The Level Up Podcast with Paul Alex

Episode: Jake Goodyear – How Gen Z Can Crush Sales and Beat the Odds

Date: October 3, 2025
Host: Paul Alex Espinoza
Guest: Jake Goodyear

1. Episode Overview

This episode features 19-year-old sales phenom Jake Goodyear, who breaks down how Gen Z can build confidence, crush it in sales, and ignore the “force of average.” Host Paul Alex—a former detective turned 8-figure entrepreneur—digs into Jake’s story of grit, rapid success in life insurance, and the mindset, obstacles, and systems that helped him hit six-figures in revenue within five months. Designed to inspire young and new entrepreneurs, this conversation delivers practical insights, mindset shifts, and real-life tactical advice.

2. Key Discussion Points & Insights

Jake’s Origin Story: From College to Sales

Jake introduced himself as a 19-year-old from New York currently living in Tampa, Florida.
He started on the conventional college path but quickly realized it wasn’t for him and began searching for more challenging, lucrative opportunities.
Early work included a stint at Planet Smoothie before moving to door-to-door pest control sales, which became his pivotal entry point into sales (03:16).

Quote:

"I was just going to college doing what most people are supposed to do... but I just started to realize college wasn't really the route I wanted to go." – Jake, [02:51]

The Door-to-Door Sales Experience: The Ultimate Training Ground

Paul and Jake agree that door-to-door sales is the fastest way to develop soft skills and "tough skin" (04:19–05:30).
Jake shares raw stories from his first day:

"My first door ever, I knocked, the guy walks outside and he's just looking at me like, 'What do you want?' I just told him straight up, 'Man, I forgot what I was gonna say. You have a blessed day.'" – Jake, [05:30]
Biggest lessons: Learning to accept rejection and realizing that people's responses don’t define you.

The "Aha" Moment & Pivot to Life Insurance

Jake describes selling across North Carolina and Long Island, adapting to cultural differences, and learning scalability limits of door-to-door work (06:34–08:00).
Felt like a "nuisance" as a door-to-door salesman and craved a business model with more scale and permanence.
Saw someone on Instagram talking about life insurance before he started door-to-door, but waited to finish his commitment before switching.

Quote:

"I recognized... it's not the people, it's not the area. It's just not enough people want to hear from a door-to-door salesman in my eyes." – Jake, [08:39]

Building Confidence, Extreme Ownership, and Mindset Mastery

Jake admits he used to have severe social anxiety and lacked confidence. Moving to Tampa allowed him to reinvent himself.
Going to the gym, getting results, and proving himself wrong gave him a sense of control over life outcomes (10:25–11:30).

Quote:

"Once I got into college... I recognized nobody knows me here. I could create who I want to be starting today." – Jake, [10:36]
"Just proving yourself wrong in terms of getting over insecurities... That was me proving myself wrong. What that did to my mind was give me control over my outcomes and circumstances." – Jake, [11:14]

Paul highlights the prevalence of social anxiety, reflecting on life in San Diego:

"Eighteen out of twenty people in the elevator would just be looking down... They wouldn't even engage." – Paul, [12:00]

Entering Life Insurance: Systems, Adversity & Scaling Tactics

Jake started in life insurance with just $0.05 in his bank account and a $900 credit limit—no backup plan, just an all-in mentality (13:37–13:59).
Faced "adversity": hundreds of dials, mostly rejection, but learned that sales is about persistence and playing the numbers.
Out of 300 calls, usually landed 3-4 buyers ([14:42]–[14:50]).
Key to scaling: bigger investment = bigger return. Profits were directly tied to money reinvested into purchasing leads (15:15–15:22).

Breakdown of Tactics:

Uses paid, digital leads rather than old-school cold calling ([16:04]–[16:26]).
Buys leads from online vendors—example: $1,000 spent might get you 1,000 leads if targeting older/cheaper ones.
Emphasizes relentless follow-up, noting that 40% of deals close two weeks after first contact due to persistent outreach (16:54–17:07).

Quote:

"If you look at stats across all businesses... 40% of the deals that actually get closed are two weeks after that person has the lead... You have to be persistent." – Jake, [16:53–17:20]

Overcoming the Age Objection & Power of Personal Brand

Jake doesn't volunteer his age unless asked. If challenged, he uses analogy to reframe expertise:

"You drive a truck. I'm not going to question your skills driving a truck. This is what I do all day, every day. I'm the expert at it." – Jake, [19:30]
Paul attests to how personal branding shrinks sales cycles and builds trust (17:39–18:49).
Discusses how building a personal brand online has exponentially increased trust and accelerated the sales process.

