Most people don't get what they want cuz they don't feel like they deserve it. And that's a tough one for people to hear. But it comes down to self-worth. If I don't feel my hours worth, and you know this with creatives, man, cuz they're the most talented and the ones that undervalue their work the most because they're equating their hours right? Not the value.
>> You're, famous, for, this, concept, of, buying back your time. What are some of the key ideas you want people to know? Most people struggle because they have ambition, but they don't have enough time to execute against the thing that they're ambitious about. And the truth is is you can't build a million-dollar company off $10 tasks. You just can't. There's not enough hours in the week. You had dropped some outrageous numbers that Alex was talking about in terms of numbers [music] of qualified leads like per day. Crazy.
>> Crazy., Can, we, say, that, number? But that's when I realized like everything on my vision board everything I want to create, my goals sat on the other side of reach and reputation. I believe if you have 10 million followers, you're sitting on a billion dollars worth of brand equity if you do it right. Shocking, surprising to me. Are you ADD? Yeah, I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was 11. When we're young, it causes us to get in trouble. Allows us to learn what it feels like to deal with chaos, which is the foundation of entrepreneurship. cuz all entrepreneurship is dealing with higher levels of uncertainty than most people. So I want to start the conversation there and we'll get into the rest of the good stuff which was I've had the pleasure of meeting Dan a couple of times one once was over dinner and most recently at Ford and you had said something over dinner which really kind of struck me so I want to start the conversation there and we'll get into the rest of the good stuff which was I'm I was reluctant to the personal brand game to being famous that kind of thing and you had said I called OG guy who didn't want to do that either and you said convince me can you tell that story I just want to set that Yeah. I mean, I was in Vegas meeting This is the Hermosis.
>> Yes.
>> And, I'd, known, Alex, and, Ila, for, a, while at that point. And we were at Super Freo, this awesome restaurant I've never been to. There's like, you know, circus actors flying around and doing cool dances. Anyways, we're sitting there in the middle like having a serious conversation and probably the funnest restaurant in Vegas.
>> Caleb's, there., rston,, you, know,, another, you know, legend.
>> And, um, this, was, like, when, the, two, and, a half years ago and the book came out and, you know, Alex was pretty public about his original opinion, which is I don't need to do this. I run ads. I'm really good at that. And so to watch him change that perspective, I I remember I just said, "Sell me on it." And he just walks me through the math. And the math for him at the time was very simple. is like audience versus applications of people that apply to become partners of theirs at acquisition.com. And uh you know, obviously the numbers are private, but it was just like it was a level I couldn't understand. Here's what I want to communicate because I actually I've been talking a lot about this with my friends that are thinking of doing content. I believe if you have 10 million followers, you're sitting on a billion dollars worth of brand equity if you do it right. And I think that I did not understand. I didn't understand that because I didn't want I didn't want I don't want to be famous. I don't want to be notable. I like my privacy, but at the same time, I have a desire to have impact. I want to serve people. I feel grateful that other folks like yourself put out content and people wrote books. And so, I just feel like it's kind of my responsibility to give back where I've been given so much. And that's when I decided to go pro. And in the last two and a half year, we've added I think we're almost 6 million followers across all platforms, 1.6 six on YouTube, as you know, is one of the hardest ones to make work.
>> And, then, last, month,, we, did, 195, million views on our content, which is I'm the most surprised person out of everybody cuz that was not the plan. I didn't know if I even had the thing. We talked about this at that same dinner, just like how do you how do you figure it out? But that conversation with uh Alex and Leila and Caleb was the clincher. I had a handful of other people at that time sharing their experience. But that's when I realized like everything on my vision board, everything I want to create my goals sat on the other side of reach and reputation.
>> Okay., It's, very, important, to, understand. I'm going to try and say it the way that I can and then you fill in the gaps because I don't want to speak speak out of school or anything, but you said something about size of audience percentage equals number of qualified applicants to a program. Whether that's through investments or buying your course or anything like that, you had dropped some outrageous numbers that Alex was talking about in terms of numbers of qualified leads like per day.
>> Crazy.
>> Crazy., Can, we, say, that, number, or, No.
>> No.
>> Okay.
>> No., And, and, and, even, the, conversation,, I don't mind sharing the beats because I've I've seen him share it since then.
>> Yeah.
>> It's, funny, because, I, coach, literally some of I I coach the top YouTube in the YouTuber in the space of entrepreneurship right now. And yeah, I don't, usually, share, unless, I, see, that I share publicly. But it's one of those things if anybody's been in business for a while and you have to pay for attention, run ads, do brand deals value added resellers, whatever your distribution channel is, and you spend money on that. Most businesses that are at scale, not when they start, but like you know, 5 million plus in revenue they'll spend 15 10 to 10% of their income on marketing. So they know the cost for a lead and when you start backing into the potential of a personal brand, the ROI is like 10 to 100 times better than that.
