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你賺不到錢不是能力不夠！前台積電主管郝哥點破盲點：決定你收入天花板的不是有多努力，而是「記住、想要、買單」！ft. 郝聲音郝旭烈 — Transcript

by 西索 Celso · 12,674 words · 1,915 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

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0:00We often hope to be able to think
0:01things through clearly. He said, you
0:03can never think it through, because you
0:05cannot use your limited past abilities
0:07to figure out your infinite future
0:09potential. At your age, all the
0:11limitations in your mind are just the
0:13sum and accumulation of your past
0:15knowledge; our own knowledge and
0:17cognition are our ceiling. The only way
0:20to raise your ceiling is to do;
0:22thinking is all problems, while doing
0:24is the answer. Today's guest is not
0:26only a bestselling author but also a
0:27renowned senior figure in the
0:29broadcasting and new media industries;
0:31let’s welcome the host of "Good
0:32Business," Hao Ge.
0:33Hello everyone, thank you for the
0:35invitation. I am Hao Ge, and I am very
0:37happy to have this opportunity to
0:38communicate and learn together with
0:40everyone on air.
0:41Great, could you introduce your past
0:42work experience and what you have done?
0:44Well, my formal career started in the
0:47workplace. I entered the workplace
0:49quite late because I went to graduate
0:50school and then served in the military;
0:52I was about 27 when I officially
0:54started working. My first job was in
0:56the semiconductor industry at TSMC,
0:59where I stayed for nearly eight or nine
1:01years, taking on various roles
1:03including process engineer,
1:05manufacturing engineer, and later,
1:08finance. My second job was also in the
1:10semiconductor industry, moving from
1:12TSMC to what is now PSMC, which used to
1:15make DRAM. After working there for five
1:19years, by a stroke of luck, I was
1:21headhunted by a graduate school
1:22classmate into the banking industry—
1:25my undergraduate degree was in
1:26industrial engineering and my master's
1:29was in business administration with a
1:31major in finance, which aligned with my
1:33desire to work in the financial sector.
1:37The third job was at Singapore's
1:39sovereign wealth fund, Temasek, where I
1:41worked in mainland China for nearly
1:43five years, which came with quite a lot
1:45of pressure. At that time, my health
1:47was a bit poor, and I originally
1:48intended to come back and take a break.
1:50After returning to Taiwan, a few months
1:52later, I joined a venture capital firm.
1:54Venture capital work is more flexible;
1:56you just need to review projects,
1:58evaluate them, and serve on the boards
2:00of our portfolio companies, and I did
2:03that for nearly 11 years. These four
2:05are my more formal jobs. Before these
2:08four jobs, I had quite an
2:10entrepreneurial streak, including
2:12tutoring, singing in restaurants, doing
2:15direct sales, and working briefly as a
2:17substitute radio host, an advertising
2:20voice-over artist, and even recording
2:22books on tape for the visually impaired
2:24. By my fourth job, the venture capital
2:28work I mentioned, my schedule was more
2:30flexible, which allowed me to meet many
2:32entrepreneurs. Around 2015 or 2016, the
2:36knowledge content industry began to
2:38flourish, so I started recording online
2:41courses and publishing books, which
2:43eventually led me into podcasting,
2:45YouTube, and becoming a media
2:48professional.
2:49Hao Ge, have you accumulated 30 years
2:50of experience so far? Working.
2:53Just about, nearly 30 years. If I count
2:55from my freshman year of college, it's
2:57actually closer to 40 years.
2:59From your college days until now, has
3:01your mindset regarding earning money
3:03changed at all?
3:03The change has been quite significant.
3:05How so?
3:07Because at the beginning, you really
3:09want to earn money but don't know how,
3:11so you just take any opportunity that
3:13pays you. But the true essence of
3:15earning money is that you have to
3:16exchange something for it; you must
3:18provide value to others to be able to
3:20make money. If you don't understand
3:22that, you just think hard work is what
3:24matters, which, to put it bluntly, is
3:26just trading time for money. But in the
3:29midst of this, my second real job was
3:31singing, and I was making 160 an hour.
3:34Then I met a very talented singer who
3:36taught me; he was making 600 an hour,
3:39and that’s when I realized, oh! I
3:41shouldn't just be using my time to earn
3:43money; I want to be able to earn money
3:45while simultaneously increasing my
3:47hourly rate within that same unit of
3:49time. That was the first time I
3:50realized that earning money isn't just
3:52about working hard with your head down;
3:53you have to work hard with your head up
3:55. What does "working hard with your
3:57head up" mean? It means you can't just
3:59earn money your own way; you have to
4:01see what kind of value you bring to
4:03others to create more income within the
4:05same unit of time. Later, when I was
4:07reading Naval’s book, it gave me a
4:09profound realization that validated the
4:12experiences I’d had in the workplace.
4:14The values he presented were very
4:16similar to what I’d learned: we often
4:19overestimate the importance of hard
4:21work while underestimating the key role
4:23of judgment. What exactly is hard work?
4:27Hard work isn't bad, but if you’re
4:28just burying your head in low-level
4:30labor, you’re making 160 an hour, and
4:32you have to work 10 hours just to earn
4:341600. But that incredibly talented
4:36singer I saw—he told me his hourly
4:38rate was 600, and he just kept singing
4:40songs the audience loved, joining them
4:42in happy songs, and when he finished,
4:44there was another 1000 in bills sitting
4:46in his tip jar. In other words, he made
4:481600 in that one hour, which would take
4:51me 10 hours to match. If I spent 10
4:53hours singing, he’d have nine hours
4:55left to just kick back, read some books
4:57, or keep earning more money—right?
4:59That was the first time I felt the
5:01first stage of making money: you have
5:02to increase your own value so you can
5:04raise your hourly rate per unit of time
5:06. If you can do in one hour what takes
5:08others 10, you get those nine extra
5:10hours back for yourself. The second
5:12stage was after I joined TSMC. We
5:14happened to be there at the right time,
5:16so we all got employee stock bonuses.
5:18Before that, I had no idea what stocks
5:20were, but once you start to grasp that
5:22concept, you realize, "Oh!""It turns
5:24out that while I’m earning money,
5:26there’s this thing called stocks held
5:28in securities that can keep making
5:29money for me, whether through dividends
5:31or capital gains." That’s when you
5:32start to realize, "Beyond just earning
5:34money with your time, there’s another
5:36path called earning money with your
5:37wealth." Wow, honestly, that was a huge
5:40shock! You know, before, you just
5:41thought working hard was the way to
5:43make money. Since good judgment allowed
5:45you to keep earning, you suddenly
5:47discovered there was something even
5:48better: beyond active income, there was
5:50this thing called passive income.
5:52Because while everyone is probably used
5:54to hearing about passive income
5:55nowadays, in our day, we mostly read
5:57professional books—books on
5:59semiconductors or finance—you didn't
6:01really see anything related to
6:02financial IQ. It was only after I
6:04started investing in stocks that I
6:06began to understand another dimension
6:07of money: transforming money into
6:09wealth, which then generates passive
6:11income for you. The third stage began
6:13after I returned from mainland China
6:14around 2012 due to poor health; over
6:16these past dozen years, I’ve
6:18gradually been sharing these insights
6:19with others. I’ve realized that
6:21wealth has never been just about money.
