Why Dan Fleyshman Never Stops Working... | DSH #1953

Summary

Digital Social Hour – Episode #1953 | May 7, 2026
Guest: Dan Fleyshman
Host: Sean Kelly

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Episode Overview

In this engaging return visit, entrepreneur and investor Dan Fleyshman joins host Sean Kelly for an unfiltered, wide-ranging conversation. Covering everything from the future of Bitcoin and entrepreneurship to epic poker stories, world records, and the gritty realities of business, Dan shares insights honed over decades—and reveals the drive behind his relentless work ethic. The episode is packed with practical lessons, memorable anecdotes, and actionable advice for anyone inspired to push boundaries.

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Key Topics & Insights

1. The Unstoppable Rise of Bitcoin and Crypto

Timestamps: 00:00–03:14, 06:36–09:43, 10:11–11:47

• Dan’s Unwavering Bitcoin Faith:
  • “I don't ever guess about the ups and downs of Bitcoin. I just know for a fact, without a shadow of a doubt, it will be worth millions and millions of dollars per Bitcoin in the future. There’s no question, there’s no wondering, there’s no guessing. There’s no emotion. It’s a fact.” — Dan Fleyshman (00:00, 08:46)
• Banking vs. Crypto Transfers:
  • Dan critiques traditional banking’s slow wire transfers as a “float” (profiting from holding your money), contrasting it with crypto’s efficiency.
  • “If I try to wire transfer to you at 2:08pm, you get it tomorrow. If I send to Friday at 2:08pm, you get it on Monday. Why silly? It’s because they are making the money on the float for the night. Why would they want it to be faster?” — Dan (00:15, 11:11)
• Bitcoin’s Scarcity Explained:
  • He notes that out of 21 million Bitcoin, millions are lost forever, reducing actual supply far below the headline number and tightening future scarcity—especially with many coins locked in forgotten wallets or held by never-sell “maximalists.”
• Ethereum and Altcoins:
  • Dan respects Ethereum’s functionality but is less bullish about its price due to much larger and inflating supply.
  • “Ethereum’s a better function and use of a cryptocurrency ... It powers our NFTs, it powers corporations…. However, Bitcoin is the granddaddy of them all.” — Dan (08:58)
  • Skeptical of coins like XRP for bank transfers: “I don’t see Wells Fargo or Bank in the middle of nowhere … ever wanting to use it for wire transfers. Why? Because … they want to hold your money as long as possible and make the float.” — Dan (09:43)

2. Death, Urgency, and Living at Full Speed

Timestamps: 01:28–02:53

• Dan’s Life Philosophy:
  • Driven by personal losses — “I’ve had 39 friends under the age of 50 pass away.” (02:26) — Dan lives like time is short and always packs his days.
  • “I just think how short life is. And I’m going to die soon. … Even 60 years is soon. So I want to do as much as I can.” — Dan (02:00)
  • Compulsion to maximize impact and experience: 250+ travel days per year, 42 events annually.

3. Legendary Moves: Early Crypto Investments & the Anecdotes Behind Them

Timestamps: 02:58–06:36

• Viral Ethereum Pitch:
  • Wrote the first viral news piece on Ethereum in 2017 when it was $19 and invested heavily.
• Noteworthy Story:
  • Poker night after a friend’s wedding led to Dan sending 333 ETH ($14K then, over $1 million now) to pay someone’s gambling debts—a “Bitcoin pizza” moment. (05:18)
  • “If you think about it, the 333 Ethereum I sent him is now worth over a million dollars.” — Dan (05:46)

4. Poker, Betting, and the Mind Games of High-Stakes Gambling

Timestamps: 12:14–16:59

• Dan’s World in Poker:
  • Competes in high-roller and quick-structure events due to busy work life; shares stories about famous pros like Michael Mizrachi and epic side bets.
  • Legendary bets described:
    • “Quail a day” bet—eating quail for 30 days, a Doyle Brunson invention, proves nearly impossible.
    • Wagers on free throws, unconventional challenges, and even wild million-dollar body modification dares.
• Lessons from Gambling:
  • “The side bets are … what’s really entertaining because, you know, you poker players love those side bets.” — Dan (14:32)

5. Breaking Records & Philanthropy

Timestamps: 18:19–20:11

• Guinness World Records:
  • 12 years running the world’s largest toy drive, aligning marketing, celebrity participation, and charity—recently added a second world record:
    • “We just got our second one. … We threw the 12th year of the world’s largest toy drive. … 240,000 toys, 119,000 of them in one session.” — Dan (18:27)
• Operational Insights:
  • Logistical intensity: For counting, every toy had to be touched and called out on video.

6. Entrepreneurial Drive, the Game, and the Downside Few See

Timestamps: 21:22–23:11

• Addiction to the Hustle:
  • For Dan (and Sean): it’s about the game, not the money.
  • “If I gave you $50 million to not ever work again, could you do it?” — Dan (21:30)
  • Both agree: they’d be miserable not working, despite popular misconceptions about money and happiness.
• Candid Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs:
  • “Most people should not be entrepreneurs.”
  • “It’s easier than ever to start a company ... but most people should be employee number three or number seven. It’s a way better life. … Employee number one is last to get paid.” — Dan (22:44)

7. The Butterfly Effect: Clothing, Million-Dollar Connections, and Taking Risks

Timestamps: 23:12–32:22

• Origin Story:
  • Started selling peanuts, cotton candy as a teen; saved $43K and launched his first company as a high schooler.
  • Huge risk at the MAGIC convention—being underage, getting creative with business cards to sneak in, and accidentally landing a booth between Sean John and FUBU. Struck $1 million in orders.
• Networking Payoff:
  • Unplanned conversations led to mentorship, major licensing deals, and partnerships that defined his career.
  • “The butterfly effect all stemmed from taking that booth for $3,500 … showing up with a freaking couch to make a booth, making friends with Carlos, going to meet him … millions of dollars [in] partnership deals and all these things … because of that moment.” — Dan (30:55)
• Lesson:
  • Go to events, say yes, take the (reasonable) big swing: “That moment changed my life.” — Dan (31:06)

8. Ego, Comparison, and Mindset for Lasting Success

Timestamps: 33:03–35:19

• Humility Over Hype:
  • Despite early public company success, Dan avoids ego-driven decisions, car/watches obsession, and envy.
  • “I get ecstatic. Even my competitors … it inspires me too.”
  • “It’s a frame of mind. Them going, getting cool watches, cool cars is inspiring me. Them going and selling their company for a bazillion dollars is inspiring to me. … When my competitors crush it, it inspires me too.” — Dan (34:21)
• Peer Success as Motivation:
  • Excited when big podcast deals (Call Her Daddy, Diary of a CEO) succeed: “That’s good for everyone.” (34:43)

9. Celebrity Culture & Real Human Connections

Timestamps: 35:30–37:56

• Celebs Are (Mostly) People:
  • After hosting legends at his events and Masterminds, concludes: most celebrities are “so normal.”
  • “You have to have a bit of a screw loose to become a household name ... but … otherwise, these are just people.” — Dan (36:14)
• Celebrities Fuel the Economy:
  • “If that goes away, that literally changes the whole world … because it’s Kevin Hart’s brand ... JLO performing at Caesar’s palace ... if that goes away, we’re cooked.” — Dan (37:30)

10. Events as Catalysts: Best Practices & Lessons Learned

Timestamps: 41:41–47:00

• Throwing Unforgettable Events:
  • Focus on efficient check-in, cleanliness, plentiful/quality food, and flawless AV.
  • “Get ’em in fast, keep it clean, feed them, and get them out.” — Dan (43:10)
• Celebrity Parties, Festivals, and Masterminds:
  • Blending influence, exclusivity, and shareability drives both impact and personal branding.
• Top Events Dan Recommends:
  • Grant Cardone’s 10X, Russell Brunson’s Funnel Hacking Live, Traffic & Conversion Summit, Summit Series/Summit at Sea, Tony Robbins’ Zenith Mastermind ($250K membership).

