“Success is not an option”

An interview with Grant Cardone, master marketer, international speaker, and entrepreneur

 Grant Cardone (photo credit: PR)
Grant Cardone
(photo credit: PR)

Success is not an option,” says Grant Cardone, the self-styled marketing trainer, entrepreneur, and speaker. “It is my duty. Success is not a choice. Success is mandatory, and it is a basic life essential.” Speaking with the Jerusalem Post via Zoom from the United States, Cardone, bestselling author of the bestselling books, The 10X Rule, Sell or Be Sold and The Millionaire Booklet, outlined the philosophy that has helped turn him into the world’s top sales and marketing trainer. 

A renowned speaker, Cardone speaks directly and forthrightly, defining success as the achievement of potential and possibility, not only for himself but for others as well. “I want enough success so that I can share it with the community, not just myself. If I’m the only one that’s successful, I have failed. I want the people around me winning financially, happily expanding their families.”

In the 10X Rule, Cardone, a big believer in creating positive actions and deeds, directed readers to set goals that they thought were unreachable and how to reach and surpass those goals. For Cardone, the pandemic is a part of life that must be dealt with and overcome, with a focus on the positive. “I would say that the positive side of Covid that I hear no one talking about is that hopefully, we are stronger both individually and as a community because of Covid. I choose to be stronger because I choose to expand in the face of it. Covid, to me, is just a blip and a little bump in the road.” Of greater concern to him is what he terms the “epidemic of hate in the world,” and people who are comfortable and satisfied who have not achieved their full potential. 

Cardone was well-equipped to take advantage of the turn to virtual marketing when the pandemic struck. His vast business interests, including the Grant Cardone Sales Training University, direct webinars, educational materials, real estate training, and consulting, have been working online for several years and have generated $1.2 billion in sales. “Covid just threw gasoline on a fire that was already in place,” he says. Lockdowns enabled Grant to reach more people and inspired him to develop even more creative methods to communicate his message. “When successful people start to feel threatened, they tend to get even more creative,” he says. When Covid struck, I said, ‘This is an opportunity – not a problem.” As a result, Cardon’s businesses generated 40% more income in 2020 than in the previous year. 

Grant Cardone not only motivates clients to act and improve their lives. He has motivated himself to succeed and overcome difficulties. When asked what has driven him to success, he responds, “The haters, the critics, the naysayers, the family and friends that counted me out. I would not be where I’m at today if it were not for all the people that said I couldn’t do it. That has been the greatest fuel and motivation of my life.”

In 2022, Grant Cardone wants to expand his rapidly expanding network of successful businesses around the world. Cardone is already represented in Israel, Australia, Germany, New Zealand, France, and Dubai, among others. “We’re looking to expand into countries where people haven’t given up, where people know success and survival. We’re going to go to those places and show that money is important and vital. Family is critical. You need money and success to take care of your family. I want to help the people that want help with a real message about the importance of family, finance, and expansion.” Grant is planning a world tour for 2022 that will cover 22 countries. 

A straight-shooting speaker, Cardone says that today, his message is relevant to people worldwide. “I think people around the world are starting to wake up, and with inflation, they are saying, ‘There is something we don’t know.’ We were taught to save money– save your money, and it’ll save you later. Saving money is not a workable proposition. You have to invest money. The only people that have anything are people that invested their money. So I think people are ready right now.”

Grant Cardone’s message has resonated especially well in Israel, where his books, courses, and lectures have been translated into Hebrew by BeRich Mindset, his official representative in this country. The company has also obtained the rights for Arabic versions of his work, which will be available shortly. Cardone’s recently released book, 10X Kids, where he approaches the younger generation to show them the right mindset to success, will be available in Hebrew within a month. 

“I’ve never met an Israeli that I didn’t get along with,” says Grant Cardone. “It’s a remarkable thing. Perhaps it’s because I’m raw and real, and I talk about money and about controlling your future. Those are all things that I think are very, very important for the survival of any group of people in any community. I’ve had a lot of hardships in my life. So maybe your community and your people resonate with that and appreciate that.”

Grant Cardone plans to visit Israel in October 2022 for two events, together with BeRich Mindset, and share his message with Israelis to help them make success their duty, responsibility, obligation, and rise above outdated, unworkable middle-class myths and limitations to achieve true freedom for themselves and their families. 

This article is taken from The Jerusalem Post Annual Executive Magazine 2021-2022. To read the entire magazine, click here.

This article was written in cooperation with Grant Cardone