
Loading summary
Sponsor/Announcer
Support for the show comes from Neiman Marcus. If you're struggling to think of a truly unique gift for the holidays, then check out Neiman Marcus. It's your home for the most exceptional gifts this season. From the ultimate stocking stuffers to statement bags made for celebration to their legendary fantasy gifts that surpass every expectation, Neiman Marcus has something extraordinary for everyone. And with style advisors to guide you, finding the perfect gift at every price point is effortless. So head to Neiman Marcus for a truly unforgettable holiday.
Support for today's show comes from Bitdefender. The holidays are the perfect time for bad actors to try and pry your information away. Bitdefender is looking to stop them. Bitdefender was Voted one of America's best cybersecurity companies by Newsweek and a PC magpick for its Best Tech Products of 2025 list Trusted by experts and businesses small and large, Bitdefender keeps your data, your devices and your family safe from online threats. Whether you're concerned about privacy, protecting your identity scams, or other threats to your digital life, Bitdefender has got you covered. Visit bitdefender.com trusted to see why experts and renowned brands trust BitDefender to stay protected.
Support for today's show comes from Northwest Registered Agent. Starting a business is hard. No surprise there. But Northwest Registered Agent is here to help you out. They've been helping small business owners and entrepreneurs launch and grow businesses for nearly 30 years, and they give you access to thousands of free resources, forms and step by step guides without even creating an account.
Caller - Matt from Boston
Go.
Sponsor/Announcer
Don't wait, protect your privacy, build your brand and get your complete business Identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Visit northwestregisteredagent.com Prof. G Free and start building something amazing. Get more with Northwest registered agent@northwestregisteredagent.com profg free.
Scott Galloway
Welcome to Office Hours with Prof. G. This is the part of the show where we answer your question about business, big tech, entrepreneurship and whatever else is on your mind. If you'd like to submit a question for next time, you can send a voice recording to office hours of propagmedia.com Again, that's office hours of propertymedia.com or post your question on the Scott Galloway subreddit and we just might feature it in our next episode. First Question.
Our first question comes from Initial Miserable7914 on Reddit. They say Prof. G I can build products but I can't work a room. I have a product management background and I've spent the past few years building AI automation tools and micro SaaS. What I don't have have is the extroverted hustle gene or the network to attract the operators and capital needed to scale. Is there a path forward for introverted builders who can execute but can't sell themselves? Or does the startup ecosystem just filter us out by design? I keep thinking about how many viable products are dying not because they're bad, but because the person who built them isn't wired to pitch, network and evangelize. 24 by 7. Is this a solvable inefficiency in the market or just how it has to work? So no, that, yeah, I think in almost every tech company there's sort of a tech genius or someone on the team who is deeply introverted and awkward. And I'm not saying you're awkward, but it sounds like you're an introvert. And that's why the majority of successful companies are founded by not one, but several people. So my first company that I started in my second year of business school was a company called Profit, which was a brand strategy firm still around. And my partner was a guy named Ian Chaplin. And Ian was a real. I mean, I think of myself as introverted in the sense that I have the skills to be social, especially if there's alcohol around. I'm even sometimes kind of likable or sort of amusing what I am. Use you anyways, Great line from Goodfellas. But I can do that. I can work a room, I can get clients, you know, I can do it. It takes energy from me. And that's the disposition of an introvert. It's not somebody who's not social, but someone who people sort of take energy from them instead of adding energy to them. And an extrovert is someone who gets energy from people anyways. But Ian was a very much an introvert, but he was very strong with technology and operations and had all the skills I don't have. And so typically the most successful businesses are one where you have an alchemy of talents. No one person brings it all. And so if you bring product management skills especially, and AI my brother, you bring a lot to a team. You're actually the secret sauce. Whenever I'm in pitches, whenever I've been in pitches to a VC firm or m, oftentimes I get asked to sit in on pitches. Basically the VC will say, all right, who's the tech guy or gal here? Who's the secret sauce? And then they ask them a lot of questions. So in some it Sounds like you need a front man or a front woman who understands, is more comfortable pressing the flesh and trying to raise capital. And you need that person to hire. You need that person for clients. And I keep saying this agency and the greatness of others, yeah, start a business, but just find a partner. And I have generally found, I've started almost every business I've started with a partner or a core group of people. So again, one plus one equals three here my brother. You bring a lot to the table. You just need to find your front man. Thanks for the question. Question number two.