11. California Business: The Frustrations

Timestamps: 47:16–49:14

• The Zoo & Regulatory Nightmares:
  • Built an animal sanctuary (“zoo”) with the Real Tarzan, only to have California regulations block public openings and even weddings at the location—despite massive investment.
  • “California … the rules make it so hard for millionaires. And so hard for business owners to succeed.” — Dan (49:02)
• Broader Impact:
  • “There’s so many places shut down in LA. It’s wild. Household name restaurants. Business has been around for 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 years are gone now. They just can’t [survive].” — Dan (48:51)

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On urgency of life:
  • "I just think how short life is. And I'm going to die soon. … Even 60 years is soon." (02:00)
• On Bitcoin's inevitability:
  • "It will be worth millions and millions of dollars per Bitcoin…It's a fact." (00:00, 08:46)
• On being addicted to working:
  • “If I gave you $50 million to not ever work again, could you do it?”
    “No…I'd feel a lack of purpose.” — Sean & Dan (21:30–21:55)
• On entrepreneurship:
  • “Most people should not be entrepreneurs. … I'm just showcasing them how to do it, if they are in it. If you're sick enough to be an entrepreneur, then I want to explain it all.” (22:44)
• On events:
  • “Get ’em in fast, keep it clean, feed them and get them out.” (43:10)
• On the power of networking:
  • "That moment changed my life." (31:06)
• On celebrity:
  • “Celebrities fuel the economy … If that goes away, we’re cooked.” (37:30)

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Structuring the Summary

Episode Breakdown (Chronological):

• 00:00–03:14: Dan’s unwavering Bitcoin thesis; traditional banking’s inefficiency; podcast rankings banter.
• 03:15–06:35: Ethereum origin story; epic cryptocurrency poker pay-outs; the lost fortunes and “Bitcoin pizza” anecdotes.
• 06:36–09:43: Deep dive on Bitcoin supply, demand, and the psychology of maximalists; supply squeeze.
• 09:44–12:13: Wires, the banking system vs. crypto; why banks invent friction.
• 12:14–16:59: Poker, high rollers, and wild side bets—“quail a day,” basketball hustles, legendary prop bets.
• 18:19–20:11: Guinness World Records; orchestrating the world’s biggest toy drive.
• 21:22–23:11: Addiction to the hustle; why money isn’t enough for entrepreneurs.
• 23:12–32:22: Founding stories; the ripple effect of early risks and networking; million-dollar licensing deals; the “Who’s Your Daddy” journey.
• 33:03–35:19: Wealth, ego, and the mindset behind cheering for rivals’ success instead of resenting it.
• 35:30–37:56: Celebrity revelations, why fame does matter, and how most stars are just people (with a twist).
• 41:41–47:00: Event mastery—catering to the crowd, maximizing wow factor, key mistakes and secret sauce; favorite major events.
• 47:16–49:14: Regulatory headaches in California; building a "zoo" and clashing with bureaucracy.

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Final Takeaways

Dan Fleyshman’s life is a testament to the power of relentless work, adaptability, calculated risk-taking, and genuine optimism for other people's wins. He demystifies the glitz of celebrity, celebrates the learning packed in every curveball, and champions the “game” of business for those addicted to the ride rather than the destination. For aspiring entrepreneurs or event planners, Dan’s blend of practical wisdom, war stories, and refusal to coast should spark both caution and motivation.

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Where to Find Dan:
“Just @danfleyshman across every single platform… when you guys are making your own social media handles, make sure it’s the same name, same spelling…” — Dan (49:23)

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This summary covers all major content segments and actionable advice, skipping advertisements, extended intros/outros, and non-content chatter.

Transcript

[A]

I don't ever guess about the ups and downs of Bitcoin. I just know for a fact, without a shadow of a doubt, it will be worth millions and millions of dollars per Bitcoin in the future. There's no question. There's no wondering, there's no guessing. There's no emotion. It's a fact. If I try to wire transfer to you at 2:08pm, you get it tomorrow. If I send to Friday at 2:08pm, you get it on Monday. Why, silly? It's because they are making the money on the float for the night. Why would they want it to be faster? There's no incentive for Wells Fargo, bank of America, Chase to want to send you money faster. They want to hold your money as long as possible and make the float.

[B]

Okay, guys, Dan Fleishman back on the show. I believe it's your third time, right?

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

Third time's a charm. And you've been crushing it with your show. Ranked top three.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

In business, right?

[A]

Yes. Money Mondays, number 27 in the world across all podcasts. I think you're like 16 right now.

[B]

Yeah. I always see you on the charts with me. Yeah, it changes every day, but we're always neck and neck. What's new with you, though, man?

[A]

Just throwing a bunch of events, buying pieces of companies and just trying to scale.

[B]

Wow, 42 events a year, right?

[A]

Yes.

[B]

It's like almost one a week.

[A]

Yeah. Well, sometimes there's three in the same weekend and then the following week may not be an event. And sometimes we try to combine them together in the same city. Even if it's a different style event or a different type of crowd, we'll just do it back to back. Because our staff is there. Yeah. Our AV team is there. It makes it easier.

[B]

That makes sense. You travel more than anyone I know. I think I've told you this. Yeah, it's impressive.

[A]

250 days a year.

[B]

That's actually crazy. So you basically live life on the road.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

What a lifestyle. And how long have you lived that life for?

[A]

Well, the events got really crazy after Covid. You know, 2021 is when I went ballistic on events. I was always throwing events, but then starting to be involved in, man. In the Arena Tour, Aspire Tour, Operation Black Site, Elevator Night, the Masterminds, the charity events. It was just like so many different brands of events back to back to back.

[B]

Insane. Yeah, I'm, I'm. Every time I see your story, you're in a new city. Yes. I mean, even yesterday when you Got to Vegas. You spoke at an event, then you came to mind. Now you're speaking at Bitcoin conference nonstop.

[A]

I try to pack it all in. I just think how short life is. And I'm going to die soon.

[B]

You're going to die soon?

[A]

Well, 60 years is soon too. Like, if you think about it over the scope of life. Right. I don't know if it's going to be in 60 minutes or 60 days or 60 years. I have no idea. But even 60 years is soon. So I want to do as much as I can.

[B]

You know, I have realized because I've. I've said this before on the show, six of my guests have passed away since I started. So it does give you that sense of any moment did happen.

[A]

I've had 39 friends under the age of 50 pass away.

[B]

Geez.

[A]

And I had this list in my phone of the 39 friends and family. And I think about it all the time, why life was so short, because some of them were buff athletes, some of them were young zillionaires. Some of them are just, you know, close friends and family and didn't make it to 38 years old and 44 years old and things like that that are younger than me. And so I just think about it, it could happen at any time for whatever reason. And so I want to do as much as humanly possible while I'm here.

[B]

I feel that investing in Bitcoin early on helped with that. Right?

[A]

Yeah, that was a fun ride.

[B]

And Ethereum, you did the first paper on Ethereum?

