Shadowing Practice: ALL OF BUSINESS Explained in 58 Minutes (No BS, No Fluff) - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Business is not complicated.
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It's just solving a problem for someone else.
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Most people fail because they overthink the plan instead of falling in love with the person that they are serving.
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If you don't shift your focus from your fears to who you can serve, you'll stay stuck in analysis paralysis forever.
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Elon Musk didn't build SpaceX by looking at what NASA was doing.
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He looked at the physics.
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When he wanted to go to Mars, people said rockets were too expensive.
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They said a single rocket cost 65 million dollars
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that was the industry standard but must didn't accept
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that he asked what is a rocket made of he broke it down to aerospace grade aluminum titanium copper
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and carbon fiber then he asked what is the value of
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those materials on the commodity market it turns out the materials
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were only two percent of the typical price the rest was inefficiency by refusing to copy others
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and reasoning from the ground up he cut the cost of space travel by a factor of 10.
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Now I know this feeling because I lived it.
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When I was 19 I had a clear path to a safe high paying job at a bank.
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It was secure, it's what I thought I wanted, it's what society said was success, but I also had this crazy idea to join a biotech software company.
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Everyone told me I was insane to turn down the bank job.
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I didn't have experience, I didn't have funding, but I used what Jeff Bezos calls the regret minimization framework.
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I projected myself forward to age 80.
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I asked, will I regret trying this and failing?
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No. Will I regret never trying at all?
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Absolutely yes.
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I didn't want to be an old man wondering what if.
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So I turned on the bank, went to join the company, and we eventually grew to customers in 30 countries and got acquired.
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But you might be thinking, okay, Evan, I don't have a genius idea like Elon Musk, and I don't have the tech skills that you might have had at 19.
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But the truth is, you don't need to be a genius, and you don't need to have a degree or tons of experience.
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You just need to stop letting your lack of belief hold
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you back from seeing the simple truth of how business actually works.
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If you've been here before, drop a hashtag, believe in the comments below, so I can feature you here in a future video.
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And if you're new, welcome to Believe Nation, the only channel that helps you believe in yourself daily, one video at a time.
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Believe.
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Part one, the foundation.
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First principles thinking.
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The biggest mistake you're making is reasoning by analogy.
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Reasoning by analogy means you look at what your competitors are doing, and you try to do it slightly better.
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You see a coffee shop, so you open up a coffee shop.
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You see a YouTuber, so you copy their thumbnails.
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This can be a trap.
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When you copy, you are copying their inefficiencies, their fears, and their mistakes.
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You need to use first principles thinking.
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This is the physics way of looking at the world and what Elon Musk did.
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You boil things down to the most fundamental truths and say, what are we sure is true?
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And then reason up from there.
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So if you're starting a business, don't ask, how do I make a product like Apple?
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Ask, what is the fundamental problem that my customer has?
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So maybe the problem is that they're tired.
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The analogy solution is coffee.
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The first principle solution might be a nap pod, a nutritional supplement, or a better mattress.
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When Elon Musk looked at battery packs, people said they would always be expensive because they cost $600 per kilowatt hour in the past.
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He broke it down to the molecular level, cobalt, nickel, aluminum, carbon.
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He realized if you bought those on the London Metal Exchange, it was only $80 per kilowatt hour.
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The gap between 600 and 80 is where the opportunity lives.
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Stop looking at your competition, look at the truth.
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Part two, the five elements of every business.
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You don't need an MBA.
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In fact, most MBAs teach you how to be an employee, not an entrepreneur.
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According to Josh Kaufman, author of The Personal MBA, every business in the world, from a lemonade stand to Google, is just five things.
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If you are missing one of these, you don't have a business, you have a hobby.
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So let's go through the five.
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Number one is value creation.
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You must discover what people need or want and then create it.
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This isn't about what you want to make alone, it's about what they need.
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It needs to satisfy a core human drive, the drive to acquire, to bond, to learn, defend, or feel.
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If your product doesn't solve a real problem, nothing else matters.
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Number two, marketing.
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If you build it, they will not come.
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Marketing is the art of changing beliefs.
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It is attracting attention and building demand for what you have created.
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You need to move people from unaware to problem aware to solution aware.
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Number three, sales.
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Marketing attracts them, sales gets them to commit.
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This is the process of turning a prospective customer into a paying customer.
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Sales is not about tricking people, it's about trust.
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It's about helping your prospect understand why your offer is worth paying for.
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Number four, value delivery.
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You have to actually give them what you promise.
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This is where your reputation is built.
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If you sell the dream and deliver a nightmare, you're done.
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You need to exceed expectations.
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And number five is finance.
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You need to bring in enough money to keep going and make it worthwhile.
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You don't need to be an accountant, but you need to understand that if more money goes out comes in, you are out of business.
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That's it.
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If you're struggling, one of these five things is broken.
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Diagnose it, fix it, move on.
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Part three, strategy, the seven powers.
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So once you have the basics, you need a strategy.
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Hard work is not enough.
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If you work 100 hours a week on a bad strategy, you will still lose to someone working 20 hours a week on a great strategy.
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Strategy is about power.
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Power is the set of conditions that create the potential for persistent differential results.
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So what does that mean?
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Power is what stops your competitors from stealing your profits.
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Hamilton Helmer identified seven powers that build an enduring business.
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You don't need all of them, but you need at least one.
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So number one is scale economies.
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This is where you get cheaper as you get bigger.
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So think about Netflix.
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When they started making original content like House of Cards, they spent a hundred million dollars.
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That sounds like a gamble, but because they had millions of subscribers, the cost per subscriber was pretty tiny.
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A smaller competitor could not afford to spend $100 million on one show.
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Their size became their shield.
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Number two, network economies.
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The value of the product goes up as more people use it.
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So think about Facebook or LinkedIn.
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If you leave Facebook, you lose your connection to some of your friends.
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If you start a new social network, it has zero value because there's no one there.
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This is why it's so hard to kill a network once it takes off.
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Number three, counter positioning.
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This is my favorite for new entrepreneurs.
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This is where you adopt a new business model that your competitor cannot copy because it would hurt their existing business.
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So example, you can look at Kodak, right?
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They invented the digital camera in 1975.
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They knew it was the future, but they made all their money selling film.
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If they pushed digital, they would kill their own film profits.
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They were stuck.
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They couldn't move.
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Or you can look at Vanguard.
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They introduced low cost index funds.
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The big banks couldn't copy them because the banks made their money on high fees.
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If the banks lowered their fees to match Vanguard, they would lose all their revenue.
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So find a way to do business that makes your competitor afraid to copy you.
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Also, if you want to take real action after this video, I made a free worksheet just for you.
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It covers the top lessons from today, gives you space to write your biggest takeaways, and helps you build a simple action plan.
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It's 100% free.
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Just click the link in the description, and go grab it, I'll see you there.
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Number four, switching costs.
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Make it painful for your customer to leave.
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Not by trapping them, but by integrating so deeply into their life that leaving is a hassle.
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So think about Apple.
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Once you have an iPhone, a Mac, an iPad, iCloud, switching to Android becomes a nightmare.
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You stay because staying is easier.
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Number five, branding.
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Branding is not just a logo.
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It is the attribution of higher value to an objectively identical offer.
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So example, Good Morning America did a test.
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They bought a diamond ring from Costco for $6,600 and a similar ring from Tiffany for $16,600.
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An expert appraiser actually said the Costco diamond was better quality, but people still pay $10,000 more for the Tiffany blue box.
