E200: 21 Harsh Truths Nobody Will Ever Tell You - Alex Hormozi

In this episode of How I Invest, I’m joined by Alex Hormozi — entrepreneur, investor, and founder of Acquisition.com — to unpack the mindset and methods that have fueled his success across multiple industries. We dive deep into why entrepreneurship is more a “game of the heart” than the mind, the power of compounding skills, the dangers of “ignorance debt,” and how to strategically decide whether to build skills yourself or bring in outside talent. Alex shares candid stories from his career — from building gyms to scaling software companies — and offers sharp insights on persistence, focus, and eliminating distractions to win long-term. We also explore the nuances of goal setting, why tiny incremental improvements matter when scaled to millions, and the art of building high-value peer networks. Whether you’re an aspiring founder, seasoned operator, or investor, you’ll walk away with concrete frameworks to increase your odds of success — and the conviction to keep playing the game long enough to win. -- Highlights: Why persistence outperforms raw intelligence in entrepreneurship The unseen advantage of being around excellence and winning teams How to identify and reduce “ignorance debt” in your business The compounding effect of stacking complementary skills over time Why patience and focus are the hardest — yet most valuable — entrepreneurial skills Building “luck surface area” and increasing your odds of success Deciding when to build a skill versus bringing in outside expertise Marginal gains at scale: why 2% improvements can move the needle massively The ROI framework Alex uses to decide where to spend his time and resources Strategic giving and networking: building IOUs that pay off years later -- Guest Bio: @AlexHormozi Hormozi is an entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist. With his wife, @leilahormozi Hormozi, he co-founded Acquisition.com, investing in and scaling businesses while sharing their methods through books, podcasts, and media. He’s the author of $100M Offers and $100M Leads, with his new book $100M Money Models launching August 16, 2025. Our Podcast now receives more than 300,000 downloads a month. Are you interested in sponsoring an episode? Please email David Weisburd at david@weisburdcapital.com . #VentureCapital #VC #Startups #OpenLP #assetmanagement -- Huge Announcement: Alex Hormozi's newest book, $100M Money Models, launches at a live virtual event Saturday August 16th. Register free: https://register.acq.com The book will teach you how to get more customers to spend more, in less time, over and over again, ultimately eliminating cash flow as a constraint to growth of any business. – Stay Connected: X / Twitter: David Weisburd: @dweisburd Alex Hormozi: @AlexHormozi LinkedIn: David Weisburd: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dweisburd/ Alex Hormozi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexhormozi/ Links Acquisition.com: https://www.acquisition.com/ -- Questions or topics you want us to discuss on How I Invest? Email us at david@weisburdcapital.com . (0:00) Episode preview (1:00) Welcome back, Alex Hormozi and entrepreneurship insights (2:32) Underestimating time for success and skills around excellence (5:40) Learning from higher social status and power dynamics (9:46) Defining ignorance debt and the context of advice (17:27) Compounding skills versus mastering one (24:32) Luck surface area and restarting for cash flow (29:44) Focus as the hardest entrepreneurship aspect (31:17) Levels and characters in the entrepreneurial game (34:54) Tailoring advice to individual entrepreneurs (37:03) Changing behavior and soft skills in older employees (42:14) Preparing for book launch presentations (44:16) Sharing goals publicly and visualization techniques (50:32) Observable actions and career reflections (57:00) Investment regrets and doubling down on successes (1:00:19) Emotional investing challenges and building a mastermind (1:03:36) Networking strategies and bridging creator-investor worlds (1:06:26) Narrowing focus, expanding globally, and AI in deal flow (1:09:00) Transactional relationships and optimal give-to-take ratio (1:14:18) Content leverage and managing time (1:19:15) Initial behavior and relationship efficiency (1:22:21) Communication skills and meeting objectives (1:28:31) Anxiety, performance, and stylistic communication (1:33:25) Entertainment versus education in content creation (1:36:25) Influencing and effectiveness in content (1:39:41) Original content generation and value per word (1:45:45) Independent thinking for success and conviction in investments (1:49:30) Elon Musk's management strategies and leadership vision (1:59:43) High agency challenges and optimizing media production (2:03:51) Solving business constraints and the importance of talent (2:07:48) Closing remarks