the bossbabe podcast - 467: Billion-Dollar CEO Reveals: How He Built an Empire From Teaching (7 Steps)

Episode Date: June 12, 2025

What does it really take to build a billion-dollar business - without debt, without outside funding, and without losing your family in the process? In this episode, Natalie sits down with Mark Pentecost, founder of It Works!, Impact Professionals, and author of Life of Your Dreams, to talk about what it means to dream big, take risks, and build a life-changing legacy from nothing. From starting out as a high school teacher to becoming a self-made billionaire, Mark shares the 7 steps he followed to go from stuck and surviving, to building a company that’s generated over $750M a year and impacted lives across 20+ countries. Whether you're just getting started or scaling to your next level, this episode will remind you what's actually possible and why it’s never too late to get in the game. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Meet the man who went from teacher to billionaire entrepreneur 03:00 - How to go from day-to-day survival to building the life of your dreams 06:00 - The power of getting in the game, even before you feel ready 07:40 - Why your environment matters more than your ideas 10:10 - “When is enough, enough?” + how legacy became Mark’s #1 driver 12:00 - Lessons from his cancer diagnosis + how it shaped his purpose 14:30 - What separates those who succeed from those who quit 18:00 - Why saying your dream out loud is a powerful step 20:30 - Building a business with your spouse and raising motivated kids 24:00 - Mark’s philosophy on money, debt, and financial freedom 28:00 - Why “debt-free is the new sexy”   35:00 - You don’t need a big idea, just the courage to take the first step RESOURCES + LINKS Get Mark’s book: Life of Your Dreams Here. Watch Natalie’s Free 90-Minute Training To Learn Her 5-Step Playbook To Start Or Scale A Freedom-Based Business. Sign Up Here. Sign Up For Our Free Weekly Newsletter & Get Insights From Natalie Every Single Week On All Things Strategy, Motherhood, Business Growth + More.  Drop Us A Review On The Podcast + Send Us A Screenshot & We’ll Send You Natalie’s 7-Figure Operating System Completely FREE (value $1,997).

Welcome back to the Bossway Podcast. On today's episode we have Mark Pentecost. Now he went from being a high school teacher and a coach to becoming a millionaire to then becoming a billionaire entrepreneur, a nationally recognized philanthropist and a world-renowned thought leader. So Mark is the founder of It Works which is a wellness company that has had over 100,000 active paid distributors from more than 20 countries who have generated as much as 750 million in annual revenues. He's been featured everywhere. Forbes, Success, Time, The Wall Street Journal, Inc. and more.

In addition to also financing multiple major movies, Mark's team recently launched Impact Professionals, which is a TV streaming network that is the Netflix for entrepreneurs. He also has so much on his plate with charitable work which includes donating millions of dollars for cancer research and social justice causes such as combating sex trafficking and funding addiction centers and so much more. What I really really loved about this conversation is how real he gets about what it takes to build something really successful and the amount of confidence and self-belief and willingness to dream big that takes. So he talks about the specific steps it takes from going from maybe being in a cycle of feeling really blocked and lost and trapped to actually really believing

and seeing and acting on what is possible for you and it was just one of those really really powerful conversations. I took a lot from it and I also dove into a lot of tactical things that he has learned becoming a billionaire. You know what he has learned about wealth, what he now thinks about, how he thinks differently. You know, anytime I get a chance to speak to someone further ahead in this journey than me, I always want to ask those questions that I know they have a very specific insight on that we might not yet. So I really, really love this episode and I hope you will too. Let's dive in. Mark, welcome to the podcast. I'm so excited to have you.

Well, thank you. I'm so excited to have you. Well, thank you. I'm so excited to be here. I've heard so much about you and I have a large company with a lot of sales reps and all these ladies follow you. They were all excited to hear that I was talking to you. So thank you. You gave me street cred. That makes me really happy.

We have so many women in direct sales. I think it's amazing. We talk a lot about freedom-based businesses and I think it's such a great way of building that. I absolutely love that. I'm so, so grateful you're here. I really want to dive in with a question that I'm sure you've had a lot over the last few weeks, but you have obviously built an incredible empire, really from nothing.

