WEBVTT - Redefining Financial Freedom with John Lee Dumas 0:00:09.240 --> 0:00:13.650 Welcome back to Building Billions. This is an exciting episode 0:00:13.650 --> 0:00:18.120 because I got to spend 45 minutes talking with j. 0:00:18.120 --> 0:00:22.890 L d. That's what he goes by Jld. But full 0:00:22.890 --> 0:00:28.950 name is John Lee Dumas. He is a podcast. OG 0:00:28.980 --> 0:00:30.510 For those of you who don't know what an OG is, 0:00:30.510 --> 0:00:33.660 he's an original gangster in the podcast space. He started 0:00:33.900 --> 0:00:38.310 over a decade ago making daily content and to date 0:00:38.310 --> 0:00:43.530 has over 4000 interviews under his belt with entrepreneurs who 0:00:43.530 --> 0:00:49.170 have created massive success. And his total listens is over 0:00:49.170 --> 0:00:55.200 140 million. He's averaging about 2 million a month in podcasts, 0:00:55.290 --> 0:00:59.250 views listens alone when they have a really cool things 0:00:59.250 --> 0:01:02.700 that I love about his content and what he's teaching 0:01:02.700 --> 0:01:07.050 people is financial freedom. Not enough people are talking about money. 0:01:07.050 --> 0:01:09.330 That is why I created building Billions. I want to 0:01:09.330 --> 0:01:13.890 make and normalize this money conversation and make it more 0:01:13.890 --> 0:01:16.800 prevalent and really get into the depths of, okay, what 0:01:16.800 --> 0:01:18.810 is financial freedom and why is this important? And how 0:01:18.810 --> 0:01:21.780 can people have this, which was a main topic of 0:01:21.780 --> 0:01:26.819 today's episode. So give this a listen. If you don't 0:01:26.819 --> 0:01:30.990 know who Jld is, you should also check out his podcast, 0:01:30.990 --> 0:01:35.820 because this man is full of incredible insights and wisdom 0:01:35.819 --> 0:01:40.110 around how to get started, how to be a beginner 0:01:40.110 --> 0:01:43.350 and become an expert in something and what it really 0:01:43.350 --> 0:01:47.580 takes to be successful. So let's dive in. I am 0:01:47.580 --> 0:01:51.600 excited to do this interview because you're good with talking 0:01:51.600 --> 0:01:55.020 about money and I think people need to be around 0:01:55.020 --> 0:01:57.420 more people who are willing to talk about money. I 0:01:57.420 --> 0:02:00.870 hear that one of your things is sharing the amount 0:02:00.870 --> 0:02:03.030 of money that your business is making. So we're going 0:02:03.030 --> 0:02:05.940 to dive into all sorts of things. But first, welcome 0:02:05.940 --> 0:02:08.910 to the Building Billionaires podcast and thank you for being here. 0:02:09.570 --> 0:02:11.100 I'm fired up to be here. We're gonna have a 0:02:11.100 --> 0:02:15.480 great conversation about a lot of really important things. Definitely 0:02:15.480 --> 0:02:17.340 money being foremost. 0:02:17.340 --> 0:02:20.430 So one of the tenants of your build of your 0:02:20.430 --> 0:02:24.720 business is talking about financial freedom. What do you define 0:02:24.720 --> 0:02:26.220 as financial freedom? 0:02:26.790 --> 0:02:28.680 To me, financial freedom is you get to wake up 0:02:28.680 --> 0:02:31.890 in the morning and not do nothing because nobody that's 0:02:31.889 --> 0:02:35.010 really acquired financial freedom wants to sit on a beach 0:02:35.010 --> 0:02:37.740 and sip some coconut and, you know, lay in a 0:02:37.740 --> 0:02:39.840 hammock and nap all day. That's just not the type 0:02:39.840 --> 0:02:44.250 of person that becomes financially free. What I say is 0:02:44.250 --> 0:02:47.040 I wake up every morning, I'm financially free because I 0:02:47.040 --> 0:02:49.500 get to do exactly what I want to do. My 0:02:49.500 --> 0:02:52.530 calendar says all the things that I want it to say, 0:02:52.530 --> 0:02:55.620 and I get to spend days with people like yourself 0:02:55.620 --> 0:03:00.510 having great conversations. I have been interviewing people for a decade. 0:03:00.510 --> 0:03:04.980 Right now I've interviewed over 4000 inspiring and successful entrepreneurs, 0:03:04.980 --> 0:03:07.889 and people say, John, you've been doing this for ten years. 0:03:07.889 --> 0:03:09.720 When is enough enough? And I say never because this 0:03:09.720 --> 0:03:14.700 is what I love doing. I love having wonderful, smart, intelligent, intriguing, 0:03:14.700 --> 0:03:18.570 interesting conversations with brilliant, smart, successful people. Why would I 0:03:18.570 --> 0:03:20.880 ever want to stop doing that? And people that don't 0:03:20.880 --> 0:03:22.440 get it? I say, you should probably stop listening to 0:03:22.440 --> 0:03:25.380 my podcast because you're wasting your time. 0:03:25.710 --> 0:03:29.910 How do you implement all of it or pieces of 0:03:29.910 --> 0:03:34.530 it without being so overwhelmed at 4000 conversations? There has 0:03:34.530 --> 0:03:36.870 to be a variety of different viewpoints that you get 0:03:36.870 --> 0:03:38.730 from people, and I would think that that would actually 0:03:38.730 --> 0:03:40.620 be a very difficult thing in the position that you're 0:03:40.620 --> 0:03:42.930 in with having amazing conversations all the time. 0:03:43.320 --> 0:03:46.950 It's shocking how, when you boil it down, how few 0:03:46.950 --> 0:03:50.490 things people are actually doing to achieve success. I mean, 0:03:50.490 --> 0:03:54.660 so few things. There's just not that many different unique 0:03:54.660 --> 0:03:58.740 ideas or concepts or strategies or tactics. It's just that 0:03:58.740 --> 0:04:01.530 people are doing it in this world that's full of abundance. 0:04:01.530 --> 0:04:04.410 So of course they're having success. You're having success. We're 0:04:04.410 --> 0:04:08.490 having success because there's so much opportunity and amazingness in 0:04:08.490 --> 0:04:10.980 this world. And, you know, in fact, that was kind 0:04:10.980 --> 0:04:14.190 of the inspiration for me two years ago. I finally, 0:04:14.190 --> 0:04:16.830 like kind of broke down and wrote my first traditionally 0:04:16.830 --> 0:04:19.590 published book because when people are asking me this question 0:04:19.589 --> 0:04:21.270 fairly often, I was like, Well, let me boil it 0:04:21.270 --> 0:04:24.330 down because is it really that many things? And it 0:04:24.330 --> 0:04:30.060 really naturally came down to 17 core concepts. I actually 0:04:30.060 --> 0:04:32.520 says it's kind of put it in the way of 0:04:32.520 --> 0:04:36.989 like 17 steps to financial freedom and fulfillment. Like that's 0:04:36.990 --> 0:04:41.100 literally the tagline of the book 17 Steps to Financial 0:04:41.100 --> 0:04:45.360 Freedom and Fulfillment. And every one of those chapters is 0:04:45.360 --> 0:04:48.630 just literally one step in that journey. That's one of 0:04:48.630 --> 0:04:53.669 those 17 core concepts and core principles that the 4000 0:04:53.670 --> 0:04:57.390 people that I've interviewed over a decade, that's the journey 0:04:57.390 --> 0:04:59.040 that they took as well. It might be in a 0:04:59.040 --> 0:05:01.520 different niche, in a different industry. They. Might do it 0:05:01.520 --> 0:05:03.740 on a different size and they might do it in 0:05:03.740 --> 0:05:06.080 a different way, shape or form. But at the end 0:05:06.080 --> 0:05:09.289 of the day, these are the steps they're taking. This 0:05:09.290 --> 0:05:13.190 is the journey that they're on at 17 core concepts. 