6:24You can always earn more money, and
6:26looking back, those lessons my teachers
6:29taught me actually made sense. Back
6:31when we were learning about finance,
6:32they used to say that what we are truly
6:34managing is never just money. The
6:35problem was that back then, we were
6:37short on cash, so we were fixated
6:38entirely on money. They said we must
6:40manage our scarce resources. It wasn't
6:42until I read "The Road to Financial
6:44Freedom" by Li Xiaolai that I realized
6:46time is even more precious than money
6:48because it only diminishes as you spend
6:49it, and even more precious than time is
6:51where we focus our attention. Because
6:53my health was poor, when I returned, I
6:56shifted more of my attention to my
6:58well-being. That’s what helped me
7:00lose weight, regain my mental clarity,
7:02and find more time—or rather, the
7:04physical capacity—to spend with my
7:07family. So, whether in my own courses
7:11or books, I emphasize that for me, the
7:13greatest wealth has evolved from simple
7:16money, to using money to generate
7:19wealth, and now to this third stage:
7:21not just being reckless with money, but
7:24using it to generate passive income so
7:27I can afford the "four wheels" of a
7:29life of wealth—money, time, health,
7:32and relationships. You must have money
7:35to build wealth, and only after you
7:37build wealth can you gain the most
7:40precious resource in life: time. When
7:42you have that time, don’t waste it
7:44scrolling on your phone in bed. You
7:46need to get active and learn how to eat
7:48and live healthily. If you are sickly
7:50and just lying at home every day
7:52without going out, how could you
7:53possibly have the opportunity to build
7:55meaningful relationships? So, for me
7:57personally, the greatest takeaway of
7:58this third stage is: you need money to
8:00have time, and you need that to ensure
8:01good health and strong relationships. I
8:03think these three stages are the
8:04journey I’ve been on, and they
8:06represent the most significant
8:07realizations I’ve had. In this day
8:09and age, I think everyone realizes the
8:11broader economic environment isn't
8:12great, and making money is truly hard,
8:14which is why many young people or
8:16office workers have dreams of starting
8:18their own businesses, hoping to flip
8:20their lives around. But reality is
8:22quite cruel, and most of these ventures
8:24end in failure. Brother Hao, regarding
8:26this situation, do you have any advice
8:28for young people holding onto a startup
8:30dream?
8:31Sure, actually, this issue goes beyond
8:33just starting a business. Many people
8:35ask Brother Hao, is it better to start
8:37a business or to work for someone else?
8:39I didn't really have a clear concept
8:41before and didn't know how to answer,
8:43but looking back at my first job, less
8:45than three or four months in, I started
8:47doing something older generations might
8:50not approve of: "riding a donkey while
8:52looking for a horse." What does that
8:54mean? It means while I was working, I
8:56was constantly sending out resumes and
8:57interviewing all day long. Why? Because
9:00I was lucky; despite being in a great
9:02work environment for my first job, I
9:04encountered a few colleagues I didn't
9:06particularly like. Now, that might seem
9:09like a bad situation, right?
9:10But because of what we call the "
9:12catfish effect," you know, they made
9:13you not want to stay in that place.
9:15So I really wanted to go and see the
9:17outside world. Because of that, I would
9:19often update my resume, like whenever I
9:20did something that gave me a sense of
9:22achievement, I’d update it,
9:23constantly increasing the value of my
9:25resume. And as it kept improving, I
9:27would go out and interview. At the
9:29beginning, you're a fresh graduate, and
9:30even if you're doing well at your
9:32company, you might not necessarily get
9:34chosen when competing against others,
9:35or if you do leave, the salary might
9:37not meet your current expectations. You
9:39will face failure, and failure means
9:41others won't pay attention to you. But
9:43you'll find that after six, nine, or
9:45twelve months, or even over a year, the
9:47experience you've accumulated at this
9:49company grows. You're still the same "
9:51Hao Xu-lie," but the "Hao Xu-lie" of a
9:53year later is different from the one a
9:56year ago; your skills have started to
9:58sharpen. So when you go to interview
10:00with others again, I found that, oh, my
10:02chances of success in interviews
10:04increased significantly, and the salary
10:06I requested could also be met. So,
10:08looking back on that period later, I
10:10realized, wasn't I just a product?
10:12Wasn't I just waiting for someone to
10:14buy in? If people don't want to "buy"
10:16me from the start, it means my value
10:18isn't high enough. So, looking back,
10:20what is the real difference between
10:22finding a job and starting a business?
10:24In a startup, you have a seemingly
10:26clear product or service, but it's the
10:28same when looking for a job; if you
10:30can't find one, you don't have a salary
10:32. Not having a salary means no one is
10:35willing to pay for your services, isn't
10:37that the same concept? Plus, I think in
10:39recent years, there's been something
10:41terrifying: in the news, we see many
10:43people in high positions, even those
10:45with great skills, who can't find work
10:48or are being replaced because AI means
10:50companies don't need as many people
10:52anymore. We often say that companies
10:54are never looking for just labor, but
10:56rather the ability to solve problems.
10:58When that ability to solve problems
10:59doesn't require as many people, and
11:01other tools or AI can be used instead,
11:03you effectively go back to zero. When
11:05you're back at zero and can't find a
11:07job, to some extent, you need to think
11:09about how you can earn money, and then
11:11you try all sorts of different ways to
11:13do that. So, whether you're job hunting
11:15or starting a business, the essence is
11:18the same: entrepreneurship. We are
11:20providing a product or service that
11:22others are willing to pay for, but
11:24don't expect them to buy it forever,
11:26because if your value drops, they won't
11:28. You either get downsized or fired; we
11:31must keep up with the times. This is
11:33all one and the same. Returning to the
11:36question just asked, in this current
11:38state, how can people overcome their
11:40blind spots and decide whether to look
11:42for a job or start a business? I have
11:44to tell everyone that in the past, when
11:46our parents told us to find an "iron
11:48rice bowl," I think they were right
11:50because job opportunities were scarce
11:52back then. If you want to start a
11:54business today, you either need enough
11:57capital to find companies to invest in
11:59so you can become a big boss, or you
12:01need a lot of money and good credit to
12:04find partners, like when Jack Ma found
12:06his 18 disciples to work with him. So,
12:09it's either about having money or
12:12having money. Whether it's capital or
12:14labor, you need a large sum of money to
12:17start a business. That is also why I
12:19heard something from Naval Ravikant
12:21that felt strange at first, but later,
12:24I realized it made so much sense. He
12:26said, "Actually, I think this era is
12:28the best of times." Why do I say that?
12:31Because in the past, if we wanted to
12:33amplify our time and capabilities, we
12:36either needed financial leverage or
12:38labor leverage. But in this era, social
12:40media allows your personal brand and
12:42value to be amplified infinitely,
12:44through what is called
12:45zero-marginal-cost leverage. He also
12:48said that he believes in the future, he
12:50expects everyone to be a company, where
12:52people interact through the exchange of
12:54value, known as collaboration. In the
12:57past, we worked in a company by reading
12:59our boss's expressions because they
13:00paid our salary, right? If they asked
13:02us to do something we didn't want to do
13:04, we still did it because they were
13:05paying us. We used to joke that this
13:07was our "hush money," paying us to put
13:09up with being scolded. But the future
13:11will be different. We will all work on
13:13project-based collaborations. For
13:15example, if I want to complete a
13:17project with Siso today, we might part
13:19ways after it's finished, and then I
13:21can collaborate with someone else on
13:23the next one. So, you see, every
13:25individual is a product and a service.
