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Emma
Today's episode of YAP is sponsored in part by Indeed, Shopify, Quo, Revolve, Merit Beauty, Deleteme, Northwest and Spectrum Business Attract Interview and hire all in one place with Indeed. Get a $75 sponsored job credit to boost your job's visibility at Indeed.com Profiting Shopify is the global commerce platform that helps you grow your business. Start your $1 per month trial period@shopify.com Profiting Quo, formerly OpenPhone, is the number one business phone system. Get 20% off your first six months@quo.com Profiting Shop the latest trends from today's top brands with Revolve. Head to Revolve.com Profiting and take 15% off your first order with code Profiting Merit Beauty is a minimalist beauty brand that makes elevated makeup and skincare. Go to meritbeauty.com to get your free signature makeup bag with your first order. Delete me makes it quick, easy and safe to remove your personal data online. Get 20% off DeleteMe consumer plans@joindeleteme.com Profiting don't wait. Protect your privacy. Build your brand and get your complete business Identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Visit Northwest registered agent@northwestregisteredagent.com Yap Free Spectrum Business they don't just give you Internet, they set you up with everything that your business could need. Visit spectrum.com freeforlife to learn how you can get business Internet free forever. As always, you can find all of our incredible deals in the show notes or@youngenprofiting.com deals hello my young and profiters. I know most of us, if not all, have been in a situation where you open up your closet and you suddenly feel like you've got nothing to wear. That stress is real, especially if I've got a big speaking engagement or a major event and I need an outfit that makes me feel confident and great about myself. And that's why I love Revolve. It's my go to for every occasion. From weddings to work events to going out at night. I always wear revolve with over 1200 brands and 100,000 styles. They've got everything from elevated basics to statement pieces. Plus they drop new arrivals daily and the curated edits make finding outfits easy and fun. Whether it's a weekend away, a big night out, or just a little style refresh. Your dream wardrobe is just one click away. Head to Revolve.com profiting shop my edit and take 15% off your first order with code profiting fast two day shipping easy returns. Sometimes I do overnight delivery when I need an outfit. In a pinch, it's literally the only place you need to shop from. That's Revolve.com profiting to get my favorites and get 15% off your first order with code profiting offer ends November 9th. So happy shopping. What's up my young and profiters? The game has changed and the old rules of success no longer apply. You don't need a fancy degree or a million dollar idea to win in today's world. What you need is clarity, confidence and the right strategy. And my guest, Dean Graziosi is the perfect person to show you how to get there. In this YAP classic episode, Dean and I dive deep into how the digital revolution has leveled the playing field for everyday entrepreneurs. You'll learn how to turn what you already know into income, use AI to scale faster, and create a business that thrives no matter what's happening in the economy. If you're ready to ditch the excuses, claim your edge and build a life on your own terms, stick around. Here's my interview with Dean Graziosi.
Hala Taha
So young and profits. Dean came on the show episode 68 and that was all the way back in 2020 when I first became an entrepreneur. Now I own a company called Yap Media. 60 people work at this company worldwide. And when I first talked to you, I was just this new entrepreneur and you inspired me so much with your rags to riches story. I can't believe how much has changed. And the world has just changed so much since 2020. We talked during COVID the summer of COVID basically, and the world was in so much flux. I'm sure you inspired so many people, so younger profits. If you want to listen to that episode, it's episode 68. We talked about his amazing come up story. We talked about the underdog advantage, the mindset of being an entrepreneur and staying resourceful, and we even talked about sales and confidence tips. So I highly recommend that episode for anybody who's a new entrepreneur who wants to be inspired to become an Entrepreneur. That's episode 68 and today we're just going to talk about entrepreneurship and how much the world has changed. So I've actually heard you say that the American Dream needs a generational reboot. So I'd love to hear about that. Why do you feel the American Dream has changed and why do we need to rethink the way we think about the American Dream?
Dean Graziosi
Great question. First off, I really want to give you kudos. I remember our interview in 2020 and I could see you were a little bit like a deer in headlights. It was new. It was fresh. Your eyes were wide open. Your energy was huge. And I see why you've become so popular and why you inspire so many. Because your story is amazing and your journey's amazing, and it just shows what's possible. When you're scared, you're unsure. But when you know, when you know there's another level of life waiting for you, you have to do the uncomfortable. You have to do what other people aren't willing to do. You have to miss a few events. You have to say no to your friends a few times when they want to have cocktails and you're doing something and they think you're crazy, and they think, shouldn't you be back in a secure job? And all the crazy stuff that goes on in the Invisible when no one's watching. The reason I love talking about entrepreneurship, because we have something in common. We have thoughts in our mind that most people don't. When no one's around, we're thinking, are we gonna make this? How are we gonna make this? How do I get more creative? How do I get innovative? Where can I learn? What podcast should I listen to? What book should I listen to? What mentor should I have? What course should I buy? We're doing all this stuff in the Invisible, so in the light on front stage, it looks like we have something unique. We are special. We got lucky. When that's not the case, we're doing the work when no one's watching. And if you're here on this podcast, you are doing that work. You are doing the investigating. That's why I love being with a group like this. And I look forward to having fun. I'm in a mood today, so let's have some fun. I want to share as much as possible.
Emma
I love it.
Hala Taha
I feel your energy. I love it.
