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If you run an e-commerce brand, you know the feeling.
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You can't put your phone down.
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You're checking ad spend at midnight and there's always one more thing.
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One more launch.
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One more channel.
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So here's the question nobody asks.
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You grind for years, you finally exit, and then what?
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You go back and do it all over again?
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AlexIcon was one of us.
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He built a hair extensions brand called Luxie Hair, got half a billion views on YouTube, and sold it in 2018.
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And then he did the thing almost no founder does.
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He decided he wanted less.
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But instead of going back for more, he built a five-minute journal, a toothbrush for your mind, now used by millions to help you get offline.
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This one's for the digitally addicted.
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How to get off the hamstrhe, AlexIcon style.
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Alright, Alex, nice to meet you, and welcome to Elevator Talks.
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It's a pleasure to be here.
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So wanna get into a lot.
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Um, in particular, intelligent change.
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I know is what you're focused on right now.
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But before we do that, I want to spend maybe five minutes or so just getting your history.
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E-commerce, I know you're running a different business, you sold it, and now you're here.
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So what was what was like the five-minute history of what you were doing prior to this?
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I think most importantly, I have to start with being like 11 years old, immigrant in Canada from Russia, having you know a single mother with two kids who can't provide for us, and me wanting to be like, hey, I want to go to the movies, and my mom's like, sorry, don't have money.
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I don't want to be just a regular kid, but I didn't have that means to be able to do that thing, so I had to like figure out what to do.
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And my sister's like, hey, there's this guy who's um picks up random kids who's so like wrong, and uh makes them like sell flowers at different corners of like strip mall plazas around Toronto, and so I'll be out there on weekends hustling, selling flowers for cash.
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So see, that's where my first like merchant hustling career started.
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And I the reason I start with that, that's where I really learn about commerce and and then obviously e-commerce, what I do now.
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I think sometimes people overcomplicate what running a business or selling is.
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It really is as I was doing when I was 11 years old, which was you know, you get inventory, you get stock, you know, which I would get for, let's say, for$30, and whatever I make up, that's my margin, that's that's how and that's what I'm gonna make.
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And that's it.
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It's it's cash in, cash out.
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That's what commerce is, and I think people overcomplicate it.
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So that's where really I'll say my career started, but obviously that didn't last too long, it was just for for cash.
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And then I got I want to be a banker.
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So similar to your bank background, back in the day growing up, it wasn't e-commerce, it wasn't entrepreneurship, it was more about finance, banking, Wall Street, you know, that's where the money is.
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And again, growing up poor, that's where I wanted to be.
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So I was inspired to be a banker, and that's what I was, you know, studying business in school, uh, passing my also kind of course for financials and things like that, beyond that path.
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And then 2008 came and I got fired from the bank.
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And that was a blessing in disguise.
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And now I use it when I fire people sometimes.
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Like, hey, I'm here because I got fired.
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Yeah, this can be a blessing.
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This will be a blessing for you.
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It's gonna push you on the right path.
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So I'm really grateful that I got fired because that's when I'm like when I discover, let's say, somebody like Gary Vaynerchuk, and that's when the whole entrepreneurship culture and I will say 08 started.
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Yeah.
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And I said, Hey, why why don't I give this thing a shot and try to figure it out?
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And then obviously, another inspiration for me was Tim Ferris with the four-hour work week.
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So I kind of mixed Gary Vaynerchuck Hustle and Tim Ferris Lifestyle, and then my businesses were born, and that's kind of where the first business, Luxie Hair, was born in 2010.
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So it's almost 16 years ago.
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So let's let's talk Luxie Hair.
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So, what was that process like?
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Why did you even pick that category?
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It's a good question.
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So I think when choosing and creating a business, you obviously are doing it because you want to make money, right?
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That's that's the initial push for most of us starting a business.
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Like, hey, I want to make money, so where can I do it?
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And in the four-hour work week, he speaks about having your muse, your inspiration that will help you create a business.
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Because a lot of us don't start off with an idea of what do we actually want to do, what do we want to sell.
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And I was just lucky enough looking for ideas, and at that time I was about to get married.
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You know, my fiance at the time was like frustrated and was like, Oh, like I spent 200, 300 bucks on this product, hair extensions, and they suck and I feel so stupid.
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And she's she was complaining to her sister, not even me.
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And there I was just thinking about what idea do I start?
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And I just started being curious and asking her questions like, why are you so sad?
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Why are you so angry?
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Yeah, and she stated her problem, right?
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Which is she couldn't get the quality of a product that she wants at the price point that she wants.
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And that's why I'm like, I looked into you know, Alibaba, how much does this thing actually cost?
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Also, kind of modified the product because at that time the market was only selling product that was not enough for women who say with more hair.
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So you needed at least double volume what they were selling.
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I had to actually tell the factories like, hey, instead of 60, 80 grams that you sell, I need 160.
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And they'd be like, that's too much, that's crazy, it's not gonna like go on the this weave.
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Well, I'm like, make it happen.
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You know, that's what we're gonna sell.
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And obviously, this is pre-direct to consumer.
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Um, 2010, it was just kind of about to start.
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And I would say like Everlane as well, after was kind of starting out, so I was just inspired as well.
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We don't need to do retail and all this stuff, and let's just do direct to consumer before even knowing what direct to consumer was, and just being like, okay, what minimal margin do we need to really sell a product at wholesale?
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We were selling something that was priced at$300 at half the price, so at wholesale directly to consumer, and it kind of just kicked off.
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I think it was just a perfect storm of be able to provide a product that gives a lot of value and the word spreads.
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And obviously, of course, we understood back then the change that was already happening with Facebook, YouTube, this is pre-Instagram, and we didn't have a lot a lot of money that we have to produce content.
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And so that business was really built with YouTube.
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And I just said to then, you know, my fiance, we're gonna become business partners.
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We threw in her sister because she was also out of work, and so it was three of us.
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And I said, You girls make at least one video a week each on this channel, and that channel then blew up, and um, you know, over half a billion views, three million subscribers, and we kind of really just grew that business organically.
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And the punchline of the story, I did actually live the four-hour work week.
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So I could have, of course, built probably a way larger business, but I was like, this is great, and I would just have like two employees at even at peak and just chilling, traveling, surfing Costa Rica, you know, traveling the world and doing things like that.
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I love this because you were doing everything that everyone's doing now, but you were doing it way before.
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Way before.
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Um I'm intentionally kind of moving a bit fast because I want to get to intelligent change, but I also want to talk quickly about the sale and how you you know exited that, what that process looked like.
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Because I I think this is such an interesting topic, and most people don't sell their business, they wind up either keeping it or winding it down or goes out of business.
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So talk to me about that.
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What was that like?
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Same thing.
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I think different environment than what we're living in now, the information that we have, these type of podcasts, a lot of this didn't exist.
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And selling a business was not something that was on my horizon at first because I was just creating a lifestyle business and a cash flow generating business.
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So I had you know a business that was generating, you know, two million plus in like free cash flow, two staff, like as as being my 20s, like life is good, you know.
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What else do you actually need?
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Yeah, and the reason the sale actually um came about was like I we started getting depressed with the business, and this is something we can kind of get into after because the reality that most founders don't speak about, because the reality is not many succeed, but what happens after you actually succeed?
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And in the four-hour work week, he has this chapter which I avoided because I didn't care about it, which is filling the void.
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Yes, like what happens once the void comes, and the void it really is is like you achieve your dream, you're making millions of dollars, you're traveling the world, you have your dream life, you have your dream house, car, then what?
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And then the void was I really don't care about hair extensions.
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This is not a business that serves my meaning and purpose.
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It of course it fulfills mean helping me have a certain life, and I'm super grateful for it.
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Yet, what I realized then is building and having a meaning of life, and that is the work that you do daily, and for me that wasn't really fulfilling.
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And so, and then we started getting approached by you know private equity, by BCs, obviously, like, hey, like let's grow or let's we'll give you more equity and capital to make this a really big thing, let's make lots of money.
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I think to be honest, coming from a humble environment, I kind of always already was like, I understood this is enough, and just having a fancier car or a fancier house is not really gonna like make me that much happier.
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And so we just look at started looking for opportunities to be able to exit and do something else because already early um I started working on intelligent change.
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So, intelligent change, uh, the idea of it started 2011 because somebody approached me who would become my future business partner and said, Hey, teach me how to create this lifestyle business.
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Like I heard you're the guy who's actually done the four-hour work week, who lives it, and it's real.
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You know, it's like it's it's not a myth, it is it's like a reality.
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And I said, Yeah, for sure, but I've already worked four hours today.
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Exactly.
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So, and I told him right away from what I knew, and don't create a business just for the sake of money.
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Because the reality is if you succeed and you get here, you're gonna get into this void.
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I recommend for you to reverse engineer and build a business with the idea of what do you actually deeply care about?
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And you know, he was also Indian by heritage and very spiritual, and say, Hey, what do you actually like to do?
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And he's like, Well, like I like to meditate, I I work out, I journal.
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He used to journal like an hour a day, work out for an hour, meditate for an hour.
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Yeah, like a three-hour morning, would see.
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Yeah, and I was like, dude, that's great, but I don't want to journal for an hour or meditate, like it's it's a lot.
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I just want to, again, as uh Tim Ferris spoke about in the for work week, I want an 80-20 Brado's law.
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How do I get to 80% results of just 20% amount of effort?
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And that's really my philosophy uh to life, and that's how then we created the five-minute journal together.
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Uh, but jumping back to your question to get back to you, is that I wanted an exit, I just didn't want to do the business anymore.
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So you were seeking it out.
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Yeah, and at the same time, I've seen many founders of friends who would hit this crisis and void and destroy everything.
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You know, they will build something of value and they'll be like, this doesn't bring me meaning, and they burn it.
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Like I've seen friends with multi-million dollar businesses that go to zero because they just lost passion and like I didn't do that.
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I was like, hey, let me uh maximize let me maximize the exit.
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There's you know, there's people approaching me who want to invest.
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Um, I don't want to take in money, and that's again the route that I understood is the moment you take in money, you have a boss, yeah, and you have a certain uh outcome that you need to deliver to them.
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I'll I would I feel responsible to my investors as well to be able to deliver, but it's not the path that I wanted to be on.
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And the other thing is, you know, we had this thing in the business where so much of the business was driven organically by my wife at the time and her channel and her personality.
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So it's not like you I think a lot of people also deal with this now where they build something that is very personality driven or it is tied into their personal brand.
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Like, how do you sell that?
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And what I understood is we have to somehow exit and prove um that we can uh grow the business without Mimi, who's who is my partner, yeah.
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And because and the moment really came because we met with someone who was interested, who reached out, wanted to buy the business, like a little private equity firm, and we met with them in New York, and they're like, hey, well, great, bunch of kids running the business, but they see a lot of opportunity just lowballed us, and they gave us like, you know, probably like a three to four X IBIT multiple to buy the business.
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And then I'm like, why would I sell to them for the just the next three years of my cash flows?
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I'll rather just keep it myself and reverse engineer it to show how I can get a higher multiple and at the same time prove that it can grow without Mimi.
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And it was perfect timing because uh she was about to give birth to our daughter and she wanted to stop doing YouTube because that's another thing.
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Many YouTubers who are even successful, it's it's exhausting.
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Like as a content creator, you don't want to keep doing it for for a long time and like pumping out content, it's it's really exhausting.
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Yeah, so she's like, and I said, Hey babe, don't worry, quit doing this, and we'll figure it out.
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In terms of like, I then actually went into non-four-hour work week mode.
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Started working hard.
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Actually working, actually hiring out a team, and somebody who was a you know a friend and a mentor of mine who blew up now is Dan Martell.
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Okay.
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So Dan Martell, you know, he was a friend and somebody I I knew, and I told him, Hey, I want to exit and I want to grow kind of this business.
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And he told me, and I believe he still recommends his book to this day, he's like, Read Traction by Geno Wickman.
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Have you heard of Traction?
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Out of everything that I read, this was it, this was the best guide because even as you know, going to business school, which I did, and a lot of the stuff time they don't teach you about real small businesses and like how to scale from zero to two million, two million to like 50 million at those stages.
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It's very different business from what you learn about business in business business school because they teach you about like corporate corporations.
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Yeah.
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And traction still to this day, I would say it's probably one of the best resources, is called EOS, entrepreneur operating system, is what they run on.
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And you probably already a lot of people regurgitate the content that was put in traction, but it gave me a few things that have been uh monumental and helped me actually scale and build a business.
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Because when someone's gonna buy your business, they don't want to actually buy you.
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Yeah, they want to buy the system, they wanna they want to buy the system.
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And if you're if your business is actually has a system and it's operating and it's predictable as a team for revenue, that's what they want to acquire.
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Because if they know they're not just buying a founder with an idea, yeah, and so one of those uh also uh most important ideas that I got from the book was Gino speaks about that there's usually two types of founders, right?
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Which is visionary and integrator.
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And most founders are visionaries, you know, they have a certain vision, they want to bring it to life, and in early days you try to do everything as you scale.
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Sometimes that can be in your co-founder relationship, you'll have an integrator, meaning the operator, you know, usually CEO and a COO.
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And for me, I was missing an integrator to really professionalize the business, also keep running you know, meetings and getting the whole team organizing and building out kind of a proper team, and that's where I was able to then find an integrator that we then scaled the business.
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So the next then two to three years, we doubled the revenue and kind of pitched the business and sold it.
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I'll say we sold it early in 2018, like our competitors who came in directly ripped off our business model, you know, even their first website was our images, like our copy, they just put a different brand on it.
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Yeah, they sold probably for 10x what I've sold for because they were really aggressive and they stuck the course.
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Yeah.
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The reason I share that, there's also a lesson.
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Of course, there's it's never there's not a perfect time to time your your also exit.
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For me, it was the amount that I wanted and I was happy with when we sold.
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And um to this day I'm still spending that money.
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So it's all great.
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Um, but that was really the exit and how it came about.
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Hey, I'm Anish.
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And I just want to quickly give you more context on the world of Elevator.
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Elevator goods is where we build our brands from the ground up, owning the product, operations, and growth.
00:17:47.279 --> 00:17:54.000
Elevator Capital is where we invest in brands worth betting on, backing founders with capital, mentorship, and connections.
00:17:55.440 --> 00:18:05.039
Elevator Talks is where we document it all, sitting down with operators who've actually done it, going deep on their frameworks, their numbers, and the decisions they made to move the needle.
00:18:05.519 --> 00:18:12.160
Elevator Creators is where we help creators build brands, leveraging their audience and turning them into a real business.
00:18:12.480 --> 00:18:21.200
The studio is our private members club with its first location in Hong Kong, built for founders and operators who want to be around people building at the same level.
00:18:21.599 --> 00:18:26.480
If you're building a brand and you want the systems and the playbooks to do so, you're in the right place.
00:18:26.720 --> 00:18:28.480
Check the link in bio to learn more.
00:18:28.640 --> 00:18:30.960
So, last but not least, thank you so much.
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Please subscribe because that will help us a ton in getting you a better guess and more wisdom and more value.
00:18:37.519 --> 00:18:39.519
We really appreciate it, and back to the show.
00:18:39.759 --> 00:18:42.880
I definitely find it interesting that you got a lobo offer.
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You're like F that, you dialed back in, made it bigger, and then went back out and then got what you wanted.
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I think that's really admirable.
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And just to uh also just for people I think will be useful because we're speaking about this over dinner last night as well.
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Be careful with your bankers.
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So Roman actually recommended the banker, and I told him it was the worst banker ever.
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Oh god.
00:19:02.640 --> 00:19:08.319
But it's not again, it's it was more of my fault of an inexperience of working with that person.
00:19:08.400 --> 00:19:10.240
Like a banker is like a real estate agent, right?
00:19:10.400 --> 00:19:14.880
Yeah, or he's like a broker, he's gonna like help you sell uh your stuff.
00:19:15.039 --> 00:19:18.000
The reason I say that is you know, they sell you the dream.
00:19:18.079 --> 00:19:20.079
Here's where you're we're gonna sell you for you.
00:19:20.240 --> 00:19:27.920
Then they you go out and you try to pitch your business, and in the end, the the offers that were coming in even then, three years later, were still low.
00:19:28.240 --> 00:19:34.799
And I was like, There's no I'm again, I'm not gonna sell the business at these multiples, like there's no point.
00:19:34.880 --> 00:19:35.839
I'll rather keep it.
00:19:35.920 --> 00:19:37.200
It's a good it's a good business.
00:19:37.359 --> 00:19:40.640
So we actually were the ones ended up finding the buyer.
00:19:40.720 --> 00:19:46.720
It was the buyer who actually kept reaching out to me every year and was like, Hey, do you want to sell the business?
00:19:46.799 --> 00:19:47.279
I'm like, no.
00:19:47.440 --> 00:19:48.000
They really wanted it.
00:19:48.160 --> 00:19:49.119
Yeah, they really wanted it.
00:19:49.200 --> 00:19:50.400
It was strategic for them.
00:19:50.640 --> 00:19:53.920
So we kind of told no to everybody, even after the process.
00:19:54.000 --> 00:19:57.119
And then the buyer who was really wanted it kind of came back to us.
00:19:57.200 --> 00:20:03.599
They flew out, they're like, hey, let's do further due diligence and um see how we can make this work.
00:20:03.759 --> 00:20:04.720
Uh and they did.
00:20:04.960 --> 00:20:10.400
And we um they I think their offer went up by like 40%.
00:20:10.960 --> 00:20:11.519
Oh wow.
00:20:11.680 --> 00:20:22.720
Because again, you have to, if you have a good business and you believe in it and you're like you're you're fine keeping it going, you have more leverage in negotiations as well.
00:20:22.799 --> 00:20:24.799
Yeah, and for them it was an incredible purchase.
00:20:24.880 --> 00:20:25.920
Like, I wish I didn't sell.
00:20:26.000 --> 00:20:32.880
Like they the business, you know, it was I thought it was like, hey, hell, thank God, because we sold right before COVID.
00:20:33.039 --> 00:20:37.440
But as we know, like e-commerce just blew up in in COVID, so they ain't got a gold mine.
00:20:37.680 --> 00:20:42.160
Like they they the business the valuation increased, I think, five X over what they paid.
00:20:42.319 --> 00:20:42.640
Wow.
00:20:42.880 --> 00:20:45.519
So everyone, everyone was happy.
00:20:46.400 --> 00:20:47.519
It was a good purchase, yeah.