Caller - Matt from Boston
Hi Scott, this is Matt from Boston. Similar to you, I grew up in a low income single parent household and worked hard to make it to a top university on financial aid. Now I'm surrounded by people from very wealthy backgrounds. Some of my close friends and now my new girlfriend come from ultra privileged families. I find myself feeling uneasy and hyper aware about this class difference. I can't tell if it's envy, insecurity or something else, but it's starting to eat away at me. Why do I feel like this? How do I manage this discomfort and stay grounded without letting resentment or self pity creep in? Thanks.
Scott Galloway
So first off, this is a, it's a question for a licensed therapist because if this feels like, this feels like there's some sort of, I don't know, insecurity or trauma or blockage that you need to work through, but that's not going to stop, stop me from talking about me as a means of giving you advice. But I do think it sounds like you could benefit from therapy to kind of explore this issue. I share the same sentiment as you. I don't like rich kids. I have a bias against them. And I don't know if it's because I'm jealous or it'.
Deferred anger from not having money. And that is, I've said this before, I don't, I just don't think, I think people who have money or grew up with money can, they can sympathize with people that don't have money but they can't really empathize. I don't, I just don't think people. And the story I tell is when I didn't get into ucla, I'm like, I'm not going to college because I needed to live at home. I couldn't afford to go somewhere else. And as I've said several times, I ended up getting in on appeal. And, but I remember going over, I lived in a wealthy neighborhood. We had kind of the shittiest Condo on the block. My mom's boyfriend, who happened to have another family, bought it for us, but that's another story.
But I was around a lot of kids and I was having. When I went to UCLA, I was broke. It was me and one other kid out of 120 of us that everybody knew had no money. We were always late on our fraternity bills. But you always feel like there's a ghost whispering in your ear that you're not worthy. I felt like a ghost was following me and my mom around saying, oh, you fucked up. You guys don't have money, you're not worthy. And it just kind of erodes your self esteem and you're not as confident, you're not as inclined to take big swings or risks. At least I didn't. And I remember being at a friend's house and I was all bummed I hadn't gone to ucla. And the dad said, well, just get on a plane and fly out to Michigan or Indiana and show up and don't take no for an answer and speak to the admissions department and this big rah rah speech like get up and okay. I didn't have a fucking credit card. I had maybe been on a plane a half a dozen times in my life. I wasn't gonna get on a plane and go to fucking Michigan at the Ann Arbor and just show up. I find that I resent rich kids because I just don't think there's any goddamn way. And by the way, a lot of em are just lovely and very nice. I just don't think there's any way they have any fucking idea about how hard it is to make money and make something of yourself when you don't, when you don't come from money. If a university's mission is to create income mobility like the most important university in New York is not Columbia or nyu. It's PACE because it takes people who maybe didn't get tutors in all sorts of special time. That's my favorite now in these schools is that every rich parent is convincing or writing a letter saying their kid has some acronym and that they need extra time. You want to hear a scary stat? Poor high school spend or high schools in poor areas spend about 8 to $10,000 per student. The average high school public high school spends $15,000 per student per year. The average elite private school in America spends $75,000 a year on a kid. So what a shocker. All right, here's one kid that uses an education infrastructure and gets say, you know, $180,000 in investment towards him through, funneled through this, you know, I think pretty strong education infrastructure in the us. Some people would say k very strong here and they have data to back it up. But anyways, we spent $180,000 on most kids in America, right. Whereas rich people invest vis a vis their education network approximately $900,000. And what a shocker. They're better prepared for college in the work world and make more. Well, that's a fucking spoiler alert, isn't it? Well, thank you Captain Obvious. As a matter of fact, middle income homes, kids from middle income homes score an average of 120 points higher on the SAT. That is substantial. But get this, upper income homes score 250 points higher than the middle class kid. So meaning that they score on average 370 points. And you don't think that $900,000 investment over 12 years doesn't make a huge difference. If we had true kind of affirmative action trying to get everyone to the starting point at the same time, if you will, then we would spot Every poor kid 370 points on the SAT. We would say if you could figure out a way to get to a 1230, congratulations. You just got a perfect score on the SAT. The strongest indicator of your forward looking success or the strongest forward looking indicator of your success is no longer your grit, your character, your intelligence, your kindness. It's how rich your parents are. This in my opinion is the biggest problem. But back to you.