Dean Graziosi
And listen, it doesn't mean this is going to be politically correct with everyone. I come from a different generation, from the. A lot of the people that are watching. I'm 55, even though I have some young children. And I love feeling young, staying young. But still, I've been around a little longer than most. And when I was young, there wasn't the Internet. You couldn't find somebody like you who was sharing information, interviewing amazing people. It wasn't so easy to download podcasts or books on audio, right? If you wanted more, you had to find a mentor or read some books. But to me, what the American dream meant to me as a kid is two Things one, my grandfather came from Italy, and he didn't have the money to get from Italy to America in the late 1800s. So his family gave him a donkey that he walked down to the docks, found a boat going to America, sold the donkey, and still didn't have enough. So he made a deal to shovel coal in the steam engine as a ticket to America. Never saw his family again. Got on this boat, came to America, got dropped off on Ellis island in New York City without a dollar in his pocket. Didn't know a human being and didn't know the language. That was my grandfather, Hala. And right now, I live an abundant life where I get to impact people for a living. I get to partner with the people that I respect the most. I get to retire my mom, retire my dad, and make sure my family's okay. I get to be in control of my calendar, my time, because of what I believe is the American dream, which is entrepreneurship and having the opportunity to have no limits. That is the simple definition. But a lot's changed, especially since COVID And people think, is capitalism greedy? Is wanting to be an entrepreneur and do your own thing. Is it still popular? Is it still a good thing? The fact of the matter is our country, America at least and most of the world is fueled by small businesses. We see the Big Apple and we see the Big Amazon. But this country is fueled by the startup entrepreneur that does their own thing, that does the work in the invisible. And I believe that whatever your beliefs are, I believe we are pushed so far away in the last couple of years that. That maybe doing your own thing isn't good. Maybe it is greedy to want to be successful. I think people were criticized for working hard. I think we pushed so far to one extreme that I see a rebound that is massive right now. Each month, more people are registering new businesses than ever before in the history of America. Right now, people are saying, enough bs I want to do my own thing. I don't want restrictions. I don't want a glass ceiling. I don't want someone with their thumb on my head. I don't want someone to adjust my calendar. I. I'm gonna gain the skills, gain the capabilities, and get your version of the American dream. I think the American dream is just hope with a path. We hope we can have more, find somebody who's already done it and go all in to reach our full potential. That's my belief and I love. I'm blessed to do for a living along with my partner, Tony Robbins, is just help people sometimes take off the facade, take off the locks, the blocks, the limiting beliefs, the imposter syndrome, and just see you for who you are when you look in the mirror and go, I'm more than this. I know I'm meant for more. I know I can do more. I'm enough. I know enough. I can do this. I just need a path. And I love helping people find that path, just like you do, or you wouldn't be doing this podcast 100%.
Hala Taha
And I love what you're saying because it's so true. Life is easier now. It's easier for entrepreneurs. It's never been easier to become an entrepreneur. We've got all these new technologies and advantages and opportunities. And like you said, my dad came to America and he told me a story. All he came was, he had a chicken that his grandma gave him or something when he came to America. And then he became a doctor and a surgeon and all these things, and he started from nothing. So similarly, I feel like I had no excuses. I grew up with, oh, I have no excuse. My dad came here, all he had was a chicken. You know what I'm saying? So it's like, it's a very similar thing. So let's talk about these new opportunities and advantages that entrepreneurs have. Why is the barrier to entry, to becoming an entrepreneur so much lower than it was before?
Dean Graziosi
Let's just talk about technology. If you're born with something, your dad, right? Where did dad leave?
Hala Taha
Palestine. I'm Palestine, 100% Palestinian.
Emma
Yeah.
Dean Graziosi
Amazing. Amazing. I was trying to figure that from your name. I was guessing that amazing story, right? But think about your father had his share of obstacles that you can't relate to. You weren't born with those. My children aren't born with the obstacles my grandfather had or some of the obstacles I had. Right. They're born in a different era. So when you're born and things are at your fingertips, your brain automatically goes to what's missing, what's lost. How hard is it? Right. Politics are so insane right now all across the world, especially here in America. It's ridiculous, right? So our brain goes, oh, with this political oh, with this, oh, there's too many people online. Oh, AI could crush us. AI is going to put us out of business, and our brain only defaults to what we know. Could you imagine your dad if someone said, hey, you have the opportunity to go online to start a business with your phone, you could find ideal clients. Your father would be like, this is the greatest thing in the world. He had a chicken. And how to put himself through school, it would have seemed amazing. He would have been grateful every day. But if you took two generations later, maybe your children, who are just brought up with all of it, their brain is gonna find what's missing. So I know that's philosophical. I'll get more tactical in a minute. But first, we have to adjust our thought process. Instead of saying, oh, it's really hard. No, it's not. If you wanna go, ask your grandparents. If you have grandparents alive, ask your grandparents how they had to get by in life. I guarantee you're gonna go, wow, I'm pretty damn lucky. I'm going to give you an example. In my industry, I just want to be specific for a minute. I bought Tony Robbins, who's now