Podcast Summary: The Game with Alex Hormozi

Episode 24: Section D. Expanded Employees Chapter | $100M Lost Chapters Audiobook

Date: November 14, 2025
Host: Alex Hormozi

Overview:

This episode, an “Expanded Employees” chapter from Alex Hormozi’s $100M Leads Lost Chapters, explores how to scale a company by hiring, training, and empowering employees—especially for “lead-getting” (customer acquisition) roles. Alex breaks down mental models, actionable frameworks, and personal stories to illustrate why employees are the keys to long-term wealth, not just quick growth. The episode demystifies hiring and employee management, equipping business owners to transfer their skills and create systems that compound their efforts.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Employee Bottleneck: Real-Life Scenario

• 00:29-03:30
  Alex shares a story of missing sales goals two quarters in a row. The problem wasn’t the method—it was insufficient staffing for cold outreach.

“We lose a rep every four weeks... So if they churn out as fast as we hire them and you only hire one out of every four, that means you get like one candidate a week.” ([03:00])

• The breakthrough: Shifted screening to group interviews and prioritized hiring work ethic over perfect skill matches.
• Result: In six weeks, hiring outpaced churn, and cold outreach sales doubled.

2. The Value of Employees: Job vs. Asset

• 09:00-12:00
  Alex explains the difference between having a high-paying job (owner-dependent) vs. an actual business asset (owner-independent):

“If the business only makes money with you in it, then it’s a bad investment for anyone else... You get rich from what you make, you become wealthy from what you own.” ([11:20])

• A self-running business is 10x more valuable and sellable.

3. Mindset Shifts: Replacing Yourself

• 13:00-16:30
  Alex reflects on previously toxic beliefs:

“‘No one can do it like me’... Every time I hired somebody, I would compare what they could do to what I could do. This belief... never made me more money.” ([13:45])

• Reframes to these beliefs:
  • If you want it done right, get someone to spend all their time doing it.
  • If I can do it, someone else can do it better.
  • Everyone is replaceable, especially me.

“My time and my attention became far more valuable... If someone else can do it, why would I?” ([15:15])

4. Employee Leads = Customer Leads: The Same Framework

• 17:00-22:00
  Alex draws parallels between acquiring customers and hiring employees.
  • 5 employee lead stages: Uncontacted → Contacted → Engaged → Interviewed → Hired (mirroring customer journey)
  • Core Four applies: Warm outreach, cold outreach, post content, run paid ads—for talent as much as for customers.

“You have two types of customers. The customers who pay you and the customers you pay: your employees. The process is the same.” ([20:15])

5. How to Train Employees: The “3Ds” Model

• 23:00-30:00
  Alex’s step-by-step for transferring skills:

The “3Ds” Training Model:

1. Document: Create an exact checklist of each skill/task.
2. Demonstrate: Show the process live, adjust documentation if needed.
3. Duplicate: Employee repeats steps while you observe.

“If you vanish tomorrow, could a stranger get results if they followed your checklist only? That’s the level of clarity to shoot for.” ([26:20])

• Training Pro Tips:
  • If an employee gets confused, the checklist/teaching is at fault.
  • Praise adherence to process—even if results aren’t perfect yet.
  • Give one piece of feedback at a time.

6. Keeping Employees Productive: The Performance Diamond

• 31:00-40:00
  Performance issues come from four roots:
  1. Communication: “I didn’t know you wanted me to do that.”
  2. Training: “I don’t know how to do that.”
  3. Motivation: “I don’t want to do that.” (Reward/timing, work aversion, outside life events)
  4. Circumstances: “I can’t do that.” (resources/equipment/factors outside control)

Fixes:

• Regular check-ins (one weekly coaching session, daily huddles at shift start/end).
• For drops in performance, use Layla Hormozi’s feedback question:

“Over the last [period of time], your [performance] has changed from the norm. What do you think has gotten in the way and how can I help?” ([38:25])

• Investigate your own communication and training before blaming the team.

7. Calculating Employee “Lead Getting” ROI

• 40:30-44:30
  Simple formula:
  • Total Payroll / Total Engaged Leads = Cost Per Engaged Lead
  • Multiply by conversion rate to customer for CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost)
  • Compare to LTV (Lifetime Value or Gross Profit)

“At acquisition.com... the team responsible for creating the content that generates this interest is about $100,000 a month. This means it cost me roughly $3.33 per engaged lead in payroll to generate them.” ([43:10])

8. Who to Hire and When to Get Picky

• 45:00-48:00
• For most roles, focus on hiring and training many; get picky only for senior “hyper specific multi-six figure, C-suite employees.”
• Trust the system—refine hiring and training, don’t hoard tasks or blame team for systemic issues.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On letting go:

“Somebody did similar stuff before you were around, and somebody will continue doing some version of it after you’re gone. In one way or another, everyone is replaceable.” ([13:59])

• On training clarity:

“If they follow your directions and get the wrong result, then you know it’s the directions. That’s good. You have a lot of control over that.” ([28:05])

• On performance checks:

“Don’t fire your sales guy if you’ve got an advertising problem. And equally, don’t fire your advertising employees if you’ve got a sales problem. That little question can help you identify which employees to focus on.” ([45:15])

• On entrepreneurship and resilience:

“Having guts is a skill and that means anyone can have the guts if they learn how... We all come out crybabies.” ([47:40])

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:01 | Proverb and context for the chapter | | 00:29-03:30| The real-life hiring bottleneck story | | 09:00-12:00| Why employees make you wealthy (asset vs. job) | | 13:45 | Old beliefs about hiring—and why they’re wrong | | 17:00-22:00| Employees = customers, same acquisition frameworks | | 23:00-30:00| The 3Ds of training and why clarity is everything | | 31:00-40:00| Diagnosing and fixing performance issues (“performance diamond”) | | 38:25 | The best feedback question (credit: Layla Hormozi) | | 40:30-44:30| Calculating ROI from lead-getter employees | | 45:00-48:00| When and who to hire, and getting “picky” only for specialized C-suite roles | | 47:40 | Closing thoughts on the entrepreneurial mindset and passing it on |

Conclusion:

Alex’s expanded Employees chapter is a candid playbook for founders ready to level up. The lesson: true scale isn’t about hoarding control but about multiplying yourself through process, clarity, and consistent systems. Employees are not just helpers—they become the engines of growth and, ultimately, the linchpin of generational wealth. As Alex says, “It doesn’t take a genius to advertise… We’ve got plenty more iron wills than brainiacs anyways.”

If you’re ready to grow beyond your own efforts, this episode is an indispensable guide for building, training, and empowering the allies who will take your business much farther than you ever could alone.