232 - Ryan Reynolds Used ONE Hack To Make $350M. You Can Copy It. Here's How. - Making It with Jon Davids

Podcast Summary: Making It with Jon Davids

Episode 232: Ryan Reynolds Used ONE Hack To Make $350M. You Can Copy It. Here's How.
Host: Jon Davids
Date: December 2, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Jon Davids explores the concept of the "unfair advantage"—a unique trait, skill, or asset that enables outsized business success. Using Ryan Reynolds’ business moves as a case study, Jon explains how anyone (not just celebrities) can leverage their own unfair advantage to build millions in value—if they pair it with the right "vehicle" or business opportunity.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Ryan Reynolds: From Actor to Brand Machine (00:00–07:00)

Career Background:
Jon describes how Ryan Reynolds went from moderate acting success to Marvel stardom in Deadpool.

"Ryan's an actor and he's making a name for himself in TV and movies... Then in 2016, he levels up to Marvel stardom in Deadpool." (00:25)
Smart Negotiation:
Ryan took only a $2M salary for Deadpool, but negotiated a back-end deal tied to box office performance. That bet landed him a $22M payday.

"He actually agrees to a measly $2 million salary... but he negotiates a chunky backend at the box office if it performs well." (01:10)
Business Ventures:
- Aviation Gin: Ryan discovers the brand, buys in, reforms the product, and leverages his image to massively grow sales, culminating in a $610M acquisition by Diageo (2018–2020).
- Mint Mobile: Applies the same playbook; invests, rebrands, fronts the marketing, and exits in a $1.35B T-Mobile acquisition (2019–2023).
- Wrexham AFC: Buys a struggling soccer team, but creates and stars in a docu-series about ownership, driving global attention and value.
Key Insight: Ryan’s success isn’t about being a celebrity. “He’s focusing on one area where he has an unfair advantage, and then he looks for investment opportunities where that unfair advantage will push him forward.” (07:10)

2. What is an "Unfair Advantage"? (07:15–09:40)

Definition: The distinct skill, talent, or connection that gives you an edge.
"It's the one thing that I've got. It's the one thing any of us have that sets us apart and that gives us a fighting chance at victory." (08:00)

3. Types of Unfair Advantage: Case Studies (09:45–23:30)

a. Customer Acquisition (Ryan Reynolds) (09:45–12:00)

Explanation: Ryan’s fame lets him get customers at near-zero cost. Not every celebrity monetizes this, but he leverages it relentlessly as the face of every brand.

“He can go on social media or on a talk show or on a big podcast and promote his products, and that gets him customers at little to no cost. He's at CAC 0 now.” (10:10)
Broader Lesson: If you excel at marketing or have a following—even locally—this could be your advantage.

b. Financial Engineering (John Malone) (12:30–15:30)

“The Cable Cowboy” built a vast media empire using deep expertise in financial structuring, rather than public image.
Key moves: Acquired cable assets with heavy leverage; engineered deals worth billions.
“This is going to take one unfair advantage: Financial engineering. It just so happens that John's got it.” (13:55)

c. Operational Efficiency (Sam Walton, Walmart Founder) (15:40–18:15)

Identified how offering the lowest prices (through relentless cost-cutting) attracted masses.
“This guy can squeeze a nickel so tight, it begs for mercy. And that becomes the basis of Walmart.” (16:40)

d. Sales (David Rubenstein, The Carlyle Group) (18:30–21:40)

Rubenstein’s primary skill isn’t deal-making or investing—it’s sales, especially raising capital.
“If you ask David Rubenstein, he will say his core contribution and the reason for his success in private equity is that he was good at bringing in the money.” (19:30)

4. The Right Vehicle Matters (23:35–26:00)

Pairing Advantage with Opportunity:
It’s not just about having an advantage, but matching it to a vehicle where it can be fully exploited.
“If your unfair advantage is a 10, but your vehicle is a 2, the vehicle is going to win. Your success is going to be like 2 out of 10.” (24:00)
Examples:
- Malone as an accountant vs. cable empire builder
- Rubenstein in paper sales vs. private equity
- Walton organizing his closet vs. Walmart

5. The Final Lesson & Call to Action (26:05–end)

Self-Reflection: Jon encourages listeners to introspect and identify their unfair advantage and the right vehicle to maximize it.

