Dan Martell

There's a reason your team stops talking when you enter the room.

The corporate world is drowning in toxic leadership.

Bosses who mistake fear for respect. 
Managers who confuse control with competence. 
“Leaders“ who destroy morale and call it accountability.

The world doesn't need more bosses. It needs more actual leaders.

And here's the uncomfortable truth: your team is watching to see which one you are.

They watch everything. How you handle stress. How you treat mistakes. Whether you practice what you preach.

They don't follow your words. They follow your example.

If you demand excellence but deliver mediocrity...
If you preach accountability but dodge responsibility...
If you talk “growth mindset“ but resist feedback...

You're not leading. You're performing.

Real leaders demonstrate:
• Consistency between words and actions
• Vulnerability when they don't have answers
• Ownership of failures, sharing of victories

Fake leaders demonstrate:
• “Do as I say, not as I do“ mentality
• Blame-shifting when things go wrong
• Expecting standards they don't meet

Your team doesn't need you to be perfect.
They need you to be real.

Ask yourself: Would I follow someone who acts the way I act?

If the answer is no, your team probably feels the same way.

Leadership isn't a position.
It's a standard you hold yourself to first.

Be the leader you wish you had.

-DM

Want to know if someone's ready to lead?

Don't look at their performance. Look at their team's.

The best predictor of leadership isn't how good someone is at their job. It's whether they make everyone around them better at theirs.

Do people ask them for help? Do they share knowledge freely? Do they celebrate other people's wins? Do they take blame when things go wrong?

That's leadership. Everything else is management.

Most companies promote their best individual contributors and wonder why they fail as managers.

It's because you promoted them for being great at the job, not for making others great at the job.

Stop promoting for past performance. Start promoting for future impact.

-DM

Losers know everything.

Winners never stop learning.

-DM

It's okay to live a life others don't understand.

-DM

Everything you want is just 30 minutes away.

The fitness. The creativity. The connection. The progress.

It's all right there. Waiting.

Not for someday. For today.

You've been telling yourself you'll start when things slow down.
When you have more time.
When it feels right.

But the truth is... it'll never feel right. And you already have the time.

30 minutes. That's it.

That's the distance between who you are and who you're becoming.

The better version of you isn't months away. It's one decision away.

Make the call. Start the workout. Ask the girl. Have the conversation.

Just give it 30 minutes.

You're so much closer than you think.

-DM

If you've ever thought "I could build that if I just had a team"...

You now have a team.

It just doesn't require payroll, management, or meetings.

This is the unlock. The excuse of "I don't have the resources" has evaporated.

You have access to tools that give you capabilities that used to require hiring 10 people.

The gap between idea and execution has never been smaller.

What are you waiting for?

-DM

On my flight the other day, I heard an elderly woman who was boarding ask the staff if they accepted cash on the flight.

Anyone who travels knows they only accept cards...

But something pulled at me to say something.

So as she passed by, I quietly asked if she’d allow me to cover anything she needed.

It was 12 (noon) and a two hour flight... I figured she was probably hungry.

She couldn’t believe my offer.

She asked me why I would do that?

I just told her that she looked like someone who would do the same if our roles were reversed. 😉

She smiled and said, “100% I would.”

After a few seconds, she graciously accepted and I let the stewardess know that I’d cover whatever she ordered.

Towards the end of the flight, a stewardess handed me this note. ❤️

Now, I’m not sharing this to brag...

I’m sharing this because I believe every once in a while we get asked - inside our hearts - to serve.

Many of us rationalize that voice... dismiss it... and move on.

But what if you didn’t?

What if you leaned in and did what you could to help?

It’s been years that I’ve been listening with my heart wide open.

I don’t question it anymore... and I give without expectations.

I just assume there's a higher reason.

Who knew what she was dealing with in her life. What she’d experienced.

Maybe it was her first time flying?

All I knew is that if it was my grandmother, I would hope someone would take care of her.

It just felt right.

So next time you hear that voice...

Or something pulls on your heart...

Just know that you are being guided.

And if you’re in an incredible & fortunate place to help... that you should do something.

No matter how small.

You never know the ripple effect it might have in this crazy world we live in.

Insanely grateful,

- DM.

Every legend looked “average” first.