>> And, and, if, you, again,, if, you, do, it, right and you allow goodwill to stay in the brand because you can be a NASCAR right? You can be out there being loud and proud and then it's just like in this segment sponsored by this and then I'm wearing this t-shirt and it's just you know, it's very obvious you're just trying to monetize. So you don't want to do that. That's the goodwill. So the more you give without taking, that's the equation of goodwill. But if you leave enough goodwill out there and and you have a really tasteful way to serve people,, it, is, it, is, one, of the, most defensible and impressive. I think that's why we see a lot of influencers right now doing brand deals and it's driving revenue and you know, you're seeing a lot of influencers understanding the business side of it like Mr. Beast and the Paul brothers and you know freaking everybody.
>> Yeah.
>> And, it's, just, because, it, works, and, it's working at a level today more so than a year ago and two years ago, five years ago
>> where, I, think, uh, the, you, know, direct response interruption marketing is not what people want. They want to be entertained and then they want to build trust and then they'd rather have products recommended to them based on people that they trust. I think we might be at the tipping point of this transition away from old school advertising, paid media towards earned media to brand deals. And then we're seeing or just feels like we're seeing more and more influencers, thought leaders transition into hundred million to billion dollar businesses seeming like overnight in record amounts of time like from zero to five years. They're going from nothing you never heard of them to building something and then some some company like Pepsi buying them out for $1.8 billion. It's happening and they're happening to younger and younger people now. And so there's something wonderful here. You had said at dinner the part that I can share is that for you brand is a force multiplier. Can you expand on what that means?
>> Yeah., And, again,, I, didn't, understand, it. I've been publishing on YouTube for 10 years. Wow.
>> I, made, a, commitment, when, I, started., It was the thing that gave me the most anxiety, talking to a camera. And my rule of life growing up has always been what scares me is feedback for the path. Right? If I think to myself, oh that seems hard, hard is the choice. Um I think pain is the perfect teacher and I like to put myself in situations where it's going to be hard because that's when I learn. And I remember this is after I sold this is my third company I sold. I'm 30 early 30s. I'm in San Diego living in Insenus. And my buddy Travis, he's the one I blame him. He says to me, "You should do YouTube." I'm like "Bro, years ago." Yeah, this is 10 years ago. I go, I why would I do YouTube? I'm not a YouTuber.
>> Like,, I've, got, young, family., Like,, this is so silly. Cuz back then it was kind of very much a kids platform.
>> And, he's, like,, I'd, listen, to, you., And, I was like, really? He's like, yeah, bro you've built these companies. Like, I want to know how you did that. And at the time, I just thought, man I don't want to do it, so I got to do it. And then having a one and a halfyear-old and a six-month-old because my boys are 11 months apart. I thought well, worst case, I just create content for them. And that's literally the beginning of my YouTube. That's what it started at.
>> The, difference, about, my, journey, than, I think a lot of people that start and dabble is I've always done thing in decades. I believe that you can literally accomplish anything if you commit to a decade, not a day. Most people dabble in days. I committed to a decade and I said I will publish every week for 10 years before I quit and I did man for eight years. I had 50,000 subs after eight years. Like nothing
>> dude., Hor, like, it's, not, it's, zero impressive, man. I just
>> That's, before, you, met, this, guy.
>> Yeah., Okay., All, right.
>> No,, no., I, I've, been, working, with, Sam,, my creative director, for six years, but it was before I decided to go pro. And that's the difference. That's That was a conversation with the Hermosis. That was a conversation with uh Patrick BD David like so many of these YouTubers that I looked up to that and I even call them YouTubers such a ding-dong like I don't feel you know the media people they're media people and that was if you if you say what shifted in my brain is I went from having a marketing department to a media company
>> and, there's, a, difference, and, that's amateur to pro and yeah man 10 years of being consistent like I heard that this morning I was flying down here and on one of the pods because they said 1% of all podcasts only get to 70 episodes like it's so when people have 500 or a thousand or you know Joe Rogan's got almost 3,000
>> ear, you, know, all, caps, earned, you, know yourself earned like
>> don't, don't, say, luck, we're, not, this, is this is
>> doing, it, when, we, didn't, feel, like, doing it investing in it building the team person quits hire somebody new like you don't get to those kind of numbers over that period of time without having some stuff come up. So
>> yeah.
>> Yeah,, man., It's, just, a, commitment, to, a decade.
>> So, when, you, started, uncomfortably, in front of the camera
>> dude,, I
>> there's, real, reasons, why,, but, gone.
>> It, just, is, so, bad,, man., I, I, the, first shoot I ever did, there was this guy I I He was a photographer, but he knew how to hold a camera, like a video camera and I hired him to do it. And we went to his uh studio, aka condo. It was a condo building he bought that he made a studio where his people worked out. But it was a house. It was literally like we shot the setup was in the where the table would go for the kitchen in the kitchen.
>> White, background, like, a, photography background that kind of went to the floor
>> and, u, he, did, what, he, was, supposed, to, do which is mic me up put the camera set the, lights, up, and, then, say, all right we're recording and then I'm sitting there going uh all right I guess I'll talk about uh choosing your passion like I and it was just so horrendous dude like I did like what do you do? There was no structure. There was no there was no story. It was very factbased. It was disconnected start stop. I mean we shot for two hours and he gave me you know the footage and I never published any of it. Like I was it was so bad. It was it was embarrassing.
>> You, still, have, that, footage?
>> I, can't, find, it., I, was, trying, to, find, it the other day because I do leave up my old videos after that.
