Glenn Hopper – A True Renaissance Man

“The trick is to set your goals so high that people think you’re crazy,” Glenn Hopper says. “Then the pressure is off if you don’t achieve them.

“But,” he continued with a smile, “What no one realizes is that you actually believe you can achieve those lofty goals.” Hopper—whose career has spanned from the U.S. Navy to jobs in telecommunications, legal technology, and finance—says it is important to keep challenging oneself at every turn.

“Complacency is the enemy of greatness,” he says.

Glenn Hopper brings all of this experience and much more to his new book, Deep Finance: Corporate Finance in the Information Age. In this essential guide to understanding the role of AI and other advanced digital technology in shaping the financial future of modern companies, Hopper places heavy emphasis on thinking adventurously and far outside the box.

Hopper says that, in thinking about our shared future, he draws inspiration from the greatest minds of the past. “Not that I have any illusion I am on their level,” he said. “But they are great motivators for me.”  While his intellectual heroes span across history, Hopper’s attention points again and again to the greatest thinkers of the Renaissance.

“It must have been sixth or seventh grade,” Hopper recalls. “We were learning about the Renaissance, and there were all these incredible people – polymaths – who were philosophers, artists, mathematicians, and scientists all rolled into one. I remember being amazed that someone could be so brilliant at so many things. Those became my true heroes.”

These role models provided Hopper with the necessary inspiration and motivation to adopt a growth mindset and to seek greater achievements and attainment of goals in life. Following their examples, he began to invest in his well-being through a commitment to education and learning, exercise, and healthy diets.

Hopper is a serial entrepreneur who has started and sold several businesses in various industries, from legal technology to carwashes.  He has a master’s degree in finance and analytics from Harvard University and an MBA from Regis University. He has served as a finance leader in various industries, including telecommunications, retail, internet, and legal technology. In addition, he spent the past two decades helping startups transition to going concerns. He is also a member of American Mensa and volunteers his time for the Analytics Foundation, helping nonprofits to digitally transform their organizations.

With a full-time job and multiple side projects, Hopper developed a mindset that welcomed challenges and adversity via cognitive programming He learned to explore the value and usefulness of failure in developing resilience and courage to do something unique in life. He understands the paramount importance of orienting oneself in the right direction to unleash one’s talent and abilities.

Physical exercise is very important to be able to maintain such a strenuous work pace, and Hopper said he exercises about 10-15 hours per week. His workouts include running, biking, swimming, and lifting weights. “I hate it when people say they don’t have time to exercise,” he says. “You need that balance between the physical and the mental. If I didn’t have that physical escape, I would probably lose my mind. You need to learn to relax. Of course, I’m also very focused and driven [laughs].”

Hopper is an avid runner and cyclist, who runs 3-4 marathons a year. His strict training schedule is not without setbacks, however. Hopper said he dealt with bone spurs and tendinitis for several years before undergoing surgery.

“I knew it was slowing me down,” he says. “But I didn’t want to think about surgery and recovery, so I just powered through … until I couldn’t.” Ultimately, he finished a half Ironman triathlon: 70.3 miles of swimming, biking, and running, an accomplishment for any athlete.

Hopper says that a happy and productive life ultimately depends upon embracing the journey and embarking on it at full throttle.

“The secret to success is not to measure yourself against others or attainment of some lofty goal,” says Hopper. “Success means that you find joy in the effort no matter the outcome. If you’ve worked your hardest and know that you’ve put everything you possibly could have into something, then why would you have any regrets? The only regret is when you don’t try your hardest.”