my dearest friend and partner. But I bought his course 27 years ago, before a lot of people listening were alive, actually, 28 years ago. So I bought his course. At that time, I worked on cars, I had a tow truck, I had apartments. But I buy Tony's course, and it shifted my life. It made me realize that I gave Tony money for information. It shifted my life. I wanted to be in that business. So 27 years ago, I shifted everything. That's why I'm in this industry. But I want to share something. When I first started in this industry, so using this as a comparison, say you wanted to do what I do, what Tony does, what so many people are doing, and you want to impact others with your life experience, a talent you have, a skill you have, a passion that you have. When I started 27 years ago, I had to produce an infomercial because there was no Internet. People are like, why did you do infomercials? Like some old. Like, there was no Internet. So I had to produce an infomercial which was $150,000, and I used credit cards to get half that done. I had to get product built. This was when there was DVDs and cassette tapes and booklets. I had to get product printed, and I had to put it in the warehouse. And tapes and DVDs, I had to hire a company to ship it. Then I had to pay $50,000 in TV media just to get a test. So I was in over $200,000, and I was selling a $37 course. My family's like, you're an idiot. How many of those $37 courses do you have to sell just to get your money back? All of that had to happen fast forward today. You could literally use AI to help you unlock your life experience, to turn it into a coaching program or a course or a workshop or a monthly membership. You literally could do that in hours. You could get the framework. I would love to know your entrepreneurial journey. When I met you, you wanted to be an entrepreneur. Now you got 60 or 80 employees and a thriving business. I would pay anything. I want to know your story. If you were 27 years ago, you'd have to do all things I did. Right now. You literally could go to AI for a day, lay it out, film on your phone and plug into a system where by the end of the week, for the cost of five cups of coffee, you could be online targeting your ideal client and making sales. So if you look at why it's been easier, things are getting exponentially easier. Every single day. People say to me, is AI going to take my job? I'm like, no, people who use AI the right way will take your job or take your career. That's all it is. It's not stealing your job and everything new. Maybe not for a younger generation, but everything new for a little bit older generation thinks it's the end of the world. Everything can be used for good, everything can be used for bad. The Internet, there's porn and people selling drugs and there's life transformative information to save the world. It's what happens. It's you get to choose how you utilize this technology to empower you, empower others, impact and grow faster. So I think you are alive during the golden age. I know it might be hard to see. I know the world is in a crazy place. I know people are uncertain. But hear me, and I'm guessing with your age, your following is in that same demographic and I'm sure you got variables on each side, outliers. But I want to share this with you and I'm not trying to say, well, no, when I went to school, it was. I'd walk uphill both ways in the snow. I just want you to know if you can put yourself in a place of this is what I have rather than this is what I lost. Where can I look for opportunities rather than looking for obstacles? Where can I see where the world is going rather than looking in the mirror of where it was. I promise you there is more opportunity for you right now to thrive. And you're also a part of a generation where we have instant gratification. So the other little bit of advice, not talking to you like a dad, but other little bit of advice, do not overestimate what you can do in a year. The other way I should Say is we all overestimate what we can do in a year and we underestimate what you can do in five. And in the next five years with focus. Look at this amazing woman that you follow. I was out here in 2020, it's not even five years yet because of determination, because of sticking. Look how this woman's life has transformed. But if she would have judged, Let me ask you, if you don't mind me putting that, if you would have judged this whole experience six months in.
Hala Taha
You're so right. If I would have looked back six months after starting, I would have seemed like I made no progress. But I started as a podcaster, right? Three years later, I had an award winning social media agency. Five years later, I have the number one business and self improvement podcast network. And they call me the podcast princess, right? So literally five years later, I'm dominating my entire industry as the number one female podcaster and I represent all the top businesses, business podcast, and I make 30% of all their sponsorships, basically.
Emma
Right.
Hala Taha
So to your point, so much can change in five years if you just focus and you're consistent.
Dean Graziosi
I love it and I love. You're such proof of that. And I want people to look behind because let me just ask you, was there a time in the first year where you said, I don't know if I should be doing this 100%?
Hala Taha
The first two years I was growing on LinkedIn and platforms, but pretty much stagnant growth. I was getting big guests, but I was, I couldn't really see the light at the end of the tunnel. I was really becoming an entrepreneur and realizing that, hey, I can monetize my podcast in other ways and then reinvest into my dream and I'll ultimately get what I want, but maybe not in a straight path.
Dean Graziosi
Thank you for that honesty. And I don't mean to be interviewing you, but I want to ask you a couple more questions.
Hala Taha
No, it's great.
Dean Graziosi
And any of that time, did anyone in your family say, hala, are you real? Are you sure you're doing the right thing?
Emma
Yes.
Hala Taha
I mean, I had to actually break up with my ex boyfriend because he didn't want me to become an entrepreneur. He was happy with me being a podcaster. But as soon as I started a business and it was basically my husband, right? So I had to break up with my long term partner.
