Episodes

  • Randy Gage

    Randy Gage
    Apr 30 2026
    SHOW NOTES: The following guest column by Randy Gage is an excerpt from his new book, Wealth Without Apology, which is being released this week, and which will be the subject of my conversation with him on my podcast this Thursday: Alan Weiss's The uncomfortable Truth Magnitude of Scale: Why Thinking Bigger Pays Better I’m currently conducting a comprehensive, groundbreaking, rigorous, cross-sectional, peer-reviewed, gold-standard, double-blind, placebo-controlled, first-of-its-kind, breakthrough, scientific research study. The purpose of the study is to test the following hypothesis: In today’s environment, it is easier to become a billionaire than a millionaire. This premise may not be as cheeky as it sounds. As I told you earlier, it’s surprisingly easier to earn a large amount of money quickly than it is to earn a small amount of money over a longer period. This is due in large part to a dynamic I call the “Magnitude of Scale Effect.” Put simply… The more bold, audacious, and breathtaking an endeavor is—the greater the likelihood it will attract the people and resources necessary to bring it into existence. Think about this: Airbnb went from two guys renting air mattresses to a $100 billion IPO faster than millions of entrepreneurs ever manage to reach six figures. Why is it easier to sell a Lamborghini Veneno than a Ford Escape? The person who buys a Ford likely must plan far ahead, budget tightly, weigh sacrifices, and hopefully get approved for credit to drive home their new wheels. The person who buys a Lambo understands the concept of value-for-value exchange, has no creditworthiness issues, and brings in enough discretionary income to make the purchase an easy decision. Even an impulse one. If you want to join me on my crusade to make the world more prosperous, it begins by increasing the level of your own prosperity. And the most important part of that process is expanding the window through which you see the world. I use shoes as the analogy for how this process worked with me. Initially my dream was to be able to afford a pair of luxurious Bally loafers, which cost around $200 back then. Younger readers may be shocked to discover we didn’t always live in a world where sneaker drops were a thing! My siblings and I had two pairs of shoes: dress shoes (cheap leather or, more often, plastic) which we wore to school, to church, on holidays, etc., and tennis shoes for gym and after school. By the time I grew up and had entered the business world, having three or four pairs of shoes meant you were extremely rich. In fact, I knew a few guys who had black shoes for dark suits and brown shoes they could wear with a green or tan suit. I even saw Elvis on television once wearing blue suede shoes! Next thing you know, I’m a twenty-something hard-charger who wants to be a business tycoon like Bobby Ewing on Dallas and Blake Carrington on Dynasty,and I heard about the aforementioned Bally loafers. (Which were voted by the readers of Robb Report magazine as the most comfortable shoes in the world.) Since $200 was what I paid to buy my used car from the post office government auction, you can imagine what a daunting, almost impossible goal this was for me. But manifest those suckers I did. Had my mother learned at that time that I spent $200 on a pair of shoes, she would have slapped me into next week. But the spell was broken… I learned there was another world reality out there, and that it was possible for a kid from Allied Drive in Madison, Wisconsin, to own nice things. Once I started rocking those Ballys—the window I saw the world through started expanding. © 2026 Randy Gage You can reach him at RandyGage.com ....Read more on the blog here: https://alanweiss.com/randy-gage-2/
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    46 mins
  • Perceived Value

    Perceived Value
    Apr 23 2026
    SHOW NOTES: The airlines’ major frequent flyer programs began with American Airlines back in 1981 (thought Texas International Airlines had one in 1979). Everyone quickly followed. Travelers fell in love because they were earning free trips without paying anything extra for the ticket. You may feel the travelers were and are silly. Well, the average major airline today has a liability of about $7-10 billion if these points were all cashed in. Although there are attempts to squelch this with blackout periods and restricted seats available, this is none the less a very real monster under the bed. However, many people never cash them in or they the points may expire. Airlines and hotels figure the points won’t all be used. This is called “breakage,” believe it or not, and it’s the monster-slayer. Another example of this is the US Postal Service, which prints about $14 billion in postage stamps each year. But it’s estimated that over half of this amount is never used for postage because it goes into collections so there’s no attendant labor involved. I provide “unlimited access” to me for my top clients, both corporate and individual. That seems like it can’t be fulfilled, and many people ask how I can do it. It’s simple, virtually no one abuses the privilege. In fact, many people apologize for “bothering me” or ask if they can have an appointment. One year I had 36 corporate clients, and these days I have hundreds of these top echelon clients globally. They call when there’s a need and, since they’re so successful, the needs are relatively few and reasonable. This is my monster multiplier. Even successful solo consultants don’t generally offer this, and I’m probably the most approachable and reachable person at my level in the world. Use your airline points. Collect stamps if you like. But provide unlimited access. Then go sit on the beach.
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    8 mins
  • MY Point of View

    MY Point of View
    Apr 16 2026
    SHOW NOTES: "Josephine Victoria 'Joy" Behar is an American actress, playwright, comedian, and television host. She's best known for co-hosting the ABC talk show The View, where she won a Daytime Emmy Award in 2009. Behar is known for her sharp wit and asking questions that others might avoid, such as asking Chris Christie if he was too overweight to be president. She's also hosted her own shows, including The Joy Behar Show on HLN and a call-in radio show on WABC. She is 83." The above is a PR document from ABC about her. In fact, Behar is rarely humorous. She's rather dour and absolutely inconsolable when anyone violates her political positions. She recently refused to appear on The View with her colleagues because a guest was Carrie Underwood, the great singer and American Idol winner who has a garage-full of Grammys. Behar's tantrum was that Carrie had sung at a Trump event. That's it: She had the temerity to appear and sing as an expression of her right of free speech. This is Behar's consistent behavior, she's walked off other shows as some kind of political protest even when the person involved is there for another reason. This is what's appearing in the media as "celebrity." You don't have to agree with someone else politically, but to simply ignore them and disappear is the nadir of intellectualism. Comics are supposed to be very bright. I guess there are clear exceptions. Joy Behar makes about $7 million a year to walk off the set whenever she likes. If you need to walk out because you can't deal with people intellectually, then STAY OUT.
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    5 mins
  • The Ayn Rand Schism

