Podcast by Grant Cardone
Source
60% of NBA players go flat BROKE after retiring, but not Shaquille O’ Neal. Find out why he was able to break through and the lessons you can start using today.
- The key high school lesson that taught Shaq the lesson of being a humble professional.
- Why being the smartest man in the room is a mistake (and why mentors are key to your success).
- Why the get rich quick mindset will always fail you.
- The #1 key to creating a successful business team.
- Why not being the smartest is fine (as long as you’re the smartest in listening).
- Why entertainment, humor, and grabbing attention is vital for your marketing.
- What 10X means to Shaq.
If you’re the smartest in the room then it’s time to level up with a Mentor to create a new level of massive success.
Start designing a 10X life with the 5 things you can immediately do to grow your business & income…
Click here to 10X for FREE >> https://gc.grantcardone.com/optin-544870321651935762637
Okay, so Shaq, so good to have you here today. Really, really appreciate you taking your time. Uh, I’m one of the billions of people on this planet that have, you know, just crazy ma admiration for you and been a fan for many years, but more so than just the basketball. It, it’s your business savvy man and your entrepreneurship and your, the remake of who you are.
Uh, that, that I’m so impressed with in your life. So thank you so much for taking time with us today. Thanks for having me, sir. So, so talk to me, man. How, how does a guy, like you’re one of the, like, probably most liked celebrity people in the world. Everybody likes Shaq. Uh, how did you do that? Did you do that purposely?
Or like, how, how do you make people like you in the, So when I was coming up, I was a high level juvenile league. My father was a drill. So through a lot of discipline and punishment means I’m programmed to pay attention, listen and learn. For example, he used to always take all the others, uh, athletes that made a mistake and I would get in trouble for it.
Uh, my, my last discipline spanking was there was a gentleman by the name of Lynn Bias. Uh, he was going to be the first pick. The night before he got drafted. He died from a cocaine overdose. My father came in the house, li bit crying like it was his son, and he just took me and he shook me. He’s like, If you ever do coke, I will kill you.
And I’m so young. At the time, I was like 12 or 13 and I was like, Daddy, we don’t drink coke. We drink Pepsi. He’s like, No drugs. Drugs. Don’t ever do drugs. That’s why. Never done drugs, never smoked cannabis, none of that. Never did alcohol. So I would learn from other people’s mistakes. Uh, what humbled me in high school was in 1989, I saw my first article said Cole’s O’Neil the best in the us.
And I went to a small school and there was all these other big schools in the city, but they were talking about. So I actually felt like I’m bigger than you. I’m bigger than you. I’m bigger than you. So my school was nine through twelve, two hundred and thirty nine students, nine through 12. Senior class had 39 people.
So my best friend who actually still works with me today, they orchestra a plan that’s like, Okay guys, if shack shackle act like God and treatment like God. So let’s just say I come in school and I walk on the left side, the whole school move to the. And they wouldn’t say anything. They wouldn’t do anything.
This went on for like two days. I said, Okay, I, So I go in the lunchroom. There’s people in the lunchroom. As soon as they see me sit down, every student picked their tray up and they walked out. Like just, yeah. So that was day two, Day three. I go to the gym, practicing with the guys. I’m like, Hey, what’s up everybody?
Just sprint to the side on the. So then I sprint down to the other side of floor, they sprint back. So then I finally asked my guy, I said, Hey man, what’s going on? He said, Hey man, you didn’t get here by yourself. You know, ever since you got that, you’ve been treating us a little different. So you wanna act like God, we’re gonna treat you like God.
So from that day on, wow, I’ve been very humble. And the last reason is my mother is my favorite person. Mm. He’s an avid TV watcher. It would hurt my heart to see, to have her sitting down watching tv. And seeing me do something idiotic, yes, I’m gonna make mistakes and say crazy things. And when I do, she calls me, but I don’t wanna make a major mistake and just have her sitting there with her friends and see me doing something crazy.