The one thing that really stood out to me about you writing this book was helping people move from day-to-day survival to actually building a life of their dreams. And I can think of so many people that I know personally that I think about back home, I think about some people I grew up with or family members who are in that day-to-day survival. And I would struggle to even start with telling them how to really move out of that. Because I think it's really, really challenging. I mean, I remember for myself building something from nothing and moving out of that survival. I felt like it was just for me this like instinct of, oh my goodness, I need to make better of a really bad

situation here but I would find it so hard to put into steps. So speaking to that person right now who maybe is in that day-to-day survival who is really really struggling and maybe sometimes here's my podcast and is like Natalie that all sounds great but I don't even know how to put one foot in front of the other. Where would you start talking to that person? Great question. I really appreciate you asking that. You know, the book, I have seven steps and, you know, I was really excited about writing this because I was writing it to someone that might be stuck today. You know, I might be someone that's settled. It might myself, my wife and I, I just wanted more cash and bills at the end of the month. We just had so much pressure on us.

And I would tell people, the number one thing is to get in the game. Get started. You know, I was a basketball coach. I taught school for 16 years. You know, I tell people it wasn't like one semester. I had 16 years, but I knew inside there was something I was made for more. And I just felt like, but I was stuck. And so this book came about to help all those people

that were like us. And they're like, help me get started. And what I love, I tell people about the book, is it's not like somebody with theory. It's what I did. My seven steps isn't what I thought, whoa, sounds good. It's what I did over the course of this. We started trying to make extra cash.

And then I started thinking, what if I could go full time? And I didn't have to teach and coach anymore, answer the bell every day. And then it was, could I start my own company? And we bootstrapped it. We didn't have private equity. We just, debt-free was real big with us. And then, you know, then it just,

as you stay in the game and work, and we're so blessed. I mean, we're in 21 countries. We've done billions and billions in sales. and we moved from Michigan, moved our company to Florida. We entertain our sales reps a lot. So I have a big ranch, a private island and people will say, how'd you get all this stuff? And I say, it wasn't like that back then. We were just trying to get more cash than bills. Was there a moment back then when you were in that transition phase where you felt a little bit embarrassed of people knowing what you were up to and having to explain it to

other teachers at school? You know, yes, but I tell people today, there's a whole step on risk, because sometimes we hear that word risk and we think it's all bad, but there's good risk and bad risk. I talk about calculated risk. I figured out what it would take to pay for my benefits, health insurance, my salary. My wife had that as a big target that when I got to this level, I could step away.

And I tell people the biggest risk of all is doing nothing. And I think people get stuck like that, almost afraid. And it's always say, give yourself permission to dream, get in the game. When I was coaching, you'd have people sitting in the stands cheering the game on. And that's what I think people do in life. And I'm like, don't do that. Get down on the court. Even if you miss a shot, it's okay because you're in the game now. And I think that's so important. LARRUVANAMANAM And what was the breakthrough moment for you where you went from seeing this as not just

a way of bringing more cash in to pay your bills, but oh my goodness, I actually think this could be something really big. Do you remember having that moment? Yeah, you know, that's funny because I haven't been asked that. And great question because you gain confidence. You know, at first we were just trying to make more money and then I started, you know, I tell people the dream that will make you most proud is the one you're afraid to say out loud. And so many times in my career, it's been something different now. The first one was

to go full time. I was afraid to say it because I didn't think I really could. We started our own business. I was afraid to say it out loud because you don't want people to go. You know, when I first left teaching, I remember thinking if it doesn't work out, people are going to say it out loud because you don't want people to go. You know, when I first left teaching, I remember thinking if it doesn't work out, people are gonna say, oh my gosh, he went to university to be a teacher and a coach, and then he left, now his family's not taking care. All that negative stuff goes on, and you know, it's so important

who you surround yourself with. You know, we tell our kids, surround yourself with good people, and sometimes we don't. And I have a whole step on, you know, each level I went, it was different people I needed around me. And I call them dream givers. They've done something like this before

and they're very positive. And many people listening today, they may have had a great dream and maybe it didn't work out because of the people around them. You know, if you always have people that are negative or saying you can't do it, I like to make sayings up and I say dreams in the right environment thrive. In the wrong environment, they die.

So it might not be something that a listener did themselves, but maybe it was the environment. And so for me, it was a gaining of confidence. You know, all of a sudden we're making money at full time. I can't believe it. It's like, don't pinch me. And then the business, you know, and the business wasn't an overnight success. We worked really hard. We had ups and downs and I related a lot of the stories in the book.