Dean Graziosi
You questioned yourself, questioned your finances, people who loved you, questioned you. And was there ever a moment where you just said, I got a bail and you started researching, where should I Go, should I go back to a secure job? Should I do podcasting on the side and get a 9 to 5? Only reason I'm sharing this, you're shaking your head yes. The reason I'm sharing this is because I want all of you to know to do your own thing. Everybody sees the end result. Ogmund Dino, he wrote a book called the World's Greatest Salesman. He said, you gotta remember that the prize is at the end of the journey, not the beginning. And you don't know how many corners you have to go around until your prize is there. Meaning in my opinion, that is, or my observation is that's like you don't have any corners of obstacles. Overcoming your parents, overcoming someone, leaving you because you wanted to live into your full potential, overcome the self doubt, overcome the imposter syndrome. Another corner, another corner. And sometimes you go around six corners. You go like, this one was so hard. And you get around the corner and there's still another corner. You're like, oh, my God, when is this going to happen? But that's only when you're in it. When you're in it, it seems like forever. Now I'm sitting here having a conversation with you. I bet you look back, go, oh, my God, I got to this in four and a half years. It is lightning speed. And here's the part you got to realize. And if any of you have children, I love to think about or say the truth. You probably missed going out with girlfriends at certain times. Maybe missed on some dating opportunities, missed out on some family functions. You have a friend, I will bet my life you have a friend that go, oh, you're too busy with your company. You don't even call me anymore. I guarantee you have 1, 100%, okay? Those same people are gonna look at you in three or four years and go, oh, my God, I used to know her. I wonder if I could get some information on how I could do what she did. What I'm saying is everybody wants the outcome of where this amazing woman is right now and where she's going to be over the next 10 years. But most people aren't willing to do the work. So I'm just going to tell you, say, do the work. Don't expect it to happen in three months or six months or a year. Here's something really important. Somebody just asked me last week about what's the fastest way to success. It's like, oh, my God, you know, now there's a million things that you never thought you had to think about that you do. But if I had to boil it down to a few number one, model proven practices. Find somebody who's already done what you're doing and model what they're doing. Have them be a mentor, get in their coaching program, just obsessively observe everything they're doing. There is no reason in today's world to start at zero when somebody is already doing what you want to do. Start off where they left off and then make it yours, number one. Number two, you need a big enough purpose. If your purpose is, I want to get rich and buy the watch and go on vacations, I promise you there'll be a point where you go, eh, it's not worth it. But when you have the opportunity to go deeper and say, hey, my father came with a chicken and transformed his life, I want my family to see, maybe in your life, I'm not putting words in your mouth. I want a partner that sees my worth as a human, as an entrepreneur, and fuels my entrepreneurship. I am not going to stop that because I'm going to attract a man or a partner that loves me for exactly who I am. We need something so big that when you get turned down, when you're six months in, when imposter syndrome kicks in, when a boyfriend breaks up with you or a parent tells you you're crazy, something so big that you go, I hear you, but I'm not stopping. And then the third thing is you just got to keep persisting. You got to keep going around corners. Some of us have to go around three corners, some of us have to go around 30. But if you persist, you will succeed. There's no way around it.
Emma
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Hala Taha
Hey young and profiters.
Emma
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Hala Taha
That's because it is.
Emma
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Hala Taha
I'm sure you got everybody tuning in fired up about being an entrepreneur if they're not one yet. So Dean, let's stick on this Topic for a little bit in terms of.
Emma
How people don't have to choose between.
Hala Taha
Their career and their passions anymore. There used to be a day where to make money, you just had to do hard work. Didn't necessarily mean you liked to do the work, but it was what was available. And that's really not the case anymore. So how have things changed from the past in terms of this?
Dean Graziosi
Such a great question. I could sit and chat with you for hours because the main reason we called it the Game has changed just because of that. People used to think, to get successful, I have to find a way that makes money, even if I like it or I don't sacrifice myself completely and just hopefully make the money. That has changed exponentially because of technology, because of AI, because of the ability to learn at a fast pace, to be able to get product and testing out like that at minimal cost, all of those things have changed. That's why we named it the Game has changed. But I think the most important thing, and I can see in the interviews, because I watched a few of your interviews before so I could get to know you even a little better. Since it's been, you know, four and a half years, I think we've been taught and told the biggest lie. When you hear people say we must have work life balance, I think that's the biggest crap in the world. Do you know anybody that has work life balance? I think that's shared with people because people didn't like their jobs. Over 50% of people are in a job that they hate. Not dislike, they hate it, right? So they're in a job that they hate. And it's like, I must balance. I could picture somebody, like, at the front door before they walk in, like, I gotta balance. I'm gonna walk through the door with a smile. I need this balance. I need this balance. It never works, right? If you're having a bad day at work, you carry that home. Things aren't going. If your boss has got his thumb on your head or her thumb on your head, you carry it home. So what you've discovered, and you probably know this, I'm just gonna put a term to it, is life work integration. When you have the opportunity to do something that empowers you. We're working right now, both of us. This is a blast. I'm having a time in my life. We're working. This is our work, right? And if you inspire me today or I'm watching some of your other podcasts and I get inspired and I'm in a better Space. And I see a breakthrough and I see I could live into my full potential. When I go home to my wife, I'm a better man. When I play with my kids, I'm a better father. And the wish I would wish I could grant. And the reason we're doing this live event is to show you that you literally could have a life. Not a pie in the sky, not get rich for doing anything, but you could have a life where you don't care and you don't know where work ends and life begins because you're growing as a human in both of them. And that's why we call it the game has changed. And Covid proved that. When Covid came, we were all home. That's when we did our last interview. A lot of people didn't go back because they're like, I'm not going back to a group that makes me feel bad about myself every day. That stops my innovation. But most people didn't know where to turn. And that's why Tony and I will scream for mountaintops to give people a path and a plan to do that.
Emma
Yeah.
Hala Taha
So what about normal people, right? People who are not me or you? They don't have a platform. Why do you think that they have something to teach other people? How do they know when they do.
Emma
Have something to teach other people?
