Dan Martell - If I wanted to build wealth from scratch (again), I’d do this

00:00:00.000 The top 1% don't build wealth by waking up early or working hard. They build it by having a

00:00:06.000 completely different mental model that allows them to turn cash into more cash. I became a

00:00:11.200 multi-millionaire at 28. I'm building a venture studio on track to be worth a billion dollars,

00:00:15.580 and these are the exact strategies that have helped me build real wealth, starting with number

00:00:19.480 one, change your identity. If you have two people in the same scenario, one believes they deserve,

00:00:24.780 the other one doesn't, this one asks for opportunity, this person never speaks up,

00:00:28.580 this one gets opportunity. This one never does. It's that simple. It's how you see the value you

00:00:34.720 bring to the world and do you feel worthy of it? And that is identity. No amount of tactics,

00:00:40.440 strategies, courses, podcasts, YouTube videos is going to fix that. The 1% know they deserve to be 1.00

00:00:46.980 rich. Have you ever met a rich person that didn't have some level of confidence? And when you realize

00:00:51.440 that you don't get what you want, you get who you are, the whole thing unlocks. This is the

00:00:56.720 foundation. But now we need to build on that. So you have to unlearn the things that have killed

00:01:01.220 wealth for 99% of the people. Number two, stop hoarding cash. Most people hoard money. They're

00:01:07.820 like professional collectors. And I can speak because I used to be one of those. Remember one

00:01:11.720 time I woke up and I realized that even the coffee points that I had collected going to the same

00:01:16.120 coffee place, I never used them. I never traded them in for free coffee ever. I like made it a

00:01:22.460 game and are just like save it and save it money should flow into you and then back out to do

00:01:27.120 things that help you improve your life buying back your time investing in your business saving your

00:01:31.840 money in stock so that the money keeps growing if you act like you're protecting your money it's like

00:01:36.420 this sacred pile of cash then there's no room for more money to come in and i've seen this over

00:01:41.940 people are so stingy and they don't realize that stingy mentality is telling the rest of the world

00:01:46.900 they're not ready to receive more once you decide to stop hoarding and start deploying it you then

00:01:52.060 to have to ask yourself the question is what tasks should I deploy dollars to? And the best place to

00:01:57.100 start is what I call the buyback rate. First, you need to take your yearly income, how much money

00:02:02.300 you make, divide that by 2000. That will give you your hourly rate. And it's 2000 because that's the

00:02:07.780 average amount of hours a person will work per year. Second is we divide that number by four

00:02:12.780 because we want to make sure that we get a four times ROI on our dollar deployed, right? So we

00:02:18.740 don't take how much we make because that doesn't make sense. Instead, we divide it by four so that

00:02:22.780 if I pay a dollar for something, I'm getting $4 back worth of value. That's your buyback rate.

00:02:27.440 And the final one, number three, is anything underneath that amount, you should delegate it

00:02:31.680 immediately. The other day, I was working with my buddy, Jake, young guy, super motivated,

00:02:35.780 one of my companies. And I was, hey, man, let's meet up in a couple hours and we'll talk through

00:02:39.000 that. And he's like, hey, I kind of get home. It's three weeks now. I haven't done my laundry

00:02:42.560 and I really got to get some stuff done. I didn't say anything. But the next morning I said, hey,

00:02:46.920 bro. Can I remind you that you make a couple hundred thousand a year and that you should

00:02:50.940 probably be doing wash and fold instead of not meeting with me to move your dreams forward?

00:02:55.000 And then the next day, he not only found somebody to help with the laundry, he found somebody to

00:02:59.140 help with his house and all of his errands because he knew the best dollar to deploy was in those

00:03:03.380 low value things that other people could do. So he had the time to actually do the things only

00:03:07.580 he could do. It reminds me of my best friend growing up. His dad grew up with parents that

00:03:12.200 taught him that cash is cash is cash is cash. So what did he do? He built a business that was all

00:03:17.640 cash and then he hid the cash in the walls of his house. He put the money in the wall because he

00:03:23.840 thought that's the best place to save his cash. Then one day my friend calls me to tell me that

00:03:28.860 his house is on fire. Yes, his dad lost all that money. Now this has nothing to do with hoarding

00:03:35.640 cash, but it has to do with the mentality around money. I look at it like this. You want to have

00:03:40.680 your money out in the world doing things for you. Like little worker bees trying to go and collect

00:03:45.900 more for you. And look, 90% of the time, the first tasks that you'll get off your plate are admin

00:03:50.580 tasks. The problem is, is most people don't know what to give to an admin. So if you want my

00:03:54.740 internal executive assistant playbook, it has every template, every SOP, every workflow that

00:03:59.640 my EA uses daily. It's all in there for you. Just find me on Instagram and message me the word

00:04:04.040 YouTube EA and I'll send it right over to you. Okay. So now that you've bought back some time,

00:04:08.840 Awesome, but we gotta take things to another level,

00:04:11.100 which leads me to my next point.

