Max Amini is a very funny guy. He's sold out Madison Square Garden and is one of the most-viewed comedians on social media. But when he started out in stand-up, no agent or manager wanted to sign him, so he built his own touring machine from scratch. In this episode, he tells Dan how he thinks about comedy, and how he built the team that takes him around the world and sells out theaters.

Chapters

0:00 Intro

1:03 Max's childhood and his dad's funny bone

2:45 Choosing UCLA over auditioning in New York

4:19 His first time doing stand-up

6:05 Why comedy is never about the money

7:26 Finding his comedic voice

8:59 Authenticity vs. relatability

12:14 Chasing a record at the Dolby Theatre

13:46 Max's pre-show routine

16:54 The Michael Jordan flu game mindset

17:50 Building Abstraction Media from scratch

22:11 Why you should hire someone better than you

25:38 Risk, fear, and the no-Novocaine root canal

28:16 Where to follow Max

29:30 Blind ranking jobs

34:05 Wrap-up

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Got a pressing business problem you'd love to hash out with your peers? Looking to meet and network with other founders? Does spending the afternoon with Gary Vaynerchuk, Megan Thee Stallion, and Robert Irvine sound like a good time? Then sign up for Entrepreneur's latest event, Overcoming Impossible! Live in New York on October 23, this event will help you solve your impossible problem and make new connections along the way. Sign up at https://entm.ag/levelup2026 and use code SUCCESS at checkout to get 30% off.

(00:00) An emergency snack: introducing Overcoming Impossible

(00:55) Jason Feifer joins for a Marvel-style crossover

(01:45) Why this isn't a typical business event

02:55) How the day works: VIP workshop, lunch, and an afternoon of stars (04:55) The Gary Vee you don't see on stage

(06:55) Gary's marketing advice: don't niche down too hard

(08:55) Megan Thee Stallion on ownership and being understood, not just seen

(11:05) Event details: October 23 at 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge

(12:10) How to save 30% with code SUCCESS

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Today's guest needs no introduction, but we're going to give him one anyway. Maury Povich, the legendary host of Maury and now host of the podcast On Par with Maury Povich, sits down with Dan to talk about how he got that unmistakable voice (spoiler: it's not vocal lessons), what Jerry Springer really thought of his show, and why he never wanted to know who the father was until you did. 

Chapters:

0:00 Jerry Springer's greatest compliment

0:27 Welcome to the one-name club

1:36 Are Poviches built to never stop?

2:29 Starting at 16 and a case of "big shot-itis"

4:06 Four cities, four St. Patrick's Days

5:48 Connie Chung and the leap to A Current Affair

6:41 Whiskey, cigarettes and that voice

9:20 The daytime talk wars, from Donahue to Ricki Lake

11:25 The first paternity test

12:40 Storytelling and curiosity

15:03 The man who was kidnapped three times

16:45 "My show is wrestling"

17:59 The talent who went on sales calls

20:18 MoPo Productions and an Oscar

23:04 Don't get pegged

24:24 Staying sharp at 87

26:02 Geraldo and Al Capone's vault

26:46 The How Success Happens speed test

30:13 Wrap

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Bill Gurley doesn’t just invest in unicorns—he helps create them. In this clip, legendary Silicon Valley VC Bill Gurley shares candid advice with college students on how to think about careers, risk, and opportunity long before you launch your own startup.

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Jeneva Rose is back on the show, and this time she brought horror. Her new collection, Sometimes I Scare Myself, trades the believability rules of thrillers for haunted houses, curses and the scariest question of all: who do you become when things go wrong? Jeneva talks about writing it just nine weeks postpartum, running her author career like a 9-to-5, and how social media helped authors break a publishing rule. Dan, meanwhile, promises her parenting gets easier (it doesn't) and discovers in real time that his research on her movie deal is a few years out of date.

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Dan hits the road and takes listeners on a trip to NYC's premier recording space, Embassy Studios, to sit down with the CEO and owner,
Frank Babar, an absolute legend in the music recording business. Frank shares the big swings and microscopic details that have powered his success. From trusting your instincts and adapting when the path takes a sharp turn, to treating people well and protecting the value of every asset. He and Dan dig into how to spot opportunity before everyone else does and why artists (and entrepreneurs) need to build real income-producing work instead of just chasing marketing hype. It’s a fast-moving master class in hustle, strategy, and turning creative passion into lasting value.

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As AI reshapes industries and accelerates innovation, how can companies grow responsibly at scale? In this episode of How Success Happens, Amazon’s Kara Hurst shares lessons from the front lines of building for a future where technological advancement and sustainability go hand in hand. She breaks down the strategies, investments, and innovations helping Amazon scale solutions while continuing to grow - and offers practical advice for entrepreneurs to turn sustainability into a competitive advantage.

To learn more about Amazon's sustainability progress, visit sustainability.aboutamazon.com

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Cole Brauer spent 130 days completely alone at sea to become the first American woman to sail solo, nonstop, and unassisted around the globe, setting a new speed record in the process. It was not always smooth sailing. Cole joins Dan to talk about the wave that sent her flying across the deck, the two weeks of "solitary confinement”, why her mom told her to suck it up, and what it's like being the only woman in a fleet of 16. Her new memoir, First Light, is out September 15th.

130 DAYS. ALONE.

Timestamps

0:00 – The wave that broke her ribs

1:02 – Meet Cole Brauer

2:33 – Why she chose sailing over medical school

4:03 – Inside the race: 130 days, 16 competitors, solo

6:37 – The brutal first two weeks alone at sea

8:23 – Living under 24/7 surveillance

11:03 – Cracked ribs and hiding it from the competition

20:20 – Being underestimated in a male-dominated sport

26:26 – The Billy Jean King story & her message to women

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Jeff Byers went from pro-footballer to the co-founder & CEO of Momentous, one of the fastest-rising names in performance supplements. Jeff sat down with Dan to talk about building a brand rooted in elite sports and military trust, the multi-year courtship it took to land Arnold Schwarzenegger as a partner, and the company’s newest launch, Fiber+, a three-in-one fiber formula built to close a surprisingly common gut-health gap. Expect hard-won lessons on leadership, patience, and building a business built to help people thrive.

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An independent motel never really closes. From booking systems and guest Wi-Fi, to front-desk transactions and security, it all has to run every hour the doors are open, and for owner John Hildebrand, that means creating a great guest experience means getting countless details right behind the scenes. In this episode, John shares what it takes to run an always-on business and the lessons he’s learned from being involved in every part of the operation.

This episode of How Success Happens is presented by AT&T Business. To learn how they can help support your business as it grows, visit att.com/smallbusiness.

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Dan sits down with Veronica del Rosario — co-founder and Chief Brand Officer of Smalls, the fresh cat food company disrupting an industry that's long treated cats as an afterthought. Veronica dives into launching the brand with her best friend, Matt Michaelson, scaling a fully remote, four-day-workweek culture, why "high self-awareness, low ego" is the top hiring trait at Smalls, and how the brand's fierce "cat-first, cat-only" philosophy sets it apart from competitors. Plus, listen in for a truly shocking reveal about Dan's past! (Okay, it's not that shocking, but it is fun.)

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