Podcast Summary: The Stacking Benjamins Show
Episode: Alex Hormozi on Skills That Actually Build Wealth, Part 2 (SB1785)
Date: January 2, 2026
Host(s): Joe Saul-Sehy ("Joe"), OG, Doug
Guest: Alex Hormozi
Overview of Episode Theme
This special two-part episode finishes a deep-dive conversation with entrepreneur and wealth builder Alex Hormozi, focusing on practical skills, mindset shifts, and actions that meaningfully increase your earning potential, whether you’re an entrepreneur or in a traditional 9-to-5 role. The hosts take a dense interview with Hormozi and break down his most useful lessons for a broader audience, with a focus on skill stacking, strategic risk-taking, mentorship, value exchange, generosity, patience, and long-term thinking.
Tone: Upbeat, candid, and practical—filled with useful personal stories and gentle ribbing.
Core Discussion Points & Insights
1. Reframing Mindsets for Wealth Building
- The most significant leaps in income come from self-belief and recognizing your ability to learn new skills, not just raw ability or waiting for promotions.
"A lot of times it's the stuff that's between your ears…thinking, I can do this." — OG [03:42]
- Don’t wait for your boss or the universe to tell you what skills to learn. Create your own 'curriculum' by seeking and investing in the skills you need.
"Spend a little bit of money... set up your own curriculum." — Joe [04:25]
2. Skill Stacking for Exponential Returns
- Stacking multiple high-value skills together (ex: sales + negotiation + digital marketing) compounds your value and opportunities.
- Invest in yourself ("S&Me") more than just in the markets ("S&P"). Only your own skills create exponential returns.
"You're the only thing that can have exponential returns." — OG [04:57]
3. Negotiation as a Superpower
- Always ask "What would it take?" when seeking a raise or deal, as it assumes the answer can be 'yes' and invites problem-solving.
"What would it take? Because it assumes yes." — Alex Hormozi [10:47]
4. The Value—and Limits—of Mentorship
- Mentorship is challenging to acquire for free, especially from people much further ahead; often, there’s little direct value for the mentor.
- Pay for coaching or seek mentorship from those just a couple levels ahead for the best exchange.
"Try and go to a local business owner who's one or two levels ahead of you...that guy might be able to say, sure, you can take my coffee." — Alex Hormozi [11:17]
- Instead of broadly seeking mentorship, get specific: buy targeted coaching or ask for specific skill advice.
"It's less about mentorship than...I want you to teach me this specific skill that I need." — Joe [19:56]
- Bartering skills (give what you have, learn what you need) is underutilized and powerful, especially early in your career.
"Barter, I think, is wildly underutilized." — Alex Hormozi [26:23]
5. The 'Drug Dealer' (Generosity) Model
- Give away your best, not your worst, work or ideas for free. It draws people in and forces you to keep growing.
"What it feels like when you give away stuff that's truly valuable is there's a little bit of fear...but it forces me to then backfill skill-wise." — Alex Hormozi [31:43]
- Applied to both entrepreneurship and 9-to-5 life: Be the genuine go-to person (“the expert who helps everyone around you”), not just someone who’s looking to “suck up to the boss.”
- Generosity (when intentional) builds goodwill and can become a form of negotiation because others advocate for you behind your back.
"You are the expert and I'm giving your department something that I don't have to give you from my department...people will promote you from below." — Joe [39:34]
6. Risk and the Cost of Inaction
- Not taking action, or sticking only to what’s safe, is itself the biggest risk—termed here as paying "ignorance debt."
"You're probably paying a million dollars a year in ignorance debt." — Alex Hormozi [08:48]
- Early failures or “losses” are necessary:
"Get the loss out of the way. Get the no out of the way, because you're going to have it." — Alex Hormozi [55:03]
7. The Power of Specificity & Taking Action
- Reading and preparatory knowledge (declarative) only goes so far; you must take action (procedural knowledge) to truly learn and grow.
"You'll learn more from doing a hundred cold calls... than you will from reading all the sales books..." — Alex Hormozi [51:46] "[Some people] know everything, but have done none of it." — OG [53:47]
8. Patience as a Byproduct of Skill
- The more skilled you become in an area, the more “wins” you can see and sustain yourself with, making patience easier.
