Schooling, Rejection, and Building Grit

What if success isn’t about talent… but about multiplying your effort by 10? In this episode, I sit down with Grant Cardone, CEO of Cardone Capital, to break down the mindset behind the 10X Rule, omnipresence in marketing, raising billions from retail investors, and why quantity always precedes quality. Grant shares how he built a $5B real estate portfolio, scaled a media machine that sends hundreds of millions of emails per year, and combined Bitcoin with multifamily real estate to create a new hybrid investment vehicle. We also unpack why most people underestimate effort, why repetition builds self-esteem, and why illiquidity may be the real edge in investing.

Highlights:

• Why people systematically underestimate how hard success actually is
• The real meaning behind the 10X Rule
• Quantity vs. quality — why reps create excellence
• How omnipresence builds brand power
• The psychology of follow-up and rejection in sales
• Raising over $2B directly from retail investors
• Why retail capital can be more powerful than institutional money
• The real estate + Bitcoin hybrid strategy
• Illiquidity as an investment advantage
• Tokenization vs. going public
• Lessons from addiction, ego, and resilience
• Why exceptional performance requires extreme repetition

Guest Bio:

Grant Cardone is the CEO of Cardone Capital, a private real estate investment firm managing over $5 billion in assets. He is the author of eight business books, creator of thirteen best-selling business programs, and CEO of seven privately held companies generating approximately $750 million in annual revenue. Over the past three decades, Grant has advised companies on sales expansion, profitability improvement, and operational scaling through disruptive marketing and training systems.

Recognized by Forbes as one of the top social media business influencers in the world, Grant built a global brand by embracing omnipresence, repetition, and relentless follow-up. Through Cardone Capital, he has raised billions from retail investors and continues to innovate with new financial structures, including real estate and Bitcoin hybrid vehicles and tokenized asset strategies.

Our Podcast now receives more than 300,000 downloads a month. Are you interested in sponsoring an episode? Please email David Weisburd at david@weisburdcapital.com.

We’d like to thank AlphaSense for sponsoring this episode!

Sponsor:

AlphaSense is the AI-powered market intelligence platform trusted by 85% of the S&P 100, helping investment professionals make faster, more confident, data-driven decisions. Built for hedge funds, asset allocators, private venture capital firms, and investment bankers, AlphaSense uses advanced AI and powerful search across premium proprietary content to surface the insights that matter most—before the market moves. Elevate your research and stay ahead of the competition. Visit https://www.alpha-sense.com/howiinvest/ to learn more.

Stay Connected with David Weisburd:

X/Twitter: @dweisburd LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dweisburd/ Weisburd Capital: https://www.weisburdcapital.com/

Stay Connected with Grant Cardone:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grantcardone/

Questions or topics you want us to discuss on How I Invest? Email us at david@weisburdcapital.com.

Disclaimer:

This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment, financial, legal, or tax advice. Nothing in this episode should be interpreted as an offer to buy or sell any securities or to participate in any investment strategy. All opinions expressed by the host and guests are their own and do not represent the views of Weisburd Capital. Participants may hold positions or have financial interests in the companies, funds, or investments discussed. Any references to specific investments are for illustrative purposes only. Investing involves risk, including the potential loss of capital. Past performance is not indicative of future results, and any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties. Any third-party data or opinions have not been independently verified. Listeners should conduct their own research and consult their own advisors before making any investment decisions.

(0:00) Introduction (1:30) The 10x rule, fear of being ignored, and underestimating effort (3:14) Schooling system, entitlement, and work ethic (5:52) Teaching practical skills and dealing with rejection (7:24) Analyzing top performers' strengths and weaknesses (9:14) Assets, liabilities, and misconceptions in finance (10:43) Marketing strategies and the rule of seven (16:15) Mastering persistence in sales and follow-up tactics (22:06) Media democratization and achieving excellence through repetition (26:11) Quantity vs. quality debate and embracing failure (33:57) Victim mentality and overcoming it (36:21) Raising capital and innovations in real estate funding (39:46) Tokenizing real estate and integrating Bitcoin investments (43:54) Illiquidity as a virtue and Bitcoin risks in real estate (48:26) Behavioral investing and creating anti-fragile portfolios (51:06) Real estate growth and scaling challenges (52:25) Property taxes and investment impacts (55:04) Migration patterns and economic effects on cities (57:42) Wealth accumulation strategies (1:00:25) Advice to younger self and life balance insights (1:02:54) Perspectives on public offerings and tokenizing assets (1:04:08) Expanding investor base and future aspirations (1:04:12) Closing remarks