The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett - Kevin Hart: They're Lying To You About How To Become A Millionaire! I Was Doing 28 Sets A Weekend!

Episode Date: November 20, 2025

No.1 Comedy Icon KEVIN HART reveals how he built a billion-dollar career on $25, slept in a hallway, overcame failure, and turned standup stress into global Hollywood success. Kevin Hart is a world-renowned comedian, actor, producer, and Founder of Hartbeat, a global, multi-platform entertainment company. He is the author of bestselling books such as, ‘It Will All Work Out: The Freedom of Letting Go’, and features in the upcoming Netflix comedy special, KEVIN HART: ACTING MY AGE.  He explains: ◼️What 13 years of rejection taught him about leadership and success ◼️How masculinity and discipline helped him overcome stress and self-doubt ◼️Why most people never make it in Hollywood, and how he did ◼️The moment he realized comedy wasn’t a dream, but was a business ◼️How growing up around crime shaped his ambition (00:00) Intro (03:01) What Made You Who You Are Today (03:42) There's No Success Without Failure (04:18) What Were You Like as a Kid (06:59) I Didn't Grow Up With My Dad at Home (10:11) The Biggest Lesson I Learned From My Mother (15:23) I Thought My Future Was in a Shoe Store (16:48) The Proposition That Changed My Life (22:54) 13 Years of Struggle and Failure to Reach the Top (27:18) How I Got Into Business and Business Development (29:44) The Importance of Not Quitting (32:08) Advice to Young People (38:35) The One Moment I Knew Things Would Change Forever (40:45) It Took 13 Years to Make It (45:39) The Deep Expertise That Allows You to Succeed (47:51) Be Comfortable With Coming Across as Stupid (53:32) Seeing Behind the Curtains (59:26) How Much of Business Is About People (01:02:48) The Importance of Communication in Business (01:05:04) How Do You Know Who to Trust in Business (01:10:35) What's the Cost of Success? (01:18:15) Kevin Hart Show: Acting My Age (01:19:39) The Men's Crisis (01:21:05) What Does It Take to Be a Good Man? (01:26:29) The Adult Advice That Had the Biggest Impact (01:28:06) One More Thing About What's Happening With Men (01:30:30) Is There a Cost for Your Family? Follow Kevin: Instagram - https://bit.ly/4pgdUND X - https://bit.ly/4i60W2I  Facebook - https://bit.ly/4peILtW  LOL! Network - https://bit.ly/43rS1T1 Kevin’s Netflix Comedy Special ‘KEVIN HART: ACTING MY AGE’ releases globally on Monday, November 24, 2025. He reflects on the trials and triumphs of his 40s, managing family dynamics, and embracing the wisdom of aging. You can purchase Kevin’s book, ‘It Will All Work Out: The Freedom of Letting Go, here: https://amzn.to/43yDIMy  The Diary Of A CEO: ◼️Join DOAC circle here - https://doaccircle.com/  ◼️Buy The Diary Of A CEO book here - https://smarturl.it/DOACbook  ◼️The 1% Diary is back - limited time only: https://bit.ly/3YFbJbt  ◼️The Diary Of A CEO Conversation Cards (Second Edition): https://g2ul0.app.link/f31dsUttKKb  ◼️Get email updates - https://bit.ly/diary-of-a-ceo-yt  ◼️Follow Steven - https://g2ul0.app.link/gnGqL4IsKKb  Sponsors: Plaud - https://www.plaud.ai/pages/steven use DOAC22 for 22% off Note and NotePin or https://amzn.to/47ahktN    Stan Store - https://stevenbartlett.stan.store for your 14-Day free trial   KetoneIQ - Visit https://ketone.com/STEVEN for 30% off your subscription order

A couple of weeks ago, we took all of our team here at the Dyer of a CO to Mioka, thanks to all of you guys, and thanks to the fact that we'd hit 10 billion subscribers. So we went there to celebrate. And as we were sat in New Yorker talking about a variety of things, one of my team members referenced that they had put their house on Airbnb the day they had left to come to Mallorca to make some extra money. And as we talked through this, it became abundantly clear to me that this is a huge opportunity for all of my listeners.

When you go away, when your house is empty, you have the potential to make some extra money just by listing your house on Airbnb. And as you probably know, Airbnb are a sponsor of this podcast. And it shocks me that more people haven't considered this. Hosting your property on Airbnb when you go away is a no-brainer to me, especially if it's sat there doing nothing. And do you know what? I think that your home, sat there while you're away, might just be worth more than you think. And if you want to find out exactly how much it's worth, go to Airbnb.com.ca slash host. And you can find out how much you could be making while your home is sat empty and you're away on holiday you can't be afraid to verbalize

your ignorance that's holding you back give me an example i can give you several like investing like you're telling me that if i put this money in here right now i get 30x 20x what the f***ing scam i know a scam when i see one go find you another idiot because it ain't happening over here buddy but when you go you say i don't know what that means how does investing really work i don't know where to get Now you're a part of the right conversations. You're part of the right opportunities, but you get there by being the dummy in the... And now look at what I'm able to do.

Kevin, it took 13 years from where you did your first stand-up, you're having your moment. But why didn't you quit? Because of the lessons that my mom gave from being very scarred for my brother. So let's go back. I grew up in North Philadelphia.

My brother told the drugs. My dad was always in jail, out of jail. My mom wasn't going to let that happen. So we had an agreement. I had a certain amount of time to make comedy work. And in my mind, it wasn't going to be hard because there was no other option. I will figure it out.

So I was driving from Philadelphia to New York every day. I wasn't coming home until 4 a.m. I was doing 25 to 28 sets. A weekend. I worked that for a very, very long time. And the struggle left you with days of, what am I doing? Can I pay my rent?

Fuck this, man. But my mom's biggest lesson was you're not quitting. And not many people are going to do the 13. years of hard shit. Most people opt out a year two. I want to go find a quick return. You keep quitting to start something else that you think is the idea.

It's just a cycle. You're never completing anything. You've got to make a choice of the thing you're going to do and finish. I made the choice that stand-up comedy was what I was going to finish. Because if I focused and did it well, that would open up the doors

for me to do everything else that I want to do. But they say that you can't have everything in life. So what is the cost? Have you struggled with your mental health? What advice have you got for young men in terms of what it takes to be a good man? That's a weird thing that's happening where the definition of a good man is so foggy.

It seems that in this time today, more men are being forward, wanting to express in talk, but the fear of being judged after. Do you have that fear? Just give me 30 seconds of your time. Two things I wanted to say. The first thing is a huge thank you for listening and tuning into the show week after week. means the world to all of us and this really is a dream that we absolutely never had and couldn't have imagined getting to this place. But secondly, it's a dream where we feel like we're only just

getting started. And if you enjoy what we do here, please join the 24% of people that listen to this podcast regularly and follow us on this app. Here's a promise I'm going to make to you. I'm going to do everything in my power to make this show as good as I can now and into the future. We're going to deliver the guests that you want me to speak to and we're going to continue to keep doing all of the things about this show. Thank you. In so many ways, you're clearly an anomaly. For you to be the way that you are, there must be some kind of early context

that people need to be aware of, a certain wiring or a cauldron that has sort of shaped you into who you are. What is that context that I need to understand? I'm a very driven individual, and I'm driven off of ideation. I like the fact that you can have thoughts and if you're in love with the thoughts that you're having

you can be energized to bring those thoughts like into a bigger reality. That's like, that's the real fuel to the brain for me. Do you think at the very core of you that's what's motivating you? Absolutely. That's like a process, but the outcome of that is success

in all its forms, its materials. Or failure. I mean, like, there is no success without failure. They go hand in hand. And what the failure comes amazing lessons, adjustments. And you get sharper because of the shit that you've done wrong or that you didn't know to approach a certain way that you now know how to approach. So I embraced the concept of failure just as much as I embrace the win of success. Had I met you at 10 years old or 15 years old, how similar would you have loved? not even close not even close not motivated to do the things that I didn't want to do not a good student kind of fucking off school the opportunities to come with school the

extracurricular activities that I didn't want to do that I was doing and my mom made me do hanging out was the thing hanging out was the luxury it was the fun and it's it wasn't available my mom was strict so I didn't have the luxury of doing all those things which is why I wanted them more I found this photo of your mother Yeah Me and Nancy Hart She was strict

Very strict With me My older brother He had the You know He had a little more leniency He Freedom

You know Curfew late at night But my brother did all the All of the other stuff My brother Sold the drugs You know Did the

You know The smaller tears of crime And stupid shit as a teenager to her own mom felt like she wasn't going to let that happen with me, so she was much more protective because of the mistakes she saw that she made with my brother. You know what I'm saying? So I got the short end of the stick. So I didn't have the curfew.