So all those things that, that, all those that you, Go ahead. I’m sorry. Yes. So all those things combined have kept me outta trouble. That is an amazing story. I’ve never heard that. Um, where did you get Shaq? Your money? You didn’t grow up rich, right? No. So where did you get your money? Mindset. Where did you start changing the way you think about money and finance and debt and cash, et cetera?
Again, when you don’t know something, you have to learn. Some people teach themselves by trial and error, and some people ask questions. I was never afraid to ask questions. Cause I know I’m not the smartest guy in the room, but if I see somebody that’s doing it, take one question. Like, Hey man, how’d you do that?
Oh man, I did this, I did this, and I write it down and I memorize it. So when I got my first million, I said, I gotta take care of my family. How, how old are you at this point? 18 years old. Wow. I get a, a signing deal and I get a million dollar bonus. My agent called and said, Hey, I’m gonna send you a million dollars in your bank account.
Right. So I said, Okay, and at this time I’m doing simple matters. I said, I, I, I, I gotta go get this car up. Always wanted Mercedes-Benz 150,000. So I know one 50 minus a million. I still got eight 50 left. I’m still rich. Yeah. Yeah. So, so I get that Benz and I come home. My father, man, I’m proud of you. Where’s mine at?
Jump in the car big. Go buy him the same bin, come back home. My mom’s looking like, Oh, you guys are, but she’s looking sad. I got you too, mama. I don’t give the big one, but I get her the little one. So I spend 400,000 that day. Right. So after that, you know, I gotta go get some, I, I gotta go get the, I gotta go get the jury.
I was living at home because I left LSU and this was the time. You know, right before I get drafted, I knew I’m gonna come back to Antonio, so penthouse and pay it for year rent was a check for
call from the bank. And I grew up on an army base, was very close, you know, so I had, you know, the guy was like, you know, everybody know how it was. Cause I was, you know, product of the base. The president calls me over and he,
I’m at, and you know how you, you always hear stories about how people steal money from athletes and all that. So I’m looking and now I’m pissed. I’m like, who the hell is spike? Who the hell is Fi FICO stole 250 million thousand for me and he just started laughing. And so he, he reaches behind it that, and he gives me a book, The Dummies Guy, the Starting Your Own Business.
And he tells me, he says, Shaq, I don’t want you to be like 70% of these to have nothing. Cause see, I thought when my agent called me and said, Hey, you got a million, I thought that was a million net Vica had to take. Sales tax, state tax, I only had about six, 600,000, but that was gone. Like I spent 400 on cars, hundred on Missouri, 30 on the real estate, you know, 20 on rims and all that stuff.
All that money was gone and I had no idea. Now, I, I talk about being programmed. I’m also programmed never to make the same mistake twice. So now that I, I had a million dollars and I spent it all in one day, I’m back being broke again. That’ll never happen again. So I’m reading this. I don’t know what I’m looking at, but the chapter that interest me the most was starting the Sub chapters Corporation and it said something like, you start a corporation, you can put your family on salary.
You write these things off. And I was like, What’s the write off? Write it off. Business expense, Get it back. That’s the first thing I did. Second thing, the chapter I enjoy with joint venture. And then when I was, you know, coming along the business, I’m like, I want a shoe company, but I can’t run a shoe company.
How, how would I do this? Reebok, Hey, we want, gimme a deal. Nah, don’t wanna my own shoot deal. I wanna be in partnership with you guys. Let’s do a joint venture. They were kinda impressed that I knew it. A joint venture. I said, So it’ll be Shaq and Reebok and we’ll just do a collaboration for four or five years.
See how it works. So I had to learn, I had to teach you. Now let me ask you, Shaq, was that you were, you were 18, 19 at this time? 19, yes. Is that, is that when you did your first big endorsement? Yes. And who’s helping you? Who’s helping you? Like, like, you know, you don’t know everything. So, after I, after I spent a million dollars, I interviewed five of the top financial advisors.
Mm. And I know from being from the streets that it was too good to be true. Stay away from. So the first guy, Yeah, you gonna get about 50 million, your contract, you can be a billionaire by 25. I was like, Stay away from him. And another guy, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. Then another guy, then the last guy that came in and said, Hey man, I’m just starting.
