In this episode, I interview one of my favorite friends and mentors, Pekka Kadimi. He is a millionaire, successful entrepreneur, and author of a dozen books, as well as being the owner of Exotic Car Hacks and Third Circle Theory. He was one of the youngest people to make it as a manager as an 18-year-old bank manager, without a degree.
00:14:58.000Listen, man, today I'm proud and happy.
00:15:00.000Back in the day when I came to America, I wanted to be an entrepreneur, be in business, and I was on YouTube looking at different creators, different mentors, but one that stuck with me the most was Pejman.
00:15:15.000It's always entertaining to see you because we always start the conversation with, here's everything I've done well and here are my three mistakes.
00:15:23.000It's funny, guys, because this is an ongoing conversation where I'm talking about my failures to him, because obviously I respect him and I appreciate him, and he's like, I told you this before.
00:15:33.000Yeah, and it's like the same conversation over and over and over.
00:15:39.000But listen, I know who you are, a millionaire, successful entrepreneur, and as well the owner of Exotic Car Hacks and Third Circle Theory, but if you don't mind, tell them who you are.
00:15:49.000Yeah, so I'm the guy that most of the internet doesn't like when it comes to cars because I basically shit on everybody's dream on the internet.
00:15:58.000So I own a company called Exotic Car Hacks where I teach people basically how to leverage exotic cars for wealth preservation.
00:16:05.000I teach people on Watch Trading Academy how to basically buy watches, like watches you wear, to make crazy amounts of money.
00:17:10.000My most famous book is called Third Circle Theory.
00:17:12.000And I became really famous online for building my online company, which you know, Seeker Entourage, back in the day before the podcast existed and people were very popular on the podcast.
00:17:21.000We were doing something very similar way, way back in the day in 2008. I remember.
00:17:25.000Yeah, so a lot has changed then and now I just kind of like basically get really rich buying what people want to get rich to buy and I just keep buying a lot of it and I collect cars.
00:17:36.000I'm really well known for my car collection, watch collection.
00:17:39.000Just continuing to kill it on the online game.
00:17:41.000You have a wealth of knowledge about cars, of course, watches, and business.
00:17:45.000So real quick, you were an ex-banker back in the day.
00:17:58.000Start making the right moves in 2025. I feel like most people nowadays are kind of concerned about what they should get into, what business.
00:18:05.000But as an entrepreneur, as well as an ex-banker, what's the best money move you would say to make nowadays for the new year?
00:18:11.000So I'll tell you what's actually funny is this is a very unpopular answer.
00:18:15.000The popular answer would be, let's get into crypto, let's get into this, buy this, buy that.
00:18:21.000Historically, young people stay poor because they focus so heavily.
00:19:06.000Sure, you can jump on these trends too.
00:19:08.000But historically, you should also have a really good financial 10-year plan, which is who the fuck do I want to become in 10 years?
00:19:15.000And what are some of the things I want to be or be doing in 10 years?
00:19:19.000You know, and I think if you think that way...
00:19:22.000Then typically, whatever you do this year, you're going to do more of that shit next year and you're not going to ask the same question again next year or be back at square one, right?
00:19:30.000But it's not a popular answer because the answer is not, if you do this, then in six months, you're going to be on this show talking about how you got really rich and everybody knows you.
00:20:02.000So I think whenever we have financial shifts, I've always been an asset person.
00:20:06.000So I'm always like, if you own real estate, if you own cars, if you own watches, if you own things that basically move value or hedge inflation or things like that, you're going to do better than people that have nothing.
00:20:17.000So, historically, it's easy for me to also be here and be like, bye Ferraris!
00:20:26.000So it's not really fucking productive that someone's going to be able to do that or not.
00:20:30.000But I think there's a financial shift coming.
00:20:32.000And I think there's going to be a burst of many opportunities in the crypto scene that people need to pay attention to.
00:20:38.000I think if you haven't played in crypto, regardless that you're a gambler or long-term investor or not, you need to start paying attention to that.
00:20:45.000Because I think that this administration is going to focus on that despite...
00:20:50.000It being correct or not or whatever people believe.
00:20:52.000So I think there is a point there to pay attention to that scene because there's going to be huge gambles people can take to advance themselves financially, even if it's short-term money that can help them finance a new business or something they want to really do.