Cause I think it's important to realize it's not just a straight shot like this. You know, you're, you go a step back a step, you go up two back one, but it's worth it. And I tell people it's a different kind of work. It's hard work, but it's work that's worth it because you're building your own for your family, for yourself. And so I think each step I got more confident and I got more excited about it.

And there wasn't just like one moment that I went, aha, I'm here, but it was, you continue to grow. And I tell people, I think dreams are like a muscle. The more you dream, the bigger they get. And my dreams back then was just extra money. You know, my dreams today are finding cures for cancer and helping all these other organizations. So as you grow, your dreams grow. And so it's a journey that is fun to be on. You know, I enjoy talking to you because I know your journey and we can share together because we know the pain times, the potholes you hit, and you got to keep going.

I got a whole step of you're going to get knocked down, but you got to get back up and just know that it's going to happen. Don't be surprised by it. And so it's fun talking with people that's been on that journey and been successful. I love that. And you touched on something I was going to ask you too, because a lot of people that I speak to who have built, you know, really successful billion dollar companies or books that I've read from founders like that, it feels as if there's

always a moment for them or a moment in time where their motivation really switches from that intrinsic motivation of providing for themselves, for their family, for their team members, to something very external, like you want to impact the world. Do you remember when that happened for you? And is that the thing that's really fueling you now? Because I mean, to have built the company that you've built and now you're writing a book and, you know, by all intents and purposes, decades ago, you could have retired and walked away. So what is it that has switched and fuels you now? Great, great question.

You know, I had someone very close to me. They said to me, we were having success, the business is growing well. And they said, Mark, when is enough enough? And it really caught me by surprise because that's not the way I think. And I went to bed that night thinking about it. And I got up the next morning and I remember I went back and I said, you know, I've been thinking what you said. If I would have kept teaching and coaching, great profession, I would have worked for young people. But I said today, I tell people, you know, I

love coaching and teaching after 16 years, but really I coach and teach every day. As a CEO, you're coaching and teaching. But now my audience is so much bigger. And if I would have stayed teaching and coaching, I would have made a little bed and helped some people and it would have been fine. But today, because of what we're doing, we get to impact so much more.

So when is enough enough? When there's nobody hungry, when no kids have diseases, when we're solving problems. Entrepreneurs change the world, dreamers, visionaries change the world. It's not politicians and other stuff. It's us that are out there in the dreaming each day. So to me, I can't wait.

You know, I'm on a cancer journey and caught it. And that's really what got me thinking about writing a book because I went, I want to make sure my grandkids, they're little babies right now, and I want them to know what Papa was about. It wasn't about making a lot of money. It was about changing people and helping them and getting them to dream bigger. So that was what really led me to this. And I said, we didn't need more. So we said, every pro-seed of this book is going V Foundation, Moffitt, it's going to Find Cures for Cancer. And I think that's

what we get to do. In the beginning, I didn't think that big. I was just trying to pay my bills. But somewhere in that journey, you realize because of what you're doing, you get to help so many more people. I love that. That's beautiful. With your cancer journey, what kind of perspective has that brought to the way that you approach life now that maybe you didn't have beforehand or 20 years ago or when you started out that you wish everyone could have without needing to go through that journey? You know, we were riding high, businesses exploding. I had just played in a football charity and I was just going to coach but I was out there playing and I went, man, I still

got it. I feel great. And the next week my doctor called me and said we got an issue. And it really stunned you. I mean, it was like an out of body experience. You're like, me? Not me. I feel good. For me, it made me realize this does end at some point in life. You know, I live my faith. I know where my strength comes from and blessings, but I realized it does end sometime. We don't like to think about that, but it does. And so it made me want to leave something, a legacy to help other people. And it's been amazing so far,

a short time the book's been out of how many people, I think COVID knocked a lot of people backwards. I think a lot of people have just felt stuck. They don't know how to get out of the right now of what they want more. Some people have even told me they settled. You know, they had all these dreams when they first were younger and coming out of school and somewhere it got beat up and they just quit dreaming. And so nothing inspires me more. I'll share this real quick is I had a lady come up to me, a single mom, three kids. And she said, Mark, I got in your company

and you're always talking about dreaming and dream boards and write down what you'd like to do. And she said, I'm just, I'm working three jobs. I'm trying to put food on the table for my kids. And it sounds good, but she goes, all of a sudden I realize because I wasn't dreaming, my kids weren't dreaming. And she goes, that really got to me. And she said, I want you to know today, I'm't dreaming, my kids weren't dreaming. And she goes, that really got to me. And she said, I want you to know today, I'm dreaming big, but more than that, my kids