Dean Graziosi
Really great question. I know a lot of you are young on here, listen. But let me just ask you, and I've asked a lot of people this. When people say to me, I'm not sure my life experience is valuable, I say if you had the opportunity to go back and spend one week with your 18 year old self and for that one week, your 18 year old is going to sit and listen to you for a week. I've asked for a million dollars, I've asked with 100,000. I said, if you had a chance to go back and spend a week with your 18 year old self and you could bring back any information, here's the business you go in. Don't get in that relationship. Don't look at the lens of relationship. Don't replicate what your parents did. Think of all the things you would tell your 18 year old self, think bigger. Don't let other people get in your mind. Maybe don't go to college. Go right into entrepreneurship and find specialized knowledge. Go mentor for somebody. Take a deep breath. You don't need to be married by 25. Like all the things that you would do, I say, would you choose if I could wave a magic wand and put a million bucks in your bank account or send you back for a week with your 18 year old self 99.9% of the time, everybody always goes, oh my God, I would go back and talk to my 18 year old self, my life would be better, I'd be happier, I'd be more fulfilled, I would change my exercise, I would change the way I looked at relationship, the way I looked at entrepreneurship that's worth hundreds of millions. You gotta realize the life experience you've accumulated is that valuable to someone else who's just starting off. If you went through a bad breakup and found yourself after somebody starting the breakup, you might want to create a program or a community based around that. If you got good at sales, if you got good at podcasts, if you got good at anything, you are one step ahead of somebody who's starting on zero. You get to collapse time. And that's what all of us want. We want time, we want the fastest. Smart entrepreneurs cut checks for speed. That's just it. And you have the opportunity to collapse time for other people. By day one, everybody's gonna know, oh, I do have something. And this is what it is.
Hala Taha
Yeah, I love what you're saying because it's so true. For instance, AI. AI just came out a year ago for the public. If you've mastered AI in the last year, you're already so much far ahead of everybody who hasn't even thought about it yet. And you can turn that into a product. You know, just even having a year.
Dean Graziosi
Of experience, you are so 100% right. Especially everybody over 40 is struggling with AI. Everybody under 40 is part of their life. My kids, my 17 and 15 year old son use it every day of their life. Right where my dad, I gotta explain to him every five minutes on how it's not Google, it's different, and show them how to ask questions. So, great example, great example.
Hala Taha
Yeah. Okay, so we talked about some of the opportunities, the fact that technology is moving so fast it's easier than ever to become an entrepreneur, to sell something online. But let's talk about some of the challenges. And I know one of the big challenges is inflation. And when I think about inflation, I think about groceries. Right. I don't really think about entrepreneurship. So how does inflation impact entrepreneurship?
Dean Graziosi
I'm just going to quote Warren Buffett. Not quote, but share some of the things he said. He said during high inflation, if you have a business that relies on buying product and having it shipped, you can get slaughtered because gas prices can go up. The cost of storing it goes up and the cost of the product goes up. So if you have small margins, if you're buying something for 20 bucks and you're selling it for 30 bucks, and all of a sudden gas prices, margin, shipping goes up, your profit is destroyed. They say if you're a carpenter and you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail. So of course I'm gonna look through the lens of my business, my industry. Why I love what you're doing right now is right now you are providing value to the world. You have sponsorship, your company's there to make money. It should. You should make a lot of money for the lives you're changing. I hope you make more than anything on the planet because you're impacting lives for a living. But right now, you're not paying for a product. You're delivering this through social media platforms that don't cost you anything. Your cost of goods is zero. Of course you have to have a studio. You have to have someone help you. I get all that. But you're not putting product in a business. And you don't know if inflation is going to destroy you. You own a grocery store. Right now, you are screwed. People are mad. The prices go up and your margins are going down. You can do nothing about it. You're choked. Why I love the information industry is because your product costs nothing. You don't have to store it, you don't have to warehouse it. Inflation doesn't impact it, and it's one of the most valuable assets you can deliver to people. To me, it is inflation proof. And simultaneously, you can grow. You hired. Did you say you're at 60 people, 60 employees?
Hala Taha
Yes.
Dean Graziosi
Amazing. Amazing, right? If we get to sell information and grow, then we hire other people. We can pay them better, and we help reduce the stress of inflation.
Hala Taha
That's awesome. In terms of inflation. So traditional business models are not doing as well as new business models that are online because of this inflation, because you have to have products store it. We basically have free distribution now. What other challenges do you think entrepreneurs are facing right now?
Dean Graziosi
I think the biggest challenge, and this is just my age is determining this. I think our biggest challenge is the stories that are going on inside of our heads. In all my years in partnering and fortunate to meet some amazing entrepreneurs and multiple billionaires. And I don't say like, look at me, but you see, you can't help. And you do this because you're interviewing so many great people. You are seeing trends. That's why you're doing so well in your business. It's a great business model, by the way. You're interviewing incredible entrepreneurs and then you take what you learn and input it in your own business. Brilliant, right? Brilliant. But if you see the entrepreneurs who thrive, especially when things are changing, it's because they're working on their personal development, they work on their personal growth, they work on their thoughts, they work on their emotions. Because during uncertain times, I would say we are in those. Our brains can start focusing on what could go wrong. Our brains start focusing on how to protect, how to play goalie. And a lot of times when things shift, you can't play goalie, you can't protect. Because if you're not climbing, you're sliding. That's a fact. So a couple of things, and I would write these down. Number one, you must protect your confidence in a shifting time, in a crazy time, in a time you want to grow. You have to protect your confidence. You've never made a good decision when your confidence is down. You didn't get the date, you didn't get the relationship, you didn't get the job, you didn't get the sale. You got nothing when your confidence is down, you know that. So you have to focus on anything. You can borrow confidence from the past, borrow confidence from a great podcast, borrow confidence from an incredible book, borrow confidence from a mantra. I can do this, I can do anything. God gave me a gift and I'm going to bring it to life. Whatever it is you need to do, you gotta work on your mindset. Because again, not quoting simple quotes, but Henry Ford said, if you think you can, you will, and if you think you can't, you won't. So it doesn't matter if you have the greatest business. If you get in your head, you're dead. If you get in your head thinking this is going to go wrong, inflation's going to kill me. What's going to go on with this election? You're focused so much on the outside, your business suffers. So for me, I would say go upstream and work on you. Become unstoppable. Have a mind that you can question the negative thoughts, you can observe and say, I get that part, but I'm going after the opportunity, not the obstacle. I'm going to focus on what I have, not what I've lost. I think you need to be a warrior inside your mind right now more than any other thing, because once you have that, I would absolutely go with someone with an unstoppable mindset and a sea opportunity than someone who's scared with an A opportunity yeah.