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Why?
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Because the brand reduces uncertainty.
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You trust Tiffany.
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You don't trust Costco for romance.
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That trust is power.
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Number six is a cornered resource.
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This is having something no one else can get.
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It could be a patent, a location, or a team.
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Pixar had a brain trust of the best storytellers animators in the world.
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Disney couldn't replicate it so they had to buy them.
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If you have the best of something you've cornered a resource.
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And number seven, process power.
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This is doing something so efficiently that no one can match you.
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So Toyota developed the Toyota production system.
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They were so confident in it that they actually gave tours to their competitors.
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They showed GM exactly how they built cars and GM still couldn't copy them.
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Why?
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Because the process was embedded in the culture, not just the machines.
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It was learned by osmosis over decades.
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Part four, the psychology, belief, and the who.
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You can have the first principles, you can know the five parts, you now have the seven powers, but if you don't believe in yourself, none of it matters.
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Belief is the world's biggest problem.
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I believe everyone has Michael Jordan level genius at something, but we don't do it because we're afraid.
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We're afraid to fail, we're afraid of judgment, we're afraid to be seen, starting small, starting over.
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You have to realize that your purpose comes from your pain.
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Whatever you struggled with the most is what you are best equipped to help others with right now.
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I make videos for entrepreneurs because I was the struggling 19-year-old entrepreneur who needed help.
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I'm serving my younger self.
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When you focus on serving, the fear goes away.
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You stop worrying about how you look and you start worrying about how you can help.
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And stop obsessing about the how.
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How do I build the website?
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How do I get the funding?
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The how will always change.
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The how is flexible.
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You need to be stubborn on the why and the who.
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Who are you serving?
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Why does it matter?
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If you know who you're serving and why it matters, the how will present itself.
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You will figure it out.
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You will learn.
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You will partner.
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And money, money is a tool.
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It's important.
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You need oxygen to breathe, but you don't live to breathe.
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You need money to run your business, but you don't live for money.
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If money is your number one goal, you will quit when it gets hard and it will get hard.
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If you go to service, you'll keep going.
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You will find a way.
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Part five execution, getting started.
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So where do you start? by doing.
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You start by failing.
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You have to give yourself permission to produce garbage.
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My first videos were terrible.
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I was shy.
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I was sweating.
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I looked nervous, but I posted them anyway.
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If I waited until I was perfect, I would never have started.
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People say that good is the enemy of great.
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So if you stay in your comfort zone doing what you're good at, you will never find what you could be great at.
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You don't need to quit your job today.
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You don't need to mortgage your house.
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You can start with 30 minutes a day.
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You can start by solving one problem for one person.
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Start small, but start.
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The only difference between you and the people you look up to is
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that they started and they kept going when everyone else quit.
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You have a genius inside of you.
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You have a problem that you can solve for the world.
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Don't let the how stop you.
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Don't let the fear stop you.
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Use the principles.
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Build the five parts.
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Find your power.
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And most importantly, believe.
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If you're feeling bold, if you're feeling powerful right now, that's a signal.
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Follow that feeling.
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Take the next step.
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And congratulations, you're one video closer to who you're meant to be.
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Believe.
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Now let's learn how you can turn your hobby into a career.
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Keeping your passion as just a hobby is a waste of your potential.
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Think about it.
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Most people, they slave away to jobs that they hate, suppressing the things they love.
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No wonder they feel stuck and unhappy.
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If you never act on your passion, you risk waking up at 80 with nothing but regret the regret of knowing that you never even tried.
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Take Walt Disney as an example.
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Walt started out drawing cartoons for fun, sketching animated figures in his spare time.
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At 18, he landed a job as a cartoonist, but he wasn't satisfied with just drawing for someone else.
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He had a bigger vision.
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He turned his doodles into an empire, starting his own studio and growing it into the Disney we know today.
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Imagine if Walt had played it safe and kept art as a side gig.
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We might not have Mickey Mouse, no Disneyland, none of it.
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His hobby became his legacy because he had the courage to go all in.
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Now, a personal story from my own life.
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Years ago, I fell in love with salsa dancing.
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I started as the tall, awkward guy with two left feet.
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I didn't speak Spanish.
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I was a slow learner, but I kept at it week after week.
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Salsa wasn't my job.
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I did it because I loved it, and it changed my life.
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I met my wife through salsa.
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It became a huge part of who I am.
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Fast forward a few years later, the owner of my salsa studio decided to move on and the community we built was at risk.
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So I couldn't let that happen.
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So I bought the studio.
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Yeah, a guy who started as the worst student in class ended up owning Canada's largest salsa dance studio.
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Why?
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Because salsa was more than just a hobby.
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It was a passion that I was willing to invest in.
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And that little hobby now impacts tens of thousands of people, even doubles as my film studio for my videos during the day.
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I turn my hobby into a business that serves my community and brings me joy every single day.
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So you might be thinking, okay, that's great for you, Evan, but my hobby can't pay the bills.
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Or what if turning it into a job ruins the fun?
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I hear you.
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It's scary.
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That's legitimate.
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You worry about money, about failing, about losing that spark.
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But what if you never try?
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What if you keep dragging yourself to a mediocre job and only dabbling in your passions on the weekends?
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That's a recipe for a mediocre life.
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turning your hobby into your career doesn't kill the passion.
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It doesn't have to.
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It can amplify it.
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Yes, it will be work and not every day will be amazing and sunshine and rainbows, but it's meaningful work fueled by something that you actually care about.
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And that beats any soul sucking job any day of the week.
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And guess what?
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People are making it happen every day.
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If someone else with a camera or an oven or paintbrush can turn their passion into a thriving business, why not you?
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The only difference is they said yes to their dreams while others say no. So, are you ready to say yes?
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Let's talk about how to actually do it, how to transform that hobby of yours into a real career, step by step.
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Here we go.
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Step number one, stop calling it just a hobby.
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Shift your mindset.
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So you have to believe that your hobby can be your career.
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Step one is an identity shift.
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Stop treating it like a cute little side interest and start treating it like it matters.
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If you don't take your passion seriously, nobody else will.
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Think of Alicia Schaefer, a mom of three who loved making boho chic designs.
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She started out crafting in her kitchen at first and selling on Etsy.
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At first, it was just a fun side hustle.
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Then she had a mindset shift.
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I decided to stop treating it like a hobby and start treating it like a business, she said.
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The result, she became Etsy's top seller, pulling in as much as $60,000 to $80,000 a month with her handmade products.
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That happened because she believed her hobby was worth something and committed to it like a professional.
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I had to learn this myself.
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Some of you know my story.
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I started a website in my 20s of sharing lessons from successful entrepreneurs.
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And that site started to blow up.
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We had 100,000 plus pages of content and even big names started writing for us.
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On paper, it was a success.
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But I woke up one day and realized I no longer loved it.
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It had turned into a content factory just chasing ad dollars not the mission driven project
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that I envisioned meanwhile I was getting more excited about making
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YouTube videos reaching people more directly having more fun with it
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so I made a bold decision I just shut down my big website overnight
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and I moved my entire focus to YouTube people thought I
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was insane they said Evan you walked away from a sure thing to chase a hobby on YouTube?
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What are you doing?
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But I didn't see it as crazy.
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In my mind, it was more risky to stay stuck doing something that I didn't like anymore.
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Why keep investing in a business that my heart wasn't in just because it made some money?
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I'd rather take my shot doing what I love.