I wasn't able to go hang out. I wasn't able to do all those things. And that's why I wanted that so much. So I rebelled in the spaces where you have to do this. And I was like, well, you don't let me do this, so I don't want to do this. So I kind of fucked off a lot of those opportunities. And your father? Henry with a spoon.

Spoonie G's. My guy, you know, the fuck up in the eyes of most, but my dad, you know, he didn't necessarily do the right things in life. Gang, crime, all of the shit, jail, in jail, out of jail, drug. drugs, I mean, that environment that we were raised in is not like, you know, the best environment for anyone, but it's an amazing environment for those that live in it because it's all we know. And the normalcy is the low. My mom strive for the higher side of it. My mom was education, degree, trying to get another degree, trying to get a master.

My mom was like always wanting to get better, always wanting to educate herself more because she felt that it was the biggest strength that nobody could control but her. And they separated? Yeah, they were never, never married. Never married. And did they physically separate at a certain point? I mean, I think my dad only lived in the house with me, like my really younger years. Like, maybe from like.

Five to seven, maybe eight, if I can remember. Like, I didn't have, I didn't grow up with, like, my dad home. You know, so when my mom was like, fuck that, you're out of here. It was over. My dad, it was a weekend dad or every other weekend dad. Or, you know, during a week, stopped by. Then he was in and out of jail. Didn't even got on drugs.

We didn't see him at all. How did you understand that as a kid? Like, how does a kid understand the dad coming and going? being in jail, drugs. You are a product of your environment, and in that environment, that's the norm. So when you say, like, how did you understand that? Well, nobody had their dad.

Yeah. Right? Like, all my friends, our dad was like, we see them when we see them and we love them because that's what we thought that it should be. It's not like I'm going over a volume of homes where I'm seeing the father sit with the family and the mom and they're doing dinner and they're having conversations

and they're, you know, it's this happy household. I only had a couple of examples like that. I remember when I went over one of my friends' houses from the swim team and I remember he had his own room. It was like crazy. You get to close the door and shit? Like, this is your space? Yeah, it's my room.

I had a hallway We had no goddamn room We had a hallway My beds in the hallway You could always see me This is where I am Me and my brother Right here in the hall

On these bunk beds My friend had grass He had a backyard This is fucking crazy Yeah we don't have None of this where we live So Because that is the norm

I never It never affected me Right Like I never I was never taken back by the obstacles of our household. My mom and dad just didn't get along and it didn't work. All right.

It is what it is. Did you have male role models at the time? I don't think that I was in the space of no when it comes to a role model. Like at this time, like I didn't have the mindset of what a role model is or should be. I just had good people around me who acted as like. parenting aids to my mother to help her because of her schedule. But I never remember at that age looking at other families like, oh, this is what I want and this is what I'm striving to get or gain, you know?

Like I, it was shoulder shrug, a lot of shoulder shrugs. It wasn't so I got older than I think the lessons, not I think, I know, the lessons that my mom was kind of laying down started to click in differently. I mean, one of those lessons that your mother was trying to lay down, Can be seen in a Bible, a thousand percent. With this, there's a... Best story ever. Best story that I'm able to tell.

She put something in the Bible that's hanging out there, as you can see. Checks, man. I couldn't pay my rent. I cannot pay my rent. I needed help. And she was like, well, I'm not helping you until you start reading the Bible. And I was like, Mom, I'm reading the Bible. I was lying.

Just lying. I'm reading it. Come on, Mom, this is real. mom they're going to kick me out are you reading your Bible yes when you read your Bible then talk to me and she did this for like a while and one day I was like you know what man I was I was literally about myself and I was like what am I going to do I said let me did this Bible read the Bible and I open up the Bible and like my checks rent like multiple months of rent checks have fell out.

And I was like, you know what? It's pretty amazing. Pretty amazing. And then I had to actually open a Bible one and start reading the Bible. But that was her way of, of course, knowing that I'm lying, first of all, and B, giving me like one of the best lessons ever, you know?

Somewhere along the lines, the gems that she dropped started to click. And the idea of not starting things that I'm not going to finish, that's what really resonated with me the most. So, like, I started a lot of stuff that I didn't complete in the younger years. That was me and my mom's battle. No, you're going to finish it, and she would make me finish it. Now, I want to quit.

No, you're going to finish it. So I ended up doing a lot of things with an attitude, which is why I half-assed it. But then as I got older, you realize, well, why are you putting time into something in the beginning that you don't want to see through? Why? Or just because you have, like, a rough moment or a rough patch, why is it so easy for you to quit? Why is the idea of quit so quick to you to come up with and why are you so comfortable with the results of that? I shouldn't be, and that shouldn't be my, like, motto. so we don't stop.

If we start something we see it the entire way through, at the end of it, even if you don't like it to the highest level, you know that you put your time energy into something that you're at least proud, proud that you did, proud that you were able to put a period on that sentence. And now you can start the next thing. But it's not until you complete something

that you can honestly sit with yourself and go, that's that's that's what life is that's called seeing things through the entire way what was it that changed in you like what happened that made you suddenly start to take opportunities more seriously when you saw the opportunity you fucked off I remember the the the the my big dummy moment and I've had a lot so I don't know how much time we have to go down but I got a lot of dummy moments But my biggest dummy moment, we hooky school to go and have our senior day. We go to Great Adventure, Theme Park, on the East Coast. And there was a moment where we're done and we're talking.

We're eating and hanging out. And all my friends were talking about the college that they were going to go to. I mean, it had already been accepted. They had already had letters and shit. When did y'all do this? When did everybody apply? When did everybody, when did you guys take the SAT? I just, I took mine, but I rushed it because I wanted to get here.

I wanted to hooky. Wait. How do you guys know where you going already? I had no knowledge, no idea. All my friends went on to the next stage. They let me be the dummy by myself. And that's when it dawned on me that, like, nobody cares about you more than you should care about yourself. And nobody is giving you the roadmap to, like, the wins.

You have to go find that information. You got to go discover it. You got to want to get it. You got to want to do it. And with the right help, the right world of knowledge, it can better have. help position you, but ultimately you have to want to, you got to want to do it. And me and just not wanting to do shit kind of put me in a really fucked up position early on. Was it finding the thing, your thing, that put some wind in yourselves and made you more of a apparently

sort of motivated individual? Because at some point you go from being that Kevin to the Kevin that can't stop working. Yeah, well you, well, that was my light bulb moment. Okay. My light bulb moment was look at what not a plan myself got me. I feel like the dummy that doesn't know what he wants to do with his life. And now I'm at community college. I'm working as a lifeguard. I eventually went to go work

for City Sports, which is a sneaker store. And I remember when I started working in the sneaker store. Talked about this for years too. I was like, oh man, this is cool. This is what I want to do. I got the thing that I want to do. I was so excited that I went and got a job,

found a job. I'll do this forever. and I'm going to make it to the highest level so I can have a career. So I become the manager. And after being the manager, I work for corporate. And this is something that I can build. Like, I was already inspired him because I was like, I've got to figure out what I'm doing with the rest of my life.

What is my life? Now I'm panicking. What a, oh. And I was flourishing in the space of sneaker sales, right? Education and college degree I don't have. But in the space of personality and sense. sale, I was able to maneuver. This is it.

This is my calling. That's where the real beacon of light presented itself through ideas of my friends. You should do stand-up because you're funny. You should try stand-up. Do you remember where you were when they said that to you? In my workplace. I'm working every day. I'm on the floor.

And someone, a colleague of yours at work. Holly. Alice. colleague mine that I work with. What did your brain think when she said that? Was it just blowing on a fire that was kind of already there? Or was it lighting the fire? No, I think the fire was lit.

Like I never thought about pursuing stand-up comedy prior to. Like, the idea came up. I was always funny, but I wasn't like, man, I got to figure out how to become a comedian. That was never a thought. I knew that was very funny. I knew that I was entertaining. I knew that I could make people laugh.

I love being the center of attention. of the idea of a stage and a light. But that wasn't the thing. I wasn't like, I got it. And this is what it's going to do. It was presented. And then I went and did the image tonight, and that's when I fell in love.

Why did you like the stage and the light? And why did you like performing? The laugh. Why? There's nothing better than laugh. There's nothing better than... and being on stage, having the bright light, and the only energy of good

that you're able to take away from what you're doing is the laugh. Ha! Ha! ha ha ha ha ha ha. Hearing people laugh. I was like, oh, shit. That feels different. Why?

This, this is. This is energizing. This is like... How does it make you feel about you? I feel like I'm doing a service of good. If I can make people feel better, if I can brighten up your day, it's a service of good.