455 uploads. 300 rejections. 9,000 missed shots.

Keep swinging until consistency makes you dangerous.

Your job isn’t to be perfect, it’s to keep going.

The work compounds. The world catches up.

So, why not you?

-DM

Nobody is coming to save you.

Realizing this is the only way you'll get where you want to be.

At 20 I was 265 lbs.

Rock bottom.

It took me years to understand that I had full responsibility for my situation.

I decided I was done with the bullsh*t and did this:

I changed my IDENTITY.

So, I decided I was an athlete.

Not a guy trying to get in shape, but an athlete.

That meant no hitting snooze and no skipping workouts.

Then I wrote down "I am a triathlete" before I even knew how to swim.

And slowly I started believing it.

Until one day I crossed the finish line at my first triathlon.

This can be applied to anything.

Don't wait until you have the evidence.

You decide who you are first.

Then you become it.

-DM

Never underestimate a person who practices self-education in their free time.

I've built multiple companies alongside both Ivy League graduates and high school dropouts.

The correlation between success and formal education?
Almost zero.

The correlation between success and self-education?
Nearly perfect.

The standouts were rarely the ones with perfect resumes.
They were often the ones who never stopped evolving.
The ones whos refuse to stay the same.

The world rewards credentials, but it runs on competence.

The degree on your wall might tell where you've been.
But what you do at 9pm on a Sunday tells the world where you're going.

-DM

The most expensive hire you'll ever make is the one that replaces someone great.

Your top performers aren't just doing their job. They're preventing problems you don't even know exist.

They're the ones who catch mistakes before they become disasters.
Who solve issues before they reach your desk.
Who make the impossible look easy.

You don't realize how much they were worth until they're gone and everything starts breaking.

The companies that win pay their best people like they're irreplaceable.

Because they are.

Your choice: pay them what they're worth now, or pay someone else twice as much to get half the results later.

The math is brutal either way. One version just costs less.

-DM

Trained employees solve problems. Untrained employees become problems.

Trained employees make your life easier. Untrained employees make everything harder.

Trained employees attract other good people. Untrained employees drive good people away.

The companies struggling to hire right now are the same ones that never invested in the people they had.

The companies with waiting lists of applicants are the ones known for developing talent.

Your reputation as a leader isn't built on who you kept. It's built on who you developed.

Stop hoarding people like assets and start developing them like investments.

Some will leave. Most will stay. All will remember how you treated them.

-DM

People don't quit jobs where they're learning and growing.

They quit jobs where they've stopped.

You can have the best salary, the best perks, the best title.

If someone isn't developing, they're leaving. Just a matter of time.

Your team will either grow with you or outgrow you.

Train them so well they could thrive anywhere. Treat them so well they don't want to go anywhere.

It's the only retention strategy that actually works.

-DM

Want to know if someone's ready to lead?

Don't look at their performance. Look at their team's.

The best predictor of leadership isn't how good someone is at their job. It's whether they make everyone around them better at theirs.

Do people ask them for help? Do they share knowledge freely? Do they celebrate other people's wins? Do they take blame when things go wrong?

That's leadership. Everything else is management.

Most companies promote their best individual contributors and wonder why they fail as managers.

It's because you promoted them for being great at the job, not for making others great at the job.

Stop promoting for past performance. Start promoting for future impact.

-DM

Turned 46 today.

I woke up this morning and realized something: I'm twice the age I was when I decided to bet everything on myself.

23 yo Dan was broke, angry, and convinced the world owed him something.

46 yo Dan knows the world doesn't owe you anything.

But it will give you everything if you're willing to work for it and give it away when you get it.

Here's what's shifted for me this year:

I used to measure success by what I built. Now I measure it by who I helped build.

I used to think freedom meant not having to work. Now I know freedom is loving the work so much you'd do it for free.

I used to believe I needed to have all the answers. Now I know the best thing I can do is ask better questions.

The truth is, I'm not done. Not even close.

There's more to build. More people to help. More impact to make.

And the best part is I finally feel like I know what I'm building toward.

Not another exit. Not another company. Not another milestone.

But a legacy. Something that outlasts me. Something that matters beyond the money. A movement.

To everyone who's been part of this journey - THANK YOU 🩵

Here's to another year of building what matters.