“What feels like work to others, but play for you? Figure that out. Study yourself. Know yourself. Find your unfair advantage. Find an opportunity and a vehicle worthy of your time...” (26:22)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Ryan Reynolds' unique strength:
"Ryan just used his unfair advantage of customer acquisition really well." (10:14)
On John Malone’s empire:
"He uses a crazy, complicated web of financial engineering to build what will become an $11 billion fortune today." (15:00)
On the necessity of the right vehicle:
“You can’t just find the unfair advantage. You also have to find a vehicle, an opportunity that matches.” (24:12)
Final advice:
“It’s so valuable. Go out there and crush it.” (27:05)

Timestamps for Important Segments

00:00–07:00 — Ryan Reynolds’ rise and business playbook
07:15–09:40 — Defining the “unfair advantage”
09:45–12:00 — Customer acquisition as unfair advantage
12:30–15:30 — John Malone and financial engineering
15:40–18:15 — Sam Walton and operational efficiency
18:30–21:40 — David Rubenstein and sales
23:35–26:00 — Importance of the right vehicle
26:05–end — Final thoughts, advice, and call to action

Tone & Style

Conversational, energetic, and motivational—Jon Davids blends storytelling with actionable business lessons and a dash of humor (“this guy can squeeze a nickel so tight, it begs for mercy”).

In Summary

Jon Davids breaks down how Ryan Reynolds—and other titans like John Malone, Sam Walton, and David Rubenstein—found their “unfair advantage” and paired it with the ideal business model to achieve exponential success. The actionable takeaway? Identify your unique edge, match it with the right opportunity, and you could potentially replicate this path to extraordinary wealth—no celebrity status required.

Transcript

A (0:00)