I government bonds, bonds, no risk annuities. Save your money. And I said, Well, who, who do you represent? He said, My biggest clients are n. I was like, nwa, the rap group. He’s like, He ain’t represented. I told my dad, I like, I want get with him. My dad, No, he, I said, No, I like him. He’s real. And I’ve been with this guy since 1992 and he helped me in business.
He knows a lot of people, and again, I tell people it’s okay to ask questions, really is like I met a gentleman one day and I always used to see him in la and in LA I’m making a hundred million. I’m rich. This guy, he’s coming in with Ferrari and Lamborghini, and I asked him, and I found out he was a successful businessman.
So we’re sitting, he drinking wine and drinking water. I’m like, Hey man, how do you get so rich? And he pulled out a hundred bill and he did this. He, he I, y’all are doing, this is how you should do it. So if you have a hundred dollars. Now you got 50, you save 50, still got 50 left. You said, Now rich people will spend this 50, but the wealthy people will now this five, whatever you wanna do, cars, houses, girls, whatever, and you save that.
So once I started doing I, aha. So every time I got a check, I just took a little piece for me for bills and for cash, and I saved. I just put it away, put it away, and then I started doing annuities. Cause I was like, you know what, I have a white, I have the children now. I want be able to collect a lot of money at the age of 50, 55 and 60.
So, you know, tho, tho those things right there were not that difficult to me. And I had a lot of guidance and I asked a lot of question. And you learn. So like when people look at me, it’s like, Oh you, you’re smart businessman. No, I just think, I just take things that are difficult and break it down to where it’s easy for me.
Like I knew I had to save money. I knew I had to start this sub chapter S corporation. I knew I do business with a lot of people, but in order for me not to run the business, you gotta do joint venture and you gotta be nice to people and you know, respect people and you gotta believe in the product that you endorse.
And that’s just how, like, like when you were signing in the beginning, like you didn’t, were you in any fear about, Hey, how long is this ride gonna last? Did you know how long it was gonna last? Did you know how much money you would produce over the next 30 years? I was, I was really in fear, but early I said, I’m gonna take advantage of all opportunities.
Cause I like, I like stacking it, right? Mm-hmm. . Mm-hmm. . So Reebok 40 for five. Orlando Magic, 40 for seven, Pepsi 30 for like, I’m just movies, this, this, this. I’m stacking it. Right? Okay, now I know I got this much. Now I got this portion to the family portion for bills portion, for my fun portion for travel.
This how much I got saved and in and up. I gotta do more. Gotta do more. And then I met Magic Johnson at 18. He was like, Man, proud of you. You’re doing all these endorsement deal. But at some time you wanna start owning things. And I had no idea what he was talking about, what talking about. So I went back to my book Uhhuh Reading, looking, Oh, this is what he and I, you know, start, you know, investing.
And my first big investment was the same hotel, same table. There was some other gentleman, they were sitting there with their kids. The kids recognized me and they playing with ’em. And the guy said, Man, thanks. Taking to talking to my kids. His kids were fun. He was just sitting playing Uno. He said, Man, I met a lot of celebrities.
There’s no guys like you. And he pulled out his briefcase. He said, We’re working on this thing called Google. It’s be big. I want give you some, some shares and some, I didn’t know what talking about, but another thing is generalizing how said it, they, they gave you, they gave you Google or they J they gave you the tip.
No. They said, Hey, we want to talk to your people about, you know, investing in this company, Google. So, you know, Dwight Eisenhower said The greatest, the greatest leaders are the ones smarter enough to hire people that are smarter. I had no idea what he was talking about. Okay. But I gave him the number to my guy, the same guy that represented nwa.
I said to, called my guy, set up the meeting. So we set up a meeting and we invested in Google because I’ve always loved technology. And then, you know, nine, 10 years later, we got a really big nice. So, you know, then I got greedy. I started, I started thinking I was an invest, an investment master, and I failed a lot.
Failing because what, what, what, what did you fail in? What was it? You remember? Because I got such a big hit with Google. I was on, I was only on the get rich quick schemes. Hey Sha, you got pretty lips? Let’s do Shaq. Lip, uh, sha lip rocks. Yeah, let’s do it. Hey, Shaq, you know, paper is big or little. Let’s make the paper.