are dreaming. And so that's the effect I want this to have. I want people to go, you are made for more. That feeling you get inside you sometimes when you're like, man, I wish you can do it. And I'm hoping if one of the seven steps helps you move forward, it's going to be a difference maker. I love that you talked about that too, because there's a lot of women listening who are moms and are constantly in that mindset and juggle of how much is too much, you know, dreaming

and when do I limit it and do I have to? And I think that's such a beautiful way of putting it. You know, if you're not dreaming or your kids dreaming, are you giving them the chance to, are you letting them see what's possible? And on that same vein, obviously, you know, you've seen exactly what it takes. The people in your company who have succeeded, you probably can spot from a mile off the ones that are going to do really, really well and the ones who are probably not going to. And I'm very curious, what are the signs that someone is going to do really, really well? What have you noticed?

Great question. You know, again, especially, you know, a company with direct sales, it comes from every background. And the fun part for me is a lot of times it's the heart and the grit. And, you know, you'll have people that are going to be your top salesman tomorrow and then you don't hear from them again. Those make me sad sometimes, because maybe they go home, and sometimes it's a close family member that you say, look, I'm gonna do this,

and then I'm gonna take my family here, and they're like, oh, you can't do that. And I call those dream killers. And I think we gotta be so careful who we surround ourselves with. And I truly believe anyone, if they got a big enough why, why they really need something more and they got Grittenheart, we can take them and get them on that journey.

It's not a certain appearance or an education. It's the drive right here. And that's what I look for in people. When I can, a lot of times you can see that because you know they're like, nothing's going to stop me. My kids are too important or I've got to have something different or my spouse and I, and you know, we teach going on the offense.

I think, I think life is tough. You get knocked down and so we train people. Things are gonna happen. You just get a step ahead and the car makes a funny noise or the washing, the dryer washing machine's not working or all of a sudden you get sick or the job that was so secure, you just got let go.

I mean, stuff happens. And I decided when I was coaching teams that play defense, prevent defense, usually they don't prevent them from defencing. Offense, you get, you know, in football, you score, you get to an end zone dance. I like to celebrate life. I like to dance. And so I want to be on the offense. I want to dictate if I'm not successful,

but I'm out there dictating, I can live with that. For people that are playing defense and things just keep happening to them, I don't want to live like that. So I really teach people, live on the offense mindset. You know, who's around you, what you're getting up to do today. Cindy and I thought we were too busy.

We had no time. We committed one night a week to work on our dream, build our business. And, you know, we were involved in it. I was teaching, coaching. Cindy was running a daycare. We're involved in the church. It just felt like no time. But one night a week, and if one of us said, I'm too tired, we said, nope, we agreed.

Come on, we got to do it like a workout buddy. You know, it's like, no, you got to do this. And that one night a week. And if one of us said, I'm too tired, we said, nope, we agreed. Come on, we got to do it like a workout buddy. You know, it's like, no, you got to do this. And that one night a week changed our lives. Then when people ask me, what would I do different? If I knew what was going to happen, I would have done two or three nights a week. But in the beginning, that was a lot to just make a commitment and get started, get in the game. I love that so much. I think that's so true. It's like the resourcefulness. I think you can start that right away. It's like there's an excuse for why it's not going to happen or you can go make it happen. And I see a lot of the same thing with my students.

When I see students that are so resourceful, like you're going to win no matter what, like I know you're going to win. I know you're going to crush it. When someone is just starting out and maybe they are super resourceful and they're ready to get going, what kind of steps do you give them as like, here's your initial steps, I really want you to get out there and crush this and when you do this, you're going to start to get that confidence that we talk about and from there that's where you can build that momentum. Sure, you know I have step one was getting the game and that means you know so many

people sit up in the stands and watch other people building a dream, or sometimes they're helping build someone else's dream, not their own. So, you know, number one is giving yourself permission, getting the game. But number two was what you're talking about right now is I call it say it and see it. Some people have to see it in writing.

Some have to say it out loud. When I moved our company from Michigan to Florida, I had a lot of people say to me, you're gonna lose a lot of key people, you shouldn't be doing this. And I went around the office and I tell people, I'm thinking of moving the company to Florida. Better taxes, no income tax, you know, climate.