00:21:05.000So I think that's going to be a focus point.
00:21:07.000Asset acquisition is a huge thing for me this year.
00:21:09.000I'm putting a lot of money, like a couple of million bucks, into acquiring more assets, real estate, cars, watches, as much as I can because transitionary...
00:21:19.000Kind of inflation and also just looking at currency exchanges like we're talking about could potentially happen in April, could cause asset pricing to go up.
00:21:27.000And the cost of entry has been nonstop going up in America for the last four years, right?
00:21:34.000And if they're looking at this from a financial lens, I'm going to tell you something that basically people are starting to talk about, but it really has been kind of an assassination.
00:21:44.000And it's the assassination of the middle class.
00:21:49.000Like, to a degree where it's very sad because I came to this country as an immigrant, and then as an immigrant, we had the middle class to help us, right?
00:22:33.000So there's been this thing going on in this country for the last four years that basically all of the industrial societal values we've basically been raised on over the last 30 years are going away.
00:23:59.000Someone's going to tell me immediately what can I do to become exactly who I'm supposed to become, and then I'm going to do that the rest of my life.
00:24:07.000So as young people watch this again, it's not something you can say, well, by you telling me this, I'm immediately going to find out what I'm going to do, right?
00:24:15.000So let's start with what is right one step before purpose, okay?
00:24:23.000So let's focus on something easier for people.
00:24:26.000Instead of saying, go straight to the top and figure out what you want to do for the rest of your life, start thinking about, what did I choose to do right now?
00:24:35.000And how do I change my mindset from a person that is forced to do something to choosing what I want to do?
00:24:41.000If you chose your job and you like it, get really good at it.
00:25:20.000So what you need to do is figure out how to earn financial independence, which means that whatever career path you choose, you have to ask yourself, does this align with the level of financial freedom I want to have in my life?
00:25:34.000I worked a banking job and I looked 10 years ahead and I said, I was the fastest growing banker in America.
00:25:40.000I kept getting promoted every six months, kept killing it.
00:26:25.000But I'm sitting there and I'm like, I'm trying to convert 10 people who drive black sedans to work every day and are happy with their mediocre fucking life to want a great life.
00:26:36.000And I realized, I'm like, I'm not the fit here.
00:26:52.000As a Persian guy, I was like, they're not going to fucking make me CEO. The fucking CEO is a Jew.
00:26:56.000I was like, he ain't going to make me a fucking CEO. So it's not going to work.
00:26:59.000But in my head, I was like, I'm the fastest growing guy.
00:27:02.000Imagine what I've done by the age of 23. Imagine where I can go by like 50. But in my head, I'm like, what if I'm 50 and I get exactly what I fucking want?
00:27:10.000What if I'm the CEO of this bank and it actually happens?
00:27:14.000Would I have the financial success that I want?
00:27:17.000And would I be the person that I want to be?
00:28:09.000I'm sorry, but even on shows like this, we counteract this thought that the matrix is evil and that the matrix is there to keep you kind of like stuck and you can't do better or whatever and this is what they're there for.
00:28:23.000That basically teaches you how to belong to something, to a society, how to act, etc.
00:28:30.000It's not structure so you can thrive, it's structure so you can survive.
00:28:34.000It's your job to figure out how the game is played by playing the smaller games and then evolving.
00:28:41.000But people get stuck in it because they get comfortable with it and they take on debt and they're like, oh, I had some success early on.
00:28:46.000I bought a lot of stuff and then now I owe a lot of people and I don't know what the fuck to do.
00:28:51.000So the real game is figuring out that being an entrepreneur is an evolutionary state of...
00:28:59.000Figuring out you're part of the system and then you realize, huh, there's other people building things in the system so that other people participate.
00:29:06.000So how can I elevate myself as the system?
00:29:09.000That's what I talk about in my book, Third Circle Theory.
00:29:11.000Like the evolution of a human comes in three stages.
00:29:14.000Self-awareness, self-awareness, and consciousness.
00:29:17.000The self-awareness stage is where identity comes in play and where a person or human being can take their identity and say, how can I turn myself from...
00:29:27.000Participating in the matrix to creating for the matrix.
00:29:31.000And so when they take that leap, that usually comes like...