Hala Taha
The number one job of an entrepreneur is to sell. Right? And if you have no confidence and you get on your sales call, you're insulting. You're not selling anybody to join your team, you're not selling anybody to buy your products. And you need to be able to sell and have confidence. So let's talk about worst businesses and best businesses to start right now. What's your opinion?
Dean Graziosi
The way things are right now, I would not start anything that takes a huge capital call. If you have to finance your house, if you have to get credit cards, if you have to borrow money or use your savings or tap into your 401k to put a lot of money out, I would honestly pause on that. I would pause on crazy spending right now. I know you didn't ask me that. I would pause on buying the brand new car today. I would pause on buying the really fancy watch. I would pause on buying the bigger house right now. I would pause on that just to see where things are going. But don't pause on your innovation. Don't pause on your creativity. Don't pause on your energy. I would pause on putting money into any company that takes a huge upfront and if it's got huge product costs, so that's a must. And on the opposite side, I feel like I just keep coming back to my thing. But there's other businesses like that. What businesses can you start with your own time and effort? What businesses can you start without a huge outlay of cash to get the first momentum, to get the first sales, to get things going? What things can you do to. To allocate resources, minimal resources, to spend a little and get a lot back and get proof of concept. Here's what I'm just saying. If you're in a place where I'm going to quit my job and go all in, I would say find something where you can do a little bit at a time so you can see it's working. And then when the new thing is replacing the income of the old thing, then you can decide to transition. That's the time in life we're at now. If you're saying, I don't have time for that, I'm gonna jump ahead here. I could just picture people saying, I'd love that, but my job keeps me so busy. Here's what I wanna say. Obsess over the next couple of days and create a not to do list. We all have a to do list. Create a not to do list. And here's what I would suggest. Realize your job or the thing you're doing right now is just a stepping stone in your life. It's not forever. If you do that, you'll appreciate it more. Cause right now, if you're like, oh, I hate my job, I wanna do this thing, it doesn't usually work that way. Cause how you do one thing is how you do everything. So you gotta go. Don't love this job, but I love it for now because it's gonna be my launching pad. That's number one. Number two, I would make a list of all the activities that you do. Hear me on this one, Four different buckets. Bucket number one on the activities you do are non negotiables. For me, that would be date night with my wife, spending time with my kids, bring them to school. There's non negotiables. I'm not stopping doing. I'm not missing tennis matches, I'm not missing softball practices. I'm not non negotiable. So once you have your list of non negotiables, number two is, what can I automate? What things do I work on that I could do? Auto pay? I could have my dry cleaning picked up or groceries delivered. What can you automate? That buys you back time, so that'll buy back a little. Number three, what can you delegate? Are there things I could get a $5 an hour assistant online or fiverr or what are some things I could do with a virtual assistant or with people in my family or my cousin or my brother? What can I do to delegate some of these things to buy back some more time? The fourth is the most important. What must you eliminate? What do you have to stop doing? If going out with your girlfriends, have a couple drinks and all of a sudden you realize you wasted three hours of your time and you really didn't accomplish much? Maybe you got to spend the next three months without that. The last time you got on your phone and said, I'm going to surf for a minute and you're on for an hour. Maybe you got to stop that. Last time you binged on Netflix. Maybe you got to stop that. And you see why the purpose is so important. Because you need something bigger to go. Screw Netflix right now. The hell with this. I'm not going to do this. So you need to know what you can eliminate. And the easiest way to say to eliminate is, does this serve the woman or the man I want to become? Or does it not serve the man or the woman I want to become? If it doesn't, you got to cut it. There's no Gray. You got to get rid of the gray. Gray is for people who are stuck and they drift their whole life. So the heck with the gray. If you really could say these are non negotiable. I'm gonna automate these few things. I'm gonna delegate some of this. I'm gonna quit doing this. Guess what? Three or four or five hours a week open up. You spend those three, four or five hours a week on your new project and obsess on it. Sacrifice today, miss a few things today, say no today to other people. Because then in a year or five years now, you could say yes to fricking everything and then start working on the new thing when the new thing replaces the old thing. There you go.
Hala Taha
Really, really smart advice. And I have to say that I did that as well. I remember for four years I didn't watch any TV. I didn't even post on Instagram. I focused on LinkedIn for my job and my podcast. I didn't really go out much on the weekends. I just sacrificed. But then four years later, I'm able to manage my schedule. I do whatever I want. It can be temporary sacrifice. It doesn't have to be forever.
Dean Graziosi
And if you're in a career you hate, that's a lifelong sacrifice. I'd rather sacrifice hard for four years to live 60 in a really abundant way.
Emma
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Hala Taha
But once I actually got into it.
Emma
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Hala Taha
So let's talk about how we can actually turn our passions into a real business. What kind of things should we be thinking through? What kind of a roadmap should we have?