00:20:47.759 --> 00:20:58.559
One of the things that I really want to get into uh into with you today is the difference in starting a business today versus when you started out.
00:20:59.119 --> 00:21:01.119
So let me paint a picture.
00:21:01.279 --> 00:21:17.519
It's a f it's a familiar picture, which you obviously will know, but today is all about clawed maximization, productivity maximization, the anxiety of am I doing enough fast enough?
00:21:17.920 --> 00:21:23.680
You know, you go onto X and it's everyone just seems like they're better than you, faster than you, smarter than you.
00:21:23.839 --> 00:21:33.440
Also, the amount of information that's available from podcasts like this to LinkedIn posts to you know just news in general, it's just far more developed.
00:21:34.079 --> 00:21:37.599
It just feels like everyone's so active and successful.
00:21:37.920 --> 00:21:42.079
And I think being a founder today comes with a ton of anxiety.
00:21:42.880 --> 00:21:48.640
And for me, you know, I I run several brands myself, so I'm speaking from experience.
00:21:49.200 --> 00:21:54.160
Like I can't go to bed unless my Claude is doing something while I'm sleeping.
00:21:54.480 --> 00:21:56.160
That's how ridiculous this has become.
00:21:56.400 --> 00:21:59.759
You know, I would I we we were talking about this morning, like Anthony.
00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:02.480
Propic launched today or yesterday.
00:22:02.799 --> 00:22:06.240
Now you can have multiple cloud code sessions going at one time.
00:22:07.279 --> 00:22:15.599
And I sent that to my co-founder, one of my business partners, and he was like, yes, like amazing, like celebrating that we can now triple our productivity.
00:22:15.920 --> 00:22:22.880
So just coming to the point of the question, it seems like today it's all about efficiency maximization.
00:22:23.599 --> 00:22:27.599
And that comes with an insane amount of pressure, but also just anxiety.
00:22:28.319 --> 00:22:34.319
We're living in an incredibly intense digital world.
00:22:35.039 --> 00:22:40.400
And again, speaking from experience, when I leave my computer, I feel like this desire to get back to it.
00:22:40.720 --> 00:22:41.920
And I think that's messed up.
00:22:42.160 --> 00:22:50.720
And so I'm really particularly excited to chat with you because I feel that, or it seems like you've kind of broken away from that.
00:22:50.799 --> 00:23:02.480
You're still a business owner, you're still a co-founder, you're still an e-commerce person, you've exited, and yet you have this what seems super balanced life, not full of anxiety.
00:23:02.799 --> 00:23:05.119
So I'd love to get your perspective on all of that.
00:23:07.920 --> 00:23:11.039
The reality is everything that you said about is true.
00:23:11.359 --> 00:23:18.240
The safety that I've been able to earn is through the exit that we spoke about.
00:23:18.400 --> 00:23:31.200
You know, for me, and we're just, you know, speaking to somebody also here in your office as well, is that we all have a certain number that will make us feel more comfortable and safe to a certain degree.
00:23:31.359 --> 00:23:38.880
Because even in those years when I was cash flowing a few million a year, which is pretty much what even now is great, right?
00:23:39.039 --> 00:23:42.400
That's the gold standard uh that I've learned as well.
00:23:42.480 --> 00:23:52.880
It's not just about um even how much liquid you have, but it's even if you sell for a certain amount, it's about the cash flows that you're gonna still be coming in.
00:23:52.960 --> 00:23:58.160
Because otherwise you'll be able to spend through whatever that liquid you have fairly quickly.
00:23:58.319 --> 00:24:04.720
So it's always this chase that we may have of constantly being able to earn more.
00:24:05.680 --> 00:24:10.000
The question everyone has to ask themselves is like, what is your number?
00:24:10.240 --> 00:24:22.160
And of course, throughout the years, I guess, with inflation and also the social media inflation of expectations that we all have, that number is non-realistic for most people.
00:24:22.240 --> 00:24:28.240
Um, like even if we look at statistically, the odds of you getting that is probably gonna be really low.
00:24:28.640 --> 00:24:32.480
So you can still shoot for that because that's what has allowed me to achieve what I've achieved.
00:24:32.559 --> 00:24:34.640
That's what allowed others to achieve what they have achieved.
00:24:34.720 --> 00:24:38.480
And if you feel that desire that you need to do that, keep going.
00:24:38.880 --> 00:24:48.559
But I have to be honest, it's my exit that really uh alleviated that kind of rush to you know, keep make more, right?
00:24:48.720 --> 00:24:50.240
And of course I just communicated now.
00:24:50.319 --> 00:25:02.480
Hey, I I just you know, I'm finalizing my divorce, and now I'm half liquid as I used to be, and now it's I've hit a threshold below the number that I'm comfortable at.
00:25:02.640 --> 00:25:21.039
And now I'm like, this is why I'm here in Hong Kong, you know, with our mutual friend Roman, and and and understanding that I need to actually listening even to you guys or having dinner last night with other founders, is understanding that even me, I'm behind in regards to this productivity.
00:25:21.200 --> 00:25:24.880
And and the truth is we're in a bubble, you know.
00:25:25.359 --> 00:25:29.759
We're in a bubble of ex and and founders who are doing this.
00:25:30.000 --> 00:25:34.319
Most society, most even other uh business owners are not at it at all.
00:25:34.640 --> 00:25:40.960
The reason is like you're young, you're at it, uh, you're implementing these things, and it's also gonna be the reason why you will win.
00:25:41.119 --> 00:25:47.279
Right now, it is a special time that is happening where you will get left behind.
00:25:47.359 --> 00:25:59.680
So even myself, who's very chill, who's very lifestyle, I know that I also need to restructure my whole business, my whole team this year, and the way we do things.
00:25:59.839 --> 00:26:04.799
It is not business as normal a year, even for myself, who's very lifestyle driven.
00:26:04.960 --> 00:26:09.759
So, yes, it's a bit anxious driven as as a as a time for for everyone.
00:26:10.000 --> 00:26:23.279
This is why I really recommend to you need to build out mental health routines for yourself to help you not go totally crazy.
00:26:23.359 --> 00:26:32.079
And this is why Intelligent Change, you know, and the company that I've created, you know, over a decade ago and the tools that we create, they're there to help myself.
00:26:32.240 --> 00:26:39.839
And also it has helped millions of people around the world to have these kind of book ends of the day, you know, to start your day.
00:26:40.000 --> 00:26:43.279
You know, how you start your day and how you end your day are very important.
00:26:43.440 --> 00:27:04.559
And as you said, currently there's this feeling of you want to get on the phone right away or on your computer, you just it's nonstop, and you need to allow yourself to even even if it's five minutes a day, to just breathe and to just like get in touch uh with yourself, with the intentions that you have for the life that you want to live.
00:27:04.720 --> 00:27:13.839
And it's okay to, you know, I I've had periods in my life where you have to sprint, even though I'm known as a lifestyle for a work week guy.
00:27:14.000 --> 00:27:24.720
There's periods where you work 12-hour days and you kind of go hard because you know that it will pay off the dividends in the in the in the future.
00:27:24.880 --> 00:27:43.119
However, you have to be mindful because many people don't ever stop and their numbers way too high, and they're gonna never even see life and and and and build other more meaningful things in their life, like friendships, relationships, and be able to live life outside of just a screen.
00:27:43.279 --> 00:27:57.440
But it's I think most importantly, it is still understanding the season that you're in, and there for sure there's still the high pressure, even for me, to be in this growth season because it is a big shift that we're going through.
00:27:57.680 --> 00:28:09.599
There is a difference of energy also that I've seen in founders like today, if you're in your 20s versus 10 years ago, it's like radically different.
00:28:09.839 --> 00:28:10.480
In what way?
00:28:10.720 --> 00:28:12.960
Because of this productivity improvement.
00:28:13.519 --> 00:28:16.559
Like, again, speaking from experience, I'm 32.
00:28:16.640 --> 00:28:18.480
I started my first brand when I was 24.
00:28:18.640 --> 00:28:20.640
This is obviously pre-AI, pre-COVID.
00:28:20.960 --> 00:28:25.680
Like the work was more manual, and because of that, I felt that there was bookends.
00:28:26.000 --> 00:28:30.559
Like you start your day and you end your day, and there's like a hard stop and a hard cap.
00:28:31.119 --> 00:28:31.920
Much more traditional.
00:28:32.079 --> 00:28:35.200
I'm not saying like a nine to six, but certainly like more bookends.
00:28:35.279 --> 00:28:38.000
Like today, it's it kind of just bleeds.
00:28:38.160 --> 00:28:41.920
I don't know, it feels like it's just happening in perpetuity, cross-time zone.
00:28:42.079 --> 00:28:43.599
Everyone's much more global today.
00:28:44.160 --> 00:28:52.480
Again, just speaking from experience in the past, like it was like you have a team, you have an office, you know, everyone comes in at nine in the morning or whatever and leaves at six.
00:28:52.559 --> 00:28:56.000
Yeah, maybe you go home and do a little bit of work, but there's a start and then there's a stop.
00:28:56.480 --> 00:29:02.799
Today, someone's in Asia, someone's in the US, someone's in Europe, someone's wherever, and it's like there's notifications 24-7.
00:29:03.200 --> 00:29:08.240
There's much more means of communication between Slack, email, WhatsApp, WeChat.
00:29:08.480 --> 00:29:10.880
Like it's just gotten very overwhelming.
00:29:11.039 --> 00:29:16.240
Then you layer in the AI stuff of doing, I don't know, it just seems very unhealthy, is what I'm trying to say.
00:29:16.319 --> 00:29:20.160
And I I I told you this off camera, but I want to emulate what you're doing.
00:29:20.319 --> 00:29:26.240
Like you seem like you've got a system that works, and maybe we can just talk about the intelligent change system.
00:29:26.480 --> 00:29:36.160
Yeah, I think the intelligent change system, as I said, I've created it for myself because I've dealt with all these things in my own life.
00:29:36.319 --> 00:29:57.279
Uh, meaning, you know, the the five-minute journal, which is like our hero product and really a category maker in the space of guided journals that we've created, you know, now reaching what's gonna be, you know, 15 years since the initial kind of idea, and then inspiring this whole category and generation really of journalers which didn't exist and and mental health.
00:29:57.440 --> 00:30:00.400
The five-minute journal is what I call a toothbrush for your mind.
00:30:00.559 --> 00:30:09.359
Most of us, one habit that we all as humans have learned is to be able to brush our teeth in the morning and night in most parts of the world, right?
00:30:09.440 --> 00:30:16.319
It's a nice habit that we do, and to help really our dental hygiene, they told us, hey, this is what we need to do.
00:30:16.559 --> 00:30:23.279
We don't have that for our mindset and our mind and our uh kind of well well-being.
00:30:23.440 --> 00:30:33.440
And this is why, for myself, this is my mental tool that I've created for myself to help me create first thing in the morning intention for the day.
00:30:34.079 --> 00:30:47.839
Because taking a few minutes in in in the morning before the day starts to have a little inspiration that we have a little quote that kind of starts the day, and then you go through these three little simple prompts, which is what am I grateful for right now?
00:30:48.000 --> 00:30:52.480
Because oftentimes the feeling that you're speaking about is not being enough.
00:30:53.119 --> 00:31:04.000
And as they say, recipe for you know, uh happiness is uh reality minus expectations equals how happy you are.
00:31:04.240 --> 00:31:13.680
But the expectations are now are so out of whack that you're not sitting still and being present, even appreciating the win that you had yesterday.
00:31:14.000 --> 00:31:14.799
So true.
00:31:15.119 --> 00:31:25.440
Or to be appreciative, like, hey, you know, I have a bed or I have a maybe a girlfriend or a partner next to you or your dog or uh the city that you live in.
00:31:25.599 --> 00:31:31.680
And to be able to just take the pause to reflect and appreciate what you have in life.
00:31:31.839 --> 00:31:38.319
You know, a quote that I love is that what you appreciate appreciates.
00:31:38.480 --> 00:31:42.960
So taking that moment to appreciate these things in your life will appreciate more.
00:31:43.039 --> 00:31:44.079
You will see more of them.
00:31:44.319 --> 00:31:50.000
And the signs behind this is like we all have this part of our brain called the reticulating activating system.
00:31:50.319 --> 00:31:52.160
And this is the reason why for you, right?
00:31:52.240 --> 00:32:01.440
You're you're hyper focused on all this clawed stuff, and it's all that you see because your brain is like this navigation tool that whatever you tell it to focus on, you will see more of that.
00:32:01.519 --> 00:32:06.559
Yeah, and what you're seeing right now is like clawed, anxiety, productivity.
00:32:06.799 --> 00:32:16.160
Yeah, and you need to give that focus to your brain about also say love, appreciation, uh, well-being.
00:32:16.720 --> 00:32:30.000
And that's why for myself, if you practice little thing for a long time, even if it's just a minute a day, of appreciating, it will compound over time where you will have that mindset.
00:32:30.079 --> 00:32:31.599
That's why people you know call me Mr.
00:32:31.759 --> 00:32:52.319
Gratitude and things like that, is because simply I just practice this little thing daily, and the reminder I give people why it's the two you have to have some sort of a toothbrush for your mind, is that it's not like let's say you've been you're 32 years old now, and you're like, hey, I brushed my teeth for the last 30 years, I'm good.
00:32:52.480 --> 00:32:55.599
Like, I think I've had enough of uh brushing my teeth.
00:32:55.759 --> 00:33:03.440
Because the truth is, whether you stop working out or you stop brushing your teeth, uh the state it will depreciate, right?
00:33:03.839 --> 00:33:08.960
The bacteria will grow and things will decay, you have to keep doing it.
00:33:09.119 --> 00:33:16.400
Yeah, so same thing whether it be the productivity, but also certain rituals to help you with yourself.
00:33:16.559 --> 00:33:48.319
This is why you know I just came from uh two weeks in Japan almost, and it was beautiful to see so much intentionality in the culture, and that's what we often forgive in the modern world is the importance and power of rituals, of daily rituals that we do in the morning, whether it be a simple prayer or a simple line of gratitude that reminds you of what you have and also help you create the intention for the day.
00:33:48.480 --> 00:33:51.839
I really believe that we're always constantly creating our reality.
00:33:51.920 --> 00:33:57.440
So you can be in an anxious reality or you can be in this kind of zen reality.
00:33:57.599 --> 00:34:00.640
And I'm sure you've seen founders on both sides.
00:34:00.799 --> 00:34:05.359
Um, I now know founders who are mega successful, right?
00:34:05.440 --> 00:34:09.679
We're talking hundreds of millions of billions, and they're cool as a cucumber, right?
00:34:09.760 --> 00:34:25.760
And you have a founder who's maybe just making a few million bucks or even less, and he's so anxious and he's he's trying to be super productive, but he's just overworking himself and actually not being efficient or smart.
00:34:26.000 --> 00:34:35.119
So I believe that there's different ways to work, and uh your mindset is a big proponent of it.
00:34:35.280 --> 00:34:42.320
And so other tool that I've created as well, and we launched this now, you know, over 10 years ago, is the productivity planner.
00:34:42.480 --> 00:34:55.920
And if you look at a lot of the stuff that's coming out now, it's like it's what uh we've talked about over a decade ago, which is really this simple idea of there's an endless task that we have in our notion, in our asana, whatever it may be.
00:34:56.079 --> 00:35:06.800
Yeah, but sometimes go in pen to paper or even in your uh kind of tasks of just saying, hey, there's only one thing that I have to do today.
00:35:06.960 --> 00:35:19.199
And if you just accomplish one most important task, not the task that you just keep you busy, that will actually compound again and allow you to get to your end result much faster.
00:35:19.440 --> 00:35:23.440
How do you build the filter filtration system to identify that?
00:35:23.679 --> 00:35:25.360
In regards to the priority of tasks?
00:35:25.519 --> 00:35:28.239
Yeah, like that one task or that 2080 rule.
00:35:28.480 --> 00:35:32.880
We all know what we have to do, and this method is called like eat the frog.
00:35:33.039 --> 00:35:38.960
You know, you don't want to eat the frog, it's it's um, it's uncomfortable, but you know it's something that's gonna move you forward.
00:35:39.199 --> 00:35:48.320
And many times, including myself, we will do whatever is else, but do the thing that we need to do.
00:35:48.480 --> 00:35:54.800
So oftentimes I think that the thing that you're avoiding is most likely the thing that you have to do.
00:35:55.039 --> 00:35:55.360
Okay.
00:35:55.599 --> 00:35:56.480
So that's confusing.
00:35:56.719 --> 00:35:58.320
So that's the tell, the thing you don't want to do.
00:35:58.559 --> 00:36:08.719
No, hey, there's some things that you should you you should also design things in ways that you enjoy doing it that will create again that 80-20, the most kind of leverage in the tasks.
00:36:08.880 --> 00:36:18.400
However, I think that can be one of the tells for sure, is the things that you're avoiding, is oftentimes can be the biggest uh breakthroughs for yourself.
00:36:18.719 --> 00:36:30.559
I'm looking at you as like really a thought leader in this space of being a business person, but having the fortitude to build, you know, mental health and work-life balance.
00:36:30.719 --> 00:36:32.079
So I guess I'm curious.
00:36:32.320 --> 00:36:33.599
Do you like the direction?
00:36:33.679 --> 00:36:37.119
Like personally, do you I mean you see the direction that we're going as humanity?
00:36:37.360 --> 00:36:39.840
AI, it's gonna be robots soon.
00:36:39.920 --> 00:36:41.840
Like, do you like that direction?
00:36:41.920 --> 00:36:44.239
Or does that make you happy or sad or neither?
00:36:44.400 --> 00:36:45.840
Is it just you're adapting to it?
00:36:46.079 --> 00:36:46.559
I do.
00:36:46.639 --> 00:36:49.760
I'm so excited about uh this direction.
00:36:49.840 --> 00:36:56.400
And of course, this change and transformation as all big disruptions is messy.
00:36:57.039 --> 00:37:02.559
And most people don't like change, they don't want to change, they just want things to be the ch uh the same.
00:37:02.719 --> 00:37:02.960
Yeah.
00:37:03.119 --> 00:37:09.360
However, in the universe that we live, the only thing that is constant is change and evolution.
00:37:10.960 --> 00:37:15.280
So for me, this is probably one of the most exciting changes.
00:37:15.440 --> 00:37:20.159
And there was years, you know, where you're like, oh, kind of like the world feels the same.
