[0:00]What's the most money you've made in here from the business? Eight figures. We're going to do £15 million this year. Seven figures, £1.2 million. What do the rich know that the poor don't about becoming successful? The rich collaborate, the poor compete. Rich people, use... If you had to start again, how would you make your first million? I would, if I had to start over today, I'd go after, because right now it is booming. Action leads to information. Stop thinking, start doing. You know, dreams are free, but this hustle is sold separately. Yo, my people, welcome back to the Venture Room, the number one platform for aspiring entrepreneurs. Today we're in Manchester, the second wealthiest city in the whole of the UK. What are we doing today, bro? Today we're going to be interviewing entrepreneurs asking them how they made their millions and how you can do the same. So stay tuned, it's going to be a banger.
[1:03]Excuse me, excuse me, how did you make your first million? I've seen you on YouTube, I'm not doing it. Oh, no. Have you got a business? Well, we both work at a business. Yeah. Any advice to the next generation?
[1:19]Ah, ha ha, no. Thank you. How did you make your first million? No, sorry. Have you got a business? Ah, no worries, thanks. Excuse me, excuse me. How did you make your first million? I think you've got the wrong person. Sorry. Have you a business owner? I am. How did you make your first million? By staying very, very close to my customer. Okay, so you've done over a million. What's the most money you've made? I've done over a million. We're going to do £15 million this year. What business do you do? So I've got a fashion brand called Six Stories. I started it with like £4.99. I made some bits myself, stuck them on Etsy and literally six years later here we are, it's been fucking nuts. That's incredible, man. What's the most valuable lesson you've learnt whilst building your business? This is the thing you need. It's called This Is Marketing. People don't just come when you make the product. You need to understand your customer. You just need to be absolutely in her mind, whether it's like the first pound you're making or your £10 million that you cannot deviate from that. And what's the secret to marketing? The secret to marketing. Sweat the stuff that matters to your customer. It's Black Friday in two weeks and we're still planning it now. Like, because we are reactive to our customer. In the day where everything is like social first and AI driven, like everything changes and your customer changes and you just need to like stay close to her. Like don't get stuck in process. That's what I mean. People like know too much. They get stuck in their own way by the stuff that they know, you got to forget it and think about your customer first. Okay. What's one thing that rich people know that poor people don't about building wealth? Rich people do not care what you think. It's all about like where I'm going and my goals. Success is on the other side of embarrassment, right? What's the biggest business opportunity someone could go after today? It's got to be something in wellness. The whole foods, chemicals, like I think soon you'd be able to sell bottled air. I think like people are sick of the over consumption. I do think that is coming back around. So like rentals. I think we're going to have like a new community. It's going to be bought back. So maybe like what is like the wellness Barrie's in the local town and people go to and there's that like a community. She got some wellness. Yeah, she understands what lavender rule does for her. Like I really see that as a huge business opportunity. What's one quote that's made you a million? Action leads to information. Stop thinking, start doing. If you have got a business idea, get on your phone, open up your stories and say hi guys, I've got this idea. Like be red, do it wrong. But you've got to create some change to understand whether you even want to do it, whether it's got legs. I have done so many businesses before this one that have failed, failed, failed. Another one, someone said it in the office the other day and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it is anxiety is just a lack of information. If you're anxious, it's just because you don't know something. Go and find out what's the worst that can happen? It's the truth. It's the truth. If you were to start again, how would you make your first million? I would focus on community through social. If you spend an hour a day on TikTok, firing out the TikToks, you have got such a chance of going viral and selling out. What's one thing that no one ever talks about in business? A controversial opinion that you don't agree with. Right, this is for the women out there. You cannot have it all. I will not have someone tell me otherwise. You cannot have it all. You cannot have the kids, cannot be the wife, you cannot have the body, you cannot have the money. You have got to find some compromise somewhere down the road. Like, you might be able to work at it. The priorities may swing, but in one moment in time, you cannot have it all. I didn't put my kids to bed last night. Gutting, but I can't. Because I've got to do the business. In two weeks time, I'll be putting my kids back to bed. And you've got to choose. You cannot over romanticize any of it and you can't live in guilt. Can't think you're going to regret it. Think of the bigger picture. Yeah, exactly. Where can people find you? Lucy Menghini, M E N G H I N I, or Six Stories. Make sure you check out Lucy, guys. Love what she's doing. Thank you so much. I can't believe I just stole her umbrella. I just stole her umbrella. Amazing. Thank you. Take care. Yes, guys, sick interview with Lucy. My number one takeaway is you can't have it all. You have to focus on one thing first and take it step by step. A diluted focus is basically as good as no focus at all. So yeah, let's keep going.