13:28This brings us to a crucial point: what
13:31kind of value, service, or product can
13:34you offer to those who need it? Before
13:36I started doing social media, I didn't
13:39really understand this. Why? Because we
13:42usually grow up thinking we need to
13:44learn a lot before our lifelong skills
13:46can finally help others. But I realized
13:48—which is why I felt his words were
13:51strange at first but later found them
13:53so reasonable—that we often feel the
13:55need to arm ourselves first. For
13:57instance, if the scale is ten, we think
13:59we need to be an eight, nine, or ten
14:01before we are capable of providing
14:02benefits and value to others. However,
14:04in the field of social media, the scope
14:06is boundless. Take Siso, for example;
14:08he is a great senior in social media,
14:10very impressive, a ten out of ten. And
14:12I, Brother Hao, am only a five. It
14:15seems like I am much worse than you,
14:17but looking at it another way, if there
14:18is a beginner just starting out, going
14:20from zero to one, your value, Siso,
14:22might still be too far out of reach for
14:24them. Instead, someone like me, who is
14:26just climbing from zero, one, two,
14:28three, four, to five, can actually
14:30provide them with value. So, this is
14:32what we heard when we were kids, but
14:33often didn't quite understand—the
14:35four characters that say, "don't
14:37belittle yourself." I happened to read
14:38this the other day, came across the
14:40Diamond Sutra, and I found it made so
14:42much sense; it says everyone in the
14:44world is a Bodhisattva, not just
14:45someone like the Buddha. Otherwise,
14:47when the Buddha was starving to death,
14:49that shepherdess who gave him goat's
14:52milk to drink—she wasn't a highly
14:54educated person, nor had she attained
14:56enlightenment or the righteous path—
14:59but that small act of altruism, the
15:01moment she gave the milk to the Buddha,
15:03she herself was already a Bodhisattva.
15:06So, by the same logic, no one is
15:08without value. We used to always be
15:10told to look upward, feeling like we
15:12weren't good enough compared to those
15:14above us, right? But you have to
15:15realize, compared to those below, we
15:17have plenty, and we always have
15:19opportunities. The moment we reach our
15:21hand downward, you are providing
15:23assistance and solving problems for
15:25those less fortunate than you. As long
15:28as you can see, instead of looking down
15:30your nose at people you can't catch up
15:33with, and can look downward to help and
15:35solve problems for those who have less
15:38than you, I think this concept of
15:40altruism is a vital part of value
15:42exchange in the economic environment.
15:45As long as you can see it, reach out
15:47your hand, and take immediate action to
15:49solve the problem, I believe money will
15:51follow naturally. I often talk about
15:53the three steps of value exchange: you
15:56create the value, then transmit it,
15:58which is delivering value, and money is
16:00just the incidental result of capturing
16:02that value at the end, so I tell many
16:04friends around me, don't belittle
16:06yourself.
16:07There is always a place in the world
16:09where we can offer our assistance and
16:12help others. When you help others,
16:14whether it's selfless or involves an
16:16exchange of interests—what we call a
16:18transaction—if it's selfless, you
16:20might make some YouTube videos or
16:22podcasts for everyone; don't
16:24underestimate that. Because whenever
16:26others watch you or listen to you, they
16:28are giving you the most precious things
16:30in their lives: their time and
16:32attention, and when you continue to
16:34contribute consistently, you leave
16:36behind what we call a brand effect in
16:38their hearts.
16:38As for the future, if you have related
16:40products—even I, currently doing
16:42YouTube, have many people asking, "Hey,
16:43do you want to offer memberships?" I
16:45say, "You should." Because there will
16:48always be someone willing to pay to
16:49encourage you, and at that point,
16:51you’ve entered the cycle of value
16:53exchange in the commercial market. So I
16:55encourage everyone never to feel like
16:57you aren't good enough; everyone has
16:58their own value. Perhaps the mentor we
17:00spend our whole lives searching for is
17:02just the version of ourselves in the
17:03mirror that changes our perspective. I
17:05think in that situation, you won’t
17:07feel like, "Hmm, I have to do this in
17:10order to achieve that." This part is
17:12very important, because people often
17:14ask me how to run media, and the most
17:17common thing I hear is, "But I'm not
17:19that great. Look at all these amazing
17:22people online."
17:23Right, so many impressive people.
17:25Exactly, I feel like it's impossible
17:27for me, I'm still so far off.
17:29But the trickiest part is that you
17:31don't need to be great to start; you
17:33need to start to become great.
17:35You have to learn as you go, find your
17:37market, and find the people who need
17:39you. I think for most people who want
17:41to do self-media but haven't started,
17:43this is the hardest stage and the
17:45hardest mindset to change.
17:47Yes, exactly. But like Hao Ge said, if
17:50you are a champion horse, for a master
17:52to recognize you, you at least have to
17:54be seen, right?
17:55Just put yourself out there on social
17:57media; good or bad, you will eventually
17:59be seen. Really, and I resonate deeply
18:02with what you just said. You have to
18:04let people see you; you can't just keep
18:05saying, "Oh, why hasn't anyone noticed
18:07how great I am?" You have to make
18:09yourself visible. I remember someone
18:11once told me, "Good wine doesn't need a
18:13loud shout; you don't need to be seen,
18:15people will find you." I said, "Hold on
18:17, there's a problem with that logic!"
18:19If the alley is deep, the wine has to
18:20be strong enough, you know. So, even if
18:22the wine itself can't be seen, its
18:24fragrance must carry out. If not even
18:25the scent reaches anyone, how would
18:27they know where your wine is hidden,
18:29right? Never underestimate yourself,
18:31let others see you, do whatever it
18:33takes.
18:34In this era, if a young person really
18:36wants to start a business, how should
18:38they make business decisions to find
18:39their profit model in the fastest time
18:41possible? It's because the costs today
18:44are too high, and if you fail, the
18:46price is too great. It means they don't
18:48have much time to waste. Hao Ge, how do
18:51you think one can find their business
18:53model in a short amount of time? Wow,
18:55this question is truly important and
18:57critical. Take me for example, I
19:00decided to start my podcast in March
19:022020, when a music group invited me
19:04during the COVID-19 pandemic. We spent
19:07forever discussing it—not just a week
19:09or two, but nearly half a year,
19:11probably seven months before we
19:14actually made it happen. Why? Thinking
19:17creates problems, but taking action
19:18provides answers, so we spent a long
19:19time just thinking. And you might think
19:22after all that hesitation, and finally
19:24seeing some success six years later,
19:26that I’d be more decisive with other
19:29things—but no. I remember in mid-2025
19:31, I wanted to start a YouTube channel
19:34because while many said it wasn’t
19:36good, I felt like many others were
19:39actually doing quite well. I thought
19:41about it at the start of 2025, and by
19:43mid-year, after discussing it with my
19:45manager, I gave it a try, just doing a
19:48couple of episodes for sponsorships.