-DM

This is how ChatGPT would destroy young men…

agree?

Your idea isn't the problem.
Your timing isn't the problem.
Your market isn't the problem.

The only real failure is letting the hard days convince you to give up on the great days ahead.

Stay in the game.

-DM

--

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There are two paths in business.

Path 1: Get really good at what you do. Work harder. Optimize your time. Build expertise. Trade that expertise for income.

Ceiling: $500K-$1M. Maybe $2M if you're exceptional.

Path 2: Build leverage. Create systems that scale without you. Build assets that compound. Multiply through others.

Ceiling: Doesn't exist.

Most people spend their entire career on Path 1. Then wonder why they're stuck.

It's not because they're not good enough. It's because they're playing the wrong game.

Code, content, capital, collaboration - these are the only things that scale infinitely.

Everything else caps out.

That's how empires are built now.
Not by trading time for money.
But by trading leverage for freedom.

Most still play the old game better.

But those who win play a different game entirely.

-DM

Most people set goals like this:

"Get healthier", "Make more money", "Spend more time with family".

Six months later they're in the exact same spot.

This happens because they never got specific enough to know what they were chasing.

"Get healthier" isn't a target, it's a wish.

You need 6 months and 4 areas to edit:

1. BODY

→ Write it like it already happened.
Not "I want to get healthier."
"I never skip the gym more than two days in a row."

→ Adopt the identity before you have proof.


2. BANK

→ Know exactly what you made and exactly what you invested.

→ Stop waiting to invest.
"I'll do it next month" is how you stay broke.


3. CALENDAR

→ Most people have no idea where their time actually goes.

→ Delete before you build.
You can't install new habits on top of a broken schedule.


4. PEOPLE

→ Write it as an identity statement:
I am surrounded by people who push me.
I don't spend time with people who drain me.

→ Audit your circle the same way you audit your calendar.


The version of you six months from now is a direct result of the decisions you make this week.

Pick one area.
And start today.

-DM

The most valuable thing a successful person can do is send the elevator back down...

Success feels like nothing is working.

Until everything does.

The beginning is always the hardest part.

Everything is new and feels harder than it needs to.

Most people quit here.

The reason: they can't see they're winning.

But if you keep going...

The things that used to take everything out of you start to compound.

Business is all about momentum.

Day 1000 will look nothing like Day 1.

If you want to win, you have to keep going with 0 proof that it's working.

-DM

Nobody gets to decide how your day goes except you.

Your coworker can be annoying.
Traffic can be brutal.
Your inbox can be overwhelming.

None of that determines your state. You do.

If you're in a bad mood for no reason, then you can also be in a good mood for no reason.

Most people give that power away without realizing it. You don't have to.

-DM

What would 8-year old you say if they saw you today?

I spend a lot of time thinking about what's next. What I haven't built yet. Where I'm falling short...

Then I think about young Daniel who was convinced his life was over at 15.

If I could show him what's on the other side, he wouldn't believe it.

Do not let the next mountain make you forget the last one.

Your younger self is already proud of you. Don't forget that.

-DM

If you quit now, you lose more than the goal.

You lose the proof that you can do hard things.

You lose the story of the comeback.

You lose the version of yourself that makes it through.

The tired goes away. The failures become lessons. The stress becomes strength.

But if you quit? That stays forever.

Future you is counting on current you to not give up when it gets hard.

Don't rob yourself of that person.

Rooting for you 👊
-DM

You're not easily distracted. 
You just don't know what matters yet.

People with clear targets don't struggle with focus. 
Everything that's not the target becomes obvious waste.

It's not about fighting distractions. 
It's about having something worth ignoring them for.

Find that first. 
The rest fixes itself.

-DM

The world is run by:

C- students.
Failed employees.
And probably people less smart than you.

Stop treating success like it belongs to people smarter than you.
It belongs to people who act despite not feeling ready.

That could be you.
-DM

I've bought 35+ companies in last 5 years.

The pattern is obvious once you see it: Some businesses print money. Others barely survive.

The difference comes down to one metric: how much each customer is worth over time.

Whether you're building to sell or building to keep, here's how to make your customers worth more:


Step #1: Know what your customers are actually worth

Most people think in "monthly revenue." Winners think in "lifetime value."