"The more skilled you become, the more patient you become, because you have more ways to win in the meantime." — Alex Hormozi [65:04]
- True patience comes not just from waiting but from focusing on the right activities.
9. The Principle of 'One Thing' and Ruthless Prioritization
- Major change comes from identifying and focusing on the one crucial action or skill that will eliminate or render irrelevant many others.
"If you can get really clear on that one thing, then you can do something that makes every one of your other goals irrelevant." — Alex Hormozi [56:24]
- Focus is defined by the quantity and quality of things you say "no" to.
"I define focus as the quantity and quality of things that you say no to." — Alex Hormozi [58:16]
10. Hiring, Delegation, and Personal Constraints
- Whether to hire, automate, or learn a new skill depends on risk-adjusted return and your own unique constraints.
"The unsexy answer is it depends... you have to evaluate personally." — Alex Hormozi [61:43]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
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On asking for mentorship:
"I have people to take my coffee for me that aren't going to then think, I got you a coffee, teach me. That values my time at $3." — Alex Hormozi [09:47]
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On the real risk of stagnation:
"Most folks don't [take risk]. And that's why they stay poor and they stay small and they stay insignificant." — Alex Hormozi [55:33]
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On the bartering mindset:
"I was a collector of IOUs...I helped all of them...and then I was the one who was better off..." — Alex Hormozi [26:59]
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On listening to advice:
"You have to listen to the people who are closest to your goals, not closest to you." — Alex Hormozi [45:40]
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On action trumping knowledge:
"Get the first one out of the way." — Alex Hormozi [52:58]
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On the danger of limiting beliefs:
"A lot of adulthood is fundamentally unlearning things and choosing to know that you believe your beliefs for your own reasons." — Alex Hormozi [46:49]
Key Timestamps for Important Segments
| Timestamp | Segment/Topic | |-----------|--------------------------------------------------------| | 03:03 | Setting up the key mindset: reframing skill & risk | | 08:48 | Hormozi defines "ignorance debt" and importance of negotiation | | 09:27 | The challenge of mentorship—the value exchange dilemma | | 10:47 | Negotiation tactic: "What would it take?" | | 16:03 | Organizational mentorship—target people 1-2 levels ahead| | 26:23 | Hormozi's barter/bartering skills approach | | 31:34 | The "drug dealer" model—give away your best work | | 39:34 | Generosity as an internal career strategy (corporate translation) | | 45:40 | Whose advice to actually listen to | | 51:46 | Do, don't just read: action as the best teacher | | 56:24 | Ruthless prioritization: focus on the single most important thing | | 61:43 | When to hire, when to automate, when to learn yourself | | 64:02 | Patience, skills, and how to sustain progress over time|
Actionable Takeaways
1. Focus on the one lever that makes most other activities unnecessary.
“Circle the one thing on the board—do that, say no to everything else.” [56:24]
2. Stack new, valuable skills deliberately over time—don’t wait for someone to tell you which ones.
3. Be intentional about mentorship and coaching. Ask specifically for what you want, and consider paying or reciprocal bartering with those just ahead of you.
4. Generously give away your best skills and knowledge—not to curry favor, but as an investment in relationship capital and your own growth.
5. Take risks and be willing to fail up front; the cost of no action (ignorance debt) is far greater than the cost of early losses.
6. Patience grows with skill—seek interim “wins” as feedback to maintain progress over the long term.
Memorable Closing
"Build skill, stack skills in 2025 stackers, and then realize it's not about what you know, it's about what you do. Use that to negotiate, and you're off and running." — Joe [65:44]
For more from Alex Hormozi:
- Alex’s books: $100M Offers, $100M Leads
- More info at acquisition.com
Top 3 Takeaways Reiterated (as given by Doug)
- Do more—but focus on the core activities that eliminate other tasks and maximize ROI.
- Use skill stacking to your advantage—build on your unique strengths and outpace the competition.
- Make 2025 a year of action, skill-building, generosity, and patient, focused growth.
A pivotal episode for anyone looking to radically transform their earning power, career, and confidence—from entry-level to executive, freelancer to entrepreneur.