>> Yeah.
>> There, was, probably, a, four-month, period. Have you ever met uh Jared from Froos Photos? Do you know that guy?
>> I, met, him, one, time,
>> dude., He's, got, the, best, one., Like, I always love to ask anybody who created content, "Show me your first videos."
>> Yeah.
>> And, Jared's, first, video, was, way, worse than my first video. Dude, he sat there at a table with lenses and and was mad at himself. And the crazy part of his story is he didn't shoot another video for two years
>> cuz, he, was, so, upset.
>> I'm, so, horrible., I'm, so, embarrassed., And at least it took me 4 months to get back on the horse. But I watched a guy yesterday tagged me in it cuz I've been pushing content in his video. He showed his setup three years prior he set up his setup and he didn't turn on the lights once or hit the camera.
>> I, know, where, people, are, at, in, their heads. So I just I just honor the journey, man, because it is, you know, I went from couldn't even get thoughts together now where you I can't shut up. Like I get like, you know, no problem. Yeah. Turn the cameras on. We're talking. I could I wish I could tell you was different for me, but it's literally the same story. And this is me having been teaching at Art Center for 15 years. So, I know how to talk to people. So, I I I want to just have a moment, a bonding moment for everybody who's watching this video for a second, which is it's easy to talk to people because there's a human, there's little micro expressions, there's body language they're like, "Yes, yes, tell me." And they get excited. You get excited. So you tell your story even with greater passion. When you look into an inanimate object, the oneeyed machine, there's no expression there. It doesn't change anything. And to speak to it, knowing that it's going to be recorded forever for all time for everyone to look at because once it's on the internet, you can't put the genie back in the bottle. Somebody will have ripped it. The wayback machine will have recorded it. So, some part of you exists forever. And knowing that compounds the problem. I talked to my friend who's a psychologist or a therapist. She said it's when you speak to someone who doesn't emote, it's very disregulating. I don't know about you. Seems like
>> that's, like, talking, to, Sam., [laughter]
>> It, doesn't, make, a, face,, bro., I'm, like, do something.
>> He, seems, pretty, emotive,, but, we'll, see.
>> I'm, just, kidding., It's
>> And, she's, So,, you, may, have, experienced this once in your life. Maybe not in your marriage currently, but you know like sometimes my wife gets upset at me and and she's she runs hot, I run really cool. Not exactly a great mix because she wants me to respond. She's like blah blah blah. And I'm like, "Okay, I hear you." what she wants me to do is to have an emotional response and the less I respond the more she amps up. And my therapist said it's very disregulating when you speak to someone and they don't give you anything.
>> So, this, is, why, people, have, a, natural fear of public speaking
>> because, we're, taught, in, polite, society. You sit, you listen, that's expert. I'm the student. You speak to a room that's dark and they don't say anything to you.
>> And, then, now, in, your, mind, like, dude,, I was dropping bars. That was a good joke and no one's saying anything. In different cultures, they're even quieter. Have you Have you talked in the south
>> in, America?
>> No,, not, Well,, Dallas., Yeah,
>> Dallas., Like, the, the, south, south.
>> I, feel, like, there's, Yeah,, there's, more south.
>> Yes,, I, would, go, south., More, south, than that. And you'll see they literally stand up and talk back to you. This is why preachers develop their game the way they do because in a certain environment, there's a dialogue. It's not a monologue
>> from, the, audience.
>> From, the, audience., And, it, first, will throw you off. I would love that. It's the most generous thing. It's like you're going back and forth. You're like, "Oh, I said something." They'll just stand up and say, "Yes, yes." And you're like, "Scream it from the back."
>> You, know, what, I'm, saying?, You, don't, even have to call them audience and it's really awesome.
>> So,, that's, the, problem., And, we, go through this thing.
>> I'm, glad, to, hear, that, it, took, you, a little while to recover and took Fro's photo even longer and it could just be debilitating, especially if you're introverted, if you're not used to being around people, if this gives you anxiety. So, I love the thing that you said. It's just like you you cannot think in moments, but you're like thinking in decades because otherwise people dabble in days. Got some ititeration going there, friend.
>> Yeah,, I've, been, practicing., Have, you?, Oh my gosh, dude. I'm a byproduct of doing the work. Yeah.
>> Everything., Storytelling., Like, even today, the feedback this morning as we're flying down, Sam goes, "Finish your stories."
>> What, do, you, mean?
>> Like, finish, the, story., I, have, this, habit of starting a story to make a point and never delivering the closure. No punchline,, no, transit., You, know what, I mean?
>> Yeah.
>> Why, is, that, though?, Why?, Why, do, you, feel like
>> I, get, excited, and, I, keep, moving, on?, I'll open up three stories. You know, my one of my guys on my team, Arturo, I don't know what his role is, but he's like media producer. He he told me about this show called Loki. Do you know this Marvel show Loki?
>> Okay., I'm, a, big, fan., All right., out there.
>> Um,, out, of, respect, for, Art, Turo,, I downloaded it and watched it on the plane cuz he goes
>> "We, need, to, do, a, better, job, of, sticking to the timeline and not cuz cuz sometimes I don't script my videos. My YouTube videos are just points, but I just talk
>> right?"
