Hello again, Squad.

The Really Rich Journal

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The Weekly Tone

Some of you, dear readers, may have noticed that I've scrappily tested (or validated, if you prefer) a podcast (sub now on YouTube, by the way) before your very eyes. And I commend you for noticing because, like all good tests, I didn't tell you it was a test beforehand. That would have blown the data. And if you didn't notice my sly tricks, never fear, allow me to explain how stuff like this actually gets started.

You sell it, then you build it.

I discussed this concept in-depth in a previous Journal and building the podcast was no different. Why would I invest hours of my life, shake the tree of my professional network, and drag a well-intentioned young intern-turned-producer (shoutout to Andrew) into this mess until I knew you wanted to listen to it?

Well, when you put it like that, Crown...

Anyone can run the same experiment. Here's what I did:

• I collected questions and comments from the DMs (a proxy for what the market wants to hear)

• Handed them to Andrew to chop into sections and build an interview (he'd never done an interview before in his entire life)

• Rented time in a podcast studio

• Put on a clean, white shirt (I can't tell you how much difference that makes)

• Answered the questions with minimal preparation

• Chopped 'em up and posted them as mini-clips on TikTok etc.

• Collected data

The total cost of my experiment? $120. No, I didn't forget a zero.

I counted millions of impressions across all platforms. Then, and this is a big then, I decided to proceed with booking guests, founders, fashionistas, brands to monetize, etc. Why? Because my risk just went to the floor. Simply, I know that if I keep investing in a podcast more than a few will be interested. Oh, and I personally enjoy it too.

Pretty cool, huh?

Okay, great. So let me give you a sneak peek into what I'm discovering is a common thread between a diverse group of business owners.

What they built (which now affords them to drive supercars, hang with top athletes, and live an extremely high-quality life) started ugly, and scrappy, and was the result of iteration.

No, there wasn't some Harvard MBA case study onramp from ideation to go-to-market to blah blah blah. It was more like a friend saying "Hey, I'd pay money for that!" Boom! That's your first paycheck.

And then somehow, someway that happened another 100x and zing you're a millionaire debating between rose and yellow gold watch cases.

But, the iteration never stops (as you'll learn from the new podcast dropping next week), the course-correcting never ceases, and there's no "arrival"!

This is real business folks! Not some dumbass Instagram version.

It's a wild crawl to the top of the nearest hill, where you can see the next hill in the distance. And it's more fun this way.

So why am I waxing poetic about this common thread and the power of selling before building?

Because this is your opportunity to listen in and apply it (and I'm going to keep pulling in the widest diversity of business owners from fashion to big data). Soon, you'll realize that the thing you want to do or finally achieve is a scrappy test, twist, or turn away. You don't have to take my word for it, but you'll start taking my guest's word for it after awhile.

As my last guest, Don Lee, described iteration in his own words, "You don't need to get off the exit on the highway, you just may need to change lanes to find success."

I couldn't have put it better myself.

This week, I'm taking meetings in New York.

Your Top Questions

Last week, I handed the mic over to you, the reader, to see what you wanted to hear, see, and read about in 2023. Rest assured, I'm going to do my very best to get every last detail answered in a newsletter, podcast, or short-form video across my channels.

Y'all drive the bus around here.

Here are some high notes:

• Learn tax breaks that everyone can take advantage of

• How to develop high level relationships

• Time management tips, specifically how to allow yourself enough time for your mental health

• Building better SOPs

• How you keep self-destructive behaviors (diet, relationships, overwork) to a minimum

• Building high-performing teams that also love working with you

Additionally, my Instagram stories will conveniently be a place to vote, request content, or comment in 2023.

🤝 How I can help you:

1. The Entrepreneur’s Field Guide (Book) - learn the rules for entrepreneurship and how to blaze your own path.

2. The Guided Journey (Course) - I’ll be your personal guide on your path to success in my comprehensive digital lecture course

3. The Really Rich Podcast (Free) - a weekly deep dive into business, finance, and wealth mindset.

R/RR

Rich: "Plays" business (dresses up, takes selfies at fancy restaurants, goes to the "right" parties, carries an expensive briefcase, takes little risk, accomplishes little)

Really Rich: "Does" business (rolls sleeves up, cold calls, gets rejected, humiliates himself publicly until he learns, ultimately wins, buys whatever he wants)