Your resentment I think is understandable. I have figured out that okay, enough already. Or I try to be more generous and graceful and realize like, good for them, they were born with money, wasn't their fault to the benefit or the drawback. It doesn't mean they're not really good people, but I do find I resent them. I think it's because I'm a little bit jealous and insecure about my upbringing. But if you're really having trouble and it's kind of getting to you and sort of getting in the way or really erod your confidence, I would suggest there's something deeper going on and suggest that you reach out to a licensed therapist. There's now a bunch of great online platforms and talk through this issue with a licensed professional to try and it feels like there might be something deeper here and that it's just manifesting in this specific way. Anyways, very much appreciate the question and again I would suggest that you talk this out with a licensed professional. We'll be right back after a quick break. Foreign.
Sponsor/Announcer
Comes from Square, a seasonal drink at your local coffee shop. A new novel for your holiday travels? Stocking stuffers for the whole family. Small purchases like those can add up to help us feel that holiday cheer, especially if it's as simple as tapping to pay. And for a lot of your favorite businesses, the tool that makes those easy transactions possible is called Square. It's a combination of streamlined software and polished hardware that lets you sell wherever your customers are, whether it's at a counter, online or through your phone. You can take payments anywhere, all synced in real time. And it can help your business with behind the scenes stuff too, letting you track sales, manage inventory and access reports in real time. Running a business involves a lot of moving parts, and Square helps simplify all that. With Square, you get all the tools to run your business with none of the contracts or complexity. So why wait? Right now, you can get up to $200 off at square hardware at square.com go propg that's sq u-a r e.com go propg run your business smarter with Square get started today.
Support for the show comes from Chime. If time is money, then using a clunky, outdated online banking platform could be costing you. Chime gets that Chime isn't just another banking app. They're changing the bank. They unlock smarter banking for everyday people with products including MyPay giving you access to up to $500 of your paycheck anytime and getting paid up to two days early. Forget overdraft fees, minimum balance fees or monthly fees. Chime is built for you, not the 1%. With Chime, you can build your credit history stress free with your own money thanks to the new Chime card. Chime is not just smarter banking. It's the most rewarding way to bank join the millions who are already banking fee free today. It takes just a few minutes to sign up. Head to chime.com profgu that's chime.com propg.
Sponsor Legal Disclaimer Voice
Chime is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services A secured Chime Visa credit card and MY pay line of credit provided by the Bancor Bank NA or Stride Bank NA. MyPay eligibility requirements apply and credit limit ranges $20 to $500. Optional services and products may have fees or charges. See chime.com feesinfo advertised annual percentage yield with Chime+status only. Otherwise 1.00% APY applies. No min balance required. Chime Card on time Payment history may have a positive impact on your credit score. Results may vary. See chime.com for details and.