>> And, he, goes,, "The, problem, is, is, from, a retention point of view, we got to we got to keep coming back and reinforcing and not let these little side worlds do their thing." So I get it now, but I will tell you literation storytelling, vocal variety.
>> Dan,, you, killed, me.
>> Yeah,, [laughter] as demonstrated now.
>> Yes,, I'm, just, um, I'm, just, echoing, for all of you. So like all that stuff were things again I when I decide to do something like the one thing I know about me, I don't golf. I there's a lot of things I don't do cuz I know I don't gamble. I don't play video games because I'm so obsessed when I decide that I got to be very selective. So when I decided to to do the media thing at the highest level, I hired the coaches. I watched every I've watched every Mr. Beast interview where he talks about how he built his media company. I've watched all the top uh creators to understand kind of how they think of their content creation, brand stories, like built my own little personal network of like, you know, mastermind of people sharing notes.
>> Yeah,, I'm, I'm, I'm, a, student, of, the, game that I play.
>> That's, great., Are, you, ADD?
>> Yeah,, I, was, diagnosed, with, ADHD, when, I was 11.
>> See,, there, we, go.
>> So,, I, got, put, on, rolin, when, I, was, young.
>> And, it's, crazy, because, at, the, time,, man, it it like messed with me. I I thought I was broken.
>> Were, you, getting, into, a, lot, of, trouble before the meds? Yeah. But I mean, I think I was just a kid, man. Like when I look at how my kids are, I got two boys. Like
>> I, wasn't, doing, anything, they're, not doing. I just didn't respond the way my parents or the school did.
>> You, know, what, I, mean?, Like, like, legit, my oldest son had some challenges in the school.
>> Okay., We, sat, down, at the, school., We said, "Could you work with us?" They said, "We can't. That's not how we're structured." Cool. We we took him out. put him in a different structure. He thrived. What a crazy idea. [snorts]
>> So,, you, know,, that, whole, like, don't, ask a duck to be an eagle, man. My son's an eagle. I was like, I think people with ADHD have evolved from back in the day we're evolutionary hunters, right? When I think about it, we were the person in the tribe that went out into the woods with whatever instrument we had and we we went and we hunted and we brought back the food for everybody else. And then we went into this agricultural society where it's like follow a process and don't ask questions and calm down and you know stand in line and and and then, all, of a, sudden, we're, like, h, I can't do that. So it impacted my life. I mean, that's why I got in so much trouble as a teenager. And man, I went from 11, diagnosed ADHD, ended up jail twice, rehab, got out luckily, young but then still was on medication till I was in my early 30s.
>> Wow.
>> And, I, I, remember, one, day, I, finally called my buddy um in Toronto who was a doctor and I said, "I need to get off this." I was on like 30 milligram slow release of Adderall. I didn't like the way it made me. I didn't feel me.
>> Did, it, numb, you?
>> Yeah,, it, just, made, me, like, a, freaking robot.
>> And, that, wasn't, Dan., And, that's, where, a lot of the productivity principles. I had to readjust my nutrition. And ever since I got off, I've never got on. I've never been more productive. But I also had to design my life around who I am and how I am and what I where my superpower is. you know, the zone of genius versus the zone of resentment. You know, I think a lot of people struggle in life because they're resentful for the stuff they have to do because they've never said, "Well, is there a way that I could only do the stuff I love to do and
>> find, the, people, that, play, at, the, things that I find are horrible work like spreadsheets and financial stuff?" Like dude,
>> torture, me.
>> But, you, give, me, anything, else, and, I, can thrive. I think there's something about the creative space and entrepreneurship that brings people that are neurode divergent, ADD, ADHD, and I seem to know a lot of them. Everybody's on the spectrum. Maybe I'm on the spectrum too. And I could not understand it before because I'm the kind of guy who's like, "Give me a task. I'm going to do that to finish and I'm good to go. I don't get distracted." Whereas my previous partner in the content creation space, he he he would always say, "My ADD is too powerful." and he would develop all kinds of tricks and he literally put post-it notes on the side of his glasses and he put on his headphones he would he would turn up like speed metal to like 10 and I could hear from like over there like is there anything left cuz that's the only way he can concentrate but the beautiful thing for him is he had to develop tools so that he can stay focused and those tools are the first products that we would launch and sell and it's just a framework a really good framework for people allows him to do this. So, one of the things he would do is wake up in the morning, say, "What are the three things I need to do today so that the rest of the day doesn't matter?" And he would not allow himself to do anything. He would look over and he said, "No, back to the list. Back to the list." And he would then get done. And then he was sometimes on his meds. And I found him to be way more productive on his meds than off because when he's off, he's all over the space. Here's what I'm finding that my my recent discovery is. If you take a neurode divergent person and you put them into a society or a school system that's built for d uh neurotypical people, they do not do well. They are the troublemakers. They get bad grades and they're just seemingly very disruptive in class. They don't, know how, to, get, along, with, people. But today, especially, if you give them the right tools and the right space to play and create, they're working on five different planes above everyone else. So, I think AI has been a big help. One of my buddies, his brain is just too fast, but he can literally do five things at the same time. and I could barely keep up with one of them. And so we're just different speeds and I think it's a pretty interesting time now. So I think part of it is your your ADD thing or ADHD is like isn't that like the entrepreneurial gene or you know Yeah. I mean, the beautiful part is we also need folks like yourself. Like that that's the cool part. If you actually like what really changed in my life that allowed me to be productive is I realized that I need partners that can do the other stuff so that we can both be in our zone of genius. But and again, I'm grateful that I fell in love with software development because that forced me to learn the skills you just talked about. When I was 17 and I got out of rehab and I just fell in love with code, I had to learn how to plug in and it was music EDM right?