That means I'm like a shepherd of some sort. I am responsible for making people feel better. Oh my God, that means in success, I can bring people to one. destination and everybody can share a moment and a laugh and all relate

that it came from me oh my God this can get global this can get bigger well this is starting to change now oh wow wait this has opened up doors for me to do this or that or this or that

it all started with the laugh it all started with the stage so you went to that comedy show I've got a I was looking at at some of those early clips of you performing. It's funny because I think this is the early 2000s.

Okay. But I mean, you probably... Oh my God, Carolines. Caroline, this right here, my best set in the beginning of my career. Everything I say for it tonight is a joke, okay?

It is nothing else. I don't want nobody taking none of this stuff too serious. I don't want nobody coming up to me after the show saying, who's the funny one now? Yeah, yeah. That tape, so that was when, you know, the thing I needed was a tape.

And the reason why I needed the tape was so that I could send it to the other comedy club so that they can have an example of me, my talent, and then dictator judge if I can get a live audition in person. And how old are you at that point? Oh, my God, right there, I'm like 18, 19. That's crazy. 18, 19 years old. Because you're so, that clip is so funny. I watched it this morning, like I was dying.

If you could understand the feeling of getting off that stage, having a good set, and then then putting the tape in my hand, it was gold. I got it. I got a good tape. I got to go make copies of my tape. And I just got to send them to everybody. I just used to. Because it was value. It was value.

started getting in comedy clubs, started getting auditions, started getting more. Oh my God, Kevin's up for an audition, a movie audition, cast and directors, they all got that tape. Everybody got that tape. From that period onwards, from 18 to, let's say, to early 20s, you were at this point a very motivated individual. You're working hard. You're focused. Very. And when you speak to your mom and your dad at this point about comedy, do they think that's a serious career?

my dad not as much because I didn't really talk to my dad through these years that's my dad was kind of dealing with his his world of issues my mom we had an agreement I had a certain amount of time to make comedy make sense and figure out a way to support myself if I didn't do it then I had to go with my mom's idea which was education and getting a job while getting my education. plan didn't involve college. I'm out. I'm done. I'm done. No more community. This is what I want to do. I got it. I've never been more excited about my future. This is it for me. How are you going to make you money, Kevin? I'm going to figure it out. How are you going to figure it out, though? I'm just going to go down to the comedy clubs, and I've been winning the amateur nights. I think the amateur nights can help me pay for my rent because I was winning the merchandise. I won a bunch of them in a row. In my mind, it wasn't hard. It wasn't going to be hard because there was no other option. All my eggs were in this basket, and I was very happy with

that choice. I put every last egg in this thing. Nothing else matters but this. I promise you, I will figure it out. Can you draw me a picture? If your career was a graph. Okay, so I'm going to say here is 18 years old and you're 46 now. So you're 46 now. This is the axis of this graph. And on this axis we have, let's say success. And on this axis we have age. Can you draw me a pitch, a line that shows how it works. Success and age. Okay. So success for me, knowing what I want to do in life comes here. All right. Now figuring out, how to get to, like, money, revenue, just supporting yourself through telling a joke, man, let's go here for a second.

We flatlining, okay? Like, I'm, I mean, I'm making people laugh. I'm getting in some comedy clubs. But you only get paid with food. But then something weird happens where you start figuring out, oh, wait, here's kind of where the spots come in. I can make money on the weekends, and I can get $20 to $25 a spot. So rather than doing one spot, I would do, let's just say in a weekend, I got to the point where I was doing 25 to 28 sets, a weekend.

Well, I started making $500 a week, $400 a week. How many years in is this? to, that used to make 15, let's say 22. Yeah. So I was driving from Philadelphia to New York

every day. But because of that, now you got to get into a comedy festival. All right. So now, let's start to go here because we did

these spots for a while. But then I got a comedy festival. Oh shit. I got in a comedy festival. That's when the industry saw me. Who's this new guy? Who's this guy with all his energy? Who's this fucking guy?

This guy here, he's got something. All right, so I start meetings, general meetings, and now I get a holding deal. So let's go up a little bit. I think it was ABC. They gave me like 250 grand. So they're holding you in hopes they get something. Nothing happens.

So we're flat on here. Now I'm just waiting for the phone ring. That's how this works. What if I want to create my own thing? Create a show. Oh my God. Show gets picked up. I create something else.

They decided to do it. Oh shit, there's a pattern. I can do that as much as I want. I can treat that. just how I was treating the spots and stuff in New York I'm out I'm moving to L.A.

No plan on nothing. Flat line. I'm here. I just did it. I just came and moved out. Fuck, man, this is weird. I don't like this. I'm not getting to work, man.

This shit is real stagnant. I'm going on the road. I want to work the road. I'm going to be a headline. I'm going to do colleges. So I'm going to get college money and comedy club money, and I'm going to do it. I worked that for a very long time, right? Very, very long time to the point where now I'm settling out comedy clubs.

After I start selling out comedy clubs, my person at the time was like, yo, we can probably do theaters. You're adding a lot of shows. Are you a millionaire at this point? No, no. I'm just an active comic. The next stage of success, right, was, Let's go from comedy clubs to theaters, all right?

Boom. Let's go here, then let's go up again. Theater starts selling out real quick. Oh, fuck. Let's go from theaters, right, to like arenas. Oh, shit. Will Packer. He was like, I got this book that I want to make a movie.

It's called Think Like a Man. Steve Harvey wrote it. I think you're funny as hell. I've been tracking you on tour. I want you to be the star. We film it. Think Like a Man comes out. Think like a man did $90-something million in the box office.

And Will says, hey, man, working with you is great. Let's do something else. I got this movie called Ride Along. You on Ice Cube would be great. Boom. Ride Along does 140. Like the movies just started. The pop-pah, pop, pop, pop, pow, pop, pow, pop, pow, get hard.

Central Intelligence, me, and the rock. I mean, it just happened so fast. So now, because the movies are working, I'm like, this is so cool. but while this is happening I should figure out how to kind of create my own source of like opportunity like people keep bringing opportunities to me

how do I create my own source of opportunity I'm going to start a production company I need to start developing but now I'm like I created that let's create something else so then I say let's go like heartbeat Avengers and let's do a VC oh man I'm creating a bunch of stuff. Hey, these entities around me, it's all happening because my likeness.

My likeness allows me to get in these rooms and start relationships and put myself in a position to make deals and create long-term revenue. How do I get more of that? Wow. Like NASCAR, people attach themselves to the car that they think is doing the best. I'm a car. I should have brand partnerships. Chase, draft kings, fabletics. I should have my own brands and businesses that I'm building where more opportunity for long-term revenue can present itself. Grand Cormino, wine, spirits. Now, oh, wow, I've grabbed this concept of business control ownership and mirrored it with Kevin's drive and entertainment and visibility, leveraged that to get me into the rooms where I, I may not be as visible or as strong,

but once I'm embedded into these environments, I can bring them value. I can help amplify or uplift their brands, their products. So my case study of Fabletics, of draft kings before I got there versus after I got there, Chase, financial literacy, like C4, like these are things where I'm now, well, I'm not just a partner, I'm an owner, I'm an endorser, I'm an ambassador, oh wow, this

is where the real money is made. The ecosystem of life. How do you put yourself in a position to be a part of everyday movement in life? You're looking at things at a much granular scale, and now I go way back here to when I was like not really focusing, not thinking about life, not thinking about how things connect. I'm now able to tap into the lessons that my mom gave, and I'm like, all good things that happen, happen when they're supposed to, but now I'm poised and polished enough with a mindset that understands, well, I don't want to start. something that I'm not going to finish. So if I'm going to put myself in position to do these

things, how do I make sure that my partners know I'm willing to give my all? How do I show that I'm not going to quit? Which back here, my mom's biggest lesson was you're not quitting. If you start it, you're going to finish it. So how do I make my partners that I'm now saying you should work with me? How do I make Netflix secure knowing that when you get me, you get 100% of me and I'm never going to quit. I'm going to finish it all. How do I make my other studio affiliates understand and working with a heartbeat

it is in my best interest to bring you great product, great material so that you understand what we do so that we can continue to drive a business that has the best interest for both of us? How do I sell you on that? So now my business of sell

mirrors and matches my business of grow. Nothing that I'm doing doesn't go hand in hand. And I should be able to embed the products or the partnerships that I'm now operationally like attached to into the ecosystem of entertainment. So if I have a C4 can and I'm doing an activation and health and wellness, well, C4 as my partner, I should integrate you in this opportunity. Hey, my movie, we have an opportunity to basically wear a product. I should be in fabletics in this scene, because this makes my partner feel valued in position. Oh, wow, this is what I do.