00:29:35.000After you've mastered a bunch of shit, but kids these days they're like watch too much fucking TV and they're all like thinking they're gonna be the exception the Zuckerberg and I'm gonna fucking build a shit and make a billion dollar top streamer right away right like the bad exactly and like I fucking I've been on YouTube for like 10 fucking years I watched my first YouTube videos and I'm like what the fuck was that like holy shit I'm retarded right exactly but you know the difference is we fucking did something yeah we tried we tried and we suck but we didn't suck for the We
00:30:08.000And we weren't focused on, I want to be a YouTube creator.
00:30:12.000We were trying to share a message on YouTube and practice got us better at becoming better YouTubers, right?
00:30:18.000And we actually took a very different path, me and you, because you went down the path, we were talking about this earlier, the path of popularity and getting known on YouTube and stuff.
00:30:28.000And I took a very different path where I said, I don't give a shit about being popular.
00:30:31.000I want to build real fucking businesses.
00:30:34.000And I wanna use YouTube as an engine of business.
00:30:37.000And that's something a lot of people don't do because it takes a lot longer to do.
00:30:40.000It's easier to become relevant faster.
00:30:56.000And so I built businesses and then I used a social engine to basically fuel kind of people knowing about these businesses, not so much about my next trick as a circus monkey, you know?
00:31:06.000I think for a lot of people, what you're saying is kind of like inner work has to be done and you have to have a drive where you're pushing towards becoming better versus the actual...
00:31:18.000Like, you're not running towards, like, the Lamborghini.
00:31:22.000You're running towards becoming better as a person and individual learning skills until you get to that point where you can actually see what's happening in real time with the game.
00:32:22.000And there's a lot of truth to sometimes you work.
00:32:25.000I worked five years for free on the internet just because I was like, I don't know the internet.
00:32:31.000So instead of expecting the internet to pay me, I was like, hey, I'm just working to get better at this.
00:32:37.000And then I was like, I cracked the code.
00:32:39.000So suddenly, after year five, I went from, hey, I'm making 40 grand a year on the internet, right, to suddenly, like, I made a million dollars on the internet.
00:33:08.000If I'm someone who wants to be an authority in a certain area or expertise of career or maybe like a venture e-commerce or like maybe trading, the focus should be making content and being better at that and then as a byproduct, people come to me and stay, right?
00:33:26.000What if the content was actually based on you not being a fraud and actually becoming a really good fucking trader?
00:33:33.000If that's what you want to share with people.
00:33:35.000But people, you see, this is why they fail on the internet because they're more focused on, I want to look like a really fucking famous trader so I can sell something and then be like, I'm going to get richer than that instead of actually being a real fucking good trader.
00:33:48.000I have survived the internet now since 15 years I've been on the internet.
00:33:53.000I've been selling the same courses and people are like, oh, all these course sellers are scammers.
00:34:10.000I've grown not just a huge following, but I can teach what I do because not only I'm still doing it, I'm really successful at it, but I've done it for 20 years nonstop, and I continue to do it now.
00:34:21.000So this is the part people don't understand.
00:34:23.000That's what makes you survive the authenticity around who you really fucking are.
00:36:24.000How are you able to game the market and kind of like capitalize on it and make money throughout the whole period of time while others lost money in the car market?
00:36:30.000Because you bought cars, I'm like, wow.
00:36:31.000And you make money on cars, I'm like, damn, 200k off this car?
00:37:25.000And I don't get in a rush to get in and out of things.
00:37:29.000So you may buy maybe like an SVJ and I'll buy an SVJ. But you'll buy an SVJ because you get emotional and you want an SVJ. I'll wait till I find the right SVJ at the right price, bring it down and make sure that it's the car everyone else will want.
00:37:44.000And I'll leverage my skills as the reason why I bought that car.
00:37:49.000Meaning if I couldn't get a good deal.
00:41:13.000But what I'm talking about is in their head, the way they think about things is what can I afford, not what is it really costing me.
00:41:22.000And this is the culture in America that banks have been really good at feeding down your throat for the last 30 years.
00:41:31.000So you've come to accept that what you buy, is based on what you can afford to pay for true credit.
00:41:39.000So this is a big, big, big problem in this country because even when people buy, like, leases, they think in their head, well, a lease is a better financial tool and then you have fucking retards on, like, Suze Orman and shit that are like, you should lease everything because they're bought by the banks.
