Next Level Pros Podcast - Episode #140: How To 10x Your Outcome // Recapping Our Grant Cardone Interview

Host: Chris Lee
Guest: Grant Cardone (archival interview)
Release Date: February 28, 2025

Introduction

In Episode #140 of the Next Level Pros podcast, host Chris Lee revisits a pivotal interview with renowned entrepreneur Grant Cardone. This episode delves into Grant’s journey from financial devastation to building a billion-dollar empire, highlighting the principles that fueled his extraordinary success. Chris and co-host Darryl engage in a comprehensive discussion, extracting valuable lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs and business leaders.

Grant Cardone's Financial Collapse and Rebuilding

The episode opens with Chris Lee setting the stage for Grant Cardone’s remarkable turnaround. Grant candidly shares his experience of going from a $10 million net worth to nearly losing everything, a crisis that became the catalyst for his billion-dollar success.

Grant Cardone [01:10]: "I had worked for 26 years and saw my entire net worth over a weekend when leaning collapsed. Go from, dude, I was good, and then all of a sudden I wasn't good."

This precipitous decline forced Grant to reevaluate his strategies and mindset, ultimately leading him to develop the 10X Rule—a philosophy that emphasizes setting massively ambitious goals and taking extraordinary actions to achieve them.

The 10X Rule as a Personal Manifesto

Grant explains that the 10X Rule was initially a personal manifesto, not just a strategy for others. It was his blueprint for escaping financial ruin and scaling his business endeavors across multiple industries.

Grant Cardone [01:39]: "The 10X rule is basically a concept about we set goals and targets and we find places of comfort that are too small."

He criticizes conventional financial advice, advocating for building substantial assets that can withstand economic downturns, rather than relying on minimal savings.

Grant Cardone [02:31]: "Financial illiteracy... telling you guys to pay your debt off and to basically have three months of savings is ridiculous because millions of people, tens of millions of people lost their homes in 2008 and have never recovered from it."

Importance of Accountability and Personal Responsibility

A critical turning point in Grant’s story is his acceptance of personal accountability. He emphasizes that blaming others or external factors hinders growth and recovery.

Grant Cardone [02:40]: "The first thing I did was, oh, I screwed up here when I thought I was good."

Chris concurs, highlighting the necessity of owning one’s failures to facilitate genuine improvement.

Chris Lee [05:25]: "Nobody's got it figured out. Even if we write it and think we have it figured out, like we really all have to go and do the work."

Setting Massive Goals and Massive Action

Central to the discussion is the concept of setting audacious goals and committing to massive action to achieve them. Grant illustrates this by contrasting small, achievable goals with large, transformative ones.

Grant Cardone [07:12]: "This is when you see people with success, and it's really hard to have perspective of actually what it looked like when they went through the hard, hard stuff."

Chris further elaborates on the power of the 10X Rule, using metaphors to demonstrate how scaling goals necessitates different strategies and levels of effort.

Chris Lee [16:00]: "When you pick a distance that you have to go... if you change that distance to 10,000 miles, there’s no way in heck you are considering walking, running."

Clarity and Mapping Out a Plan

Darryl introduces the importance of clarity in achieving massive goals. He discusses the Next Level System (NLS), which emphasizes creating a detailed five-year plan to bridge the gap between current realities and future aspirations.

Darryl [17:58]: "Clarity creates action. When you're unclear, you don't know what to do."

Chris agrees, underscoring that a clear roadmap coupled with mentorship significantly enhances the likelihood of success.

Chris Lee [18:33]: "Having a mentor that actually can show you the way that has run the path themselves."

Overcoming Ego and Embracing Ground-Level Work

A recurring theme is the necessity of setting aside ego to engage in foundational tasks essential for business growth. Chris shares his personal experiences of returning to door-to-door sales during bankruptcy, a humbling yet crucial period that reinforced his work ethic.

Chris Lee [25:16]: "When you scale a business, you stop doing a lot of like the ground level work. Right? But the mentality that this helped create was like I never want to put myself above or being willing to do the work."

Darryl adds that maintaining humility and a willingness to perform any task fosters continuous improvement and resilience.

The Power of Mentorship and Community

Both hosts emphasize the importance of surrounding oneself with driven individuals and mentors. Darryl recounts how Chris’s vision and relentless hunger inspired him to push his own limits, illustrating the symbiotic relationship that fuels mutual growth.

Darryl [28:56]: "What I like about it is Chris's vision. It's like, I know he's gonna push the limits, which keeps me uncomfortable and keeps me pushing the limits."

Chris echoes this sentiment, highlighting that a supportive community provides the necessary accountability and encouragement to pursue ambitious goals.

Chris Lee [20:50]: "Be a part of a community, be among other business owners that are doing it so that you can bounce ideas, share the wins, share the losses."

Personal Experiences and Massive Action Stories

The hosts share personal anecdotes illustrating the application of the 10X principles. Chris recounts launching a new company amidst bankruptcy, demonstrating unwavering commitment and adaptability.

Chris Lee [23:17]: "When I went through bankruptcy, we had immediately launched another company called K2K Alarm. It was... getting back to the grind."

Darryl reflects on the importance of pushing through adversity by taking decisive action, reinforcing the episode’s core message of resilience and proactive effort.

Darryl [24:19]: "You have to repeat that sometimes multiple times where you're like, dang, what I thought it was going to work, isn't working, and I got to push through this."

Conclusion and Final Takeaways

The episode wraps up with a synthesis of the key lessons drawn from Grant Cardone’s experience and the hosts’ personal insights:

1. Accountability: Own your failures to set the foundation for growth.
2. Massive Action: Commit to actions that are tenfold greater than conventional efforts.
3. Clarity: Develop a clear, actionable plan with long-term vision.
4. Overcoming Ego: Remain humble and willing to engage in foundational work.
5. Mentorship and Community: Leverage relationships with mentors and peers for sustained success.
6. Resilience: Embrace challenges and persist through adversity.

Chris concludes by encouraging listeners to adopt these principles to transform their failures into stepping stones for monumental success.

Chris Lee [31:25]: "Realize that your biggest failures could lead to your largest success if you can buy into an incredible vision, take massive action, and always be willing to go back to Quincy."

Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• Grant Cardone [01:10]: "I had worked for 26 years and saw my entire net worth over a weekend when leaning collapsed. Go from, dude, I was good, and then all of a sudden I wasn't good."
• Grant Cardone [02:31]: "Financial illiteracy... telling you guys to pay your debt off and to basically have three months of savings is ridiculous because millions of people, tens of millions of people lost their homes in 2008 and have never recovered from it."
• Chris Lee [16:00]: "When you pick a distance that you have to go... if you change that distance to 10,000 miles, there’s no way in heck you are considering walking, running."
• Darryl [17:58]: "Clarity creates action. When you're unclear, you don't know what to do."
• Darryl [28:56]: "What I like about it is Chris's vision. It's like, I know he's gonna push the limits, which keeps me uncomfortable and keeps me pushing the limits."
• Chris Lee [31:25]: "Realize that your biggest failures could lead to your largest success if you can buy into an incredible vision, take massive action, and always be willing to go back to Quincy."

Final Thoughts

Episode #140 of the Next Level Pros podcast serves as a masterclass in resilience, strategic planning, and the relentless pursuit of excellence. By dissecting Grant Cardone’s journey and integrating personal narratives, Chris Lee and Darryl provide listeners with a roadmap to elevate their entrepreneurial endeavors tenfold. The episode underscores that monumental success is not a product of fleeting efforts but of sustained, massive action aligned with a clear, ambitious vision.