I elevate. I basically navigate my space of ownership in a way like only I can to elevate my partners so that my partners go and say, you're different, this is different, and this is what we need more of. That's my graph. I've got some questions about the graph. So I guess the parts that I'm curious about are this initial period when you're 18 where like nothing's really happening. Nothing.

Because so many of my listeners, probably most of them, are in some pursuit or sort of professional endeavor in their life in this kind of stagnant moment where maybe they enjoy it, but like it ain't paying the bills. No one believes in them. Maybe some of their friends are rolling their eyes when they tell them what they're doing. When you look back on this season of life, like what is that season? And how do you get through it? Nobody believed that

I was funny when I said I was going to be a comedian They were like You're funny But not comedian funny Like my friends were Yeah, but what do you mean You're going to get on stage?

What do you mean? I'm going to get on stage I'm going to be a comedian Get me like how Like Eddie Murphy Like I'm going to be a comedian But you're never going to be Eddie Murphy Yeah I know

But I'm saying like I'm going to do it Like I'm going to be a star No I don't know man I don't know about the whole start thing. I think you're tripping. I think I don't think that's it. Nobody has the confidence in the decisions that you're making for yourself like you do.

So if you're waiting for that to connect in the beginning stages, it may or may not. If it doesn't, it shouldn't prevent you from following through on whatever the line of, like, go is for you. the money is never coming fast. We're in a time today where this generation has found ways to make money in a entrepreneurial manner that we've never seen before. Like the social media machine and how this generation navigates that machine to find revenue and to own is unbelievable. That didn't exist.

We didn't have that. Like, in my time, we didn't have that. We just had the struggle. And the struggle left you with days of like literally sitting in the living room going, what the fuck, man. So why didn't you quit? Because no money, everyone's doubting it. What were you believing in? I was believing in the idea that I finally found a thing that I want to do.

So it was passion that was really your anchor. I found the thing that I want to do. And I'm not going to quit it because I love it this much. And I strongly believe that the sun is at the end of this dark tunnel. But I got to be willing to get there. And I just don't know how to get there yet. But I'm going to figure it out. That's why I'm going to L.A.

I was in New York, but after New York, they say go to L.A. I'm gone. What are you going to do when you get there? I figure it out. I can always get on the plane and fly where I got to go for stand-up, if that's the case. I can always go and make money doing stand-up if I have to, but I'm not going to get to the star by just doing that. I got to go there. I got to get close to it.

I got to smell it. I got to feel it. I got to find out where the people are that are trying to do it, too. I got to get acting classes. I got to get around the Hollywood. Like, what is Hollywood? I got to get there. And what happens when you're there, it fuels another, like, another appetite of hunger.

Because I'm there in real time. I'm seeing people better. I remember, I tell this Kat Williams story. And I don't even think, I told Kat this. There was a moment where I was opening for Kat Williams. And I remember being at the BET Comedy Awards and I'm in attendance and this is like, you know, I'd had a couple of shots at some things where they just, you know,

it wasn't, the things weren't sticking. Like the pilots that thought were going to hit weren't going to hit. The things that I thought were going to happen, they just weren't, it just didn't seem like it was adding up, right? Like the rolls are little small roles or little small cameos, but like it wasn't the thing. And I remember Cat Williams set during the BET Comedy Awards, he had like a leopard's suit, destroyed. Destroyed the comedy awards. Destroyed this moment.

And audience goes crazy, stands up. I remember being in the audience and I was like, that's it. I say, like, that's the, that's the thing. That thing, that reaction, that roar, that moment, I got to be patient because my moment is going to come. I witnessed his moment. And he, after that moment, Friday after next, you know, I mean, he went on and started to do crazy things in his career, right?

But I witnessed the moment. And in that moment, my takeaway was that he was ready for the moment. His material, the jokes, everything. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm. It all hit. And I didn't watch it in a manner of like jealous or angry. I was like, that, that's it. Like, he's probably out of here after this.

I mean, it's the BT Comedy Awards at the time. I'm like, this is the biggest thing ever, right? this is the comedy awards. By the way, they never did the comedy awards again. I think this was like the last one that they did. But that moment, if the ball is dropped in that moment, then the moment goes. You don't know when the moment is presenting itself.

But I'm staying with the thing because I know that the moment is going to come. And when I'm in the moment, if I knock that fucking moment out the part, all things will change but you may not know it you may not know when the moment comes when did your moment come

Shack's All-Star Comedy Jam the reason why I equated with the story with Kat I believe it was Tommy Davidson it was D. Ray Saturday Entertainment was the host I headlined it I end up having

one of the best sets that I've ever had and at the end of the Shacks All-Star Comedy Jam I say good night and they do like a slow motion walk off. It's a slow motion thing, and it's like I'm walking, the crowd stands up, and they're going crazy. By the way, I don't know the slow motion walk off is going to happen in the edit of the

special, but I remember in real time, crowds standing up, stars were there, everybody was there, right? And in that moment, show you how fucking crazy the world is. This is why I hate that, like, me and Kat went through our stuff and we're much better now. I'm going to show you how the world aligns. Kat was in the audience, the Shacks' All-Star Comedy Jam, and Kat was watching the show.

He was just there as a fan. But at this time, everything big is happening. And I had a moment. And that was the moment that then took me and shot me out the cannon. And if I wasn't prepared for the moment, and I wouldn't have known all the things to come. Okay, but that then set up.

I was releasing my special. My special, seriously funny, I was taping in two weeks. So Shax All-Star Comedy Jam goes. They rushed to put it out. It crushes. I then tape my comedy special. Seriously Funny was my next special. Seriously funny destroys.

But it only destroyed because of Shax all. all-star comedy jam, and the audience that watched that, and I was like, oh, my God, this guy showed up in droves for Seriously Funny, and then Seriously Funny was like, oh, shit, this big ass special, and then the arenas and everything, boom, boom, boom. So about 12, 13 years, from the moment you did your first sort of stand-up event, you having your moment, and I find that fascinating, because those 13 years, most people aren't willing to do something for 13 years without their moment showing up

like when you hear like I don't know shit on Instagram or quotes or you watch motivational videos and stuff if they told you that it would take 13 years for you to have your moment almost nobody would take part nobody no

but those 13 years of your training I mean so Scooter Braun took one time he was like what makes him different is the work that he's willing to do in something and he was like

you know if they were giving out like a million dollars for somebody that can hit a fastball pitch you know from a from the best pitcher in baseball right and this thing would basically require everybody everybody's going to go and try to hit this because everybody wants the million dollars so the first day of the announcement the line to hit this pitch is going to be droves, right? Like millions of people, who knows how many people would be in this line.

And people would go up and strike out. And after that, they would go, damn, it's over. Like, I missed. Not many people would, like, miss and then go stand back in line to go hit the ball again. He was like, I'm going to keep getting in line. What you'll find is that the line will get smaller and smaller

because of how many people are dropping out and optioning not to wait and do the hard thing again. That comparison in that world of understanding is like something that equates to life very well, right? Not many people are going to wait through the 13 years of like bullshit, hardship, Most people opt out at year two, maybe three, no money, whatever. I need to figure something else out. Year six, fuck this, man. Stupid.

What am I doing? Why am I doing it, right? I'm going to go find the quick avenue or the quick return. Because money is the, that's what it boils down to for most people. Where's the money? Where am I making the money? When the money comes, It comes.

What you find is that it's not hard to make money once you start making money. You learn how to make money. Like you, it comes with education. It comes with understanding and it comes with a better resource of mind that makes you go, no, I'm going to do this and I'm going to build this and I'm going to go here. I'm going to meet. I'm going to present. I have an idea.

I'm going to pitch it. Like you're now a, a. much better machine because you understand. Money is no longer the thing that you think it was when you get to it. But getting to it, to get that understanding, you lose the pack. You lose the pack because the pack is like, I want it here. Because it didn't show up here, I got to go figure out a new thing to do that's going to give it to me here. And they got to recycle like...

They lose focus. Yes, you're never completing it. anything. You never finish nothing. So the thing that you think you're focusing on, you keep quitting to start something else that you think is the idea, and it's just a cycle. It's a cycle. Don't you notice that people come up to, I notice this a lot with young entrepreneurs, especially those that aren't having success. They start one thing. When they come and tell you what they do, they tell you 17 things. 17. None of them have ever worked, but they say 17 things. And they think that more, doing more things, is increasing the probability of success.