00:37:20.320 --> 00:37:25.440
You know, we there's certain big disruptions that come to change culture and humanity.
00:37:25.599 --> 00:37:33.679
I remember when I first saw the first iPhone, like I knew that device is gonna change the world and change humanity.
00:37:33.840 --> 00:37:37.920
Or when social media came out, those were like big pivotal kind of shifts.
00:37:38.000 --> 00:37:56.239
We're so we're living through probably one of the biggest shifts in the modern world because we have now created new intelligence uh to help us um and be and extend our abilities of our human potential.
00:37:56.480 --> 00:38:03.599
And a lot of people, I believe, we've been stuck in doing drudgery and robotic work.
00:38:03.760 --> 00:38:13.039
And the era that I believe and the possibility that we can enter into now is to how do we double down on what it is to actually be human.
00:38:13.280 --> 00:38:24.960
Because for a long time, you don't have to do it anymore, people were just, you know, they're just human robots, whether that is for administrative tasks or for even now manufacturing tasks.
00:38:25.199 --> 00:38:35.519
And so in this next century, we have this ability to evolve to double down on things that makes us actually more human because we haven't actually been living human lives.
00:38:35.760 --> 00:38:39.360
That is a take I've not heard, and I really like that actually.
00:38:39.599 --> 00:38:57.760
Yeah, so and of course, uh, and in that time to help you transition to this thing, you do have to create some sort of systems and tools and be able to use AI as technology that helps enable you to create that lifestyle for yourself.
00:38:58.000 --> 00:39:10.880
So I'm very hopeful, I'm very optimistic uh for the future, and I believe we'll kind of figure it out and they will help uh people be more like people.
00:39:11.119 --> 00:39:16.079
Did you experience on your own personal level like all these things of burnout, anxiety?
00:39:16.239 --> 00:39:19.119
That's why you've built these systems for yourself.
00:39:19.360 --> 00:39:32.000
I would say most importantly, beyond the burnout and anxiety, my belief around that is if you're not working on something that you genuinely love, that's how you will burn out.
00:39:32.159 --> 00:39:43.039
And this is you know something we didn't get into just as much, is is you know, the reason I exited Luxie Hair, our previous business, is that I wasn't aligned with it long term.
00:39:43.519 --> 00:39:52.320
Where now, say I work on intelligent change and I've been doing this business for you know over, I said 13 years, actual in-business, like launch the product.
00:39:52.480 --> 00:39:52.960
I love it.
00:39:53.119 --> 00:40:00.559
Like I don't have uh anxiety or burnout because to me this is a long-term business.
00:40:00.880 --> 00:40:12.639
As again, the the Japanese have this beautiful term, which is ikigai, yeah, which is doing what you love, uh, what you're good at, what you can get paid for, and what the world needs.
00:40:12.880 --> 00:40:24.960
And I found like I found my ikigai, I found my dharma, like and this right away alleviates a lot of anxiety and and burnout because I'm thinking decades now.
00:40:25.119 --> 00:40:33.440
I'm not trying to chase the next million, even if I have a down year, I'm like, it's fine because I'm playing in decades.
00:40:33.679 --> 00:40:48.000
And this is the thing that I want to really inspire other founders to do because right now, as you even yourself as well, we're just trying to get by, we're just trying to, you know, chase how do we get the most you know, money in the short term, how do we win.
00:40:48.320 --> 00:41:02.079
However, I think those are short-term games, and what I want to really remind people is that start playing long-term games, and long-term games that are connected to really your soul's intuition.
00:41:02.159 --> 00:41:14.880
I and and many of us are disconnected from our humanity and kind of our soul, which is here to create something of value in this physical realm and world.
00:41:15.119 --> 00:41:36.639
And the moment you connect to that, that's how I believe you can create something really on a breakthrough, or you can be working something on a team that you're really passionate about, and that's where I believe a lot of um just meaning, purpose comes into your life because you're really aligned and connected to your soul's mission.
00:41:36.719 --> 00:41:40.320
But I believe most of us are disconnected, we're not living that truth.
00:41:40.559 --> 00:41:54.960
And I want to encourage everybody to be able to connect to themselves, and in order to connect to yourself, you need to be able to sometimes disconnect and give yourself the time of the day, whether that's even five minutes a day, to also connect to nature.
00:41:55.360 --> 00:41:59.599
Me and our mutual friend Roman, you know, yesterday went out to close by here.
00:41:59.679 --> 00:42:04.159
I didn't know that Hong Kong is so lush and beautiful, and there's so much greenery here.
00:42:04.559 --> 00:42:12.000
And we go on this, you know, it's about 45 minutes away from here to this incredible hike and beach, and there's only four people there.
00:42:12.079 --> 00:42:23.440
And I told Roman, like, it's crazy that like there's only four, there's there's us and two other people here, yeah, and we're uh sipping coconuts, you know, on a Wednesday.
00:42:23.599 --> 00:42:26.400
And and he's like, Well, most people are working, right?
00:42:26.480 --> 00:42:27.199
And I get it.
00:42:27.360 --> 00:42:41.360
However, I believe that you can carve out time for yourself, um, even that it's in the evening, even maybe it's it's on a weekend sometime to kind of connect to yourself and start listening to what is important to you.
00:42:41.519 --> 00:42:43.119
And that's been my journey.
00:42:43.440 --> 00:42:53.840
My journey's been realizing I don't want to go watch football with the mates and drink beer because I don't care about whatever, right?
00:42:54.000 --> 00:43:00.880
Or I don't care maybe about tennis or some other stuff, or and be like, what do I really genuinely care about?
00:43:01.119 --> 00:43:40.159
And so for me, that's been my kind of path and journey towards finding myself where even today in the morning in Hong Kong I can step outside of my uh hotel, be on the boardwalk, doing my funky uh Mike Chang exercises, and and doing my Tony Robbins uh priming in the morning and sitting as people walk by and probably think this guy is crazy, but I don't care because I've learned to be in touch with myself and know that these things help me so much to be connected and to live an authentic, genuine life that I love and enjoy.
00:43:40.400 --> 00:43:42.960
So walk me through like what is your morning?
00:43:43.280 --> 00:43:43.679
Yeah, yeah.
00:43:44.000 --> 00:43:47.360
So my morning, you know, starts with it.
00:43:47.440 --> 00:43:51.039
Depends if I'm with my girlfriend seleet or not, right?
00:43:51.280 --> 00:43:59.039
But most of the time we also do it together as as a couple is you know, we wake up and you do the the the five minute journal.
00:43:59.119 --> 00:44:08.400
That is the First ritual, and the reason why you know we recommend to do this practice, and it could be the five-minute journal, it could be a different journaling practice.
00:44:08.559 --> 00:44:13.599
You know, sleep is this one thing that we really don't know what happens.
00:44:13.840 --> 00:44:16.159
You know, we go we all have to sleep.
00:44:16.480 --> 00:44:18.079
If we don't sleep, we die.
00:44:18.800 --> 00:44:28.079
And when we sleep, we go into this miraculous field where our body is totally disconnected and we get these nourishing downloads.
00:44:28.159 --> 00:44:36.079
It's it's a time of the day where we plug ourselves into the matrix or whatever and get our our kind of boost of energy, which is important.
00:44:36.800 --> 00:44:39.199
So it's like that's our uh time to do that.
00:44:39.360 --> 00:44:56.559
So when you wake up, you're just coming out of that state, and I really deeply believe that um the sleep state is deeply connected to your ability to create things in this world.
00:44:56.719 --> 00:44:58.159
It's like the connection.
00:44:58.559 --> 00:45:03.679
So the closest you can actually write out, or you can say manifest, right?
00:45:03.760 --> 00:45:11.199
But you're really just setting the intention in the morning and writing out these three things, right?
00:45:11.280 --> 00:45:17.519
Which is you get inspiration, little uh note of inspiration quote right away for the five-minute journal.
00:45:17.599 --> 00:45:19.840
Then first thing is I'm grateful for.
00:45:20.000 --> 00:45:21.599
What are some three things that you can appreciate?
00:45:21.679 --> 00:45:26.159
So, right away, you're starting your day with what am I appreciating in life?
00:45:26.320 --> 00:45:28.880
I'm already starting a day with thank you.
00:45:29.119 --> 00:45:30.800
Before I even did anything.
00:45:31.039 --> 00:45:31.360
Yeah.
00:45:31.519 --> 00:45:34.719
And then the second question is, what would make today great?
00:45:34.880 --> 00:45:39.440
Or if you want it to be more empowering, what will I do today to make today great?
00:45:39.599 --> 00:45:44.000
You're you're starting the day from the position of something great is gonna happen today.
00:45:44.159 --> 00:45:49.679
Again, you're setting the intention, you're creating the future of what am I gonna look forward to?
00:45:49.840 --> 00:45:54.159
Because our brain evolutionary has been designed for negativity bias.
00:45:54.320 --> 00:46:00.639
Usually you wake up, you're like, this fire, I have to do this, oh, this is gonna happen, oh, I'm dreading this.
00:46:00.880 --> 00:46:07.440
You're starting from reaction, not from intention and through offense versus defense.
00:46:07.599 --> 00:46:09.119
Yes, offense versus defense.
00:46:09.360 --> 00:46:24.480
So, this is why uh the five-minute journal has really you know been helpful to me and millions of people around the world, is because people realize when I actually take the time to do this, my day feels different, my life is different.
00:46:24.719 --> 00:46:29.760
And me myself, I've been also even as a creator on and off with the five-minute journal.
00:46:29.840 --> 00:46:32.559
Like I've there have been months where I don't do it.
00:46:32.719 --> 00:46:34.079
I'm like, ah, whatever, I'm good.
00:46:34.159 --> 00:46:37.519
Yeah, I've been doing it for 10 years, I'm the expert, I don't need to do it.
00:46:37.599 --> 00:46:44.320
Yeah, and then when you slowly realize, like, hey, actually, my days are not as good as when I set that intention and creation.
00:46:44.400 --> 00:46:46.960
And then the last thing in the morning is uh your affirmation.
00:46:47.119 --> 00:46:52.559
So just again, your daily affirmation, this your I am statement of how are you showing up?
00:46:52.639 --> 00:46:54.800
How do you how are you gonna be in the world?
00:46:54.960 --> 00:47:02.880
So today, for example, uh, and one affirmation that I use daily is like I'm healthy, strong, and energetic.
00:47:03.119 --> 00:47:09.039
So that reminds me that hey, if I'm gonna be eating, I should be maybe going towards healthy food.
00:47:09.199 --> 00:47:18.880
And I'm energetic, I'm I'm bringing certain energy to my interactions with other people and strong, like hey, that I will actually follow through and do my workout in the morning.
00:47:19.119 --> 00:47:22.639
So those reminders are so important to us.
00:47:23.039 --> 00:47:26.079
And so then after the five-minute journal, you hop in the shower.
00:47:26.159 --> 00:47:29.599
I like I'm a morning showering person, I love to do that.
00:47:29.679 --> 00:47:33.519
Obviously, brush my teeth as well, another another kind of habit there.
00:47:33.679 --> 00:47:42.079
And I love to, especially, you know, I'm in London, so the weather's not always nice, but even wherever I am in the world, I try to get outside.
00:47:42.320 --> 00:47:43.599
Have you checked your phone at all?
00:47:43.840 --> 00:47:44.400
Sometimes.
00:47:44.559 --> 00:47:45.679
I'll still I'm still human.
00:47:45.760 --> 00:47:51.599
Like I can sometimes still check my little WhatsApp message, see if like somebody messaged me if it's something like that.
00:47:51.760 --> 00:47:54.880
But I will say, in ideal state, I I don't.
00:47:55.199 --> 00:47:55.920
Ideally, no.
00:47:56.800 --> 00:48:00.239
Ideally, of course, no, because then again, you're reactive, you're letting the world come in.
00:48:00.480 --> 00:48:03.360
It's already put in the seed in your brain of something else that you have to do.
00:48:03.599 --> 00:48:04.000
Exactly.
00:48:04.159 --> 00:48:08.559
So then, even though say today when I'm traveling, I like to be close to green space.
00:48:08.719 --> 00:48:13.760
You know, I'm staying in a nice hotel here by the waterfront that you guys have, and uh the dark side, you guys call it.
00:48:15.119 --> 00:48:24.960
Yeah, and I went outs uh outside this morning, and um I do, you know, I picked up from a few creators, but mostly through Mike Chang.
00:48:25.039 --> 00:48:27.119
He has this thing called as well, like Flow60.
00:48:27.280 --> 00:48:31.519
And it's basically just also like some uh Chinese movements.
00:48:31.679 --> 00:48:40.559
You know, you do just uh I can try to link it through, but you just wave your arms a bit, hit yourself a bit, do some breathing.
00:48:40.800 --> 00:48:46.400
Yeah, and I I was even here also in in Hong Kong, and there was this uh we're doing a hike, and this lady was doing the movements.
00:48:47.280 --> 00:48:50.559
Yeah, and like and I'm like, she's you know, she's my family, you know.
00:48:50.880 --> 00:48:52.559
We kind of do the same things.
00:48:52.800 --> 00:48:59.199
So I do some movements, I'll uh and I'll do some stretches, I do like a little yoga routine, and it's all very quick.
00:48:59.280 --> 00:49:00.719
I'm all 80-20.
00:49:00.960 --> 00:49:14.480
So my um daily workout and ritual is I do it first thing in the morning and I do probably you know seven minutes of like yoga and stretches, and then I do a seven-minute workout.
00:49:14.639 --> 00:49:16.000
Oh, yeah, and that's it.
00:49:16.159 --> 00:49:20.159
And if you you know, if people most look at me without a shirt, I'm pretty like fit.
00:49:20.320 --> 00:49:20.880
You're okay, yeah.
00:49:21.039 --> 00:49:23.360
Like I'm I'm not like buff, but yeah, you're good.
00:49:23.599 --> 00:49:32.880
But especially if I do this in um barefoot in the garden somewhere that like with the sunshine, that just lights me up like crazy.
00:49:33.360 --> 00:49:34.480
Like 20 minutes, yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:49:34.559 --> 00:49:35.039
20 minutes.
00:49:35.119 --> 00:49:40.559
So, in total, probably with with the five-minute journal and everything else, it's probably 30 minutes.
00:49:40.880 --> 00:49:52.239
But taking this time every day grounds me so much, and especially with given my lifestyle where I travel a lot, I realized I need this.
00:49:52.480 --> 00:50:11.119
And the reason where most of us feel very disconnected because we just we're reactive, we just rush into things, we start doing things, we don't even stretch our body, we don't breathe, we're not allowing ourselves to, you know, if you look at animals that are out there, when they wake up, they stretch, they move, they shake themselves off.
00:50:11.360 --> 00:50:14.960
Yeah, they take a second, they have some sort of kind of ritual there.
00:50:15.199 --> 00:50:22.639
And I believe we're still animals, and we we have forgotten that, and we have to uh do that.
00:50:22.800 --> 00:50:36.079
And especially when I lived a more nomadic lifestyle, uh, when I was traveling a lot, I saw how it's so damaging to the to your mental health to not have something grounding that you do daily.
00:50:36.239 --> 00:50:48.719
If constantly your day is changing and you're in a different place and you're not you don't feel a sense of of home or even also the tasks that you do, it will sh just shake you.
00:50:48.880 --> 00:50:54.719
And you want to be unshakable in a way through a routine that you do daily.
00:50:54.880 --> 00:51:05.920
And the way even people can start sometimes too is they say, There's this famous book by this uh military guy, make your bed each morning, and it can change your life.
00:51:06.079 --> 00:51:06.960
Why is that?
00:51:07.119 --> 00:51:13.440
Because you just know even if your day goes horribly, you've done one thing, you know what I mean?
00:51:13.519 --> 00:51:21.199
Like, so for me, it's like it's the five-minute journal and these kind of things, and that's really kind of more and more morning routine.
00:51:21.280 --> 00:51:27.519
And then, you know, when I'm in London, I go drop off my daughter at school and I I go to the office.
00:51:27.679 --> 00:51:28.880
That's kind of my life.
00:51:29.119 --> 00:51:33.760
I think it's very interesting, first of all, because it sounds so complicated, but it's like 20 minutes, like you said, 30 minutes.
00:51:33.840 --> 00:51:35.440
So, first of all, I think that's absolutely amazing.
00:51:35.519 --> 00:51:41.519
I've gotten to this horrible habit where I wake up and go, like, I literally like where I'm like, like, you know?
00:51:41.679 --> 00:51:42.800
I think it's most of the people.
00:51:43.039 --> 00:51:45.280
I think and my wife kills me for it.
00:51:45.440 --> 00:51:50.480
I mean, we're actually I'm I'm getting better because she's now like basically literally asked me.
00:51:50.559 --> 00:51:52.719
It's it that's again why I was so excited to talk to you.
00:51:52.880 --> 00:52:00.800
Like, wake up, go outside, make a coffee, go on the balcony, get some sun, yeah, and then pick up your phone.
00:52:00.960 --> 00:52:01.119
Yeah.
00:52:01.280 --> 00:52:02.159
Just a little tweak.
00:52:02.239 --> 00:52:03.599
Like it's a five-minute difference.
00:52:03.840 --> 00:52:06.880
Yeah, even if you look outside the window, I think it's gonna be great.
00:52:07.199 --> 00:52:08.400
So I'm I'm with you.
00:52:08.480 --> 00:52:09.360
I think it's amazing.
00:52:09.519 --> 00:52:15.519
I one thing I also want to chat through is like you've taken this and then you've turned it also into a business, which I love.
00:52:15.760 --> 00:52:22.800
Walk me through that because you know, you've taken this concept five-minute journal, you've physically turned it into a product, it's still a website.
00:52:22.880 --> 00:52:24.480
Like I was on your website last night.
00:52:24.559 --> 00:52:27.440
Like, you go, you can still press add to car, like it's still a business.
00:52:27.519 --> 00:52:27.760
Yeah, yeah.
00:52:27.920 --> 00:52:34.159
It's still an e-commerce business, but it's vastly different than selling hair extensions.
00:52:35.039 --> 00:52:39.440
Is running the business the same sort of like vibe to you?
00:52:39.599 --> 00:52:46.559
I mean, again, you know, it's e-commerce, there's conversion rate, there's sales, there's EBITA, like, but it's it's a totally different concept.
00:52:46.800 --> 00:52:47.840
How are you looking at that?
00:52:48.000 --> 00:52:51.679
Because I I know you said you're thinking in decades, you've got the cushion, I know you're not in a rush.