Dean Graziosi
First off, I would think of what are some of the things people come to you for if you put it in buckets? Number one is a lot of us have a career skill, even if we're in a career we don't like. You've learned something that at one point you didn't know and now you do. Whether that's sales or accounting or it's human resources or it's helping people with their mental philosophy. It's being leader, a leader in your company. Even though you might not like it in your company, when you have the opportunity to turn that into a product and you inspire others, it becomes so rewarding and fulfilling. So I would think, what is your core competency or unique ability you have in a skill or in your business? That's number one. Number two, we have so many clients that have taken a life experience. We have people who have gone through divorce and they found a way to do a child centered divorce. And now they have hundreds of thousands of members helping with divorce. We got amazing woman helping women through menopause naturally or trimester four, they call it after your baby's born or just. I went people turned vegan and got rid of all their ailments, and now they're teaching people to go vegan. That is life experience. And sometimes, hear me on this one, sometimes your mess is your best message. I went through a horrible breakup, and now I'm a stronger person today than I ever was. I'm going to help people who are just starting out with their breakup. And so many times people say to me, well, I'm not all the way through yet. I got this from Jenna Kutcher.
Hala Taha
She's in my network. Jenna Kutcher?
Dean Graziosi
Yeah. Jenna became a dear friend. And Jenna said, well, people gotta realize sometimes your best time to share is when you're in the messy middle because you're in the thick of it, but you're still one chapter ahead of someone else. So if you're a chapter ahead, even though you're in the messy middle, you can help bring people along with you on the ride. And then the last one is something you're extremely passionate about. I just used my partner, Tony Robbins, as an example. He found out years ago how so many people were getting ripped off in their 401ks and their IRAs, and he got pissed and it became a passion and he studied it. He's not the finance guy. Tony's the best strategist and business coach, but not the finance guy. But he studied it obsessively. Then he interviewed the best guys in the world, and he wrote the book Money Master of the Game. It's still the number one investing book of our generation. And he's not the guy. He became the reporter of other people because he was passionate about it. So you either have a career skill, a life experience, or something you're passionate about that someone else is starting off on day one. And that's the way I would start looking at it. And then, of course, how to package it, how to deliver it, how to find. People want it. That's what we do so well. But that's how I would start.
Hala Taha
So one question, just to kind of piggyback on it, you. You just sort of mentioned it, is how do you know if you have.
Emma
A product that people actually want?
Hala Taha
Because as you're talking about these personal experiences, skills that you have, it's really interesting because I never would have thought of menopause as something that you can teach. But it's so smart because so many women are going through this. There's probably very little information out there. And even if you're not a gynecologist or something, you might have an experience.
Emma
To share to teach other people that.
Hala Taha
People would actually want and pay for. And there's a large market. How do you know that you have a big enough market for what you're trying to sell?
Dean Graziosi
We actually teach. The smaller the niche, the better, because this thing in our pocket has us connected to the whole world. We only need 1/10 of 1/10 of 1% of people that have our Emma, as long as we can find them. For example, we had an accountant. You think, what would an accountant teach? When he was 50, he decided to create his own accounting firm. He worked for somebody else. He started his own business, started doing great, and he realized, wow, I was stuck as an accountant. I hated it for 30 years. So he created. He doesn't just teach people how to be a better accountant. He teaches young accountants how to transfer into their own business quicker so they can live a fulfilled life. So he doesn't say, I'll teach you how to do your taxes better. I'll teach you how to use a certain spreadsheet. He's like, no, no, no. I don't want you to waste 30 years like I did. Let me teach you, young hustler accountants, how to get your own firm quicker. Sometimes you Think, well, I'm good at sales. Well, what kind of sales? And do you want to help women in sales? Do you want to help women over 50 in sales? Do you want to help young people learn how to get their first sale? When I first started in real estate, I didn't own strip malls. I didn't own multifamily. I was really good at just getting into my first single family home, and then my second, then my third. So I taught real estate. I had the number one real estate education training in the world. Nothing even close. And all I said all my training was, if you're thinking about getting into real estate, let me show you how to get into your first one. Not how to do a million flips, not how to make a million bucks a month. Not how to do multifamily. And because our world is so connected, that company, you know, was one of the biggest in the world in that space because I found a niche. So we actually teach people to go smaller. I mean, we've had people doing art classes on how to paint with wolves. I always remember that one. I was like, wait, what was that? She has baby wolves, and she teaches you to paint outside. Cause you have the paint that's relaxing, but you have a wolf laying next to you. That's the energy of a wolf. And she felt the combo was great. That's not my jam. I would never do that. But she sells out her events every month. It's just because right now we are in contact with so many people, we can find our tiny niche. And that tiny niche could still be a million people.
Hala Taha
Yeah. And I know that the more niche you are, the more that you can charge because you're solving a very, very specific problem.
Dean Graziosi
Right. And the confidence goes up. I've always said, the woman who teaches menopause, I just remember it was like, wow, that's just. I would never think of something like that. And I remember being on with her in one of my zoom calls, and I said, you, confidence goes up when you're in a room of people that need exactly what you need to share. So if I said, hey, in next room, we have a mastermind room. If it's 100 people next to. I'm like, if there was a hundred people in there. And I said, hey, there's some men, there's some women, different ages, could you go teach about menopause? You'd be like, no, that's embarrassing. I'm not going out there. And then if I said, okay, no men, it's just all women. Could you go teach? Like, no. Because there's young girls, they don't even know what that means. They don't know what it feels like. I said, okay, now there's 100 women in there between 42 and 50. They're going through menopause. They feel like they're going crazy. They feel like their husband or their partner doesn't love them anymore. They have night sweats and they feel uncomfortable. Would you go talk to them? She goes, yes, I'm a warrior for them. Let me go help them. Like, you open up the shirt, your cape is on, you want to go help these women. So the smaller the niche, the more your confidence goes up because you have the breakthroughs for them. Right? Where people think, I got to help women. No, what women? What group? What transition? That's where our world's at.
