
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Ilana Golan
The Leap Academy Podcast with Ilana Golan is all about honest and inspiring conversations about what it really takes to leap to bigger things, amazing careers, and craft the life you want. Stories and tips you won't find anywhere else. Ilana speaks with some of the world's most influential people, experts, and thinkers who created incredible careers, massive impact, built a reputation, and an extraordinary life. Together we discover the untold truths, the emotions, and important lessons that enabled them to reinvent themselves & leap. We take our audience on a journey that will not only inspire but also teach concrete lessons on how to leap careers: fast-track to leadership, jump to entrepreneurship, build a personal brand, portfolio career, and much more.
Categories: Education
Listen to the last episode:
At 29 years old, Brandon Dawson was on top of the world. He had taken his company public, stood on the American Stock Exchange floor, and rang the bell. He felt unstoppable until his private equity investors sold his company against his will. Most people would have quit, but Brandon learned from this setback, cracked the code to scaling, and went on to build and sell his next company for $151 million. Today, he helps business owners do the same through Cardone Ventures, a $500 million business he co-founded. In this episode, Brandon joins Ilana to share insights on scaling a business against all odds, why 97% of businesses fail, and how to be in the top 3%. Brandon Dawson is an entrepreneur, scaling expert, and co-founder of Cardone Ventures. With over 30 years of experience, he helps businesses scale using data-driven strategies, navigate breakpoints, and avoid common pitfalls. In this episode, Ilana and Brandon will discuss: (00:00) Introduction (01:47) From College Dropout to Top Sales Performer (03:45) Selling Everything to Start a Business (05:48) Getting Kicked Out of His Own Company (09:08) Surviving the Early Years of Entrepreneurship (12:31) Turning Leadership Failures into Billion-Dollar Lessons (16:08) The $151 Million Exit That Made Employees Millions (21:57) Scaling a Family Business Without the Chaos (25:22) Staying Unstoppable in the Face of Hate (32:12) Why Most Entrepreneurs Fail and How to Avoid It (39:41) Making Data-Driven Decisions in Business Brandon Dawson is an entrepreneur, scaling expert, and co-founder of Cardone Ventures. As CEO of Sonus Corporation, he grew it to over 1,400 locations and raised $58 million before investors took control and sold the company against his wishes. He later founded Audigy Group, scaling it from $500,000 to $35 million before selling it for $151 million. With over 30 years of experience, Brandon helps businesses scale using data-driven strategies, navigate breakpoints, and avoid common pitfalls. Connect with Brandon: Brandon’s Website: https://bdawson.com Brandon’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/brandonmdawson Resources Mentioned: Brandon’s Book, Nine-Figure Mindset: How to Go from Zero to Over $100 Million in Net Worth: https://www.amazon.com/Nine-Figure-Mindset-Zero-Million-Worth/dp/B0C8G8CTQC The 5 Levels of Leadership: Proven Steps to Maximize Your Potential by John C. Maxwell: https://www.amazon.com/Levels-Leadership-Proven-Maximize-Potential/dp/1599953633 The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You by John C. Maxwell: https://www.amazon.com/21-Irrefutable-Laws-Leadership-Anniversary/dp/0785288376 Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...And Others Don't by Jim Collins: https://www.amazon.com/Good-Great-Some-Companies-Others/dp/0066620996 Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck--Why Some Thrive Despite Them All by Jim Collins, Morten T. Hansen: http://amazon.com/Great-Choice-Uncertainty-Luck-Why-Despite/dp/0062120999 Leap Academy: Ready to make the LEAP in your career? There is a NEW way for professionals to Advance Their Careers & Make 5-6 figures of EXTRA INCOME in Record Time. Check out our free training today at leapacademy.com/training
Previous episodes
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80 - How I Lost My Company and Built a $500M Business Instead | Brandon Dawson Thu, 13 Feb 2025
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79 - Craigslist Founder, Craig Newmark: How I Transformed a Simple Email List Into a Billion-Dollar Business Tue, 11 Feb 2025
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78 - GaryVee: From Earning $2 an Hour to Running a $350M Digital Empire Thu, 06 Feb 2025
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77 - Trent Shelton: Your Pain Has a Purpose, Unlock Its Power Tue, 04 Feb 2025
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76 - Crippling Anxiety: How I Beat Panic Attacks to Become a 3x USA Memory Champion | John Graham Thu, 30 Jan 2025
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75 - If You Want to Have Life-Changing Conversations, Ask These Tough Questions | Topaz Adizes Tue, 28 Jan 2025
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74 - Shark Tank’s Matt Higgins: How I Beat Poverty, Loss, and Cancer to Become a Global Investor Thu, 23 Jan 2025
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73 - Bluestone Lane Founder: How Nicholas Stone Is Redefining the U.S. Coffee Culture With Zero Coffee Experience Tue, 21 Jan 2025
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72 - Former Medtronic CEO: Leadership Secrets for Achieving Success Beyond Profits | Bill George Thu, 16 Jan 2025
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71 - Former Managing Director of Facebook India, Kirthiga Reddy: How to Seize Life-Changing Opportunities Tue, 14 Jan 2025
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70 - How Lacy Garcia Conquered Financial Fear and Transformed Wealth Planning for All Thu, 09 Jan 2025