00:52:51.760 --> 00:52:55.599
I get that, but nonetheless, it's still a business, but it's something radically different.
00:52:55.920 --> 00:52:57.360
It's still a business.
00:52:57.599 --> 00:53:08.559
Um, so I still have to think about the same things you think about, whether that is implementing Clot or AI and restructuring the business, and how do we uh convert better?
00:53:08.719 --> 00:53:09.760
How do we have a better funnel?
00:53:09.920 --> 00:53:12.639
How do we have better ad creatives?
00:53:12.800 --> 00:53:18.800
It's the same stuff, and it's also feeling of like, hey, it's it's it's never enough to to a certain degree.
00:53:19.039 --> 00:53:22.000
I don't think that changes.
00:53:22.239 --> 00:53:34.559
The thing that I want to encourage a lot of founders is to generally number one, like my our our company value and my value is deliver value.
00:53:34.960 --> 00:53:57.840
So any business you have to be looking at from a place of how am I delivering value to other people, and this has helped me so much to become a better founder and entrepreneur because initially many people, including myself, start in business for selfish reasons.
00:53:58.000 --> 00:54:02.880
You're like, I'm broke, I want to have money, I want to have a lifestyle, so give me, give me, give me.
00:54:03.119 --> 00:54:07.119
In reality, yeah, it's more from a taking uh stance.
00:54:07.360 --> 00:54:23.760
In reality, coming from a place of how do we serve people, how do we serve our customers, how do we make the wor uh the world better, how do we make the product better to give more value to people instead of trying to how do we squeeze more out of people?
00:54:23.920 --> 00:54:26.639
That's how you're able to play also the long-term game.
00:54:26.800 --> 00:54:39.840
The reason why you know I've been able to have businesses that have been around in the D2C space for more than a decade and stable and growing, although maybe not super fast but steady, is because of this.
00:54:40.159 --> 00:54:40.719
You're giving.
00:54:41.039 --> 00:54:50.559
It's giving, and it's actually looking after people, not trying to trick people or do uh short-term games again, playing long-term games.
00:54:50.719 --> 00:55:06.079
So with the business, um, I at the same time, we still have to follow these things, and and I can learn so much from you know yourself or other people in your kind of studio by implementing the things that you guys are doing as well.
00:55:06.639 --> 00:55:23.440
So I know that our business can be you know at least 10x the size easily in the next kind of three to five years if I just follow through on doing also a lot of these kind of tactics that other founders are doing or finding out or implementing certain tools.
00:55:23.599 --> 00:55:26.880
So it still remains the same as a business.
00:55:27.119 --> 00:55:48.320
However, the reason I wanted to remind kind of everyone the importance of not losing sight of what you're there for, because sometimes I myself as well, you know, speak to other founders or see these X threads and reels, and I'm like, oh my god, I'm so behind, and I need to make more.
00:55:48.639 --> 00:56:06.000
And then again, this is where through those daily practice and rituals or big one, bigger ones, which because we have we can speak into all the other products that we have, you remind yourself what is important to you in your life, and to also answer another question kind of you asked before about how do I do it.
00:56:06.320 --> 00:56:09.599
I often say I leave a lot of money on the table.
00:56:10.159 --> 00:56:18.400
You know, I'm not trying to get every dollar, you know, try to make as much money as possible, and I'm okay with it.
00:56:18.559 --> 00:56:20.480
I know I'm I'm leaving a lot of money on the table.
00:56:20.800 --> 00:56:22.559
It's huge in a good way.
00:56:22.800 --> 00:56:29.280
Yeah, so and the reason I do that is because I value the intangibles in my life.
00:56:29.440 --> 00:56:29.840
Yes.
00:56:30.159 --> 00:56:46.639
Many people value the tangibles, you know, that car, your house, whatever things you may have, but the intangibles of like having a peace of mind and waking up without being reactive, to me, that's worth a billion dollars.
00:56:46.880 --> 00:56:58.480
I could not do more, you know, and like for example, I would never like God bless Elon Musk for pushing humanity forward, but I would never trade my life with him, you know, like like that's a fun stressful life.
00:56:58.559 --> 00:57:02.480
And hey, some people want to live like that and do that, let them do that.
00:57:02.559 --> 00:57:11.039
And that's why, most importantly, you have to listen to yourself and your desires of what is pushing you forward.
00:57:11.119 --> 00:57:23.679
And some people have that stamina, that drive, that aggressiveness to really conquer markets and to build, and others can still do well, and that's what I want to communicate to to people is that you can still do well.
00:57:23.760 --> 00:57:38.960
You know, you can still have a very good life, and most importantly, a life that is led by your design with that intention of how you want to live versus just how other people like you may be maybe living.
00:57:39.119 --> 00:57:43.679
So you have to examine yourself, and this is what intelligent change is.
00:57:43.760 --> 00:57:59.519
Like the we have another tool called the Life Designer, and I've created that tool again to help people, including myself, to sit with yourself and go through the process of prompting yourself to engineer that the life that you want.
00:57:59.679 --> 00:58:16.320
You know, we live right now in a time where we as humans are prompting AI and we're telling it kind of what to do and like giving the answers, but rarely are we prompting ourselves and sitting with ourselves without being prompted by other things, right?
00:58:16.400 --> 00:58:21.280
By actually prompting on the important questions of like what makes me happy?
00:58:21.599 --> 00:58:24.320
Do I like where I live?
00:58:24.559 --> 00:58:26.480
You know, do I like my friends?
00:58:26.719 --> 00:58:28.320
What are my values?
00:58:28.639 --> 00:58:36.559
Without stimulus, actually sitting with yourself, and it's very uncomfortable and it's and and it seems like it's a waste of time.
00:58:36.880 --> 00:58:48.079
However, it's one of the most meaningful things that you can do to help shape and create your future because most people just uh you know, there's this on online, right?
00:58:48.159 --> 00:58:49.760
They see like NPCs.
00:58:49.920 --> 00:58:57.360
That's why most people are non kind of playing characters because they're not living by design, they're not living by intention.
00:58:57.440 --> 00:59:07.119
The way you become playing actually the game is you have to be become aware of life and the game that we're playing, and you do that with actually doing these practices.
00:59:07.280 --> 00:59:16.320
And what I've learned from the like this, even the super successful people who are not just financially successful but life successful, they're intentional with their life.
00:59:16.559 --> 00:59:20.880
They don't just, you know, and time is the most precious asset that exists.
00:59:21.119 --> 00:59:25.760
It's funny because I think you've hit the nail on the head in like so I mean, in so many ways.
00:59:25.920 --> 00:59:28.480
You've also said some things that have kind of blown my mind.
00:59:28.559 --> 00:59:30.480
Like, very rarely do we prompt ourselves.
00:59:30.639 --> 00:59:46.800
I don't know if you intended for the timing, it you obviously didn't, but just like this like intersection of humanity and AI and productivity and robotics and what's happening in our generations that are following ours.
00:59:47.119 --> 00:59:53.360
You've created this not only something you love, something you're passionate about, but also a business around it.
00:59:53.440 --> 00:59:56.480
Like a like we said, it's still a business, you can still buy the products.
00:59:57.280 --> 01:00:33.119
There's an insane amount of tailwind of people like me who are experiencing this firsthand, the burnout, the anxiety, my wife being like, you need to slow down, you know, the picking up the phone in the morning, and just like you know, I think another spiral that we're we all, I say like from the POV of like an e-comm entrepreneur, is you see you have an idea or you see an idea on an X, and then you run at it, two days pass, like you're vibe coding something, and then all of a sudden you look up and you're like two days have passed, and I wasted two days because I saw someone who I don't know say something with very little validation.
01:00:33.199 --> 01:00:35.440
It was just an idea you got inspired and you just did it.
01:00:36.079 --> 01:00:38.000
So I think that's insane.
01:00:38.239 --> 01:00:47.760
And so I think the main thing that you've created is this like mindset of intention, which it's funny because like I said, it's like you you didn't intend for the timing, but the timing is brilliant.
01:00:48.000 --> 01:00:53.360
Yeah, and that's why to your question before about the current technology, the time that we're living in.
01:00:53.599 --> 01:00:55.519
I'm so excited.
01:00:55.760 --> 01:00:56.159
Yeah.
01:00:56.639 --> 01:01:08.559
Because as we said, people are afraid of change, and change is not something that we want, even though that may change maybe for the better, but we still fear it because it's the unknown.
01:01:08.719 --> 01:01:12.079
You know, I've named this company Intelligent Change 15 years ago.
01:01:12.239 --> 01:01:12.719
Brilliant.
01:01:12.960 --> 01:01:28.159
And this is what we're here to do is to help people navigate change in an intelligent way, and that's what we as humans are capable of using our intelligence to navigate change.
01:01:28.400 --> 01:01:35.920
And so I'm excited for this movement because the movement, as well as it's not just, let's say, myself.
01:01:36.079 --> 01:01:45.360
I believe that many other founders, uh, which are already starting uh to do so as well, to help us navigate this change.
01:01:45.599 --> 01:01:57.519
And there's the biggest market that I believe will open up is also in real world, you know, building community as you're doing here with your studio, connecting other people in different ways.
01:01:57.599 --> 01:01:59.920
Like I'm an investor in Othership, for example.
01:02:00.000 --> 01:02:07.280
And I love what Othership as a business has created by through saunas and community bringing people together.
01:02:07.519 --> 01:02:09.119
And there's gonna be so many different ways.
01:02:09.440 --> 01:02:10.159
That's what people want.
01:02:10.320 --> 01:02:33.119
Yeah, yeah, because we all as well say we all just actually want to be human, but now we're actually living through you know a loneliness epidemic and really this uh anxious world of battling like what is our identity and what's the meaning and purpose of life after all this, after that you're gonna strip away your title, it won't matter.
01:02:33.280 --> 01:02:34.320
Who are you?
01:02:34.639 --> 01:02:47.199
And who you are is you're a human, and it's the most beautiful thing of all, and it's one of the most intelligent creatures ever created, and it's more way to experience life.
01:02:47.519 --> 01:02:56.719
My understanding through my journey of life is all of our purpose is here, is not to create AI, is not to go to the create next time.
01:02:56.800 --> 01:02:58.639
You know, it's none of this, yeah.
01:02:59.039 --> 01:03:01.119
It's just to experience life.
01:03:01.440 --> 01:03:05.920
And life has so many beautiful experiences if you allow it to do.
01:03:06.000 --> 01:03:12.320
One of it can be, you know, being married and building a family and or being part of the community.
01:03:12.639 --> 01:03:14.800
And many of us have forgotten that.
01:03:15.039 --> 01:03:20.559
So this is gonna be a renaissance to actually getting back to humanity.
01:03:20.800 --> 01:03:21.840
I've learned a lot.
01:03:22.079 --> 01:03:22.880
Thank you, Alex.
01:03:23.039 --> 01:03:24.239
Thank you, appreciate it, man.
01:03:24.400 --> 01:03:26.159
Dude, what you're doing is amazing.
01:03:26.400 --> 01:03:27.360
I really believe that.
01:03:27.519 --> 01:03:28.239
Like you've turned it.
01:03:28.559 --> 01:03:30.239
The timing is unreal, by the way.
01:03:30.400 --> 01:03:30.719
Yeah.
01:03:30.880 --> 01:03:34.239
And I know you didn't intend for it, but the timing of all of this I think is so brilliant.
01:03:34.400 --> 01:03:35.599
Yeah, that's why I gotta double down.
01:03:35.840 --> 01:03:36.719
You gotta double down.
01:03:36.880 --> 01:03:41.360
And it's it's just funny because it's like ironic, because it is a business, but it's so much more than that.
01:03:41.440 --> 01:03:46.800
Like, it's actually like a movement of um self-identification in so many ways.
01:03:46.960 --> 01:03:49.519
Like, I I genuinely am just talking to you.
01:03:49.599 --> 01:03:55.920
I'm like clocked like six things, sixty things that I need to like do better of.
01:03:56.000 --> 01:03:59.679
Yeah, I just feel like the time flies so fast when you're locked in.
01:03:59.920 --> 01:04:01.840
Especially when you do you do you have children yet?
01:04:02.079 --> 01:04:03.199
My wife is pregnant.
01:04:03.440 --> 01:04:04.159
Oh, okay.
01:04:04.320 --> 01:04:06.639
So I don't know if that's public knowledge.
01:04:07.519 --> 01:04:08.639
Yeah, congratulations.
01:04:09.599 --> 01:04:18.079
So the craziest thing you'll see with having a child, like the child becomes this ultimate measure of time.
01:04:18.480 --> 01:04:25.599
You know, like my daughter, like, so I was you know, my daughter is now nine, and so we're in Japan together as well for some time.
01:04:25.760 --> 01:04:28.400
And I'm like, that's that's almost a decade of time.
01:04:28.480 --> 01:04:32.800
You have like a full grown kind of human, and like a decade passed.
01:04:32.880 --> 01:04:34.239
I remember like it was just yesterday.
01:04:34.320 --> 01:04:46.880
Like you'll remember also this time, and you're kind of entering, I always compare it to like a startup, you know, like having kids like you're you're like you're back in startup plan, and like zero to one, you're like, what the fuck is going on?
01:04:47.039 --> 01:04:56.639
You're just trying to understand how to make this work, and then by year you know, five, especially, you're like, Oh, this I got this, it's it's it's good.
01:04:56.800 --> 01:04:57.519
How old are you?
01:04:57.679 --> 01:04:58.320
I'm 38.
01:04:58.480 --> 01:05:01.119
Man, I feel like you've done a lot at such a young age.
01:05:01.360 --> 01:05:08.000
Well, I think starting a young tree, even like you, like I started around 23, 24, but of course started before then.
01:05:08.159 --> 01:05:10.639
But it's yeah, it's gonna be super exciting.
01:05:10.719 --> 01:05:15.280
And I and children don't let this pass you by, right?
01:05:15.440 --> 01:05:24.559
This this moment as well of be able to be present and and and and see her or him, you know, uh grow.
01:05:24.800 --> 01:05:26.239
So it's it's it's wonderful.
01:05:26.400 --> 01:05:27.440
So it's gonna be awesome.
01:05:27.679 --> 01:05:28.719
Alex, thanks a lot, man.
01:05:29.119 --> 01:05:29.760
Really appreciate it.
01:05:30.159 --> 01:05:31.519
Glad you came by, honestly.
00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:02.160
If you run an e-commerce brand, you know the feeling.
00:00:02.479 --> 00:00:03.200
You can't put your phone down.
00:00:03.359 --> 00:00:06.240
You're checking ad spend at midnight and there's always one more thing.
00:00:06.639 --> 00:00:07.280
One more launch.
00:00:07.599 --> 00:00:08.160
One more channel.
00:00:08.400 --> 00:00:09.679
So here's the question nobody asks.
00:00:09.839 --> 00:00:12.160
You grind for years, you finally exit, and then what?
00:00:12.800 --> 00:00:14.000
You go back and do it all over again?
00:00:14.160 --> 00:00:15.519
AlexIcon was one of us.
00:00:15.679 --> 00:00:20.800
He built a hair extensions brand called Luxie Hair, got half a billion views on YouTube, and sold it in 2018.
00:00:21.359 --> 00:00:23.120
And then he did the thing almost no founder does.
00:00:23.199 --> 00:00:24.239
He decided he wanted less.
00:00:24.399 --> 00:00:30.800
But instead of going back for more, he built a five-minute journal, a toothbrush for your mind, now used by millions to help you get offline.
00:00:31.039 --> 00:00:32.320
This one's for the digitally addicted.
00:00:32.479 --> 00:00:35.119
How to get off the hamstrhe, AlexIcon style.
00:00:36.479 --> 00:00:40.479
Alright, Alex, nice to meet you, and welcome to Elevator Talks.
00:00:40.640 --> 00:00:41.679
It's a pleasure to be here.
00:00:41.920 --> 00:00:43.600
So wanna get into a lot.
00:00:43.759 --> 00:00:45.840
Um, in particular, intelligent change.
00:00:45.920 --> 00:00:47.759
I know is what you're focused on right now.
00:00:47.840 --> 00:00:52.320
But before we do that, I want to spend maybe five minutes or so just getting your history.
00:00:52.479 --> 00:00:56.799
E-commerce, I know you're running a different business, you sold it, and now you're here.
00:00:56.960 --> 00:01:00.479
So what was what was like the five-minute history of what you were doing prior to this?
00:01:00.719 --> 00:01:18.560
I think most importantly, I have to start with being like 11 years old, immigrant in Canada from Russia, having you know a single mother with two kids who can't provide for us, and me wanting to be like, hey, I want to go to the movies, and my mom's like, sorry, don't have money.
00:01:18.719 --> 00:01:25.040
I don't want to be just a regular kid, but I didn't have that means to be able to do that thing, so I had to like figure out what to do.
00:01:25.120 --> 00:01:43.920
And my sister's like, hey, there's this guy who's um picks up random kids who's so like wrong, and uh makes them like sell flowers at different corners of like strip mall plazas around Toronto, and so I'll be out there on weekends hustling, selling flowers for cash.
00:01:44.000 --> 00:01:48.239
So see, that's where my first like merchant hustling career started.
00:01:48.400 --> 00:01:55.519
And I the reason I start with that, that's where I really learn about commerce and and then obviously e-commerce, what I do now.
00:01:55.680 --> 00:02:00.879
I think sometimes people overcomplicate what running a business or selling is.
00:02:01.040 --> 00:02:12.960
It really is as I was doing when I was 11 years old, which was you know, you get inventory, you get stock, you know, which I would get for, let's say, for$30, and whatever I make up, that's my margin, that's that's how and that's what I'm gonna make.
00:02:13.039 --> 00:02:13.599
And that's it.
00:02:13.680 --> 00:02:15.120
It's it's cash in, cash out.
00:02:15.439 --> 00:02:17.840
That's what commerce is, and I think people overcomplicate it.
00:02:17.919 --> 00:02:23.919
So that's where really I'll say my career started, but obviously that didn't last too long, it was just for for cash.
00:02:24.080 --> 00:02:25.599
And then I got I want to be a banker.
00:02:25.680 --> 00:02:36.960
So similar to your bank background, back in the day growing up, it wasn't e-commerce, it wasn't entrepreneurship, it was more about finance, banking, Wall Street, you know, that's where the money is.
00:02:37.039 --> 00:02:39.840
And again, growing up poor, that's where I wanted to be.