Hala Taha
Yeah. And to your point, competence breeds confidence. Right? So if you're super focused on one specific problem and you become the go to person for it, your confidence is going to go up too.
Dean Graziosi
Absolutely.
Hala Taha
Okay, so one last question. Let's talk about AI, because you're talking about how the game has changed. How has AI changed the game? How do you think entrepreneurs are going to use AI? How do you use AI? I'd love to know.
Dean Graziosi
Yeah. So I think again, one of those things, most of you listening have probably already used it, but how do you sharpen the axe? How do you sharpen the tool to use it even more? And we know if you ask the right question, you get the right answer. But what I see and what, for example, what Tony and I are doing, we've created an AI and we spent the last year working on it. That thinks like Tony and I, we've taken our knowledge, our experience, how do we do million person events, how do we do our marketing, how do we write our emails? How do we get people to show up? How do we identify what our asset is? And how do we lay out a course or lay out a coaching program or lay out a podcast or lay out an in person workshop or an in person mastermind, and we took our years of experience, like, I say this and I know you guys get it, but if someone would have told me or any of us 10 years ago that this would have been real, you'd be like, no way. But it's here. So, for example, where I see the niches, where it's going to really transform, is instead of it just being general help, what Tony and I are creating, just as an example, is how do you think, like Tony and Dean, when it comes to being in this industry, how do I lay out my course? What are the six topics I should teach on menopause, or teaching people how to do podcasts, or teaching people how to sell? What would you name the product? What would you price the product? What would be the headline? What would be the first page? What is the pictures? All of those things. When it thinks like Tony Night gives us the answers in seconds. Even six years ago when we used to teach this, it was probably two or three months to get through all that. Who's my ideal client? Who should I be targeting? What kind of message do 40 to 60 year old women need to get to say yes, all of that comes out and it thinks like us. It's like having me in your pocket. Then I got 30 years of doing this. I never would have thought that existed. And sometimes people think it's difficult when really done right. It's simplicity on the other side of complexity. Right. It's a complex. I could never imagine how AI works, but I know if I ask it the right question, the simplicity is it gives me an answer that just saved me a month's time and research. So it is going to change the game and those that understand how to utilize it are going to be out in front. Tony and I have been saying, we were just on the phone last night talking about it and I said, when you understand this, this allows you to have an unfair advantage. It really does. It allows you to be one step ahead. And those of you who are going to ignore it, unfortunately going to be two steps behind. I know that sounds harsh, but it's just a reality and this is the time to embrace it. Don't stick your head in the sand. Don't think it's going to go away. The game has truly changed forever. You might as well get the new game plan.
Hala Taha
Yeah, AI is something that we're heavily focused on. How can we use it? Because to your point, everyone's going to be using it and be like light years ahead of us if we don't figure out how we're going to leverage AI for ourselves.
Dean Graziosi
Absolutely.
Hala Taha
All right, so this has been such an incredible conversation. So, Dean, two last questions that I end all my shows with. And it doesn't have to be about today's topic. You can go wherever you want to go. What is one actionable piece of advice that our young and profits can do today to become more profitable tomorrow?
Dean Graziosi
I'm going to go back to what I already shared with you. I would today make a list of all the things you do on a weekly basis, and I would get rid of the things that don't serve the man or the woman you want to become. Sacrifice a little today so you can have just an abundant life forever.
Hala Taha
Great advice. And what is your secret to profiting in life?
Dean Graziosi
Money without fulfillment is the emptiest thing in the world. So work on you as much as you work on your business. Jim Rohn, an old personal development trainer, is the one that got Tony Robbins in this world. He said, for things to get better, we have to get better. And I think if you just work on the money part, you might miss the most important part of love, family connection, children. If that's what you so choose. Don't sacrifice one for the other, because the fact of the matter is, if you have more joy in the journey of entrepreneurship, you will get there faster.
Hala Taha
And where can everybody learn more about you and everything that you do?
Dean Graziosi
I would say just you can find me on Instagram at dingrazziosi.
Emma
Awesome.
Hala Taha
We'll stick all of your links in the show notes. Dean, thank you so much for your time today.
Dean Graziosi
Oh, this is amazing. Take care, everybody.
Young and Profiting with Hala Taha | YAPClassic | November 14, 2025
In this highly practical and energizing YAPClassic episode, entrepreneur, author, and trainer Dean Graziosi joins Hala Taha to discuss how entrepreneurship has fundamentally changed since the digital revolution, the dramatic lowering of barriers to entry, and why this is “the golden age” for first-time business owners. Dean shares deep insights on how anyone can turn what they already know into a profitable business, leverage rapidly evolving technology like AI, overcome limiting stories, and thrive—regardless of what’s happening in the world economy. The conversation is rich with tactical advice, memorable stories, and empowering truths for aspiring and established entrepreneurs alike.
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This episode is a motivating, practical roadmap for aspiring entrepreneurs of any age or background. Dean Graziosi and Hala Taha break down the new rules of entrepreneurial success with candor and clarity: Leverage your own story, embrace tech and AI, focus small, and ruthlessly eliminate distractions. The Golden Age, as Dean puts it, is here—and it belongs to those willing to learn, persist, and do the “invisible work.”