Like I would always do that and I would lose. So I had to come back and readjust. So, you know, I go to all these technology summits. It’s a good looking dude by the name of Jeff Bezos. He’s talking about what he’s gonna start in the future. It’s called Amazon. And I’m listening to him like, that’s gonna work.
It’s gonna be big. And before he gets off the stage, he says, I invest in things that’s going to change people’s lives and Amazon will change your life. When he walked up the stage and I. Investing things is gonna change people’s lives. And if you think about it, it’s, you gotta be at the 70 to 80% get a great return on your money.
Like if it’s something the whole world needs, bro, Amazon blew up so much during Covid is not even funny. Nobody wanted to leave the house and wanted to get, So once I changed my strategy to that, I’ve been, I’ve been really, really, Getting a lot of great, you know, returns. So, So Shaq, do you have any idea, like what, what opened you up to like, even wanting to do that?
I mean, you’re, you’re rare. You’re rare in any space. Say it again. Fear, Uhhuh. Fear to percent of athletes that they’ve done five years, that they’ve have nothing. Zero income, Not a dollar, not $20, not minimum wage. They have nothing coming in. So for me to go from 40. To a hundred million signing bonus to 120 million to another 80 and now to have nothing.
Mm-hmm. I can’t do that. My mother needs me. My brothers and sister need me. My children need me. People need me. So that’s why when that guy took that, that, that, that hundred dollar bill and broke it. If anything, I’m gonna do that. I gotta save that so I can just do something when I’m done. Alright. But you know what, I got so much coming in.
I’m gonna do the other, I’m gonna take half of the. And I’m gonna save that because you don’t have to be the smartest guy. You just have to be smartest in listening. Like if I’m, uh, wanna run a restaurant, I’m gonna go to my favorite restaurant, talk to the head chef, talk to the owner, and talk to the manager and get as much information as I can.
And if worse come to worse, I’m gonna say, Hey, how much is he paying you? You paying hundred, I give you two 50. Let’s start a restaurant across the street and you have full control.
Have you ever started a business from scratch or you are you investing in businesses that are already ongoing concerns and, and what would you recommend to somebody if you weren’t playing basketball and you, you were 25 years old today, or 52 years old today starting a business or buying a business, which way would you go?
I would probably buy a business. Mm-hmm. . If I had the income to buy a business, I would buy a business. Then I’ll try and make it better. For example, there’s this daycare around the. I don’t buy so bad. I do, I want buy. And you’re, you’re an entrepreneur junkie. Like daycare, something’s going help people out.
Right? But I want get this daycare and make it sort of like a luxury daycare. Cause I’m looking at the kids, the park is okay, but I want to give them the amusement park field. I want add another building. I want swimming pool and I wanna do a baseball thing right around the corner. One day I’m, one day I’m gonna go in there and be like, How much?
Because I’m looking at these kids and I love kids, but I want these kids to have it all. Like they got one little jungle gym and one little hoop. No man, these kids, I want, you know, slides, you know, baseball field, kickball field, and I know can do that. And now school that’s like that. Parents are gonna want to come by and you can damn their charge what you want.
Cause they know the kids are safe. They taking care of, the kids are having fun. The kids are, be in a good move. One thing, you gonna be at my school? You gonna be in good mood. I’m gonna give you cookies and ice cream and play with you. Cause you know when, when you’re that young, education is important, but I think livelihood is more important.
I want the kids to be happy. I want ’em to be fed. I want to de, I want ’em to be energetic. I don’t want ’em to come and, you know, they don’t like games that we play and all this. Cause it starts at that age. And if I’m in charge, I have up beat. Like if you look at all my kids and all my kids that are around me, they’re always upbeat.
Cause I know how to have, I know how to say, Let’s stop being serious for a while and you better run before I bite you. Just, you know, just five minutes, chase him and then get back to the basics. And that kid likeness seems to be very much about your brand. Um, do, are you consciously aware that you’re, like, you’re a marketing genius.