00:02:40.000 --> 00:02:52.319
So I was inspired to be a banker, and that's what I was, you know, studying business in school, uh, passing my also kind of course for financials and things like that, beyond that path.
00:02:52.400 --> 00:02:55.039
And then 2008 came and I got fired from the bank.
00:02:55.759 --> 00:02:59.120
And that was a blessing in disguise.
00:02:59.280 --> 00:03:00.879
And now I use it when I fire people sometimes.
00:03:00.960 --> 00:03:02.800
Like, hey, I'm here because I got fired.
00:03:02.960 --> 00:03:04.639
Yeah, this can be a blessing.
00:03:04.879 --> 00:03:05.919
This will be a blessing for you.
00:03:06.000 --> 00:03:07.360
It's gonna push you on the right path.
00:03:07.520 --> 00:03:16.080
So I'm really grateful that I got fired because that's when I'm like when I discover, let's say, somebody like Gary Vaynerchuk, and that's when the whole entrepreneurship culture and I will say 08 started.
00:03:16.240 --> 00:03:16.479
Yeah.
00:03:16.639 --> 00:03:20.479
And I said, Hey, why why don't I give this thing a shot and try to figure it out?
00:03:20.639 --> 00:03:24.719
And then obviously, another inspiration for me was Tim Ferris with the four-hour work week.
00:03:24.800 --> 00:03:35.919
So I kind of mixed Gary Vaynerchuck Hustle and Tim Ferris Lifestyle, and then my businesses were born, and that's kind of where the first business, Luxie Hair, was born in 2010.
00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:37.599
So it's almost 16 years ago.
00:03:37.840 --> 00:03:39.680
So let's let's talk Luxie Hair.
00:03:40.000 --> 00:03:42.080
So, what was that process like?
00:03:42.240 --> 00:03:43.840
Why did you even pick that category?
00:03:44.080 --> 00:03:44.719
It's a good question.
00:03:44.800 --> 00:03:51.280
So I think when choosing and creating a business, you obviously are doing it because you want to make money, right?
00:03:51.360 --> 00:03:54.879
That's that's the initial push for most of us starting a business.
00:03:55.120 --> 00:03:57.199
Like, hey, I want to make money, so where can I do it?
00:03:57.360 --> 00:04:04.560
And in the four-hour work week, he speaks about having your muse, your inspiration that will help you create a business.
00:04:04.719 --> 00:04:10.000
Because a lot of us don't start off with an idea of what do we actually want to do, what do we want to sell.
00:04:10.240 --> 00:04:18.160
And I was just lucky enough looking for ideas, and at that time I was about to get married.
00:04:18.319 --> 00:04:30.399
You know, my fiance at the time was like frustrated and was like, Oh, like I spent 200, 300 bucks on this product, hair extensions, and they suck and I feel so stupid.
00:04:30.480 --> 00:04:32.720
And she's she was complaining to her sister, not even me.
00:04:33.120 --> 00:04:36.800
And there I was just thinking about what idea do I start?
00:04:36.959 --> 00:04:40.959
And I just started being curious and asking her questions like, why are you so sad?
00:04:41.040 --> 00:04:42.079
Why are you so angry?
00:04:42.240 --> 00:04:44.480
Yeah, and she stated her problem, right?
00:04:44.560 --> 00:04:48.399
Which is she couldn't get the quality of a product that she wants at the price point that she wants.
00:04:48.480 --> 00:04:54.800
And that's why I'm like, I looked into you know, Alibaba, how much does this thing actually cost?
00:04:55.040 --> 00:05:04.720
Also, kind of modified the product because at that time the market was only selling product that was not enough for women who say with more hair.
00:05:04.879 --> 00:05:09.120
So you needed at least double volume what they were selling.
00:05:09.279 --> 00:05:14.639
I had to actually tell the factories like, hey, instead of 60, 80 grams that you sell, I need 160.
00:05:14.720 --> 00:05:18.959
And they'd be like, that's too much, that's crazy, it's not gonna like go on the this weave.
00:05:19.279 --> 00:05:20.240
Well, I'm like, make it happen.
00:05:20.399 --> 00:05:21.600
You know, that's what we're gonna sell.
00:05:21.759 --> 00:05:24.560
And obviously, this is pre-direct to consumer.
00:05:24.639 --> 00:05:27.199
Um, 2010, it was just kind of about to start.
00:05:27.279 --> 00:05:32.560
And I would say like Everlane as well, after was kind of starting out, so I was just inspired as well.
00:05:32.720 --> 00:05:46.319
We don't need to do retail and all this stuff, and let's just do direct to consumer before even knowing what direct to consumer was, and just being like, okay, what minimal margin do we need to really sell a product at wholesale?
00:05:46.480 --> 00:05:54.720
We were selling something that was priced at$300 at half the price, so at wholesale directly to consumer, and it kind of just kicked off.
00:05:54.800 --> 00:06:01.839
I think it was just a perfect storm of be able to provide a product that gives a lot of value and the word spreads.
00:06:02.000 --> 00:06:14.639
And obviously, of course, we understood back then the change that was already happening with Facebook, YouTube, this is pre-Instagram, and we didn't have a lot a lot of money that we have to produce content.
00:06:14.800 --> 00:06:17.839
And so that business was really built with YouTube.
00:06:18.319 --> 00:06:22.079
And I just said to then, you know, my fiance, we're gonna become business partners.
00:06:22.160 --> 00:06:25.040
We threw in her sister because she was also out of work, and so it was three of us.
00:06:25.120 --> 00:06:37.680
And I said, You girls make at least one video a week each on this channel, and that channel then blew up, and um, you know, over half a billion views, three million subscribers, and we kind of really just grew that business organically.
00:06:38.000 --> 00:06:41.839
And the punchline of the story, I did actually live the four-hour work week.
00:06:42.000 --> 00:06:56.079
So I could have, of course, built probably a way larger business, but I was like, this is great, and I would just have like two employees at even at peak and just chilling, traveling, surfing Costa Rica, you know, traveling the world and doing things like that.
00:06:56.319 --> 00:07:01.040
I love this because you were doing everything that everyone's doing now, but you were doing it way before.
00:07:01.360 --> 00:07:02.000
Way before.
00:07:02.319 --> 00:07:16.319
Um I'm intentionally kind of moving a bit fast because I want to get to intelligent change, but I also want to talk quickly about the sale and how you you know exited that, what that process looked like.
00:07:16.480 --> 00:07:25.040
Because I I think this is such an interesting topic, and most people don't sell their business, they wind up either keeping it or winding it down or goes out of business.
00:07:25.199 --> 00:07:26.399
So talk to me about that.
00:07:26.480 --> 00:07:27.199
What was that like?
00:07:27.519 --> 00:07:28.000
Same thing.
00:07:28.079 --> 00:07:34.639
I think different environment than what we're living in now, the information that we have, these type of podcasts, a lot of this didn't exist.
00:07:34.959 --> 00:07:44.480
And selling a business was not something that was on my horizon at first because I was just creating a lifestyle business and a cash flow generating business.
00:07:44.879 --> 00:07:54.959
So I had you know a business that was generating, you know, two million plus in like free cash flow, two staff, like as as being my 20s, like life is good, you know.
00:07:55.040 --> 00:07:56.720
What else do you actually need?
00:07:56.879 --> 00:08:18.720
Yeah, and the reason the sale actually um came about was like I we started getting depressed with the business, and this is something we can kind of get into after because the reality that most founders don't speak about, because the reality is not many succeed, but what happens after you actually succeed?
00:08:18.959 --> 00:08:25.120
And in the four-hour work week, he has this chapter which I avoided because I didn't care about it, which is filling the void.
00:08:25.279 --> 00:08:38.159
Yes, like what happens once the void comes, and the void it really is is like you achieve your dream, you're making millions of dollars, you're traveling the world, you have your dream life, you have your dream house, car, then what?
00:08:38.399 --> 00:08:41.919
And then the void was I really don't care about hair extensions.
00:08:42.000 --> 00:08:44.639
This is not a business that serves my meaning and purpose.
00:08:44.720 --> 00:08:52.159
It of course it fulfills mean helping me have a certain life, and I'm super grateful for it.
00:08:52.399 --> 00:09:02.559
Yet, what I realized then is building and having a meaning of life, and that is the work that you do daily, and for me that wasn't really fulfilling.
00:09:02.720 --> 00:09:18.240
And so, and then we started getting approached by you know private equity, by BCs, obviously, like, hey, like let's grow or let's we'll give you more equity and capital to make this a really big thing, let's make lots of money.
00:09:18.480 --> 00:09:35.039
I think to be honest, coming from a humble environment, I kind of always already was like, I understood this is enough, and just having a fancier car or a fancier house is not really gonna like make me that much happier.
00:09:35.279 --> 00:09:46.159
And so we just look at started looking for opportunities to be able to exit and do something else because already early um I started working on intelligent change.
00:09:46.240 --> 00:09:59.840
So, intelligent change, uh, the idea of it started 2011 because somebody approached me who would become my future business partner and said, Hey, teach me how to create this lifestyle business.
00:10:00.000 --> 00:10:06.480
Like I heard you're the guy who's actually done the four-hour work week, who lives it, and it's real.
00:10:06.720 --> 00:10:09.759
You know, it's like it's it's not a myth, it is it's like a reality.
00:10:10.000 --> 00:10:13.360
And I said, Yeah, for sure, but I've already worked four hours today.
00:10:15.679 --> 00:10:16.159
Exactly.
00:10:16.320 --> 00:10:23.200
So, and I told him right away from what I knew, and don't create a business just for the sake of money.
00:10:23.440 --> 00:10:29.120
Because the reality is if you succeed and you get here, you're gonna get into this void.
00:10:29.360 --> 00:10:36.000
I recommend for you to reverse engineer and build a business with the idea of what do you actually deeply care about?
00:10:36.720 --> 00:10:41.840
And you know, he was also Indian by heritage and very spiritual, and say, Hey, what do you actually like to do?
00:10:41.919 --> 00:10:46.320
And he's like, Well, like I like to meditate, I I work out, I journal.
00:10:46.399 --> 00:10:50.320
He used to journal like an hour a day, work out for an hour, meditate for an hour.
00:10:50.399 --> 00:10:52.000
Yeah, like a three-hour morning, would see.
00:10:52.240 --> 00:10:59.279
Yeah, and I was like, dude, that's great, but I don't want to journal for an hour or meditate, like it's it's a lot.
00:10:59.360 --> 00:11:05.600
I just want to, again, as uh Tim Ferris spoke about in the for work week, I want an 80-20 Brado's law.
00:11:05.679 --> 00:11:09.600
How do I get to 80% results of just 20% amount of effort?
00:11:09.679 --> 00:11:16.799
And that's really my philosophy uh to life, and that's how then we created the five-minute journal together.
00:11:16.960 --> 00:11:23.840
Uh, but jumping back to your question to get back to you, is that I wanted an exit, I just didn't want to do the business anymore.
00:11:24.000 --> 00:11:24.879
So you were seeking it out.
00:11:25.200 --> 00:11:32.960
Yeah, and at the same time, I've seen many founders of friends who would hit this crisis and void and destroy everything.
00:11:33.200 --> 00:11:37.679
You know, they will build something of value and they'll be like, this doesn't bring me meaning, and they burn it.
00:11:37.840 --> 00:11:43.919
Like I've seen friends with multi-million dollar businesses that go to zero because they just lost passion and like I didn't do that.
00:11:44.000 --> 00:11:49.360
I was like, hey, let me uh maximize let me maximize the exit.
00:11:49.440 --> 00:11:52.639
There's you know, there's people approaching me who want to invest.
00:11:52.879 --> 00:12:06.159
Um, I don't want to take in money, and that's again the route that I understood is the moment you take in money, you have a boss, yeah, and you have a certain uh outcome that you need to deliver to them.
00:12:06.240 --> 00:12:14.159
I'll I would I feel responsible to my investors as well to be able to deliver, but it's not the path that I wanted to be on.
00:12:14.320 --> 00:12:25.679
And the other thing is, you know, we had this thing in the business where so much of the business was driven organically by my wife at the time and her channel and her personality.
00:12:25.840 --> 00:12:36.639
So it's not like you I think a lot of people also deal with this now where they build something that is very personality driven or it is tied into their personal brand.
00:12:36.720 --> 00:12:38.159
Like, how do you sell that?
00:12:38.879 --> 00:12:51.440
And what I understood is we have to somehow exit and prove um that we can uh grow the business without Mimi, who's who is my partner, yeah.
00:12:51.679 --> 00:13:13.200
And because and the moment really came because we met with someone who was interested, who reached out, wanted to buy the business, like a little private equity firm, and we met with them in New York, and they're like, hey, well, great, bunch of kids running the business, but they see a lot of opportunity just lowballed us, and they gave us like, you know, probably like a three to four X IBIT multiple to buy the business.
00:13:13.360 --> 00:13:19.759
And then I'm like, why would I sell to them for the just the next three years of my cash flows?
00:13:19.840 --> 00:13:32.879
I'll rather just keep it myself and reverse engineer it to show how I can get a higher multiple and at the same time prove that it can grow without Mimi.
00:13:33.440 --> 00:13:42.639
And it was perfect timing because uh she was about to give birth to our daughter and she wanted to stop doing YouTube because that's another thing.
00:13:42.879 --> 00:13:47.120
Many YouTubers who are even successful, it's it's exhausting.
00:13:47.279 --> 00:13:55.200
Like as a content creator, you don't want to keep doing it for for a long time and like pumping out content, it's it's really exhausting.
00:13:55.360 --> 00:14:01.120
Yeah, so she's like, and I said, Hey babe, don't worry, quit doing this, and we'll figure it out.
00:14:01.279 --> 00:14:05.919
In terms of like, I then actually went into non-four-hour work week mode.
00:14:06.720 --> 00:14:07.679
Started working hard.
00:14:09.519 --> 00:14:18.480
Actually working, actually hiring out a team, and somebody who was a you know a friend and a mentor of mine who blew up now is Dan Martell.
00:14:18.639 --> 00:14:18.799
Okay.
00:14:18.960 --> 00:14:28.879
So Dan Martell, you know, he was a friend and somebody I I knew, and I told him, Hey, I want to exit and I want to grow kind of this business.
00:14:29.120 --> 00:14:34.720
And he told me, and I believe he still recommends his book to this day, he's like, Read Traction by Geno Wickman.
00:14:35.039 --> 00:14:36.000
Have you heard of Traction?
00:14:36.480 --> 00:14:56.799
Out of everything that I read, this was it, this was the best guide because even as you know, going to business school, which I did, and a lot of the stuff time they don't teach you about real small businesses and like how to scale from zero to two million, two million to like 50 million at those stages.
00:14:56.879 --> 00:15:03.519
It's very different business from what you learn about business in business business school because they teach you about like corporate corporations.
00:15:03.600 --> 00:15:03.919
Yeah.
00:15:04.399 --> 00:15:12.799
And traction still to this day, I would say it's probably one of the best resources, is called EOS, entrepreneur operating system, is what they run on.
00:15:12.879 --> 00:15:27.519
And you probably already a lot of people regurgitate the content that was put in traction, but it gave me a few things that have been uh monumental and helped me actually scale and build a business.
00:15:27.759 --> 00:15:31.679
Because when someone's gonna buy your business, they don't want to actually buy you.
00:15:31.840 --> 00:15:33.919
Yeah, they want to buy the system, they wanna they want to buy the system.
00:15:34.080 --> 00:15:41.759
And if you're if your business is actually has a system and it's operating and it's predictable as a team for revenue, that's what they want to acquire.
00:15:41.840 --> 00:16:00.159
Because if they know they're not just buying a founder with an idea, yeah, and so one of those uh also uh most important ideas that I got from the book was Gino speaks about that there's usually two types of founders, right?
00:16:00.240 --> 00:16:02.320
Which is visionary and integrator.
00:16:02.480 --> 00:16:10.240
And most founders are visionaries, you know, they have a certain vision, they want to bring it to life, and in early days you try to do everything as you scale.
00:16:10.399 --> 00:16:17.600
Sometimes that can be in your co-founder relationship, you'll have an integrator, meaning the operator, you know, usually CEO and a COO.
00:16:18.000 --> 00:16:38.399
And for me, I was missing an integrator to really professionalize the business, also keep running you know, meetings and getting the whole team organizing and building out kind of a proper team, and that's where I was able to then find an integrator that we then scaled the business.
00:16:38.480 --> 00:16:45.440
So the next then two to three years, we doubled the revenue and kind of pitched the business and sold it.
00:16:45.600 --> 00:17:02.480
I'll say we sold it early in 2018, like our competitors who came in directly ripped off our business model, you know, even their first website was our images, like our copy, they just put a different brand on it.
00:17:02.559 --> 00:17:10.160
Yeah, they sold probably for 10x what I've sold for because they were really aggressive and they stuck the course.
00:17:10.319 --> 00:17:10.480
Yeah.
00:17:10.720 --> 00:17:12.799
The reason I share that, there's also a lesson.
00:17:13.039 --> 00:17:19.920
Of course, there's it's never there's not a perfect time to time your your also exit.
00:17:20.240 --> 00:17:26.000
For me, it was the amount that I wanted and I was happy with when we sold.
00:17:26.319 --> 00:17:30.400
And um to this day I'm still spending that money.
00:17:30.720 --> 00:17:32.319
So it's all great.
00:17:32.480 --> 00:17:35.519
Um, but that was really the exit and how it came about.
00:17:35.759 --> 00:17:36.799
Hey, I'm Anish.
00:17:36.960 --> 00:17:40.000
And I just want to quickly give you more context on the world of Elevator.
00:17:40.319 --> 00:17:46.000
Elevator goods is where we build our brands from the ground up, owning the product, operations, and growth.
00:17:47.279 --> 00:17:54.000
Elevator Capital is where we invest in brands worth betting on, backing founders with capital, mentorship, and connections.
00:17:55.440 --> 00:18:05.039
Elevator Talks is where we document it all, sitting down with operators who've actually done it, going deep on their frameworks, their numbers, and the decisions they made to move the needle.
00:18:05.519 --> 00:18:12.160
Elevator Creators is where we help creators build brands, leveraging their audience and turning them into a real business.
00:18:12.480 --> 00:18:21.200
The studio is our private members club with its first location in Hong Kong, built for founders and operators who want to be around people building at the same level.