[A]

Yeah, I did the very first news article about Ethereum 2017. It started from a Facebook post and it just went viral. And then Inc Magazine and Forbes magazine started asking me questions and I did this article articles for them. Ethereum was 19 bucks.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

And the Ethereum alliance came out. That's why I did this Facebook post. And Ethereum alliance basically said that a lot of the Fortune 500 companies will start to utilize Ethereum for their backend. And so I said, okay, well, my post was essentially, if it's good enough for Fortune 500 companies and their attorneys, it's good enough for me. And so I bought a lot at 19. $190,000 worth at 19 bucks. Each went up to 40 footwear dollars. And I posted again, like, okay, guys, just to be clear, research this. It wasn't a more. It wasn't like pitching Ethereum. I was just explaining why I liked it. And then over the next couple years, went to 220, 550 et. Cetera. And so there was a lot of wild twists and turns along the way. I sold chunks along the way. I don't want to pretend like I kept all, you know, 190 grand worth at 19 bucks. I did not. I sold a lot at 220 and a lot more at 550. I do have a funny story. Yeah. So I remember Chase, hero. Yeah. At his wedding. We set up like, a poker room, casino night afterwards, after the. After the wedding. And we had, like, all these fake games for roulette and blackjack and all these things that people could play. And, you know, Chase knows hundreds of people in the affiliate space, crypto space. They're very, very rich. And so everyone's playing, and one of the guys is losing a lot. He's down, and he's down 15, $15,000. And he wants to bet five grand a hand across every spot. I didn't want him to because I don't want him to lose or win that much money. It's such a big swing. But the funny story is he wins all the hands, and not all the hands, but enough hands that he ends up net 15,000 and tips 1,000 bucks to the dealer. So $14,000. Why does that matter? This is like three in the morning. At seven in the morning, I wake up to my phone and there's a bunch of messages like, you gotta pay me this money. You gotta pay me this money. I was like, so come to my room. I have the cash for you. I'll give it to you right now. He's like, no, I'm in Vegas. We were in Newport beach for the wedding at 3 in the morning. By 7am he was in Vegas. And so I was arguing with him, like, okay, but the brunch is here. He's like, yeah, no, but I came here to bet football. I'm like, yeah, but the brunch for the wedding is here. Come back. I'll give you the cash. No, no, no. You got to pay me right this second. I'm about to bet sports, so I send this kid, Jesse Sylvia, the guy that got second place in the World Series of Poker main event. I said, hey, can I send you 333Ethereum because it was $41, end up being $14,000 worth of Ethereum. Can you give this guy 14 grand in cash so he can go bet sports? He said, sure. Well, if you think about it, the 333Ethereum I sent him is now worth over a million dollars.

[B]

Oh, my gosh.

[A]

The only good thing I will Say is it went to Jesse. Not to this guy that was a jerk. It went to Jesse.

[B]

So what a story. It's like the guy that bought pizza with bitcoin.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And now it's like a billion dollars.

[A]

Right. Every year he's got to relive it because it goes viral every year.

[B]

Yeah. Or the guy that lost his bitcoin keys and he's doing the bulldozers.

[A]

He. He finally gave up.

[B]

Yeah, I saw that.

[A]

Yeah. A few weeks ago. Finally gave up.

[B]

Crazy dude.

[A]

I mean, I don't think he ever had a chance.

[B]

What ifs? I mean, I was using it in high school.

[A]

Right.

[B]

I feel like we all have similar stories. Right.

[A]

Oh, if you look at my phone, I can show you so many transactions from 2014. I was buying it at 340 bucks, but I would trade it back and forth. 10k here, 2k here, 5k. I didn't think about it. Like, geez, I was using it. I wasn't just thinking about it as an investment. I was just using bitcoin. And it was hard back then. It's still hard now, but it was really hard back then.

[B]

Now you could buy a lot with it.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Like almost anything. Yes. What do you think about the future of it? Because there's some people saying a million.

[A]

There is literally no question Bitcoin will be worth millions of dollars per coin. It's like an actual 0% impossibility to not happen, really. Because of supply and demand. What people don't think about is out of the 21 million bitcoin, 4.6 million bitcoin are missing and they're never coming back. There's no CEO, there's no customer service, there's no one to call, there's no office. So when those bitcoin are missing, the supply goes down. Why are there 4.6 million bitcoin missing? Because every day people lose their wallets, lose their phones, lose their storage, or lose their lives. And every day from now and then to the future, people lose their phones, wallets, storage, and lives. Imagine someone dies right now. How hard it would be to get their bitcoin off their phone or their laptop. It's really difficult when it's gone and supply goes less. So 4.6 million, 5.2 million, 5.8 million are missing. That supply from 21 million gets really small, probably down to 11, 12, 13 million range. Then you have people that are bitcoin maximalists that are buying lots of bitcoin that will never sell and they own a lot of bitcoin they're going to keep buying it, like Chamath, for example, or Michael Saylor, et cetera. That bitcoin is also not in supply. It's out there. You can't buy from him. Yeah, go offer Michael Saylor money right now. Go offer Chamath money. Right. You can't buy from them. And then you're also going to have what's called the rounding error. Sean Kelly has 42 in like a random wallet. I. You're not using that. Imagine that 17 million people have 42 bucks in a random wallet. They're not using it. That's not in supply either. It's out there, but people don't think about it because it's 42 bucks, 100 bucks. That's called the rounding error. What happens when 200 million people have 42 bucks and little pieces of bitcoin just sitting in a random wallet? So the supply is going to get less and less and less and the demand is going to get bigger and bigger and bigger. And the children that are growing up are going to be very comfortable buying bitcoin. The bitcoin maximalists are always going to buy bitcoin, so there's always going to be lots of buyers and the supply is getting less and less and less.

[B]

Yeah, the Maxis never sell and some of them even take a loan out against their portfolio. You know, that's how the elites use their money. So I, I think it definitely, I don't know, they're saying this is the last super cycle or whatever, but who knows? It's hard up there.

[A]

I don't ever guess about the ups and downs of bitcoin. I just know for a fact, without a shadow of a doubt, it will be worth millions and millions of dollars per Bitcoin in the future. There's no question, there's no wondering, there's no guessing, there's no emotion. It's a fact.

[B]

What about Ethereum?

[A]

So Ethereum's harder because supply is much bigger. And so the reason I can be so passionate about Bitcoin, Ethereum, is a better function and use of a cryptocurrency. Right? Use of blockchain, use of everything. Ethereum is more functional. It powers our NFTs, it powers corporations. Ethereum's way better than Bitcoin. However, Bitcoin is the granddaddy of them all. And it took us a decade for people to feel comfortable and now we're on year 14 or 15 for people to actually, like, get into the mix of Bitcoin where there's less of these bad PR stories and less of all this drama. And so Ethereum to me is the functional tool that will be around forever and ever and it's very useful. But I will say that there's a much bigger supply and from a supply and demand perspective makes it hard for me to say what price will end

[B]

up at any other coins you are interested in.

[A]

So there's like 14,000 different cryptocurrencies that are out there. I look at the ones that have function to them. There's a lot of people that like xrp, but to me I don't see Wells Fargo or Bank in the middle of nowhere in Nova Scotia or in Malta ever wanting to use it for wire transfers. Why? Because when you do a wire transfer to bank and they're making the 30 or 40 bucks, you're also making a small percentage on the float overnight.

[C]

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[A]

right now if I try to wire Sean Kelly a hundred grand, it should take seconds, right? I could send you Apple Pay, Venmo Zelle cash app, so many things that take seconds, Bitcoin et cetera. But if I try to wire transfer to you at 2:08pm, you get it tomorrow. If I send it to Friday at 208pm you get it on Monday. Why silly? It's because they are making the money on the float for the night. Why would they want it to be faster. There's no incentive for Wells Fargo, bank of America, Chase to want to send you money faster. They want to hold your money as long as possible and make the float.

[B]

Wow. That's what PayPal does too.

[A]

Of course.

[B]

Put a reserve on your account for 180 days.

[A]

Go to paypalsucks.com, you'll see somebody. Yeah. You'll see so many stories. Oh, my God.

[B]

Dry paper.

[C]

All of them.

[A]

Right.

[B]

They hold your money for X amount of days and then they're making money on it.

[A]

Think about if you've got 64 grand that they're holding for. For you for six months. Why would they need six months? It's ridiculous. If they're holding your money's 64,000, what about the other 17 million accounts that they're holding? Two grand, five grand, ten grand, et cetera. It's billions of dollars. What's a little percent of billions of dollars? A lot.

[B]

You're gonna play in the World Series this year?

[A]

Yeah, so I typically only pay like the one day or two day events, which was very few of them, like the super high rollers or the super super Turbos that are really fast. The main event I want to play, but it's two weeks long and I'm, you know, I'm a. I'm a busy be. I Wish it was 10 days. Oh, it's longer ended. Yeah. If he makes the finals. Yeah. Wow.