Building Teams and Vision for the Future

Jake's current business is 80% him, with three people he's mentoring. His goal is building a small team of high performers—not just "20 people who all do 5K" but "five people who all do 30–40K" ([20:56]–[21:26]).
Values accountability and organic growth.

Secrets to Success: Obsession, Delusional Thinking & Upgrading Your Circle

Jake attributes his speed and results to "obsession."
Cites Mark Cuban:

"Work like somebody's trying to take everything away from you 24/7." – Jake quoting Mark Cuban, [22:44]
Paul adds: high performers must be "delusional—in a good way," thinking much bigger than the average person ([23:26]).
Both agree that leveling up means changing your peer group and escaping old environments:

"Environment is everything. You have to get out of your hometown." – Jake, [24:17]
Jake describes how his family didn’t support him dropping out of college (except his dad), but he focused on seeking advice from those who had achieved what he desired ([25:07]–[25:16]).

Quote:

"They haven't done what I'm trying to do. So why am I going to listen to them when it comes to that?" – Jake, [25:17]

Paul's Story of Hitting Rock Bottom & Reinvention

Paul transparently shares losing his police career after a DUI, going to rehab, and being saved only by his side hustle income from ATMs ([28:21]–[32:49]).
Met multimillionaires and heroin addicts in rehab; this changed his view of success.

"Success is not defined just by money. It is defined by all aspects of life." – Paul, [34:21]

Final Advice: Why Not You?

Jake’s closing message for Gen Z and young people:

"We live in such a world where information is so accessible, the opportunity has never been greater to get into business or be successful. One thing I would leave anybody with is why not you?... Everybody has insecurities. But still, why not you? Why can't you be the best at what you want to do? If you believe in yourself, you can take yourself wherever you want." – Jake, [35:48–36:20]

3. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Stepping Into Sales:
"Soft skills is very important in life... Door to Door is a great stepping stone for anyone that doesn’t have sales skills to learn." – Paul, [05:03]
On Mindset:
"Extreme ownership." – Paul, [11:34]
"Obsession... is the most important thing you have to have in life and business. Because if you’re not obsessed, somebody who is obsessed is going to take your spot." – Jake, [22:26]
On Rejection:
"You could get declined 40 times in a row and have to deal with that rejection to get that one sale." – Jake, [14:12]
On Personal Branding & Trust:
"At this stage of the game... I build my personal brand where, you know, just this podcast alone... followers, which is another client acquisition." – Paul, [17:39]
On Defining Success:
"They haven’t done what I’m trying to do. So why am I going to listen to them when it comes to that?" – Jake, [25:17]

4. Timestamps for Key Segments

[02:51] — Jake’s college-to-sales pivot
[03:30] — The reality of door-to-door sales
[05:30] — Jake’s first door knock story
[06:34] — The “aha” moment and decision to pivot
[10:25] — Growing confidence, social anxiety, and mindset
[13:37] — Entering life insurance with empty pockets
[14:12] — Sales adversity, persistence, and numbers
[16:04] — How the life insurance lead system works
[19:30] — Overcoming the “you’re too young” objection
[20:56] — Building a high-performing, small team
[22:26] — “Obsession” as the key to success
[23:26] — The importance of being “delusional” (big thinking)
[24:17] — Leveling up your peer group and leaving your hometown
[25:07]–[25:17] — Why Jake stopped taking advice from family on business
[28:21]–[32:49] — Paul’s story of career loss, rehab, and reinvention
[35:48] — Jake’s closing advice: “Why not you?”

5. Where to Find Jake Goodyear

Instagram: @jakegoodyear_
Direct Contact: 718-619-1934
(As shared by Jake on air—[36:36])

6. Takeaways & Tone

This is a motivational, high-energy conversation with actionable insights for Gen Z and aspiring entrepreneurs of any age. Both Paul and Jake keep the tone real, direct, and encouraging, sharing both triumphs and vulnerabilities. The audience is challenged to take extreme ownership, invest in themselves, refuse to settle, and embrace “delusional obsession” if they truly want to level up and achieve outlier levels of success.

Listen. Learn. Take ownership. Be obsessed. Level up. Why not you?

The Level Up Podcast with Paul Alex

Episode: Jake Goodyear – How Gen Z Can Crush Sales and Beat the Odds

Date: October 3, 2025
Host: Paul Alex Espinoza
Guest: Jake Goodyear

1. Episode Overview

2. Key Discussion Points & Insights

Jake’s Origin Story: From College to Sales

Jake introduced himself as a 19-year-old from New York currently living in Tampa, Florida.
He started on the conventional college path but quickly realized it wasn’t for him and began searching for more challenging, lucrative opportunities.
Early work included a stint at Planet Smoothie before moving to door-to-door pest control sales, which became his pivotal entry point into sales (03:16).