100%. 100%. Where it's the opposite. It's the opposite. It's the thing that you actually thought of that you are going to put 100% of your mind and focus into to complete. And then after that, you're able to pick it apart and take the good, the bad, or whatever,

and either restart that thing again to improve it or make a decision to do something else, but you finished. I made the choice that stand-up comedy was what I was going to finish. I made a choice that becoming a good, comic and a good headliner, if I focused and did it well, that would open up the doors for me to do everything else that I want to do. If I don't have that, how do I expect to

get in? I was speaking to Evan at Snapchat, he was talking about T-shaped people. So you have like a broad understanding of a lot of things, but then you're like really deep on one particular thing. And that one particular thing is almost, I guess you could see it as like screw that gets you into the industries. So for me, mine would have originally been marketing, but I was able to use that, like, deep expertise to then launch this media business, because it's still the same game of marketing that I did for 15 years. I was able to go into, like, the stock market, because they really needed to understand marketing. And it was that deep expertise in one thing that was my leverage in all of these really interesting rooms. And it's kind of what you

were saying at the start. Like, you had this deep expertise, this deep IP experience value that allowed you to like break in as an investor and then to production and all these other areas. I mean, the value for me it was self. But the value of self and understanding of how to truly control and operate that and navigate that correctly, that's a world of its own. So the bigger that the star gets, the brighter that the star shines, if you are paying attention, it's only positioning you to go in places where people say, oh my God, I know you and where you can shake a hand,

but the interests of just knowing you because of the place from the star, it allows a moment for the conversation of, so what is it that you do? Oh my God, like that's so cool. I would love to learn more about that. And what you'll find is that the resource of opportunity over there

are endless. Oh my God, are you serious? We would love to partner with you in something like this. I mean, in this space, are you talking about mental health, wellness? Listen, strong voices and confident voices or inspiring voices, there could be a lot for us in what we do here. Hey, maybe there's a partnership that we can form. Oh my God, man, back to school.

Kids, I love kids. I'm thinking about doing more. Like, here's something where I think I can have a very, very good cadence and a very good energy towards getting kids hype about school education. It's not something that I took serious. How do I help? Where did you learn? So when I look at this graph here, I see this sort of moment where things become, go up into the right very quickly, where you start to get into entrepreneurship.

But at this moment that comes before it, you didn't know this stuff. So at some point, you acquired information. So for the people that are listening now that are thinking, like, how did Kevin go from a kid that was in this rough area, dad wasn't around much, his mom was raising him, to a guy that knows all this stuff. You get there now by being a sponge and not being afraid to ask questions. I'm very secure and myself and being the dummy in the room. I'm extremely secure and saying, I don't know what that means.

Explain that. Give me an example of a context where you... I can give you several. Like venture and investing, I was a firm believer that nobody's stealing my money and giving you nothing. Yeah, you're going to go and put it where. Yeah, no, my money going to stay right here under my bed. I'm not doing that. So give you, you want me to give you money and you're telling me you're going to take that money and then that money is going to turn into what?

Yeah. Okay. Go find you another idiot because it ain't happening over here, buddy. Get your scamming ass up out of here. Okay? I come from the world of everything is a scam. Okay? It's a fucking scam. I know a scam when I see one, right? But when you go, you say, well, how does the stock market really work? Or how does investing really work? Or what do you mean you making money while you're sleeping? What does that mean? What do you mean by that? How does this brand? partnership shit really work like you you can't be afraid to like verbalize your ignorance and and the bigger problem which i'm sure a lot of your viewers have is like insecurely like just being quiet about the shit that they don't know as if you're going to figure it out because someday, one day, somebody's going to go, hey, you look like you need to know.

It'll never happen that way. It's never going to happen. You're never going to run into a person who's randomly going to talk about the things that you wish you had more knowledge in. It will never happen. And what you'll find is that information is not free, but it's available.

It's not actually hard to obtain. It's only hard to people that are very insecure about just verbalizing. I don't know where to get it. Look at how many how-toes, help-toes, all of these things today. The success that we're seeing in entrepreneur and influencer, streamer, and all of the stuff in entertainment, is the same success as you're seeing. And we can call them motivational speakers. How to experts, step one through five, and what to do.

The idea of I'm here to service you and give you the information that you don't know is available. So let me tell you how to get it. Here's where I'm going to help you. Three easy steps to making sure that you can. And I don't care if you want to go to the world of athletics or you want to go to corporate, or you want to go to entertainment. Like you can break it down. Golf, do you know how much money is being made in a game of golf?

because you got millions of people that are trying to give people information on how to better improve your golf swing because I don't want to say out loud to my swing game shit but I don't know man I keep coming down on top of the ball why the fuck am I coming down on top of the ball?

I don't know what's happening and some people would rather go out in their backyard every day hit the same ball than just ask somebody hey man any way that you can tell me how to come like what how you get that bitch in the air so now people online go well we're just going to put it out here and that person is struggling quietly where they're going to discover me and in silence they'll watch and they'll look to improve because

nobody knows and they still can be quiet that's the problem just give me a minute of your time and I'll tell you about a device that my team's been using that they won't seem to be to shut up about. It's called the Note Pro and it's by our sponsor, Plaud. This tiny card clips onto the back of your phone and captures everything. But why it's so clever is that it picks up multiple voices at the same time. And when someone says something important, you just push this tiny little button here and that moment gets highlighted in your notes and captured. It records the conversations that it hears, takes those conversations, creates a transcript and it uses AI to synthesize all of that information into whatever template suits you. You get a summary,

action points, highlights, and even a mind map sent straight to the Plaud app. So I highly recommend you check out Plaud's products using the link in the description below. Don't tell anybody this. But if you use code, DOAC 22, you'll get 22% off on some of Plaud's products. There's also unknown unknowns, which you would have experienced. I remember you're talking about you got to see behind curtains and you didn't even know people were behind there. And when I heard you say that, it was the perfect metaphor and analogy

for exactly what I had experienced. In my life coming from a kid, that came from a very normal background, was born in Africa, moved to the UK, mother's Nigerian, dad's English, and didn't know that all these like rich people were back here playing money games. I thought the way you make money

is you like work in McDonald's, you like work really hard, you might become manager, da-da-da-da. And then at like, I'm going to say 27, being sat in a billionaire's kitchen and watching him on the phone and he's calling his boy and they're doing 50 million just before the IPO happens so that they get a better price and I'm thinking fucking hell it's all it the thing that I realize right when you look at

your biggest investors right you'll find that they're all together none of them are investing in the new thing alone they all are like, well, it's better with you, so do it with me. Well, what about Gary? Yeah, call Gary too. Let's see we can get him in here. What about Michelle? Yeah.

Hey, Michelle, what about Melissa? All right, you'll find that this group of 10 people, all who would easily do something on their own, do not believe in the struggles of self when you can combine this machine of great minds to provide another great opportunity and in success well this thing works the company gets bigger well let's use our resources to go out and make sure that we align the personnel they already have what more amazing individuals create more jobs more opportunities for new minds to become successful and then in those minds building and that personnel like elevating. Well, now this person that was at the bottom here, we then go and ask this person

to run this thing. And now underneath this thing, we get another version of a downpour. New minds, new personnel, new things. Okay, this whole business, adventure, this whole business of company build, whether it's tech, lifestyle, health. Well, it doesn't matter what it is. You will notice that the people that started from the bottom are now running the new companies of today, and now the source of personnel that's underneath it will be the minds running the company of tomorrow. It's not like rocket science once you're behind the curtain. Once you go, oh, shit.

I remember when I first started, like, investing in it was, oh, my God, Kevin, like, your money in this would add a crazy amount of value. Well, I ain't putting in what you all put in. No, but the fact that you're involved in it at all It's just big that you believe in it And we're able to say that you believe in it with us It's huge What do you mean by that?

You're trying to fucking steal What are you doing? What are you doing, man? You're talking too fast. Say what you said again Slow down so I understand it. Don't talk fast to me Because I'm so insecure

Because I don't know what you're saying And it might be some shit in here But it's no Well, we know that you're doing well over here and your movies and all that stuff is cool, but this is different. This business, Kevin, could be different for you. It's a business of

multiple. So we play the game of multiples. Of X. So what your money is today? Well, we think in success, if this is a light bulb or a bottle rocket, you 30x, 20x. What the you're telling me

that if I put this money in here right now and if my voice is attached to the thing that I think it is, which is a crazy, crazy venture, a crazy opportunity. Well, yeah, Kevin, I mean, look, we all believe that. But with your voice, we may be able to say it a little louder. Oh, my. Oh, my.

Okay, well, I did it. Oh, my. I won. I got a return. Oh, my. Oh. Oh. So now I figured it out.