00:04:12.480 Number three, expand your time horizon.

00:04:15.300 The big thinkers, the real wealthy people,

00:04:17.660 they think in long periods of time.

00:04:19.700 You can actually audit yourself.

00:04:21.220 Listen to the conversations you have.

00:04:22.580 Do you talk about what you're creating

00:04:23.680 or what you're doing?

00:04:25.060 And unfortunately, most people never think about this

00:04:27.260 because real wealth doesn't get built in one-time shots.

00:04:30.780 They get built in a way that it compounds.

00:04:33.200 And compounding only works

00:04:34.780 if you look at things over a long period of time.

00:04:37.320 see most people quit after two weeks two months two years the top one percent are in this game

00:04:44.720 for a decade 15 20 years that's the gap the other day i was talking to a new friend named peter he's

00:04:50.900 88 i'm 46 peter has built an incredible life and a career and a just a resume that's impressive and

00:04:58.380 i'm thinking to myself hey if i only get to 88 i got another 42 years of building do you see how

00:05:06.540 different that is? In 42 years, what could you create? If you gave yourself a time horizon that

00:05:11.320 was 10 years, 25 years, 42 years, how big of an impact could you have? And now we know how to

00:05:18.360 focus on the right things. We have to do them for longer periods of time. It's like my YouTube

00:05:23.300 channel. Over 11 years ago, when I started, I made a commitment to myself to do this for a decade.

00:05:29.700 So when people look at my YouTube channel today and they see almost 3 million followers, they

00:05:33.120 think oh my gosh you grew so fast they don't realize that this is 10 plus years of effort

00:05:38.240 and focus and dedication and the crazy part it was kind of flat for the longest time eight years it

00:05:43.920 was only in the last three years that it went pew so here's what you can do to start practicing

00:05:48.960 thinking in longer time horizons first thing you have to do is write a 25 year vision for yourself

00:05:54.320 the challenge most people have with this is that they feel greedy wanting more they feel that

00:06:00.000 that having a vision 25 years that is massive

00:06:02.700 means that they can't appreciate what they have.

00:06:04.440 That's not the case.

00:06:05.520 I want you to pretend like you couldn't fail.

00:06:08.060 I want you to pretend like you had all the resources.

00:06:10.240 I want you to pretend like you could wave a magic wand

00:06:13.080 and get whatever you want.

00:06:14.560 What would you wanna commit, dedicate,

00:06:16.640 invest 25 years of your life to?

00:06:19.080 My rule is if you can't describe your future

00:06:21.680 to the same level of specificities

00:06:23.400 you can describe your current reality,

00:06:25.160 the room you're in right now,

00:06:26.600 then you don't really have a true vision.

00:06:28.840 And the good news is, is you don't have to be right.

00:06:30.940 You just have to have one done

00:06:32.260 so that you can have direction.

00:06:33.880 Then we have to build what I call a work backwards plan.

00:06:36.420 We go from 25 years to 10 years,

00:06:38.540 to three years, to one year, to this quarter.

00:06:41.380 And each thing points and builds upon itself.

00:06:44.280 So there's some level of sequencing.

00:06:45.840 The end of the day, if you wanna be worth a billion,

00:06:47.680 you gotta first start by being worth 100,000

00:06:49.700 and then a million and then 10 and then 100.

00:06:52.380 But if you actually stack it that way,

00:06:53.960 it doesn't seem so daunting.

00:06:55.420 Step three is we gotta pick our mins, okay?

00:06:57.620 which stands for most important next step.

00:07:00.040 See, everybody gets overwhelmed.

00:07:01.580 I got too much to do.

00:07:02.480 I don't even know where I'd start.

00:07:03.860 How about we just start with one single action

00:07:06.180 that unlocks everything else?

00:07:07.680 Like if you wanted to start dating,

00:07:09.580 maybe the reason you're not doing that

00:07:10.920 is because you don't have a haircut.

00:07:12.560 So maybe the first thing you should do

00:07:13.660 is go schedule a haircut.

00:07:14.880 Maybe you're like,

00:07:15.500 I really wanna start being an entrepreneur.

00:07:17.440 What do I need to do?

00:07:18.460 Maybe you go ask a stranger to buy something from you.

00:07:20.740 Maybe you have some services you could offer.

00:07:22.540 One customer getting you paid starts the process.

00:07:25.120 That could be the most important next step.