0:05:13.190 --> 0:05:16.160 So as we were talking about a little bit before 0:05:16.160 --> 0:05:20.960 we started filming, one of the things that our business 0:05:20.960 --> 0:05:23.930 owners that we work with are really struggling with is 0:05:23.930 --> 0:05:27.979 figuring out how to create content while being a business 0:05:27.980 --> 0:05:30.890 owner and let's say the home services space, or they're 0:05:30.890 --> 0:05:33.500 running an agency. And so when you think about the 0:05:33.500 --> 0:05:36.290 fact that you created a piece of content where you 0:05:36.290 --> 0:05:41.029 boil down thousands of conversations into 17 steps, how did 0:05:41.029 --> 0:05:45.770 you overcome your own fear around, well, what if they're 0:05:45.770 --> 0:05:48.110 what if I find out that there's 19 steps? Or 0:05:48.110 --> 0:05:50.240 what if I missed the 18th step and now I've 0:05:50.240 --> 0:05:52.910 put this book out there and it's 17 steps and 0:05:52.910 --> 0:05:55.460 just kind of the mentality around being able to put 0:05:55.460 --> 0:05:57.890 out content that says, Hey, I'm saying that this there's 0:05:57.890 --> 0:06:00.260 17 and I'm publishing a book around it. 0:06:00.940 --> 0:06:04.480 I think at one stage in most every entrepreneur's life, 0:06:04.480 --> 0:06:07.860 they look in the mirror and they say, Gosh darn it, 0:06:07.870 --> 0:06:12.120 like I'm a perfectionist. Like I am just a perfectionist. 0:06:12.130 --> 0:06:16.000 I want everything to be perfect. And then they realize 0:06:16.000 --> 0:06:18.010 the second thing, which I'm pretty fortunate that I feel 0:06:18.010 --> 0:06:21.279 like I realized this years and years ago, that being 0:06:21.279 --> 0:06:24.280 a perfectionist is another word for being a coward. Like 0:06:24.279 --> 0:06:28.690 you're using the word perfection because you're going to say, Hey, 0:06:28.690 --> 0:06:30.970 I'm going to hide behind this rock and not do 0:06:30.970 --> 0:06:33.820 something because it's not perfect yet. So I'm not going 0:06:33.820 --> 0:06:36.250 to release my content to the world. I'm not going 0:06:36.250 --> 0:06:40.450 to release my hopes, my dreams, my aspirations, my thoughts, 0:06:40.450 --> 0:06:43.510 my tactics, my strategies to the world because I'm a 0:06:43.510 --> 0:06:49.360 perfectionist until until this is perfect. I'm not going to launch. Well, 0:06:49.360 --> 0:06:52.599 you're not perfect. You're a coward. And that's what you're 0:06:52.600 --> 0:06:55.360 hiding behind. And I'm saying it to myself, looking in 0:06:55.360 --> 0:06:57.789 the mirror. I'm saying it to every other entrepreneur who 0:06:57.790 --> 0:07:00.550 has ever used those words perfectionism. And so that's kind 0:07:00.640 --> 0:07:04.210 of a longer way of answering your question of I 0:07:04.210 --> 0:07:06.790 don't care if there's an 18th or 19th step that 0:07:06.790 --> 0:07:08.979 comes along at some point because I did the best 0:07:08.980 --> 0:07:11.500 that I could with the content and the knowledge I 0:07:11.500 --> 0:07:14.680 had at that time, and that is the book that 0:07:14.680 --> 0:07:17.770 I was able to put out in 2021. If I 0:07:17.770 --> 0:07:21.490 could redo it in 2025 with things be different, most likely. 0:07:21.490 --> 0:07:23.620 And guess what? Maybe I'll put another book out then, 0:07:23.620 --> 0:07:26.140 maybe I won't. But I will be very proud of 0:07:26.140 --> 0:07:28.090 what I created at that moment in time. It's helped 0:07:28.090 --> 0:07:29.890 a lot of people and I think people need to 0:07:29.890 --> 0:07:35.290 release that worry of it not being perfect. Recognize don't 0:07:35.290 --> 0:07:38.440 be a coward. Get out there and impact the world. 0:07:38.770 --> 0:07:42.010 I love that because being a coward really does mean 0:07:42.010 --> 0:07:44.590 it stops people. It entirely stops them in their tracks. 0:07:44.590 --> 0:07:47.830 And I think oftentimes they don't even realize that they 0:07:47.830 --> 0:07:50.860 have all of this knowledge and then they could be 0:07:50.860 --> 0:07:54.160 of help. And instead of stepping into the help that 0:07:54.160 --> 0:07:56.290 is in the small things that they do every single day, 0:07:56.290 --> 0:07:58.120 all of a sudden it's like, well, who am I 0:07:58.150 --> 0:08:00.940 to say this? When there's this home services business down 0:08:00.940 --> 0:08:03.130 the street and maybe they're doing this other way and 0:08:03.130 --> 0:08:06.730 insecurity and self-doubt and all of that comes in. So 0:08:06.730 --> 0:08:09.400 it sounds like you didn't struggle too much with it 0:08:09.400 --> 0:08:12.910 from what you said, but have you had those issues of, 0:08:12.910 --> 0:08:17.230 you know, the imposter syndrome and comparing yourself to everybody 0:08:17.230 --> 0:08:19.510 else who's creating content? And if you have, how did 0:08:19.510 --> 0:08:22.000 you go through the process of really getting over that 0:08:22.000 --> 0:08:25.960 and still creating something that really has had remarkable results? 0:08:26.590 --> 0:08:29.290 The answer is yes. And the why behind that is 0:08:29.290 --> 0:08:33.040 because I am a human being and every single human 0:08:33.040 --> 0:08:36.280 being who has ever taken a breath on this earth, 0:08:36.280 --> 0:08:40.480 has had doubts, has had fears. They had anxiety and 0:08:40.480 --> 0:08:43.600 stress and felt the imposter syndrome in some way, shape 0:08:43.600 --> 0:08:45.580 or form. So pat yourself on the back when you 0:08:45.580 --> 0:08:48.610 have those feelings and say, Guess what? I'm a human 0:08:48.610 --> 0:08:51.610 being and every human being that has ever walked this 0:08:51.610 --> 0:08:53.950 earth has had those thoughts. So it's not like you're 0:08:53.950 --> 0:08:57.730 going to ever escape them. It's the individuals like yourself, 0:08:57.730 --> 0:09:00.670 like Jeremy, like grants, like me who have been able 0:09:00.670 --> 0:09:04.870 to embrace those fears and those doubts rise above them 0:09:04.870 --> 0:09:08.200 and continue moving forward that have achieved certain levels of 0:09:08.200 --> 0:09:11.050 success that other people haven't. And I would even take 0:09:11.050 --> 0:09:13.449 something a step further that you said earlier, that, you know, 0:09:13.510 --> 0:09:15.880 when people are scared to put out content like they're 0:09:15.880 --> 0:09:18.610 hurting themselves because they're not sharing that content with others, 0:09:18.610 --> 0:09:22.960 I think you're also hurting other people whose whose lives 0:09:22.960 --> 0:09:26.679 you would impact in a positive way if they were 0:09:26.679 --> 0:09:30.849 able to hear your knowledge, your expertise, your experience, your struggles, 0:09:30.850 --> 0:09:34.870 your obstacles, your challenges. And so by you being too scared, 0:09:34.870 --> 0:09:39.490 being so selfish that you're afraid of somebody saying something 0:09:39.490 --> 0:09:42.040 about you so you're not going to share something, you're 0:09:42.040 --> 0:09:45.280 hurting a whole other host of individuals that needed to 0:09:45.280 --> 0:09:48.250 hear that and now are not going to because of 0:09:48.250 --> 0:09:49.270 your cowardice. 