>> And, it, was, well, early, it, was, Tupac, and, a bunch of other stuff, but eventually became EDM with no no vocals.
>> Uh, Pomodoro, timer., So,, I, use, this, B Focus Pro app on my 25 minutes, five minutes off. Um, like my nutrition, just like making sure there was no sugar because that that would definitely throw things off. Um, hydration and single focus task. I mean like software is almost like meditation when you're writing code because you're you're in it and you've got all the variables loaded up and you've got all the functions figured out and you're trying to debug stuff and it's this beautiful it's kind of like taking a shower working out where you know everything else is happening but you're like you're like so in the zone but again if I had three to four hours of that a day that would have been a wildly productive day but my output versus other people in those three or hours was wildly. It was like five or 10x everybody else because I I knew how to channel it. And prior to that, man, it was like you said, I got in Yeah. I got in trouble in school. I got labeled disruptive. I got labeled Dude, I I almost didn't finish school.
>> This, is, what's, wild, to, me, is, I, was flunking out of school and once I figured things out, now I'm on the honors role, but I had to change the way I worked. You know, my favorite thing is like I didn't go to university, man. And I build software like like
>> most, of the, pe, I, have a, lot, I, have, a PhD. They work for me. Lots of them. Like [laughter] computer science people like I'm 17 of them.
>> I, got, an, MBA, too., Whole, whole, floor, of MBAs.
>> So, there's, two, parts, that, I, think, is fascinating for people that struggle with the ADHD side. When we're young, it causes us to get in trouble
>> which, allows, us, to, learn, what, it, feels like to deal with chaos
>> which, is, the, foundation, of entrepreneurship because all entrepreneurship is is is dealing with higher levels of uncertainty than most people. And we all know these friends that it has to be, dude
>> guaranteed, everything's, perfect., I'm gonna get paid. That's not business. That's not how we start things from scratch. So like the getting in trouble when you're younger is almost the training ground for the chaos that is where we're okay with so much uncertainty that makes us successful in business. But here's the kill the kicker. If you don't learn how to tame that then in business you create chaos.
>> Mhm.
>> Because, when, things, are, going, good, it feels wrong. Isn't that crazy? I know what you're talking about because the reason why it ultimately didn't work with my previous partner was things were working, and, he, just, went, in and, created chaos.
>> I, call, them, hand, grenades., They, throw hand grenades in the business.
>> Yeah.
>> Because, it, doesn't, feel, normal, to, them because normal is chaos.
>> Yeah., And, some, part, of, me, is, really, sad because I didn't understand at the time if you could just kept it under control we'd still be in business together today and said we're not because I just I couldn't deal with that.
>> Totally.
>> I, want, to, get, my, work, done., I, don't, need the extra chaos.
>> Yeah.
>> So,, yeah., Okay., You're, you're, famous, for this concept of buying back your time. You you gave a talk about it. You wrote a book on it and this is uh some things that you you go and talk about. What are some of the key ideas you want people to know about this thing about buying back your time? Most people struggle because they have ambition but they don't have enough time to execute against the thing that they're ambitious about. So they have big goals, big dreams, and when they look at the task list, it's like where am I going to find time to do it? And the truth is is you can't build a million-dollar company off $10 tasks. You just can't. There's not enough hours in the week. If you have if you want to do something big, you have to be more efficient. Now, there's a bunch of things that we can do that cost us nothing to buy back our time, being more organized, leveraging some of the apps to not be running around town and, you know, being more efficient. But at a certain point, you know, we got to understand the value of our time. See most people don't get what they want because they don't feel like they deserve it. And that's a tough one for people to hear. But it comes down to selfworth. If I don't feel my hours worth, and you know this with creatives man, because they're the most talented and the ones that undervalue their work the most. Like it's kind of bananas. You know, they're they're producing $50 $100,000 brand packages and they're like, "Would you pay me a thousand for it?" It's like
>> it's, true.
>> No,, you're, way, more, talented, than, that. Because they're equating their hours right? Yeah. Not the value. So, one of my early mentors said that to me. He said, 'If you want to make 500 bucks an hour, you have to treat your hour today like it's worth 500. And that means you can't allow yourself to do things that you could, you know, just decide not to do because that's another distraction is just doing more than you think you can or like negotiating with people to pay you more so that someday your hour is worth more. So, it's kind of interesting that you'll never get a penny more you think you deserve and you have to start today before it actually ever shows up in your life.
