Brandon Dawson: 97% of Startups Fail! How to Beat the Odds and Scale to 9 Figures | Entrepreneurship | E364

A few years after being voted 'least likely to succeed' in high school, Brandon Dawson defied expectations by scaling his first company from zero to $75 million. Since then, he has built and sold multiple nine-figure businesses. As the co-founder of Cardone Ventures, he helps entrepreneurs build wealth, scale effectively, and lead with purpose. In this episode, Brandon reveals why 97% of businesses fail and shares how to beat the odds and achieve business growth. He also discusses his core leadership principles and the key traits of a great business partner.

In this episode, Hala and Brandon will discuss:

(00:00) Introduction

(02:21) His Early Life and Entrepreneurship Journey

(09:27) Bootstrapping a Startup vs. VC Funding

(19:10) Why Entrepreneurs Should Prioritize Cash Reserves

(26:14) Scale vs. Scaling: Redefining Business Growth

(36:48) Why 92% of Businesses Fail to Scale Past $3M

(40:25) The ‘Law of the Lid’ in Leadership

(45:47) Actionable Steps to Improving Leadership Skills

(55:46) Building 9-Figure Businesses with Grant Cardone

(01:03:01) The Key Traits to Look for in Business Partners

Brandon Dawson is an entrepreneur, scaling expert, and co-founder of Cardone Ventures. As CEO of Sonus Corporation, he grew it to over 1,400 locations and raised $58 million. He later founded Audigy Group, scaling it from $500,000 to $35 million before selling it for $151 million. With over 30 years of experience, Brandon helps businesses scale using data-driven strategies, navigate breakpoints, and avoid common pitfalls.

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Resources Mentioned:

Brandon's Website: bdawson.com 

Brandon's Book, Nine-Figure Mindset: bit.ly/9FigureMindset

Brandon’s Podcast, Building Billions: bit.ly/BuildingBillions-Apple 

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell: bit.ly/21-Laws 

Good to Great (6 book series) by Jim Collins: bit.ly/GTG-Series 

Rich Dad's Cashflow Quadrant by Robert T. Kiyosaki: bit.ly/CashQuadrant 

Sell or Be Sold by Grant Cardone: bit.ly/Sell-Be-Sold 

Start The Work by Natalie Dawson: bit.ly/StartTheWork 

Three Feet from Gold by Sharon L. Lechter: bit.ly/3-Feet-Gold 

Active Deals - youngandprofiting.com/deals 

Key YAP Links

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YouTube - youtube.com/c/YoungandProfiting

LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/htaha/

Instagram - instagram.com/yapwithhala/

Social + Podcast Services: yapmedia.com

Transcripts - youngandprofiting.com/episodes-new 

Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurship Podcast, Business, Business Podcast, Self Improvement, Self-Improvement, Personal Development, Starting a Business, Strategy, Investing, Sales, Selling, Psychology, Productivity, Entrepreneurs, AI, Artificial Intelligence, Technology, Marketing, Negotiation, Money, Finance, Side Hustle, Startup, Mental Health, Career, Leadership, Mindset, Health, Growth Mindset, Passive income, Online Business, Solopreneur, Founder, Networking