How to Turn a Huge Vision Into a Reality A successful entrepreneur talks about his journey, the lessons he's learned and where his sights are set next.

By Lewis Howes

entrepreneur daily

This story originally appeared on Lewis Howes

Some people dream big (I am one of them).

Some people actually take action on their dreams (this is me too).

And some people do whatever it takes to turn their dreams into reality (yes!).

This last group of dreamers is the smallest. It takes courage, hustle, hard work, commitment, and it requires that for a long long time.

Today's guest on The School of Greatness definitely makes the cut for this group.

Bryan Johnson started his first business in college when he was broke, desperate, and selling mobile phones door to door. He scaled it into a profitable company with several employees. But then his next two businesses were terrible failures.

And that's when he found the inspiration for his mega-successful venture that he sold to PayPal for $800 million.

I loved talking with Bryan about his journey, the lessons he's learned, how he created an incredible culture at his company, and where his sights are set next.

Make no mistake that this guy is brilliant and going places. But he also has a huge heart and has been focused on creating massive change in the world for a long time.

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In this episode, you will learn:

  • He "retired" at 35 when sold his first mega-successful company Braintree
  • How he started his first company in 2 days during college
  • How his "unhireability" led him to the perfect situation to discover the idea for Braintree
  • The three goals he had while creating the company that became so exceptional
  • Why Bryan created a culture of true transparency in his company and how it supported its success
  • The power of the stories you tell in your company to reinforce what is desirable from your employees
  • Why Bryan encouraged his employees to criticize him to create a culture of honesty
  • The value of being ok with the amount of chaos that comes with being human
Lewis Howes

New York Times Bestselling Author, Entrepreneur, Coach

Lewis Howes is a New York Times bestselling author of The School of Greatness and The Mask of Masculinity. He is a lifestyle entrepreneur, high performance business coach and keynote speaker. A former professional football player and two-sport All-American, he is a current USA Men’s National Handball Team athlete. He hosts a top 100 iTunes ranked Apple podcast, The School of Greatness. Howes was recognized by the White House and President Obama as one of the top 100 entrepreneurs in the country under 30. Details magazine called him one of “5 Internet Guru’s that can Make You Rich.”  Howes has been featured on Ellen, Good Morning America, The Today Show, The New York Times, People, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Men’s Health and other major media outlets.

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