>> So,, you, have, to, act, as, if, you, are forecasting the future. Here's who I am. Here's what I earn. Here's what I'm worth. What kind of changes do I need to make today so that that becomes my new reality
>> 100%., If, you, think, of, a, million, dollars a year, you divide that by 2,000. That's $500. If you don't treat your hour, and again most people are like, I don't do that because they say yes to their friend for lunch. They say yes to this other thing. They they take meetings with potential people that they didn't qualify. They're in meetings that go three hours that were scheduled for an hour. Like if you truly like honored the fact that I got to treat my hour like it's 500, then you would just work completely different. And that's what's required before it ever shows up in your life. So that's the buyback rate that I talk in my book that is the foundation for everything. I'd say the next part after that that I struggle with a long time is the people side. Man, you know this business would be easy if it wasn't for people. Like it'd be so easy. And the hardest part is when I'm trying to get my time back. How do I get somebody in my life to help me with that where it doesn't feel like more work? Because most like I know when I, started, off, I, was, I, just used, to, think to myself all the time like I'll just it's easier for me to just do it. Like I know I should hire somebody but it'll take me more time to find them to train them and then they'll probably mess it up so they're not really adding anything. I'm just going to do it for my for myself. It's just a failed strategy because you never get ahead. you're always playing this game of like you say no to opportunities you should have said yes to because you don't have the capacity. So that's where I teach people the concept of the camcorder method, which I think is like so simple, yet it is the most powerful thing I still do today which is when I'm doing the work, I record myself doing the work so that when I hire the person to do the thing I need them to do, I just give them the videos of me doing the work, talking out loud, and then they create the standard operating procedures to follow. I don't because I hate that stuff. It's the the zone of resentment.
>> Can, I, stop, you, there, before, you, mess, up your train of thought here? Okay
>> I, have, to, ask, you, this, question., So, you're screen recording and then as you have an idea, you're working through the problem, you'll record what you're saying, too, so somebody can watch it and figure out what does Dan do and how does Dan make decisions. Do you find that knowing that you're being recorded slows you down when you work
>> because, that's, something, I, struggle with.
>> Yeah,, it, 100%, slows, me, down., The, belief that slows me down is that it's not good enough for somebody else to follow. So I want to make it good and that's what slows me down. Yeah.
>> What, I, do, to, overcome, that, is, if, I, at least have five of these recordings, the person watching the five videos of me doing the exact same work across those five, they'll figure it out. They won't love to watch it, but it's the same experience they would have if they sat next to me and they were shadowing me
>> which, is, what, I, was, doing, before,
>> except, now, I, get, my, time, back.
>> Yeah., And, that, was, the, big, idea, is, like, well, before I'd hire somebody, I'd say 'Okay, shadow me when I do this stuff and here's my calendar and come to come to my office for these types of things I'm doing and then eventually I'm going to give it to you. Now, when I hire somebody, they literally spend the first 40 to 80 hours watching videos. And it's not a great experience, but honestly most of them say, "I've never been onboarded with so much like clarity and I got to watch you work, which I didn't even know that tool you use, text exper that's so smart." Like, so there's also these other benefits. Sure, it's probably not the funnest thing to watch unstructured training, but that was how I had to get myself through it to allow myself to do it because it is the most efficient way to grow when you're trying to backfill.
>> The, third, part, and, the, most, important part because in my book, it's called the buyback loop. If you don't do the third part, you don't get the loop, which is the growth, and that is fill. Most people buy back their time and then waste their time. Okay. So, they don't treat like the hour is worth $100 an hour. Now, it's worth $500 an hour. And if I got my time back, I guess they're acting, like, it's, worth, a thousand, an hour. And for me, the fill is three very simple areas of focus. What's the next level skill I got to go acquire that's required of me? What are the habits I need to go develop to allow me to grow? And what are the beliefs about the way the world is that I believe that might be wrong? Because you know when I talk to a young person and they have a desire to be rich and I say, "Well, what are negative beliefs you have about rich people?" And they go, "Well, rich people stole the money. Rich people don't pay taxes. Rich people are egotistical." I'm go, "Well, so the interesting part is you actually said you want to be rich." I ask you what negative beliefs you have about rich people. Those are all things you believe. I didn't tell you what they are, so you knew them. And now you're trying to drive towards a goal with the handbrake fully pulled because you'll never want to become somebody that you're scared you'll be judged the way you judge them. That's a belief.
>> Yeah.
>> And, a, lot, of, us, have, money, beliefs., We have beliefs about delegating, right? Nobody can do as good as me. We have beliefs around trust about, you know partnering with people or customers or you know, if I want to grow, it means I'm gonna have less time, which I would encourage people to consider. So without doing the fill part, which is the third part of the buyback loop, you don't actually get progress because you just stay the same. And we all know those people have been in business for 37 years doing the same thing, the same gang of two people that come and go. Like the there's always just three of them, but the two changed. This the guyy's still there.
>> Yeah.
>> Doesn't, matter, if, it's, dog, walking, or painting houses or whatever.
>> It's, because, that, person, stayed, stuck., H couple things I want to kind of circle back on which is I have to answer this question a lot because I teach people how to start their own business. I believe in the power of entrepreneurship about manifesting your own future. Then they say to me the criticism is what about the people who work for you Chris clearly you need people to work for you. That's true. How do you answer that question when you're like buy back your time? So if I'm a big Dan Martell devote and I'm like yes I believe in this. And so the people working for you are like "How do I buy back my time? I need to do this the way Dan's doing it. How do we resolve, that?, How do, you
>> What's, that?"