19:50Doing those few episodes was so
19:52complicated that I stopped again. Then,
19:54at the end of 2025, for some reason—
19:56maybe the law of attraction—I came
19:58across a YouTube tutorial on how to
20:00start a channel. The creator was quite
20:02young, and he mentioned he had been
20:04doing it for three or four years,
20:06starting as a student and continuing
20:08into his professional career. He felt
20:10that YouTube was a vital decision in
20:12his life, giving him new perspectives,
20:15allowing him to interview many people
20:17and travel to different places. He even
20:19showed the evolution of his gear, you
20:21know? From just using a phone at the
20:24start, to eventually using a
20:25three-camera setup and all sorts of
20:27other equipment. I was taking notes
20:29while watching. It was December 31,
20:312025—the very last day of the year,
20:33or perhaps the day before. When I got
20:36to the end, he packed up all his gear
20:38and said, "But let me tell you again,
20:40no matter how good your equipment is,
20:42it’s all meaningless if you don’t
20:44start." He said, "It’s been about
20:46three or four years since I started,
20:48and what I’m doing now is almost
20:50completely different from what I first
20:52imagined." I’ve changed so much that
20:54I never even thought I’d end up
20:55buying this much equipment when I first
20:57began. I just kept doing it, doing it,
20:59and doing it, realizing this was
21:01lacking and fixing a bit, that was
21:03lacking and adding a bit, and making
21:05small adjustments along the way. So,
21:06forget about all the fancy equipment
21:08for now; just take your phone and get
21:10started. That's the point, you know?
21:13After listening to that, I thought, "Oh
21:14my, that feeling really hit home, just
21:16like it did back in 2020." So, I
21:18remember after I finished listening
21:19that night, I woke up the next morning
21:21and went straight to that website. I
21:23thought, "My phone works fine," and I
21:25went ahead and bought a microphone. I
21:26told myself I’d officially start on
21:28January 1st, 2026. But as luck would
21:30have it, it was supposed to be 24-hour
21:32delivery, and by the evening of the 1st
21:33, the mic still hadn't arrived. I
21:35thought, "I can't let my commitment
21:37vanish," so I stopped worrying about
21:38the problems and realized that doing it
21:40is the answer. I just set my phone down
21:42—no fancy stand or anything—right
21:44on my living room table, facing the
21:46bookshelf. I talked to the camera and
21:48said, "This is my first episode. I
21:50wanted a microphone, but it didn't come
21:53. I didn't even have time to write a
21:55script." I just put it out there,
21:56saying that if I’m going to start, I
21:58have to commit to everyone. I told them
21:59I didn't know exactly what I was doing,
22:01but I just wanted to record and start a
22:02YouTube channel. I wanted to set an
22:04example, to show that even on day one,
22:06when I knew nothing and didn't have the
22:08equipment—forget high-end gear, I
22:09didn't even have the microphone I
22:11ordered—I still did it. Maybe the
22:13audio quality wasn't great and there
22:14was background noise, so please bear
22:16with me. But at least starting, even if
22:17a bit clumsy, is better than not
22:19starting at all. You know, after that
22:20first episode went live, I didn't think
22:22anyone would watch, but many people did
22:23. They even encouraged me in the
22:24comments, saying, "Hey, the sound isn't
22:26actually that bad, it's alright!"
22:27It’s funny how you don't know until
22:29you try. Once you do it, you realize
22:31that as long as you're willing to take
22:32the risk, it’s fine. So, from that
22:34first day on January 1st, 2026, until
22:36now, it’s been nearly nine months.
22:38For the first two or three months, I
22:40was still figuring things out, even
22:41being a bit inconsistent, wondering how
22:43to move forward. I kept thinking, "Why,
22:45after starting on January 1st, did I
22:48fall back into that same old dead-end
22:50cycle?" You know, by mid-April, I
22:52decided to let it go. I said, from the
22:54beginning, my podcast had to be
22:56completely different from everyone
22:57else’s. I bought six books back then,
22:59realizing that everyone else's past
23:01experience doesn't dictate my future,
23:03so I wrote that in my notebook: the
23:04past doesn't define the future, and
23:06others don't define me. Around the end
23:08of April, I told myself, starting today
23:10, I'll record from home. I’m
23:12different from the others, so I’ll
23:13just use my phone to record, and I want
23:15to try it for a year to see what
23:16happens. As for what to talk about? I
23:19don’t care; I’ll talk about
23:20whatever I want. I wrote down: ignore
23:22others, talk about whatever I want. And
23:24what then? I said forget about 20
23:26minutes; I’ll do five minutes or four
23:28, no time limit, keep editing simple,
23:29so I can keep going with one episode a
23:31day. I don’t believe that if I keep
23:33doing it, I won't get enough feedback
23:35to know how to proceed. This reminds me
23:37of when I first started the podcast;
23:39there are many things you’ve clearly
23:41done before, but when you reach a
23:43certain level, you fall into
23:45perfectionism. Only by finishing can
23:46you improve, and even then, it won't be
23:49perfect, but you'll just want to keep
23:51playing. This is very important. So,
23:53once I made up my mind that day, I told
23:55myself: I have to enjoy it, I have to
23:57be happy, and it has to be fun. So I
23:59kept doing it—April, May, June, July.
24:02Once you remove the pressure, the
24:03feedback starts rolling in, and as the
24:05feedback increases, you start to truly
24:06enjoy the process. So if you ask me,
24:08what exactly is my niche? I don’t
24:11know. By the time I reached June, my
24:13subscriber count hit the point where I
24:15could start monetizing, and then the
24:17information started pouring in.
24:19People were asking if I was going to
24:21launch a membership. But you know how
24:22it is, YouTube just keeps pushing that
24:24content to you. I’ll say it again:
24:25before that, I had no idea how to make
24:27money; I really didn't know at all. I
24:29just worked like crazy first, and two
24:30or three months later, people started
24:31saying, "Hey, brother, it's because
24:32you're popular." I said no matter how
24:34famous or skilled you are, if you don't
24:35do it, it’s all zero. But if you do
24:37it, no matter how unpopular you are,
24:38you’ll always have a better chance
24:40than those who don't. That’s a very
24:41important logical concept. So I said,
24:43how do I go about setting up a
24:45membership? I’ll jump to the point; I
24:46remember a girl told me, "When I first
24:48started YouTube, I didn't dare to
24:50enable memberships or accept money from
24:51anyone." Later, until one time, she saw
24:53a comment under one of her videos where
24:55someone donated to her—she hadn't
24:57even enabled memberships yet—and they
24:59said, "You should enable memberships;
25:01you need to give your fans a chance to
25:02pay to support you." So she did. The
25:05point I’m trying to make is this:
25:07don’t overthink it, because you’ll
25:09never be able to figure it all out. I
25:10remember a book called "Act Like a
25:12Success, Think Like a Success." We
25:14often want to think things through
25:16clearly, but it says you never can,
25:17because you can't use your limited past
25:19capabilities to figure out your
25:21infinite future potential. At your age,
25:23all the limitations in your mind are
25:25just the sum and accumulation of your
25:27past knowledge. So our own knowledge
25:29and cognition are our ceiling; the only
25:30way to raise that ceiling is by doing,
25:32not thinking, because thinking is just
25:34based on your existing perceptions.
25:36Only when you are in the process of
25:38doing does your infinite potential
25:39begin to accumulate. That is why every
25:41bit of accumulation is an achievement,
25:43and as for all miracles, they occur
25:44when that achievement suddenly breaks
25:46through after constant accumulation. So
25:48, back when I started my podcast, as I
25:49gradually began to grasp this concept,
25:51I told my team: "Let’s not worry
25:53about it, let’s just finish 100
25:55episodes first." The team asked me, "
25:57Okay, Brother, what will happen after
25:58100 episodes?" I said, "What do you
26:00mean, what will happen?""But I am
26:01certain that when I reach the 100th
26:02episode, it will definitely be
26:03different from the first." This is the
26:04key to how accumulation leads to
26:06achievement, and to the kind of
26:07achievement you can't even imagine—
26:08that’s how it turns into a miracle.