Formula: LTV = Average Order Value × Purchase Frequency × Customer Lifespan

Bad business:
• Customer pays $100
• Buys once
• LTV = $100

Great business:
• Customer pays $100
• Buys monthly for 3 years
• LTV = $3,600

36x difference. Same price point. Same customer. Different business model.


Step #2: Calculate your LTV:CAC ratio

This tells you if you're building something profitable or just treading water.

LTV:CAC = Lifetime Value ÷ Customer Acquisition Cost

The breakdown:
• Less than 3:1 → Burning money
• 3:1 to 5:1 → Healthy
• 5:1+ → Printing money

If you spend $100 to get a customer worth $300, you're barely profitable.
If you spend $100 to get a customer worth $800, you're building an asset.


Step #3: Keep customers longer

If customers stay 2x longer, LTV doubles. Simple math.

• Nail onboarding: They bought based on a promise. Deliver that promise in the first 7 days.

• Increase stickiness: Integrate into their workflow. Example: Dropbox becomes sticky because your files live there.

• Monitor usage proactively: If someone hasn't logged in for 14 days, reach out before they cancel.

Real example: Client of mine tracked their customers on LinkedIn. When someone changed jobs, they reached out to both the old team AND the new company. Retained both.


Step #4: Get customers buying more often

• Usage-based pricing: Basic tier = 5 visits/week. Premium = 10 visits/week.

• Add complementary products: What do customers buy before/after using you? Sell that.

• Shift to subscriptions: $5,000 one-time project = $5K LTV. $500/month for 3 years = $18K LTV.


Step #5: Increase what they spend

Implementation fees: Charge for onboarding/setup (standard in B2B)

Upsells at purchase: "Customers who bought X also need Y"

Premium tiers: Basic/Pro/Enterprise. Same product, different support levels.


Step #6: Pick ONE lever and execute for 90 days

You just learned three ways to increase LTV:
1. Keep customers longer
2. Get them buying more often
3. Increase spend per purchase

Don't try all three at once. Pick the one with highest return for least effort. Execute. Measure. Move to the next.

That's how you build a business worth buying. Or better yet, a business worth keeping.

-DM

P.S. Want to know what your business is actually worth? I built a valuation calculator that shows you exactly how investors would value your company based on these metrics. Comment "VALUE" and I'll send you the calculator plus the breakdown of what makes businesses sell for premiums. My gift to you 👊

These 6 books cost me $120 total. They've made me tens of millions.

I always say most of your problems aren't new. They're just new to you.

Someone already figured out the thing you’re struggling with. They lived it. Learned from it. They wrote the lessons down.

You just haven’t found the page yet.

If you're stuck, the answer is probably sitting on a bookshelf somewhere.

Go find it.

-DM

What would you add to the list?

Most companies operate on a simple principle: Only pay more when forced to.

Someone threatens to leave? Counteroffer.

Someone actually leaves? Hire their replacement for more.

New hire demands market rate? Fine.

But proactively paying people what they're worth? Never crosses their mind.

Then they wonder why everyone's always halfway out the door.

Here's the thing: Your team knows exactly what they're worth. They're on LinkedIn. They see the job posts. They talk to recruiters.

The only question is whether you're going to acknowledge it before or after they have another offer.

One builds loyalty. The other builds resentment.

-DM

Want to stay consistent?

Make promises, not plans.

You'll skip the gym for yourself.
But you won't bail on a friend.

You'll quit on your goals.
But you won't fail your commitments.

You win not by pushing harder,
But by making it impossible to quit.

-DM

How to sell to different people...

Most people are building skills for jobs that won't exist in 5 years.

They're ignoring the AI wave. Hoping it passes. Thinking their role is "too complex" to automate.

They're wrong.

I spend my time analyzing cutting-edge AI companies and market trends. Watching which roles disappear and which ones become more valuable.

Here's what I'm seeing:

The jobs that survive aren't the ones doing the work. They're the ones directing it, protecting it, or building the tools that do it.

AI can execute. It can't decide what's worth executing.

AI can create. It can't determine taste or vision.

AI can automate. It can't build the systems that make automation secure and scalable.

The 6 jobs in this post are the ones that will not only survive - they'll thrive.