00:41:56.000And what you're not realizing is you're buying the worst depreciating cycle of a car, which you can just avoid altogether and not...
00:42:06.000So the argument is, if I told you this, if you bought an SVJ and I bought an SVJ at the same exact price, but the SVJ you bought, you paid 900k for and then you sold it for 700k.
00:42:40.000So we're not saying don't buy NSFJ, and that's assuming you don't know any of my tricks, like you're just being an educated, intelligent shopper.
00:43:02.000Like, half the fucking world is already talking about this, right?
00:43:05.000That some cars don't appreciate, others do.
00:43:08.000And there's still fucking retards on the internet that are like, cars are liability because fucking Robert Kawasaki said don't buy luxuries or fucking Dave Ramsey or whatever fuck some jerk-off said live humble or some shit and you're supposed to not enjoy life till you're 80 and your dick doesn't work, you know?
00:46:18.000There's only the benefit of, you know, carrying the same last name or things like that that are relevant only if you have a family, like if you have children and stuff.
00:46:31.000No, and I'll tell you, you know, a lot of people, like, I guess one of the reasons that I think it changes a lot of people's lives is because it gives them a sense of purpose.
00:46:40.000And I've always had a very different sense of purpose, like a personal sense of purpose, and I've also been a very conscious person.
00:46:48.000And as a conscious person, you realize that consciousness is a single-player sport.
00:46:51.000It's not living life through the eyes of others.
00:46:54.000So I love my family, and I love being able to...
00:47:33.000I'm glad that I'm able to give them a better baseline start that I had growing up poor, meaning I didn't have a baseline of knowledge and I have a baseline of connections, network, and what I want to do in my life and how to go about it.
00:48:18.000Because I think they should wait, not buy it right now, until we see what happens when Trump gets in office and things happen more along those lines.
00:52:30.000You're either bankruptcy or you're fucking default on the loan and then you can't loan on another car.
00:52:35.000The better option or opportunity now, and this is happening in the market because there's a lot of people that made that mistake between 22 and 23. They bought shit.
00:52:47.000And so one thing you're seeing in the entire car business across the board is a lot of people are trading what they call modern supercars and luxury cars for a lot of collector-grade cars that have been on fire lately and been going up like crazy.
00:53:03.000Like, to give you an example, Aventadors have dropped significantly, like regular Aventadors, which are modern supercars, have come down huge.
00:53:11.000During COVID, they were like 500, then they came down to like 350. So you're losing like 150 grand, right?
00:53:18.000So that guy is trying to basically take that loss and say, fuck it, I fucked up and I lost 150. And he's trying to buy an LP640 right now, an older one, because that car, over the last 60, 90 days, has gone from 200 to 350. Now it's...
00:53:38.000I'm saying that that loss can be recouped now because there's a significant shift in the industry where people aren't liking these new hybrid cars.
00:53:50.000There's not a lot of good offerings for modern supercars now for the next wave of what's coming, so people aren't excited about it.
00:53:56.000And there has been a huge surplus of demand for 90s, 2000s, and 2010 supercars.
00:54:03.000And people have felt not only they're economically more liable, they're not like hybrid motors where they don't understand what happens to the values and they get crushed.
00:54:12.000And at the same time, they feel better because there's upside to the car.
00:54:16.000So if they own it for the next 10 years while there's uncertainty and what's going up, what's going down, what's going to happen to hybridization, then...
00:55:30.000I'm not going to make any money off this car.
00:55:32.000Historically, least residuals on these cars are like 90%, which is really high for a hybrid car.
00:55:38.000So that's like 70k off MSRP because it's a 750k car.
00:55:42.000But because of the spec, you know, being so special and like Tiffany Blue interior and something, someone will pay sticker for this car after I drive it 3,000 miles.
00:55:50.000But it has a one-year restriction from Lamborghini because all the Revolta's did.
00:55:55.000So I'm going to get rid of it after driving it a year.
00:56:34.000It has like 42 fucking buttons on it and modes and shit.
00:56:37.000So, in order to get in the car and actually drive, you gotta turn on the car, then turn off the hybrid system, turn on the performance system.
00:56:46.000Then, yeah, I mean, it's fucking retarded.