Quote:

"I was just going to college doing what most people are supposed to do... but I just started to realize college wasn't really the route I wanted to go." – Jake, [02:51]

The Door-to-Door Sales Experience: The Ultimate Training Ground

Paul and Jake agree that door-to-door sales is the fastest way to develop soft skills and "tough skin" (04:19–05:30).
Jake shares raw stories from his first day:

"My first door ever, I knocked, the guy walks outside and he's just looking at me like, 'What do you want?' I just told him straight up, 'Man, I forgot what I was gonna say. You have a blessed day.'" – Jake, [05:30]
Biggest lessons: Learning to accept rejection and realizing that people's responses don’t define you.

The "Aha" Moment & Pivot to Life Insurance

Jake describes selling across North Carolina and Long Island, adapting to cultural differences, and learning scalability limits of door-to-door work (06:34–08:00).
Felt like a "nuisance" as a door-to-door salesman and craved a business model with more scale and permanence.
Saw someone on Instagram talking about life insurance before he started door-to-door, but waited to finish his commitment before switching.

Quote:

"I recognized... it's not the people, it's not the area. It's just not enough people want to hear from a door-to-door salesman in my eyes." – Jake, [08:39]

Building Confidence, Extreme Ownership, and Mindset Mastery

Jake admits he used to have severe social anxiety and lacked confidence. Moving to Tampa allowed him to reinvent himself.
Going to the gym, getting results, and proving himself wrong gave him a sense of control over life outcomes (10:25–11:30).

Quote:

"Once I got into college... I recognized nobody knows me here. I could create who I want to be starting today." – Jake, [10:36]
"Just proving yourself wrong in terms of getting over insecurities... That was me proving myself wrong. What that did to my mind was give me control over my outcomes and circumstances." – Jake, [11:14]

Paul highlights the prevalence of social anxiety, reflecting on life in San Diego:

"Eighteen out of twenty people in the elevator would just be looking down... They wouldn't even engage." – Paul, [12:00]

Entering Life Insurance: Systems, Adversity & Scaling Tactics

Jake started in life insurance with just $0.05 in his bank account and a $900 credit limit—no backup plan, just an all-in mentality (13:37–13:59).
Faced "adversity": hundreds of dials, mostly rejection, but learned that sales is about persistence and playing the numbers.
Out of 300 calls, usually landed 3-4 buyers ([14:42]–[14:50]).
Key to scaling: bigger investment = bigger return. Profits were directly tied to money reinvested into purchasing leads (15:15–15:22).

Breakdown of Tactics:

Uses paid, digital leads rather than old-school cold calling ([16:04]–[16:26]).
Buys leads from online vendors—example: $1,000 spent might get you 1,000 leads if targeting older/cheaper ones.
Emphasizes relentless follow-up, noting that 40% of deals close two weeks after first contact due to persistent outreach (16:54–17:07).

Quote:

"If you look at stats across all businesses... 40% of the deals that actually get closed are two weeks after that person has the lead... You have to be persistent." – Jake, [16:53–17:20]

Overcoming the Age Objection & Power of Personal Brand

Jake doesn't volunteer his age unless asked. If challenged, he uses analogy to reframe expertise:

"You drive a truck. I'm not going to question your skills driving a truck. This is what I do all day, every day. I'm the expert at it." – Jake, [19:30]
Paul attests to how personal branding shrinks sales cycles and builds trust (17:39–18:49).
Discusses how building a personal brand online has exponentially increased trust and accelerated the sales process.

Building Teams and Vision for the Future

Jake's current business is 80% him, with three people he's mentoring. His goal is building a small team of high performers—not just "20 people who all do 5K" but "five people who all do 30–40K" ([20:56]–[21:26]).
Values accountability and organic growth.

Secrets to Success: Obsession, Delusional Thinking & Upgrading Your Circle

Jake attributes his speed and results to "obsession."
Cites Mark Cuban:

"Work like somebody's trying to take everything away from you 24/7." – Jake quoting Mark Cuban, [22:44]
Paul adds: high performers must be "delusional—in a good way," thinking much bigger than the average person ([23:26]).
Both agree that leveling up means changing your peer group and escaping old environments:

"Environment is everything. You have to get out of your hometown." – Jake, [24:17]
Jake describes how his family didn’t support him dropping out of college (except his dad), but he focused on seeking advice from those who had achieved what he desired ([25:07]–[25:16]).