Sponsor/Announcer
Support for the show comes from LinkedIn. If you've ever hired for your small business, you know how important it is to find the right person. That's why LinkedIn Jobs is stepping things up with their new AI assistant. So you can feel confident you're finding top talent that you can't find anywhere else. And those great candidates you're looking for are already on LinkedIn. In fact, according to their data, employees hired through LinkedIn are 30% more likely to stick around for at least a year compared to those hired through the leading competitor. That's a big deal when every hire counts. With LinkedIn Jobs AI Assistant, you can skip confusing steps in recruiting jargon. It filters through applicants based on criteria you've set for your role and services only the best matches so you're not stuck sorting through a mountain of resumes. LinkedIn Jobs AI Assistant can even suggest 25 great fit candidates daily. So you can invite them to apply and keep things moving. Hire right the first time, post your job for free@LinkedIn.com Prof. Then promote it to use LinkedIn Jobs new AI assistant, making it easier and faster to find top candidates. That's LinkedIn.com Prof. To post your job for free. Terms and conditions apply.
Scott Galloway
Welcome back onto our final question.
Caller - Ira from Powerburg
Hey Profti. My name is Ira calling in from Powerburg, British Columbia, Canada. Huge fan of the POD and longtime listener. Please say hi to Ed for me. So I'm the co founder of a marketing agency that was launched five years ago. We're focused on consulting for landscaping businesses across Canada and the U.S. i've been thinking a lot lately about your advice on the importance, particularly in the early growth stages of a company of hiring and retaining great people and then getting out of their way. We recently hit a key milestone for our business of a profitable 1 million in annual recurring revenue. And in order to continue to scale, I know this is going to be critical to get right. You often say that if you want people to act like owners, you should make them owners. Do you have any advice on structuring ownership incentives for early employees? Right now we offer small bonuses tied to revenue thresholds, but I just don't think it really creates that true feeling of ownership. Thanks and keep up all the incredible work.
Scott Galloway
Thanks for the question and congratulations on your success. A company focused on consulting for landscaping businesses across Canada and the U.S. that's just so cool. There's so many cool ways to make money. Yeah, look, there's compensation and there's ownership. And compensation is people are going to engage in a certain number of activities in order to increase their compensation. But when you give them ownership, they start, you know, they'll take out the trash from the snack room or they'll refer, you know, they'll think, oh, this would be a great business opportunity for another division, another part of the company. Whereas compensation, you usually outline what their metrics are and they will study to that test. But when you make them owners, they're thinking about every aspect of the business and trying to contribute. And I find give someone some equity, make them an owner, they become like you and they start thinking about the business even when they're not working. And those are the most important people. I think in a small business you want to find the critical people and give them chunks of the company. That's what I've always done. And the mechanics are pretty straightforward. I would do an S Corp for a few reasons. One, I don't know if you've looked at 1202, but look at 1202. If you start a company, sell it five years later or more.
The equity that you've held for longer than five years. If the company has an enterprise value of less than 50 million, which your company does, the first 10 million are tax free. Actually they've just increased it to 15 million. And also, let's be honest, it's total income inequality or total tax loophole for the rich because VCs get it as well. But anyways, the best means of giving people ownership is usually through options on their equity because then it's not a taxable event. If you give people equity, equity, outright equity, it becomes a taxable event and they have to write a check. When they exercise their options, they will have to write a small check because you do basically evaluation of 409A that says, all right, the company is worth $2 million. You're giving them options on 2% of the company, that's $40,000. And they're going to have to write a check for that. But they don't have to actually, not until they exercise their options. Now there's some other stuff you want to exercise your options, ideally a year or more before liquidity event. Because if you own it for longer, you get long term capital gains. But individuals can figure that out with their own tax counsel. But essentially awarding options is the most tax efficient way to give.