26:09So many people ask me, "Brother Hao,
26:11what exactly do you recommend?" I say,
26:12"Don't overthink it, because you can't
26:14think it through, so just start doing
26:15it." And as you keep going, doing more
26:17than others, things will inevitably
26:18turn out differently. I remember one
26:20time I was a guest on the show of
26:21another brilliant CEO who produces
26:23daily content. I asked, "You do daily
26:25updates?" He replied, "Yeah, daily
26:27updates provide more opportunities for
26:28improvement." I said, "How so?" He said
26:30, "If you post weekly, you only produce
26:3252 episodes a year, meaning you only
26:33have 52 chances to be seen and 52
26:35chances to improve. If you post daily,
26:37that's 365 times, and if you post three
26:38times a day, that's over 1,000 times.""
26:40Just think about it, this is what we
26:41call quantitative change leading to
26:42qualitative change. I thought, that
26:44makes sense." It makes sense, but it
26:45can't just be about the logic. So,
26:47after I heard that, I came back and
26:48started daily posting without telling
26:49anyone. After not telling anyone for
26:51about two weeks, someone suddenly asked
26:53me, "Hao Ge, how come I see you posting
26:55every day now?" I said, "You noticed?"
26:57He asked, "Why didn't you say anything?
26:59" I said, "Why would I say anything?" I
27:01was afraid I wouldn't be able to keep
27:02it up and would go back to weekly, so I
27:03decided to just do it first, without
27:04rushing to tell others. Even if you
27:05can't keep it up, you can just tell
27:06people, "I post when I feel like it,"
27:08and it wouldn't matter. But think about
27:09it, as long as your rhythm speeds up
27:11and your frequency increases, the
27:13opportunities for deliberate practice
27:14grow, and naturally, your chances of
27:16getting better than others improve. Hao
27:18Ge, you just mentioned something very
27:20important about not losing the game. If
27:22we apply this to the current generation
27:24of entrepreneurs, how do you think they
27:26should set a bottom line for themselves
27:28? That is, if I start a business or try
27:30whatever I want to do, if I fail and
27:32return, it won't have a lasting impact
27:34on my future life. Well, I should put
27:36it this way: let's not worry about the
27:38future for now; you still need to be
27:39able to eat and sleep well right now. I
27:41remember one time my daughter asked me
27:43this, she said, "Dad, you always say to
27:45find work you love, to keep trying
27:46constantly, because trying brings
27:48experience, and experience brings
27:49courage, so you can eventually find
27:51what you love and enjoy it.""But what
27:52if I haven't found it yet, and this
27:54current job isn't what I like, what
27:55should I do?" I said, "Do it well. You
27:58have to support yourself first, right?"
28:00"You have to strive to earn money here
28:01first, but while you are doing it well,
28:02there are two things you need to tell
28:04yourself." First, don't spend money
28:06recklessly once you earn it. Only by
28:08saving money can you eventually create
28:09passive income, so that one day, when
28:11you really don't want to do this job
28:13anymore, you'll have the confidence and
28:15capital to support yourself. The first
28:17thing is that you must be able to save
28:19your money. The second thing is to save
28:21your time. If you already dislike your
28:23current job, why waste your life
28:25scrolling through your phone after work
28:26on things that won't help you improve?
28:28Isn't that a pity? You can listen to
28:31and watch YouTube content online, hear
28:34good voices, and while continuously
28:36building your knowledge, integrate this
28:38learning into your schedule. In the
28:41evenings, try to use what you’ve
28:43learned to create value that benefits
28:45others. The simplest way is to write
28:47articles, post on FB or IG, or record a
28:49podcast—you can do it all with just a
28:51smartphone. That’s why I plan to keep
28:53recording with just my phone this year.
28:55I want to tell others that if I can do
28:57it, you can too, and it won't take much
28:59time. Plus, AI editing is very
29:01convenient these days. If you don't
29:03need anything too complex, spending
29:04about half an hour to an hour a day is
29:06enough. I’m not talking about long
29:08videos; five to eight minutes is
29:09perfectly fine. If you spend your time
29:11scrolling through short videos every
29:13day just to slack off instead of
29:15learning, you should reclaim that time.
29:17Spend that half hour or hour every
29:19evening either taking in information or
29:21putting it out. If you turn this into a
29:23systematic behavior pattern, believe me
29:25, you'll see what compounding is. It
29:27means that after a year, because of the
29:29judgment you used to commit to this,
29:31you will become different. What is
29:33judgment? Judgment is the ability to
29:35see the long-term consequences of an
29:36action. After 365 days, if you’ve
29:38made one piece of content every day,
29:40you’ll have 365 of them. Even if no
29:42one watches, you can tell people, "I'm
29:44Brother Hao, and I've produced 365
29:46podcast episodes and 365 YouTube videos
29:48." Do you know how cool that is? I know
29:50a teacher that both Mr. Xiso and I are
29:51familiar with; his podcast is only five
29:53minutes long. Five minutes is great!
29:56Who said it has to be 50 minutes, right
29:58? Just remember these two things, and
30:00don't be in a rush to be overly
30:01ambitious. While you’re working today
30:03, taking care of yourself is a given,
30:05but in the process, avoid overspending
30:07or overconsuming so that you can
30:09actually save some money. This is so
30:11that one day in the future, you can
30:12tell your boss "I'm quitting," leaving
30:14yourself with a sense of security. This
30:16is about earning money and knowing how
30:18to save it; this second part gives you
30:19options for the future. It’s not just
30:21about saving money; you also need to
30:22save your time. Save your time for what
30:25, you ask? Save time for things that
30:26elevate your abilities, whether it's
30:28through learning or by producing
30:30results. Then, once you’ve
30:31accumulated knowledge and skills, as
30:33you put them out there, consistently
30:35let others see that you can help them
30:37solve problems in certain fields—
30:39that's what you call "saving people's
30:41trust." And when you "save trust," when
30:43others invest their time and energy
30:45into the results you’ve built,
30:47believe me, the future—whether you'll
30:50make money is one thing, but as long as
30:52people keep discovering you, money is
30:54just the natural byproduct of that
30:56wealth. Brother Hao, you once served as
30:59a venture capital consultant, right?
31:01After seeing so many companies, what do
31:03you think a company with healthy cash
31:05flow looks like, or how should a boss
31:07cultivate their mindset regarding money
31:09?
31:10In the past, we often talked about our
31:11time in banking before moving into the
31:13venture capital industry. I remember
31:15back in the banking days, there was a
31:17time we were reviewing a loan
31:19application, and we said, "Oh, small
31:20companies are high risk, so we have to
31:23be extra cautious when lending." Just
31:25that one sentence. Then our big boss
31:27corrected us, saying, "Let me make a
31:28slight correction: small companies
31:30aren't necessarily high risk; they just
31:32have a low ability to withstand risk."