Quote:

"They haven't done what I'm trying to do. So why am I going to listen to them when it comes to that?" – Jake, [25:17]

Paul's Story of Hitting Rock Bottom & Reinvention

Paul transparently shares losing his police career after a DUI, going to rehab, and being saved only by his side hustle income from ATMs ([28:21]–[32:49]).
Met multimillionaires and heroin addicts in rehab; this changed his view of success.

"Success is not defined just by money. It is defined by all aspects of life." – Paul, [34:21]

Final Advice: Why Not You?

Jake’s closing message for Gen Z and young people:

"We live in such a world where information is so accessible, the opportunity has never been greater to get into business or be successful. One thing I would leave anybody with is why not you?... Everybody has insecurities. But still, why not you? Why can't you be the best at what you want to do? If you believe in yourself, you can take yourself wherever you want." – Jake, [35:48–36:20]

3. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Stepping Into Sales:
"Soft skills is very important in life... Door to Door is a great stepping stone for anyone that doesn’t have sales skills to learn." – Paul, [05:03]
On Mindset:
"Extreme ownership." – Paul, [11:34]
"Obsession... is the most important thing you have to have in life and business. Because if you’re not obsessed, somebody who is obsessed is going to take your spot." – Jake, [22:26]
On Rejection:
"You could get declined 40 times in a row and have to deal with that rejection to get that one sale." – Jake, [14:12]
On Personal Branding & Trust:
"At this stage of the game... I build my personal brand where, you know, just this podcast alone... followers, which is another client acquisition." – Paul, [17:39]
On Defining Success:
"They haven’t done what I’m trying to do. So why am I going to listen to them when it comes to that?" – Jake, [25:17]

4. Timestamps for Key Segments

[02:51] — Jake’s college-to-sales pivot
[03:30] — The reality of door-to-door sales
[05:30] — Jake’s first door knock story
[06:34] — The “aha” moment and decision to pivot
[10:25] — Growing confidence, social anxiety, and mindset
[13:37] — Entering life insurance with empty pockets
[14:12] — Sales adversity, persistence, and numbers
[16:04] — How the life insurance lead system works
[19:30] — Overcoming the “you’re too young” objection
[20:56] — Building a high-performing, small team
[22:26] — “Obsession” as the key to success
[23:26] — The importance of being “delusional” (big thinking)
[24:17] — Leveling up your peer group and leaving your hometown
[25:07]–[25:17] — Why Jake stopped taking advice from family on business
[28:21]–[32:49] — Paul’s story of career loss, rehab, and reinvention
[35:48] — Jake’s closing advice: “Why not you?”

5. Where to Find Jake Goodyear

Instagram: @jakegoodyear_
Direct Contact: 718-619-1934
(As shared by Jake on air—[36:36])

6. Takeaways & Tone

Listen. Learn. Take ownership. Be obsessed. Level up. Why not you?

Jake Goodyear: How Gen Z Can Crush Sales and Beat the Odds

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Summary

The Level Up Podcast with Paul Alex

Episode: Jake Goodyear – How Gen Z Can Crush Sales and Beat the Odds

1. Episode Overview

2. Key Discussion Points & Insights

Jake’s Origin Story: From College to Sales

The Door-to-Door Sales Experience: The Ultimate Training Ground

The "Aha" Moment & Pivot to Life Insurance

Building Confidence, Extreme Ownership, and Mindset Mastery

Entering Life Insurance: Systems, Adversity & Scaling Tactics

Overcoming the Age Objection & Power of Personal Brand

Building Teams and Vision for the Future

Secrets to Success: Obsession, Delusional Thinking & Upgrading Your Circle

Paul's Story of Hitting Rock Bottom & Reinvention

Final Advice: Why Not You?

3. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

4. Timestamps for Key Segments

5. Where to Find Jake Goodyear

6. Takeaways & Tone

Summary

The Level Up Podcast with Paul Alex

Episode: Jake Goodyear – How Gen Z Can Crush Sales and Beat the Odds

1. Episode Overview

2. Key Discussion Points & Insights

Jake’s Origin Story: From College to Sales

The Door-to-Door Sales Experience: The Ultimate Training Ground

The "Aha" Moment & Pivot to Life Insurance

Building Confidence, Extreme Ownership, and Mindset Mastery

Entering Life Insurance: Systems, Adversity & Scaling Tactics

Overcoming the Age Objection & Power of Personal Brand

Building Teams and Vision for the Future

Secrets to Success: Obsession, Delusional Thinking & Upgrading Your Circle

Paul's Story of Hitting Rock Bottom & Reinvention

Final Advice: Why Not You?

3. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

4. Timestamps for Key Segments

5. Where to Find Jake Goodyear

6. Takeaways & Tone