Now you're a part of the right conversations. You're part of the right opportunities. But once again, the information is discovered because of the opportunity to be the flower on the wall and the spaces that you never imagined yourself being in. But now look at what I'm able to do. I'm able to take this information, take all the shit that I know, come and have these fucking organic conversations like I am now, and we're sharing it. and some people that are watching this

are going to take that information and go I knew it and I'm doing the right thing and it's a matter of time before I get around them and when I do, oh my God, the things that I have the stuff that I have on the table the things that I have created, the opportunities I'm going to be the next person

to bring the thing that everybody else is involved in I'm going to be the next person to be the fucking energy source to tomorrow's future future within. Like, people just need to hear how fast it happens, quick it happens, and when it does what you're supposed to be ready for. And you're able to invest in lots of great companies like Function Health. That's valued at

$2.5 billion now. 11 labs. Everybody knows in the tech space knows 11 labs, which were valued at $3 billion now. MoonPay Young Labs, Sweat Pals, Radiant, organics, palter. Tons of stuff. Stuff that you would never expect me to be how much of this game have you learned in hindsight is about people about like getting it because even when that person was saying to that analogy you gave of they're telling you to put your money into this thing and you're going and fuck me is are they stealing you're going to have to lean on

someone you trust like someone in your circle that you know and i'm wondering because people don't talk about it enough how how important it is to like collect the right people and can you think moments where you like met a person and that was like game changing and you understanding a whole new world and what was behind the curtain all of my people could see this I'm just going to be extremely transparent like you before you get to the right people you run through wrong people and with wrong people you can go like they're wrong they don't work I got to get somebody else or you can grow with people I'm a believer of the grow Right?

Like, I think it's dope when we can all say we started a certain way, but we're ending up in a completely different space. Along that journey of growth, some people won't make it. You can be patient and you can want the best for some, but they might not want the same for themselves. So because of that, the fall off presents itself to be a little more consistent than what it should be, right? but in business what you'll find is that the emotions can be your like

can be your worst asset having emotions in business attached to business can be everything but beneficial to the business so the more that I was able to detach my emotions from the world of want

and understand that the thing things that I'm doing are to better position the business. And the people that have worked so hard to help this business get to where it is today, I have a service to them as well. How do I bring in the right valuable assets to put us in a bigger position to win? Sometimes you've got to let go of things that you thought would be the thing. But you can climax. You can get to a place where it's a ceiling.

You're like, we're not getting past the ceiling unless we go get the right people. unless we go get the correct personnel. So I'm a firm believer in talent. I'm a firm believer in rewarding those that do a job and that can do a job at a high level. But the only way that you realize that is to get out of the way. I had to learn to stop trying to control everything, stop trying to do everything,

stop trying to be the one with my hands in everything, and put people in the position to do the thing that they've been hired to do and do it well. But the patience that you have to have and learning people and dealing with people is a talent within itself.

I want to say like you're, at this stage, I'm more, I'm more of a hard drive of other people's issues or problems than I am a person. I am a hard drive of can I talk to you I want to tell you what's going on I have an issue with hey man look I'm trying to do this I don't know what they're trying to do here's what I'm trying to do and you have to be a positive source of solution all day every day because if you're talking and you're talking to do anything but solve then you shouldn't be in the chair of control so I am solution. solution driven every single day because I am faced with the new problem attached to the ecosystem and the community that I built underneath me of how to navigate or how to better navigate in the world because everybody's trying to do something to prove that they're worthy of the seat or seats that they have or that they want.

So every day you're dealing with a board of shuffle and a new board of opportunity and drama. And every day, you're telling people not now and time, slow up. I hear you. We'll deal with it. Let's all talk together. Communication is key. Let's table this and make sure everybody's on the same page. You're saying things five and six times because you have to make sure that you're the best example of what you're speaking.

So every day, the thing that you know. every thought would come into play is communication and, like, the ability to fucking give great dialogue in the hopes of getting the return of effort and work. So now you're going back to ground zero when you were with your mom and you were with your friends in the early days of life. What was the thing that I told you I did very well? I connected with everybody. In the lunchroom, I was at everybody's table. They didn't matter who you were, what you were. or what race, it didn't matter. In this space of now business and corporation,

if everybody doesn't feel like they can trust or believe or follow my direction, my vision, something about what I'm doing is wrong. How does one build an empire that relies on people when they naturally don't come from a place of that information so they might have trust issues? Like you were referring to these kind of trust issues, like, wait a minute, you're trying to steal my money. How does, you've got this big empire, lots of different verticals within, within heartbeat and your, your companies and your personal IP. You're going to have to be trusting a lot of other people with your wealth, with your business and with your children's inheritance.

And I hear so many of these stories of I trusted a guy and I lost everything, especially, honestly, especially in the, like, black community. It's a major fact. But we're also a community that gets taken advantage of because of the lack of knowledge, right? We get fucked over more than we don't because, all right, well, it says here that you're a lawyer and that you have my best interest. All right, it says that you're my manager and you have my best interest. All right, well, you've read the paperwork. all right you read the contract and it's good and I'm just signing right

my ignorance doesn't mean that I'm lazy my ignorance means that I believe you and I don't know the second guess or second check or to hire or on board people to second guess to second check to show me

fine print fine line because it's impossible I can't get fucked because you said, well, yeah, I can't, but you said, go back to the emotions and why I say emotions have to be removed. I'm going to have somebody look at this just so I know that it is what it is. I wouldn't lie to you, I know, but it's in the best nature of business just for me to make sure that my eyes, that I have lay eyes on it and they can just say what you just said, but just make sure I understand it correctly.

Yeah, but you don't have to do that. There's nothing against you. It's just a practice that I have within the way that I now approach business. And anything that you do, it's never personal. I don't take offense to anything that you want to check or background check on me. You should. It's business. I think that we don't get a fair level of understanding for our fuck-ups, for our mishaps,

of how the road presented itself for somebody to take from me. So when I'm recovering from the take, well, you got to start of a safe space. My space was never safe because they're sharks, so they focus on the fucking prey. The young talent in the music business is prey.

So the sharks see the young talent, whichever one gets there first, has an opportunity to fucking give me the person, presentation of the world and make it bells, whistles, and candy. Well, if I get there right and the prey doesn't have the right people around them, I'm going with the shark every time. I guess there is an element of responsibility here, which people don't like to acknowledge that you've got to take responsibility. I signed bad contracts in my career, and I was like,

I look back at 20 years, I go, fuck, I mean, I lost a lot there. But that was on me. And if I don't take responsibility, then it's going to happen again. But there's also, you'll know a lot of people that become victims. I don't think it's the worst thing, right? Like, it's, when it happens early on, like, I got a lot of friends that are in the music business, a lot of artists that are now independent artists that control and own their labels and are doing much better at this position than they were when they were signed underneath the big thing and they were getting taken, but I have to find out how it was and why it was.

They said, I'm going to go create my own. Like, you know, when you look at the biggest labels that are independent, And you look at the artists that fall underneath these independent labels. Well, you'll look at a blueprint of people following the person that was, like, in front of them and what they said. But it was only because they learned the business of the business, right? Like, so being a part of a business that's just succeeding and you being embedded into it and just being the work for hire to just follows a suit of what they say, well, that's not smart. if you have an opportunity to mirror what they're doing and create your own.

So what I do like within a culture is a lot of the artists that are independent or that are now like able to say I have my own version, whether it's studio, production company, label, independent label, whether it's own line of product that they share ownership with. Like, people are now learning to follow and repeat what the conglomerates are doing. I can use a conglomerate, and I can take your machine and create a small version of a machine underneath yours and partner with you and give you a piece of my machine, but it allows me to own. I can leverage the bank of opportunity and consumer that you have here under this brand. what's the cost though because you know you're incredibly successful you've got all this empire of companies and businesses and ventures you started they say that you can't have everything in life especially not at the same time so what is the cost of this pursuit because time time is your ambition like insatiable yes it just won't you couldn't switch it off if you wanted to and does that not make

you feel like you're being dragged versus being driven you for sure have your days i'm absolutely stressed out. I'm stressed to fuck out on the daily, but I operate within stress. Are you happy? I'm 1,000% happy, but I'm stressed out with the concept of I have to do.