0:09:49.480 --> 0:09:52.150 Beautiful. You know, I can't help but bring up ten 0:09:52.390 --> 0:09:55.420 in this conversation because for us around here, like ten 0:09:55.420 --> 0:09:59.199 X goal setting really is the starting point for taking 0:09:59.200 --> 0:10:03.790 whatever that action is that feels uncomfortable or or, you know, 0:10:03.790 --> 0:10:06.940 the imposter syndrome might stop you from. And so when 0:10:06.940 --> 0:10:10.990 you originally started this, did it start with some big 0:10:10.990 --> 0:10:14.920 different like lofty goal that you had that allowed you 0:10:14.920 --> 0:10:18.040 to start like chipping away at those pieces? Or was 0:10:18.040 --> 0:10:19.990 there a different journey for your path? 0:10:20.780 --> 0:10:24.440 My path was pretty simple. It was I identified something 0:10:24.440 --> 0:10:27.590 in this world that did not exist that I really 0:10:27.590 --> 0:10:32.089 thought should exist for me. I was really wanting to 0:10:32.090 --> 0:10:36.350 consume content on a daily basis that was inspiring to 0:10:36.350 --> 0:10:38.720 me and the content that I found that was inspiring 0:10:38.720 --> 0:10:43.670 me was hearing the stories, the journeys, the obstacles, the challenges, 0:10:43.670 --> 0:10:48.530 the struggles of entrepreneurs, of business, men, of business, women 0:10:48.530 --> 0:10:51.380 who are going through their lives. And I was drawing 0:10:51.380 --> 0:10:55.309 so much inspiration as well as like really tactical strategic 0:10:55.309 --> 0:10:59.179 knowledge from those conversations. And I said, Man, I'm driving 0:10:59.179 --> 0:11:01.760 to work every single day. You know, this is well 0:11:01.760 --> 0:11:05.120 over ten years ago. I'm hitting the gym multiple times 0:11:05.120 --> 0:11:08.660 per week. I'm walking my dog. I'm like folding laundry. 0:11:08.660 --> 0:11:11.660 I want to have like this in my ear balls 0:11:11.660 --> 0:11:15.050 literally the entire time I'm doing all these things because 0:11:15.050 --> 0:11:17.360 the more I can consume this content, the better. So 0:11:17.360 --> 0:11:21.650 I literally went on a search for that podcast that 0:11:21.650 --> 0:11:26.600 was a daily interview of successful entrepreneurs. And Natalie, the 0:11:26.600 --> 0:11:29.300 show did not exist. It just did not exist. And 0:11:29.300 --> 0:11:31.400 it was so weird to me. I don't know if 0:11:31.400 --> 0:11:33.620 you remember that movie. It was called yesterday where this 0:11:33.620 --> 0:11:36.319 guy wakes up and suddenly, like nobody had ever heard 0:11:36.320 --> 0:11:39.020 of the Beatles or like a band, like all these 0:11:39.020 --> 0:11:41.090 weird things. And he's like, How is that even possible? Like, 0:11:41.090 --> 0:11:43.189 that was my moment where I'm like, How does this 0:11:43.190 --> 0:11:46.190 not exist? And I said, I'm going to do it. 0:11:46.190 --> 0:11:48.800 I'm going to be the person that creates the first 0:11:48.800 --> 0:11:53.300 daily podcast interviewing entrepreneurs because I want to hear more 0:11:53.300 --> 0:11:56.479 of those conversations. So I might as well facilitate those 0:11:56.480 --> 0:11:58.820 conversations so I can ask the questions that I was 0:11:58.820 --> 0:12:01.280 kind of wishing the host of the other shows that 0:12:01.280 --> 0:12:03.349 were coming out once a week or twice a month, 0:12:03.350 --> 0:12:06.560 we'll be asking them questions that they would wish they 0:12:06.559 --> 0:12:09.620 were asking or they should be asking. And I just took, 0:12:09.620 --> 0:12:12.470 you know, my reins and launched entrepreneurs on fire. And 0:12:12.470 --> 0:12:15.740 I was a really bad podcast host. I had no 0:12:15.740 --> 0:12:20.570 experience interviewing people. I didn't have any technical broadcasting, communicating 0:12:20.570 --> 0:12:23.330 knowledge at all. But guess what? I woke up every 0:12:23.330 --> 0:12:25.790 day and I did it. And I woke up another 0:12:25.790 --> 0:12:28.280 day and then I did it. And after a couple 0:12:28.370 --> 0:12:31.550 hundred episodes, I'm like, Wow, I'm not terrible. I'm just 0:12:31.550 --> 0:12:35.240 really bad. Then after a couple hundred more episodes, I'm like, Man, 0:12:35.240 --> 0:12:37.820 I'm just bad now. Like, this is getting pretty cool. 0:12:37.820 --> 0:12:41.270 And here I am 4000 episodes later. And listen, nobody's 0:12:41.270 --> 0:12:43.670 a bigger fan of Grant Cardone than me. Like, I've 0:12:43.670 --> 0:12:46.790 been friends with Grant Cardone for 8 or 9 years now, 0:12:46.790 --> 0:12:48.829 so I can tell this story and I know that 0:12:48.830 --> 0:12:50.720 he will know if he ever hears this, that it 0:12:50.720 --> 0:12:52.520 comes from a place of love, because I've told the 0:12:52.520 --> 0:12:55.819 story to him on a public stage before. So it's 0:12:55.820 --> 0:12:58.610 not like I'm just breaking this news now. But the 0:12:58.610 --> 0:13:02.240 first time that I interviewed Grant Cardone, I was like, 0:13:02.240 --> 0:13:05.300 This is 2013. You know, I'm like, Grant's coming on 0:13:05.300 --> 0:13:07.760 my show. Great book. The ten X was out there 0:13:07.760 --> 0:13:09.590 and ten X rule, and I was excited to have 0:13:09.590 --> 0:13:12.170 the conversation with him. And he was good. He was okay. 0:13:12.170 --> 0:13:13.520 You know, he was talking the talk and he was 0:13:13.520 --> 0:13:15.980 being Grant. And I was like, okay, he's he's, he's, 0:13:15.980 --> 0:13:17.569 he's good. He's doing his thing. And then he invited 0:13:17.570 --> 0:13:20.570 me on his show and it was so janky, like 0:13:20.570 --> 0:13:23.000 he had this setup where, like the lighting was terrible, 0:13:23.000 --> 0:13:25.610 the audio is terrible. He was just like and I 0:13:25.610 --> 0:13:29.030 remember that episode being like, Man, he's not he's not 0:13:29.030 --> 0:13:32.059 going to make it in that area of like producing 0:13:32.059 --> 0:13:35.180 a show, producing content. I'm sure he'll be successful in 0:13:35.179 --> 0:13:37.579 something because he's such a hard worker. He's not going 0:13:37.580 --> 0:13:40.790 to stop. But boom, guess what? This guy, he just 0:13:40.790 --> 0:13:44.210 woke up every day like I woke up every day 0:13:44.210 --> 0:13:47.120 