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And I told people walking away from something you don't like towards something you do is the opposite of risky.
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And you know what?
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That decision to treat YouTube, my passion for creating video content as my real business changed my life.
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The channel that you're watching now only exists because I had the courage to put my passion first.
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So step one for you is internal.
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Own the identity.
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You're not just a hobbyist.
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You're a baker, an artist, a coder, an educator, whatever your hobby is.
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Start calling yourself that.
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Carry yourself like it's already your career.
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This isn't about fake it until you make it.
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It's about being it so you can become it.
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And psychology backs us up when you identify deeply with a role or mission, you behave differently.
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You show up with purpose.
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You keep going when others would quit.
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And the world needs people who are alive with passion.
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One of my mom's favorite pieces of wisdom for me was, if you have the ability, you have the responsibility.
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If you can, then you must.
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And I carried that into my mission.
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If I can help somebody with something I love, then I have to.
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Your hobby lights you up for a reason.
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It's pointing you to your purpose.
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So embrace it fully.
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Decide that you're going pro in your passion.
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That decision alone sets everything else in motion for you.
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Step number two, start before you're ready.
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Overcome perfectionism.
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So stop waiting for permission or for the perfect plan and just start.
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This is where so many aspiring entrepreneurs, they fall apart.
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I know because I stumbled here too.
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We want everything to be just right.
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We don't want to launch until the stars align and success is guaranteed, right? newsflash that day will never come.
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Perfect is an illusion and waiting for perfect is a dream killer.
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So let me share two quick stories.
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First, back in my 20s, my software company almost had a huge exit.
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This deal would have been $40 million to us.
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Life changing money for me at that age.
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But guess what?
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We missed it.
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Why?
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Because I was obsessing over details and planning instead of taking action.
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So I spent an entire summer writing and polishing our business plan.
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Meanwhile, a competitor, they got out there and they built relationships.
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And when the big opportunity came, they were ready and we weren't.
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And that competitor got acquired for $40 million, not us.
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And I'll be honest, that really stung.
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I remember saying I lost a $40 million deal because I was trying to make things perfect.
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It was a tough pill to swallow, but also an incredibly valuable lesson.
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And I'm still a recovering perfectionist.
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And I realized that a half-assed plan that you act on is better than a perfect plan that you never execute.
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Most of your precious plan is going to be wrong anyway once it meets reality.
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You've got to get in the game and adapt on the fly.
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My perfectionism cost me a once-in-a-lifetime deal.
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I vowed to never let fear of not being perfect slowing me down again.
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Second story, my YouTube channel.
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Fun fact, I created the channel in 2008, but I was so nervous about getting it right that I didn't upload my first video until April 2009.
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I sat on it for months.
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Why?
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Perfectionism.
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I told myself I needed a professional videographer, a script, the right suit and i did all
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that for my first video it took me an entire day to record i forget how many minutes video
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because i kept overthinking every line i was so stiff
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and unnatural trying to be perfect and looking back it's cringy
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but but i posted it
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and you know what i had three comments in the first year my mom my older sister
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and some random person but that experience taught me just to press record
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and post even if it's ugly if i hadn't broken through
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that perfectionism i'd probably still be sitting here planning my perfect video instead of having 10 000 videos
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and 4 million subscribers so i call myself a recovering perfectionist now
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because that tendency never fully goes away you just learn to override it with action
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so i want you to override your perfectionism starting today start before you feel ready launch
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that etsy shop even if your product line isn't 100 polished post
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that video even if your video could be better tell your first five clients
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that you are open for business even
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if you're still figuring things out yes you might stumble it will definitely be messy
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but you'll learn more from one real step forward than six
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months of theory crafting in your living room psychologists even have
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a term for getting stuck in planning mode analysis paralysis you think you're being diligent
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but really you're just procrastinating because you're scared
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so let's call it what it is perfectionism is just fear in fancy shoes you're afraid of being judged
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or failing so you dress it up as i'm not ready yet
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so i'm giving you a loving kick forward right now you are ready enough you don't need to know everything to begin.
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You'll figure it out as you go.
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I promise.
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Action creates clarity.
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As you start, you'll refine your strategy in real time.
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The big company you admire, they started in a garage with a clunky prototype.
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My first videos were terrible, but you can't get to video number 100 without making a few awkward ones first.
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So get version 1.0 out there.
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Embrace the motto.
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Progress over perfection.
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Your mantra is launch and then adjust.
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This is how every successful entrepreneur turns a hobby into a career.
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They start.
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They launch that Etsy shop, the YouTube channel, the small weekend catering gig.
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It might flop or it might fly, but either way you learn and you move forward.
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As the saying goes, you don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to become great.
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So do it now, do it imperfectly, but do it.
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Step number three, share your passion and ask for help.
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Don't go it alone.
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Turning your hobby into a business is hard, but doing it alone is almost impossible.
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You need to build a support network around your passion.
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So that means sharing your journey.
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It means connecting with others.
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It means asking for help when you need it.
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And this step is both practical and mental.
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Practical because opportunities come through people.
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Mental because it forces you to shed the lone wolf mentality that might be holding you back.
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And I'll admit, this is a tough one for me.
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I still have a hard time asking for help.
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I'm an introvert.
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Reaching out is not my natural tendency.
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And especially in the early days of my startup, I was too embarrassed to tell anyone that I was struggling.
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I was making $300 a month, felt like a complete failure.
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But I kept it all inside.
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I thought I have to figure this out on my own.
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And that was a huge mistake.
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I've said it before, I'll say it again.
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Don't do it alone, because you'll probably fail.
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You'll quit along the way, because it's too devastatingly lonely.
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And that's the truth.
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When you're grinding in isolation, every setback hits you harder and every doubt becomes louder.
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I almost quit on my business because I felt so alone in it.
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The moment that I finally swallowed my pride and I asked for advice from a mentor, things started to turn around.
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I learned that asking for help is not a weakness, it's actually just a success strategy.
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So let me give you a quick story to show how important this is.
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A while back, I was on a flight to Puerto Rico to speak at an event.
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The guy next to me tried to chat, but I did my usual introvert thing.
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I put on my headphones and basically sent a leave me alone vibes.
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Small talk on a plane is like my worst nightmare.
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I'm thinking, please don't let this stranger talk to me.
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So we fly in silence.
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And when we land, I see the same guy checking in at the hotel for the entrepreneur mastermind
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that I was speaking at.
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And turns out he was exactly my kind of person.
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An entrepreneur headed to the same event and we could have had a great two-hour conversation on that flight,
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sharing ideas, maybe forming a friendship or some kind of partnership. Who knows?
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But I shut the door on that before it even opened.
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I remembered standing there thinking, wow, I literally avoided a golden opportunity because I was too shy to say hello.
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So lesson learned.
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Now I try to engage even just a little because you never know who's sitting next to you.
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Maybe your future business partner, maybe your next investor, or simply a friend who understands your journey.
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So what does it mean for you?
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Find your people.
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If your hobby is baking cupcakes, join a local baker's club or an online forum for baking entrepreneurs if you love coding, go to hackathons or meetups.
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If you're a dancer, start hanging around dance studios or in online dance communities.
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Get yourself in the mix where others share that passion and then open your mouth, share what you're doing.
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Tell your friends and family that you're starting a business.
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Yes, that can be vulnerable.
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You're effectively saying, I'm trying something big and I could fail, but you'll be surprised how many people will cheer you on
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or introduce you to someone or give you that one idea or client that kicks things off.
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And please, get comfortable asking for help.