People wanna come and visit there. They don't wanna come to Michigan in the winter. And I was saying that out loud, I thought to my team, I was saying it to me. I realized down the road, I was convincing myself. And so some of us need to do that. Some of us have to say it. I'd say today, if there's a special dream you have or something you really want,

in front of your iPhone or in front of the mirror, you're putting your makeup on, say it out loud. Start saying it, because the more you hear it, and in some, it's seeing it. We do a dream board with our family. Beginning of every year, we start and we put, what vacation would you like? What's a big dream you'd like to do? What kind of a job? What do you want to drive?

Where do you want to live? And we're real big on debt-free. Our company's debt-free. We live debt-free. We teach our field how to be debt free. Because to me, no one can control you when you don't have a bunch of debt. You know, I tell people you sleep better

and a house is paid for. And and so we put things like that on the dream board. And then each year I call it the re-dream. We do it again. And what I find is in the beginning, it's like getting in the water. You put your toe in to see how cold it is. People won't dream big.

But when they all start happening, now they want to do over and they dream much bigger. And so the dream board has been big for us. So see it, say it. If you don't know where your target is, you can't get there. So you've got to know what is the dream you really want. And if it's business, if it's something in life, my wife and I, we had not taken a vacation without the kids

and that was on our dream board. I think we went to Hawaii that year and man, we were so excited. We worked hard and I include our kids. I'll say, hey, I'm really gonna work hard, but at the end of this month, here's what we're gonna do. And it might be a water park, it might be a dinner, it might be movies, it doesn't might be a dinner, it might be

movies, and that'd be something huge. But it's somewhere they feel a part of it. And so if I missed a recital, or I missed a sports game, they're like, oh, that's all right, we're all building our business together. So we included our spouse, we included our kids and made it one team. I was going to ask you a little bit more about that actually, because you both built this business while raising your family and I'm really in the thick of that stage right now. Me and my husband are both entrepreneurs and it's not for the faint of heart. And I was going to ask a little bit more of how you navigated that and what that has looked like and how your daughters now feel about growing up with really entrepreneurial parents. Yeah. now feel about growing up with really entrepreneurial parents? Yeah, you know, I love that question because something I would do better now is celebrate

the wins early on. You know, I was so focused where I wanted to go that, you know, we would say, all right, we got to get the business to this level. And as soon as we did, I was already thinking about the next level or, hey, we're going to open this state or we're going to open a new product. And I would already be jumping to something else. What I learned is you got to celebrate, you know, for the team, for yourself, for your family, if all your family sees is you're just always working

and they're all that's always first and you don't have time for them, then it doesn't go well. But when you include it now, it might be you doing all the work, but you include them in the celebrations, you include them, hey, when we get to this level, here's what we're gonna do together. And I see what's really exciting for me. My kids are all adults, they're in their 40s now. All of them do dream boards with their family now.

They're all doing celebrations. And to me, that's the greatest legacy is, I told, I have one grandson that's older, just went to college and I said I didn't do all this for you to say wow Papa's special look what all he did I said I did this to be the foundation that you stand on my shoulders now take it to the next level and I want to be a family of dreamers a vision that we're not afraid to go out and things people are afraid to say we're out there doing it you, we want to change the world and that may sound funny, but I truly believe

that's how it happens. It's people like you and I that have a vision and help so many other people. How have you kept that motivation in them? Because obviously they've grown up with probably a very different life to what you did. I know that with my kids too. Yeah. life to what you did. I know that with my kids too. And something in my mind, I'm like, I really want them to be as driven or as resourcefulness as I was, but I know my motivation came from having nothing. Theirs is very different. Yeah, that's so true. And we talk about that quite often. It's funny because I have two daughters and a son, but my middle daughter will say, dad, you don't have

to keep coaching us or dad, you don't have to be so tough on us. You know, we got it. We know where it came from. We know how hard because they lived through the hard part. They lived through teaching and we had nothing to today where we're very blessed. And I worry about that with the grandkids. But right now, so far, two of them have worked for me at the office and they've started at the bottom. They're cleaning the buildings and doing the tough work. But I think that's important. And I think I try with them to wear like a badge of honor. I say, you've worked every job in the office.

