EE 412 - Scarcity, Strategy & Secrets: How Trevor Built an Elite CEO Network

In this special Dubai-recorded edition of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with Trevor McFarlane—CEO and founder of EMIR, the ultra-exclusive intelligence and advisory network serving the region’s top CEOs, ministers, and government officials.

Trevor shares the incredible story behind building EMIR from scratch—starting with a borrowed ballroom at the Burj Al Arab and a fake guest list—to now curating powerful, private briefings for over 400 regional leaders.

This episode is a masterclass in the psychology of influence, the power of elite curation, and why being “hard to access” is a business strategy. Trevor also offers a piercing macroeconomic analysis of what lies ahead globally, from Trump 2.0 and AI to population booms and climate migration.

Whether you’re a founder, strategist, or just a curious mind—this one will leave you thinking.

🎧 Show Notes

In this episode, we cover:

🎩 How Trevor built a high-trust, invite-only CEO network across the Middle East.

🧠 The psychology of selectivity: why scarcity builds value.

💼 Turning elite briefings into board-level influence (and the risk that comes with it)

🌍 From geopolitics to geoeconomics: why the next 25 years will divide the world

📉 The real danger of AI: widening inequality

📈 Opportunity in adversity: where Trevor sees business potential in climate migration and demographic collapse

🏠 A surprising Airbnb idea involving abandoned Japanese islands

🇮🇪 Trevor’s blunt take on Ireland’s economy, inequality, and global tax pressures

Quote of the Episode

💬 “What we’re selling isn’t just intelligence—it’s trust, access, and success.” – Trevor McFarlane

🔗 Links & Resources

EMIR Official Website → www.emirintelligence.com

 Book mention: The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

Visit my Partners 

Enterprise Ireland: https://bit.ly/EIreland

 Azure Communications: https://bit.ly/azureEE

 Nostra: https://bit.ly/nostraee