    The Ayn Rand Schism
    Apr 9 2026
    SHOW NOTES: • Two great American novels: Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. • She championed “objectivism” and individual accomplishment. • It’s not subtle, and it’s not modest. It’s a full-throated defense of reason, individualism, and self-interest—often misunderstood because people hear “selfishness” and stop listening. • Today we have “soak the rich” and “tax the rich” and “occupy Wall Street” and people defending Luigi Mangione who killed an insurance executive on the streets in New York. • I don’t think a company needs a Jim Anderson of Coherent making $100 million as CEO. I do think that any founder of a company deserves whatever money he or she can make. • We’ve moved from a society that prized innovation and initiative and the wealth that ensues to one where entitlement is a prevailing belief. • Yet we idolize red carpet movie stars, athletes, and simply rich celebrities without discernable talents, like the Kardashians. • We find excuses not to succeed, such as “toxic workplaces” which, if they do exist, are probably caused by toxic employees who are not pulling their weight yet demanding more and more. • We blame the “boomers” as having taken everything and not replaced it, which is total hogwash. The boomers created jobs and entire industries. • I’ve always believed in “healthy selfishness,” meaning you can’t help others (with money, time, ideas, coaching, emotional support, and so forth) unless you possess the resources that allow you to do so. • A great many people who take ultra-progressive stances, from Bernie Sanders to the women on “The View,” themselves are so wealthy that no amount of their espouse government taxation will seriously cause them discomfort. • Unless we reward creativity and jobs creation (along with star athletes and performers and “celebrities”) we won’t have the opportunity creation for everyone else. • Australia’s “tall poppy” vs. my Rolls Royce. • We need to take care of our homeless, and ill, and incapacitated, but not people who are able but unwilling to work. • States creating “millionaire taxes” are losing taxable citizens at an alarming rate. Massachusetts and along with them $4.2 billion in adjusted gross income. • You don’t eliminate poverty by creating more of it. I’m for a version of Ayn Rand’s healthy selfishness.
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    8 mins
  • Fore!

    Fore!
    Apr 2 2026
    SHOW NOTES: • If you’re in love with golf, and especially hitting a ball into a bed sheet, I suggest you don’t listen to this. • Is watching multi-millionaires hit balls into a screen and then in a confined stadium with undulating greens really interesting? Is it really a sport? Are they really “athletes”? • Maybe the Americans should focus on trying to win a Ryder Cup out in the real world before trying to excel in a virtual world. • Are we ruining tennis, baseball, football with endless algorithms and technological toys while purging them of judgment? • Do you need a veteran sports manager to read computer output? • We’d never develop today a Ted Williams, Willie Mays, or Sandy Koufax. • I understand the weekend duffer who spends four hours with buddies and then goes for drinks and cigars. I don’t understand what’s so fascinating about watching millionaires, who have caddies and perfect courses, competing to make more millions when there’s such a strong factor of luck involved.
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    7 mins
  • Peckin' Ducks

    Peckin' Ducks
    Mar 26 2026
    SHOW NOTES: Learn how to learn from ducks, geese, otters, herons, egrets, turtles, osprey, and fish. They're bolder than many of you. Of course, they have to eat to live, but so do you...
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    10 mins
  • The Evaporation of Education

    The Evaporation of Education
    Mar 19 2026
    SHOW NOTES: Higher education is going extinct. Tuitions are sky high forcing parents to take out second mortgages or kids to mortgage their future by owing $300,000 to teach history in high school for $60,000. Brick and mortar is giving way to remote learning. Government is increasingly intervening in college admissions, curricula, and hiring. The Epstein and other sexual scandals are undermining (and ending the careers) of faculty and university officials. The president of Ohio State just resigned because it was revealed that he had a sexual liaison with a woman bidding to do business with the school. The next president will be the fourth in five years. Ideology rules the classroom among tenured professors who can't be fired short of committing arson. Today and tomorrow, competence is trumping credential. Harvard had to create A+ to differentiate among all the A's everyone automatically receives. Is that really a valid degree? Think twice before you go into hock to send your kid to college. Look around. This decision does not require a college degree.
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    8 mins
  • INMJ

    INMJ
    Mar 12 2026
    SHOW NOTES: INMJ (It’s not my job.) Some people define their job as the absolute minimal effort to be expended and not be penalized. It’s about laziness, lousy attitudes, and low esteem. Some people define it as pleasing and delighting the customer. It’s about pride, resourcefulness, and helping the organization. I’ve just returned from an eye doctor who is magnificent and has a great personality. But her technical assistant is a drip, with no personality who never utters a word like “please” or “thank you.” I tolerate her only because the doctor is so good. There are no consequences for her dull personality. This is all a matter of choice and it can determine repeat business, referral business, or no business. I don’t like virtual assistants and other third-parties because there are rarely consequences to perform well and not to perform poorly. If you own a boutique firm, I suggest you test with your clients how they believe they’re treated when dealing with your employees, who may be pleasing around you but can be like dark clouds with everyone else. It’s your money.
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    4 mins