All six figures. All learnable. All positioned at the intersection of human judgment and AI capability.

You don't need med school. You don't need rocket science. You need to understand where the world is going and position yourself accordingly.

Most people won't do this. They'll wait until it's too late. Until their skills are obsolete and they're competing for scraps.

You're not most people.

The future isn't coming. It's here. These are the roles that will pay you extremely well to help build it.

Swipe through. Pick one. Start learning.

-DM

Smartest advice I've ever got:

/1 Be easy to find, hard to reach.

Be visible enough that opportunities find you.

Be scarce enough that people value your time.

Best time management advice I've ever received.

/2 Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly.

Some days, answering one email is a win when your inbox is overflowing.

The point? Doing it poorly is infinitely better than not doing it at all.

This isn’t about lowering standards, it's about making progress.

/3 NO is just a YES playing hard to get.

If you ask, they might say YES.

They might also say NO, but if you don't ask it's always a NO.

So ask.

/4 Success is rarely a brain game.

People who are further in life aren’t smarter than you. They’re just doing more than you.

There's no such thing as "ready".

You learn to swim by drowning a little every day.

Jump in. The water's fine.

/5 Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.

Knowledge without action is like a Ferrari without gas. Looks cool, goes nowhere.

Learn → Apply → Fail → Learn more → Apply better → Succeed → Repeat.

That’s it.

/6 Stay curious.

There’s always room for a new idea.

Be humble. Be teachable. Ask dumb questions. Challenge assumptions.

Be that annoying kid who keeps asking "why."

The moment you think you know it all is the moment you're done growing.

Now tell me, what’s the smartest advice you’ve ever received?

Share it below. Let’s learn from each other.

-DM

2 Million on YouTube.

My kids will grow up watching these videos.

That thought has been sitting with me since we crossed 1M.

One day, they'll click through this archive and see their dad teaching millions of people how to build businesses, lead teams, and bet on themselves.

And here's what I want them to see:

Not that I built something big. That I built something that mattered.

That every video was in service of something bigger than views.
That every lesson came from real scars, not theory.
That I chose impact over income, movement over metrics.

Because this isn't about me leaving a legacy for my kids.

It's about us creating a legacy for every kid who needs to see that ordinary people can build extraordinary things.

Every entrepreneur in their garage who thinks they're alone.
Every founder betting their last dollar on themselves.
Every person who's been told to "get a real job" but knows they're meant for more.

2 million people who are now living proof.

And we’re not done.

I’m not interested in just change lives - we'll change what's considered possible.

That's the world I want the next generation to inherit.

That's the movement I want you to lead with me.

Thank you for helping build something worth leaving behind.

Onwards.

-DM

The goal isn't to work faster.

It's removing yourself from the work.

Right now my team and I run hundreds of agents.

They handle 92% of the work across my companies.

Here's the difference between a chat and an agent:

A chat is like a meeting.
An agent is like an employee.

You can buy back your time with chat.
You let go of entire business areas with an agent.

Here's how to build your first one:

Stage 1: Define the outcome.
↳ An agent can only run what you can describe.
Write this down: "Every [frequency], my agent will [action] and deliver [result] without me involved."
If you want to build, you need to state the outcome clearly.

Stage 2: Give it an identity.
↳ AI knows a little about everything and nothing specifically well.
Three files fix that:
Soul (how it behaves), identity (who it is), user (who you are).
I talked to one of my agents for two weeks using these files.
Then I asked it to name itself. It chose Kai. Now Kai's on my team.

Stage 3: Build the orchestrator.
↳ Your main agent doesn't do the work, it directs it.
As I mentioned, Kai is my CEO agent.
Every morning he checks in with every sub-agent and reports back to me.
I talk only to him. He handles the rest.

Stage 4: Create sub-agents.
↳ Each one owns a single workflow. One agent, one lane.
Reese is my real estate agent. He finds investment deals.
Kai checks in with him daily and brings me what matters.
Narrow the scope or the agent gets confused and the work gets worse.

Stage 5: Trust in stages.
↳ You don't hand over the keys on day one.
Week 1 → approve every output.
Week 2 → approve only the exceptions.
Week 3 → review the summary.
Week 4 → you're on the loop, not in it.

