Doug talks with Dan Leonardi, who went from Pepsi truck driver to corporate executive after quitting college. The career strategist and founder of Leonardi Personal Development worked at companies like Pepsi, Kellogg's, and ConAgra. He built a 35-unit condo complex to pay for his sons' college education and shares his approach to creating your own luck. At 68, Dan has released his book "Be the CEO of Your Life" and teaches students how to bridge theory with practical application. He explains the 70-20-10 rule that shows why relationships and experiences matter more than education and reveals how inverting traditional leadership structures can turn around struggling teams. KEY TAKEAWAYS • Create your own luck, success comes from taking action to create opportunities. Dan built a 35-unit condo complex to turn his sons' college expenses into profit. • The 70-20-10 Rule is something Dan follows and advocates for, only 10% of career success comes from education, 20% from relationships, and 70% from experiences. Most people graduate thinking they're done, but they're only at the 10-yard line with 90 yards of life still to play. • Life is three stages, ages 20-30 are for building knowledge through relationships and experiences. 30-40 is when you create financial wealth. 40+ is the compounding phase where everything comes together. • Dan shares how you can transform teams by putting customers and associates first, with leaders serving to remove obstacles rather than commanding from above. • Surround yourself with people who give energy and help others succeed, not those who drain energy and create obstacles. Your advisors should be positive and supportive. • Dan believes that whilst Academic education provides a foundation, success comes from applying knowledge to real situations. Listen to experienced professionals and learn from every interaction. • Successful people want to share their knowledge with younger generations. Don't be intimidated to ask questions, one conversation can change your trajectory and costs nothing. • Be the CEO of your own life! Take ownership of your path while treating parents and mentors as your board of directors. You make decisions, but surround yourself with wise advisors. BEST MOMENTS "If someone says to me, 'Hey, you're the luckiest guy in the world,' I would take it perhaps as an insult, because if you're just lucky, that implies I did nothing to create that luck." "90% of my learning came from two things. It was relationships and experiences." "Don't look at anybody else. Don't care about what everybody else is doing. You are the CEO of life of your life." "The three worst letters in the dictionary, when they're combined, it's bad. And it's EGO." ABOUT THE GUEST Dan Leonardi Career Strategist, Personal Development Coach & Founder of Leonardi Personal Development https://www.leonardipersonaldevelopment.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/danleonardi/ VALUABLE RESOURCES Website: http://dougbennett.co.uk/ Email: doug@dougbennett.co.uk LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/financialdoug/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/FinancialDoug Facebook Wealth Tribe: https://join.dougbennett.co.uk/ Download Your "Ten-Step Guide To Financial Freedom" Here: https://bit.ly/Struggle-Success BOOKS: Goals Do Come True is now live and available to buy on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3phcy6Z Think Simple, Win Big is now live and available to buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Think-Simple-Win-Big-Business/ Enjoy, and come back for the latest podcast each Wednesday. Thank you for listening.