If your life ended now, God forbid, do you think if you found out today that it was ending, you would reflect on it and say, do you know, I think I might have had things in the wrong order? Would there be any misprioritization in hindsight? If today was the day? If life ended today,

I could cross my legs comfortably and be okay that it's time. I did it correctly. I made sure that I applied myself to the best of my ability. I tried my best to put those that I loved in a better position so that they could see more and do more. my last name and my family name is much stronger today than it was yesterday. The idea of the world is something that I was able to see and understand better because I was blessed and fortunate enough to travel and meet so many. people are made to like we're here to embrace we're here to love we're here to like share

I was an energy source of good to bring people closer together through all things that I've done so it all connects and I'm okay I'm okay with if it stopped it stopped What I'm not okay with is while I have the bandwidth of good health, fucking great mind, strong, fucking, like, mind concept, and I can go, I can do it, I can get there. I'm not okay with wasting that time. I'm not okay with wasting my time of good and I can do, and I'm strong enough to connect at a very high level.

My star is bright, which allows me to go and get into these spaces. If I wait for this to dim out and I try to get into these spaces, what if I can't? Is there always a fear because of where you came from that? Absolutely. Absolutely. Like, you can't be unrealistic. Nothing is going to last forever. Nothing.

I'm going to fuck who you are. It's not true. You can recreate. You can figure out ways to find success again and again. But the one thing that you are winning in, you're not going to win in it forever. Right. Like, I love talking about my guy, man, Hove and Rubin, Michael Rubin. Like, two great friends, but two good examples of recreation, amplification.

and step repeat, right? Successful rapper. Albums. Some albums hold will never make again. Some will, you don't look at them all like they are all the best. Some you think are better than others. But the fight to be the thing that you were when it was at your highest is a driving factor to get you. But then as a talent, you let go of that because you become comfortable with knowing that I'm never going to create that.

again. That was my lightning in the bottle moment. I'm never going to create this again, but I can have fun doing what I'm doing and I can create a variation of versions of this that still display my talent and that I'm doing it at a high level. Man, you know what? This right here, it could cap out, but boy, oh boy, did I find fucking momentum and now the movies or in Holmes cases the example I was using, he then found momentum and, well, this thing, the

Rockefeller thing, him dame, created this thing and then the artist underneath the thing and the progression of the artist underneath that brand and started to go, bow, pow, Kanye, bow, state property, Beanie Siegel, Bao, Bao, Bao, Rihanna, all this

people, bow. Now this thing was so dope that we were able to create other people. That's more energy. So now I don't need it. I don't need the fucking, I don't need the rap. I'm looking at the product of a valuable asset that we created that's premium enough to display that the talent that comes from underneath us is strong fucking talent and we do amazing things. Now, my business, because of this business, well, this business becomes great too, Ace of Spades and Duce and all. Oh shit, the value, the exit, the return.

he keeps finding more energy in these other things oh shit 4040 club more assets more brand likeness partnership ownership but the backdrop to it all is the artist just give me 15 seconds to explain how you can build a viable business online the people i see winning in life don't have a perfect plan they just take the first step and then the next and then they keep going they stay obsessed and they stay consistent. And Stan Store, a platform I co-own, and one of our sponsors, is the best first step to help turn your knowledge into income. It only takes a couple of minutes to launch your business and start selling digital products, coaching, membership, or communities online, without any tech headaches or endless setup. Thousands of entrepreneurs, creators and risk

takers, you stand to take control of their future, because Stan is for entrepreneurs, for those willing to put in the work and bet on themselves. If you're ready to start building, join us. Launch your business today with a free 14-day trial at stephen bartlett. Dot stan dot store. Have you ever heard about this before? This thing I'm holding in my hands now.

This is called ketone IQ. Their website is ketone.com. You've heard me on this podcast talking about the fact that I stay much of the year in a ketogenic state, which is a highly restricted diet. And the reason I do that is plentyfold. One of them is I spend hours and hours talking to people for a living. So I want to make sure my brain is firing in an optimal way.

And the other reason that I do the ketogenic diet is because I just feel better. So when I discovered this, which is what they call an exogenous ketone product, where you can drink it and it increases your blood's ketone levels, I was blown away. I contacted them, I met them, I invested extremely heavily into their company. And I've become a co-owner of the company accordingly, and they sponsor this show now. So if you want to try this out for yourself, I recommend you try it. Just visit ketone.com slash Stephen and you'll get 30.

percent off your first subscription order. You'll also get a free gift with your second shipment. That's ketone.com slash Stephen. Your show is called your new, well, it's not new necessarily. I actually saw it in London. Me and my girlfriend were near the front row when you came and did acting, acting my age in London. The show was absolutely hilarious and we were dying of laughter. And it's coming to Netflix Monday the 24th of November. So if you're listening now, you've got to go and watch it. but the title of the show, Acting My Age. What do you mean acting my age?

And why now? You know, you got to grow up. I think it's like one of the toughest things in life is just realizing what grow up actually means. Right? And like you can be an adult, but still not embrace what, being an adult actually is.

And when it's time to grow up, you start sacrificing the shit that the younger version of you with less responsibilities thrived and flourished off of and in. You realize that a lot of that shit gets thrown on the back burner and is no longer important because you're fucking getting older and some shit just, just isn't insane, right? Like, I just made a decision to let go of a certain version of life and embrace my age and all the fun that comes with it. What about being a man?

It's confusing. I think it's more confusing than ever for many to be a man. And we often talk about this masculinity crisis where men have less men, male friends than ever before. The stats are pretty shocking on this. The suicidation is 300 to 400% higher in men. There's a college degree gap for every two men who earn a bachelor's degree in the women in the U.S., three women do. There's a workforce dropout rate, which is pretty terrifying.

Millions of prime age men between the age of 24 and 50 are no longer in the labor force representing an almost 10% drop. Being a man is tough these days for a bunch of different reasons. You've added a plethora. A plethora of presence. It's not straightforward. Yes. Polluted waters, that's what I call it. extremely polluted waters.

What advice have you got for young men in terms of what it takes to be a good man? You know, I think the definition of a good man is so foggy today. Right? And I'm a firm believer that change comes within time. So I'll start by saying that. And I understand that, you know, nothing should stay the same. Everything should evolve when it's evolving. The conversation of a man and what makes a man a man is weird.

It's like, it's not evolving, right? And, you know, I was raised on a foundation of a leader or leadership. And I think, you know, rest of peace to my dad was fucked up of a, road that my dad had, my dad's later years were driven from accountability. I'm aware of what I didn't do. I'm aware of the mistakes that I made. And I'm aware of what I should have did much better. I can't change those things, but I would love to try to be the best grandfather or grandparent than I can be. Kevin, I love you and I love your brother,

but I can't go back. I can only say I'm sorry, and I wish I could. You don't have to. Like, the grandkids are your focus. And if you can be the dopest example of a grandpop to them, then that's the win for me at this point.

But his accountability in that moment is what I remember the most about my father and love the most, Because leadership, or lack thereof, put me in a position to say, I don't want to do that. I want to do this. And not because my dad is like the worst, but fuck, man. If he didn't do these things wrong, back to tying shit in, I wouldn't know how to do him right. So now I got two boys.

and I want to make sure that my example of man to my sons is leadership, responsibility, it's accountability. Emotions? You know, I'm not against emotions. But I am also, I am a student of everybody has problems. There's not a shortage of problems. So the weight of the world that you feel is the heaviest for you. may not come close to what the weight of the world is for you. And I think in sharing your emotions and having an opportunity to voice or offload them,

extremely important, but you also are in a world where, you know, weakness can at some point in time be taking advantage of, right? you are in the world of like pray and sharks as I presented earlier. And it doesn't mean that your emotions don't matter because they do. It means that you also have to be smart and aware, right? And what are you ultimately trying your best to become? And what are you ultimately trying to be the best example for yourself first and then others for? I don't mind being weak, but I talk to my kids. I talk to them in our voice.

Your dad deals with struggles that you'll never know about because I don't want you to have to fill the burden of them. It's my job to try my best to make life easier for you so that you can go on and do way more than I ever have. It's my job to give you the opportunity is to learn shit that I never knew that I could learn at this stage. But I'm going to make sure that I communicate what you differently than I was communicated with.

I'm not going to let you fuck off and take advantage of the things that you have as resources at your fingertips. I'm not going to let you tell me the things that you think you should do because you feel when I know right now at this stage in your life, what's best for you.