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This is still one of my biggest growth points.
456
Even after I've had some success, I still struggle with asking.
457
But funny story, a few years ago, a friend of the channel, Brendan Burchard, invited me to his mastermind at his house.
458
And I walk in and I'm surrounded by all these legends, people that I look up to, and part of me feels like I didn't belong.
459
And at one point, Brendan noticed that I was being quiet and he called me out in a kind way.
460
And he said, Evan, you give so much to people, you gotta make sure you come up with an ask.
461
What do you need help with?
462
And he pushed me to receive, not just to give.
463
And that was uncomfortable for me, but I did it.
464
And I asked that group for advice on growing my YouTube channel
465
and on my book and dealing with some self-doubts that I had.
466
And guess what?
467
The feedback I got was pure gold.
468
And one idea from that room saved me months of trial and error.
469
And it reinforced for me that entrepreneurship is a team sport.
470
Even if you're a solo entrepreneur, you need mentors, your peers, your cheerleaders along the way.
471
Don't isolate.
472
Communicate.
473
Show your passion to the world.
474
If you keep it hidden, no one else can help you and you might miss connections.
475
You will miss connections that will change your life.
476
Collaboration and community will carry you further than you can carry yourself.
477
So ask yourself, who can I reach out to this week for support or for feedback?
478
What form or group can I join?
479
Who out there is doing what I want to do and how can I connect with them?
480
Don't let pride or fear of rejection stop you.
481
Most people love to talk about their shared passions.
482
They'll be happy to help an enthusiastic newbie because it reminds them of why they started too.
483
So send that email, attend that meetup, comment on that fellow creator's post.
484
You never know where one hello might lead.
485
Set number four, be patient and persist.
486
Play the long game.
487
Turn your hobby into a full-fledged career will take time.
488
There's almost no way around this.
489
The overnight success is a myth.
490
Most overnight successes were grinding in the dark for years.
491
So commit to the long game.
492
That means staying patient.
493
And more importantly, staying persistent when your progress is slow.
494
So reality check for my own journey.
495
People see my YouTube channel now with millions of subscribers, et cetera, and think I have some sort of magic touch.
496
They don't see that for years I was shouting to what felt like the void.
497
It took me five years on YouTube to crack 2,000 subscribers, five years of what some would consider a failure of a number.
498
But in another five years, I got to a million.
499
But that's a decade of work to get to what creators can potentially get in a year.
500
And in the first few years, my subscriber growth was so slow that I thought I'd be 90 years old before I'd ever get a gold play button.
501
I remember uploading videos, I got 30 views and 50 views.
502
And it's hard not to compare yourself to others when and they're blowing past you.
503
But I just had a mindset shift that saved me.
504
I stopped obsessing over the numbers and started celebrating the people.
505
I told myself, okay, 50 people watch this video, but 50 people took the time out of their day to hear my message.
506
Imagine I was giving a speech at a local library and 50 people showed up to listen.
507
I'd be thrilled.
508
And so that perspective changed everything.
509
I started focusing on who I was serving instead of who I wasn't.
510
So instead of feeling like, oh, only a few dozen views, I felt grateful and energized to help those few dozen people.
511
I focused on serving the audience I did have, not the audience that I didn't.
512
And slowly those 50 turned into 100 and then 1,000 and then a million.
513
And what kept me going in the dark days was purpose and love for the process.
514
So I generally enjoy making videos.
515
And I was on a mission to solve a problem that I struggled with myself, lack of belief and mentorship for entrepreneurs.
516
Even when the external rewards were small, the internal rewards were there.
517
I was growing, I was learning, I was getting better in my field, my craft, the videos you must find that same well of patience and persistence.
518
Expect that the first year or two might be slow.
519
That's normal.
520
It's okay.
521
Do not quit your passion just because it's not printing money immediately
522
or because your Etsy shop only got a few sales in your first month.
523
If you truly love it and you see even a glimmer of impact, keep going.
524
Adjust your approach maybe, but don't give up on the whole game.
525
I'll give you an example from my own persistence, my salsa business partner, Alex.
526
When Alex started as a dance student at my studio, he was awful.
527
I mean it.
528
The guy was the worst student in the class.
529
And we have a system for if you're not ready to move to the next level, you get held back to repeat the level.
530
Now, it's actually pretty rare.
531
Like almost nobody gets that.
532
Less than 1% of students ever get held back.
533
But Alex was held back at almost every level.
534
Can you imagine that?
535
Most people would have been so embarrassed they quit after the first time.
536
But Alex loved dancing.
537
He didn't care if he wasn't a natural.
538
He kept showing up.
539
He actually thanked us for holding him back because it meant that he could continue to improve on his fundamentals of dancing.
540
And that mindset with Bloomerio was awesome.
541
Fast forward, after being our most persistently terrible student, Alex eventually improved.
542
He started assisting classes, then teaching.
543
And today, Alex is our head instructor who helps run the dance studio.
544
He had a career in sales and he left it to pursue dancing.
545
Talk about turning a hobby into a career.
546
He literally went from the worst in the class to leading the entire school.
547
How? through grit, through showing up, even when it was hard and humbling.
548
That's the power of persistence.
549
And science backs this up too.
550
Psychologists have a term grit coined by Angela Duckworth, which is basically the mix of passion and perseverance.
551
Studies have shown that grit, which is just sticking with something that you care about over the longterm, is a better predictor of success than talent or IQ.
552
What does that mean?
553
It means that if you're consistent and you keep improving, you can surpass the naturally talented people who just give up early.
554
Consistency beats intensity every time.
555
I take the everyday hustler over the one week genius any day.
556
So commit to a process.
557
Give yourself time to succeed.
558
I'm not saying quit your job tomorrow and live in your car while you wait for your hobby business to bloom, right?
559
Be smart financially.
560
Build it on the side if you have to.
561
But emotionally, you need to give this endeavor some patience.
562
Set a longer horizon.
563
I'm going to give this my all for three years instead of three weeks.
564
When setbacks happen, and they will, remember why you're doing this.
565
We'll get to that in the next step.
566
But remind yourself that every master was once a disaster.
567
Every pro was once an amateur.
568
Your slow progress is not a sign of failure.
569
It's an indicator that you're on your journey.
570
As long as you don't stop, you're still in the game.
571
And sometimes slow growth is setting you up for explosive growth later.
572
My channel crawled for years and then boom, it started to take off.
573
And those early years were absolutely necessary to build my foundation, my skills, my content library.
574
If I quit in year three or year four, you wouldn't be watching this right now.
575
And one more tip.
576
Celebrate those small wins.
577
Did you make your first hundred dollars from your art?
578
Awesome.
579
Take a picture of that PayPal notification.
580
Did you get your first client testimonial?
581
Amazing.
582
Frame it on your wall.
583
Treat these little victories as breadcrumbs that lead you forward.
584
Cherish them.
585
They'll keep you positive and motivated while you wait for the bigger break to come.
586
Step number five, stay connected to your why.
587
Make it about purpose, not just profit.
588
So as you turn your hobby into a career, there will be a point where it starts to feel like work.
589
Anytime you monetize something, there's pressure.
590
Now there's deadlines, there's customers, there's finances that enter the mix.
591
And the danger is you can get so caught up in the business side
592
that you forget why you loved it in the first place.
593
So to prevent this burnout and truly succeed, you need to anchor in your purpose.
594
Keep it mission driven, not just money driven.
595
Don't get me wrong.