[5:10]Excuse me, excuse me. How'd you make your first million? Hello, how did you make your first million? Have you got a business? You have a business? Ha ha ha, thanks. Are you entrepreneurs? No, not really. What do you guys do for a living? We're in debt collection. Oh, is it? Oh my God. I don't want to piss you off. Yes, guys, so we're by Manchester Arndale, yeah, the luxury shopping side is this side. So we spent a bit of time looking for the right space. Hopefully we can catch the people coming out of the designer stores. We got Louis Vuitton there, loads of designers inside. So let's, let's go, man. See what we can get. Oh, mad. We're on a suitcase, you know. Jeez. Excuse me, sorry. I love the outfit. Can I ask you how you made your first million? Sorry, super quick. We've got a quarter million followers of young entrepreneurs. Can I ask you how you made your first million? Um, I have my own business. You got your own business? You're an entrepreneur? Yeah. What's your business? Mars The Label. What's the most money you've made in a year from the business? Eight figures. So we got all million followers of young entrepreneurs. Can I get two more minutes of your time just to share some information and the secrets of success? Yeah, definitely. Yeah. So you built an eight-figure business. How much did you start with? Did you come from money? No, I started with £3,000, which was a mix of what was left of my mum's inheritance at that point and also student loans mixed together. We invested in the website, which I think cost me £200, stock about $1,000, and then general expenses. What was your first job? My first job, I had two at the same time and then none ever again. I was at uni, I had two jobs. I worked at a perfume shop and a jewelry shop simultaneously at the same time while going to uni in Liverpool and working on Mars and going to auditions every other day. But it didn't end well. I think I was in the jobs for like six weeks, two months max. I got sacked from one, quit the other, took Mars full time. Thank God it worked out for me. There it is, man. That's insane, man. Hustle. If you had to start again from zero today, how would you make your first million? First of all, find something that you are obsessed with or love. Then research the best of the best in that industry or field and then seek out what they're not doing rather than what they are and provide that to the market and you've got yourself immediately a sellable product. So like check maybe like bad reviews and stuff like that? Yeah. What's the biggest opportunity or gap in the market in your industry? The world is turning very much wellness and slow life and soft life, all of that. And I think that even though everywhere has Pilates studios, I'd love to get way more into a wellness space that's specifically for women. And I do think there's a lack there's a lack of really cool places that do everything in Manchester, I suppose. That's a good one, man. I love that one. What do the rich know that the poor don't about becoming successful? Rich people use money as a tool and not an end goal. So you'll find a lot of time that wealthy or successful people use money to buy themselves time, freedom to create assets or to hire people to capitalize on whatever their business is. Whereas a lot of other people give their time for money because that is the end goal. Yeah, love that. What's one piece of advice that changed the way you think? Embarrassment is an under-explored emotion. Go out and make a fool of yourself. For me, I've had not necessarily confidence issues, but there's been so many times in my life where I've held back from asking people questions, being in certain rooms, having certain conversations just out of fear of embarrassment and putting myself in that uncomfortable situation. I've been sat in rooms with literal billionaire, successful people and out of fear of just embarrassment, which is in my head, stopped myself from going over and asking a question about how they got to where they are, it's an opportunity lost that I'll never get back, but you live and you learn. It's so true, man. Where did your motivation come from? I think I have always been an incredibly independent person even since I was about seven. I lost my mom, which was heartbreaking, and my dad also worked from about 3:00 PM till 3:00-4:00 AM every day. So I kind of was brought up by basically different family members. Through that, I learned to never really depend on anyone. I think obviously it's quite sad to not have parents that you can lean on, but it has made me such an independent person that I think I've always known to just go out and get whatever I want and always depend on myself. Yeah, I love that. Where can they find you? What's your Instagram? Ariana_ajtar and my brand is Marsthelable. Guys, go check her out. She's doing big things. Nice to meet you. Thanks for your time. No, you too. Yes, guys, sick interview with Ariana from Mars The Label, doing massive things, over eight-figure business, started from £3,000, crazy. Big opportunity I took away from that is the wellness space, it's a huge space moving forward. So if you're looking to start in business, that could be the way, man. We're not done. Let's keep going.