[B]

I just had on the winner last year.

[A]

Yeah. In his.

[B]

Rocky. What a guy.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

I mean, when you look at that story. He said he was drinking every day. He said he was going out, partying, sleeping two hours a day. And he still won the main event.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

That guy's different.

[A]

My, my very first final table was with him. Oh, really? 2005.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

Yeah. Our very first final table and he had a whole crew and listen, he has an innate skill and feel for the game. He could literally play a full round without looking at his cards and be the favorite.

[B]

No way.

[A]

He understands you. Why is Sean sitting like that? Why is Sean leaning forward? Why does Sean look this way? Why do you look at this like he feels it? Not like an FBI agent studying you, but like a true poker wizard. Like it's. And he knows what the wizards are doing and doesn't do that.

[B]

Like he said he doesn't use gto.

[A]

No, absolutely not.

[B]

Crazy.

[A]

No. He's calling with four, six offsuit random scenarios. Just knowing he can outplay you. Yeah. Just knowing he understands the scenario. I've also seen him make big folds that People will never do because he can feel it.

[B]

Is he one of the best you've seen?

[A]

So every year there's a $25,000 fantasy draft. It's called the 25k fantasy draft that Daniel Negreine hosts.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And every single year I draft Michael Mizrachi. Every single year.

[B]

He won last year.

[A]

Except this year. Dude, if you go look at the stats, every year for a decade, I've drafted Michael Mazraki. I'm, like, passionate about it. I didn't know if he was going to play the full series because he's dealing deal with Venetian. He plays at other casinos and other events, and he plays cash games. And so I wasn't sure if he was going to play enough events. Volume wise, if he's going to play at least 20 or 30 events, of course I want to draft him. I heard he was doing things with the Venetian and some other, you know, other casinos, because I didn't know if he was going to put in the time. And it's literally the first time in a decade I didn't draft him.

[B]

Oh, my gosh.

[A]

Which cost me a quarter of a million dollars for first. And I have six figures in side bets.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

So. Literally cost me half a million dollars by not drafting him.

[B]

That's nuts. Have you ever won that league?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Oh, okay.

[A]

Yeah, I've gotten first and third and the. And the side bets are what's really entertaining because, you know, you poker players

[B]

love those side bets.

[A]

Yeah. Because it's fun. You're.

[B]

Some of them are really hilarious and interesting, too, like, who's gonna last longer? Who's gonna go to the bathroom first? There's all sorts of weird side bets. Yeah, I've heard some wild ones. Jeff Gross has a few, like, tattoos or something.

[A]

Yeah. The side bets are. It's. It makes people, when they say something like, put up with their money. A lot of times people talk like, I could do this.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So do it. Like, if Sean's like, oh, I can make 30 free throws in 10 minutes. Okay, let's go bet. Let's go bet. Yeah, you might be able to do it. Go do it.

[B]

What's some memorable side bets you. You. You've done.

[A]

Actually, the basketball one was there's a guy at the Bellagio who was a hustler and just a good old boy from the Midwest, like, clean cut kid, like a farmer's boy. And he would, like, come in, he'd play poker, and then randomly he'd be like, I can make 85 three pointers out of 100.

[B]

No way.

[A]

And we're like, no way. And we bet him he could actually make, like, 93 or 94, but he gave himself a cushion.

[B]

Whoa.

[A]

Or he'd, like, say, 85 and then go up to 88, 89, or 90, knowing he can make, like, 93 or 94. And so it'd always be like a 5K bet. 5K bet. 5K bet. And I watch him do these bets all the time, and I was so mesmerized by it, I'd go watch. Even though I know he's gonna do it, I know the result.

[B]

So he actually did it.

[A]

Oh, he won every time.

[B]

Holy crap. That's the easiest money of all time for him.

[A]

Yeah, there was also. What's that bird? There's a bird that you can't eat every day for 30 days bird. Is it a foul?

[B]

Can't eat it for 30 days.

[A]

There's a. There's a bet that Dora Brunson invented. We could Google it. So Doyle Brunson used to have this bet where you had to eat quail. Quail? Yeah. You had to eat quail every single day for 30 days. It seems easy enough. It's easy. Yeah. No, you can't do it.

[B]

Really?

[A]

Yeah. Why? There's something about the salt in the quail that it builds up too much, that you just can't do it. No way. And so quail a day was the bet the Doyle would do. And other people started to do these side bets. Antonio Svandari and others would try to make these side bets, and everyone tried to figure out different hustles. They're like, okay, I'll just drink laxatives, or I'll have smoothies, or I'll do this or that. Nobody wins.

[B]

Holy crap.

[A]

All right. Quail a day. Yeah, Quail a day for 30 days.

[B]

I would have never knew that if I took that bet.

[A]

Yeah. If I. If I offered you the bet, you'd probably take it, right?

[B]

It's easy.

[A]

Yeah. I'll give you 100k if you eat a quail a day for 30 days.

[B]

Like, it seems so easy.

[A]

You can just mix it in with your salad. Seems easy.

[B]

Was there an amount you had to eat?

[A]

Yeah, I don't know that. I don't know the details, but you can see it on.

[B]

That makes sense. Wow. What's the most you'd want on one of these side buss? What was it any crazy odds that you, like, pulled off, like, a 30 to 1 odds or something?

[A]

No, I don't remember Any crazy ones?

[B]

Okay. Yeah, I feel like something.

[A]

There have been crazy ones. I'm just.

[B]

Yeah, some people have wild stories. The one Jeff told me was some guy had to get breast surgery.

[A]

Yes. He wrote a book about that.

[B]

Yeah. That was crazy. And he had to do it for a year, but he ended up keeping

[A]

it for a million dollars. Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. So he just has fake breasts.

[A]

I don't. I don't know how long he kept it for, but, I mean, maybe he just didn't want to do the surgery again or whatever that was. Yeah.

[B]

For a million. That doesn't seem worth it to me.

[A]

No, absolutely not.

[B]

No. I had this debate about power slap all the time. Like, how much money would I need to do power slap?

[A]

Yeah. Versus one of the pros.

[B]

Yeah. Well, they do it for 5 to 10k now, allegedly. So I was like, there's no way.

[A]

No.

[B]

Like, what would you do that for?

[A]

To get slapped by the pro or.

[B]

Yeah, that's a good point.

[A]

Slapped by Sean Kelly or stopped by the pro.

[B]

Hence, who's doing it? I guess a pro.

[A]

A pro. A lot. Like, a lot.

[B]

Well, they have to be in your weight class, though. You would be.

[A]

Oh, my weight class. Oh, I would do that first.

[B]

How much do you weigh? You're pretty light.

[A]

Yeah, I'm like 146.

[B]

You're tall for your highest, so I feel like you'd have a little advantage. Yeah, I. I think 500k.

[A]

I get to slap them back, too?

[B]

Yeah. You get three hits each?

[A]

Yeah, I probably just do it.

[B]

Really?

[A]

Yeah. For free? Yeah. I mean, I. I don't. I don't want to, but I would not if. If it's against me versus another guy. If I'm playing against, like, the power guy. No, you're getting six figures.

[B]

Yeah, that makes sense. You got a couple Guinness World Records, which is on my bucket list to do. So I want to learn about these. How many do you have?

[A]

We just got our second one. Recently, we threw the 12th year of the world's largest toy drive. And this last one, we had 240,000 toys, 119,000 of them. In one session. We did 10 cities, 17 days from Raiders Stadium, Miami Heat Arena, BMO Stadium, et cetera. And we brought in, like, Allen Iverson, Daymond John. A lot of great characters have been helping us make the toy jars that much bigger. Um, so our first Guinness Book of World Record was most toys in one hour. But what's really hard is Shannon, who. My best friend, she had to touch every toy on camera for it to count. Wow. And so we set up like this assembly line.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

A warehouse full of toys. And she was walking by. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.