596
You absolutely should aim to make money and lots of it.
597
Money is a fantastic servant.
598
It gives you freedom.
599
It validates that you're providing value.
600
But money cannot be the only reason that you're doing this.
601
If it is the first rough patch, you're going to quit.
602
When the money is lean or the sales aren't coming in, you'll have no reason to continue.
603
But if you have a deeper why, a mission, you'll push through walls to see it happen.
604
For me, that mission was baked into why I started creating content for entrepreneurs.
605
Remember my first company struggle?
606
How much pain I went through trying to build a business as a clueless 19-year-old?
607
I felt so alone and so close to quitting so many times that I eventually survived and sold my startup, but it was brutally hard.
608
And that pain became my purpose.
609
I thought, if I can make it even a little bit easier for the next entrepreneur in my shoes, I should.
610
Your purpose comes from your pain.
611
I like to say that the thing that hurt you or challenges that you overcame.
612
It's exactly what you can help others with.
613
So my hobby of consuming entrepreneur stories, tips, strategies that turn into a mission to share those with the world so others don't have to struggle as much.
614
That's what kept me going in those early years of creating content for basically no one.
615
I wasn't driven by ad revenue or fame.
616
I was driven by the thought that maybe one video could save an aspiring entrepreneur from quitting.
617
That meant something to me.
618
And guess what?
619
That's exactly what ended up happening.
620
I started getting emails and comments from people saying things like, Evan, your video kept me from giving up on my business.
621
Or this interview inspired me to finally start my dream.
622
And that became motivation for my soul, right?
623
So connect your hobby to service.
624
Ask yourself, how does doing this passion as a career help others or impact the world positively?
625
So if you're a musician, maybe your music brings joy or helps people feel seen.
626
If you're making something, your products might bring people comfort or confidence.
627
If you turn your baking hobby into a bakery, you're not just selling cupcakes, you're giving people moments of happiness and celebration.
628
You tie your work to something that matters.
629
Debbie Fields, who founded Mrs. Fields Cookies, said it perfectly.
630
Once you find something you love to do, be the best at doing it.
631
And she also said, the greatest failure is to not try.
632
Her deeper purpose was spreading joy through cookies and proving naysayers wrong and it drove her to build a cookie empire.
633
Another part of purpose is keeping your own passion alive.
634
So protect the love you have for your hobby.
635
Sometimes when it becomes a business, you might start doing aspects you don't enjoy, like paperwork and marketing, et cetera.
636
And that's normal, but always make time to reconnect with the fun, the creative part that made you start in the first place.
637
So I like to tell creators, make sure that you're still creating things for you, not just for the algorithm or the market.
638
So in my case, I still make videos on topics I'm personally curious about or struggling with, not just what I think will get views.
639
I thought this was an important video.
640
We'll see how it does.
641
But I wanted to make it because I thought it was important personally.
642
I make content that I need to hear.
643
And it turns out that a lot of people need to hear it too sometimes.
644
And that keeps me engaged and growing too, personally.
645
It's also okay to evolve your vision as you grow.
646
So maybe your hobby career opens new opportunities.
647
Great, follow the ones that actually excite you.
648
Just always do check-ins.
649
Does this still align with what you care about?
650
If you ever find yourself feeling like your passion business is becoming soulless, pause, refocus, remember why you started.
651
Maybe even write down a mission statement
652
or a simple sentence of why you do what you do and put it on your wall.
653
Make it somewhere in front of you.
654
When things get tough or confusing, look at it.
655
That why will help you cut through the noise and reset you on the right path.
656
And one more thing.
657
Acknowledge yourself for the courage it takes to do this.
658
Seriously, most people will never even attempt to turn their hobby into a career.
659
It takes guts.
660
It takes belief.
661
By even trying, by putting yourself out there, you're already in the elite minority of people who are trying to live life on their own terms.
662
And that is actually something to be really proud of, no matter what stage you're at.
663
So use that as positive reinforcement.
664
You're doing what most only daydream about.
665
So keep going.
666
Your hobby can become your career.
667
And when it does, it's one of the most fulfilling feelings in the world.
668
You wake up excited to work.
669
You give it more energy and love, and that translates into better results.
670
And people will feel that energy.
671
Your customers will sense that you genuinely care about what you're doing, and they'll support you because of it.
672
And in turn, you're making a living, or maybe even a fortune, doing what you love.
673
And that's the win-win outcome that we're after.
674
You're happy, and you're making others happy or solving their problems too.
675
And you get paid for it along the way.
676
It's a beautiful cycle.
677
And it all starts with the decision to take your hobby seriously and go for it.
678
Now, I've given you a roadmap here.
679
Mindset, action, community, patience, purpose.
680
These five steps are not one and done.
681
You'll revisit them often, but if you follow them, you will be miles ahead of where you are now.
682
So remember Walt Disney or Alicia Schaefer or my friend Alex, their success didn't happen by accident or overnight.
683
It happened because they dared to believe in their little hobbies and stuck with them.
684
You can do the same.
685
Do one thing that moves your dream forward right now.
686
It doesn't matter if it's small.
687
The journey of a thousand miles, right?
688
One step.
689
You've got this.
690
It's not going to be easy, but it's going to be worth it.
691
And your future self is already smiling back at you saying, thank you for starting.
692
Thank you for watching.
693
And more importantly, for being the type of person who actually wants to do something with their life.
694
Most people won't even make it this far into a video like this, but you did, which tells me that you're serious.
695
You're building that belief and that knowledge.
696
And now turn that knowledge into action.
697
Now let's learn the top five high income skills to get you wealthy.
698
Ready to discover the skills that could skyrocket your success this year?
699
These aren't academic theories.
700
They're practical, in-demand abilities that you can learn without a formal degree.
701
Each skill taps into emerging market needs, offers entrepreneurial leverage, and has scalable impact.
702
Let's dive in and imagine the possibilities each one opens up for your business and income.
703
Skill number one, AI integration and automation, turning intelligence into income.
704
Okay, so what is it?
705
Here we're going to leverage AI and automation tools to streamline operations, create smarter products, or even launch AI-driven services.
706
It's using machines to do the heavy thinking
707
or doing for you from chatbots that handle customer inquiries to AI systems that optimize your marketing or inventory in real time.
708
Here's why it matters this year.
709
The AI revolution isn't coming.
710
It's right here now, and it's rewriting the rules of business.
711
By 2024, 70% of organizations reported using AI in some capacity, up from just 55% the year before.
712
Companies are pouring investments into AI at record levels, over $109 billion in the US in 2024, with nearly $34 billion globally into generative AI.
713
And they desperately need people who can make it work.
714
The catch?
715
There's a huge talent gap.
716
94% of business leaders say they face AI-related skill shortages on their teams, with one in three reporting massive gaps in critical AI roles.
717
What does that mean?
718
Demand is way bigger than supply, and that means opportunities for you.
719
Entrepreneurs who are AI savvy can step in and command premium prices for their solutions.
720
This isn't just for tech companies either.
721
From healthcare to finance, AI is being woven into daily operations.
722
Even the FDA has approved hundreds of AI-enabled medical devices, and self-driving cars are logging thousands of rides right now.
723
The world is racing to adopt AI and those who can ride that wave stand to reap huge rewards.
724
So how can entrepreneurs profit?
725
Think of AI as a force multiplier for your business.
726
An entrepreneur with AI skills can automate super boring processes, freeing up time to scale faster.
727
You can make smarter products with better features.