Ryan Reynolds flipped a mediocre acting career into a brand factory, and he made $350 million along the way. But here's the crazy part. Most people who look at his business success will assume it's because he's a movie star. And that's not true. I'll prove it. I'll show you how Ryan's strategy for winning is actually the exact same as this guy and this guy and this guy and thousands of others. Plus, I'll show you how to use the same strategy to build your own business or your future business. And I promise, it has nothing to do with being famous. My name's John Davids. I'm the CEO of Influicity. Brands like these pay me lots of money so I can make them lots of money. And this video is totally free. You're listening to Making it with John Davidson. So let's go back to the 1990s. Ryan's an actor and he's making a name for himself in TV and movies. He's doing sitcoms, rom coms, the occasional action flick. Things are okay. Then in 2016, he levels up to Marvel stardom in Deadpool. In a savvy move, he actually agrees to a measly $2 million salary for the movie, which is nothing to star in a Marvel franchise hit. But he negotiates a chunky backend at the box office if it performs well. So it's performance based, and it does. That back end brings in $22 million for Ryan, his biggest payday so far. And the paydays are about to get a lot bigger. So now Fast forward to 2018. Ryan's at a bar and he orders a Negroni. And it's really good. So he orders another one and another and another. And he asks the bartender, why is this drink so tasty? Turns out it's the gin. Aviation gin, to be exact. And Ryan smells a big opportunity. He's gotta have a piece of this gin. So he buys a stake in aviation gin, reformulates the drink, and throws his weight behind the brand. And growth explodes. In 2020, Diageo swoops in and picks up the company for $610 million. So score one for our boy Ryan, and we're on to the next. So now let's Fast forward to 2019, and Ryan buys into a little phone company called Mint Mobile. It's a low cost carrier with plans ranging from 15 bucks to 30 bucks a month. And Ryan pulls a rinse and repeat. He throws some cash in, reinvigorates the brand. Reinvigorates the marketing, hires himself as the frontman. And in 2023, T Mobile picks up that little telecom brand for $1.35 billion. It's been a busy few years for Ryan, but let's wind up here. Our boy's not done. In 2020, he buys a Welsh soccer team called Wrexham. It's kind of a head scratcher. Like, why would he want this little soccer team? And then it all snaps into focus. Ryan announces a TV show that'll document his experience as the owner of a sports team. Whatever happens next isn't just business. It's a made for drama. Ryan plows in a lot more cash to this team, but at the same time, the paper value of Wrexham is ballooning. Either way, it's good tv and Ryan is going to make out just fine. Look, guys, Ryan is using a super simple playbook, a playbook that can be repeated. He's focusing on one area where he has an unfair advantage, and then he looks for investment opportunities where that unfair advantage will push him forward. So I want to just take that principle, the unfair advantage. Because, my friends, the unfair advantage is the one thing you've got. It's the one thing that I've got. It's the one thing any of us have that sets us apart and that gives us a fighting chance at victory. So I want to go through a bunch of unfair advantages right now. Things that you might have in you, that we see all around. We're going to talk about what they are, what they can do for you, how to use them, and where they show up in the wild. This episode is brought to you by my Playbook social media selling machine, available right now@johndavids.com playbook. Let's be real. You don't want likes. You want sales. You want to know that customers are going to show up every day from the content you're already posting. This playbook shows you how that's done, how to turn social posts into cash flow, and how to scale in a way that's simple, repeatable, and on brand. Grab it free right now at johndavids.com playbook. That's johndavids.combookbook. so let's start off with Ryan's unfair advantage. And it's a really simple one. It's called customer acquisition. And this is the one most people think about. First, you take someone like Ryan Reynolds and you say, he's famous, he's a movie star, he's a celebrity. And. And I get it, but there are lots of movie stars and influencers and famous people who aren't worth hundreds of millions of dollars. In fact, the majority are worth nothing. They're fighting for their next paycheck. Ryan just used his unfair advantage of customer acquisition really well. He can go on social media or on a talk show or on a big podcast and promote his products, and that gets him customers at little to no cost. He's at CAC 0 now. It's not going to stay 0 forever because every business wants to accelerate growth. That's the nature of business. So you're inevitably going to start paying for customers. But even then, let's just say he starts buying ads. His ads will cost money, of course, but he can put himself into the ads. He can be the face of the brand. And assuming the target customer vibes with Ryan Reynolds, his ads will be more effective than any other ads. So now CAC isn't zero, but it's still lower than everyone else. Again, unfair advantage. You guys getting this? This making sense? So if you're an influencer or a local celebrity or if you've got a really good marketing skill, maybe you've been doing marketing for nine years or 16 years, customer acquisition might be your unfair advantage. Even though it's easy for you, it's hard for other people. Okay, I want to look at another unfair advantage, and for this, let's turn to another baller, and his name is John Malone. So John Malone, AKA the Cable Cowboy, quietly built one of the biggest media empires in history. This dude has ownership in Discovery, Sirius xm, the Atlanta Braves, Formula one, and a piece of just about every entertainment company you've ever heard of. And unless you're a business nerd like me, you've probably never heard the name John Malone. You've never seen his face. You have no idea who he is. So let me tell you a little about our boy, John Malone. Back in the 1970s, John's working in telecom. He's actually the CEO of a little cable company called TCI. And he very quickly realizes, wow, this whole cable TV thing, this is a cash machine. This is an ATM money printer. Cable is kind of like SaaS software. Before SaaS software was invented, you have a cable channel like HBO or espn, whatever, and that channel is included in the cable bundle. That means every month, you get an automatic payment from the companies that are providing cable to the consumer. You get a check from a Comcast or a Charter, and it's steady recurring revenue with very little churn. People generally don't cancel their cable. It's a very good business. Now here's the downside. Cable is also really expensive to build. You need towers, wires, trucks. It takes real cash money. So John has an idea. He figures if he can borrow a lot of money to buy and build out a giant cable company, he can make a fortune. It's very expensive