You don’t need to meet 30 billionaires to learn how to get rich — you just need to truly understand the 5 things they all have in common.
Over the course of four years, one young man spent all his time interviewing more than 30 of the world’s most powerful billionaires and entrepreneurs — from Will Smith, Shaquille O’Neal, Reid Hoffman (LinkedIn), and Robert Herjavec (Shark Tank) to the founders of Bugatti Residences in Dubai.
He didn’t ask them about their cars, mansions, or bank accounts. He asked just one question:
“What truly made you wealthy — not just in money, but in mindset?”
Their answers revealed lessons that were simple yet profound. Not everyone can apply them, but those who do often change their lives forever.
The original video lasts over 25 minutes, but this article will give you the essence in just 5 minutes.
Here are the 5 most powerful lessons in personal finance, drawn from those who sit at the top of the financial world.
1. Don’t Take Advice from People Who Haven’t Been Where You Want to Go – Will Smith
“Listening to people who’ve never done what you want to do is insanity.”
Most of us seek advice from people around us — even when they’ve never achieved what we aspire to.
We ask for investment tips from those who’ve never invested.
We ask for startup advice from those who’ve never built a business.
That’s one of the most common — and most costly — mistakes.
Lesson: In finance, bad advice is more expensive than a bad investment.
Choose your mentors using one rule: They must already live the life you want to live.
Otherwise, everything they tell you is just theory and illusion.
2. Build Yourself Until Opportunities Come to You – Robert Herjavec (Shark Tank)
“If you don’t know anyone, become someone people want to know.”
Robert Herjavec was born into a poor family. His father swept factory floors; his mother worked as a receptionist.
He had no capital, no connections, no help. But instead of asking for opportunities, he created them — by becoming so valuable that people couldn’t ignore him.
He said: “If you want to connect with successful people, you must have something that makes them want to connect back.”
Personal brand, skills, and credibility — those are the social assets that every wealthy person starts building early.
Lesson: Opportunities don’t come from begging; they come from competence and consistency.
In personal finance, your brand and discipline are the first assets you must build.
3. If Money Doesn’t Work for You, You’ll Work Forever – Ashley Fox (Wall Street)
“The rich don’t let money sleep. They give it a job.”
Ashley Fox, a former financial advisor for billionaires on Wall Street, noticed one thing in common:
None of them let their money sit idle.
Every dollar had a “mission” — to invest, reinvest, or generate returns.
She said: “You can’t save your way to wealth — you can only invest your way there.”
That’s the key difference between an employee and someone financially free:
One saves to survive, the other invests to grow.
Lesson: Money sitting in your account is dead capital.
Make it work — through investing, learning, or starting something.
If you don’t give money orders, it quietly leaves you through inflation.
4. Keep Your Expenses Small Long Enough — and You’ll Grow Big Soon Enough
One entrepreneur who made $16 million in a single year shared this:
When he started out, he lived on just $4,000 a month, even though he was earning over $30,000.
He reinvested the rest — over and over again.
That’s why, when opportunity came, he was ready.
Most people do the opposite: earn more → spend more → never become free.
They live to look successful instead of becoming successful.
Lesson: Financial freedom doesn’t come from a high income — it comes from disciplined spending.
When you control your expenses, you control your choices.
Living below your means isn’t weakness — it’s the foundation of sustainable growth.
5. Think in 10 Years, Not 10 Months – Reid Hoffman (LinkedIn)
“I don’t play the 1-year game. I play the 10-year game.”
Reid Hoffman sold LinkedIn to Microsoft for $26 billion, but his most important advice was this:
Big success requires long vision.
Most people fail because they want instant results, while the wealthy think in 10-year cycles.
Compound interest — both in money and in career — only works for those who are patient.
Time is the most loyal ally of those who act in the right direction and wait long enough.
Lesson: If you think in 1-year terms, you make money.
If you think in 10-year terms, you build wealth — and a life.
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