>> With, our, teams., Because, essentially,, if I'm saying you as a CEO, you got to buy back your time. And then you hire somebody.
>> Yes.
>> And, then, you're, like,, you, know,, I, love entrepreneurship and I want you to be an entrepreneur, but I really need you to work for me.
>> How, do, I, resolve, that, conflict?
>> Yeah., Like, the, like, Sam,, I'm, assuming Sam. It's like, how do I buy back my time?
>> Yep., It's, a, beautiful, question, and, it plagued me for almost a decade when I started as an entrepreneur.
>> I, was, scared, that, if, anybody, on, my, team figured it out, I would lose them. So what did that mean? It meant that I controlled everything. Information was mine. I didn't tell anybody about the financials. I didn't I didn't allow any one person to have all the information. Didn't want to create a competitor. like scarcity mindset out there yingyang
>> and, that, kept, me, the, only, person, on, the team of 30 plus at the time spinning plates every day I woke up I was a professional plate spinner so I had to make sure you were busy and you're busy and that person's busy.
>> Yeah., And, here's, what, I, got, to, luckily after hiring a business coach and teaching me this because clearly there's a different way because people build massive companies and it's realizing that not everybody wants the responsibility of building a business cuz that's completely different. Most people would rather predictability in their paycheck. Okay? And I would say that's 80% of the population. And then there are people that are entrepreneurial but don't necessarily have a need to create the thing and have like them drive it but they want to be entrepreneurial and have opportunities like an entrepreneur would. Those are people like my creative director Sam.
>> Yeah.
>> And, in, those, situations, the, way, you, have to set up the game for them to play is they need to have variable compensation. So from day one, Sam had base compensation plus a variable that was unlimited based on his production. A lot of people have seen this video has been seen a billion times. The video of me giving Sam a Porsche GT4 and I didn't know at the time when we recorded we recorded everything that that would be the thing that people latched on to. I'm so happy people did because especially in the creative space because after we decided to go pro and then I'd meet all these people and I'd meet their teams and I'd be like, "Oh that's the person that helped create this person." And and a lot of times these people were very private about those folks cuz they're worried that if anybody found out somebody would steal them, but you had the Gary V's with D-Rock, right? You had examples, but it wasn't known. And as a person that loves to highlight and reward people on my team, that video going viral and having friends of mine going like, "Yo, bro, I give my team Rolexes, now you're making me look bad." And I'm like, "Good." What they don't see, and I always tell my friends to ask their team to figure out who Sam is. They don't see a guy that's driven when I don't need to like self self initiate like you got to create an environment where the person can be entrepreneurial which means they drive outcomes they manage a team they buy back their time I mean first hireer we got them was an assistant of course it's the first hire in the book so you have to support the team and my rule when you start a company the first 12 people are the most critical because if you do it right those 12 are essentially the ones that build the rest of the business and if you get it wrong, you got to replace them and it's hard. But yeah, I think there is a beautiful place where you can have entrepreneurial driven people on your team that don't necessarily have to be the founders per se. Even that language is kind of confusing for me cuz Sam's definitely a founder and building the brand. They also need to learn to buy back their time because I can't have Sam doing $10 tasks. He can't be sitting there spending four hours a day in his inbox when he needs to be scouting locations and networking with people to do high leverage stuff. And that's the what stops most entrepreneurs from doing that is they don't have a vision big enough in their current company for those types of people to have their dreams and goals be accomplishable within that vision.
>> Does, that, make, sense?, That, because, it scares them.
>> Yeah., And, I, I, know, I've, been, there, where I'm like that person on my team has a bigger vision for their life and what I'm able to accomplish than I do for me. And I'm scared now cuz they told me that. They're like, "Hey, why are we doing this, Chris?" And you're like "Whoa, whoa, whoa." Like, "We just got here and now you're telling me we got to go 10x it." Like, but those people, if you're if you know how to lead them they're the drivers. They're the ones that you're like, "Okay, you go do that. I'll support you.
>> Let, me, know, if, you, get, stuck.", I, think the bigger concept here is we need to know where our zone of genius is and delegate the rest. And when we had the free time not to piss it away doing stupid things
>> unless, it's, part, of, like, your, plan, right? Not to accidentally do that because
>> well, well, a, driven, person, on, your, team that's making you money if they see you pissing it away won't stay. That's the other problem.
>> Okay., Well,, we, have, to, get, into, this.
>> Yeah., I, mean,, it's, just, I, know, that, for me to have world-class leaders on my team, I had to level up my leadership. And the last thing I could ever do is say, "Hey, you need to be here. You got to be working all these hours." And then them see me on Instagram, flying around the world, hanging out on a beach. Like the math doesn't compute, if that makes sense.
>> Okay.
>> I, think, that's, what, happens, sometimes. It's just, oh, I worked really hard. I don't have to work hard anymore. It's like, cool. Those ambitious people want to be around other ambitious people.