and he just got a little bit better at doing 0:13:47.120 --> 0:13:50.600 the thing, the content, the production, the this. He hired 0:13:50.600 --> 0:13:53.900 the right people around him. And that's my evolution as well. 0:13:53.900 --> 0:13:57.770 And everybody who looks at anybody right now, anybody and says, wow, 0:13:57.770 --> 0:14:02.300 that person is great at that thing. It's because that 0:14:02.300 --> 0:14:06.079 person has gotten up 10,000 days in a row and 0:14:06.080 --> 0:14:08.750 done that thing. They're not better than you naturally than 0:14:08.750 --> 0:14:13.280 that thing. Most likely they're just 10,000 days ahead of 0:14:13.280 --> 0:14:14.900 you of putting in the work. And just to kind 0:14:14.900 --> 0:14:17.690 of end this point, I'm watching the show on Netflix 0:14:17.690 --> 0:14:20.270 right now. It just came out called Quarterback. And it's about, 0:14:20.300 --> 0:14:24.230 you know, three of the top ten quarterback in the 0:14:24.230 --> 0:14:29.450 National Football League, Mahomes, Kirk, Cousins and Mariota. These guys 0:14:29.450 --> 0:14:32.270 are unbelievable. And you're watching behind the scenes of them. 0:14:32.270 --> 0:14:34.910 And what are they doing? They're getting up every day. 0:14:34.910 --> 0:14:38.420 They're sore, they're aching, they're in pain. They have bruises. 0:14:38.420 --> 0:14:41.450 They have doubts. They have fears. They think they're terrible. 0:14:41.450 --> 0:14:43.820 They think they're a mess. They have the imposter syndrome, 0:14:43.820 --> 0:14:46.730 but they're getting up and they're doing the thing every 0:14:46.730 --> 0:14:50.360 single day. And it's just like what I'm doing. It's 0:14:50.360 --> 0:14:52.790 just like what Grant's doing, you know? I don't know 0:14:52.790 --> 0:14:55.340 much about your story, Natalie, but I'm sure you've gone 0:14:55.340 --> 0:14:57.650 to where you are because you've gotten up and you've 0:14:57.650 --> 0:15:01.430 just done the thing every single day. 0:15:01.550 --> 0:15:05.180 So true. And most people want to know, what do 0:15:05.180 --> 0:15:07.850 I have to do to skip that part of the process? 0:15:07.850 --> 0:15:09.830 And I'm sure part of the reason that you create 0:15:09.830 --> 0:15:13.280 content is so that you can give people tools, tips, 0:15:13.280 --> 0:15:18.020 resources to make it faster than your journey was. But 0:15:18.020 --> 0:15:21.190 there's this inevitable, which is they. Still have to put 0:15:21.190 --> 0:15:25.780 in the work. So with putting in the work. If 0:15:25.780 --> 0:15:28.690 we can give the audience like a couple of tools 0:15:28.690 --> 0:15:31.030 for how they can put in the work, but also 0:15:31.030 --> 0:15:33.940 shorten the time frame, what would be the the one 0:15:33.940 --> 0:15:36.520 thing that you would say that you've learned out of 0:15:36.520 --> 0:15:40.600 maybe the 17 success principles that you could share with 0:15:40.600 --> 0:15:43.300 the audience about just putting in the work? Plus this 0:15:43.300 --> 0:15:45.850 thing will be helpful and beneficial to you along your 0:15:45.850 --> 0:15:47.860 path of becoming great. 0:15:48.250 --> 0:15:50.770 Well, first things first. I'll say that everybody who's hearing 0:15:50.770 --> 0:15:53.380 our voices right now is already doing one of those 0:15:53.380 --> 0:15:55.930 things that I would recommend. You're putting in the work 0:15:55.930 --> 0:15:59.650 right now by consuming this content, by listening, by hearing, 0:15:59.650 --> 0:16:03.670 by understanding that, hey, whoever Natalie's interviewed before John and 0:16:03.670 --> 0:16:06.100 you know, he's she's interviewing John right now and we're 0:16:06.100 --> 0:16:08.380 talking about some mistakes he's made in the past, some 0:16:08.380 --> 0:16:11.110 successes he's had in the past. Like you can learn 0:16:11.110 --> 0:16:13.570 from my failures. You can avoid them. You can learn 0:16:13.570 --> 0:16:16.120 from my successes. You can emulate those, and you can 0:16:16.120 --> 0:16:18.700 apply it to your journey, to your story. So people 0:16:18.700 --> 0:16:20.770 are already doing that right now. So I commend them 0:16:20.770 --> 0:16:23.380 for that. But if I can say like the biggest 0:16:23.380 --> 0:16:27.670 thing and and the common path to Uncommon success is 0:16:27.670 --> 0:16:29.380 the name of my book, because I really wanted people 0:16:29.380 --> 0:16:35.080 to understand that to get to uncommon success, it's a very, 0:16:35.080 --> 0:16:39.610 very common path. You just need to follow these 17 0:16:39.610 --> 0:16:45.010 steps that I've seen 4000 successful entrepreneurs follow over the 0:16:45.010 --> 0:16:48.280 course of a decade of interviewing them to have achieved 0:16:48.280 --> 0:16:51.790 massive success. Like they've followed those steps. Now, for the 0:16:51.790 --> 0:16:55.060 individuals that are listening right now, to me it's very, 0:16:55.060 --> 0:16:59.560 very clear that there's one thing that most people cannot 0:16:59.560 --> 0:17:02.680 honestly say right now. They cannot look in the mirror 0:17:02.680 --> 0:17:06.190 and say the following sentence, which, by the way, if 0:17:06.190 --> 0:17:09.369 I was asked to sum up my book, which is 0:17:09.369 --> 0:17:14.590 like 300 pages into one sentence, the sentence would be 0:17:14.770 --> 0:17:20.710 become the number one solution to a real problem in 0:17:20.710 --> 0:17:24.910 this world. That entire sentence is very intentional. Every word 0:17:24.910 --> 0:17:28.690 is meant to be there, become the number one solution 0:17:29.200 --> 0:17:33.820 to a real problem in this world. And probably the 0:17:33.820 --> 0:17:37.090 most important word within that sentence is the word real, 0:17:37.090 --> 0:17:38.650 because a lot of people have become the number one 0:17:38.650 --> 0:17:40.330 solution to a problem in this world. But it's not 0:17:40.330 --> 0:17:42.430 that big of a problem. People don't care. It's not 0:17:42.430 --> 0:17:45.670 that painful of a problem. So people aren't willing to 0:17:45.670 --> 0:17:48.730 pay you for that. They're not willing to invest their 0:17:48.730 --> 0:17:52.420 hard earned money into your solution because it's it's a problem, 0:17:52.420 --> 0:17:55.149 but it's just not that big of a deal. So 0:17:55.150 --> 0:17:56.740 a lot of people are like, oh my God, but 0:17:56.740 --> 0:17:59.080 how do you become the number one solution to a 0:17:59.080 --> 0:18:02.500 problem like ecommerce? How do I beat Amazon? Well, you're 0:18:02.500 --> 0:18:04.659 not going to beat Amazon. Why should you even try 0:18:04.690 --> 0:18:07.359 like that? Shouldn't even be your your desire, your effort, 0:18:07.359 --> 0:18:11.080 your goal. In fact, that's why step two, which is 0:18:11.080 --> 0:18:16.030 also chapter two in my book, is Discover the niche 0:18:16.030 --> 0:18:20.679 within your big idea that is not being solved. And 0:18:20.680 --> 0:18:25.300 so for me, that was podcasting, which was a big idea, 0:18:25.300 --> 0:18:30.340 niching down into business, podcasting, which was a smaller idea 0:18:30.340 --> 0:18:32.740 but still a big idea with a lot of competition 0:18:32.740 --> 0:18:39.490 niching down to business, podcasts, interviewing entrepreneurs. And back in 2012, Natalie, 0:18:39.490 --> 0:18:42.400 there were nine of them, believe it or not. And 0:18:42.400 --> 0:18:43.960 I said, Well, do I want to be the 10th 0:18:43.960 --> 0:18:50.199 best podcast interviewing entrepreneurs? Know what's another niche Down Well, 0:18:50.200 --> 0:18:56.590 what about daily podcast interviewing business entrepreneurs? There were zero. 0:18:56.590 --> 0:18:59.020 So the day that I launched Entrepreneurs on Fire, I 0:18:59.020 --> 0:19:02.919 was the best daily podcast interviewing entrepreneurs. I was the 0:19:02.920 --> 0:19:07.810 worst daily podcast, interviewing entrepreneurs. I was the only daily 0:19:07.810 --> 0:19:12.250 podcast interviewing entrepreneurs. And so I won as a result 0:19:12.250 --> 0:19:15.730 because I was the only solution to what was a 0:19:15.730 --> 0:19:18.670 real problem. There weren't everybody in the world didn't want 0:19:18.670 --> 0:19:20.890 to listen to a daily podcast, but there was a 0:19:20.890 --> 0:19:24.820 big enough audience that wanted to consume what I was 0:19:24.820 --> 0:19:28.720 looking for a daily interview with successful entrepreneurs that allowed 0:19:28.720 --> 0:19:31.270 me to build a thriving business that's been rocking for 0:19:31.270 --> 0:19:34.930 ten years. It's brought in, you know, over $30 million 0:19:34.930 --> 0:19:38.350 in revenue since that, you know, 96% of which I 0:19:38.350 --> 0:19:40.180 get to keep because I live in Puerto Rico, which 0:19:40.180 --> 0:19:42.790 is another conversation that we could talk about at some point. 0:19:42.790 --> 0:19:46.300 But the reality is this if you can't right now, 0:19:46.300 --> 0:19:49.060 look in the mirror and say, I'm the number one 0:19:49.060 --> 0:19:53.710 solution to a real problem, you are going to struggle 0:19:53.710 --> 0:19:57.670 because nobody wants the second best solution, the 10th best solution, 0:19:57.670 --> 0:20:01.030 the 37th best solution to their problem. They want the 0:20:01.030 --> 0:20:05.199 number one solution. So they will beat a path to 0:20:05.200 --> 0:20:08.229 the door of the number one solution to their problem 0:20:08.230 --> 0:20:10.600 and they'll ignore all the other ones. So unless you 0:20:10.600 --> 0:20:13.150 want to be ignored, which a lot of entrepreneurs are, 0:20:13.150 --> 0:20:15.459 which is why it's so hard to succeed as a 0:20:15.460 --> 0:20:19.000 business entrepreneur, become the number one solution to a real problem. 0:20:19.330 --> 0:20:21.890 I didn't say to a. Big problem, I said to 0:20:21.890 --> 0:20:24.110 a real problem. And there are so many people out 0:20:24.109 --> 0:20:30.410 there that are creating amazing solutions to micro real problems 0:20:30.410 --> 0:20:32.330 and they're thriving Natalie. 0:20:33.200 --> 0:20:35.090 Okay. I want to duke this out with you or 0:20:35.090 --> 0:20:38.360 you can we, like spa something? Yes, let's go. 0:20:38.359 --> 0:20:39.500 The best way to do it. 0:20:39.500 --> 0:20:42.470 So one of the things that we talk to business 0:20:42.470 --> 0:20:45.560 owners about is that it is not that you are 0:20:45.560 --> 0:20:50.480 the best. It is that you are the best known example. 0:20:50.660 --> 0:20:55.940 Coca-Cola is not the best drink on the planet. However, 0:20:55.940 --> 0:20:58.399 it is the best known. When I think of the 0:20:58.400 --> 0:21:01.850 small businesses that we work with, some of them are 0:21:01.850 --> 0:21:05.450 the best plumber in their town. They're they're the best 0:21:05.450 --> 0:21:11.030 Hvac business owner. They're the best marketing agency for the 0:21:11.030 --> 0:21:16.609 thing that they market towards. But they so deprioritized getting 0:21:16.609 --> 0:21:21.320 known and they can't overcome that. So their business ends 0:21:21.320 --> 0:21:23.510 up going to their potential business ends up going to 0:21:23.510 --> 0:21:26.689 a competitor because they already they spend so much time 0:21:26.690 --> 0:21:29.900 and take so much pride in the craft of being 0:21:29.900 --> 0:21:33.170 the best that they don't spend much time on the promotion, 0:21:33.170 --> 0:21:34.939 on the marketing. So what would you say to the 0:21:34.940 --> 0:21:37.580 business owner that really has done a great job of 0:21:37.580 --> 0:21:41.960 niching down and is a great solution, but just nobody 0:21:41.960 --> 0:21:43.730 knows them and that they exist? 0:21:44.150 --> 0:21:48.020 It's a very worthy statement and something that is very 0:21:48.020 --> 0:21:51.800 worthwhile sparring over because it is a challenge because guess what? 0:21:51.800 --> 0:21:54.770 If it was that easy that you could, number one, 0:21:54.770 --> 0:21:57.950 just be the number one solution to a real problem, 0:21:57.950 --> 0:22:00.440 then it would it would that would be the only 0:22:00.440 --> 0:22:02.090 thing you'd have to focus on. Or if it was 0:22:02.090 --> 0:22:05.239 number two, you had to just focus on being the 0:22:05.240 --> 0:22:07.969 best known, then that would be the only thing you'd 0:22:07.970 --> 0:22:10.880 be focusing on. But it's neither or because, like you said, 0:22:10.880 --> 0:22:14.000 if you're just the best solution but nobody knows about you, 0:22:14.000 --> 0:22:16.340 like you're going to try it because there's no clients 0:22:16.340 --> 0:22:18.379 coming and there's no revenue coming in the door. But 0:22:18.380 --> 0:22:21.350 if you're the best known in your services or crap, 0:22:21.470 --> 0:22:23.690 especially in this world that we live in right now, 0:22:23.690 --> 0:22:27.590 I mean, you will get reviewed, you know, one star, 0:22:27.619 --> 0:22:29.899 you know, all the way down, word of mouth will 0:22:29.900 --> 0:22:32.270 be terrible. And before you know it, like you've just 0:22:32.270 --> 0:22:36.050 got a terrible reputation. So. So both so like, like 0:22:36.050 --> 0:22:39.530 blinders is not going to work on either strategy, which 0:22:39.530 --> 0:22:41.060 is why I like for me it's like, how do 0:22:41.060 --> 0:22:44.899 you create the number one solution to a real problem 0:22:44.900 --> 0:22:48.080 in this world? So you have this unbelievable opportunity and 0:22:48.080 --> 0:22:50.990 offer to give to the world. And then how do 0:22:50.990 --> 0:22:55.220 you find people like Grant Cardone, like Gary Vaynerchuk, like 0:22:55.220 --> 0:22:59.000 other amazing entrepreneurs and business minds that are out there, 0:22:59.090 --> 0:23:03.680 Learn from them to actually elevate your business in your 0:23:03.680 --> 0:23:07.250 brand into the limelight. So now you have both wheels 0:23:07.250 --> 0:23:10.280 working for you where you have this amazing, number one 0:23:10.280 --> 0:23:13.369 solution to a real problem, and now you're getting clients 0:23:13.369 --> 0:23:16.070 in the door who are loving you because of that. 0:23:16.070 --> 0:23:18.590 And then everything is going to kind of be this 0:23:18.800 --> 0:23:21.500 like all ships rise in a high tide and that's 0:23:21.500 --> 0:23:23.869 going to give you that high tide to allow you 0:23:23.869 --> 0:23:26.239 to succeed in that. So it definitely has to be 0:23:26.240 --> 0:23:28.820 a combination of the both. It's really not an either or. 0:23:28.820 --> 0:23:30.770 But I love the conversation. 