Breaking Through the Matrix: Create Businesses and Learn about the Rules of Money for Financial Independence

Rob Dyrdek’s interview with Howie Mandel is really worth watching (Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGXcZwU23xM). He talks about his fascinating and incredibly successful career, estimated to now have a net worth of $400M usd. Most importantly he talks about how he broke out of the Matrix. I’d define the Matrix as the societal standards, media and systems that keep most people in place, ignorant, poor and unhealthy. And very far from fulfilling their great potential that every human being has. 

He said “I like to say I grew up in a fixed mindset household, went to a fixed mindset school, with fixed mindset parents, where you have one route to find a successful life. And you have to break out of it as a young child.” 

He shares his lessons in personal finance and building toward financial independence. 

“I was living check to check. I was not saving any money…..I was uneducated. I did not understand money. I thought i knew it all and then i just figured I would just keep starting more companies and do more things that i would eventually one of these things would blow up and make me really rich. I had made and lost millions and millions of dollars before I understood money. I don’t think I really learned money until I was 40……

You have to look through the <revenue> lens of post tax. And then your expenses. What are your goals? If you don’t have a goal with your money and what you are hoping to achieve with it, that is your own personal financial freedom, you just spend your life without a definitive end game. Most people don’t ever take the time to design.”

He was a professional skateboarder, then started several skateboarding related businesses, then a record label. None of them were big hits. He first made his big money in shoes: getting 2% commissions of all sales, making over $1.2M a year on all the shoes you designed from DC Shoes which was acquired.

He also ended up owning the entire platform of his shows “Fantasy Factory” & “Ridiculousness” on MTV, and he structured his contract so he was able to get paid for a percentage of revenue of the show. And he was able to sell sponsorships to big corporations directly instead of letting the television network do so. 

The BIG Lesson: he made sure he had control and was paid first. And with this he earned his financial freedom and time to break out. Yes, you need money to break out of the Matrix. Especially in America.

“I am constantly evolving and growing. I like to think that I systematically evolve. I am growing and evolving with a clear and deep purpose. And alot of that has to do with financial growth, business growth and I think for me it’s sort of really sophisticated at curating ideas and entrepreneurs and building them and funding them to be profitable. That gives you the flexibility to be acquired or continue to reap the rewards of building this successful profitable company. Over and over.” 

After a long career as professional skateboarder & entrepreneur, he built an amazing business career in television, and now as an entrepreneur and venture capitalist/ company builder called “Dyrdek Machine.” 

So why all the focus on financial independence and breaking out of the Matrix? It’s so you can help your family also break out of the Matrix. 

Dyrdek is a personal inspiration for me as he wisely says:

”I want to help as many people as I can in a direct and impactful way. As opposed to doing charity work. I just like impacting lives and lives that are closest to me. I just don’t want you to ever have to worry about money. 

Money is never the answer but at the end of the day if money kills your mindshare and does not allow you to reflect and evolve and grow because you are constantly thinking or stressing about it. It’s going to deteriorate your health, the quality of life and ultimately your existence. And so the people closests to me, if i can alleviate that stress so they can put energy into personal fulfillment, relationship fulfillment & spend that mindshare that could have been stressing over money toward something productive to making them happy, I’d rather that happen.”

The big lesson is learn the rules of money so you can build and get the financial independence to break out of the Matrix. Then teach and help others to do the same. You have an obligation to do this for yourself, your family & friends so you can all live the amazing lives you were meant to live. Growth is a decision.