728
You can offer AI consulting and integration services to companies who are willing to pay for help.
729
So, for example, a small e-commerce founder might use AI to personalize their shopping experience for each customer automatically, leading to happier customers and higher sales.
730
Or maybe you're launching a micro SaaS tool that uses AI, like an AI scheduling assistant or content generator.
731
Even a one-person business can serve thousands of customers when AI is doing most of the work.
732
The evidence is everywhere.
733
Companies using AI report higher productivity and lower costs, and many have seen AI-driven projects boost their bottom line.
734
One Entrepreneur created an AI-powered copywriting service and landed hundreds of clients globally, essentially earning money 24-7 as the AI works for them.
735
The key is that AI is practical and learnable.
736
With countless online courses and tools, you can start applying AI, even if you're not a programmer.
737
Many AI platforms are actually plug and play.
738
So this year, knowing how to harness AI is like having a superpower.
739
It's not just about efficiency, it's about unlocking new income streams.
740
From automating your marketing to building the next chat GPT-like app for a niche industry, AI integration is a skill that can pay off almost immediately.
741
So embrace it and you ride the biggest tech wave of our era straight towards profit.
742
Now AI might be the brains, but data is the backbone.
743
So next, let's look at the skills that turn raw numbers into gold.
744
Skill number two, data analytics and business intelligence, profiting from big data.
745
Okay, so what is it?
746
It's the skill of collecting, analyzing, and drawing smart insights from data to drive business decisions.
747
So data analytics is like having x-ray vision for your business.
748
It lets you see the patterns and trends that normal people's eyes would miss.
749
So business intelligence, or BI, goes hand in hand, focusing on those who are using insights to make strategic calls.
750
This skill isn't about math genius.
751
It's about knowing which numbers matter and how to translate them into action.
752
So why it matters right now and this year, we live in a world that has tons of data.
753
Every click, every purchase, every interaction, it can be tracked.
754
But few people know how to turn that ocean of information into actual real value.
755
And that's where you can come in.
756
Companies have realized that gut instinct isn't enough.
757
81% of businesses now believe data should be at the heart of all decision making.
758
And they're willing to pay handsomely for those who can deliver results.
759
Why?
760
because data-driven businesses simply perform better.
761
They're more productive and more profitable on average than their less data-savvy peers.
762
Companies that truly embrace analytics have seen deficiencies boost as high as 60 to 80% in operations.
763
It's not just about giant corporations.
764
Even small startups benefit when they can quickly identify
765
which product feature is a hit or which marketing channel brings the best ROI.
766
And this is a very clear trend.
767
The global big data analytics market is massive.
768
It's over $270 billion in value and still growing and there's a shortage of professionals who can wrangle data effectively.
769
Executives are literally hungry for insights.
770
A recent survey found 88% of business leaders rank data analytics as a top priority for upskilling in the organization.
771
So this year, being fluent in data is like having a secret weapon in your market.
772
You base decisions on facts, not guesses, which is a recipe for winning.
773
So how can entrepreneurs use it?
774
Data analytics can make you rich in two ways.
775
First, by applying it to your own business.
776
You can pinpoint your most profitable customers.
777
You can find inefficiencies to cut.
778
You can test pricing strategies with actual hard evidence.
779
For example, Netflix famously used data analytics to save $1 billion a year by recommending exactly what viewers wanted.
780
So imagine bringing that kind of insight into your business decisions.
781
Secondly, you can sell this skill as a service to others.
782
Many companies, especially smaller ones, they drown in data but have no idea what to do with it.
783
You could come in as a freelance analyst or consultant, turn their data into a clear action plan and charge premium fees for delivering growth or savings.
784
So picture telling your client, I found a way to boost your sales 20% by analyzing your customer behavior and then actually doing it.
785
There are real case studies of entrepreneurs doing just this.
786
One startup founder used business intelligence tools to optimize her inventory and eliminated over $100,000 in annual waste directly padding her profits.
787
Another built consulting agency that helps local businesses set up simple dashboards and KPIs.
788
And within a year, he was booking five-figure contracts regularly.
789
The bottom line is data analytics is practical and learnable.
790
There's tons of online courses, YouTube videos, tools that are now drag and drop.
791
Master it and you can either supercharge your own business or become the go-to data guru who turns others' confusion into cash.
792
So in this year, data, it's a new oil.
793
And knowing how to drill for it is an extremely high income skill.
794
Now, having great data is pointless if you can't attract customers.
795
That's where our next skill comes in.
796
It's time to cash in on the art of getting noticed.
797
Skill number three, digital marketing and growth hacking, scaling visibility into wealth.
798
So what is it?
799
Digital marketing is a skill of getting customers for people's businesses online through channels like social media, through search engines, through email, through LLMs and more.
800
Growth hacking is a trendy way to say, creative, fast-paced marketing experimentation, right?
801
So finding clever, low-cost tactics to drive growth or sales for your business or other people's.
802
This skill is about making your business impossible to ignore on the internet and turning that attention into revenue.
803
So it covers everything from running targeted ads, optimizing a website to rank on Google or GPT,
804
crafting viral content, analyzing campaign data to tweak for better results, making YouTube videos to spread your message.
805
Why it matters this year is you could have the best product or service in the world, but if nobody knows about it, you don't make a dime this year digital marketing remains one of the highest skills for entrepreneurs
806
because online attention is the currency of our kingdom just look
807
at the numbers global digital ad spending is projected to hit 843 billion dollars yes with a b companies large
808
and small are pouring money into facebook ads google searches tick tock videos wherever their audience lives online
809
and they need experts who know how to navigate this landscape the job outlook also reflects that demand.
810
Marketing roles are expected to grow by 10% faster than the average for all careers.
811
And in particular, there's surging demand for people skilled in areas like marketing analytics, content creation, and SEO, SEM,
812
because every business wants to rank number one on Google and decode the algorithms of ChatGPT.
813
The beauty of digital marketing is that it's practical and learnable.
814
No MBA required, just practice, creativity, and keeping up with the trends.
815
We're also seeing new frontiers like AI-driven marketing.
816
Over 50% of businesses are already using generative AI to improve their operations.
817
All this means that entrepreneurial marketers who stay sharp can out hustle their bigger competitors.
818
So in this year, if you know how to get the right message to the right people at the right time online, you basically have a license to print money.
819
So how can you use it as an entrepreneur?
820
Digital marketing is often the make or break skill that determines if you scale or if you stay stuck.
821
And so if you master it and you can acquire customers on demand, you can enter new markets quickly.
822
You can even build a personal brand that multiplies all of your opportunities.
823
Take, for example, an online fitness coach who leverages social media marketing by mastering YouTube and Instagram.
824
She grows her audience to hundreds of thousands and launches a fitness app that earns seven figures online.
825
Or think of a small local business owner who uses savvy Google search ads and SEO to dominate local search traffic, right?
826
Their store goes from unknown to the go-to place in town.
827
And these aren't hypotheticals.
828
These things are happening right now all around us.
829
As an entrepreneur, you can also sell digital marketing expertise.
830
If you're great at, say, SEO or Facebook ads, you can freelance or start an agency.
831
Businesses are eager to pay because they've seen the ROI.
832
For every dollar spent on email marketing can yield $36 in return, as various studies have shown.
833
So a skilled email marketer is worth their weight in gold.
834
Another real-world use case.
835
An entrepreneur growth hacked his startup by creating a referral program that went viral.
836
So think Dropbox's free storage for referral strategy, acquiring millions of users without a massive ad budget.