00:56:48.000You can't just get in it and enjoy it without feeling like you're turning on a jet fighter and you're about to go to war.
00:56:54.000So, it has a completely disconnected feel from this sense of driving, but they've made it so much more usable.
00:57:03.000As far as design, I think it's fucking beautiful.
01:00:59.000Okay, you tell me what cars a guy should buy for girls, for business.
01:01:01.000Number one car to get fucked in are roles.
01:01:05.000The Rolls is automatically symbol of wealth, not a symbol of douchery.
01:01:10.000So the general public, which we're using generic pussy that doesn't understand how money works because girls are basically on girl math territory.
01:01:23.000So the Rolls will get you more laid because you come across as a real businessman and you come across as a humblebrag rather than a person that's like, I need attention.
01:01:34.000And usually, bitches are like, I want guys that are like, have a lot of money and self-respect, but aren't seeking pussy all day long with a bright fucking yellow car, you know?
01:01:45.000Because I don't want to be the hoe that got in the fucking Lamborghini, like when the doors went up, like all the other hoes that did that.
01:02:09.000I just meant, like, if you have Phantoms and Cullinans, they get more pussy than if you have the, like, Poverty Ghost or some of these other, like, Wraiths and shit.
01:02:16.000I can't tell you how many guys in Miami I see drive around with a 2014 ghost, and I'm like...
01:02:20.000Bro, that's because it's like 75 grand now and they can afford it.
01:02:58.000So if they see you as marriage material, they probably want a G-Wagon because they want to fucking drive it next, and that's what they want.
01:03:05.000But generally, girls don't want to fuck guys because of G-Wagons.
01:04:13.000Like, so, if you want to be with the Flash, then obviously Ferraris, Lamborghinis do better, right?
01:04:20.000But depending on the crowd you win, a respectable, well-specced roles, Rafe, Don...
01:04:27.000Can be bought for under the price of a Hurcon.
01:04:29.000Let's talk about like value plays, right?
01:04:31.000You can, most people who are successfully okay, not like balling out of control, normal guys making two, 300k a year, can easily afford a Rolls-Royce Rafe or a Don, like a convertible.
01:04:45.000And if the spec is good and the car is clean, that will go way further for you than having a Hurcon.
01:04:55.000And it's just not as much of a rented car either.
01:04:58.000So because of that, it's more like, oh, that's an owner, not like some guy with a bright fucking green car driving down South Beach trying to, you know, like, get pussy.
01:05:07.000So that gives you more of a, like, I have a business, I like cars, you know, I have this respectable, beautiful car.
01:05:14.000Just so you know, from a money standpoint, the spec of what you drive says a lot about you.
01:05:22.000I really knew my car, and I'm an enthusiast, and I bought this, and I enjoy driving, and this is why I have this.
01:05:27.000Or it says, basically, I'm trying to show off.
01:05:29.000So there's a very big difference between I have an SVJ even, just because I bought an SVJ, to I bought this very precise, very collector-grade SVJ, and I'm driving it, you know?
01:05:39.000And different people get attracted to different things.
01:05:42.000So, like, young people that are men are going to be attracted to whatever's flashy, because that's what they've seen on Instagram.
01:05:48.000And just like older people are going to be attracted to classics, because they know their worth, and they understand what things are, right?
01:05:54.000So depending on the crowd you want to get in...
01:05:56.000You're going to have to rethink, like, how do I want to network with people?
01:08:04.000No one's gonna fuck with you because you have an R8, which is a cool car, and it's like, it's like the, hey, I have a nice car, but I'm not trying too hard.
01:08:11.000The other thing, too, is they don't fucking break down.
01:08:13.000So they're like the Porsches, they're like really easy fucking cars.
01:08:16.000So as you're getting new to the game and you don't want like 10 grand in expenses, 20 grand in expenses, it's like the training wheel to exotic cars.
01:08:22.000You know, it's like, hey, and also they're not too low.
01:08:25.000So as you're getting on and off driveways and shit.
01:08:28.000You don't have like, fuck, I ripped my bumper apart, etc.
01:08:31.000And one of the things people don't realize is they think as soon as they have money, they have to compete.
01:08:48.000Competing with people is one thing, but competing with yourself is the number one thing.
01:08:53.000And if you can start with an R8 and ensure you know how to drive, You don't create chaos.