0:23:31.369 --> 0:23:34.909 Beautiful. Well, I'm curious to know, you mentioned Puerto Rico, 0:23:34.910 --> 0:23:39.290 and I would like to have you maybe expound upon 0:23:39.290 --> 0:23:43.250 how Puerto Rico was potentially a solution for your own 0:23:43.250 --> 0:23:48.620 life around financial freedom and the sacrifices, the thought process 0:23:48.619 --> 0:23:52.220 that you took with this financial freedom piece, plus literally 0:23:52.220 --> 0:23:54.740 moving your life to a different country. 0:23:55.460 --> 0:23:58.400 So you need to live in a place that actually 0:23:58.400 --> 0:24:06.500 rewards and appreciates and loves business and entrepreneurs. And I 0:24:06.500 --> 0:24:10.340 was living in a place that despised them. It's called California. 0:24:10.340 --> 0:24:12.080 And they said, you know what? We're going to take 0:24:12.080 --> 0:24:16.280 the people that work the hardest, that employ the most 0:24:16.280 --> 0:24:20.990 people that bring the most revenue into the states in 0:24:20.990 --> 0:24:23.510 the most awareness, because we talk about it because, you know, 0:24:23.510 --> 0:24:25.250 we talk about where we're living, of course, and all 0:24:25.250 --> 0:24:27.920 these things, and we're going to tax the crap out 0:24:27.920 --> 0:24:33.440 of them and we're going to make them demotivated to grow, 0:24:33.440 --> 0:24:37.100 to add more revenue streams, to build a bigger team, 0:24:37.100 --> 0:24:41.180 to hire more people, to serve more people. And that 0:24:41.180 --> 0:24:43.429 was happened to me when I was living in San Diego, California. 0:24:43.430 --> 0:24:46.939 Like I was paying out $0.51 for every dollar that 0:24:46.940 --> 0:24:49.190 I was making. So I remember every single time I'd 0:24:49.190 --> 0:24:54.169 have like a $50,000 webinar in my mind, I'd be like, Well, okay. Like, 0:24:54.170 --> 0:24:58.850 after all my expenses, that's like 40,000. And then now 0:24:58.850 --> 0:25:00.590 I've got to cut that in half again because I'm 0:25:00.590 --> 0:25:06.110 paying taxes on that $50,000 webinar was like 18, $19,000. 0:25:06.109 --> 0:25:08.690 And that just gets pretty demotivating after a while because 0:25:08.690 --> 0:25:10.369 you're like, not that that's not a lot of money, 0:25:10.369 --> 0:25:12.230 but you know, we're putting so much time, energy and 0:25:12.230 --> 0:25:14.179 effort and having so much success in this. It's like 0:25:14.180 --> 0:25:16.760 you're taking two steps forward and one and a half 0:25:16.760 --> 0:25:21.850 step back every single day, week and month. And fortunately 0:25:21.850 --> 0:25:26.860 back in 2016, I was made aware of this unbelievable 0:25:26.859 --> 0:25:31.060 opportunity for entrepreneurs which will never again exist in our generation. 0:25:31.060 --> 0:25:35.679 For Americans specifically, which is moving to an American territory 0:25:35.680 --> 0:25:39.400 in the Caribbean called Puerto Rico, and you are paying 0:25:39.400 --> 0:25:45.490 a flat 4% corporate tax rates, no federal tax, no 0:25:45.490 --> 0:25:50.619 state tax. In addition to that, you're paying 0% capital 0:25:50.619 --> 0:25:54.830 gains on any investments. And listen, Grant Cardone looked hard 0:25:54.830 --> 0:25:57.250 and long above Puerto Rico because he knows that there's 0:25:57.250 --> 0:26:00.040 nothing better than that. But there's certain things that you've 0:26:00.040 --> 0:26:02.149 got to you got to live with. And, you know, 0:26:02.200 --> 0:26:05.590 that's one of the things. But the reality is I 0:26:05.590 --> 0:26:08.920 literally was able to move to Puerto Rico and give 0:26:08.920 --> 0:26:13.120 myself a 47% raise with a snap of a fingers. 0:26:13.119 --> 0:26:17.500 I used to work for the government until June 16th 0:26:17.500 --> 0:26:19.900 of every year because that's how long it took me 0:26:19.990 --> 0:26:23.260 to pay my tax bill every single year. Now I 0:26:23.260 --> 0:26:26.800 work for the government until January 17th, and the rest 0:26:26.800 --> 0:26:30.820 of the year the money flows to me, to my business, 0:26:30.820 --> 0:26:35.710 to my team, to my philanthropic causes, to the investments 0:26:35.710 --> 0:26:37.900 that I want to make, to the real estate that 0:26:37.900 --> 0:26:40.390 I want to invest in. And by the way, when 0:26:40.390 --> 0:26:44.140 I sell that real estate, I'm paying 0% capital gains. 0:26:44.140 --> 0:26:47.590 When I get paid for that company that I invested 0:26:47.590 --> 0:26:51.310 in that went public, I'm paying 0% capital gains when 0:26:51.310 --> 0:26:54.760 I sell my business, whenever that may be, I will 0:26:54.760 --> 0:26:59.020 pay 0% tax on the sale of my business, which 0:26:59.020 --> 0:27:01.600 will be an eight figure sale. So think of the 0:27:01.600 --> 0:27:05.350 taxes I'd be paying anywhere in the continental United States. 0:27:05.350 --> 0:27:07.990 So when people say, John, like but you live, you 0:27:07.990 --> 0:27:09.820 live in Puerto Rico, I'm like, hey, it's not for everybody. 0:27:09.820 --> 0:27:13.420 Living on a Caribbean island is not for everybody. And honestly, 0:27:13.420 --> 0:27:15.940 and I'm being genuine, there are pros and cons. It's 0:27:15.940 --> 0:27:19.990 not like Puerto Rico was this first world perfect islands. No, 0:27:19.990 --> 0:27:25.030 there's problems here. There's obstacles, there's challenges. But for me, 0:27:25.030 --> 0:27:28.990 it is an unbelievable Paradise of a life when it 0:27:28.990 --> 0:27:31.419 comes to running my business. And I absolutely love it. 0:27:31.420 --> 0:27:34.450 And so I tell people, listen, do not move to 0:27:34.450 --> 0:27:37.540 Puerto Rico until you are ready to keep the money 0:27:37.540 --> 0:27:40.270 you make. When you're ready to keep the money you make, 0:27:40.270 --> 0:27:43.870 then you move to Puerto Rico. Until then, somebody's got 0:27:43.869 --> 0:27:47.859 to fund the black hole of the government. And so 0:27:47.859 --> 0:27:49.900 please keep doing that. 0:27:51.350 --> 0:27:54.470 I have so many thoughts on this. I am a 0:27:54.470 --> 0:27:58.669 supporter of it. I think that it is really the 0:27:58.670 --> 0:28:02.300 entrepreneur putting back in their pocket what they deserve to 0:28:02.300 --> 0:28:04.520 be earning. And you know, I could go down this 0:28:04.520 --> 0:28:08.960 whole rabbit hole of how the government actually inefficiently uses 0:28:08.960 --> 0:28:12.380 that 51%, especially in the state of California. But we 0:28:12.380 --> 0:28:14.869 will save the audience from from that. 0:28:15.230 --> 0:28:17.000 But I want to just make one point to Natalie. 