My First Million: Best of This Week: March 18th

All right.

Quick break to tell you about another podcast that we're interested in right now, HubSpot

just launched a Shark Tank rewatch podcast called Another Bite.

Every week, the hosts relive the latest and greatest pitches from Shark Tank, from Squatty

Potty to the Mench on a Bench to Ring Doorbell, and they break down why these pitches were

winners or losers, and each company's go-to-market strategy, branding, pricing, valuation, everything.

Basically all the things you want to know about how to survive the tank and scale your

company on your own.

If you want to give it a listen, you can find Another Bite on whatever podcast app you listen

to, like Apple or Spotify or whatever you're using right now.

All right.

Back to the show.

Hello, and welcome to My First Million, best of the week edition.

This is Ben Wilson.

Best of the week brings you some of the best clips from this week's episodes.

No new content, just highlighting some of the great moments we've had over the past

few days.

We have some great clips for you today to start off with what we've got Sam and Sean

recapping the Mr. Beast interview on Joe Rogan and talking about the power of betting on

yourself.

You saw Mr. Beast went on Joe Rogan, I don't know if you caught the episode at all.

I didn't.

I just, a couple of the clips where they said like, what do you do with your money?

And he's like, not much.

He goes, I used to have a roommate up until recently and we split our place for $700, but

I got a fancier place because someone broke into my house.

So I needed like some security, but it's still like pretty normal of a house.

Yeah, I didn't see that.

So I've only seen one clip and it was basically the clip of like, how did you make it on YouTube?

It's a great clip.

All right.

Like it's.

What's he say?

So he goes.

So he's 23 now.

And he goes, I started doing this when I was 11.

And Joe's like, what?

11?

He's like, yeah.

He's like, I came home and I, he's like, I started doing this when I was 11.

And he's like, I sucked obviously at the beginning.

He's like, so he's like, he's like, look at me now.

I don't look cool now.

Like imagine me at like 12.

Like I was like, you know, pimply, you know, pimply face, scrawny, awkward, mumbly kind

of guy.

And like, here I am trying to like make videos.

And he's like back then also YouTube really, there wasn't a thing like YouTubers wasn't

like a thing 12, 13 years ago, you know, so it's like, he's like, yeah, I just was doing

it because I liked it.

He goes, I hated school.

He's like, I never.

He's like, in high school, I just never even brought a book home.

Like he's like, I remember doing zero studying.

My parents got so mad at me.

He's like, and then like when I turned 18, he's like, he's like, basically it went in

three phases.

He goes from 11 to 13, I was trying to make videos, but I was like super embarrassed because

they were so bad.

And Joe's like, do they still exist?

He goes, no, I deleted my channel when I turned 13 because like I got like, I don't know,

like bullied in school a little bit.

I felt embarrassed.

So I deleted all those videos, but I like started fresh again at 13 and like whatever

kept going.

He's like, so then from 13 to like 17 or 18, I was just trying to make like videos all

the time because my first video randomly got like 20,000 views.

He's like, that was the best thing that ever happened to me.

I got like this instant hit and I was hooked.

And then like, it didn't happen again for a while, but like that first one, which was

about like, he like hacked some video game, like here's a beat this level in a video game

or whatever.

He's like some obscure game and it just like people wanted to know how to do that hack.

So that's how I got popular right away.

Um, or he's like, that's how that video got popular.

And then I got, I wanted to chase that, that, that feeling again.

So he's like, I wasn't making any money.

He's like, finally I got to the point where I was making a dollar a day and he's like,

yes.

And he's like, so I saved up for like a few months and I bought a microphone and I was

like, yeah, like now I sound good.

Like here we go.

And he's like, I just kept doing that.

I kept like making a couple bucks, saving it and then like buy a camera or buy like,

you know, like a better computer so I could like edit the videos or screen record or whatever.

And so he just kept doing that for like six years.

He's like, my whole goal was that by the time I graduate from high school, can I like just

make enough money doing this?

Cause I don't want to do anything else is his number.

So it did not happen.

He's like, by the time I, he's like, by the time I graduated high school, I was making

like 400 bucks a month or something like that.

And he's like, you know, it's the 300, 400 bucks.

He's like, so my mom gave me this all tomato and she's like, you know, you're moving out

or you're like going to community college, like you're not going to do this video thing.

And so he's like, uh, fuck, okay, he's like, I didn't want to go to community college.

He's like, it's like the worst thing in the world just sitting there listening to this

lecture.

Like it's not what I wanted to do.

He's like, so I started skipping.

He's like, every day I would just go to my car and instead of going to community college,

I would just edit videos in my car.

He's like, I do that all day and I come home and my mom thought I went to school.

He's like, and he's like, that created a clock because now she was going to find out by the

end of this semester.

I had zeros as my grades.

Like she was going to know that I did not go to community college.

So I had to like, I bought myself like one semester more of time.

He's like, and in that time I pulled it off.

Like I got to the point where I could like self sustain.

I just moved out and then I could like do this like full time moving on my own.

He's like, and so that's kind of like the progression of how I did it.

And I was like, how awesome is that exactly like a bet on yourself story where burn the

bridge behind you.

Right.

So, you know, we say burn the bridges.

I don't know why we say that.

It's burn the boats.

Like if you want to take the island, you got to burn the boats.

And so he burned the boats when he, when he did that and, and knew what he wanted to do.

Right.

Cause like school is great, but school is not for everybody.

If you, if you kind of know what you want to do, you're much better off, I think competing

in the free market on that thing than like competing for your teachers like love and

affection, you know, with writing the essay, they want a grade as an A plus, right?

Like writing the thing they want you to write about in the format they want you to write.

In a way that will get them to give you the grade, right?

Like that's like, that's like not a real market.

Whereas you make videos on YouTube, you're competing in like a real market or you want

to be an athlete.

Yeah.

It's just that most people think that they're like going to do something for life and they

aren't willing to, or they don't actually want to.

I think, I think the, the rarity here is not, is someone 18 and capable.

It's, do they actually love what they're saying they love enough that they're willing to dedicate

10 or 20 years to it.

Right.

Yeah.

Like do you know what I mean?

I love.

Yeah.

Most people do not.

I remember my sister when she was going to college, my dad was like, all right, well,

like what do you want to major in?

She's like, I don't know.

He's like, well, what's your favorite subject?

Like what do you love to study?

She's like lunch, like, you know, I just, I'm not, I don't have anything against any

of them, but like, do any of them make me happy?

Not really.

So now what?

And like, I think that's how most people's careers go.

It's like, all right, well, I don't hate it, but I don't love it.

But now what?

What am I supposed to pay?

Yeah.

Yeah.

The only thing that I don't want to pay is that he actually, that he liked something

enough.

But anyway, that's a good story.

I'll have to go and watch this podcast.

All right.

Next up, we've got a segment from the Kanye West episode where Sam and Sean are recapping

the new Kanye documentary on Netflix.

And by the way, if you haven't listened to that episode, you need to go back and listen

to it if for no other reason than to hear Sean's incredible impression of Don DeWest,

Kanye's mom.

It's just spot on.

It's incredible.

But on this clip, they're actually talking about knowing who you are and what you want

to do and how that enables you to achieve more, which, which, by the way, a lot of people

forget.

Do you realize how much he produced before he actually got famous as an artist?

It's pretty crazy.

Like the big one was H of the Iso.

And there was like, there's like dozens more.

I can't think of anything off the top of my head, but there was a dozen more where you

like, wait, you did that?

And he did it before he had his own thing.

Yeah, exactly.

Exactly.

And he was great at it.

And then he's like, he talks about it.

He's like, yeah, people want my beats.

Oh, I want.

Can I get one?

Can I get a beat?

Give me a beat.

He's like, and then they, then they hear my song, they're like, yo, I didn't heard this.

Where'd you get this?

He goes, that's my shit.

I use that for me.

And he's like, he's like trying to like, on one hand, he needs to sell beats to pay

for life.

But every time he does, it's a step away from where he wants to be in a way, like to be

a rapper.

And so he's in this hallway and this guy's trying to hype him up because he's like, oh,

you got the documentary crew.

So he puts his arm around him.

It's like the, the, the managing director at Rockefeller Records and he's like, you know,

this right here, Kanye West.

He's the best rapper producer in the game, best rapper, producer in the game, period.

And then he's like, kind of like upset.

And he's like, what?

And he goes, well, you guys say that, man, it's like saying, I'm the best kid rapper

in the game.

He's like, what?

I said, you're the best rapper, producer in the game.

He goes, I'm just a rapper.

If I'm the 50th best rapper, just say he's the 50th best rapper.

Don't call me the best rapper, producer in the game.

That's whack.

All them a whack.

I'm not that.

I'm a rapper.

And like, think about what's going on that moment, right?

He's like fighting to get a record deal where most people are in desperation mode.

Like, they'll take what they can get and instead he's got this identity and the whole world

is trying to pull them to just be a producer because that's what's in it for them.

Like that's proven and that helps, you know, helps them make hits and you know, why aren't

you just happy?

Pat you on your head and say you're a great producer and he had this identity in his head

so strong that I think 99 people out of a hundred in his position would just become

a producer because the whole world is pulling him in that direction.

It was a faster and easier path to success and the money was there and the success was

there and he didn't have to grind as hard as he did to try to prove himself as a rapper.

But he had it in his head.

No, I'm a rapper and if I'm the 50th best rapper, I'd rather be the 50th best rapper

than the best rapper, producer.

And I just it was such an example to me of like people will stay consistent with their

identity.

And so you kind of got to ask yourself, like, what is my identity?

If I said, Sam, what's your job, Sam?

What do you do?

Right now, my job is I know if I just say what like who are you?

What do you do for work?

What do you do for a living?

I'm a business person.

OK, you're a business person.

So if all of a sudden it doesn't matter what HubSpot offers you, right?

Like, OK, you're vesting out your deal.

That's great.

But let's say any company comes to you and say, Sam, we'd like to make you the vice

president of marketing operations at biggest company in the world and you're going to get

this and that you're not going to do it because it's not consistent with your identity.

You're like, I'm a business person.

I'm an entrepreneur.

Yeah.

So entrepreneur, I can't be an employee if I'm an entrepreneur.

There's just not they're two separate things.

And like in the same way, you know, if you're not going to do heroin because you're not

you're somebody who doesn't do heroin, you don't even have to weigh the pros and cons

of it.

It's just really not a discussion for you.

It's not part of who you are.

It's not like I'm trying not to do it.

It's no, I just I don't do that.

I do do this and I don't do that.

And so those lines you draw for yourself are so important on identity.

And I would argue.

So there's this book called 48 Laws of Power.

Have you read it?

No, but I've heard of it.

All right.

It's awesome.

So he's got this one chapter where he says you always have to reinvent yourself and

he gives a bunch of examples about that.

And the reason why you want to reinvent yourself is the person who you can't peg down typically

can become the most powerful because there's something about changing yourself that it

does a couple of things.

First, this whole act as if thing, it's real.

So if you act like you're going to be an expert artist or something and you work hard, you

can eventually become that.

But you kind of got to act as if second, it kind of reinforces habits.

So you say, no, I'm a healthy person.

Therefore I don't do unhealthy things.

And third, it gives you this aura of mystery and people who have mystery surrounding them

typically are powerful.

And there's a ton of good examples about this, like a really interesting and easy one because

she does it so clearly is Lady Gaga.

So like oftentimes she'll reinvent herself.

So at first she was this like kind of just normal like white lady playing on the piano.

If you see her, like when she's a little bit younger, then she becomes like this weirdo

person where she like puts meat on her body.

Then she transforms and becomes, she starts playing jazz with Tony Bennett.

You're like, what the heck Lady Gaga is doing that?

What the hell is that?

Now she's like just got done doing some acting and she was a great actor.

So like constantly reinventing themselves.

I think Arnold Schwarzenegger has done a really good job at that.

We just can't.

Yeah, you just you've got to reinvent yourself consistently.

And Kanye has done that where he's actually changed himself.

And I think inventing reinventing yourself.

You actually need to make the decision.

You got to be like, I am this.

Now I am this.

Exactly.

You're going to choose that identity.

And after a while, then you could be like, all right, great.

That season was this season had a beginning in the middle and now it's come to the end.

What's the next season of me?

And you can actually pick and choose what those inventions are.

And when I read that when I was a little bit younger, that kind of changed my perspective

on things.

Last up, we've got a clip from the Andrew Wilkinson episode.

That's another legendary episode.

I know I sound like a broken record, but another one you should go back and listen to.

And on this one, Andrew, Sam and Sean are talking about why some people are able to

have just success after success hit after hit and what enables that and what it takes

to get to that place.

Andrew, I feel like you've reached this point and I used to be like, how did these motherfuckers

do this?

Where I remember I was doing a startup and it was so hard to get my one thing to work.

And then I would meet people who were like, oh, yeah, so I have that past success.

Then I have my current success.

And then here's my three side successes that I had this idea that we just started doing

it.

And then guess what?

The lines out the door and then this other one, it's like kind of cool.

We just started it, you know, like I accidentally, you know, my hand just fell on my keyboard

and I accidentally wrote this app.

It was amazing.

It went viral.

And then there's another thing that I just tweeted about and then this all coming together

nicely.

And I just remember being like, what do they know something I don't know?

Is there just like extreme luck component?

And I felt that way for many years, five, six years straight when I was pushing the bulldozer

up the hill with my startup.

And then I now have experienced exactly what the thing that I was most jealous of and I

have no idea what switched in between where like the last five things I've tried have

all worked and all worked pretty much immediately.

And it doesn't matter how big or small, like, you know, whether it's like the podcast or

the course or, you know, my e-commerce business or my the new Milk Road newsletter business,

like each of these has just worked straight away in a bigger way than anything I've ever

done before with less work and less stress than like the old stuff I used to do.

And I have no idea what changed or I have a kind of an inkling, but I don't really know.

Sam, if you're thought about this, or you know what I'm talking about and what do you

think?

I know exactly what you're talking about.

And I completely agree.

You're on a roll right now.

And what's your inkling?

I have a feeling of my my my answer is it's kind of like a shitty.

It's like a mindset, like abundance attitude and being on being on offense versus defense.

But what's your what's your what's your inkling?

So my inkling is that I switched up my situation. So like I was in one situation for a very

long time.

Like it was a nice situation. It was a very nice situation. But it was like, I was going

to this office every day, working with these people in this hierarchy, with this boundary

box of like, what projects or projects we can work on and like what success might look

like.

And as soon as I got out of that and I was just me, I was like, oh, OK, so now that it's

just me that I have to look out for, I guess I could just do a podcast.

I didn't have to have like this big venture billion dollar outcome.

I didn't have 20 engineers to go tell what to do.

I had no engineers.

So I just did what I could do with no engineers, which was like, I'll do a podcast.

I'll do a course. I'll do.

I'll just try to get big on Twitter.

Let's see what happens. And oh, you know, like five tweets go viral and boom, got 200,000

followers.

It's like, there's these things that I just wasn't doing before because I think before

I had a really set thing of like, here's what I need to do.

Like here's the only way to win.

And I had like almost too much ammo.

I had like too many people at my disposal, too much funding, too much everything.

And because of that, I had a very narrow window of what could work.

And so I was just trying to come up with ideas that might work versus, oh, let me just try

this because I'm I just kind of want to try it.

And then when once I got into, I just kind of want to try it and I didn't have it.

I didn't have to worry about what other people thought or I didn't have to come in and manage

anybody in that day and tell them what to do.

I didn't have like investors to go pitch to.

I just did the thing.

And then all of a sudden, I feel like, you know, sort of like all the talents that in

skills that I had been building up over the past 10 years, like finally got to just do

them.

Yeah.

Don't you think it's like dating or something though, where it's like, you know, you date

a couple of crazy girls and it's really exhilarating.

And then over time, you're like, wow, that was horrible.

And there's pattern matching.

You're like, OK, when I go to a restaurant and a girl's rude to the waiter, that's a

no.

Right.

And in the same way with business, you go, oh, OK, like I used to think I wanted to build

all these kinds of businesses, but those were 10 foot hurdles.

I don't want to jump 10 foot hurdles.

I want to jump one foot hurdles.

And so if you think about it, all the stuff you're doing, they're in your, you know, circle

of competence and they're relatively simple to execute.

They don't require a lot of people.

They don't require funding.

I think learning that is like a 15 year overnight success kind of thing where it just clicks

suddenly.

Right.

And I think I myself occasionally getting pulled down rabbit trails of like, oh, what

if I did this crazy, you know, drone AI startup, whatever.

But then I always go back to base hits and there's this third component of confidence.

And so I think that because of like my work, I've been more confident and I understand

like, well, if I invest a dollar here, I think I can make at least $3 the next two years.

So like just understanding how machines like money making machines work investments.

But then also I think Sean, because we get to hang out with, we hang out with each other,

we hang out with Andrew, we hang out with our circle of friends, we hang out with all

the people we've had speak at our events.

We hang out with our podcast guests.

It becomes more normal.

Like succeeding has become far more normal than not succeeding actually.

And not succeeding is just like, oh yeah, it's going to happen.

But then you just move on into the next thing and it's like, and then inevitably it works.

So it's not if it's or it's not when it's if.

And I think that confidence has actually helped a ton where.

So for example, now, if someone wants to like real estate is an easy one because it's so

predictable.

But with real estate, you're like, oh man, putting $100,000 down on this house is a lot

of money.

That's a, you know, that's six figures.

It's like, well, dude, but it's going to make 12% it's like, well, I don't know that.

And I'm like, yeah, I know, but it's going to do that.

So you actually want to invest more.

So like that confidence of just knowing the motions and knowing the routine and process

has actually helped a lot.

All right.

That's it for this week.

Thanks very much for tuning in and have a great weekend.

Bye.

Machine-generated transcript that may contain inaccuracies.