00:18:21.599 --> 00:18:26.480
If you're building a brand and you want the systems and the playbooks to do so, you're in the right place.
00:18:26.720 --> 00:18:28.480
Check the link in bio to learn more.
00:18:28.640 --> 00:18:30.960
So, last but not least, thank you so much.
00:18:31.359 --> 00:18:37.119
Please subscribe because that will help us a ton in getting you a better guess and more wisdom and more value.
00:18:37.519 --> 00:18:39.519
We really appreciate it, and back to the show.
00:18:39.759 --> 00:18:42.880
I definitely find it interesting that you got a lobo offer.
00:18:43.039 --> 00:18:48.880
You're like F that, you dialed back in, made it bigger, and then went back out and then got what you wanted.
00:18:48.960 --> 00:18:50.319
I think that's really admirable.
00:18:50.799 --> 00:18:55.920
And just to uh also just for people I think will be useful because we're speaking about this over dinner last night as well.
00:18:56.079 --> 00:18:57.680
Be careful with your bankers.
00:18:57.920 --> 00:19:01.920
So Roman actually recommended the banker, and I told him it was the worst banker ever.
00:19:02.000 --> 00:19:02.400
Oh god.
00:19:02.640 --> 00:19:08.319
But it's not again, it's it was more of my fault of an inexperience of working with that person.
00:19:08.400 --> 00:19:10.240
Like a banker is like a real estate agent, right?
00:19:10.400 --> 00:19:14.880
Yeah, or he's like a broker, he's gonna like help you sell uh your stuff.
00:19:15.039 --> 00:19:18.000
The reason I say that is you know, they sell you the dream.
00:19:18.079 --> 00:19:20.079
Here's where you're we're gonna sell you for you.
00:19:20.240 --> 00:19:27.920
Then they you go out and you try to pitch your business, and in the end, the the offers that were coming in even then, three years later, were still low.
00:19:28.240 --> 00:19:34.799
And I was like, There's no I'm again, I'm not gonna sell the business at these multiples, like there's no point.
00:19:34.880 --> 00:19:35.839
I'll rather keep it.
00:19:35.920 --> 00:19:37.200
It's a good it's a good business.
00:19:37.359 --> 00:19:40.640
So we actually were the ones ended up finding the buyer.
00:19:40.720 --> 00:19:46.720
It was the buyer who actually kept reaching out to me every year and was like, Hey, do you want to sell the business?
00:19:46.799 --> 00:19:47.279
I'm like, no.
00:19:47.440 --> 00:19:48.000
They really wanted it.
00:19:48.160 --> 00:19:49.119
Yeah, they really wanted it.
00:19:49.200 --> 00:19:50.400
It was strategic for them.
00:19:50.640 --> 00:19:53.920
So we kind of told no to everybody, even after the process.
00:19:54.000 --> 00:19:57.119
And then the buyer who was really wanted it kind of came back to us.
00:19:57.200 --> 00:20:03.599
They flew out, they're like, hey, let's do further due diligence and um see how we can make this work.
00:20:03.759 --> 00:20:04.720
Uh and they did.
00:20:04.960 --> 00:20:10.400
And we um they I think their offer went up by like 40%.
00:20:10.960 --> 00:20:11.519
Oh wow.
00:20:11.680 --> 00:20:22.720
Because again, you have to, if you have a good business and you believe in it and you're like you're you're fine keeping it going, you have more leverage in negotiations as well.
00:20:22.799 --> 00:20:24.799
Yeah, and for them it was an incredible purchase.
00:20:24.880 --> 00:20:25.920
Like, I wish I didn't sell.
00:20:26.000 --> 00:20:32.880
Like they the business, you know, it was I thought it was like, hey, hell, thank God, because we sold right before COVID.
00:20:33.039 --> 00:20:37.440
But as we know, like e-commerce just blew up in in COVID, so they ain't got a gold mine.
00:20:37.680 --> 00:20:42.160
Like they they the business the valuation increased, I think, five X over what they paid.
00:20:42.319 --> 00:20:42.640
Wow.
00:20:42.880 --> 00:20:45.519
So everyone, everyone was happy.
00:20:46.400 --> 00:20:47.519
It was a good purchase, yeah.
00:20:47.759 --> 00:20:58.559
One of the things that I really want to get into uh into with you today is the difference in starting a business today versus when you started out.
00:20:59.119 --> 00:21:01.119
So let me paint a picture.
00:21:01.279 --> 00:21:17.519
It's a f it's a familiar picture, which you obviously will know, but today is all about clawed maximization, productivity maximization, the anxiety of am I doing enough fast enough?
00:21:17.920 --> 00:21:23.680
You know, you go onto X and it's everyone just seems like they're better than you, faster than you, smarter than you.
00:21:23.839 --> 00:21:33.440
Also, the amount of information that's available from podcasts like this to LinkedIn posts to you know just news in general, it's just far more developed.
00:21:34.079 --> 00:21:37.599
It just feels like everyone's so active and successful.
00:21:37.920 --> 00:21:42.079
And I think being a founder today comes with a ton of anxiety.
00:21:42.880 --> 00:21:48.640
And for me, you know, I I run several brands myself, so I'm speaking from experience.
00:21:49.200 --> 00:21:54.160
Like I can't go to bed unless my Claude is doing something while I'm sleeping.
00:21:54.480 --> 00:21:56.160
That's how ridiculous this has become.
00:21:56.400 --> 00:21:59.759
You know, I would I we we were talking about this morning, like Anthony.
00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:02.480
Propic launched today or yesterday.
00:22:02.799 --> 00:22:06.240
Now you can have multiple cloud code sessions going at one time.
00:22:07.279 --> 00:22:15.599
And I sent that to my co-founder, one of my business partners, and he was like, yes, like amazing, like celebrating that we can now triple our productivity.
00:22:15.920 --> 00:22:22.880
So just coming to the point of the question, it seems like today it's all about efficiency maximization.
00:22:23.599 --> 00:22:27.599
And that comes with an insane amount of pressure, but also just anxiety.
00:22:28.319 --> 00:22:34.319
We're living in an incredibly intense digital world.
00:22:35.039 --> 00:22:40.400
And again, speaking from experience, when I leave my computer, I feel like this desire to get back to it.
00:22:40.720 --> 00:22:41.920
And I think that's messed up.
00:22:42.160 --> 00:22:50.720
And so I'm really particularly excited to chat with you because I feel that, or it seems like you've kind of broken away from that.
00:22:50.799 --> 00:23:02.480
You're still a business owner, you're still a co-founder, you're still an e-commerce person, you've exited, and yet you have this what seems super balanced life, not full of anxiety.
00:23:02.799 --> 00:23:05.119
So I'd love to get your perspective on all of that.
00:23:07.920 --> 00:23:11.039
The reality is everything that you said about is true.
00:23:11.359 --> 00:23:18.240
The safety that I've been able to earn is through the exit that we spoke about.
00:23:18.400 --> 00:23:31.200
You know, for me, and we're just, you know, speaking to somebody also here in your office as well, is that we all have a certain number that will make us feel more comfortable and safe to a certain degree.
00:23:31.359 --> 00:23:38.880
Because even in those years when I was cash flowing a few million a year, which is pretty much what even now is great, right?
00:23:39.039 --> 00:23:42.400
That's the gold standard uh that I've learned as well.
00:23:42.480 --> 00:23:52.880
It's not just about um even how much liquid you have, but it's even if you sell for a certain amount, it's about the cash flows that you're gonna still be coming in.
00:23:52.960 --> 00:23:58.160
Because otherwise you'll be able to spend through whatever that liquid you have fairly quickly.
00:23:58.319 --> 00:24:04.720
So it's always this chase that we may have of constantly being able to earn more.
00:24:05.680 --> 00:24:10.000
The question everyone has to ask themselves is like, what is your number?
00:24:10.240 --> 00:24:22.160
And of course, throughout the years, I guess, with inflation and also the social media inflation of expectations that we all have, that number is non-realistic for most people.
00:24:22.240 --> 00:24:28.240
Um, like even if we look at statistically, the odds of you getting that is probably gonna be really low.
00:24:28.640 --> 00:24:32.480
So you can still shoot for that because that's what has allowed me to achieve what I've achieved.
00:24:32.559 --> 00:24:34.640
That's what allowed others to achieve what they have achieved.
00:24:34.720 --> 00:24:38.480
And if you feel that desire that you need to do that, keep going.
00:24:38.880 --> 00:24:48.559
But I have to be honest, it's my exit that really uh alleviated that kind of rush to you know, keep make more, right?
00:24:48.720 --> 00:24:50.240
And of course I just communicated now.
00:24:50.319 --> 00:25:02.480
Hey, I I just you know, I'm finalizing my divorce, and now I'm half liquid as I used to be, and now it's I've hit a threshold below the number that I'm comfortable at.
00:25:02.640 --> 00:25:21.039
And now I'm like, this is why I'm here in Hong Kong, you know, with our mutual friend Roman, and and and understanding that I need to actually listening even to you guys or having dinner last night with other founders, is understanding that even me, I'm behind in regards to this productivity.
00:25:21.200 --> 00:25:24.880
And and the truth is we're in a bubble, you know.
00:25:25.359 --> 00:25:29.759
We're in a bubble of ex and and founders who are doing this.
00:25:30.000 --> 00:25:34.319
Most society, most even other uh business owners are not at it at all.
00:25:34.640 --> 00:25:40.960
The reason is like you're young, you're at it, uh, you're implementing these things, and it's also gonna be the reason why you will win.
00:25:41.119 --> 00:25:47.279
Right now, it is a special time that is happening where you will get left behind.
00:25:47.359 --> 00:25:59.680
So even myself, who's very chill, who's very lifestyle, I know that I also need to restructure my whole business, my whole team this year, and the way we do things.
00:25:59.839 --> 00:26:04.799
It is not business as normal a year, even for myself, who's very lifestyle driven.
00:26:04.960 --> 00:26:09.759
So, yes, it's a bit anxious driven as as a as a time for for everyone.
00:26:10.000 --> 00:26:23.279
This is why I really recommend to you need to build out mental health routines for yourself to help you not go totally crazy.
00:26:23.359 --> 00:26:32.079
And this is why Intelligent Change, you know, and the company that I've created, you know, over a decade ago and the tools that we create, they're there to help myself.
00:26:32.240 --> 00:26:39.839
And also it has helped millions of people around the world to have these kind of book ends of the day, you know, to start your day.
00:26:40.000 --> 00:26:43.279
You know, how you start your day and how you end your day are very important.
00:26:43.440 --> 00:27:04.559
And as you said, currently there's this feeling of you want to get on the phone right away or on your computer, you just it's nonstop, and you need to allow yourself to even even if it's five minutes a day, to just breathe and to just like get in touch uh with yourself, with the intentions that you have for the life that you want to live.
00:27:04.720 --> 00:27:13.839
And it's okay to, you know, I I've had periods in my life where you have to sprint, even though I'm known as a lifestyle for a work week guy.
00:27:14.000 --> 00:27:24.720
There's periods where you work 12-hour days and you kind of go hard because you know that it will pay off the dividends in the in the in the future.
00:27:24.880 --> 00:27:43.119
However, you have to be mindful because many people don't ever stop and their numbers way too high, and they're gonna never even see life and and and and build other more meaningful things in their life, like friendships, relationships, and be able to live life outside of just a screen.
00:27:43.279 --> 00:27:57.440
But it's I think most importantly, it is still understanding the season that you're in, and there for sure there's still the high pressure, even for me, to be in this growth season because it is a big shift that we're going through.
00:27:57.680 --> 00:28:09.599
There is a difference of energy also that I've seen in founders like today, if you're in your 20s versus 10 years ago, it's like radically different.
00:28:09.839 --> 00:28:10.480
In what way?
00:28:10.720 --> 00:28:12.960
Because of this productivity improvement.
00:28:13.519 --> 00:28:16.559
Like, again, speaking from experience, I'm 32.
00:28:16.640 --> 00:28:18.480
I started my first brand when I was 24.
00:28:18.640 --> 00:28:20.640
This is obviously pre-AI, pre-COVID.
00:28:20.960 --> 00:28:25.680
Like the work was more manual, and because of that, I felt that there was bookends.
00:28:26.000 --> 00:28:30.559
Like you start your day and you end your day, and there's like a hard stop and a hard cap.
00:28:31.119 --> 00:28:31.920
Much more traditional.
00:28:32.079 --> 00:28:35.200
I'm not saying like a nine to six, but certainly like more bookends.
00:28:35.279 --> 00:28:38.000
Like today, it's it kind of just bleeds.
00:28:38.160 --> 00:28:41.920
I don't know, it feels like it's just happening in perpetuity, cross-time zone.
00:28:42.079 --> 00:28:43.599
Everyone's much more global today.
00:28:44.160 --> 00:28:52.480
Again, just speaking from experience in the past, like it was like you have a team, you have an office, you know, everyone comes in at nine in the morning or whatever and leaves at six.
00:28:52.559 --> 00:28:56.000
Yeah, maybe you go home and do a little bit of work, but there's a start and then there's a stop.
00:28:56.480 --> 00:29:02.799
Today, someone's in Asia, someone's in the US, someone's in Europe, someone's wherever, and it's like there's notifications 24-7.
00:29:03.200 --> 00:29:08.240
There's much more means of communication between Slack, email, WhatsApp, WeChat.
00:29:08.480 --> 00:29:10.880
Like it's just gotten very overwhelming.
00:29:11.039 --> 00:29:16.240
Then you layer in the AI stuff of doing, I don't know, it just seems very unhealthy, is what I'm trying to say.
00:29:16.319 --> 00:29:20.160
And I I I told you this off camera, but I want to emulate what you're doing.
00:29:20.319 --> 00:29:26.240
Like you seem like you've got a system that works, and maybe we can just talk about the intelligent change system.
00:29:26.480 --> 00:29:36.160
Yeah, I think the intelligent change system, as I said, I've created it for myself because I've dealt with all these things in my own life.
00:29:36.319 --> 00:29:57.279
Uh, meaning, you know, the the five-minute journal, which is like our hero product and really a category maker in the space of guided journals that we've created, you know, now reaching what's gonna be, you know, 15 years since the initial kind of idea, and then inspiring this whole category and generation really of journalers which didn't exist and and mental health.
00:29:57.440 --> 00:30:00.400
The five-minute journal is what I call a toothbrush for your mind.
00:30:00.559 --> 00:30:09.359
Most of us, one habit that we all as humans have learned is to be able to brush our teeth in the morning and night in most parts of the world, right?
00:30:09.440 --> 00:30:16.319
It's a nice habit that we do, and to help really our dental hygiene, they told us, hey, this is what we need to do.
00:30:16.559 --> 00:30:23.279
We don't have that for our mindset and our mind and our uh kind of well well-being.
00:30:23.440 --> 00:30:33.440
And this is why, for myself, this is my mental tool that I've created for myself to help me create first thing in the morning intention for the day.
00:30:34.079 --> 00:30:47.839
Because taking a few minutes in in in the morning before the day starts to have a little inspiration that we have a little quote that kind of starts the day, and then you go through these three little simple prompts, which is what am I grateful for right now?
00:30:48.000 --> 00:30:52.480
Because oftentimes the feeling that you're speaking about is not being enough.
00:30:53.119 --> 00:31:04.000
And as they say, recipe for you know, uh happiness is uh reality minus expectations equals how happy you are.
00:31:04.240 --> 00:31:13.680
But the expectations are now are so out of whack that you're not sitting still and being present, even appreciating the win that you had yesterday.
00:31:14.000 --> 00:31:14.799
So true.
00:31:15.119 --> 00:31:25.440
Or to be appreciative, like, hey, you know, I have a bed or I have a maybe a girlfriend or a partner next to you or your dog or uh the city that you live in.
00:31:25.599 --> 00:31:31.680
And to be able to just take the pause to reflect and appreciate what you have in life.
00:31:31.839 --> 00:31:38.319
You know, a quote that I love is that what you appreciate appreciates.
00:31:38.480 --> 00:31:42.960
So taking that moment to appreciate these things in your life will appreciate more.
00:31:43.039 --> 00:31:44.079
You will see more of them.
00:31:44.319 --> 00:31:50.000
And the signs behind this is like we all have this part of our brain called the reticulating activating system.
00:31:50.319 --> 00:31:52.160
And this is the reason why for you, right?
00:31:52.240 --> 00:32:01.440
You're you're hyper focused on all this clawed stuff, and it's all that you see because your brain is like this navigation tool that whatever you tell it to focus on, you will see more of that.
00:32:01.519 --> 00:32:06.559
Yeah, and what you're seeing right now is like clawed, anxiety, productivity.
00:32:06.799 --> 00:32:16.160
Yeah, and you need to give that focus to your brain about also say love, appreciation, uh, well-being.
00:32:16.720 --> 00:32:30.000
And that's why for myself, if you practice little thing for a long time, even if it's just a minute a day, of appreciating, it will compound over time where you will have that mindset.
00:32:30.079 --> 00:32:31.599
That's why people you know call me Mr.
00:32:31.759 --> 00:32:52.319
Gratitude and things like that, is because simply I just practice this little thing daily, and the reminder I give people why it's the two you have to have some sort of a toothbrush for your mind, is that it's not like let's say you've been you're 32 years old now, and you're like, hey, I brushed my teeth for the last 30 years, I'm good.
00:32:52.480 --> 00:32:55.599
Like, I think I've had enough of uh brushing my teeth.
00:32:55.759 --> 00:33:03.440
Because the truth is, whether you stop working out or you stop brushing your teeth, uh the state it will depreciate, right?
00:33:03.839 --> 00:33:08.960
The bacteria will grow and things will decay, you have to keep doing it.
00:33:09.119 --> 00:33:16.400
Yeah, so same thing whether it be the productivity, but also certain rituals to help you with yourself.
00:33:16.559 --> 00:33:48.319
This is why you know I just came from uh two weeks in Japan almost, and it was beautiful to see so much intentionality in the culture, and that's what we often forgive in the modern world is the importance and power of rituals, of daily rituals that we do in the morning, whether it be a simple prayer or a simple line of gratitude that reminds you of what you have and also help you create the intention for the day.
00:33:48.480 --> 00:33:51.839
I really believe that we're always constantly creating our reality.
00:33:51.920 --> 00:33:57.440
So you can be in an anxious reality or you can be in this kind of zen reality.
00:33:57.599 --> 00:34:00.640
And I'm sure you've seen founders on both sides.