[B]

Why did they do that though?

[A]

To verify the. The number. Instead of just taking a picture or seeing it, she had to touch it and say it out loud. We have it on video.

[B]

I feel like that kind of limits it because if you want to do more, she wouldn't be able to touch them all.

[A]

Yeah. That's the most than one hour to verify that it's there. Wow. Yeah. And so we had like, we stacked them up and as she touched them, we'd have someone remove so she'd go back down the line.

[B]

That's impressive.

[A]

So it'd be. It's. I don't see how anyone could. Could beat it.

[B]

Was this a category before you did it or. No. Was it a brand new.

[A]

No, there was a.

[B]

There was.

[A]

Yeah. Okay.

[B]

Yeah, that's what I'm trying to figure out because there's certain podcasts that are already there, but I want to kind of create a new one.

[A]

Well, what you could do, I. I could see winning is something like most podcasts in a row.

[B]

That's what I want to go for.

[A]

Or like, or like no sleep or something like 24 hours straight or 48 hours straight or whatever.

[B]

I want to do a 24 hour day. Just none.

[A]

You can do it for sure.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. Listen, there's a lot of things that I think Sean Kelly to pull off.

[B]

I mean, I've done 12, so 24. Just double that. Coffee and some snacks, I'd be good.

[A]

You could do a 24. I played poker for four days straight before.

[B]

Four days, real?

[A]

Yeah. With no sleep, no nap.

[B]

Your game must have been messed up by the third day. Right.

[A]

I felt great. So delirious. I felt great.

[B]

That's nuts.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I mean, they say fasting makes you think sharper. So you. You probably weren't eating much.

[A]

I mean, I don't recommend it, but like day two was harder than day three and four. You. You hit. You get delirious on day three.

[B]

Yeah. They say you're legally drunk, right. On day two.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And you weren't feeling any of that?

[A]

I've done do two days like a hundred times. W. Three days. I've done three. 30 or 40 or 50 times.

[B]

What do you average per night for sleeping?

[A]

How many hours normally? Five to six.

[B]

I was going to say with your lifestyle, it must be super hard to get a consistent sleep.

[A]

Sch. I go to bed around 12 to 2. And I get up at 6 or 7, so that it just depends.

[B]

And are you working the whole day?

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

No time for any of your hobbies or like.

[A]

I mean, my daughter, but even then she's interacting with me when I'm working and stuff. But when I play poker, I'm on my phone still most of the time. That's why I don't play a lot of tournaments. I can't focus enough for tournaments. When you play cash games, it's mostly at nighttime. My phone gets quiet after 7 or 8pm My phone's intense from 6am to 6pm and then it's quieter. As it gets into the night, it's still pretty active, but when it gets to like 8, 9, 10pm it's not active at all. It's just.

[B]

Yeah, I relate to that, man. I just can't shut it off. I love working.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You know, people are like, why do you work so much? I'm like, dude, I love it.

[A]

If I gave you $50 million to not ever work again, could you do it?

[B]

No. And people think we're crazy for that. But I just love it, dude. I feel so much like a lack of purpose if I wasn't working.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Because I've been there. Like when I sold a company and I wasn't really working that much, I was depressed.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You know, with millions in the bank, didn't matter. So 50 million wouldn't really do anything.

[A]

People think that the money is the end result. The game is the result. Like the game is the fun part for people that are addicted. And again, I don't recommend it. Most. Most people should not be entrepreneurs.

[B]

Agreed. It's not for everyone. Especially now. I feel like it's pretty hard, actually. Actually, yes and no. Like, AI has made it somewhat easier.

[A]

It's easier than ever to start a company. Obviously, with AI with every platform you can imagine, makes it cheaper for you to do anything you want. Corporation, Trademark, Shipping, Things3PL Warehouse, White Label. Like you can do anything. Like, we could come up with a company now and be live tonight. Yeah, Literally tonight. With full corporations and trademarks and shipping internationally set up on Amazon Warehouse. Like, we could do everything tonight, but most people should be employee number three or number seven. It's a way better life. It's. You're gonna. You actually get paid. Employee number one is last to get paid.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Like stone cold last. Employee number three, number seven. They get paid throughout the whole time. And so I don't. Even though I'm preaching about entrepreneurship all the Time. I actually don't tell people to be entrepreneurs. I'm just showcasing them how to do it, if they are in it. If you're sick enough to be an entrepreneur, then I want to explain it all. Yeah. But I want to explain the blunt reality of it too.

[B]

Agreed. I think it's important. Have you ever worked for someone else in high school? High school?

[A]

Yeah. Peanuts, Cracker Jacks. Selling peanuts, crack jacks and cotton candy at the stadium. At Qualcomm Stadium. It was Jack Murphy Stadium back then. I worked at Ruby's Diner with a sailor's cap on. And I worked for a stockbroker for cash under the table.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

When I was 17. But I saved up that 43000 during those three years. And that's what I started my company with.

[B]

Nice. And how long did it take to become a millionaire?

[A]

So we actually did our first million in this building.

[B]

Really?

[A]

At the Venetian.

[B]

Venetian, yeah. What was that company?

[A]

It was called the Magic. The clothing convention.

[B]

Oh, you started that?

[A]

I didn't start magic. My first booth was Magic. Yeah. It was here at the mission in this hallway.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

And we did a million dollars in orders.

[B]

That's incredible.

[A]

Yeah. I wasn't even allowed to legally get into the casino.

[B]

Oh yeah. Cuz you're not 21.

[A]

Yeah. I crazy butterfly effect. The taxi driver. Cuz I got turned down for my own booth that I'd paid for. It was 3,400 bucks per 10ft. I went crazy and got 20ft. Yeah, I'm going to be huge. I spent $6,800, which was out of 43,000. That's a lot of money. We traveled here. We drove here from San Diego, had our samples with us, and they turned us down because we couldn't get a badge. We weren't old enough. And so the taxi cab driver said, I know a business card vending machine at a grocery store. Let's take you there and we'll make you business cards. I still have the cards. Made us who's your daddy? The clothing line and my phone number. And so we made this business card, came back over, used that to get in, and we wrote a million dollars in orders.

[B]

Holy crap.

[A]

The reason it happened was Sean John, Puff Daddy's clothing line started at the same magic convention in 1999. On my left was FUBU. They had a whole walkway.

[B]

Damon's?

[A]

Yep. So Damon John's walking by with LL Cool J and Evander Holyfield. I sell all the pictures of me as an 18 year old kid with LL Cool J& Evander Holyfield and Shannon, she was there. My best friend was there with me. And we're at the booth and we got so lucky because Sean John's here, Fubu's here, a little 20ft booth. And everyone has to stand in front of our booth waiting for their appointments.

[B]

You picked a good spot by accident.

[A]

I don't want to take credit for it. And so we just started getting Mervins and Kohl's and Nordstrom. We got Nordstrom, which was the big one for us, Mr. Rags and Dr. J's, which are big stores in the east coast. And we started writing orders. We didn't have a manufacturer yet.

[B]

Why?

[A]

So pre orders we, we had like a T shirt printer in San Diego. Not someone that could actually make sweaters and jackets and shoes and hats and things we were selling that we didn't have. And so we got back from the convention, we went to what's called the Apparel Mart in downtown LA and just started walking around asking people for manufacturers. One guy screwed us over. He charged us $36,000 for 12 samples.

[B]

Jeez. For 12 samples?

[A]

Yeah. Well, that's not what that was.

[B]

A sample.

[A]

Exactly. Which not. It was supposed to be $36,000 for 1200 units.

[B]

Oh my God, you meant 12.

[A]

No, he just wanted to steal from us.

[B]

And that was all the money you had, right?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Because you only had 43.