31:34That was the first time I had a
31:35different perspective on the concept of
31:37risk. He asked, "What does 'high risk'
31:39even mean?" He said for us, high risk
31:42means a high chance of default or
31:44potential fraud, but small companies
31:47simply have less capital than large
31:49ones, so if they face any systematic
31:52risk—like COVID-19 or a financial
31:54crisis—they won't last long. So, the
31:57real key isn't whether a company is big
31:59or small, but whether its cash flow is
32:01enough to sustain it. That is why when
32:03we were young, we didn't understand a
32:04saying, but after growing up—
32:06including my time in venture capital or
32:08the banking industry—I realized that
32:09individuals and companies are exactly
32:11the same. It's called living within
32:13your means: you only do what you can
32:14afford with the money you have. So many
32:16people ask me, "Hey, brother, don't
32:18many people say you should borrow money
32:20to make money?" I say you have to be
32:21capable; if you borrow money, you have
32:23to be able to pay it back. If you
32:24aren't sure that your household cash
32:26flow can accumulate enough to support
32:28your ability to repay that debt, then
32:30frankly, it's a huge risk. So,
32:31returning to what you asked earlier,
32:34how do I determine if my cash flow is
32:36healthy? The simplest way is to see if
32:38the money you earn can cover your
32:40expenses and whether the timing matches
32:43up. I’ll share two simple concepts
32:45with you to show that, in reality,
32:47individuals and companies are exactly
32:49the same. When I was young, we didn't
32:51have online shopping or credit cards
32:53like today. My mom was a housewife, and
32:55she would often receive my dad's
32:57military salary in a cash envelope. As
33:00soon as she got that salary, she would
33:02take the money out and put it into
33:04several envelopes, starting to allocate
33:06the funds: this bit is for pocket money
33:08, these few hundred for school fees,
33:10this is for our education fund—we
33:12kids 'education, she would save a
33:14little each month—and this is for the
33:16rotating credit association, what we
33:18used to call "hui," whether for
33:19investment or joining a group. Then,
33:21there's the money for general household
33:24expenses. Ah, groceries, and finally,
33:26this part is to be saved up for the
33:28housing subsidy. And sometimes, after
33:30filling all five envelopes, there would
33:32be some money left over since it was
33:34fixed. She’d tell my dad, "There's a
33:36bonus, yes, there's a bonus!" Okay,
33:38then she’d put a little extra into
33:39the housing subsidy, and put some more
33:41into this month's food budget so we
33:42could have a treat. You notice one
33:44thing: these expenses may or may not
33:46have happened yet, but for things that
33:48might happen in the future, it's called
33:50being prepared—the money is already
33:51set aside. Look at the example earlier;
33:54everything has a designated place. Only
33:57the housing allowance is different.
34:00Maybe you intended to buy a house, but
34:02COVID-19 hit before you could. If you
34:05lost your job, that extra money becomes
34:08crucial for surviving the tough times.
34:11That’s why I tell every business that
34:14three things are vital. First, it’s
34:16about money—you need to earn it. If
34:19you see a downturn coming, you have to
34:21be frugal to survive the winter. But
34:24you must have had savings beforehand,
34:26right? You need to be able to earn
34:28money, which is why an income statement
34:30is all about earnings. You should check
34:32it regularly. For an individual, an
34:34income statement is quite simple. Your
34:36monthly income is what you earn, and
34:37your monthly expenses are what you
34:39spend. Subtract your expenses from your
34:41earnings, and what remains is your
34:42income statement. The second thing is
34:44keeping your money. Keeping money means
34:46that after you earn it, you actually
34:48have some left over after spending. The
34:50scariest part about keeping money is
34:52that when you see money, you tend to
34:54spend it. That’s why we say you
34:56should earn money first, and what
34:57remains is what you keep. About six
35:00years ago, I read a book and started
35:02telling everyone: don't pit your
35:04desires against your willpower; instead
35:07, rely on a system. So, to keep your
35:09money, you must set aside a portion as
35:11soon as you earn it before you start
35:13spending. And before you even keep your
35:15money, there is a crucial step: you
35:18must be able to collect the money. In
35:20companies, this is a major issue we
35:22often overlook. Let me ask, if your
35:24company says your salary will be in
35:26your account on the 5th, and it doesn't
35:28arrive, would you be anxious on the 6th
35:30? Would you be anxious if it still
35:32hadn't arrived by the 6th? Yes.
35:34If it still hasn't arrived by the 10th,
35:35or at all that month, would you still
35:37be fully committed to working for that
35:38company? Probably not, right? You'd
35:40likely go to your boss and ask, "
35:42What’s going on?""I've worked hard
35:43for an entire month, and nothing has
35:45been paid yet," right? We all do this
35:47individually, but businesses often face
35:49"accounts receivable" in the process of
35:50doing business, or what we call a
35:52credit period. You think you've already
35:54made the money, but you haven't
35:55received it yet; you're giving
35:57customers a huge benefit, and
35:58eventually, your ability to collect
36:00becomes very poor. I remember once
36:01visiting a manufacturing company, and I
36:03almost fainted when I saw their
36:05accounts ledger. Their average annual
36:06revenue was 160 million, but their
36:08accounts receivable were massive—and
36:10this is before even subtracting costs.
36:12If you've earned the money, shouldn't
36:14you be collecting it? They had 180
36:15million in accounts receivable on their
36:17books, which means they had more money
36:19outstanding than their entire annual
36:20revenue. I asked the boss, who was
36:22about a decade or so older than me, "
36:23This is absurd; it’s like you haven't
36:25collected a single cent of what you
36:26earned all year." He said, "Our
36:28industry is just like this; collecting
36:29money is sometimes very difficult." You
36:31see, that’s a strange habit. Then, I
36:33looked at that 180 million in accounts
36:35receivable and found money from over
36:36five years ago that still hadn't been
36:38collected. If you make money but don't
36:40collect it, the cash isn't safely in
36:42your pocket. You don't even know if
36:44you'll ever see that money, do you?
36:46Relatively speaking, if you’re
36:48supposed to be making 160 million a
36:50year, but 180 million is still in other
36:52people's pockets, it means you have to
36:54keep paying for things like salaries,
36:56utilities, and rent out of your own
36:58pocket. Your ability to withstand risk
37:01is extremely low. So, going back to
37:03what was asked: a well-run company
37:05generally looks at money in three ways.
37:07First, you have to earn it—look at
37:09your income statement. When you look at
37:11the income statement and see that
37:13revenue is coming in, you know you're
37:14making money. Second, you have to keep
37:17the money—is what you spend less than
37:19what you earn? There’s a book called
37:21"Profit First" that suggests the best
37:23way is to put your profit into a
37:24separate account first; companies and
37:26individuals are the same, don’t
37:28underestimate this. We mentioned that
37:30individuals need to save money, but
37:31companies often face a major issue:
37:33while you're busy making money, you
37:35forget that at the end of the year, you
37:37have to pay income tax. Income tax is
37:39settled at the end of the year after
37:41you've earned a lot of money. If you
37:42spend everything along the way without
37:44setting aside money for income tax, you
37:46might realize you made a profit this
37:47year but don't have the cash to pay the
37:49tax, right? So, holding onto your money
37:52is crucial. Even more importantly, when
37:54you earn revenue, make sure your
37:55accounts receivable are as low as
37:57possible and your payment terms are as
37:58short as possible, which means actually
38:00collecting the cash. Therefore, earning
38:02money, holding onto money, and
38:03collecting money—you must keep a
38:05close eye on your cash levels at all
38:07times. In plain terms, it's called "
38:09monitoring"; if you don't monitor it,
38:10you're finished. That is why I believe
38:12both individuals and corporations must
38:14view money management as something
38:16extremely important. We say that a
38:18company's cash flow is just like human
38:21blood flow, or like the water we drink.