You know every position. So you know what people are feeling and how to deal with them. So, I think that's important. I love, I think it was Warren Buffett said, I'm gonna leave my kids enough money that they could do anything, but they can't do nothing. And I think that's important too. But I know yours are going to be great kids just because the way you are. My kids are turning out so good and they love teaching

and helping. They have big hearts and that's what I love about it. I love that so much. I also want to ask another question on something you said about living debt free. Because I'm always like, okay, if I can speak to someone way ahead of me in this, I want to know all the things and I'm so curious about this because I'm from the UK and it's just a very different financial landscape mindset, everything. And my husband is too and when we moved to America, one thing was really interesting. People kept talking about leverage and debt. And it's been really challenging for us to get our head around because it's not like what we grew up around. It's not really the conversation there.

And it feels like you never really know like what's the right path. But I really resonate with the debt-free side of things. I build my business with no debt, no investment, nothing like that. And I kind of like living that way in my personal life too. What's your philosophy personally with finance when it comes to debt? How do you think about it? That's, I'm so glad you brought that up because I'm very passionate about that. I'll tell people, people today get the order wrong. You know, some people say, well, fake it till you make it.

Or, you know, when we started the company, people would say, well, your website's not as pretty as this website, or your videos. And I say, well, it will be. As soon as we can afford that, that's something we're gonna do there. But we took it in steps. And I think it's the same in our own lives.

I tell people all the time, I love really nice cars and big houses or boats, but there's an order to it. And if you get it out of order, then there's a great pressure on you. It was like, I think it was 2008 when we had a real depression then with real estate values went down, money got real expensive. And because a few years before that money was cheap and the banks would say, oh, borrow this because it's cheap.

And we didn't do that. Well, when that hit and went down with the economy, we didn't have any pressure on us. I watched a lot of companies almost had to go into hibernation because they couldn't make the payments on the notes they had where, and I even had businesses tell me,

we're just gonna wait this out. And we didn't have to. We had no debt on us and we got to explode during that period of time. So there's real benefits. It's harder, you know, when our parents told us to be disciplined. We didn't always like that word or, you know, when we said there's an order, you know, I told my wife we were on the five house plan, you know, we started here and I said, I know this isn't a great house, but be with me here. You know, we paid that off and then we went to a little nicer. And, you know, so when people see today, they see a private island

and they see a 10,000 acre ranch and they're like, you're so lucky. Well, we are lucky blessed, but we had an order to get there. We didn't start there day one. We started here to work our way. So debt free to me, I think is so important. I think it's the greatest thing we can hand our kids and our family because I think the world teaches, oh, just get a 30-year mortgage, get a 50-year mortgage. Oh, you don't have to pay for it today. Well, you have to pay for it sometime. And Cindy and I have a real mission. We do that with

ourselves, with our business. We do it with the churches we're in, of really teaching debt-free. Because a lot of governments don't do that anymore. So I want to make sure we, the people, are living that example because then no one can control you. I'm really glad we're talking about this because I feel like this isn't talked about enough. And especially I feel like people that have made a lot of money and are investing a lot of money, there is this big conversation around leverage. But something about that always made me feel really uncomfortable. The idea of like living beyond your means of stretching yourself to put putting that kind of pressure on yourself. And I think also this Instagram world we live in where

everyone's got this and that does create a lot of that pressure. And so is this a sentiment that is shared among your peers too? so is this a sentiment that is shared among your peers too? Like is this something that you guys are talking about? Mike We talk about it all the time. We actually made up a saying at our company. We were actually was, I was talking to somebody in our industry and I was telling them we were working on debt free and we had a bonus called debt free bonus. So there was a bonus on top of your salary that you got from us, but your agreement to me was you'd use it to pay down debt. And I just, I would try to encourage people to do this. And I

had someone in the industry said, that's not sexy, it won't work. And then a few months later, they came back and they said, Hey, I want to talk to your board. And I said, what's that? And he goes, I was wrong. Debt free is a new sexy because no one controls you. And so it's not always the cool thing that people are talking about out there, but it's the thing that really changes life. And you know, we worked hard in our business, we're making payroll, you know, you're trying to grow. When do you bring in new products?

When do you go to a new country? All those things are always growth. But the really nice thing, our company's 24 years old now. So what I can say today, you know, a few years ago, we made more in all our investments and stuff than our company. And we had no money when we started, so the company was everything.