00:34:00.799 --> 00:34:05.359
Um, I now know founders who are mega successful, right?
00:34:05.440 --> 00:34:09.679
We're talking hundreds of millions of billions, and they're cool as a cucumber, right?
00:34:09.760 --> 00:34:25.760
And you have a founder who's maybe just making a few million bucks or even less, and he's so anxious and he's he's trying to be super productive, but he's just overworking himself and actually not being efficient or smart.
00:34:26.000 --> 00:34:35.119
So I believe that there's different ways to work, and uh your mindset is a big proponent of it.
00:34:35.280 --> 00:34:42.320
And so other tool that I've created as well, and we launched this now, you know, over 10 years ago, is the productivity planner.
00:34:42.480 --> 00:34:55.920
And if you look at a lot of the stuff that's coming out now, it's like it's what uh we've talked about over a decade ago, which is really this simple idea of there's an endless task that we have in our notion, in our asana, whatever it may be.
00:34:56.079 --> 00:35:06.800
Yeah, but sometimes go in pen to paper or even in your uh kind of tasks of just saying, hey, there's only one thing that I have to do today.
00:35:06.960 --> 00:35:19.199
And if you just accomplish one most important task, not the task that you just keep you busy, that will actually compound again and allow you to get to your end result much faster.
00:35:19.440 --> 00:35:23.440
How do you build the filter filtration system to identify that?
00:35:23.679 --> 00:35:25.360
In regards to the priority of tasks?
00:35:25.519 --> 00:35:28.239
Yeah, like that one task or that 2080 rule.
00:35:28.480 --> 00:35:32.880
We all know what we have to do, and this method is called like eat the frog.
00:35:33.039 --> 00:35:38.960
You know, you don't want to eat the frog, it's it's um, it's uncomfortable, but you know it's something that's gonna move you forward.
00:35:39.199 --> 00:35:48.320
And many times, including myself, we will do whatever is else, but do the thing that we need to do.
00:35:48.480 --> 00:35:54.800
So oftentimes I think that the thing that you're avoiding is most likely the thing that you have to do.
00:35:55.039 --> 00:35:55.360
Okay.
00:35:55.599 --> 00:35:56.480
So that's confusing.
00:35:56.719 --> 00:35:58.320
So that's the tell, the thing you don't want to do.
00:35:58.559 --> 00:36:08.719
No, hey, there's some things that you should you you should also design things in ways that you enjoy doing it that will create again that 80-20, the most kind of leverage in the tasks.
00:36:08.880 --> 00:36:18.400
However, I think that can be one of the tells for sure, is the things that you're avoiding, is oftentimes can be the biggest uh breakthroughs for yourself.
00:36:18.719 --> 00:36:30.559
I'm looking at you as like really a thought leader in this space of being a business person, but having the fortitude to build, you know, mental health and work-life balance.
00:36:30.719 --> 00:36:32.079
So I guess I'm curious.
00:36:32.320 --> 00:36:33.599
Do you like the direction?
00:36:33.679 --> 00:36:37.119
Like personally, do you I mean you see the direction that we're going as humanity?
00:36:37.360 --> 00:36:39.840
AI, it's gonna be robots soon.
00:36:39.920 --> 00:36:41.840
Like, do you like that direction?
00:36:41.920 --> 00:36:44.239
Or does that make you happy or sad or neither?
00:36:44.400 --> 00:36:45.840
Is it just you're adapting to it?
00:36:46.079 --> 00:36:46.559
I do.
00:36:46.639 --> 00:36:49.760
I'm so excited about uh this direction.
00:36:49.840 --> 00:36:56.400
And of course, this change and transformation as all big disruptions is messy.
00:36:57.039 --> 00:37:02.559
And most people don't like change, they don't want to change, they just want things to be the ch uh the same.
00:37:02.719 --> 00:37:02.960
Yeah.
00:37:03.119 --> 00:37:09.360
However, in the universe that we live, the only thing that is constant is change and evolution.
00:37:10.960 --> 00:37:15.280
So for me, this is probably one of the most exciting changes.
00:37:15.440 --> 00:37:20.159
And there was years, you know, where you're like, oh, kind of like the world feels the same.
00:37:20.320 --> 00:37:25.440
You know, we there's certain big disruptions that come to change culture and humanity.
00:37:25.599 --> 00:37:33.679
I remember when I first saw the first iPhone, like I knew that device is gonna change the world and change humanity.
00:37:33.840 --> 00:37:37.920
Or when social media came out, those were like big pivotal kind of shifts.
00:37:38.000 --> 00:37:56.239
We're so we're living through probably one of the biggest shifts in the modern world because we have now created new intelligence uh to help us um and be and extend our abilities of our human potential.
00:37:56.480 --> 00:38:03.599
And a lot of people, I believe, we've been stuck in doing drudgery and robotic work.
00:38:03.760 --> 00:38:13.039
And the era that I believe and the possibility that we can enter into now is to how do we double down on what it is to actually be human.
00:38:13.280 --> 00:38:24.960
Because for a long time, you don't have to do it anymore, people were just, you know, they're just human robots, whether that is for administrative tasks or for even now manufacturing tasks.
00:38:25.199 --> 00:38:35.519
And so in this next century, we have this ability to evolve to double down on things that makes us actually more human because we haven't actually been living human lives.
00:38:35.760 --> 00:38:39.360
That is a take I've not heard, and I really like that actually.
00:38:39.599 --> 00:38:57.760
Yeah, so and of course, uh, and in that time to help you transition to this thing, you do have to create some sort of systems and tools and be able to use AI as technology that helps enable you to create that lifestyle for yourself.
00:38:58.000 --> 00:39:10.880
So I'm very hopeful, I'm very optimistic uh for the future, and I believe we'll kind of figure it out and they will help uh people be more like people.
00:39:11.119 --> 00:39:16.079
Did you experience on your own personal level like all these things of burnout, anxiety?
00:39:16.239 --> 00:39:19.119
That's why you've built these systems for yourself.
00:39:19.360 --> 00:39:32.000
I would say most importantly, beyond the burnout and anxiety, my belief around that is if you're not working on something that you genuinely love, that's how you will burn out.
00:39:32.159 --> 00:39:43.039
And this is you know something we didn't get into just as much, is is you know, the reason I exited Luxie Hair, our previous business, is that I wasn't aligned with it long term.
00:39:43.519 --> 00:39:52.320
Where now, say I work on intelligent change and I've been doing this business for you know over, I said 13 years, actual in-business, like launch the product.
00:39:52.480 --> 00:39:52.960
I love it.
00:39:53.119 --> 00:40:00.559
Like I don't have uh anxiety or burnout because to me this is a long-term business.
00:40:00.880 --> 00:40:12.639
As again, the the Japanese have this beautiful term, which is ikigai, yeah, which is doing what you love, uh, what you're good at, what you can get paid for, and what the world needs.
00:40:12.880 --> 00:40:24.960
And I found like I found my ikigai, I found my dharma, like and this right away alleviates a lot of anxiety and and burnout because I'm thinking decades now.
00:40:25.119 --> 00:40:33.440
I'm not trying to chase the next million, even if I have a down year, I'm like, it's fine because I'm playing in decades.
00:40:33.679 --> 00:40:48.000
And this is the thing that I want to really inspire other founders to do because right now, as you even yourself as well, we're just trying to get by, we're just trying to, you know, chase how do we get the most you know, money in the short term, how do we win.
00:40:48.320 --> 00:41:02.079
However, I think those are short-term games, and what I want to really remind people is that start playing long-term games, and long-term games that are connected to really your soul's intuition.
00:41:02.159 --> 00:41:14.880
I and and many of us are disconnected from our humanity and kind of our soul, which is here to create something of value in this physical realm and world.
00:41:15.119 --> 00:41:36.639
And the moment you connect to that, that's how I believe you can create something really on a breakthrough, or you can be working something on a team that you're really passionate about, and that's where I believe a lot of um just meaning, purpose comes into your life because you're really aligned and connected to your soul's mission.
00:41:36.719 --> 00:41:40.320
But I believe most of us are disconnected, we're not living that truth.
00:41:40.559 --> 00:41:54.960
And I want to encourage everybody to be able to connect to themselves, and in order to connect to yourself, you need to be able to sometimes disconnect and give yourself the time of the day, whether that's even five minutes a day, to also connect to nature.
00:41:55.360 --> 00:41:59.599
Me and our mutual friend Roman, you know, yesterday went out to close by here.
00:41:59.679 --> 00:42:04.159
I didn't know that Hong Kong is so lush and beautiful, and there's so much greenery here.
00:42:04.559 --> 00:42:12.000
And we go on this, you know, it's about 45 minutes away from here to this incredible hike and beach, and there's only four people there.
00:42:12.079 --> 00:42:23.440
And I told Roman, like, it's crazy that like there's only four, there's there's us and two other people here, yeah, and we're uh sipping coconuts, you know, on a Wednesday.
00:42:23.599 --> 00:42:26.400
And and he's like, Well, most people are working, right?
00:42:26.480 --> 00:42:27.199
And I get it.
00:42:27.360 --> 00:42:41.360
However, I believe that you can carve out time for yourself, um, even that it's in the evening, even maybe it's it's on a weekend sometime to kind of connect to yourself and start listening to what is important to you.
00:42:41.519 --> 00:42:43.119
And that's been my journey.
00:42:43.440 --> 00:42:53.840
My journey's been realizing I don't want to go watch football with the mates and drink beer because I don't care about whatever, right?
00:42:54.000 --> 00:43:00.880
Or I don't care maybe about tennis or some other stuff, or and be like, what do I really genuinely care about?
00:43:01.119 --> 00:43:40.159
And so for me, that's been my kind of path and journey towards finding myself where even today in the morning in Hong Kong I can step outside of my uh hotel, be on the boardwalk, doing my funky uh Mike Chang exercises, and and doing my Tony Robbins uh priming in the morning and sitting as people walk by and probably think this guy is crazy, but I don't care because I've learned to be in touch with myself and know that these things help me so much to be connected and to live an authentic, genuine life that I love and enjoy.
00:43:40.400 --> 00:43:42.960
So walk me through like what is your morning?
00:43:43.280 --> 00:43:43.679
Yeah, yeah.
00:43:44.000 --> 00:43:47.360
So my morning, you know, starts with it.
00:43:47.440 --> 00:43:51.039
Depends if I'm with my girlfriend seleet or not, right?
00:43:51.280 --> 00:43:59.039
But most of the time we also do it together as as a couple is you know, we wake up and you do the the the five minute journal.
00:43:59.119 --> 00:44:08.400
That is the First ritual, and the reason why you know we recommend to do this practice, and it could be the five-minute journal, it could be a different journaling practice.
00:44:08.559 --> 00:44:13.599
You know, sleep is this one thing that we really don't know what happens.
00:44:13.840 --> 00:44:16.159
You know, we go we all have to sleep.
00:44:16.480 --> 00:44:18.079
If we don't sleep, we die.
00:44:18.800 --> 00:44:28.079
And when we sleep, we go into this miraculous field where our body is totally disconnected and we get these nourishing downloads.
00:44:28.159 --> 00:44:36.079
It's it's a time of the day where we plug ourselves into the matrix or whatever and get our our kind of boost of energy, which is important.
00:44:36.800 --> 00:44:39.199
So it's like that's our uh time to do that.
00:44:39.360 --> 00:44:56.559
So when you wake up, you're just coming out of that state, and I really deeply believe that um the sleep state is deeply connected to your ability to create things in this world.
00:44:56.719 --> 00:44:58.159
It's like the connection.
00:44:58.559 --> 00:45:03.679
So the closest you can actually write out, or you can say manifest, right?
00:45:03.760 --> 00:45:11.199
But you're really just setting the intention in the morning and writing out these three things, right?
00:45:11.280 --> 00:45:17.519
Which is you get inspiration, little uh note of inspiration quote right away for the five-minute journal.
00:45:17.599 --> 00:45:19.840
Then first thing is I'm grateful for.
00:45:20.000 --> 00:45:21.599
What are some three things that you can appreciate?
00:45:21.679 --> 00:45:26.159
So, right away, you're starting your day with what am I appreciating in life?
00:45:26.320 --> 00:45:28.880
I'm already starting a day with thank you.
00:45:29.119 --> 00:45:30.800
Before I even did anything.
00:45:31.039 --> 00:45:31.360
Yeah.
00:45:31.519 --> 00:45:34.719
And then the second question is, what would make today great?
00:45:34.880 --> 00:45:39.440
Or if you want it to be more empowering, what will I do today to make today great?
00:45:39.599 --> 00:45:44.000
You're you're starting the day from the position of something great is gonna happen today.
00:45:44.159 --> 00:45:49.679
Again, you're setting the intention, you're creating the future of what am I gonna look forward to?
00:45:49.840 --> 00:45:54.159
Because our brain evolutionary has been designed for negativity bias.
00:45:54.320 --> 00:46:00.639
Usually you wake up, you're like, this fire, I have to do this, oh, this is gonna happen, oh, I'm dreading this.
00:46:00.880 --> 00:46:07.440
You're starting from reaction, not from intention and through offense versus defense.
00:46:07.599 --> 00:46:09.119
Yes, offense versus defense.
00:46:09.360 --> 00:46:24.480
So, this is why uh the five-minute journal has really you know been helpful to me and millions of people around the world, is because people realize when I actually take the time to do this, my day feels different, my life is different.
00:46:24.719 --> 00:46:29.760
And me myself, I've been also even as a creator on and off with the five-minute journal.
00:46:29.840 --> 00:46:32.559
Like I've there have been months where I don't do it.
00:46:32.719 --> 00:46:34.079
I'm like, ah, whatever, I'm good.
00:46:34.159 --> 00:46:37.519
Yeah, I've been doing it for 10 years, I'm the expert, I don't need to do it.
00:46:37.599 --> 00:46:44.320
Yeah, and then when you slowly realize, like, hey, actually, my days are not as good as when I set that intention and creation.
00:46:44.400 --> 00:46:46.960
And then the last thing in the morning is uh your affirmation.
00:46:47.119 --> 00:46:52.559
So just again, your daily affirmation, this your I am statement of how are you showing up?
00:46:52.639 --> 00:46:54.800
How do you how are you gonna be in the world?
00:46:54.960 --> 00:47:02.880
So today, for example, uh, and one affirmation that I use daily is like I'm healthy, strong, and energetic.
00:47:03.119 --> 00:47:09.039
So that reminds me that hey, if I'm gonna be eating, I should be maybe going towards healthy food.
00:47:09.199 --> 00:47:18.880
And I'm energetic, I'm I'm bringing certain energy to my interactions with other people and strong, like hey, that I will actually follow through and do my workout in the morning.
00:47:19.119 --> 00:47:22.639
So those reminders are so important to us.
00:47:23.039 --> 00:47:26.079
And so then after the five-minute journal, you hop in the shower.
00:47:26.159 --> 00:47:29.599
I like I'm a morning showering person, I love to do that.
00:47:29.679 --> 00:47:33.519
Obviously, brush my teeth as well, another another kind of habit there.
00:47:33.679 --> 00:47:42.079
And I love to, especially, you know, I'm in London, so the weather's not always nice, but even wherever I am in the world, I try to get outside.
00:47:42.320 --> 00:47:43.599
Have you checked your phone at all?
00:47:43.840 --> 00:47:44.400
Sometimes.
00:47:44.559 --> 00:47:45.679
I'll still I'm still human.
00:47:45.760 --> 00:47:51.599
Like I can sometimes still check my little WhatsApp message, see if like somebody messaged me if it's something like that.
00:47:51.760 --> 00:47:54.880
But I will say, in ideal state, I I don't.
00:47:55.199 --> 00:47:55.920
Ideally, no.
00:47:56.800 --> 00:48:00.239
Ideally, of course, no, because then again, you're reactive, you're letting the world come in.
00:48:00.480 --> 00:48:03.360
It's already put in the seed in your brain of something else that you have to do.
00:48:03.599 --> 00:48:04.000
Exactly.
00:48:04.159 --> 00:48:08.559
So then, even though say today when I'm traveling, I like to be close to green space.
00:48:08.719 --> 00:48:13.760
You know, I'm staying in a nice hotel here by the waterfront that you guys have, and uh the dark side, you guys call it.
00:48:15.119 --> 00:48:24.960
Yeah, and I went outs uh outside this morning, and um I do, you know, I picked up from a few creators, but mostly through Mike Chang.
00:48:25.039 --> 00:48:27.119
He has this thing called as well, like Flow60.
00:48:27.280 --> 00:48:31.519
And it's basically just also like some uh Chinese movements.
00:48:31.679 --> 00:48:40.559
You know, you do just uh I can try to link it through, but you just wave your arms a bit, hit yourself a bit, do some breathing.
00:48:40.800 --> 00:48:46.400
Yeah, and I I was even here also in in Hong Kong, and there was this uh we're doing a hike, and this lady was doing the movements.
00:48:47.280 --> 00:48:50.559
Yeah, and like and I'm like, she's you know, she's my family, you know.
00:48:50.880 --> 00:48:52.559
We kind of do the same things.
00:48:52.800 --> 00:48:59.199
So I do some movements, I'll uh and I'll do some stretches, I do like a little yoga routine, and it's all very quick.
00:48:59.280 --> 00:49:00.719
I'm all 80-20.
00:49:00.960 --> 00:49:14.480
So my um daily workout and ritual is I do it first thing in the morning and I do probably you know seven minutes of like yoga and stretches, and then I do a seven-minute workout.
00:49:14.639 --> 00:49:16.000
Oh, yeah, and that's it.
00:49:16.159 --> 00:49:20.159
And if you you know, if people most look at me without a shirt, I'm pretty like fit.
00:49:20.320 --> 00:49:20.880
You're okay, yeah.
00:49:21.039 --> 00:49:23.360
Like I'm I'm not like buff, but yeah, you're good.
00:49:23.599 --> 00:49:32.880
But especially if I do this in um barefoot in the garden somewhere that like with the sunshine, that just lights me up like crazy.
00:49:33.360 --> 00:49:34.480
Like 20 minutes, yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:49:34.559 --> 00:49:35.039
20 minutes.
00:49:35.119 --> 00:49:40.559
So, in total, probably with with the five-minute journal and everything else, it's probably 30 minutes.
00:49:40.880 --> 00:49:52.239
But taking this time every day grounds me so much, and especially with given my lifestyle where I travel a lot, I realized I need this.