00:07:27.620 and finally we have to do it in the next 48 hours jfdi style just can do it above my door

00:07:35.220 in big letters it says default to action my rule is if it speaks your heart and your soul

00:07:41.060 don't let your brain over complicate it take action before you commit yourself not to do it

00:07:45.460 and the people that win in life just stay with things longer than they think they should they

00:07:50.260 don't give up they don't pretend like oh it's not working after seven days do you know that most

00:07:54.900 podcasts only have nine episodes nine episodes their dreams were bought from them from a lack

00:08:00.500 of discipline with nine episodes they did all the heavy lifting to start they actually got to

00:08:05.220 three episodes and six episodes and then nine episodes and then just decided at nine oh this

00:08:09.780 feels like work no and they stop and then they see the chris williamson's and the cassidy warren's and

00:08:17.540 joe rogan's and they go like how did those people build these brands they didn't stop and they went

00:08:22.740 longer than they thought. All right. So we've rewired identity. We've deployed dollars to buy

00:08:27.860 back our time. And now we've also stretched our time horizon. So we start operating like the best

00:08:32.620 in the world. But there's one final shift that matters more than anything we've talked about so

00:08:37.100 far. Die empty. When I say wealth, I actually don't just mean money. I mean rich. I mean a rich

00:08:44.820 life, rich relationships, rich environment, the whole thing. So what's the point of having money

00:08:50.480 if it dies with you?

00:08:52.280 Why wouldn't you take the money

00:08:54.200 to invest it in the experiences,

00:08:56.400 into the people in your community while you're alive?

00:08:59.340 Some people go on this like legacy thing

00:09:01.540 where they're like, yeah, when I die,

00:09:03.360 I'm gonna give all this money to people. 1.00

00:09:04.900 Fuck that. 1.00

00:09:05.920 Why wouldn't you wanna be there 1.00

00:09:07.620 when you give the money to the person?

00:09:09.680 Why wouldn't you wanna commit yourself,

00:09:11.780 your time, your energy, your resources,

00:09:13.460 your relationships to the people you wanna help?

00:09:15.800 I feel like I am the steward of a resource.

00:09:18.880 It doesn't matter if it's money, time, or people,

00:09:21.860 their attention, your attention,

00:09:23.280 and it's my responsibility to deploy it,

00:09:26.160 to give it back, to use it in a way that helps other people.

00:09:29.480 If you stop making it about yourself and hoarding

00:09:32.060 and you start making it about other people,

00:09:34.280 your whole life will change.

00:09:35.840 Most people will never get truly wealthy

00:09:37.980 because they don't wanna see other people get wealthy.

00:09:40.500 It's like one of my clients I was coaching one time,

00:09:42.400 this guy named Tom, I said,

00:09:43.340 Tom, go out there and build that 25-year-old vision.

00:09:46.240 Make it a picture, show it to me, be detailed.

00:09:48.460 and he brought it back.

00:09:49.780 And here's a photo of all the stuff,

00:09:51.720 the yachts, the planes, the cars, and no people. 0.95

00:09:54.420 What the f***, Tom? 0.57

00:09:55.720 Where are the people? 0.99

00:09:56.700 Where are the bazillionaires that you made?

00:09:58.520 Well, what do you mean?

00:09:59.680 If you're worth a billion,

00:10:01.420 there's gotta be people around you

00:10:03.080 that are worth 10 million that you help create that for

00:10:06.120 because if not,

00:10:07.500 you're always gonna be the person working so hard.

00:10:09.580 So it's actually really smart to think to yourself,

00:10:12.220 how many people can help get rich?

00:10:14.100 I always say that I wanna die empty.

00:10:16.280 And what I mean by that is that when I'm done,

00:10:18.240 when I take my last breath, I want to know that I use the resources that I've accumulate to live

00:10:22.260 the richest life possible. When I think back to when I was 14 and I need to get a haircut,

00:10:27.520 my dad gave me 20 bucks. And instead of going and get a haircut, I walked by a homeless person,

00:10:32.120 I give him the 20 bucks. And my dad watches me do this. And he goes, why would you give the money

00:10:36.000 to the person? I just gave it to you to get a haircut. And I said, because dad, I know you'll

00:10:39.960 give me another 20 bucks. That person needed it more than I did. And that for me always felt like

00:10:45.620 the right thing to do. If I've been gifted with skills and the ability to generate income,

00:10:50.060 then I should take some of that to help other people around me. Other people showed up in my

00:10:55.300 life. They didn't have to do that. They didn't have to show up and support me and put up with

00:10:59.520 my bullshit. As a teenager, I was fucking wild. If I didn't have that 20 bucks when that was all I 1.00

00:11:04.220 had, I knew I wouldn't give more when I had more. See, most people are like, I will help other

00:11:09.440 people when I have more to give. And I'm saying, you got stuff today. And if you don't help when

00:11:13.800 you got a little, you're not gonna help when you got a lot. And for me, I just honor that. I honor

00:11:18.320 the people that wake up every day to help other people. And if my contribution to that is my time,

