How I Lost My Company and Built a $500M Business Instead | Brandon Dawson | E79

At 29 years old, Brandon Dawson was on top of the world. He had taken his company public, stood on the American Stock Exchange floor, and rang the bell. He felt unstoppable until his private equity investors sold his company against his will. Most people would have quit, but Brandon learned from this setback, cracked the code to scaling, and went on to build and sell his next company for $151 million. Today, he helps business owners do the same through Cardone Ventures, a $500 million business he co-founded. In this episode, Brandon joins Ilana to share insights on scaling a business against all odds, why 97% of businesses fail, and how to be in the top 3%.

Brandon Dawson is an entrepreneur, scaling expert, and co-founder of Cardone Ventures. With over 30 years of experience, he helps businesses scale using data-driven strategies, navigate breakpoints, and avoid common pitfalls.

In this episode, Ilana and Brandon will discuss:

(00:00) Introduction 

(01:47) From College Dropout to Top Sales Performer

(03:45) Selling Everything to Start a Business

(05:48) Getting Kicked Out of His Own Company

(09:08) Surviving the Early Years of Entrepreneurship 

(12:31) Turning Leadership Failures into Billion-Dollar Lessons

(16:08) The $151 Million Exit That Made Employees Millions

(21:57) Scaling a Family Business Without the Chaos

(25:22) Staying Unstoppable in the Face of Hate

(32:12) Why Most Entrepreneurs Fail and How to Avoid It

(39:41) Making Data-Driven Decisions in Business

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 before investors took control and sold the company against his wishes. 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.

Connect with Brandon:

Brandon’s Website: https://bdawson.com

Brandon’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/brandonmdawson 

Resources Mentioned:

Brandon’s Book, Nine-Figure Mindset: How to Go from Zero to Over $100 Million in Net Worth: https://www.amazon.com/Nine-Figure-Mindset-Zero-Million-Worth/dp/B0C8G8CTQC 

The 5 Levels of Leadership: Proven Steps to Maximize Your Potential by John C. Maxwell: https://www.amazon.com/Levels-Leadership-Proven-Maximize-Potential/dp/1599953633 

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You by John C. Maxwell: https://www.amazon.com/21-Irrefutable-Laws-Leadership-Anniversary/dp/0785288376 

Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...And Others Don't by Jim Collins: https://www.amazon.com/Good-Great-Some-Companies-Others/dp/0066620996 

Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck--Why Some Thrive Despite Them All by Jim Collins, Morten T. Hansen: http://amazon.com/Great-Choice-Uncertainty-Luck-Why-Despite/dp/0062120999 

Leap Academy:

Ready to make the LEAP in your career? There is a NEW way for professionals to Advance Their Careers & Make 5-6 figures of EXTRA INCOME in Record Time.

Check out our free training today at leapacademy.com/training