837
That's growth hacking in action.
838
So digital marketing lets you scale up quickly.
839
An ad campaign can reach millions of people overnight.
840
A piece of content that catches fire can bring in floods of traffic.
841
You're not limited by your local area or your storefront.
842
And with analytics tools, you can measure every penny and double down on what works, like truly data-driven marketing.
843
And the emotional side, it's pretty thrilling to see your business blow up because of a campaign that you created.
844
The control is right here.
845
It's in your hands.
846
With consumer attention shifting every year, today it might be YouTube or LinkedIn newsletters, tomorrow who knows.
847
Entrepreneurs who have the skill will ride each wave and outpace their competition.
848
Digital marketing and growth hacking are high income skills
849
because they directly drive revenue and mastering them means you can virtually write your own success story in this digital age.
850
So now Now you've got the customer's attention, now we need to convince them to open their wallets.
851
The next skill is all about the art of persuasion
852
and it's one of the oldest and most profitable tricks in the book.
853
Skill number four, persuasive communication and storytelling.
854
Selling anything to anyone.
855
So what is it?
856
This is the skill of conveying ideas in a compelling way.
857
So that's through sales pitches and marketing copy or even everyday networking conversations.
858
It includes sales and negotiation, convincing a customer or partner to say yes, copywriting, which is writing words that sell from ads to landing pages,
859
and storytelling, crafting a narrative that hooks people in emotionally.
860
It's how to talk or write so people listen, trust you, and feel motivated to act, like clicking the buy now or signing a contract.
861
Why it matters this year is no matter how advanced technology gets, the power of a good story and genuine connection never goes out of style.
862
In fact, as automation rises, those human-centered skills become more valuable.
863
This year's marketplace is hyper-stimulated.
864
Consumers see thousands of ads and posts a day, so the ability to cut through that noise with a resonant message is pure gold.
865
68% of consumers say that a brand's story influences their buying decisions.
866
People remember stories up to 22 times more than plain facts.
867
That's huge for entrepreneurs trying to build a memorable brand or pitch to investors.
868
And yes, we see evidence that storytelling
869
and communication translate to better results marketing campaigns built around the narrative can boost conversion rates by 30% or more.
870
On the sales side, companies are actively looking for leaders with strong social influence and communication skills.
871
Even the World Economic Forum highlighted leadership and social influence as a top skill for the future.
872
Why?
873
Because a person who can rally a team, win over a client, negotiate a profitable deal, they are invaluable.
874
Also, let's talk money.
875
Jobs like sales executives or copywriters are often high paying because they directly bring in revenue.
876
A top performing tech sales rep, for example, can earn a six figure base salary plus another six figures in commissions.
877
Copywriters who crack the code of persuasion are similarly rewarded.
878
Many freelance copywriters charge $100 plus an hour and businesses happily pay
879
because one killer sales page or email sequence can generate hundreds of thousands in sales.
880
Words are powerful and this year those who can wield that power expertly will find that it translates into serious income.
881
So how can you use it as an entrepreneur you're always selling not just your products
882
but your vision your brand even selling yourself as a trustworthy
883
partner persuasive communication turns this into a superpower mastering storytelling means you can craft a brand narrative
884
that makes customers feel something and remember you
885
so for example instead of just saying our shoe is comfortable
886
you share the story of a customer who thanks to your
887
shoe ran their first marathon pain free to honor a loved
888
one right now you're not just selling a shoe you're selling inspiration you're selling identity that's the difference
889
that makes people lifetime fans on a more practical side
890
entrepreneurs skilled in communication they'll just close more deals
891
so imagine you're negotiating with a supplier or an investor
892
if you can clearly articulate your value
893
and persuade them effectively you'll likely get better terms maybe tens of thousands saved
894
or gained in one conversation if you sell services
895
or high-ticket products strong sales techniques like consultative selling or solutions-based selling is key.
896
Today's customers expect you to understand their needs and tailor your offer.
897
Being able to do that can literally double or triple your closing rate.
898
So for example, you can monetize a skill by offering freelance copywriting or sales consulting.
899
Great copywriters are in short supply, even with AI writing tools around, because someone has to give the AI the right emotional direction.
900
Businesses will pay top dollar for emails and ads that actually convert.
901
One excellent sales page can be worth millions to a company.
902
So paying a writer $10,000 a craft, it's a no-brainer for some companies.
903
Skilled copywriters routinely earn over $150,000 a year once they've built a reputation.
904
And don't forget content creators and influencers.
905
They are essentially storytellers too, turning authentic communication into followers and income from ads and sponsorships or product sales.
906
Emotions drive decisions.
907
And if you can tap into emotions with genuine communication, you can drive decisions in your favor.
908
So this year, mastering persuasive communication and storytelling isn't just a nice to have.
909
It's often the difference between the business that just fizzles out and one that actually becomes a phenomenon.
910
We've covered brains, data, marketing, charm.
911
Our final skill might not sound as glamorous, but it's a massive moneymaker in today's world.
912
It's all about protecting the wealth that you're building.
913
And it's an area where demand is exploding.
914
Skill number five, cybersecurity and data protection, guarding the digital goldmine.
915
Okay, so what is it?
916
Cybersecurity is the skill of keeping data software systems safe from hackers and breaches.
917
It's being the digital bodyguard for businesses.
918
This includes understanding how to prevent attacks.
919
So think malware, phishing, ransomware, knowing how to plug vulnerabilities and networks or websites and making sure that companies follow best practices.
920
So sensitive information like consumer data is not stolen or compromised.
921
It's deeply technical for those who specialize, but at a high level, it's very learned by doing problem solving field and you don't need a PhD to get good at it.
922
Just solid training and experience in a curious mind.
923
Data protection goes hand in hand.
924
So think dealing with proper handling and compliance, like the laws of the land.
925
So for an entrepreneur, having cybersecurity skills means that you can both protect your own venture, but also potentially offer security solutions to other people as a business.
926
So why does it matter this year?
927
One word, risk.
928
As businesses digitize every aspect of their operations, the risk of cyber attacks have skyrocketed and so have the costs.
929
The average cost of a single data breach hit an eye-watering $4.9 million globally.
930
So for a small or mid-sized company, that kind of hit can be fatal.
931
That's why firms are desperate for cybersecurity expertise and why it's become a high-income skill, high-demand skill.
932
We're in a situation where there aren't nearly enough cybersecurity pros to go around.
933
The global cybersecurity workforce is millions short.
934
One recent study showed about 4.8 million cybersecurity roles are unfulfilled worldwide.
935
There are millions of openings and not enough people with the skills, a gap that widened by 19% in just one year.
936
So talent shortage is actually the number one obstacle companies face in securing their systems.
937
This kind of supply-demand mismatch is exactly what drives up income for those who have the skill.
938
So companies have even started to prioritize this in budgets because they simply cannot afford the alternative.
939
Companies without adequate security staff end up paying on average $1.76 million more per breach due to slower response and damage control.
940
But just beyond like corporate IT departments, every entrepreneur with an online presence needs at least basic cybersecurity savviness.
941
Cyber threats this year are more sophisticated.
942
Yes, hackers are using AI too.
943
So on top of that, customer trust and regulations require more solid data protection.
944
You don't want to be that startup that leaked user data and lost credibility overnight.
945
So from ransomware attacks, shutting down hospitals to small businesses getting scammed from phishing, the threat is universal.
946
This urgency is driving a huge market for cybersecurity products and consultants.