00:11:22.540 my influence, my income, then so be it. But I will tell you, you will live a rich, a wealthy life if

00:11:28.540 you build that habit. So here's how I recommend you build a habit of giving away. From the beginning,

00:11:33.700 pick a number. I don't know if it's 1% because you're feeling a little scared or it's 10%

00:11:37.740 because you're feeling brave, but some number of your monthly income should be given to other

00:11:42.920 people. And not the extra, because you'll always spend the extra, of the top line number you take

00:11:48.820 in. And then two, pick a specific cause. And again, if you don't have money, you can show up with your

00:11:53.580 time. But think about the people that are serving the folks that you once were. If you came from a

00:11:59.040 place where you had challenges, who are the people that are helping those that were essentially you

00:12:03.880 when you found yourself in your darkest times? People always ask me, Dan, how do I find my

00:12:08.000 purpose? I'll tell you where it is. It sits right next to the hardest thing you've ever gone through

00:12:12.520 in your life. And it's uniquely yours. And if you wake up every day committed to giving whatever

00:12:17.380 you make a percentage to people or organizations that are helping those folks that was once like

00:12:22.420 you, you will see yourself light on fire to go accumulate and create more because now you have

00:12:27.200 more to give those people. And number three is you got to give before you're ready. Don't wait

00:12:32.180 till you have. You have to give when it feels hard, when it is scary, when people are like,

00:12:36.960 oh, I don't know why you involved yourself in that organization. No, I'm doing it today

00:12:40.660 because I'm starting, I'm building the foundation

00:12:43.040 for the future.

00:12:44.080 And it also tells yourself that that's just proof

00:12:46.580 that you've built that new identity, right?

00:12:48.540 If you don't decide you're a giver

00:12:50.560 and when you give, you get back

00:12:52.380 and you start doubling down on that identity by your actions,

00:12:55.500 you're just never gonna build the abundance mindset

00:12:57.720 that's needed to actually create real wealth.

00:12:59.800 See, 99% of people that just get rich,

00:13:02.500 they wait to get rich before they give.

00:13:04.300 The top 1% become rich because they give.

00:13:08.320 Whatever you want out of life,

00:13:09.880 If you help other people get it, you will get more of it, okay?

00:13:13.380 If you want more money, help other people get more money.

00:13:15.660 If you want more health, help other people get healthier.

00:13:17.560 You want deeper loving relationships, guess what you should do?

00:13:20.400 Help other people find, get deeper loving relationships.

00:13:23.540 Die empty by giving everything you have.

00:13:26.440 The reason I'm so passionate about this topic

00:13:28.760 is I learned a long time ago, you weren't born broke.

00:13:33.140 You weren't born blocked.

00:13:34.680 When you came into this world as a little tiny baby,

00:13:37.200 you came in with this,

00:13:38.840 like you were created from a creator

00:13:40.620 that had access to all things.

00:13:42.620 It's your birthright to become

00:13:43.980 and actualize everything that you are.

00:13:46.140 And most people say, well, no, to be rich,

00:13:48.280 you have to be smarter.

00:13:49.040 To be rich, you need to have relationships.

00:13:50.340 Or to be rich, you gotta be this.

00:13:51.240 No, you don't.

00:13:52.540 You have to make a decision.

00:13:53.880 You have to decide who is that person that becomes rich?

00:13:57.440 Am I showing up as that person?

00:13:59.020 What are the habits I need to change?

00:14:00.480 What are the vices I gotta get rid of?

00:14:02.520 And who are the people I need to spend time with

00:14:04.420 that encouraged me continuously to go for my dreams.

00:14:07.580 Because if you keep showing up here,

00:14:09.060 you keep investing in yourself,

00:14:10.340 you keep coming back right here to this channel,

00:14:12.780 I'm telling you on the backside of that commitment,

00:14:15.600 I will convince you to win.

00:14:17.580 I will pull you across the finish line to win.

00:14:19.820 I will be the person that's up front

00:14:21.460 showing you the way to it.

00:14:23.320 The wealth was always yours.

00:14:25.080 The question is whether you have the courage to claim it.

00:14:28.100 So I need you to leave me a comment

00:14:29.760 and just let me know,

00:14:30.780 what did I share with you that resonated?

00:14:32.720 What did you need to hear?

00:14:33.760 what did you like most? Just leave me a comment below with what comes to mind. And remember,

00:14:37.700 if you want my full EA playbook to help you buy back your time and get the most out of your

00:14:41.520 executive assistant, just DM me the word YouTube EA on Instagram and I'll send it right over.

00:14:46.140 Now that you know how to think like the top 1%, you want to learn the skills that will get you

00:14:50.480 there. So click this video and I'll see you on another side.

Dan Martell - June 08, 2026

If I wanted to build wealth from scratch (again), I’d do this

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