Do you know that, that, that about you? And how important is marketing to a business person? Marketing is very important to a business person. When I was in college, I field marketing class, the professor said, Show us an item. In four or five years, we can introduce to the world. So, you know me, I had SHA drinks, sha shirt, sha underwear.
Cause I was already thinking about the SHA brand. I I was thinking about the SHA brand so much. So I went down to the local trademark office and I trademark in 50 states. I couldn’t trademark worldwide cause I didn’t have enough money. So trade market of 50 sticks. Cause when I was taking business classes and talking about trade.
So if you look at Jordan, here’s his Jumpman and that’s how he looks when he dunks. So mine is dunk, man. So I went down to the local office and I registered it and I gave him my emblem. Cause like when I dunk, I like to kick my legs up. Had, you know, one of my friends draw it, paid him a hundred to draw it and took it down.
So when I presented my project to the class, the professors pulled me to the side and said, Check, it’s okay. But if you look at the climate of, of the NBA right now, big guys don’t. I was distraught. I was like, you know, he’s right. Cause at the time, only magic and maybe Bird had commercials, One commercial
that’ll like, and this the, the TV off. And then I go to the, to the hardware store. This dog has shirts, he has hats. And I go back home and I’m looking for his dog and I find out his name, Spu McKen. So now I study SPS Mackenzie, you remember all the splits? McKinzie commercials. All his commercials been funny.
Ba, that’s it. I get the chance to be on tv. Humor. Human. Human. Human. People like humor. Mm-hmm. people that are, people like me and you that are working all day. They don’t wanna see stuff thrown in my face. But if I could make you laugh about the product, like, Hey, drink this shake, blah, blah, blah, blah. And then I drank and I have the, you know, you remember that when you go to the store, Hey man, that, So I always had to include humor in all my commercials.
And I’ve always had the ability to have creative control. Cause remember my mom was watching tv. She gonna be watching these commercials. So want, I wanna make her laugh and I want to be in control of the messaging. I don’t wanna do nothing to say nothing that everyone doesn’t approve of. And how many different, uh, investments or companies you’re involved in today?
A lot I would tell you, but I don’t want my mom to feel like I’m bragging. One day I was on the show and I’m this and this and this, and she called me right away, Baby, you know you’re blessed, right? I was like, Yes, ma’am. I don’t like it when you talk about how rich you are, you know, during covid, 40 million people just lost their job.
Like, mommy, you right. I apologize, but I’m in, I’m invested in a lot of companies right now. When you look at a company, are you looking at, uh, are you taking advice from somebody on it or are you looking at it yourself and looking at the sales, the marketing? How, how are you assessing something or does it just feel good to you or what?
I have to like it. I have to know a lot about. Have to understand it. I have to believe in it. You know, I’m at the point now where it’s not all about money with me. If you ask me to be your partner, and I like your company, now we’re teammates. You’re going throw me the ball, I’m do what I do and we gonna win this championship.
I never look at sales. Sales has nothing to do, you know, uh, when I first got with Icy Hunt, I think they were five and six in sales. I didn’t know that. I didn’t care about that, but I knew that their product works, and then every time when my muscles got tired and aching, I rub icy out on it. I was looser than I ever been.
It even got so hot that when it got to the certain area I was screaming. So when I met with them, I was like, I love your product. It works. Then they let me commercials and then quickly rose up to number one. But the importance of the story is, If I believe in your product, if I believe in you, if I believe in the team and you ask me, be on your team.
Let’s try to win a championship and best we win or fail.
We’ve had 17 renewals winning for a long time. You seem to be driven by this, like, almost like success is a success money, uh, the whole thing. Winning is, is like a duty or an obligation, not just some option, some possibility. Can, can you just talk about that? I would have to disagree with you. Okay. I’m driven just by knowing that I’m blessed.
I wanna make other people. and I have one statement that can change everything. My statement is it could be worse. I could be one of those athletes that 70% that I have nothing. Right? But now I follow the rules. I listen to my parents. I stay humble. I do everything above board, and I’m here and I’m happy with that.