[A]

Yes. And so we ended up meeting this guy named Christopher Wicks. He had the licenses to hang 10 Ocean Pacific body glove, la gear. And he ended up selling a brand called English laundry for over $100 million. Like a button up shirt company. That guy became our fearless leader. He was. Had a big warehouse. He helped make all of our clothes for us. He helped us get us that licensing deal for $9.5 million. When we were 19 years old, he got us a $9.5 million deal in the UK. And his son and I are still really good friends. Christian Wicks.

[B]

Awesome.

[A]

Many, many years later.

[B]

It's crazy how full circle life is now. You're friends with Damon.

[A]

Oh yeah.

[B]

I think about that all the time. That's why I'm never mean to anyone, even if they're just starting out. Because you never know, they might surpass you down the road.

[A]

I. I think about like my very first meetings when I was 18 years old were inside of Fubu's office. The Fubu ladies office. He had a ladies division. The ladies Division did like $115 million in 18 months.

[B]

FUBU did? Yeah, they were men's apparel. That's crazy.

[A]

So a guy named Elliot, he had the license to get fubu, ladies and so crazy story. So right after Magic, there's a guy walks by me. He was like, I love your T shirt. I was like, oh, it's our brand. It's over there. He's like, you own the trademark. Who's your daddy? You got to be at our convention next week. It's called the Action sports retail show ASR in San Diego. I'm like, oh, we live in San Diego. He's like, we've been sold out for like 10 months. I'll give you a 10 foot booth. You got to pay 3500 bucks for it. And I'm going to put you right by the check in desk where all 20,000 people have to check in. You're going to be right there where they got to wait in line in front of your booth. I was like, yes, call my mom. My mom makes 22 grand for the year and I'm asking her for $3,500 on her credit card. This is a big deal for her, right? She makes two grand a month and she does it. So, okay, I just wrote a million dollars in orders. Believe in me. My brother's telling me not to do it. My partner's dad is like, don't do it. They have my brother or my partner's dad is $200 million company. They're like, you can't even make the orders. What are you going to another convention for? I think we got to do this in San Diego. It's kismet. We gotta go. So we show up with like a couch and a rolling rack and a boombox and next to us is Calvin Klein. But we didn't realize this. For a four day convention, no one comes back to the check in disk after day one. So it was crickets, a ghost town. On day two, three and four, no one's there. Why that matters is it changed my entire life and it changed the whole freaking world scenario. Tens of millions of dollars happened because of this moment. The head of Calvin Klein, his name was Carlos Vasquez, was also working for fubu. Ladies. He's like, oh, whenever you come to New York, look me up. Come by the office. Well, I took that as an entrepreneur. As Sunday night, the convention ends at 6pm we're gonna take a red eye at midnight to land in New York at 6am and go to his office without telling him there's no cell phones back then. This is 1999. So 6am rolls around. I'm like, well, let's wait till 9am to actually go there. So we go hang out at a bagel shop and just wait until 9:00am 9:01. We walk in, Missy Elliott's in there getting her clothing outfit again. This is 99.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And we walk up to the front desk and the lady was like, you don't have a meeting with Carlos. He has no meetings today. He's flying back from Magic. Like, oh, no, no, we flew back from Magic. Or not Magic, from ASR. We flew back from ASR. We have a meeting with him. She's like, no, you don't. There's no meetings with him today. I have a schedule right here. And he happens to walk by with his luggage bag.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

And he was like, what are you guys doing? We were like, you said to look you up when we come to town. And he just started slow clapping. I was like, come on, boys. So we go in the back room, we go in his office. And he was like, I want you to meet the CEO. You're only going to get five minutes with him. The five minutes will change your life. This guy was a CEO for Jordache, Donna Karen and Perry Ellis, all billion dollar companies. And he owned the FUBU ladies license. And he's helping. So we go into this meeting, five minutes becomes four and a half hours. What I learned more about business in those four and a half hours when I was 18 years old than I have learned my whole life. He told me about every part of clothing, what a four way rack does, how the real estate, there's a store within a store at every department store, what slotting fees are, merchandising fees. Everything burned in my brain is from that first meeting. The president of Sean John came by, Jeffrey Tweedy, and he was like, I'm not going to go to meet lunch with you. I'm meeting with these boys. You're going to work for them one day. I still remember all these things from 25 years ago. And so the butterfly effect all stemmed from taking that booth for 3,500 bucks, borrowing my mom's credit card to do it, to reserve it, showing up with a freaking couch to make a booth, making friends with Carlos, going to meet him. Like the butterfly effect of that. Because then we ended up doing millions of dollars, revenue partnership deals and all these things with that whole circle and crew because of that moment.

[B]

The power of events and networking, Matt. That's why I go to events, you know, you never know who you'll meet. Just takes one person Right. Change your life.

[A]

That moment changed my life.

[B]

Crazy. You were 18.

[A]

Oh yeah.

[B]

Why do you think he let you have four and a half hours of his time?

[A]

I think he was fascinated by us. The name was such a big deal back then. Who's your daddy? Yeah, the catchphrase, the slogan, the fact that we had the energy to do it and go to these conventions and write a million dollars in orders. Like the fact that major chain stores were giving us a shot when we were open with them. Like we just started, we're high school. But we told them the story and they all found it endearing, literally here. It's weird, I'm like, we're in the Venetian. And they were like. I said we sold a hundred T shirts at lunch at 15 bucks each. We felt like we were millionaires. We made fifteen hundred dollars. And I said, but more importantly, they weren't just buying because of us. Like we had it on a table with the shirts and the hats and people would come by and we had like a girl would just sit there and help sell for us, for us at lunches. And so it wasn't like we're doing Dan a favor. And by the way, $15 back then is a lot of money. Still a lot of money to a high school kid. Now imagine back then. And so we said, we know that people will buy this. People like this name, whether it's for sex, for comedy or for sports. They liked the name Hoosier Daddy. And so it just, it worked. And then when we got into the stores, it sold really, really well. Really, really well.

[B]

What happened to the trademark? You still have it?

[A]

No, I mean, we went public in 2005. April 1, 2005. We went public on the stock market when I was 23. I did another four years. So 2009, got into 55,000 retail stores through 43 distributors for the energy drink under the same name. And we had energy shots. Also all the casinos here had in every, every hotel room. I had billboards in front of the Planet Hollywood casino. Like we were big back then. We were the seventh largest drink out of the 900 drinks on the market. And then on the 10 year anniversary, I started in 1999. On May 18th. On May 18th, 2009, I resigned. You resigned during that one of the feather by cap.

[B]

Yeah. Went out on a high note. Did your ego ever get crazy during that time period cuz you were so young, so successful?

[A]

No, I've always been calm about everything. Throughout this whole time. Because I've watched a lot of people make money, lose money, go broke, die, you know. My roommate at the time had passed away. He was the number two NFL player in the league. Wow. Right behind Warren Sapp. His name was Daryl Russell. He passed away in a car accident. And I just watched the butterfly effect over the situation that happened to him. And one bad scenario, what happened was all over the news and made him get in depression and then ended up in a car accident that he should never have been in that car. And so I just think about how fleeting life is. And so I don't. Ego stuff. I don't have stuff. I don't own cars. You never see me post about cars in my life. I've had the same watch for. Since 2008. 18 years I've had this watch. I've replaced it once, but it's the same watch. I don't own any other watches, so I don't post about bling bling and things like that. Like, it's not. It's not my thing. And so from an ego perspective, I just know there's a lot of people that are infinitely richer than me in multiple aspects of life. And I've just watched a lot of people with egos crash and burn.

[B]

You never got caught up in comparing?

[A]

No, no. I. I am so excited when my friend buys a cool car or buys a cool watch or buys a. Builds a huge company or like, I get ecstatic. Even my competitors, I feel like that's

[B]

a rare thing these days.

[A]

It's a frame of mind. Them going, getting cool watches, cool cars is inspiring me. Them going and selling their company for a bazillion dollars is inspiring to me. And so I don't like it when it's like a bad person if I know they're a bad guy or, you know, but I'm not jealous of them. Even if they're a bad person, I'm still. And by the way, when my competitors crush it, it inspires me too.

