Michia Rohrssen is a 3-time founder, world champion in martial arts, and content creator who sold his tech company for $110 million at 34. He explores the transformational journey from a challenging upbringing to financial freedom. Michia shares how self-doubt fueled his pursuits and why he prioritizes purpose over wealth. He discusses embracing a 'James Bond lifestyle' while navigating the paradox of choice, and inspires listeners by detailing his decision to help entrepreneurs find their own freedom, including turning down a massive earn-out for a YouTube career.
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insights INSIGHT
Vision and Doubt Drive Success
Negative self-doubt pushed Michia while his vision pulled him forward during his 20s.
His dream life now matches exactly what he journaled in his early 20s, a blend of aspiration and persistence.
question_answer ANECDOTE
High Mentor Investment
Michia paid nearly $770,000 in mentorship and consulting fees during his startup journey.
This investment highlights the value he places on learning from experienced advisors.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Ethical Content Monetization
Avoid selling low-value online courses and be wary of make-money online fraudsters.
Only monetize content if it truly helps your audience make more money collectively.
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In 'The 4-Hour Workweek', Timothy Ferriss presents a step-by-step guide to 'lifestyle design', encouraging readers to question the traditional notion of retirement and instead create a lifestyle that prioritizes freedom, adventure, and personal growth. The book teaches how to outsource life tasks, automate income, and eliminate unnecessary work using principles like the 80/20 rule and Parkinson’s Law. Ferriss shares his personal journey from a corporate workaholic to a location-independent entrepreneur and provides practical tips and case studies to help readers achieve similar results. The book emphasizes the importance of focusing on high-value activities, taking 'mini-retirements', and living life to the fullest in the present rather than deferring enjoyment until retirement.
Please give a warm welcome to today's guest, Michia Rohrssen: a 3x founder, world champion in 3 martial arts, investor, and content creator with a mission to empower a million people to live lives brimming with freedom, wealth, and happiness.
In this interview, Michia shares his secrets for crafting his dream post-exit lifestyle, practical investing, and living life with purpose and a happy marriage—all just 2 years after selling his tech business for $110 million at age 34.
Michia has lived in New York City and Silicon Valley but now shares his time between London and Taipei.
Michia Rohrssen: ''I'm an adventurer"
Feeling shame and being at fault for being poor. Money as a motivator to start a business.
Feeling unworthy as the motivator to become World Champion in Karate, Kung Fu and Tae Kwon Do.
“The negative self-doubt pushing me and the vision for my life pulling me forward.”
“My life today is everything I hoped in my 20s my life would look like”
“The James Bond life style that I am living now”
Tim Ferris as the role model for lifestyle.
“I am SO proud of whom I’ve become”.
Financial freedom and the “paradox of choice”.
The pursuit of money beyond freedom is a wasteful pursuit.”
How I prepared myself for What’s next before I sold the company.
A year after the sale: “I am going to give myself permission to take time to figure this out.”
I gave up a $4.9M earn-out to start my YouTube channel “to help other entrepreneurs to live the life I am living.”
“Man, I wake up every day and I am super-fulfilled!”
The “make money” online course space is uniquely crowded with fraudsters, who never actually made money in business.
“I paid $770K in consulting, advising and mentorship fees.”
When I ran a start up, I secretly felt everyone in the company was on a mental health journey with me.
I only want to do things that collectively help my audience make more money
One on one mentorship is not aligned with how I want to live my life. Unless I can do it scalably, as a platform
Building another business is absolutely interest me!
My dream is to give away a billion dollars!
When I left I had about 200 people working for me
Prodigy’s business model
We had no passion for building software for car dealership and was honest with our employees about it
The sale of Prodigy for “Life-changing money”. How going away and disconnecting helped me pivot the business and sold for much more
3 main lessons from building the business.
Lessons from structuring my business sale. Manage your emotions during the sale process and Eliminate any performance based goals.
Lessons I learn from my exit and advice to post-exit founders.
Saying NO. Stick to your investment policy
How I felt the moment I sold my business.
“I started feeling the lack of purpose.” “Slowly fidgeting through life till death”.
Give yourself permission to look for your purpose.
Post-exit self-care for workaholics.
My fulfilment formula
How I design my dream life
Math problems vs art problems
My post-exit investing strategies
How to live off a portfolio. Income vs capital
I live on 3% of my net worth
Angel investing
How to deal with fear of losing money
My geography: Taipei, Tokyo, London “I don’t want to optimize my life around taxes… As long as taxes are not impeding my lifestyle”
The benefit of traveling
I spend a third of my time on self-development: gym, reading, learning Mandarin and Japanese
How we kept marriage happy though my exit. “She is super happy now”
Why I never regretted selling Prodigy
I am willing to pay the “price for admission” into the social circle I want to be in
I am a massive introvert
My identity: adventurer, a YouTuber, my values
Overcoming insecurities
I don’t love health for health’s sake.
"My ice bath is one of the biggest life-changes"
Religion filled up a giant hole in my life
I hope there will be people whose lives I completely changed
Exit Paradox 