If You Don't Want to Go, Don't Go.

How I got here…

21: Graduated Vanderbilt in 3 years Magna Cum Laude, and took a fancy consulting job.
23 yrs old: Left my fancy consulting job to start a business (a gym).
24 yrs old: Opened 5 gym locations.
26 yrs old: Closed down 6th gym. Lost everything.
26 yrs old: Got back to launching gyms (launched 33). Then, lost everything for a 2nd time.
26 yrs old: In desperation, started licensing model as a hail mary. It worked.
27 yrs old: "Gym Launch" does $3M profit the next 6 months. Then $17M profit next 12 months.
28 yrs old: Started Prestige Labs. $20M the first year.
29 yrs old: Launched ALAN, a software company for agencies to work leads for customers. Scaled to $1.7mmo within 6 months.
31 yrs old: Sold 75% of UseAlan to a strategic buyer in an all stock deal.
31 yrs old: Sold 66% of Gym Launch & Prestige Labs at $46.2M valuation in all-cash deal to American Pacific Group. (you can google it)
32 yrs old: Started making free content showing how we grow companies to make real business education accessible to everyone (and) to attract business owners to invest or scale their businesses.

Today: Our portfolio now does $200M/yr between 10 companies. The largest doing $100M/yr the smallest doing $5M per year. Our ownership varies between 20% and 100% ownership of the companies. Many of them we invested in early and helped grow (which is how we make our money - not youtube videos).

To all the gladiators in the arena, we’re all in the middle of writing our own stories. The worse the monsters, the more epic the story.

You either get an epic outcome or an epic story. Both mean you win.

Keep crushing. May your desires be greater than your obstacles.

Never quit,

Alex

*FULL DISCLOSURE*
I make content to make money - just - on a longer time horizon than most. I want to build trust with business owners so we can find the best ones and help them scale. And if they’re awesome, write them a check and go all the way as partners.

[riethc]

These decisions get gradually more and more specific... 😅

[ThinkAbstract]

Bro really didn’t wanna go to that wedding 😅

[LeonardTyson]

you're free to decide, you're free to decide

[wesleyperry]

I mostly agree. There is another character building aspect (and kingdom building for you fellow believers) that should be considered. Not just loyalty for the sake of being loyal. Rather, dependability and self sacrifice. If you go too far into “I have free choice I can do what I want” you’ll become a narcissist. If you only live for yourself, you will become miserable and dead. Like going to the gym, sometimes we go to an event we would rather not. So that we are not only strengthening our own character (although we are) we also give of ourselves because it isn’t just about us.

[hcd]

Well said. There is a weird desire to say yes to things even if it is not in anybody's interest. The world would be a better place with more people saying no.

[roycecharlton]

I've been saying this s*** for so long as i've been funny. I'm glad someone else has vocalized it as well.

[TehPoet]

Alex giving "What year is it?!" vibes in this one 😂

[AB-eqmm]

Thanks. Just skipped my brothers wedding to work 5 extra hrs on my startup. Totally worth it 🤩

[dankelly]

Amen!!!

This reminds me of all those folks who "quit YouTube" because it's become too stressful.

WTF! YOU DECIDE HOW STRESSFUL IT IS! If you don't want to create a video that week, DON'T! If the kind of videos you're making are the stressor, change the type of videos you make!

It's up to you!

[WarpedStone]

This is absolutely true. Once you start making all the choices in your life, you can do anything.

[ianidas]

I couldn’t set emotional boundaries with my family so I set physical ones by moving across the country

[eze]

Just remember every selfish choice has consequences 😅

[jon.a]

Put simply, don't be around bad ppl. But if they are good ppl, there's a difference between self love and being selfish. Relationships take work. Don't be a people pleaser, but dont be a selfish jerk either....

[yangchen]

I started following this advice and am way more happy and focused

[alcides]

Thank you thank you and thank you. You said something like this few months ago in a video. I was till then was in control of my parents unknowingly. This is helped me to chase my dream even it is not fulfilling what my parents chose for me. I cannot express how grateful I am. Its almost crazy that some people need to hear this. Thanks Alex thanks a lot.

[enriquecallender]

So practical so true. I love listening to Alex he is honest and to the point. Thank you sir.

[sanderberg]

Thanks, just missed my mother’s last breath to make more bread. 🔥

[jfdb]

Years ago I started getting more reclusive, just done with the whole partying scene. Started saying no going out with friends until eventually they stopped asking. The benefits were immense. I completely stopped drinking, so my brain fog cleared up and my focus got much better. I also saved tons of money. And I wasn't making questionable decisions with strange women. All in all it was a solid win. Spend the time working on yourself. It's far more rewarding.

[RattyTheTruth]

Think carefully about saying no to family and friends. It’s important to make sacrifices in these aspects of your lives, you may need these people if you fall on hard times. You won’t be remembered by how much money you made but what you did for those around you.

[mjc]

I asked a friend one time why he was friends with this person that he knew. He told me, " You have to accept people for who they are, or don't accept them at all." The next day, I dropped a friend of mine and never looked back.