got that. That was my job from 13, and I hated that job. I mean, I can't say I hated many of my jobs that I had, but that was one, I literally hated it. I had to wash sidewalk, concrete, get stains off concrete at gas station.