947
Global spending on cybersecurity is rising every year, tens of billions of dollars annually, as businesses effectively say, please take our money and keep us safe.
948
If you can step in with the skills to do so, you will be richly rewarded.
949
So as some evidence, top freelance cybersecurity experts report rates of $200 to $300 an hour, and experienced security consultants can make over $500,000 a year by serving multiple clients.
950
So it's no surprise that when the stakes are this high, companies are willing to pay for peace of mind.
951
So how can entrepreneurs use it?
952
If you're building your own company, cybersecurity skills are like an insurance policy and a selling point.
953
You can save a ton of money by implementing security measures yourself instead of hiring some expensive firms
954
and avoid disaster that could derail your business.
955
But also being more security minded from day one can be a competitive advantage.
956
You can use that in your marketing.
957
Customers and partners will feel safer dealing with you.
958
So for example, an e-commerce entrepreneur who knows how to secure their payment systems
959
and protect customer data not only avoids costly breaches, but can market their store as ultra secure,
960
which gains more customer trust and extra sales in an era of privacy concerns.
961
On the other side, cybersecurity is also an amazing service and a business opportunity.
962
So given that huge talent gap, you could start a consultancy or freelance as a virtual CISO,
963
as Chief Information Security Officer for multiple small companies that can't afford one in-house.
964
They get your expertise part-time.
965
You get a hefty paycheck.
966
Some entrepreneurs are launching cybersecurity startups.
967
So whether that's developing a niche security software tool, or you're offering specialized training,
968
there's even demand for things like ethical hackers who companies pay to test their defenses.
969
We've seen solo consultants charge retainers into thousands per month per client just to be on call for security incidents.
970
And with new data privacy laws popping up all the time, like Europe's GDPR and others, businesses are scrambling for guidance,
971
which is another avenue for advisory services you could offer if you're well versed in compliance.
972
So the key point is this.
973
Threats are growing and talent is scarce.
974
If you equip yourself with this skill, you become part of a highly sought after elite group of people.
975
Not only can you command higher fees because preventing a multi-million dollar breach is essentially worth a high payout, but you also carry the confidence that you can protect the empire that you're building to.
976
In a time where a single hack can wipe out years of effort, the entrepreneurs who understand cybersecurity will safeguard their wealth and even turn security into a profitable service for others.
977
It's truly a high-impact, high-income skill for today's age.
978
So each of these five skills, AI integration, data analytics, digital marketing, persuasive communication, and cybersecurity hits the sweet spot of being practical,
979
learnable, and immediately valuable this year.
980
They align with the biggest technology shifts and market needs that we are seeing right now.
981
AI is everywhere.
982
Data is the king.
983
Online growth is non-negotiable.
984
Human connection still seals a deal and security underpins it all.
985
The best part is you don't need a fancy degree to get started with any of these.
986
There are YouTube videos, boot camps, online courses, communities for each skill that you can start learning right now.
987
Entrepreneurs who invest time in mastering even one or two of these will position themselves to generate wealth in the short term.
988
We're talking within a year or two, not decades, and it's all backed by trends and numbers that I've already cited throughout this entire video.
989
The market is hungry for these abilities.
990
So ask yourself, which of these skills speaks to you right now?
991
The entrepreneurs getting rich this year aren't necessarily the ones with the most funding or the fanciest ideas.
992
Often they're the ones who have the right skills at the right time and execute relentlessly.
993
Now you know five of those right skills.
994
It's time to choose, learn, and leap.
995
Here's your success because this year might be the year your hard work
996
and high-income skills make you the next great success story.
997
To learn the 20 money laws to get rich, check the video right there next to me.
998
I think you'll love it.
999
Continue to believe and I'll see you there.
1000
Law number one, money follows value.
1001
Money isn't random.
1002
It's the reward for solving problems.
1003
Wealth is built not on what just excites you, but on what you create that serves others.
1004
The more value you deliver, the more dollars will chase you.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “ALL OF BUSINESS Explained in 58 Minutes”. This video has 1004 sentences and 11578 words to shadow. The speech runs for 58:57. The speaker talks fast, about 196 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 82% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| entrepreneur noun | /ˌɑn.tɹə.pɹəˈnɝ/ | A person who sets up a business; generally, a person who owns and manages a business and assumes its financial risks. |
| hobby noun | /ˈhɑ.bi/ | An activity that one enjoys doing in one's spare time. |
| cybersecurity noun | /saɪbəsɪˈkjʊəɹɪtɪ/ | Security against electronic attacks such as cyberwarfare or cyberterrorism. |
| analytics noun | /ˌæn.əˈlɪt.ɪks/ | The principles governing any of various forms of analysis. |
| competitor noun | /kəmˈpɛt.ɪ.tɚ/ | A person or organization against whom one is competing. |
| salsa noun | /ˈsɑl.sə/ | A spicy tomato sauce of Mexican origin, often including onions and hot peppers. |
| perfectionism noun | /pɚˈfɛk.ʃə.nɪ.zm̩/ | An unwillingness to settle for anything less than perfection. |
| subscriber noun | /səbˈskɹaɪbɚ/ | A person who subscribes to a publication or a service. |
| freelance adjective | /ˈfɹiˌlæns/ | Of or relating to a freelance; without a long-term employment contract. |
| overnight adverb | /əʊvə(ɹ)ˈnaɪt/ | During or throughout the night, especially during the evening or night just past. |
| copywriter noun | /ˈkɑːpiˌɹaɪtɚ/ | A person who writes advertising copy (the text used in advertisements). |
| storytelling noun | The act and skills of presenting stories and tales. | |
| startup noun | /ˈstɑɹtˌʌp/ | The act or process of starting a process or machine. |
| mindset noun | /ˈmaɪn(d)ˌsɛt/ | A way of thinking; an attitude or opinion, especially a habitual one. |
| profitable adjective | /ˈpɹɑ.fɪ.tə.bl̩/ | Producing a profit. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| end up verb | To bring to a conclusion. |
| turn out verb | To end up; to result. |
| blow up verb | To explode or be destroyed by explosion. |
| cut through verb | To take a shortcut through. |
| go away verb | To depart or leave a place. |
| look up to verb | To show respect or admiration for (someone); to see (someone) as a role model. |
| show up verb | To appear, arrive, or attend, especially suddenly or erratically. |
| start out verb | To emerge suddenly; to jump out. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- I asked, will I regret trying this and failing?
- Will I regret never trying at all?
- How do I build the website?
- How do I get the funding?
- What do you need help with?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result | If you build it, they will not · If they pushed digital, they would kill · If you go to service, you'll keep |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | you've been · have created · you've cornered |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is built · is broken · was embedded |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | guy who started · people who are · friend who understands |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 223 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, don't, didn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: perfectionism /pɚˈfɛk.ʃə.nɪ.zm̩/, automation /ˌɔ.təˈmeɪ.ʃən/, patience /ˈpeɪ̯.ʃəns/, shortage /ˈʃɔː(ɹ)tɪd͡ʒ/, emotionally /ɪˈməʊʃənəli/
- Long words — get the stress right: entrepreneur /ˌɑn.tɹə.pɹəˈnɝ/, cybersecurity /saɪbəsɪˈkjʊəɹɪtɪ/, analytics /ˌæn.əˈlɪt.ɪks/, competitor /kəmˈpɛt.ɪ.tɚ/, perfectionism /pɚˈfɛk.ʃə.nɪ.zm̩/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like entrepreneur, hobby, cybersecurity.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.