My #1 mistake as a 6x entrepreneur?

My #1 mistake as a 6x entrepreneur? 
 
That I repeated three times. 
 
Shortcuts. 
 
Many times in my life, super rich guys have offered me dream opportunities to come join their thing. 
 
Three times I said yes. 
 
In my earlier days when I first entered into the venture studio space, I had a reputation for turning around troubled companies. 
 
I caught the attention of a famous billionaire. 
 
I got invited to meet with him at his HQ, in a hi-rise owned by him, with the top three floors housing his firm. 
 
I was impressed by this kind of stuff. 
 
- His posh investment firm 
- His mansion 
- His wealth 
- His mentorship 
 
He had everything I wanted. 
 
>> the shortcut 
 
Come join him, lead one of his portfolio companies into a reverse-IPO. 
 
The day he made the offer, we met in this incredible corner office, that was to be mine. 
 
He offered me everything I wanted in life, 
 
- big money right now 
- the big house right now 
- the big opportunity right now 
 
It was a shortcut. I was in. 
 
The day I moved there, he started changing the deal. 
 
I performed. I did my part. 
He didn't keep his promises. 
 
For me, it was a very expensive mistake. Years of litigation followed. I fought Goliath. I won. 
 
Over the past 40 years as an entrepreneur/investor, I've made this mistake three times. You meet very successful people who have what you want. 
 
They all offered what seemed like an elevator to my dreams. None worked out as planned. 
 
What did I learn? Don't take shortcuts, climb the stairs on my terms. 

It takes longer, plant oak trees — not unicorns.

Need help? Reach out.  

- Gerald