That's my format of parenting and it doesn't mean it's the same for others. But for the man that I am, I know the type of man that I want my kids to be based off of what my outcome was and is. And I think that if I correctly position

them to simply understand. In your older age, you make whatever decisions you want. I'm your father. I'm going to love you regardless. It has no care of worry to me. I want to know that I did my job for what I was supposed to control. And I want to know that our conversations and our dialogue was always straight up and straightforward enough to where you were comfortable to talk to me and you were comfortable

and feeling like your father has your best interest. That's, for me, that's my mind. makeup. And in a time today, my makeup doesn't have to fit yours. And I'm okay with that. And I'm okay with yours being whatever it is for you. But I think we're in a time today where society wants to fight with one another about it's just too much of like, well, if you don't see it my way, then you're dumb. Yeah. And I think that's why the conversation has gotten so inconsistent and polluted. That's my personal opinion and my side of information attached to it. So hopefully, you know, your viewers can hear that and understand that and know it's okay with not being okay

with my choice. That's okay. Kevin, we have a closing tradition where the last guest leaves a question for the next, not knowing who they're leaving it for. The question left for you is, what is the advice you got as an adult that had the most significant impact on your life? I'm going to go to best. The best piece of advice came from Chris Rock, where Chris Rock told me earlier in my comedy career, he says, his exact word is, you don't just want to make niggas laugh.

The world is so much bigger than your block or your neighborhood. He said, get out the country. Get out the country and figure out a way to make the world laugh. And comedy will be so much better. At that point, I was very, like, specific in my material.

Fitting area, you know, we got these this drugstore is crazy. You ever had a guy in the drugstore and you're blocking? And it's like, well, everybody doesn't relate or can't relate. How do you broaden it? How do you open it up so that you're never changing your material or who you are? Everywhere you go in the world people can laugh and you never have to adjust.

Get out the country. get bigger in the way you're thinking about your craft. I mean, you've done that across the board and across industries now. You've been willing to be the person, the outsider in lots of rooms. That seems to be really central to your success. And what Chris Rock said to you there was get out into the unfamiliar, go put yourself in an unfamiliar place. And when I look at your career in the empire that you've been able to build across business and investing,

it's exactly that. It's you were willing to be in unfamiliar territories for some reason. Yeah, yeah. You know what you just made me think about, too? And I want to backtrack before we leave. One thing that's like kind of crazy just when you were talking about the conversation of man. Like, it's a weird thing that's happening where you do have men that are opening up more and talking more about like the struggles of a man.

But then those things are like being used against them in the conversation of man. Like when you get to talking about it. like the things that you're dealing with and the emotion and stuff like of the mental health and the weight like it seems that in this time today more men are being forward and wanting to express in talk but the fear of being judged after do you have that fear no I don't I don't get shit I don't really have you cared too much what people think have you struggled with your mental health no no I think I told you my shit is like more more stress but it's not a shit struggle, it's like...

Is that anxiety, or is it... No, it's just like, I know I do too much. Yeah. Like, I know, I know for a fact. That was the symptom of that? How do you feel, like... You have to, like, you have to shut down. So, like, what I'm getting better at is in a day,

there's how I just don't, I'm off the phone. I got it. I know I told them I would do calls. Just tell them I'll start that tomorrow or the day after. But, like, there's a time where I get to a point in a day where I'm like, okay, oh, that's it for me. You're done. That's my, yeah.

Like, and I'm literally, I'm done. I don't want to, I don't want to talk about anything else. I don't want to, I don't want to hear. So you're pushing yourself right up to the edge over and over and over and every day. I get to a point in a day in that timeline when I'm shutting off has gotten earlier and earlier. Whereas before it was, you know, we hours of the night and I'm still on a phone figuring it out. And all day, you just been racing and racing and racing. So I think the older that I've gotten, I've realized more and more,

that's not healthy, the healthy side comes with silence for a second. Like, you need some, you need some silence. And ride in the car by yourself, no music. Sounds a bit like a disease. You need silence. Do you know what I mean by it sounds a bit like a disease because this is something that's taking you to a point where it's like it's kind of hurting you a little bit.

And I can relate, so it's not like I'm like passing judgment because you just describe my entire life. You're not going to be as present with your loved ones. You're not going to be as present in your relationship. I know you're married, you've got four kids. How are you ever going to be like truly present when your brain is like... Yes. But also, how do you become comfortable with being okay with people not understanding?

That's the truth. Like, I hate to say it bluntly. Yeah. I used to have such a high level of give a fuck attached to how you felt about my decisions that were best for me. Oh, God, I don't want to say it because the nigga, I feel like I'm not doing it. It's going to be crazy. I'm just doing it. Because I'm thinking more about you than I'm thinking about me, right?

I'm putting everybody before me. I'm putting everybody's needs, everybody's wants, everybody's reasons, all before me. Nobody is thinking about the volume of dialogue that I'm delivering on a day-to-day basis and how much of that like happens over and over again. Nobody's thinking about it. So the day that I became comfortable with going, I don't really give a fuck if they understand or not. Like, I'm done.

I know, but they feel it's really important you got to do today. I'll talk to them tomorrow. Nothing's going to happen. It's going to change from this time or that time. You have to get to a point to where you actually get that and are okay with that. Because if not, you're constantly putting all of the shit from outside there on your table and, like,

your plate's always full. You're never finishing your fucking plate because you're just constantly, people just keep coming and dumping more shit on it. So imagine that. Imagine the people just keep telling you keep eating. You just keep getting full. Like, eventually you can't fucking breathe

and you busts. It's no different from your mind. And more today than ever, you're seeing more people pop from mental overload, man. Like, people aren't crazy. I hate the, like, this whole crazy you crazy motherfucker you're crazy it's like

motherfuckers are just popping like it's too much if they fucking when they snap they snap I said that's not I'm saying I'm fucking I'm sick of the chick you're like goddamn man you crazy no you're not motherfuckers just popped but you could you got the money to go chilling Bali I'm going I I have the money to not go chill in Bali I have the money to say I'm not talking anymore today that's the that's the difference

it's not about the vacation it's not about the trip. It's not about, I'm not talking anymore today. So the people and the resources that I put around me to help me do your job. What happens next for you? We sit here in 10 years time. It all went well. What happened? I think in 10 years time, if I'm able to sit on a stool at a comedy club with 30 people and do material and enjoy my craft and it's a little small hole-in-a-wall comedy clubs and wherever I'm living at the time and I do it maybe twice a week

and I golf and I spend time with my kids and hopefully their kids and I'm a grandpa and we're able to like look through photo albums of Remember When and

mailbox money is attached to things that I've built that are operating and functioning on its own that's that's my version of success. Kevin, thank you.

Thank you, man. Thank you so much for all the, you talked about how you've made people's lives happier and made people more connected, et cetera. And that's exactly the impact you've had on me. I remember the first time I watched one of your comedy specials and watched you on stage was when I was going through a very tough part of my life.

I was lonely. I was in this room in Manchester. I'm probably 18 years old at the time. And I'm trying to figure out my career and my future. And things are hard. And I think pirating your pirating your comedy specials was that little moment of escapism was that little moment of joy in my day and so you're that for so many many millions of people that you'll never get to me you've brought so

much joy to families you brought families together you brought me and my girlfriend out to come and see you in the roll out hall and also we've seen you in new york city when you did i think was madison square garden here as well on that square stage it's you're a source of joy and connectivity and if the world ever needed that energy right right now um it needs it now more than ever and so humbly appreciate you and thank you. This was amazing, man, and I think you're doing a service of good, and what you're providing for the masses is necessary. So don't stop. Keep going, man. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Appreciate it, brother. Make sure you keep what I'm about to say to yourself. I'm inviting 10,000 of you to come even deeper into the diary of a CEO. Welcome to

my inner circle. This is a brand new private community that I'm launching to the world. We have so many incredible things that happen that you are never shown. We have the briefs that are on my iPad when I'm recording the conversation. We have clips we've never released. We have behind the scenes conversations with the guests and also the episodes that we've never, ever released. And so much more. In the circle, you'll have direct access to me. You can tell us what you want this show to be, who you want us to interview, and the types of conversations you would love us to have. But remember for now, we're only inviting the first 10,000 people that join before it closes. So if you want to join our private closed community, head to the link in the

description below or go to doac circle.com. I will speak to you there. A couple of weeks ago, we took all of our team here at the Dyer of a CO to New Yorker, thanks to all of you guys, and thanks to the fact that we'd hit 10 billion subscribers. So we went there to celebrate. And as we were sat in New Yorker talking about a variety of things, one of my team members referenced that they had put their house on Airbnb the day they had left to come to Miyorka to make some extra money. And as we talked through this, it became abundantly clear.

clear to me that this is a huge opportunity for all of my listeners. When you go away, when your house is empty, you have the potential to make some extra money just by listing your house on Airbnb. And as you probably know, Airbnb are a sponsor of this podcast. And it shocks me that more people haven't considered this. Hosting your property on Airbnb when you go away is a no-brainer to me, especially if it's sat there doing nothing. And do you know what? I think that your home, sat there while you're away might just be worth more than you think. And if you want to find out exactly how much it's worth, go to Airbnb.ca slash host. And you can find out how much you could be making while your home is sat empty and you're away on holiday.