00:49:52.480 --> 00:50:11.119
And the reason where most of us feel very disconnected because we just we're reactive, we just rush into things, we start doing things, we don't even stretch our body, we don't breathe, we're not allowing ourselves to, you know, if you look at animals that are out there, when they wake up, they stretch, they move, they shake themselves off.
00:50:11.360 --> 00:50:14.960
Yeah, they take a second, they have some sort of kind of ritual there.
00:50:15.199 --> 00:50:22.639
And I believe we're still animals, and we we have forgotten that, and we have to uh do that.
00:50:22.800 --> 00:50:36.079
And especially when I lived a more nomadic lifestyle, uh, when I was traveling a lot, I saw how it's so damaging to the to your mental health to not have something grounding that you do daily.
00:50:36.239 --> 00:50:48.719
If constantly your day is changing and you're in a different place and you're not you don't feel a sense of of home or even also the tasks that you do, it will sh just shake you.
00:50:48.880 --> 00:50:54.719
And you want to be unshakable in a way through a routine that you do daily.
00:50:54.880 --> 00:51:05.920
And the way even people can start sometimes too is they say, There's this famous book by this uh military guy, make your bed each morning, and it can change your life.
00:51:06.079 --> 00:51:06.960
Why is that?
00:51:07.119 --> 00:51:13.440
Because you just know even if your day goes horribly, you've done one thing, you know what I mean?
00:51:13.519 --> 00:51:21.199
Like, so for me, it's like it's the five-minute journal and these kind of things, and that's really kind of more and more morning routine.
00:51:21.280 --> 00:51:27.519
And then, you know, when I'm in London, I go drop off my daughter at school and I I go to the office.
00:51:27.679 --> 00:51:28.880
That's kind of my life.
00:51:29.119 --> 00:51:33.760
I think it's very interesting, first of all, because it sounds so complicated, but it's like 20 minutes, like you said, 30 minutes.
00:51:33.840 --> 00:51:35.440
So, first of all, I think that's absolutely amazing.
00:51:35.519 --> 00:51:41.519
I've gotten to this horrible habit where I wake up and go, like, I literally like where I'm like, like, you know?
00:51:41.679 --> 00:51:42.800
I think it's most of the people.
00:51:43.039 --> 00:51:45.280
I think and my wife kills me for it.
00:51:45.440 --> 00:51:50.480
I mean, we're actually I'm I'm getting better because she's now like basically literally asked me.
00:51:50.559 --> 00:51:52.719
It's it that's again why I was so excited to talk to you.
00:51:52.880 --> 00:52:00.800
Like, wake up, go outside, make a coffee, go on the balcony, get some sun, yeah, and then pick up your phone.
00:52:00.960 --> 00:52:01.119
Yeah.
00:52:01.280 --> 00:52:02.159
Just a little tweak.
00:52:02.239 --> 00:52:03.599
Like it's a five-minute difference.
00:52:03.840 --> 00:52:06.880
Yeah, even if you look outside the window, I think it's gonna be great.
00:52:07.199 --> 00:52:08.400
So I'm I'm with you.
00:52:08.480 --> 00:52:09.360
I think it's amazing.
00:52:09.519 --> 00:52:15.519
I one thing I also want to chat through is like you've taken this and then you've turned it also into a business, which I love.
00:52:15.760 --> 00:52:22.800
Walk me through that because you know, you've taken this concept five-minute journal, you've physically turned it into a product, it's still a website.
00:52:22.880 --> 00:52:24.480
Like I was on your website last night.
00:52:24.559 --> 00:52:27.440
Like, you go, you can still press add to car, like it's still a business.
00:52:27.519 --> 00:52:27.760
Yeah, yeah.
00:52:27.920 --> 00:52:34.159
It's still an e-commerce business, but it's vastly different than selling hair extensions.
00:52:35.039 --> 00:52:39.440
Is running the business the same sort of like vibe to you?
00:52:39.599 --> 00:52:46.559
I mean, again, you know, it's e-commerce, there's conversion rate, there's sales, there's EBITA, like, but it's it's a totally different concept.
00:52:46.800 --> 00:52:47.840
How are you looking at that?
00:52:48.000 --> 00:52:51.679
Because I I know you said you're thinking in decades, you've got the cushion, I know you're not in a rush.
00:52:51.760 --> 00:52:55.599
I get that, but nonetheless, it's still a business, but it's something radically different.
00:52:55.920 --> 00:52:57.360
It's still a business.
00:52:57.599 --> 00:53:08.559
Um, so I still have to think about the same things you think about, whether that is implementing Clot or AI and restructuring the business, and how do we uh convert better?
00:53:08.719 --> 00:53:09.760
How do we have a better funnel?
00:53:09.920 --> 00:53:12.639
How do we have better ad creatives?
00:53:12.800 --> 00:53:18.800
It's the same stuff, and it's also feeling of like, hey, it's it's it's never enough to to a certain degree.
00:53:19.039 --> 00:53:22.000
I don't think that changes.
00:53:22.239 --> 00:53:34.559
The thing that I want to encourage a lot of founders is to generally number one, like my our our company value and my value is deliver value.
00:53:34.960 --> 00:53:57.840
So any business you have to be looking at from a place of how am I delivering value to other people, and this has helped me so much to become a better founder and entrepreneur because initially many people, including myself, start in business for selfish reasons.
00:53:58.000 --> 00:54:02.880
You're like, I'm broke, I want to have money, I want to have a lifestyle, so give me, give me, give me.
00:54:03.119 --> 00:54:07.119
In reality, yeah, it's more from a taking uh stance.
00:54:07.360 --> 00:54:23.760
In reality, coming from a place of how do we serve people, how do we serve our customers, how do we make the wor uh the world better, how do we make the product better to give more value to people instead of trying to how do we squeeze more out of people?
00:54:23.920 --> 00:54:26.639
That's how you're able to play also the long-term game.
00:54:26.800 --> 00:54:39.840
The reason why you know I've been able to have businesses that have been around in the D2C space for more than a decade and stable and growing, although maybe not super fast but steady, is because of this.
00:54:40.159 --> 00:54:40.719
You're giving.
00:54:41.039 --> 00:54:50.559
It's giving, and it's actually looking after people, not trying to trick people or do uh short-term games again, playing long-term games.
00:54:50.719 --> 00:55:06.079
So with the business, um, I at the same time, we still have to follow these things, and and I can learn so much from you know yourself or other people in your kind of studio by implementing the things that you guys are doing as well.
00:55:06.639 --> 00:55:23.440
So I know that our business can be you know at least 10x the size easily in the next kind of three to five years if I just follow through on doing also a lot of these kind of tactics that other founders are doing or finding out or implementing certain tools.
00:55:23.599 --> 00:55:26.880
So it still remains the same as a business.
00:55:27.119 --> 00:55:48.320
However, the reason I wanted to remind kind of everyone the importance of not losing sight of what you're there for, because sometimes I myself as well, you know, speak to other founders or see these X threads and reels, and I'm like, oh my god, I'm so behind, and I need to make more.
00:55:48.639 --> 00:56:06.000
And then again, this is where through those daily practice and rituals or big one, bigger ones, which because we have we can speak into all the other products that we have, you remind yourself what is important to you in your life, and to also answer another question kind of you asked before about how do I do it.
00:56:06.320 --> 00:56:09.599
I often say I leave a lot of money on the table.
00:56:10.159 --> 00:56:18.400
You know, I'm not trying to get every dollar, you know, try to make as much money as possible, and I'm okay with it.
00:56:18.559 --> 00:56:20.480
I know I'm I'm leaving a lot of money on the table.
00:56:20.800 --> 00:56:22.559
It's huge in a good way.
00:56:22.800 --> 00:56:29.280
Yeah, so and the reason I do that is because I value the intangibles in my life.
00:56:29.440 --> 00:56:29.840
Yes.
00:56:30.159 --> 00:56:46.639
Many people value the tangibles, you know, that car, your house, whatever things you may have, but the intangibles of like having a peace of mind and waking up without being reactive, to me, that's worth a billion dollars.
00:56:46.880 --> 00:56:58.480
I could not do more, you know, and like for example, I would never like God bless Elon Musk for pushing humanity forward, but I would never trade my life with him, you know, like like that's a fun stressful life.
00:56:58.559 --> 00:57:02.480
And hey, some people want to live like that and do that, let them do that.
00:57:02.559 --> 00:57:11.039
And that's why, most importantly, you have to listen to yourself and your desires of what is pushing you forward.
00:57:11.119 --> 00:57:23.679
And some people have that stamina, that drive, that aggressiveness to really conquer markets and to build, and others can still do well, and that's what I want to communicate to to people is that you can still do well.
00:57:23.760 --> 00:57:38.960
You know, you can still have a very good life, and most importantly, a life that is led by your design with that intention of how you want to live versus just how other people like you may be maybe living.
00:57:39.119 --> 00:57:43.679
So you have to examine yourself, and this is what intelligent change is.
00:57:43.760 --> 00:57:59.519
Like the we have another tool called the Life Designer, and I've created that tool again to help people, including myself, to sit with yourself and go through the process of prompting yourself to engineer that the life that you want.
00:57:59.679 --> 00:58:16.320
You know, we live right now in a time where we as humans are prompting AI and we're telling it kind of what to do and like giving the answers, but rarely are we prompting ourselves and sitting with ourselves without being prompted by other things, right?
00:58:16.400 --> 00:58:21.280
By actually prompting on the important questions of like what makes me happy?
00:58:21.599 --> 00:58:24.320
Do I like where I live?
00:58:24.559 --> 00:58:26.480
You know, do I like my friends?
00:58:26.719 --> 00:58:28.320
What are my values?
00:58:28.639 --> 00:58:36.559
Without stimulus, actually sitting with yourself, and it's very uncomfortable and it's and and it seems like it's a waste of time.
00:58:36.880 --> 00:58:48.079
However, it's one of the most meaningful things that you can do to help shape and create your future because most people just uh you know, there's this on online, right?
00:58:48.159 --> 00:58:49.760
They see like NPCs.
00:58:49.920 --> 00:58:57.360
That's why most people are non kind of playing characters because they're not living by design, they're not living by intention.
00:58:57.440 --> 00:59:07.119
The way you become playing actually the game is you have to be become aware of life and the game that we're playing, and you do that with actually doing these practices.
00:59:07.280 --> 00:59:16.320
And what I've learned from the like this, even the super successful people who are not just financially successful but life successful, they're intentional with their life.
00:59:16.559 --> 00:59:20.880
They don't just, you know, and time is the most precious asset that exists.
00:59:21.119 --> 00:59:25.760
It's funny because I think you've hit the nail on the head in like so I mean, in so many ways.
00:59:25.920 --> 00:59:28.480
You've also said some things that have kind of blown my mind.
00:59:28.559 --> 00:59:30.480
Like, very rarely do we prompt ourselves.
00:59:30.639 --> 00:59:46.800
I don't know if you intended for the timing, it you obviously didn't, but just like this like intersection of humanity and AI and productivity and robotics and what's happening in our generations that are following ours.
00:59:47.119 --> 00:59:53.360
You've created this not only something you love, something you're passionate about, but also a business around it.
00:59:53.440 --> 00:59:56.480
Like a like we said, it's still a business, you can still buy the products.
00:59:57.280 --> 01:00:33.119
There's an insane amount of tailwind of people like me who are experiencing this firsthand, the burnout, the anxiety, my wife being like, you need to slow down, you know, the picking up the phone in the morning, and just like you know, I think another spiral that we're we all, I say like from the POV of like an e-comm entrepreneur, is you see you have an idea or you see an idea on an X, and then you run at it, two days pass, like you're vibe coding something, and then all of a sudden you look up and you're like two days have passed, and I wasted two days because I saw someone who I don't know say something with very little validation.
01:00:33.199 --> 01:00:35.440
It was just an idea you got inspired and you just did it.
01:00:36.079 --> 01:00:38.000
So I think that's insane.
01:00:38.239 --> 01:00:47.760
And so I think the main thing that you've created is this like mindset of intention, which it's funny because like I said, it's like you you didn't intend for the timing, but the timing is brilliant.
01:00:48.000 --> 01:00:53.360
Yeah, and that's why to your question before about the current technology, the time that we're living in.
01:00:53.599 --> 01:00:55.519
I'm so excited.
01:00:55.760 --> 01:00:56.159
Yeah.
01:00:56.639 --> 01:01:08.559
Because as we said, people are afraid of change, and change is not something that we want, even though that may change maybe for the better, but we still fear it because it's the unknown.
01:01:08.719 --> 01:01:12.079
You know, I've named this company Intelligent Change 15 years ago.
01:01:12.239 --> 01:01:12.719
Brilliant.
01:01:12.960 --> 01:01:28.159
And this is what we're here to do is to help people navigate change in an intelligent way, and that's what we as humans are capable of using our intelligence to navigate change.
01:01:28.400 --> 01:01:35.920
And so I'm excited for this movement because the movement, as well as it's not just, let's say, myself.
01:01:36.079 --> 01:01:45.360
I believe that many other founders, uh, which are already starting uh to do so as well, to help us navigate this change.
01:01:45.599 --> 01:01:57.519
And there's the biggest market that I believe will open up is also in real world, you know, building community as you're doing here with your studio, connecting other people in different ways.
01:01:57.599 --> 01:01:59.920
Like I'm an investor in Othership, for example.
01:02:00.000 --> 01:02:07.280
And I love what Othership as a business has created by through saunas and community bringing people together.
01:02:07.519 --> 01:02:09.119
And there's gonna be so many different ways.
01:02:09.440 --> 01:02:10.159
That's what people want.
01:02:10.320 --> 01:02:33.119
Yeah, yeah, because we all as well say we all just actually want to be human, but now we're actually living through you know a loneliness epidemic and really this uh anxious world of battling like what is our identity and what's the meaning and purpose of life after all this, after that you're gonna strip away your title, it won't matter.
01:02:33.280 --> 01:02:34.320
Who are you?
01:02:34.639 --> 01:02:47.199
And who you are is you're a human, and it's the most beautiful thing of all, and it's one of the most intelligent creatures ever created, and it's more way to experience life.
01:02:47.519 --> 01:02:56.719
My understanding through my journey of life is all of our purpose is here, is not to create AI, is not to go to the create next time.
01:02:56.800 --> 01:02:58.639
You know, it's none of this, yeah.
01:02:59.039 --> 01:03:01.119
It's just to experience life.
01:03:01.440 --> 01:03:05.920
And life has so many beautiful experiences if you allow it to do.
01:03:06.000 --> 01:03:12.320
One of it can be, you know, being married and building a family and or being part of the community.
01:03:12.639 --> 01:03:14.800
And many of us have forgotten that.
01:03:15.039 --> 01:03:20.559
So this is gonna be a renaissance to actually getting back to humanity.
01:03:20.800 --> 01:03:21.840
I've learned a lot.
01:03:22.079 --> 01:03:22.880
Thank you, Alex.
01:03:23.039 --> 01:03:24.239
Thank you, appreciate it, man.
01:03:24.400 --> 01:03:26.159
Dude, what you're doing is amazing.
01:03:26.400 --> 01:03:27.360
I really believe that.
01:03:27.519 --> 01:03:28.239
Like you've turned it.
01:03:28.559 --> 01:03:30.239
The timing is unreal, by the way.
01:03:30.400 --> 01:03:30.719
Yeah.
01:03:30.880 --> 01:03:34.239
And I know you didn't intend for it, but the timing of all of this I think is so brilliant.
01:03:34.400 --> 01:03:35.599
Yeah, that's why I gotta double down.
01:03:35.840 --> 01:03:36.719
You gotta double down.
01:03:36.880 --> 01:03:41.360
And it's it's just funny because it's like ironic, because it is a business, but it's so much more than that.
01:03:41.440 --> 01:03:46.800
Like, it's actually like a movement of um self-identification in so many ways.
01:03:46.960 --> 01:03:49.519
Like, I I genuinely am just talking to you.
01:03:49.599 --> 01:03:55.920
I'm like clocked like six things, sixty things that I need to like do better of.
01:03:56.000 --> 01:03:59.679
Yeah, I just feel like the time flies so fast when you're locked in.
01:03:59.920 --> 01:04:01.840
Especially when you do you do you have children yet?
01:04:02.079 --> 01:04:03.199
My wife is pregnant.
01:04:03.440 --> 01:04:04.159
Oh, okay.
01:04:04.320 --> 01:04:06.639
So I don't know if that's public knowledge.
01:04:07.519 --> 01:04:08.639
Yeah, congratulations.
01:04:09.599 --> 01:04:18.079
So the craziest thing you'll see with having a child, like the child becomes this ultimate measure of time.
01:04:18.480 --> 01:04:25.599
You know, like my daughter, like, so I was you know, my daughter is now nine, and so we're in Japan together as well for some time.
01:04:25.760 --> 01:04:28.400
And I'm like, that's that's almost a decade of time.
01:04:28.480 --> 01:04:32.800
You have like a full grown kind of human, and like a decade passed.
01:04:32.880 --> 01:04:34.239
I remember like it was just yesterday.
01:04:34.320 --> 01:04:46.880
Like you'll remember also this time, and you're kind of entering, I always compare it to like a startup, you know, like having kids like you're you're like you're back in startup plan, and like zero to one, you're like, what the fuck is going on?
01:04:47.039 --> 01:04:56.639
You're just trying to understand how to make this work, and then by year you know, five, especially, you're like, Oh, this I got this, it's it's it's good.
01:04:56.800 --> 01:04:57.519
How old are you?
01:04:57.679 --> 01:04:58.320
I'm 38.
01:04:58.480 --> 01:05:01.119
Man, I feel like you've done a lot at such a young age.
01:05:01.360 --> 01:05:08.000
Well, I think starting a young tree, even like you, like I started around 23, 24, but of course started before then.
01:05:08.159 --> 01:05:10.639
But it's yeah, it's gonna be super exciting.
01:05:10.719 --> 01:05:15.280
And I and children don't let this pass you by, right?
01:05:15.440 --> 01:05:24.559
This this moment as well of be able to be present and and and and see her or him, you know, uh grow.
01:05:24.800 --> 01:05:26.239
So it's it's it's wonderful.
01:05:26.400 --> 01:05:27.440
So it's gonna be awesome.
01:05:27.679 --> 01:05:28.719
Alex, thanks a lot, man.
01:05:29.119 --> 01:05:29.760
Really appreciate it.
01:05:30.159 --> 01:05:31.519
Glad you came by, honestly.
