How Success Happens

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices