Iâve been doing the Noah Kagan Presents podcast ([spotify]( - [itunes]() since 2017. Recently, we crossed 350+ episodes. In that time, Iâve interviewed SO many interesting people â including solopreneurs, billionaires, CEOS, athletes, moms, and celebrities. Here are the BEST 5 lessons from 350 episodes of the podcast: 1/ Donât Be The Best, Be The Only In 1993, [Kevin Kelly]( and his co-founders started Wired Magazine. At the time, they faced zero competition. They were the only magazine talking to tech founders - and it was a strong selling point when they pitched advertisers. Many people are familiar with your Zone of Genius - the intersection between what you love, what youâre good at, and what you get well paid for. [image]( But Kevin told me thereâs actually a fourth level. Which is, âCan anybody else do that?â Because there are more opportunities within your Zone of Genius than you can ever do. But few that only YOU can do. So how do you find what only you can uniquely do? âIt takes an incredible amount of introspection and getting feedback from other people,â Kevin said. Youâre not going to find it by thinking about it. You have to go out in the world and try stuff. Start projects. Experiment. Fail. Reflect. Fail again. And then, and only then, will the fourth level reveal itself. [Listen to the full episode]( 2/ Donât Burn The Boats âI thought I was dying, I was hallucinating, I was screaming at the top of my lungs. My wife didn't know what to do.â In 2018, [Justin Welsh]( was making $500k/year as the VP of Sales at PatientPop. (Impressive!!) But it wasnât all peaches and cream. As the company scaled, Justin became overwhelmed with more teammates, more revenue, and more problems. And soon enough - it all boiled over. The morning after a company Christmas party, he suffered a major panic attack. Thatâs when he realized he needed to take back control over his life. He quit drinking alcohol. He fixed his diet. And he started consulting to eventually quit his job. Now, Justin makes $5M/year as a solopreneur selling information products. [image]( When most people hear Justinâs story, they want to [quit their jobs]( and do the same. But Justin doesnât recommend burning the boats immediately. âFind an hour each day to grow a side project. Replace 60% of your current income while trending in the right direction. Then make your move,â Justin said. âItâs almost always a better decision.â The two paths he recommends: 1. Identify what youâre already getting paid for. Build a portfolio of services that mirror the same outcomes. Go out and find companies who need your services. 2. Pick something youâre obsessed with. Go find someone whoâs done it successfully. Study the living hell out of them. Do it your way. Then help people who want to do the same thing. [Listen to the full episode]( 3/ Everyone Is Winging It Paul Orfalea is the legendary founder of Kinkoâs. If you havenât heard of Kinkoâs, it was a leading retail chain for copying machines in the late 90s. Paul ran the company for 30 years, and it was later acquired by FedEx for $2.4 billion dollars in 2004! [image]( A piece of advice that Paulâs mother gave to him has stuck with me. âIn your 20s, try everything. In your 30s, figure out what you do best. In your 40s, make money from what you do best, and try not to do too much in your 50s.â ([Click to Tweet]() Too many people beat themselves up because they donât have everything 100% figured out. But it takes YEARS - even decades - to figure out what you do best. Since interviewing and working with [25+ billionaires]( like Paul, Iâve realized that they arenât any more special than anyone else. They still face the same doubts, insecurities, and problems everyone else does. Everyone is winging it. [Listen to the full episode]( 4/ You Canât Change Yesterdayâs Newspaper John Paul DeJoria is the founder of Paul Mitchell Systems (hair care) and Patron (tequila) - both billion-dollar companies!! But at one point, he had no money and was living out of his car. He was homeless (twice)! He couldâve dwelled on his misfortune. But instead, he repeated this reminder to himself. âYou can't change yesterday's newspaper.â ([Click to Tweet]() When youâre down and out, donât think about why youâre down and out and how bad things are. Focus on the next thing to do. [image]( âWhat slows most people down is theyâre stuck in the past,â John said. âForgive everyone who has done you wrong. You canât change it.â Thereâs always someone you can blame for your problems⦠but does that solve your problems? [Listen to the full episode]( 5/ âBoringâ Builds Wealth Larry Janesky came from humble beginnings. No one in his family went to college, and he didnât have the money. So he started his own carpentry business straight out of high school. Today, that business is a multibillion-dollar home improvement empire with over 1600+ employees. When most people think of billionaires, they think of sexy businesses like tech or AI. But blue-collar businesses are a great way to build a durable business. [image]( âTech isn't the only way to make money,â Larry said. âThe cool thing about working with your hands is that you can never be replaced by AI. Amazon's not going to take over. Nobody can go into a home and fix their basement from India.â I love how heâs winning BIG in areas where fewer people are paying attention too⦠[Listen to the full episode]( Rooting for you, Noah ð® Ps. Not already a listener? What are you waiting for⦠Subscribe on [spotify]( or [itunes]( :) Sumo Group Inc. 1305 East 6th Street Suite #3 Austin, TX 78702 USA
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