0:28:17.000 --> 0:28:19.910 Like I, I love the United States of America. I'm 0:28:19.910 --> 0:28:22.129 a patriot. I served as an officer in the US 0:28:22.130 --> 0:28:25.550 Army for eight years. I spent a tour of duty 0:28:25.550 --> 0:28:27.859 in Iraq as a tank platoon leader in charge of 0:28:27.859 --> 0:28:30.080 16 men in four tanks. So, like, I fought for 0:28:30.080 --> 0:28:33.560 this country. I love this country and I feel like 0:28:33.560 --> 0:28:36.200 I've given back to the country. Like I really feel 0:28:36.200 --> 0:28:39.590 great about that. And and I've and I've paid millions 0:28:39.590 --> 0:28:43.280 and millions and millions of dollars in taxes to the 0:28:43.280 --> 0:28:46.880 United States of America. And now I'm keeping the money 0:28:46.880 --> 0:28:49.600 that I make as I as I enter my elder years. 0:28:49.610 --> 0:28:53.760 Well, first of all, thank you for your service. And 0:28:54.330 --> 0:28:58.370 so so the person who can't even think with. Moving 0:28:58.370 --> 0:29:04.130 their life to a different country for financial gain because 0:29:04.340 --> 0:29:07.220 they likely don't even think of financial freedom is something 0:29:07.220 --> 0:29:10.730 that's attainable for them in this lifetime. Like this. This 0:29:10.730 --> 0:29:12.920 concept that you described when we first kicked off the 0:29:12.920 --> 0:29:14.810 podcast Financial Freedom. 0:29:14.900 --> 0:29:17.719 Puerto Rico is America. It's it's an American territory. You 0:29:17.720 --> 0:29:19.580 don't even need a passport to come here. 0:29:19.580 --> 0:29:21.560 Well, I keep saying it's a different country because in 0:29:21.560 --> 0:29:24.320 my mind, it's like it's like a country, but it's 0:29:24.320 --> 0:29:25.850 not a country. It's a territory. 0:29:26.180 --> 0:29:27.590 It feels like a different country. 0:29:27.590 --> 0:29:28.310 Well, I believe. 0:29:28.310 --> 0:29:32.330 That you are not in Kansas anymore. And I can 0:29:32.330 --> 0:29:34.080 say that having lived in Kansas for. 0:29:34.190 --> 0:29:36.710 But you are in the US still. You're not in 0:29:36.710 --> 0:29:38.780 the US. But you you. I get the. 0:29:38.780 --> 0:29:39.620 Point. You're in the US. 0:29:39.620 --> 0:29:42.890 Yes, you are in the US. Technically. Just just a 0:29:42.890 --> 0:29:46.250 different kind of us. So for the person who is 0:29:46.250 --> 0:29:49.160 not thinking there, the person who isn't thinking that financial 0:29:49.160 --> 0:29:53.960 freedom is accessible to them, what would your your remarks 0:29:53.960 --> 0:29:54.620 be to that person? 0:29:54.620 --> 0:29:56.120 I don't think it's that I don't think it's that relevant, 0:29:56.120 --> 0:29:59.180 to be honest, only because nobody's listening to our words 0:29:59.180 --> 0:30:02.510 right now that doesn't think financial freedom is relevant for them. 0:30:02.510 --> 0:30:04.850 I mean, the people that listen to you and to 0:30:04.850 --> 0:30:08.090 Grant and to myself, they're listening because they do believe 0:30:08.090 --> 0:30:10.670 they know it's there. And it's just they're looking to 0:30:10.670 --> 0:30:12.650 us for the path. And that's hopefully part of what 0:30:12.650 --> 0:30:15.470 this conversation is helping them do, is saying it is 0:30:15.470 --> 0:30:18.800 possible I can learn from these individuals, I can apply myself, 0:30:18.800 --> 0:30:20.810 I can put in the reps, I can do the 0:30:20.810 --> 0:30:22.880 hard work, and I can make it happen. And again, 0:30:22.880 --> 0:30:24.800 at the end of the day, if you are able 0:30:24.800 --> 0:30:28.160 and willing to create the number one solution to a 0:30:28.160 --> 0:30:32.270 real problem and then learn from people like Natalie and myself, 0:30:32.270 --> 0:30:36.260 Grant and others how to properly market yourself so that 0:30:36.260 --> 0:30:40.640 you are exposed and seen to the right individuals. It's 0:30:40.640 --> 0:30:44.270 literally just a matter of time. I mean, that's it's 0:30:44.270 --> 0:30:46.100 an inevitable thing. 0:30:46.550 --> 0:30:48.320 When you say that. Why do you think so few 0:30:48.320 --> 0:30:51.980 people actually do it then if it's inevitable following the steps, 0:30:51.980 --> 0:30:54.860 the steps are available. They can find you, they can 0:30:54.860 --> 0:30:58.490 find Grant. They can find all these resources. What what's 0:30:58.490 --> 0:31:01.760 the gap between somebody even listening to this, but then 0:31:01.760 --> 0:31:05.420 not actually taking that next step and doing the work 0:31:05.420 --> 0:31:07.910 and making it happen and being relentless? 0:31:08.850 --> 0:31:11.420 It honestly comes back to something that we talked about earlier. 0:31:11.430 --> 0:31:16.560 It's them hiding behind that rock of cowardice because they're 0:31:16.560 --> 0:31:19.950 so concerned about what their parents are going to think 0:31:19.950 --> 0:31:24.310 if they jump out and do something that's nontraditional. They 0:31:24.330 --> 0:31:26.940 worry about what their high school and college friends are 0:31:26.940 --> 0:31:29.430 going to post on Facebook or send direct messages to 0:31:29.430 --> 0:31:32.100 each other about did you see what John's doing? And 0:31:32.100 --> 0:31:35.670 guess what? I felt those fears. I felt those doubts 0:31:35.670 --> 0:31:38.790 like so hard. Because you got to understand, I went 0:31:38.790 --> 0:31:42.990 from high school like the number one athlete in my 0:31:42.990 --> 0:31:46.980 high school to an Army ROTC scholarship. So right away 0:31:46.980 --> 0:31:49.230 I'm like, I knew I was going to be spending 0:31:49.230 --> 0:31:51.960 time as an officer in the US Army to being 0:31:51.960 --> 0:31:54.870 an officer in the US Army and being a decorated 0:31:54.870 --> 0:31:59.760 war veteran to then going to law school. And then 0:31:59.940 --> 0:32:01.830 it all kind of fell apart because I was in 0:32:01.830 --> 0:32:03.810 law school and I was like, This is the worst. 0:32:03.810 --> 0:32:07.890 I'm 27 years old. I've gone along this straight and narrow, 0:32:07.890 --> 0:32:11.640 traditional path that I thought was the path to follow. 0:32:11.640 --> 0:32:14.910 But I'm so unhappy. I'm so unfulfilled. I see nothing 0:32:14.910 --> 0:32:19.400 but unhappiness and misery in my future. What can I do? 0:32:19.410 --> 0:32:22.470 Which is when I started consuming content like the ten 0:32:22.510 --> 0:32:26.370 X Rule and Gary Vaynerchuk and Tim Ferriss four hour 0:32:26.370 --> 0:32:30.330 workweek and believing there were other opportunities. But I was 0:32:30.330 --> 0:32:33.840 still so scared to let anybody know that I was 0:32:33.840 --> 0:32:37.290 going to drop out of law school, which I finally did, and, 0:32:37.290 --> 0:32:39.900 you know, embarrass my family, which I did. They were 0:32:39.900 --> 0:32:41.850 embarrassed that I dropped out of law school because my 0:32:41.850 --> 0:32:44.130 dad's a lawyer. He had to now go and have 0:32:44.130 --> 0:32:47.970 that lunch with his lawyer friends. Oh, how's John doing? 