People ownership. And I think that you identify those first two or three key employees and that doesn't mean they're first. I was cycled through about 10 or 15 people to get to two or three key ones. And that's not pretty, but I think in a small business it's fucking Vietnam. It's hand to hand combat. If someone's not adding a lot of value, you got to shed them and bring in someone else. But when you do find someone that's really outstanding, one, you want to make them an owner and two, you want to outline your vision for the company around why that ownership will translate to real economic value. So at Prof. G, I think we're going to continue to add voices. We're growing 20 or 30% a year and by 2027, my guess is one of these traditional media companies or a new media company is going to panic and decide they want to be in the fastest growing ad supported medium, which is podcasting and will come in and likely acquire us. Now none of us are going to get to go anywhere because we'll probably have to sign up for four or five year employment contracts. But I go through, when we do, on all hands, I outline the vision for this company. I have a track record of getting to exits and then try to say, okay, if this happens, this will be really good for people. And this is why. So the ownership question is important. It can also be Phantom ownership through RSUs or, you know, there's all sorts of ways to give people different types of ownership, but traditionally it's just an S core, S core or C Corp. You know, I'm getting my S's and my C's mixed up. I think it's S Cor. And then. Is that right? Eh, fuck. Anyway, and then you give them options so it's, it's not a taxable event when you award it to them and they believe that it's a, you know, it's, it's real ownership. Also if you're taking investment, I don't think it's a bad idea to try and do a secondary. What's a secondary? Say you want to raise 2 million bucks and there's your round is oversubscribed, which is a good problem. Take and say raise three and take a million and buy people's share, it's a chance for you to take some money off the table. And also I do it proportionate. If I sell 10% of my stock to take some money off the table in a financing round, I'll let everyone else sell 10% of their holdings. Now there's something very powerful about when those options turn into money to really get people's Greenlands going in some options structured with a lawyer. You can even do most of it on AI right now. That gets people real ownership and then just as importantly, outline the vision for the company such that they feel they have a piece of something run by someone who understands how to add value and is also looking for an exit, not looking to give it to their kids and they'll never be an exit. Anyways, congrats on your success. A million dollars in recurring revenue. Just call it AI landscaping or something and go raise billions of dollars to buy chips. Anyway, best of luck to you.
That's all for this episode. If you'd like to submit a question, please email a voice recording to officehoursoftgmedia.com that's office hours of prop2media.com or if you prefer to ask on Reddit, just post your question on the Scott Galloway subreddit and we just might feature it in an upcoming episode.
This episode was produced by Jennifer Sanchez. Our assistant producer is Laura Gennar.
Sponsor/Announcer
Drew Burrow this is our Technical Director.
Scott Galloway
Thank you for listening to the propshe pod from propg Media.
Sponsor Legal Disclaimer Voice
This episode is brought to you by Marketa. When it comes to your payments provider, you can't afford to compromise. Marketa's modern payment solutions flex with your business without the trade offs. Stable and agile. Secure and innovative. Scalable and configurable. If they say you can't have it all, don't believe them. Your business demands more. Choose a payments provider that delivers more. Choose Marketa. Visit Marketa.com Spotify to learn more.
Episode: How Introverts Can Succeed in Business, Navigating Class Differences, and Employee Equity
Date: December 8, 2025
Host: Scott Galloway
Format: Office Hours – Scott answers listener questions about business, career, and life.
In this candid and engaging Office Hours episode, Scott Galloway tackles three listener questions spanning how introverts can thrive in the startup ecosystem, navigating class differences and feelings of insecurity when coming from a less privileged background, and best practices for structuring employee ownership to cultivate true buy-in. Drawing from his own experiences and business wisdom, Scott delivers his trademark blend of blunt honesty, empathy, and tactical advice.
(Listener: InitialMiserable7914 on Reddit | 02:20)
(Listener: Matt from Boston | 05:16)
(Listener: Ira from Powerburg, BC | 15:10)
Scott is unfiltered, actionable, and self-deprecating, blending rapid-fire business acumen with genuine empathy. He uses explicit language for emphasis, weaves in humor, and grounds advice in his own lived experience.
This episode delivers a no-nonsense yet heartfelt triptych of life and business advice. For introverts, Scott advocates partnerships that blend social and technical strengths. When facing feelings of class insecurity, he normalizes resentment while urging self-awareness and therapy. He finishes by demystifying equity compensation, championing genuine ownership for early employees as both strategy and culture. Throughout, Scott’s frankness, storytelling, and hard-won wisdom make the lessons resonate for any ambitious professional or founder.