How do you make money without selling out? That’s what Damon Dash — music producer, entrepreneur, co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records, and contributor to memoir Culture Vultures — came to the studio to discuss with BigMike, Chris “Bulldog” Collins and host Jayme Foxx on this episode of Business Outlaws.

“I gave the culture a voice, I still fight for it, and I made ’em rich!” Dash says as he vents his frustrations with the music industry, millennial mindsets, what people imagine goes into building a successful business versus what really goes into it, and the “money guys” who prey on artists to profit off their talent. “A money guy buys shit,” he continues, “a good, cool motherfucker builds it.”

The conversation becomes heated when Damon accuses BigMike of working with the money guys and being a traitor to his industry. “It’s about me. I personally want to see how far I can climb that fucking ladder,” BigMike shoots back. When Damon asks BigMike to explain how he gauges his success, the conversation turns to figuring out what really matters, your role in relation to what you create, and ultimately, why you chose the path you’re on.

After you’ve finished listening, head on over to BusinessOutlaws.com for exclusive content and behind-the-scenes footage of BigMike, Chris, Jayme and Damon. And for even more Business Outlaws content, follow @BusinessOutlaws.

There’s marketing, and then there’s sales. They’re not the same thing, but one without the other is sure to lead to failure for your company. On this episode of Business Outlaws, David Garfinkel, renowned author and copywriting coach who personally mentored BigMike, breaks down what effective direct response marketing is and how it works.

You can’t just expect people to see your product and buy it. You need to show them why they need it, which is why you need to use direct response marketing. And to use direct response marketing effectively, you have to dig deep into your target audience’s psyche to see your product from their point of view.

Garfinkel shows BigMike and Chris “Bulldog” Collins how this works by using BigMike’s Blends as an example. He introduces a generic-sounding, ineffective ad that touts the pre-roll as “bigger than big, Mikey-er than Mike, blendier than blend,” and then immediately contrasts it with an ad that hooks the target audience of BigMike’s Blends by weeding out anybody else who might read the copy. If you’re marketing your product to everybody, you’re doing it wrong. Marketing directly to your niche audience is how you make sales.

So, how do you get into your audience’s head to figure out how to market to them? As Collins points out, “What people tell you and what they do can be the world apart.” Tune in to find out how to get your buyers’ uncensored, unscripted perspectives.

When you’re finished listening, visit BusinessOutlaws.com for exclusive content and behind-the-scenes footage from the studio. And don’t forget to follow @BusinessOutlaws for more profit-boosting exclusive content.

How much money is enough to satisfy you? If you had to choose a dollar amount that would make you say “I’ve got what I need, I can retire happy now,” what would that dollar amount be?

That’s what BigMike asks “Boston” George Jung in this episode of Business Outlaws. It’s not an easy question to answer, and it’s not something most people ever really think about. But when he was facing jail time and the prospect of losing everything he’d built, BigMike asked himself that very question. And in his years as one of the most prolific cocaine smugglers in the world, chronicled in the Johnny Depp film Blow, Jung faced this same dilemma.

“I was a thrill junkie,” guest “Boston” George Jung tells BigMike and Chris “Bulldog” Collins in this episode of Business Outlaws. Jung’s no stranger to immeasurably huge financial success and the dangerous realities that come with pursuing it. You’ve seen Blow and heard Jung’s name, but here’s your only opportunity to listen to him tell his story in his own words. It’s not just flying planes over the border and dropping tons of cocaine and sitting at Pablo Escobar’s table; it’s a story of self-reflection and evolving perspectives on who we are and why we do the things we do. “We’re all here for a reason,” he tells our hosts. Listen now to hear Jung’s reason.

When the episode’s over, head to BusinessOutlaws.com for exclusive content and behind-the-scenes footage from the studio. And don’t forget to follow @BusinessOutlaws to access even more awesome exclusive content.

To become the youngest heavyweight boxing champion ever, Mike Tyson had to be more than a badass boxer. He also had to be a boxer audiences wanted to buy tickets to see battle it out in the ring. Do you have a persona that consumers want to buy from?

BigMike and Chris “Bulldog” Collins both identify as introverts, but you wouldn’t know it from their public personas. “People wanna see excitement,” Tyson explains as the trio talk creating alter egos and living up to the personalities we construct for ourselves. “I created who I am,” Tyson continues, “I am Mike Tyson.”

Establishing a persona is just one way of mentally preparing for success. Another is repeatedly playing out your success in your mind, over and over again until it feels natural, much like an athlete does drills in the gym to be faster and stronger. “Most people think there’s an easy button — ‘Mike Tyson, he’s a champ and I’m gonna be that,’” BigMike says. “They have no fucking clue the amount of time, effort, dedication and work that goes into that.”

How badly do you want to be a winner? What sacrifices are you willing to make? After Tyson explains the grueling training regimen he started 12 years old, he drops a wisdom bomb on BigMike and Chris that sums up the different mentality champions have compared to everybody else.

After listening, visit BusinessOutlaws.com to get exclusive content and behind-the-scenes footage from the episode. And don’t forget to follow @BusinessOutlaws to access even more awesome Business Outlaws content.

Have you ever found yourself longing to journey down the road less traveled? Entrepreneurs are the pioneers of the business world, but those who dare to seek profit in fringe industries have to navigate a different mind field of challenges the run of the mill business owner wouldn’t face.

In episode 37 of Business Outlaws, BigMike, Chris “Bulldog” Collins and CEO of CANN Media group Darren Roberts reflect on the challenges they’ve faced while blazing new trails in fringe industries.

After 17 years at the helm of the media conglomerate AVN, Darren Roberts found great challenges coping with stressors from his professional life impacting his personal. At one point, his children were shunned at school, because of their father’s choice of profession. BigMike relates, as he himself has worked hard to overcome society’s perception of him in the cannabis business.

At the core of this episode of Business Outlaws, we learn the the knife cuts both ways in cutting edge industries from porn to cannabis and beyond. Once you’ve listened to the episode, check out BusinessOutlaws.com for exclusive content and behind-the-scenes footage from the episode. For more content from the Business Outlaws, follow @BusinessOutlaws on Instagram.