38:24If you lose your water flow, you'll die
38:26of thirst; if you lose your blood flow,
38:29you're basically done for. When you
38:31treat cash flow as strictly as blood or
38:33water, it becomes easier to make
38:35earning, collecting, and retaining
38:38money a vital part of your daily
38:40management principles. In this era,
38:42there are already so many good products
38:44on the market. It’s the same in every
38:46industry; there’s no shortage of good
38:48products. So, for a company to survive
38:52in today's market, whether you are an
38:55operator or an individual, your value
38:57must be tied to the person leading the
39:00business for it to remain a viable
39:02company. If we look at it from the
39:06perspective of a job seeker, the person
39:08is definitely the key factor. Whether
39:10it's on LinkedIn or when writing a
39:12resume, you are the product yourself,
39:15right? However, if you are starting a
39:17business and need to promote your
39:18products or services, it really comes
39:20down to the person involved. If people
39:22don't know who "Hao Ge" is, if you
39:24don't know me or can't recall my name,
39:26you won't think to look for me. I often
39:28joke around and ask everyone, "If you
39:31go to a pharmacy today to buy cold
39:32medicine, what is the first brand that
39:35pops into your head?"
39:36Yes.
39:37You’ve almost never seen Hao Ge cause
39:39any trouble, right? Almost 99.99%of
39:41people either say they don't know, and
39:43that "don't know" is only 0.1%. 99.99%
39:45of people say "this" but don't know "
39:47this" will not—we say sponsorships
39:48should pay for this advertising fee.
39:50But then I follow up with a second
39:52question, "Do you think' this 'is the
39:53best?" Many people say, "Hmm, I don't
39:55know" or "Not necessarily." I say, "
39:57That settles it then." But there is
39:59something very scary, which is that in
40:01our minds, we won't buy something we
40:02can't remember or don't know about. You
40:04either choose "that," or you might ask
40:06the boss a second question: "Besides'
40:08that, 'is there a better product you
40:10can recommend?"
40:10Only then will the boss recommend
40:12something to you, but when you have no
40:14other recommendations, what you end up
40:15buying is what you remember and what
40:17you happen to want at that moment, so
40:18you pay for it. It’s the same with
40:20people; think about it, if you wanted
40:22to go out with someone today, who are
40:23the three names that come to mind? If
40:25you’ve never heard of this person,
40:27their name won't surface in your mind,
40:28and when you want to hang out with them
40:30, what does that mean? It means you are
40:32willing to spend time with them; you
40:34are buying their time. So, it must be
40:36someone you want to be with, secondly
40:38you remember them, and thirdly you are
40:41truly willing to spend that time with
40:43them. Similarly, if I wanted to go on a
40:46show today to promote myself or help
40:48advertise my books or courses, I would
40:50definitely think of "the number one."
40:53Why would I mention "the number one"?
40:56My brain must know this person, must
40:58know this channel, and I must want it.
41:01After I want it, I finally have to pay
41:03for it, right? So, the real core
41:05concept, whether it's for individuals
41:07or companies—for individuals, "I" am
41:09important, and for companies, the "
41:11product" is important. But the
41:13underlying logic is actually brand, and
41:15this brand concept has three parts:
41:17wanting. If you don't want it, why
41:19would I normally want to buy "this"? I
41:21only want it when I need it, right? So
41:24the matter of wanting is very important
41:26, and second, you must remember it.
41:28What you can't remember won't become an
41:29option in your mind, and even if you do
41:31remember it, I might not necessarily
41:32pay for it—it might be too expensive
41:34or not meet my needs. So: want,
41:35remember, pay. So do you know what it
41:38means to pay for something? That was
41:40back when I was running my own media,
41:41and many people kept telling me that
41:43followers were everything. Then, I met
41:44a mentor who said that while followers
41:47are important, you should look up Kevin
41:49Kelly's "1000 True Fans" theory. You
41:51don't just want followers who cheer you
41:53on, saying "I love you!" but never
41:55actually buy anything from you. This is
41:57why getting people to pay—to become
41:59members—is such a critical turning
42:01point. It’s not that followers aren't
42:03important, but to survive, you need
42:05resources. Having people pay you is
42:08what provides those resources to keep
42:10you going. So, beyond just caring about
42:12your fans, you need to know if those
42:14willing to pay to support you can
42:16actually sustain your survival—
42:18that’s what really matters. When you
42:20keep these three things in mind—
42:23whether you're running a business or a
42:25brand—the key is to focus on exactly
42:28what your audience desires. If you’re
42:30only doing it for your own satisfaction
42:32, like when I first started singing, I
42:34only sang what I wanted. That’s why I
42:36only made 160 bucks; nobody wanted to
42:38listen to what I was singing. Later, a
42:40great singer told me, "Don't just sing
42:42the songs you like; you need to learn
42:44to sing the songs people want to hear."
42:46That was when I started interacting
42:47with others and understanding what they
42:49wanted to listen to. What if you don't
42:50know the songs they want? Learn them!
42:53When you learn, you're not just
42:54improving your skills; you're
42:55increasing the value you provide to
42:57others. Where does this value come from
42:59? It comes from knowing what the other
43:01person wants. When you provide what
43:03they desire, your interaction increases
43:05, and they’ll remember you. Once they
43:07remember you, they’ll keep coming
43:09back to hear you sing, dedicating their
43:12attention and time to your channel, and
43:14eventually, they might say, "Hey, I
43:16want to support this person, I'll sign
43:18up for a membership." And just like
43:20that, they’ve bought in. So, when "
43:22Desire, Recognition, and Payment" form
43:25a virtuous cycle, I remember a famous
43:27advertising mogul in China once told me
43:29something about this. He called it
43:31building a reputation. What is a
43:33reputation? It’s not something you
43:36declare or I declare; it’s when your
43:37customers or users can describe your
43:39value in a single sentence. So, simply
43:41put, word-of-mouth is a continuous
43:42process where someone can sum up your
43:44value in one sentence and keep sharing
43:45that positive experience with others.
43:47Why would they speak well of you?
43:49Because there are three factors
43:50supporting it: you satisfied their
43:52needs, and because they can clearly
43:53remember your strengths, they are able
43:55to express it in a single sentence.
43:56Furthermore, as they share it, even if
43:58they aren't spending money, they are
44:00investing their time and energy, which
44:02means they have essentially bought in.
44:03So, if everyone can remember that when
44:06we build a personal brand or product
44:08service, we don't need to please
44:10everyone; we just need to target those
44:12who truly want what we offer, provide
44:14them with consistent value, make
44:16ourselves memorable, and eventually,
44:18when they pay with their time,
44:20attention, and money, this business
44:22model will become sustainable, and you
44:25will gradually find your own niche. The
44:27keyword for this segment is "daily
44:29accumulation," which is extremely
44:30important.
44:31It is important because, as we have
44:33said, desires, skills, and purchasing
44:35decisions are never achieved in a
44:37single stroke. This is also why I chose
44:39this specific example; it stems from
44:41something my professor once said during
44:43my graduate advertising management
44:44course. He said, never underestimate
44:47the power of accumulation. The true
44:49core of advertising isn't to make you
44:51buy the moment you're told about it;
44:53it's to constantly remind you, keep you
44:55aware, and make you remember it so that
44:57when you truly need it, it becomes the
44:59first thing that pops into the mind of
45:01every consumer or client. At that point
45:03, their purchase becomes a natural
45:05consequence of their needs.