And it's so cool to look back now and just realize if you're disciplined, if you're looking debt free, it doesn't mean that you're not wearing nice clothes and not buying anything. It just means get the order right. You know, start here, pay for things that's gonna bring you back money in your company. Having the flashiest watch or house

isn't making more money in your company. And you're investing there, and then when it starts to grow, now you can afford anything debt-free, and the others are watching, and they, I always love this, I know it happens to you. They'll say, you're so lucky. And you you're thinking you don't know all the hard work and what we put in to get to this point. But I believe all your listeners, if they're stuck, if they go, you're

right. I've settled. It's time to fill that dream again and go. I think they're all made to do it. I think listening to your podcast, you give out such great information, good stuff for the school. And we just want to be encouragement to let people realize, you know, it wasn't because of a name we had, it wasn't because of private equity gave us a bunch of money. It wasn't anything except desire and heart and want more for your family. I really, really love that we're talking about this. And it's something I talk about podcast too, you know, me and my husband made the decision a few years ago. We moved out of LA, we moved to Austin, better taxes, more affordable. And we really have lived below our means and it has meant no one's controlling us. And what's really fascinating is we all hit hiccups in our business,

or we get presented with opportunities that don't feel aligned and what it's this move for us and the way we live has meant that I'm not saying yes to something where I'd be selling myself out or I'm not making decisions like having my back up against the wall because I have to. And like you say, it's sometimes the unsexy part of business, but to me that's the sexy part of business is being in that position where you feel really secure that it's all a bonus and you get to have fun. And of course it's going to be challenging, but like, how do you set yourself up to be able to make the right decisions? You know, I think it's having the right people again around you. Surround

yourself with people that encourage each other. Sometimes it's your spouse and it works great. Sometimes maybe you and your spouse aren't on that. You have a drive, maybe they don't. And so you're trying to figure that out, but you've gotta have, I coach basketball. So you started five people and I call it my starting five. Who's the five people around me that impact me the most? And it's changed over the years.

You know, when I was coaching, it was a different five. When I found out I was really good at selling, it was a different five. When I found out I was really good at selling, it was a different five. When I started at Works, it was a different five. And so even today, you know, I need different business people or maybe I need someone with the expertise and in some industry.

And so I think it's always you being strategic, who you're letting your mindset, who's in your mind there. And so you're starting five is so important. You know, we just threw, if you look at Instagram, we just had the Mark Pentecost is where I'm at on Instagram. We threw a party last Saturday for the book launch. And I just sat back like, who's life am I living?

I mean, this party was, I like to sing a whole nother level, you know, I always think you can do a little more. And so I go, whole nother level. You know, I always think you can do a little more. And so I go, how nother level in this party? I mean, we had we had a band, everyone's dancing. The food was amazing. And then we had like a door in the back. We didn't show anybody when the curtain opened.

There was a whole nother room. And we brought a well-known country singer in that did a private party for us that he only sells out big stadiums. And the whole night people are coming up but what people kept saying to me was I gotta dream bigger, I gotta dream bigger, I gotta dream bigger and that I didn't want tonight to be about me and our book, I want tonight to be about the people there going honey we gotta dream bigger, honey we haven't been going after this, honey we've settled it's our time let's do this thing. I love that so much.

And what's your advice for people when it comes to dreaming bigger, but also not sacrificing what you really care about, being able to do both and know what's really important to you and how you can, I don't want to say balance that, but create harmony amongst that. You know, that is so much communication. And, you know, I think a twofold there We started I never thought when I was teaching we have the Pentecost foundation and that just gives back in so many areas We help churches go debt-free. I have a daughter that works with Nicosia in Washington DC, which is Trafficking getting helping and supporting to get a you know

Trafficking is so dark and so bad here and she she's doing amazing. You changing laws, helping people, you know, just so many working, you know, the other day I had two cancer organizations on the phone and on a zoom together, my son afterwards said, dad, you might be the only person that could have got those two CEOs together, but the synergy from that's amazing. And it was actually emotional

because I thought as a teacher coach, but yet all of a sudden, because of what we're doing together, and I think that's the impact that for your family, for yourself, having that support around you. I feel bad for people that the closest people to them aren't supporting them because that's hard. That's so hard. And I think you've got to find those people that are your dream givers. They help you, not dream killers that are killing your dreams.

I love, love, love that so much and just love how much you keep bringing it back to. It's almost like you need that bigger reason to be doing what you're doing. Because if it's just you, that's great. That will get you out of survival. But you have to have, when you're dreaming bigger, those bigger reasons of why you're doing what you're doing and driving towards that because it is so much bigger than you. And I just really love that you keep bringing it back to that as well. Thank you. Thank you for that.