0:32:47.970 --> 0:32:52.440 And second year contracts. He dropped out. And you just 0:32:52.440 --> 0:32:55.590 know what the look on their faces were at lunch. 0:32:55.590 --> 0:33:00.360 They probably felt terrible, you know, from my father, because 0:33:00.360 --> 0:33:03.209 now they're like, well, that's another, you know, son that 0:33:03.210 --> 0:33:04.830 you're going to have to take care of until he's 0:33:04.830 --> 0:33:08.370 well into his 30s and, you know, beyond and, you know, blah, blah, blah. 0:33:08.370 --> 0:33:10.260 He couldn't hack it for any reason, like, oh, we 0:33:10.260 --> 0:33:13.110 thought John was on this trajectory, you know, to be 0:33:13.110 --> 0:33:16.680 whatever someday. And it was like it was bad. It 0:33:16.680 --> 0:33:19.470 was scary, it was terrifying. But I just said, you know, 0:33:19.470 --> 0:33:23.490 my long term happiness is much more important than my 0:33:23.490 --> 0:33:26.040 short term shame because it was short term shame. Like 0:33:26.040 --> 0:33:30.210 I was ashamed. I literally left Natalie the country for 0:33:30.210 --> 0:33:34.140 four months. I went to India with a backpack and 0:33:34.140 --> 0:33:36.720 just traveled to India because I knew that if I 0:33:36.720 --> 0:33:38.700 didn't want to be in touch with anybody, I could 0:33:38.700 --> 0:33:41.760 use the excuse of like, there is no internet. Of 0:33:41.760 --> 0:33:44.070 course I could have accessed the Internet. I just decided 0:33:44.070 --> 0:33:47.010 not to and I just disappeared for like four months 0:33:47.010 --> 0:33:48.930 and I just backpacked the entire country of India. Now, 0:33:48.930 --> 0:33:51.170 looking back, it was a fantastic four months. I had. 0:33:51.190 --> 0:33:54.060 I had such a wonderful time, but I did it 0:33:54.060 --> 0:33:57.840 to escape because I was ashamed of what other people 0:33:57.840 --> 0:34:01.080 were saying because, you know, I just broken this perfect 0:34:01.080 --> 0:34:03.600 path that I had thought that I had created for myself. 0:34:03.600 --> 0:34:05.310 And then I knew when I came back from India, 0:34:05.310 --> 0:34:07.410 I was going to give my thoughts in hopes and 0:34:07.410 --> 0:34:10.800 aspirations a try. But it was a huge question mark 0:34:10.800 --> 0:34:14.100 if that was going to work. Now, of course, looking back, 0:34:14.640 --> 0:34:16.950 it's like it's easy to say in hindsight, I made 0:34:16.950 --> 0:34:20.640 the right decision because, you know, I built a multi-million 0:34:20.640 --> 0:34:23.969 dollar business, you know, for ten years running and lifestyle, 0:34:23.969 --> 0:34:26.790 freedom and fulfillment. And I'm living in Puerto Rico, you know, 0:34:26.790 --> 0:34:29.160 on the Caribbean. It's an amazing. But you don't know 0:34:29.160 --> 0:34:30.900 that at the time. You don't. You have no idea. 0:34:30.900 --> 0:34:33.930 So I feel for everybody that's listening right now. And 0:34:33.930 --> 0:34:36.120 I feel for those people that you're talking about, about 0:34:36.120 --> 0:34:39.780 how there are so few people make it or really 0:34:39.780 --> 0:34:44.100 even try, because that fear that dealt that shame is 0:34:44.100 --> 0:34:46.529 too much for them. And it was almost too much 0:34:46.530 --> 0:34:48.930 for me. And I'm telling you, if I hadn't been 0:34:48.930 --> 0:34:52.560 in war and like seeing death on such a regular 0:34:52.560 --> 0:34:56.670 basis and realize how short life actually was, I probably 0:34:56.670 --> 0:34:58.350 would not have had the courage to do that. But 0:34:58.350 --> 0:35:00.630 I was able to continue to go back and perspective 0:35:00.630 --> 0:35:03.540 and say, How bad could it really be if I fail? 0:35:03.540 --> 0:35:06.690 If I fail, I'll just try it again. And like 0:35:06.690 --> 0:35:09.390 I saw what the worst of the worst could be. 0:35:09.390 --> 0:35:12.000 But for some people, they don't understand that. And so 0:35:12.000 --> 0:35:12.870 it's tough. 0:35:13.230 --> 0:35:17.640 You are an incredible example of what people need in 0:35:17.640 --> 0:35:21.299 different points because it's not just like you had one 0:35:21.300 --> 0:35:24.240 phase of your life where there was trouble. You've walked 0:35:24.239 --> 0:35:27.420 through multiple and now the way that you have conversations 0:35:27.420 --> 0:35:30.090 that are inspiring with other people, I would love to 0:35:30.090 --> 0:35:34.020 ensure that these listeners get to know where they can 0:35:34.020 --> 0:35:37.169 spend more time with you. So where can you point them? 0:35:37.170 --> 0:35:39.479 I know this isn't your thing, but can you talk 0:35:39.480 --> 0:35:41.400 about that? This isn't your thing while still making it 0:35:41.400 --> 0:35:43.529 the thing, because this has been incredibly valuable. 0:35:44.340 --> 0:35:46.140 I just know when I have a great conversation with 0:35:46.140 --> 0:35:50.310 somebody like yourself that, you know, my my stories, my, 0:35:50.340 --> 0:35:52.980 you know, different value ads are going to come up 0:35:52.980 --> 0:35:55.680 naturally in the conversation which they have today. So that's 0:35:55.680 --> 0:35:57.930 just kind of who I am. I mean, my podcast 0:35:57.930 --> 0:36:01.259 is Entrepreneur Is On Fire. It's a daily podcast with 0:36:01.260 --> 0:36:05.640 over 4000 interviews of the world's most successful entrepreneurs, we've 0:36:05.640 --> 0:36:10.620 been able to amass over 150. Million listens since we launched. 0:36:10.620 --> 0:36:13.500 That's right now over 2 million listens every single month. 0:36:13.500 --> 0:36:15.660 So if you want to join a lot of people 0:36:15.660 --> 0:36:18.420 listening to a lot of cool content, check out Entrepreneurs 0:36:18.420 --> 0:36:23.489 on Fire and my website's fire. We keep things simple 0:36:23.489 --> 0:36:27.270 and free over there and it's just been great chatting 0:36:27.270 --> 0:36:28.980 with you, Natalie, and I love what you guys are 0:36:28.980 --> 0:36:30.810 doing over there. You know, like I said, I've been 0:36:30.810 --> 0:36:33.900 really good friends with Grant and Jeremy for some time 0:36:33.900 --> 0:36:35.130 and it's great to connect with you. 0:36:35.219 --> 0:36:38.100 Thank you for being on Building Billions. I look forward 0:36:38.100 --> 0:36:41.190 to continuing conversation. Guys. You have to listen to his 0:36:41.190 --> 0:36:44.340 podcast and look forward to hearing or talking to you 0:36:44.340 --> 0:36:46.109 on the next Building Billions episode.