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Making Your First Million (and Beyond)

Making Your First Million (and Beyond)

James Altucher

Posted February 14, 2025

James Altucher

Everyone says you need a “personal brand” to make a million dollars and be successful.

Rule #1: They’re lying.

Rule #2: You don’t.

I hate the phrase personal brand.

A brand is a lie. It’s the gap between reality and perception.

Coca-Cola is brown sugar water.

But their brand? It’s rollerblading demigods gliding through a beach sunset, popping carbonated bottles like they just discovered the secret to eternal youth.

So when someone says, "I need to build a personal brand," what are they really saying?

That they need to manufacture a reality gap? That they need to pretend to be something they're not? That they need to lie?

Why not just be great at something and let the world figure it out? Why not just work smart?

Lying is hard work. Making a million dollars is easier.

It can be done. By anyone.

To prove it, I sat down with Nick Singh and his co-host Omid on their podcast My First Exit.

We dove deep into the reality of success, money, and what it actually takes to make your first million.

It was one of the best conversations I've had. So good, I had to bring it onto my own podcast. (Link below.)

Before we go there, though, something just happened TODAY that you need to know about.

When I was managing money on Wall Street, I had a secret weapon—a government document hiding in plain sight.

It helped me build a $10M company. It helps me find stocks that can soar 1,000%.

Today (February 14), I predict that document will shake Wall Street again. This hidden file made me millions—now it’s your turn.

One document. One massive opportunity. Today. Find it here.

The Myth of The One Thing

One million dollars.

People treat it like a magic number.

Like a force field will suddenly form around you, repelling all of life’s problems.

They say, "Find your one thing and commit your life to it."

That’s dumb.

I was a software engineer. A hedge fund manager. A day trader. A writer. A stand-up comedian. A podcast host. A chess master. A startup founder.

If I had stuck with one thing, I’d probably be miserable, or worse, broke.

Success doesn’t come from obsessing over the "one thing."

It comes from creating your own unique intersection. Be the best at this thing + that thing + one more thing no one expects.

If you’re a finance guy who can write and you speak Mandarin, congratulations—you just built your own monopoly.

If you’re a lawyer who understands TikTok, you’re already ahead of 99% of the legal industry.

If you’re a comedian who understands business, you have a better shot at making money than most entrepreneurs.

Find your niche? No. Create one.

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