For someone that is listening, who is feeling really inspired, they're like, you know what, I have actually been sitting on the sidelines. I'm kind of watching everyone else do it. It feels like everyone else is so much further ahead than me. Have I left it too late? You know, we're in the age of AI now, there's like, feels like every market is so saturated. Have I left it too late? What's your CEO advice? You know, and you have to really put your brain into like future mode, future thinking.

What's your advice that you'd give to that person when you think that way? Hmm, good question. You know, I tell people, they'll ask me about AI. I was a math teacher, they'll say, gosh, if you're teaching math today, and I'd say, no, no, no, no, you got to have your fundamentals. You know, when I was coaching basketball, I could make great plays and the fans would cheer for it. But if you didn't know your fundamentals, you couldn't be successful.

And to me, AI is a great tool. It's a tool in the toolbox. And we all need to be using that because it is changing the world. But you still need your fundamentals. And so don't let those big things like that scare you. You don't know, what is it you really want? What is it something you think you can make a difference?

We need good products to be healthy. We need good education to be able to teach how to run a business, how you treat people. When you asked me my favorite thing, you gotta have smart people. But to me, number one was culture. I wanna have fun. If I can't laugh and have fun,

if I can't joke with you a little bit and tease you, I probably am gonna go home because what keeps me in the game is having fun, changing people's lives. So don't think like I don't have a big enough idea or what can I do to help change the world? We started really small and looking back today, back then it didn't look small

because it was a big step for us, but we started there. And as it continued to grow, they continued to impact more people. And now today it's this huge reach. But back then you don't think the three or four people it was touching today it's this huge reach. But back then, you don't think the three or four people it was touching, it was important to them. And then the 2025, we moved 25 people to Florida from Michigan and people said I was nuts and I probably was, but they all moved down. I don't know if they'd move back to Michigan with me, but

they moved to Florida with me and we had such a great time. We were learning about the ocean and beaches and ranches and entertaining and people would come down and we made such a great time. We were learning about the ocean and beaches and ranches and entertaining and people would come down and we made it a great adventure. And I think whatever you're doing, find the fun in it. Now, it's not always fun. There's a lot of times I was in my office going, how am I gonna make payroll

or how am I gonna raise more money capital for this investment? But if you got the right people around you and the right why, and you're being able to help, maybe you're just helping in your own neighborhood or small organizations for now. But the impact of that as it continues to grow, literally is what changes the world.

And I truly believe and I know you're one of them. Good people with money changes the world. It's bad people money that makes the issue. So we need more people listening to this say, I got to go after my dreams because the world. It's bad people money that makes the issue. So we need more people listening to this say, I gotta go after my dreams because the world needs you. I love that so much. And it's something we see a lot here. We want to see, especially women with more money. Money means choices. Money means freedom in so many senses of the word. I love that I'm such a big advocate of talking about money,

opening up money conversations, the conversations I wish I was having or hearing about 20 years ago. So I want to just learn a little bit more about your book, where everyone can get it. Who is this book for? Who did you write this book for? Well, it says on the front of it to take your family and fun and freedom to a whole other level. I wrote it for people that have always felt something inside them but didn't know what to do. When I was teaching, I felt like I didn't have a vehicle. I would work hard, I could be dedicated, but I didn't have a vehicle.

And so I wrote this for those to find opportunities. They may be right in front of you and you don't know it. Or for me, our first product was not something I would have thought. I'm a coach, I wanted energy drinks or products to make you stronger. And we started with a rap and it just, we were very blessed, it went nuts.

And we sold billions of it. And so sometimes the greatest opportunity is right in front of it, right in front of you and you don't recognize it. And so sometimes the greatest opportunity is right in front of it, right in front of you and you don't recognize it. And so in the book, we talk about that. We talk about what opportunities surround you for you to get started. And it might lead to something that you think you really want to do or it might lead you to something you didn't even know you're really good at.

I love this. I cannot wait to get my hands on it. Where can everyone grab a copy? We're on Amazon right now. Go to Amazon and order. I know Schuster and some of the other bookstores, but easy to get it on Amazon. Follow me at The Mark Pentecost on Instagram and I'm following you and I've been learning stuff already. So thank you. Thank you for today. Thank you. And the book is Life of Your Dreams. That

is correct. Search Life of Your Dreams on Amazon and we'll also put the link below for anyone that wants to go and grab a copy. Mark, thank you so much for this. I really enjoyed this conversation. Thank you. It's been my privilege. Wait, wait, wait, before you go,

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