Learning to let go is the whole point.

That's how you buy back your time.

Build one agent and it changes how you work.

Build a team of them and it changes what your business can become.

If you want the AI Operating System with everything I use to run AI across all my companies, click the link below:

https://lnkd.in/eTHYQUYX

-DM

Whats the best AI tool right now?

You're smart but imagine if you were consistent.

I know plenty of brilliant people who are broke because they can't stick to anything long enough to see results.

And I know plenty of average people building empires because they show up every single day.

The gap between knowing and doing is where most potential dies.
It's also where fortunes are made.

Stop relying on your brain to save you.
Start relying on your habits to build you.

The world doesn't pay you for being smart.
It pays you for being reliable.

-DM

Many would die for their family.
Not many would LIVE for their family.

Live to their ability.
Live up to their full potential.

Most people squander it.

The people who love you don’t want your sacrifice.
They want your greatness.

-DM

You don't need the perfect information.
You just need action.

That's how progress works:
First you move.
Then you improve.

The only mistake is waiting.

-DM

You're frustrated because you can see the opportunity.
You know you want it.
You might even know you deserve it.

But something's not aligned yet...

Maybe it's your confidence.
Maybe it's your skills.
Maybe it's your mindset about what you're actually worth.

The version of you that gets the dream job, the relationship, the opportunity - they think differently than you do right now.
They carry themselves differently.
They believe different things about what's possible.

The right opportunities will feel effortless when you're the right person for them.

Until then, do the work 👊

-DM

You're letting people who've never tried decide what you're allowed to attempt.

They don't get a vote. They never did.

You can just do things.

-DM

Your turn is coming. And when it does, you'll want people clapping for you too.

Keep building. Keep clapping. Your moment is closer than you think.

-DM

Everyone you admire once stood exactly where you are.

And if they made it happen…

Why not you?

-DM

Protect your people or lose your people. It's that simple.

Real leadership shows up when the pressure builds and everyone's looking for someone to blame.

Here's how great leaders actually protect their teams:

From Office Drama
Bad leaders: "You need to navigate the politics if you want to get ahead here."
Good leaders: "Focus on your work. I'll handle the politics and drama."

From Busy Work
Bad leaders: "Corporate wants these reports, so you need to fill them out."
Good leaders: "This is pointless busy work. I'll handle it so you can focus on what matters."

From Micromanagement
Bad leaders: Pass down every controlling demand from above.
Good leaders: "My boss wants daily check-ins, but I trust you. I'll handle the reporting."

From Pointless Meetings
Bad leaders: "Everyone needs to attend the all-hands, no exceptions."
Good leaders: "This meeting doesn't apply to you. Keep working, I'll brief you on anything important."

From Burnout
Bad leaders: "Everyone's working late, why aren't you?"
Good leaders: "If you're working nights and weekends regularly, we have a process problem I need to solve."

From Blame Culture
Bad leaders: "Why did this happen? Someone screwed up."
Good leaders: "This happened. Here's how we fix it and prevent it next time."

The best leaders I know aren't popular with their bosses. They're popular with their teams.

Because they choose their people over their politics.

What kind of leader are you?

-DM

Most people think freedom is about escape.
It's not. It's about leverage.

Strong moves aren't born from desperation.
They're born from options.

Keep the checks that feed you
While you build what'll free you.

Make success force your hand.
Not fear. Not ego. Not impatience.

That's how you win without gambling your life away.

- DM

Everyone wants to be rich. Most people just lie about it.

They say things like "money isn't everything" while secretly resenting everyone who has it.

Here's the thing: The guilt you feel about wanting wealth didn't come from you. It was installed.

By broke people who needed you to stay broke with them.
By a culture that romanticizes struggle
By a system that calls ambition greed.

But you know what's actually greedy?

Having the ability to solve problems and choosing not to because you're afraid of what people will think.

You're a creator. You solve problems. That's who you are.

And every time you hold back because making money feels wrong, you're robbing people of the solution they need.

So stop asking if you're allowed to want wealth. Start asking who you can help.

Wake up tomorrow and decide to serve a thousand people.
Then ten thousand.
Then a million.

Pour everything you have into making their lives better.

Do that. Show up. Build. Serve.

Karma will take care of the rest.

-DM