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69 - Neil Patel: From Crushing Failures to Building a Global Marketing Empire Tue, 07 Jan 2025
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68 - Peloton VP, Robin Arzón: Surviving a Hostage Crisis and Building a Relentless Fitness Brand Thu, 02 Jan 2025
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67 - Naveen Jain: Turning Audacious Ideas Into Life-Changing Innovations Tue, 31 Dec 2024
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66 - From LA Dodgers to George Clooney’s Cocktail Hour: How Jeff Krauss Plans Iconic Events Thu, 26 Dec 2024
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65 - Empowering 5 Million Entrepreneurs: Making Business a Force for Global Good | Jessica Jackley Tue, 24 Dec 2024
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64 - Former Zillow CEO, Spencer Rascoff: Leading Billion-Dollar Startups Through Crises Thu, 19 Dec 2024
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63 - Tom Bilyeu: How I Proved Everyone Wrong and Built a Billion-Dollar Brand Tue, 17 Dec 2024
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62 - Wistia CEO, Chris Savage: Master the Art of Pivoting, How to Adapt and Grow Against the Odds Thu, 12 Dec 2024
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61 - Russell Brunson: From Rock Bottom to $100 Million in 5 Years with ClickFunnels Tue, 10 Dec 2024
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60 - Nextdoor’s Bryan Power: Turning Big, Scary Opportunities into Career-Defining Success Thu, 05 Dec 2024
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59 - The Accidental Entrepreneur: How Andrew Lacy Turned Rejection into Health Tech Innovation Tue, 03 Dec 2024
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58 - Surviving Lies, Rumors, and Digital Hate: Dan Ariely’s Guide to Thriving Online Thu, 28 Nov 2024
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57 - Howard Behar, Former Starbucks President: Putting People Over Profits for Lasting Impact Tue, 26 Nov 2024
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56 - Lisa Bilyeu: Radical Confidence, My Journey From Housewife to Billion-Dollar Boss Thu, 21 Nov 2024
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55 - Taking Big Risks: How David Jones Built a Billion-Dollar Brand Against All Odds Tue, 19 Nov 2024
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54 - Shopify President: The Golden Age of Entrepreneurship Has Arrived | Harley Finkelstein Thu, 14 Nov 2024
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53 - Richard Branson: The Journey to a Multi-Billion Dollar Empire Tue, 12 Nov 2024
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52 - Jeff Dudan, Undercover Boss: How I Built a Thriving National Franchise From Scratch Tue, 05 Nov 2024
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51 - Making Big Ideas Happen: How Katrina Spade Transformed the Funeral Industry Forever Tue, 29 Oct 2024
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50 - Going All In: How Russ Ruffino Went from Bartender to $100M CEO Tue, 22 Oct 2024
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49 - How to Win: Master FBI Negotiator’s Secrets for Getting What You Want | Chris Voss Tue, 15 Oct 2024
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48 - Turning Pain into Purpose: How Anne Beiler Built a Pretzel Empire from Nothing Tue, 08 Oct 2024
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47 - Your Authenticity is Your Superpower, Master The Art of Authentic Leadership with Scot Safon Tue, 01 Oct 2024
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46 - How Forbes 30 Under 30 Kira Radinsky Turns Every ‘No’ Into Opportunity Tue, 24 Sep 2024
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45 - The Woman Who Transformed How We Think About Inclusive Leadership | Sally Helgesen Tue, 17 Sep 2024
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44 - Brian Tracy: The Unbreakable Laws of Money and Success Tue, 10 Sep 2024
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43 - How I Built a 7-Figure Business While Working a Corporate Job | Kelly Roach Tue, 03 Sep 2024
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42 - Hunger Beats Talent: Dr. Geoff Smart’s Formula for Hiring Success Tue, 27 Aug 2024
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41 - Balancing Entrepreneurship and Motherhood While Building a Billion Dollar Company | Eynat Guez Tue, 20 Aug 2024
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40 - Running the Sahara, Raising Millions, and Finding Purpose in Prison | Charlie Engle Tue, 13 Aug 2024
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39 - Siri Co-Founder: Adam Cheyer on Innovation, Persistence, and Timing Big Wins Tue, 06 Aug 2024
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38 - Ending Hunger: How This Accidental Activist Found Her Passion | Ronni Kahn Tue, 30 Jul 2024
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37 - Marshall Goldsmith, #1 Executive Coach: How to Find Purpose and Meaning in Life Tue, 23 Jul 2024
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36 - Dave Liniger, RE/MAX Co-Founder: How to Disrupt an Industry and Turn Failures to Fortunes Tue, 16 Jul 2024
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35 - How to Discover Your Niche and Dominate with Entrepreneurs on Fire Host John Lee Dumas Tue, 09 Jul 2024
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34 - How to Break Barriers in the Male-Dominated World of Combat Pilots | Michelle Curran Tue, 02 Jul 2024
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33 - The Art of Reinvention: How to Elevate Your Career and Life | Robert Glazer Tue, 25 Jun 2024
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32 - Reverse Engineer Your Success: Strategies for Sustainable Personal & Career Growth Tue, 18 Jun 2024
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31 - James Altucher: Finding the Freedom to Start Over Tue, 11 Jun 2024