I don’t have to make another investment in my life. It’s not about money for me, it’s just about being here, being happy. I’m 50 years. I’ve done a lot. I’m still working at 50. I’m still looking good. I hope I look as good as you do when I’m 50. Man. You actually are very, very good looking Matt and I like, you know, whoever did your house, did the, there is awesome house.
Your wife, wife, it’s a friend. I’m standing at a friend’s house is nice. I like it, but I’m not driven by money or fame. I always tell people I’m not even really famous. I’m just a guy that because of telecommunications and media, I played a. You love sports? They pla in my picture. Here I am, but I don’t, I don’t consider myself famous like people when I go to places, people like, where your security, like, I don’t need security.
We should, I, they’re like amazed. Like I’m a DJ now and I’m on tour and the people, you know, they said, Man, we looked at your, we look at the list of things you need and it’s only one page. I’m like, Yeah. He’s like, Man, a lot of artists have 40 pages. I’m like, What? I’m like, bro, water. He’s like, Man, you, you like bro.
You’re the most famous guy we’ve had here. And you’re the most homeless. You come with two guys, you engineer and the guy that set your equipment up. I’ve never seen this before. We’d be helping guys come with 40, 50 people. We got champagne and weed and all that. He said, We never seen anything like, Bro, all I need is water.
Water. You paid me to go out there to give these people a good time and make sure you get your money. Cause my father taught me when a person pays to see you perform, give them a. So I, I’m all about fulfilling my duty, and that’s like the military kid in me. These people pay you money to go DJ and then as DJ, as a father.
Sounds like you’re talking about that DJ R guy. He’s a pain in the ass man. No, he, he actually DJ R was the one that got started. I do it because it gives me the same feeling as basketball. I have that adrenaline. So when I have these kids out here, I gotta make ’em jumping down. I gotta keep ’em safe, I gotta keep ’em having fun.
I. Listen, I know what it is. As a kid, charge $30 for tickets and you want to come jam and you want to get the, You wanna do all that you wanna release know. If you don’t release, then you’re just more upsetting. Cause more problems with, I want you to release all that and just have a good time. Do what you do, get home safe, and then go about your day.
How important is it to have everybody on the same page check? It’s very important to have everybody on the same page, especially on your. But you know, this is why communication is always key. You know, I am a one minute manager. Like for example, the me and you will starting this company, I will never call you.
Reason why that? Because I can see that you’re intelligent, man. You’re passionate about what you do. I’ll let you do what you do now for problem arise, me and you have a conversation. Hey man, everything all, Yeah, man. The technical, Okay? I tell you what, we’re not gonna use the anymore. We use Microsoft. See how that works?
Help you fix the problem and move on. I’m the guy that’s, I don’t believe you did this. And when I called the first time, you didn’t tell me I shouldn’t have been in the car. Like I’m, I’m not like that. Like I just, you know, let my people do their. That’s why you have to manage the team. If I was able to do your job, I’d be interviewing myself, Hey Sha, how you doing man?
I’m doing pretty good at, but I’m not able to do your job. So, you know, it’s all about respect and all about treating your teammates fair. When, when, when people are going different ways. So do you have any advice about how to get everybody back? You just have to communicate. You just have to see what their, I don’t wanna say problems.
You just have to see what that concerns are, uhhuh, what your concerns are, and you just come to a happy. I saw this documentary the other day, African American gentleman talking to a Klux Klan guy and everybody was, I don’t believe you’re doing that. But the guy’s point was, Listen, everybody has their own different views, but if you sit down and talk to somebody, Everybody has some commonalities.
This guy’s are best friends now. He actually made the guy that was in the clan rethink his ways and now he’s a better guy in society. But this guy was like a real, and the guy met him by himself talk, and you know, he was going back and forth and he was like, Hey man, you like fishing? Yeah, I like, man, he don’t know.
And they just became friends. Now they’re best friends. Like, everybody’s not gonna have the same ideologies and the same principles. You just have to talk to find out, you know, where there, you know, some commonality with, with all the investments you have. Last couple of questions, Jack, and I really appreciate your generosity and your time.