[B]

I think that way too. When I see podcasts sell like Charlotte just sold for 200 million, I get excited for sure. That's good for everyone.

[A]

I feel like, call her daddy. Stephen Diary, CEO. Like, all these deals, I'm like, oh my God, I'm so excited.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And when I'm ahead of them for some time frame on the charts, I don't think I deserve a hundred million dollars because they got it. It makes me work. Like, what did they do? Why do they do this? How do they structure it? What are they? What are they? What platforms are they using? Like, I Want to understand it.

[B]

Exactly.

[A]

I am full fledged cheering for them. I message them all the time about it. Like I love it.

[B]

Yeah. I think, I think Diary of a CEO is going to be the number one show.

[A]

Sure. It's gonna be a billionaire.

[B]

Yeah. He's already nine figures and he's in his 20s or early, I believe. They're crazy. I mean, it's super impressive. You've met some of the most famous people in the world, the most wealthiest people in the world, and you don't get phased at all.

[A]

No, not at all.

[B]

You just treat them like a normal person.

[A]

What's really interesting is how normal most of them are. There are a few people that are true celebrities. Right. You're around JLo, you feel an aura. She's a freaking megastar. Right. She's still Jenny from the block. When you're at her apartment and she's eating and talking like still a regular person. Kim Kardashian is as famous as it gets. When you're at her house with her kids, like she's mom. Yeah. She's a, you know, she's a regular person. And so regular. I use the word loosely because you have to have a bit of a screw loose to become legends to become a household name. You have to have a bit of a screw loose to do that because there's. You're going to get ridiculed by half the world. Right. Half the people think JLO sucks. Half the people think Kim Kardashian is evil, like, but the other half adore her. Same thing happens in politics and musicians. Everyone in between. And so it. No one makes me like, oh my God, they're a celebrity. There are people that I idolize still. Michael Jordan. Right. There's some characters in my life that I grew up on, but I know that once I've got past that for a minute with Michael Jordan, I would go play blackjack with him or interview him on a podcast. Perfectly calm. Yeah. There's very few characters. Elon Musk. I'm so fascinated by a guy that has four multibillion dollar companies at the same time. But after two minutes, I'm sure we just talk like boys. Right. And so when you really, truly think about it, there's. There's no one that's been like a, oh my God. Superstar outside of that. Like, Justin Bieber's a very regular guy, right? Mega, mega, mega, mega, mega star that just single handedly sold out Coachella, right? Yeah. But if you would go play basketball with him.

[B]

100. He's in a league.

[A]

Exactly.

[B]

Normal people.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

When I joined your Mastermind, that, that was my first, I guess, time meeting celebrities person. And I'm glad it, like opened my eyes up to it. Now I don't get really starstruck, you know, with the podcast.

[A]

Well, you've interviewed so many of them now.

[B]

Yeah, but, like, I definitely used to be in that. Weird. A lot of people are in this fanboy era and they look at these celebrities like a pedestal. They still do, you know. Yes, they still do.

[A]

Which is also important for our economy. If that goes away, that literally changes the whole world for sure. Think about why people watch TV shows, why they watch movies, why they drink certain drinks, why they eat certain snacks, why do they go to X, Y, Z thing, why they go to concerts, why they go to comedy shows. Because it's Kevin Hart's brand. Because it's JLO performing at Caesar's palace, because it's Justin Bieber performing Coachella. If that goes away, we're cooked.

[B]

Yeah, I agree. Yeah. But that first mastermind was legendary. Mark Wahlberg, you had another opening speaker. Yeah. Bruce Buffer did the intros. You had, I think Shaq, Floyd Mayweather.

[A]

Yep. Tyga performed. Nick Cannon was a dj.

[B]

Crazy stocked.

[A]

Kris Jenner was on a panel. Yeah, she should be.

[B]

She was on a woman's panel. I was like, what is she doing there?

[A]

Yeah, it was. That was like a last minute thing. And she obviously should have been a keynote because she's a legend. But, like, we were just jam packed in and I spent 3.2 million in one weekend.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

To just do the opening and. Because we sold $10 million worth of spots in seven weeks. Yeah. So it didn't feel real. Like I've been throwing free events my whole life. Elevator Night was free. And then to announce $100,000 per person mastermind and then sell out within a couple months was like power of social media.

[B]

Because you didn't even run ads. Right. It was all zero ads. Crazy. That's the power of a brand.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

$10 million in seven weeks, you said?

[A]

Yeah. We had 100 members sold out seven weeks. Our very first event was November 1, 2019, and Bruce Buffer did the intro. Mark Wahlberg was our first surprise interview. No one knew. That's the other thing is people bought in for a hundred thousand dollars not knowing what was going to happen.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And me not having any proof of previous events outside of Elevator Night, a free event. But they knew the pitch was, you're going to be around a hundred other people that are doing 10 million or more in revenue. Do you think that we can help you make or save 1%? If you're doing 10 million and we help you make or save 1% 100 grands free.

[B]

Exactly.

[A]

What if you're doing 18 million or 26 million or 42 million and then we're going to bring in 22 instructors that are doing over 100 million revenue or. Or spending over a hundred million on ads. And then that Mastermind that weekend I'll never forget.

[B]

Like I'll never forget it. There's so many people I met at that event that I still talk to. There's people I've done deals with. I tell people all the time. I've made back my money tenfold. Maybe then 100x at this point. Mastermind, dude. And that's why I have events. What do you think about last night?

[A]

It's packed.

[B]

Cool, right?

[A]

Yeah, that was packed.

[B]

Yeah, we had to shut down the doors at 9 because people were. People were posting it and like finding out about the event.

[A]

Right.

[B]

So.

[A]

Because once the address gets leaked and

[B]

yeah, I'm sure you've learned that at past events too.

[A]

Yeah, we, we always do that. What you did also is put out the address last minute. However, people nowadays can just share the location. So even if you shuttle bus people in.

[B]

Damn. I didn't think about that.

[A]

So I did the world's largest pizza festival a couple times and I had the last one. Stevieoki and Lil Wayne. The first time we had Taiga 2 chains. Wiz Khalifa was super cool, but it was like a decade ago so you couldn't share your pin. The one after that, we didn't tell anyone the address. It happened to be the same exact venue. No one knew. And we shuttle bus them from UCLA parking lot. It's a thousand people, it's 900 girls, 100 guys and there's no tickets for sale. You don't have to buy a table or nothing. And so we have literally armed security down at the gate. There's no way in and you can only take shuttle buses to get in.

[B]

I went to this.

[A]

Yes, I flew in for that. Yeah. The problem was people started sharing their pin and not telling people and not realizing because they were on a shuttle bus when they came in. They didn't realize there's armed guards down there on a one way street. And so hundreds of cars started showing up trying to talk their way in. There is no ticket, there is no way in. You have to be on a shuttle bus you literally cannot drive on because it's A residence. It's a house. And so we had a interesting scenario. So fire marshals and police and helicopters and all that stuff that were going on behind the scenes of like, get them out of here. Get these cars going. They are not coming in. No matter. And there was household name celebrities and big, big, big, big, big name musicians, rappers were like, there's nothing we can do.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

Nothing.

[B]

That's nuts. I didn't even think about that. Yeah, the pin.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

That's crazy. That was a great event though. That was fun, man. That was your birthday, right?

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. You know how to throw a party.

[A]

It was expensive, but it was fun.

[B]

You've done a lot of them.

[A]

Yeah, I do the birthday party every year because it's, it's a lot for marketing, it's a lot for fun. It's like excuse to get all the influencers together and all the models together and they're all posting with each other. Um, and I'll typically bring in someone like a Travis Barker or 2 Chainz. I'll bring in a piece of talent to perform because it makes it a memorable experience and a shareable experience. Everyone's got their phones out. And so my birthday party, I utilize it for the marketing and for the fun. And then if there's any revenue or sponsors, that all goes to charities. So that's how I always orchestrate it.

