Make It Up, Make It Real, Make It Recur: The Ultimate Entrepreneurial Success Formula with Joe Polish and Dan Sullivan - 10xTalk Episode #238

May 16, 2025

Discover the entrepreneurial framework 'Make it up, make it real, make it recur' that helps transform innovative ideas into lasting successes. Dive into the hidden business killers that often derail ventures and the power of collaboration that can fuel creativity and profitability. Explore the dangers of blindly copying others in business and why authenticity should prevail. Gain insights into strategic planning and the importance of recognizing strengths to seize new opportunities for growth.

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INSIGHT

Entrepreneur's Success Formula

Making it up, making it real, and making it recur is a formula separating real entrepreneurs from wannabes.
True entrepreneurs create genuine value rather than conning or faking their way through business.

ADVICE

Test Tools Before Scaling

Create a simple tool based on entrepreneur input and test it extensively with clients.
Then hand it off to a team that makes the tool real and scalable in your business.

ADVICE

Beware of Copying Others

Avoid building a business model based on stealing or copying others' work outright.
Respect originality and protect your intellectual property to build a lasting business.

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Dan Sullivan and Joe Polish dive into the Entrepreneurial framework “Make it up, make it real, make it recur” and explore how true innovation is built and scaled. They also unpack the ethics of creation vs. imitation, the power of collaboration, and how to know when it’s time to walk away.

Here’s a glance at what you’ll discover in this episode:

The 3-Part Formula That Separates Real Entrepreneurs From Wannabes: Most Entrepreneurs get stuck in the idea stage or fall into a cycle of “starting and stopping.”
Dan reveals his powerful framework that helps Entrepreneurs turn ideas into reality and create repeatable success.
The Hidden Business Killer That Could Be Right Under Your Nose: Dan talks about the surprising factor that secretly derails more businesses than bad products, poor marketing, or lack of funding...
The Collaboration Formula That Turns Pure Creativity Into a Money-Making Machine: Some people are brilliant at making things up, but they fail at making it real. Others can build great systems, but they lack vision.
Dan and Joe discuss a case study of a creative genius and his business-savvy partner—one who was lost in artistic chaos, the other who turned the vision into a thriving company. If you’ve ever struggled to turn ideas into income, this might be the missing link...
Why "Swipe & Deploy" Might Be Costing You More Than You Think: In an era where “funnel hacking” and copying competitors is glorified, Dan and Joe pull back the curtain on what’s really happening behind the scenes. They expose the fine line between smart modeling and outright theft—and why Entrepreneurs who rely on copying are unknowingly building a house of cards that’s bound to collapse.
How to Avoid the #1 Mistake That Ruins Great Business Collaborations: Ever entered into a business partnership that started off exciting… only to turn into a nightmare?
Dan and Joe unpack why most partnerships fail, the critical elements of a successful collaboration, and why the worst ship you can board is a partnership—unless you follow this ONE KEY RULE...
The Uncomfortable Truth About Knowing When to Walk Away: Most Entrepreneurs know when to fire an employee. But what happens when YOU are the bottleneck?
Dan shares a rare behind-the-scenes story of walking away from a million-dollar project—and why knowing when to “fire yourself” can be the ultimate power move.

If you’d like to join world-renowned Entrepreneurs at the next Genius Network Event or want to learn more about Genius Network, go to www.GeniusNetwork.com.