>> Okay., Well,, I, want, I, want, to, follow, up on that, but getting getting back to Sam or people like Sam. So, if he understands the concept, then he needs people to do things and this could be a skill that's transferred over and over. And this is how companies get really big, right? And if you don't, this is what's interesting is leadership is taught through osmosis. So leaders that have a bad approach to leadership, what I call transactional leadership, their team learns it from you. And the reason why they call it a bottleneck is because it's at the top. So indirectly your way of leading could create the bottleneck in your business because then your leaders act the way you did which is hey uh what do you oh let me do a first draft I'll get back to you once you start that or uh before you do anything come show it to me like all these really bad bottleneck type behaviors you do with them then they do with their team and then nobody then everything the bigger the company gets the slower it gets
>> right
>> and, I, get, the, call, they're, like, Dan, my team is 100 people now and we've never moved so slow I'm like I know what your problem is. Yeah.
>> And, it's, that.
>> Okay., Sam,, I, have, a, question, for, you, man.
>> Do, you, have, a, hard, time, keeping, up, with Dan?
>> You, don't?, Okay., I'm, having, a, hard, time keeping up with you right now because you'll say things and you'll say another thing, you'll say another thing. True to the sacred timeline and the branches and I want to follow up with the first thing, but I'm on point five and I'm like, and I'm losing my way through the forest here. So hopefully I have to ask you for a favor. Just slow your brain down just a little bit. Throttle it just a, little bit, for, me., What, is, his, um, very practical outcome that he's responsible for? Who
>> Sam's, responsible, for, all, media?
>> Well,, what's, the, measurement, of, his success?
>> Follower, revenue, per, follow., Well, indirectly follower growth.
>> Follower, growth., You'll, you'll, deal, with revenue.
>> Yeah,, it's, the, revenue, leader, that, is responsible for that.
>> What's, your, target, for, 2025,, end, of year? Where are you going to be at?
>> 10, million, total, across, all, platforms.
>> Where, are, you, biggest, on?, Uh, we're literally almost neck andneck with Instagram YouTube.
>> All, around, 15ish.
>> 16., Yeah.
>> Six., Okay.
>> Yeah.
>> Okay., So,, what's, the, gap, between, where you are now and
>> Well,, we, essentially, have, to, do., Yeah. We're at about five and a half, Sam. 56.
>> We're, at, six, and, we, got, to, grow, by, four in the next six months. So, it's pretty it's not we're we're on pace. And if you want to hear a fun story, okay, I know you told me to stick to the sacred timeline, but you tell me if I'm off the timeline.
>> TVA, is, coming, for, you, later,, but, go ahead. Just please, you do you.
>> I'm, so, glad, I, watched, that, [laughter] show this morning.
>> Um,, you, know,, people, ask, me,, well,, how did you decide to go from like 50,000 on YouTube to six and then literally 5 million in the last two years?
>> And, I, always, say, it's, I, went, pro, and, I know the difference between amateur and pro. Well, last week even I felt we could do more. So I went to say
>> even, even, you, Dan
>> I, said, I, was, like, bro, there's, more, we could do and I just said I walked up to him at the office and I said if I gave you a million cash put in a bank account what would you do with it? He's like I don't know. I said could you spend it wisely? And he just kind of rifted some ideas off and I said here's the deal. You get me comfortable like an 85 out of 10 comfortable and I'll wire the money. I call my assistant. I literally signed the documents this morning. So Sam's got a million dollars cash in his bank account and he put a plan together for us
>> in, his, personal, account.
>> No,, it's, in, a, separate, account, because he told me he could generate 10 million net new followers
>> with, a, million, dollars.
>> Still, a, bold, word,, Sam., With, the, talent. With the talent. Yeah.
>> No., No., He, can, hire, people,, but, he, has
>> But, you're, the, talent, though.
>> Oh,, yeah., Yeah., I'm, the, only, person, here to build somebody else. Yes. You're the talent.
>> Yeah., Just, me., just, our, channels.
>> Yeah.
>> And, I, I, joke, with, people,, you, know,, we went from amateur to pro, now we went to pro max.
>> So,, we're, promising.
>> You're, following, the, Apple, nomenclature.
>> I, just, thought, it, was, funny, because, I'm like, what are we now if we're already pro?
>> So,, you, just, turn, the, lens, a, little, bit to the side.
>> Yeah., Just,, you, know,, didn't, do, a, whole lot of change. [laughter]
>> Nothing, really, changed., Just
>> call, it, Dan, Intelligence., We, paint, in, a wall in the media. Dan Intelligence.
>> Okay., See,, you, open, a, new, thread., Now,, I can't follow up with the other thread but that's cool. This is a cooler thread. I'm just chasing the threads with you here. TVA is going to have a problem.
>> Yeah,, we're, in, trouble.
>> So,, he, puts, something, in, front, of, you without giving anything that you feel uncomfortable saying. What is it that he puts in front of you? You're like "Here's a million dollars cash. Go make it happen." Essentially, it was different strategies. So, there was consultants, there was uh initiatives some projects that he felt would generate the ROI. So, my philosophy with most of my leaders, very simple. If I give you money, all I need to know is what's the initiative, what's the uh effort on my part because you're asking for my time, especially in this case what's the potential lift and by when the date and as long as the the theory makes sense and usually there's, you know, it wasn'