to build, but super profitable once it's built. And this is going to take one unfair advantage. Financial engineering. It just so happens that John's got it. Check this out. John got a degree in electrical engineering and economics from Yale. He's got a master's degree and a PhD from Johns Hopkins. And then he spent a bunch of years working at McKinsey. So he knows everything there is to know about fundraising, equity structures, debt, tax law, spinoffs. And he uses a crazy, complicated web of financial engineering to build what will become an $11 billion fortune today. That's what he's worth. So if you're a whiz with numbers, and if you're an accountant, if you understand business math like nobody's business, then financial engineering might be your unfair advantage. All right, we're rolling here, boys and girls. And for this next one, let's look at the sultan of savings, the baron of bargains, the mega seller of mega sales, Sam. Slash those prices, Walton, the founder of Walmart. Let me take you back. So back in the 1950s, Sam's running a little five and dime shop in Newport, Arkansas, and he notices something that other retailers are missing. Customers will drive a very, very long way to save a few bucks, like a whole town over. So he figures, what if I can build a store with the lowest prices in town? And not just this town. The lowest price is in any town. The lowest price is period. And I know it sounds simple, like a store with low prices. Okay, it is simple, but it's not easy for most people. Now our main man, Sam, he's got this unfair advantage, and that is operational efficiency. This guy can squeeze a nickel so tight, it begs for mercy. And that becomes the basis of Walmart Sam's ability to operate more efficiently than anyone. In fact, he's so good at it that he goes on to absolutely dominate retail for decades. Really? Until Amazon comes along. But even today, Walmart is the most efficient operator in the world. So are you all about operational efficiency? Are you super talented at running the show better, faster, cheaper than anyone else? If so, maybe you should lean into operational efficiency. It's a hell of an unfair advantage. All right, guys, have you had enough? Can I stop here? No, no, no, no. I got one more for you. This one's close to my heart. Let's talk about this guy right over here. One of the most successful private equity moguls of all time, David Rubenstein. This guy is the mack daddy. Now, I know what you're thinking. Private equity. So David must be pretty good at investing, right? No. No, he's not. Okay, maybe David Rubenstein is good at turning around failing companies. No, you would be wrong. He must be good at finding good deals or negotiating or something like that, right? No, no, no. Homeboy doesn't do any of those things. He's a salesman by his own admission. He's just really good at selling. And he himself admits that this is his contribution to Carlyle Group, his private equity firm. He was really just very good at raising money for the firm, which is sales. Now, let's be fair. I'm sure he's being humble when he says that, and he's probably better than most people when it comes to economics and investing and whatever. But if you ask David Rubenstein, he will say his. His core contribution and the reason for his success in private equity is that he was good at bringing in the money. The fundraising, the business development, the marketing, the investor relations, that was him. He just did it on a mega scale to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars. So if you're a salesperson, then you better believe sales is a crazy, valuable unfair advantage. All right, guys, I want to wrap this up now in a bow and squeeze the best juice out of this grapefruit that I've just presented to you. I'm going to bring this home with one final lesson, and this one is a game changer. Quick break. So I can tell you about Influicity. That's the little marketing agency I started in my apartment about 10 years ago. Well, fast forward. It is not so little anymore. Influencity works with some of the biggest brands in the world, building customer communities that drive revenue. We do this through influencers, podcasts, paid media, social media, content, AI and so much more. You can learn more@influicity.com and hey, while you're there, check out our case studies. We have a lot of them. That's influicity.com I said that all these people use the same strategy to win big. And by the way, there are many examples of women, too. I've talked about so many of them on this show. And the strategy that they all have in common is that they find their unfair advantage, whether it's customer acquisition, financial engineering, operational efficiency, sales. But there's One other thing that makes this work so well. Not only did they find their unfair advantage, but they found a vehicle where they could maximize their upside. If your unfair Advantage is a 10, but your vehicle is a 2, the vehicle is going to win. Your success is going to be like 2 out of 10. But if your unfair advantage is a 10 and your vehicle is also a 10, or at least something in that direction, you're going to have some crazy, crazy success. Think about it like this. If John Malone, who was a whiz at financial engineering, decided to just be an accountant at an accounting firm, then he would have an unfair advantage, of course, but he would be using it in a very bad way. His vehicle would be weak compared to what he ended up doing. If David Rubenstein, who was an all star salesman, had decided to just work in sales at a paper company instead of co founding a private equity firm, he would have been successful as a paper salesman, but he wouldn't be David Rubenstein. If Sam Walton had used his operational efficiency to organize his closet instead of founding Walmart, your boy JD Wouldn't be talking about Sam Walton. And yes, if Ryan Reynolds was just making movies, he'd be making a very nice living as an actor. But he'd be begging a studio for his next role, for his next paycheck. Just like 99% of famous actors in Hollywood have to do every day. So you can't just find the unfair advantage. You also have to find a vehicle, an opportunity that matches. So now I want you to ask yourself, what do you do better than most? What feels like work to others, but play for you? Figure that out. Study yourself. Know yourself. Find your unfair advantage. Find an opportunity and a vehicle worthy of your time, worthy of your effort and dedication. It's so valuable. Go out there and crush it. That's how you do it. My name is John David. Subscribe to the YouTube channel and get my best stuff to your inbox@johndavids.com this episode is brought to you by my Playbook website selling machine. Available right now@johndavids.com playbook. Most companies want websites that look nice. But a lot of nice looking websites don't sell. What you really want is a website that grabs attention, builds trust and turns visitors into buyers while you sleep. That's what this Playbook gives you. Based on 10 years of work we've done at Influicity, optimizing websites for 7, 8 and 9 figure brands. Download the Playbook now at johndavids.com playbook. That's johndavids.com Playbook.