[B]

What are the most common event mistakes you see for people that are looking to throw events or attend events?

[A]

There's a couple key things that make people want to leave a party or be mad about a party. Getting in. People do not want to wait. VIPs definitely don't want to wait. But even regular people, people that are just regular attendees or acquaintances, they don't want to wait either. So getting in fast and effectively. Cleanliness. If your bathrooms are messy or there's no toilet paper or there's no paper towels or people remember that stuff. If it's bad in there, it's bad.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Food. That's what people are there for, right? They want food and drinks. And lastly, the av. If your AV sucks, you cannot have a good event.

[B]

People don't think about that one.

[A]

It's so annoying. Imagine you've got freaking whiskelee on stage and it's. Or you can't hear them or whatever. Oh my God, it's so nice. So we just have rules about get em in fast, keep it clean, feed them and get them out.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, the food's important. I would say top three.

[A]

And it's not that you have to have the fanciest of food. It's that you have have quality food that's hot.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And so I'd rather if let's say you're throwing an event from 8pm to midnight, I'd rather you have food come in at 8, 10 and 12 on the way out. What people do is they front loaded all 8 o'. Clock.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

All the food shows up at 8 o'. Clock. What happens at 10:30? A lot of people show up to your party at 9:30 or 10. They go over the food. The burgers are cold.

[B]

Right.

[A]

The hot dogs are not called hot dogs anymore. The salad is melted like it's like you just.

[B]

It's bad valid.

[A]

And so staging your food is a very useful trick.

[B]

Best events other than your own that

[A]

you've been to 10x obviously Grant Cardone's.

[B]

That's the first converse I ever went to.

[A]

That's unreal. Yeah, I mean but grant spending 8 million, 12 million to put on a production. That's a whole nother world. Right. The growth con is amazing. Russell Brunson's funnel hacking live. That is 4,000, 5,000 plus people and he just runs it so clean, very quality people. Yes. Such a great room traffic and conversion summit. That one was big. That was like 10,000 people. Show.

[B]

They stopped doing that one, right?

[A]

Yes. All three of those brands stopped this last year.

[B]

I've noticed that. I want to get your opinion on

[A]

that Summit at Sea Summit series. That's more expensive. It's like a $4,000 base ticket. They just had some of that Same recently and Events.com just bought them. So they're going to scale that, that brand up a lot. Wonder Robbins. Well yeah, that's the Tony Robbins and Dean Graciosi have the what's called the Zenith mastermind. That's $250,000 to be a member. It's only a few dozen members because he's not letting what's called the. The lions. He has 600 plus members in Lions but he's not marketing to them. He's getting really interesting like billionaires and real estate developers and Brian McKnight the singer and guy with $2 billion of commercial developments and a guy with $100 billion fund like very interesting characters and so yeah, I've been going that for a year and a half and that's really impressive group that he's put together there.

[B]

That's the most expensive Mastermind I've ever. I think.

[A]

Yeah. Quarter million dollars is for sure. And he deserves It, It's Tony Robbins and, you know, and they put on such an experience, it's three days at like the Breakers Hotel or three days at this mansion and estate. And they, they bring in some really cool surprise performers. So they've done it on the highest, highest level.

[B]

Nice. Yeah, That's a good list. I haven't been to Summit. What was the other one you said before that?

[A]

Traffic Traffic conversion Summit.

[B]

Yeah, but Summit I just saw recently people were saying amazing and not on a boat.

[A]

So they do multiple events a year, but called Summit Series. Then they do Summit at Sea.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

And Summit at Sea is impressive. Yeah.

[B]

I feel like when you're on a cruise ship, you're a little more easy going, right?

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Feel like it's a mental thing. That's important with events too. The mind framing. Right.

[A]

Yeah. The problem for most events, that they do it in a hotel ballroom.

[B]

Right.

[A]

With regular lighting. And they expect you to just sit there and be focused for 10 hours a day. It's not gonna happen.

[B]

It doesn't work anymore.

[A]

No.

[B]

With attention spans.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You bat. You line up 10 speakers back to back. People are yawning by the fourth speaker.

[A]

It's also why, you know, like Aspire Tour, we don't do hour long speeches. It's a lot of 20 minutes, 25 minutes. 20 minutes. 25 minutes. 20 minutes, 25 minutes. Because we're in an ADD society and there's some people we need to give a full 40 minutes to to fully explain, you know, what's going on. If they're teaching something like taxes or real estate or finance, but for the more emotional speeches or motivational speeches, it's like 20 minutes, 25 minutes. Let's go. Because the room has ADD. Yeah. You know, like the event we did yesterday at Delilah, it was 10 to 20 minute speeches. All of them.

[B]

I love that, that I could actually sit down and probably listen front to end. But like a full keynote these days, that's an hour. I just.

[A]

It's hard.

[B]

It's hard.

[A]

It's hard. Unless you have like an amazing storyteller like Ed Mylett or someone like legend like that can tell a full story. And you're like watching a movie is what if you're watching movies, what it feels like and people are crying, that's different. But like listening to a technical discussion for an hour is pretty tough.

[B]

Yeah. Let's end off with the zoo. How's that going?

[A]

The zoo is very cool. We have 208 animals there with the real Tarzan. We're going into Almost our fourth year. August will be year four. Since we got the place, it's not open to the public. So it's not a zoo in that perspective. It's an animal sanctuary.

[B]

Cali wouldn't let you do that, right?

[A]

They would, but they wouldn't. And so I don't want to sin argue with like the multiple things I try to do there in California are very difficult. The rules and politics are very frustrating. I spent $1.3 million building a 240,000 gallon lake as a wedding video and I've never done a wedding.

[B]

What, they wouldn't let you do weddings there?

[A]

No. Wow. They want me to get a cup permit per wedding.

[B]

What's up?

[A]

A conditional use permit. So let's say Sean wants to get married on June 1st. Sounds cool. You want to get married at the lake. You're going to have goats and camels walk in from our zoo with you. It's going to be a beautiful wedding. Problem is I can't guarantee you June 1st. I have to go get a cup permit from the county office and they barely respond. And so I've been in this very weird scenario of like I can't promise Sean, hey, you're gonna be able to do your wedding June 1st? Cuz I don't know. I have to wait and see if the county's gonna respond.

[B]

So they're just so backed up that they're not responding to people.

[A]

I don't know if they're backed up or is an excuse or they're.

[B]

That's a shame. Cuz your venue would be one of the best country cuz you have all the animals. People love animals. I almost hired baby pigs at my wedding.

[A]

That's fun.

[B]

Yeah, that looks so adorable. But wow. Sorry you're going through that.

[A]

Yeah, it's been very expensive. Long struggle and journey and it's. I love the property. It's just hard. And the rules in California are very difficult, dude.

[B]

For a lot of businesses. Not just what you're in, but I hear so many horror stories.

[A]

There's so many places shut down in la. It's wild.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Household name restaurants. Business has been around for 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 years are gone now. They just can't.

[B]

I mean Elon got out of there with Tesla.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

That's billions of dollars that Kelly lost.

[A]

It's a shame because of what it should be. It's the best weather in the world. That's why I live in California. I pay for the weather. However, the rules make it so hard for millionaires. And so hard for business owners to succeed.

[B]

Yeah, the estate tax too, on the real estate was crazy. Did you hear about that? Oh yeah, yeah, that was nuts. But dude, this was great. Where can people find you in the podcast and everything?

[A]

Just amflation across every single platform. Also, when you guys are making your own social media handles, make sure it's the same name, same spelling, wear the same shirt, same glasses, make it look the same so it's easy for people in there. Have the same bio.

[B]

See you guys.

[C]

Thanks for watching all the way to the end. Guys, please hit like and subscribe. It helps us grow the show and helps us get bigger guests. Thank you so much.