01:08:58.000You build a network and you get a respectable network of friends that own supercars.
01:09:04.000What's going to happen from that is you're going to evolve into your next car without having a $30,000 blown bumper on the next car, buying a lemon because you didn't know what the fuck you were doing, not knowing who's going to repair your car when shit goes bad and you spend $30,000 in a dealership.
01:09:19.000These are the small things that people are like, I want an SVG now.
01:10:34.000Here's my inadequacies, and here's how I have to deal with them.
01:10:37.000In three years, I'll be number one in the game.
01:10:40.000You know, and that's the key to the game.
01:10:43.000Like, I didn't give a shit growing up if someone thought I was poor if I drove a fucking cheap R8. That was okay with me because I was poor in context to what other people had, right?
01:12:06.000You'll learn to retain your money because you don't know what's coming next year.
01:12:11.000So when you're in business and you're independent, you're not relying on a job or the fucking matrix, you have to think ahead.
01:12:18.000How do I guarantee I can be successful?
01:12:21.000Right now, I'm planning 2027 and 2028 in my business.
01:12:25.000I'm not talking about 2025. I don't even give a shit about 2025. I was planning that in 2023. Now that I'm in 2025, we're executing.
01:12:34.000The team's executing everything I put in place.
01:12:36.000I'm working on what businesses, what processes need to be perfected by 27 and 28. And that's what I'm trying to put in place now so that we get good at it by 27 to guarantee that This business survives, you know, and continues to thrive instead of like, we made all the money, I spent everything, and now we're fucking like figuring something out.
01:12:58.000So if you want to be successful in life, you have to figure out how to retain the success you've earned.
01:13:04.000If you bought an R8, you're retaining that by not going to an SVJ too fast so that you can retain that level so when you do get the SVJ, no one takes that shit away from you.
01:13:57.000So the problem with the electrification fully of cars is the mechanical art of it disappears.
01:14:05.000So when there's no labor to make something and a computer can just make it 10 times better, then you can improve the car at a significant rate.
01:16:40.000You need to be out there more because I feel like you have a lot to share, but you're so focused on the business side, but now you should be seen as authority everywhere.
01:16:50.000But doesn't authority have to be liked?
01:16:56.000Because I don't need to be liked to be right.
01:16:58.000But the thing is, you're not out there, though.
01:17:00.000Like, for example, I see other people that try to do what you do.
01:17:02.000And they're trying to go out there and earfuck the world about what they're doing.
01:17:05.000But they're not an authority and they suck at it.
01:17:07.000But if you go out there and speak the truth of what you're saying now, I guarantee...
01:17:11.000Guys, what he said this whole podcast, if you take it in, really take it in, listen to what he's saying, and follow it, you're going to be a G in business and in life.
01:17:18.000But then again, people are like, oh yeah, bro, go get this, go get that, go do this.
01:17:22.000But I feel like all the cartoons get popular because all they do is bullshit the world into whatever they want to hear.
01:18:32.000Yeah, guys, we're still doing a podcast together with me and Myron, but I'll do shows with more of my friends on my network and celebrities that you guys may not know or may know of for more personal conversation one-on-one.
01:18:42.000You know, this is more value for you guys.
01:20:02.000I think if guys, you listen to what you're saying internally, it can help you move forward mentally, physically as well, and business-wise in life.
01:20:10.000So I'll tell you, we were talking about being likable.
01:20:13.000So I'll give people a piece of advice about learning and growing in life.
01:20:17.000The information you need in your life doesn't always come from sources that you like to hear it from.
01:22:12.000When you don't have a million dollars to spend and I give you advice on how to spend a million dollars, you're not going to understand why that advice makes sense.
01:22:19.000And you might actually make really bad moves trying to follow it because you don't understand that and you try to apply it to how to spend a hundred grand.
01:22:27.000You go, hey, this guy said that's how I should do it.
01:22:29.000So let's go back, you know, and let's do it now and I'll kind of get there.
01:22:33.000You don't want to do that because you're going to end up really broke trying to adopt the mindset that someone who is a billion dollars They don't have a survival instinct.
01:23:31.000The less you'll correlate to how to actually apply shit, and then you'll be like, I have a lot of knowledge, and I've basically done jack shit in my life.