[10:50]Excuse me, excuse me, excuse me. How did you make your first million? Um, sorry. Um, sorry. It's all about business entrepreneurship. How did you make your first million? Um, eyelashes. What's the most money you've made with the business? Um, within its first year of trading, we made 1.2 million. We've got a channel all about business entrepreneurship. Can we have like two more minutes of your time just to inspire the next generation? Yeah, sure. How did you start the business? I was going through cancer treatment and I really wanted something that worked for me. The idea was never to start a business, but then as I was asking other people that I was in treatment with, I realized that there wasn't a lash that was perfect for people who didn't have their own lashes. So I decided who best to bring it into market than someone who's gone through that journey of losing their lashes and providing a solution. That's crazy. So you had cancer and you're building a business at the same time. I was doing my market research while I was going through cancer treatment. That is crazy. Do you come from money? Have you been broke? Oh, no, I do not come from money at all. I came from Zimbabwe, where I'm originally from, with no money at all. I worked in picking and packing. I worked at Travelodge, cleaning toilets. I literally built myself up from from the ground, so no. Okay, so anyone can really do it, basically. Absolutely, especially now, like I say, when I started, things were a lot harder. Now there are so many things at your disposal that you can literally build a business from home and it is, there's no time like now to start something. What's one thing rich people know that poor people don't about building wealth? The one thing that I would say is the magic that you're looking for is in the work that you're avoiding. With building a business, there is, you know, it's like you're breathing your brand. There is the exciting things that you're doing, but also building a business is about numbers. We're not the thing that, you know, it's like people do for fun. You can't build the business without knowing your numbers. You've got to be able to be a salesperson. You've got to be able to do your taxes at the end of the year. You have to do every single thing initially, you have to be all of those things. You have to wear all of your hats and you can't say, oh, I don't want to do this because I'm not good at it or I don't like, yeah, absolutely. So the magic that you're looking for is in the work that you're avoiding. What's the biggest business opportunity someone could go after today? If I had to start over today, I would use TikTok page and I would go after health or beauty. In my case, I think I'd go for beauty and then I'd go in the skincare industry because the skincare industry right now is just like booming. And specifically, I would go for anti-aging. Anti-aging is growing at, I think, 45% year on year. Because you've already built your followers with the faceless page, you can always transfer those followers to being your customer in your beauty business. What's the quote that's made you a million? You do not rise to the level of your dreams, you fall to the level of your systems. So basically what that means is your dream can be as big as you want it to be. You know, dreams are free, but this hustle is sold separately. The systems that you put in place to get to your dream that really matters. So if your systems are not aligned properly, you will never get to that dream. Where can people find you? Have you got Instagram? I do have Instagram, C.LashbyCody, on LinkedIn, Cody Garparre, C O D Y G A P A R R E. Guys, make sure you check out Cody, crazy story, man. Make sure you follow her. Thank you so much for your time. I really appreciate it. Thank you very much. Yes, guys, sick interview with Cody, guys, doing crazy things with her business. My number one takeaway, you don't rise to the level of your dreams, you fall to the level of your systems. There's no point having dreams and not taking action, guys. So take action. Let's keep going.
[14:08]Excuse me, guys, sorry to disturb you. Can I ask you, how do you make your first million? What, what's this for? Oh, sorry. So we've got quarter million followers of young entrepreneurs, we're just trying to inspire them. Can I get two minutes of your time? Two minutes. Yeah, yeah. How did you make your first million? Are you an entrepreneur? I am. So I own a social media agency. Started it in my bedroom, um, just doing like basic social media management. And then I noticed there was a gap in the market for for going viral. Oh, sick. So I spent a few months studying how that works, like the algorithm, the psychology, and now we get to work with some of the biggest brands in the world. Oh my God. Uncontroversial success, what's the most money you've made? I'd say seven figures, like we're doing pretty well. Oh, crazy, man. What was the big win for you? What, like the biggest client you got? I'd say probably Netflix. We did some work with Netflix for Emily in Paris, because a lot of people said I looked like Lily Collins, who was the main girl from Emily in Paris. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. We got to do a collab with them, which was crazy. What's the craziest thing you've done to make your first million? I would say at the start, I noticed because I was a young woman, I wasn't getting a lot of respect in business. So I made up like a fake male employee, so I would get Matt, who was my fake employee, to chase invoices, to reach out on behalf of me, rather than just me doing it. And it worked. Like I had a client in Dubai who owed me loads of money, who wasn't paying me for months. Matt emailed him and I got paid straight away. I think you've almost got to play it bigger than you actually are. Like it's all about perception and how you're being perceived. And I think there's loads of little tricks in the books that you can do like that to almost big yourself up for people to believe it as well. That's it, man. Shout out, Matt. Shout out, Matt. If you're going to start again today, how would you make your first million? Going viral on social media is the main focus. It changed my life almost overnight. It changed people's lives. How do you go viral? Like, is it easy? I'd say, yeah, it's about how do we capture that first millisecond of attention? And usually it is like provoking that emotion, whether that's anger or excitement or motivation. Usually it's like familiarity, so talking about people or things that people are already familiar with. And I'd say storytelling and connection as well. Like people buy from people, everyone knows that's like first rule of business. What do the rich know that the poor don't about becoming successful? The rich collaborate and the poor compete. All of the people I've met that are super successful, they want to help, they give you time, they want to support people, they want to collaborate. People that are still making it, often you can get competitive vibes. They don't want to give away their secrets. So I think that's when you know someone's truly at the top is when they've got time for people and they want to help people. Yeah. Is there one quote that made you millions or changed the way you think? Probably from one of my business mentors that said if you want to change the habit, you change the environment. So like we have this endless to-do list. We have so many excuses of things that we have to do, and it only changes once you change the environment. So like if you want to build your personal branding, you keep putting it off, book a session in a studio, it's booked, it's paid for and you've got to be there. So otherwise it's so easy to make excuses for anything, so I just say change the environment. I love that, man. Where can they find you? What's your Instagram? Vicky.Owens, agency is sociallyspeakingmedia. Guys, go check her out. She's doing big things. Thank you. Thanks for your time.
[17:11]Yes, guys, that's another banging episode in Manchester. It's been a good day, a couple wins, a couple L's. My biggest takeaway for me is the rich aren't competing, they're collaborating. about you, bro? My number one takeaway is there's huge opportunities in the wellness space, and you can't have everything all at once. Take it one step at a time, focus on one thing. Hopefully you enjoyed this episode, guys, and stay tuned for the next one.