Um, how do you look at real estate as part of your investment portfolio or, or the, the companies you’re invested in? So one of my good things to do is partnerships. Why partnerships is so important is it’s all about trust. Never been a real estate expert. I know a little bit about a real estate, but not enough to say, I’m gonna do this, this, however my partners are.
I trust them. I trust ’em with everything. Cause they’re gonna be honest and they’re gonna break it down to me. See, I’m smart, but I’m not that smart to where I wanna read the whole damn p. If I can talk to guy expert, he can break it down. Sha I don’t like this property right here. Cause the city’s not gonna approve it.
Boom, boom, boom, boom. If we go across the street, that’s already zone, like, I like people that it, hey, 2 million. So my partners in New Jersey, the Boray Development group. Um, I, I was kinda responsible for bringing down the projects and building condos. We do excellent, great work. And I just built something called Shack Towers.
It was an old school, built some, some high rises in Newark. They’re doing better. Beautiful. But those are my partners because one, they care about the people. They care about real estate, they care about me, and that’s all I need. And again, that was, that was my, my best chapter in that book. Joint venture.
Like I want to be a real estate expert, but I don’t, But I know somebody who is. And that’s, and that’s just called having teammate. Like, I don’t wanna, like I want to work, be free and travel. Right. You, you like, Do you like real estate as an investment vehicle? I do, I do, but I will never go in by myself, ever.
Right. Cause I’m not the smart And it’s okay to not be the smart. I love not being the smartest guy in room. Love it. Love it. I consider myself a geek. A geek saved my life. In high school, it was a kid that always got bullied by the football players and one day I just got sick of it, like, man, leave this kid alone.
And I beat the badge football player up in school. Like I, nobody even knew I could fight. Cause you know, I’m nice, all that. But this kid just kept messing with this kid. The kid’s name was Doug. Everybody messed with Doug. And again, we went to a small school and I was like, Man, leave him alone man. What you gonna do?
So I beat the kid up. Doug said, Man, thanks. Nobody ever up for me. I fail a government test. I get a 69. And the teacher really didn’t like athletes, but because we were 35 and oh and the school had a chance, and she said, Check I like you. You sit up front. You really try. And I don’t wanna be hard. I want you to get with this guy.
He’s gonna help you pass his test. So I go in a study hall room and it’s Dougal. Mm. I’m like, Dougle. He’s like, Yeah. And when I’m talking to Doug, Doug was so smart and the way he broke it down, I’m like, probably never thought about it like that. And then like he had that computer where you had to go. You had to put uh, something in the line and like you had to hit three times before you turned it off.
And we worked on that all night. I just felt smart and I made an 80 on the test, was able to win the state championship. Everybody, nobody messed with do ever again. But after that I was like, I used to kinda make funds of these geeks. I’m a geek now. I want to be cuz it was for the first time felt. I used Cs and the high Cs, and I could never get to the BS or the A’s.
And I finally made a B on a test next to Google. So I was like, You know what, I’m a geek. So I like, I, I’m a geek and I just like learning. I like learning information. Last question. What, what does the term 10 X mean to you? What would it mean? So 10 x would means mean you start this community leadership company.
And we’re doing well, and we bring in certain amount of profits. Uh, the guy, Elon Musk, hears about it, Hey man, you guys are doing great things. We want to buy it. We see this is how much you generated. Okay, this is how much you generated. But if you wanna buy this company, you’re gonna have to pay us 10 x maybe.
Matter of fact, you gonna have to pay us 15 x and then he’s, his career is smart. We’re gonna fight and then we’re gonna get 12 x for our company, and then me and you gonna be smart. We’re gonna get another 10 year deal to work for Elon Musks companies for double the salary that me and you was making.
That’s what 10 X means to me when I’m selling. So, And that they know how much I made. They know how much it’s worth. But if you want to buy it, you’re gonna have to gimme 10 x one. I love that. Jack, you’ve been awesome man. I really appreciate your time. Appreciate and really appreciate how successful, how successful that you’ve been, what you’ve done for such a long period of time, and maintain yourself, take care of yourself.
So really, really appreciate your time today, brother, man. Don’t talk to you soon.