45:06Although we say "desire, remember,
45:07purchase," if you look at the sequence,
45:09it should actually be "remember, desire
45:11, purchase." So, whenever I work on
45:12social media or do something good for
45:14others, I don't rush for a return;
45:16every contribution is simply a way of
45:18telling others that I'm here, and I'm
45:19willing to give for your sake. And at
45:21this point, some might ask: what if
45:23people basically ignore you? Honestly,
45:25it's the exact same logic—does
45:26everyone buy every product advertised
45:28to them? Of course not. You have to
45:30find the people who actually need it;
45:31if they don't need it, why would they
45:32buy it? Right? But you can't just stop
45:34trying to be remembered by others
45:35simply because they aren't buying from
45:36you yet. So, being remembered by others
45:38is a form of investment. Once you have
45:40consistently invested in being
45:41remembered, the eventual payoff from
45:42those looking to support you is just a
45:44natural consequence. To be honest, if
45:45you think this way, you’ll feel quite
45:47content. In this era of labor shortages
45:49, many small companies try everything
45:52to retain employees, and the most
45:53practical approach is offering
45:55concessions. But since small companies
45:57don't earn much, Brother Hao, how can
45:59they offer appropriate concessions to
46:01keep good talent with limited resources
46:04?
46:04Well, I think this is actually very
46:06important and aligns with the three
46:07core pillars of commercial value that
46:09I’ve always emphasized. First, you
46:11must create value; as we just mentioned
46:13, if you have no value, others won’t
46:15want you, right? Next, after creating
46:17value, you need resource allocation.
46:19This means prioritizing the important
46:22things. Otherwise, if you spend all day
46:24singing your heart out, but the value
46:26you get in exchange isn't what you
46:27wanted, or is too little, you'll just
46:29be stuck working blindly every day.
46:31Once you understand the wisdom of
46:33resource allocation, you’ll realize
46:35that offering concessions is just a
46:36natural result that follows. I don’t
46:38know if you, Xisuo, had this experience
46:40back when you were an employee: even if
46:42someone gave you a raise, you wouldn't
46:44necessarily be thrilled, but if they
46:46let you take two days off, wow, you’d
46:48be happy as could be, right? That’s
46:50why we often say that "concessions"
46:52aren't just about money; it’s about
46:54knowing what your employees really want
46:57while working with you. Let me share
46:59one or two examples to give you a
47:01better sense of what I mean. I remember
47:03when I was working in mainland China
47:04for a year and a half, one of my top
47:06lieutenants suddenly handed in his
47:08resignation. When he submitted it, I
47:09was puzzled because things were usually
47:11fine. I asked him, "Why are you
47:13quitting?" He said, "I'm sorry, Brother
47:15Hao, but my mother was recently
47:17diagnosed with a serious illness,
47:19cancer. She needs chemotherapy, and
47:20since I'm the only child, I have to
47:22take her to the hospital frequently.""I
47:24originally thought it wouldn't take too
47:26long, but I realized it takes a lot of
47:28time, the frequency is high, and the
47:29schedule is irregular, so to avoid
47:31making things difficult for the company
47:33, I want to resign." I asked him, "If
47:35you quit your job, what will you do
47:36next?" He said he still needed an
47:38income, so he might look for some
47:40project-based work, something he could
47:42do from home. After listening, I told
47:44him, "Okay, don't be in a rush to
47:45resign, let me think about it." I
47:47thought, wait, he’s a staffer, not a
47:49frontline worker. If he's looking for
47:52project-based work, why can't I just
47:54upgrade his role to do that kind of
47:55work for me? Right? So I told my
47:58general manager—my executive VP— "
48:00You make the call; he's your employee."
48:02All our current policies are just
48:04starting out, so whatever you decide
48:06goes. When I came back, I told him, "
48:08How about this? Since you're looking
48:09for project work anyway, and you'd have
48:10to adapt to a new job, why don't I just
48:11let you do projects for me?" He was so
48:13happy and surprised. He asked, "Really?
48:15Is that okay?" I said, "We never said
48:18it wasn't. Just tell me how many hours
48:21a day you'll work, and I'll pay you a
48:23proportional salary. How's that?" He
48:26said, "That would be perfect." Later, I
48:28discovered something very interesting:
48:30people are just like that. Even though
48:32you tell them, "If you work eight hours
48:34, I pay you full-time, and if you say
48:35you work two hours, I’ll pay you
48:37one-quarter salary." As it turned out,
48:39the time he reported was only a
48:40fraction, but I found that he used his
48:42extra time to complete projects to a
48:43level that was worth even more than
48:45what I paid him. Does that count as a
48:47concession? The concession I gave him
48:49wasn't money. I gave him a great deal
48:51of flexibility.
48:52I gave him what he wanted.
48:54I gave him what he wanted, yet
48:55sometimes we are too fixated or hung up
48:57on the idea that what we give others
48:59must be money. That's why many people
49:00ask, "Hey, I've already given them
49:02bonuses, why can't I spark their
49:04motivation?" I tell them, if what a
49:05person truly wants isn't money, and you
49:07try to motivate them by giving them
49:09something they don't value, don't you
49:11think that's like climbing a tree to
49:12catch a fish? I remember one time when
49:14we were attending a seminar on
49:16motivational management, I happened to
49:18be managing the staff below me, so I
49:20followed the instructor and attended
49:21the full-day session. I still remember
49:23something my teacher said. He mentioned
49:26that traditional motivational theories
49:27were about ways to motivate others. But
49:29he said the truly best motivation is
49:31helping everyone find their own way to
49:33self-motivate. Once you place that
49:35person in the right role and enable
49:36them to self-motivate, frankly, there's
49:38no need to manage them at all.
49:39Therefore, true management is never
49:41about one person managing another;
49:43that’s just two people doing the work
49:44of one. The real goal is letting
49:46everyone find a way to manage
49:47themselves so they can enjoy the
49:49process. Honestly, if everyone manages
49:51themselves well, you simply don't need
49:52to supervise them. If we follow this
49:54concept, we should think about the
49:56underlying logic: why do you feel you
49:57absolutely must keep that person on
49:59your payroll? If it's assembly line
50:01work, there’s no choice—you have to
50:03employ them. If you do, they earn money
50:06for each piece they complete, which
50:08works fine. Otherwise, you're just
50:10buying their time. But if they aren't
50:12working on an assembly line and don't
50:14need to be in your office all day long,
50:15why do you feel you need to keep them
50:17on your payroll? This is called a
50:19project-based approach. When I need you
50:21, we collaborate. I don’t bear the
50:23fixed cost of employing you. When we
50:25finish a project together, whatever
50:27profit it generates...We agree on a
50:29profit-sharing ratio. Since no one has
50:31the fixed cost of supporting someone
50:33else, there’s no fixed pressure.
50:35Isn't that a great arrangement?
50:36So, everyone must consider our
50:38cost-benefit ratio; it is a vital
50:40underlying logic for any business model
50:42. If you only focus on costs and ignore
50:44the benefits, that kind of partnership
50:46won't last. I think this is what it
50:48really means to return to the core of
50:50business logic. "Yielding profit" isn't
50:52always about money. First, it’s not
50:54just about them needing you to yield,
50:56but also you needing them to yield to
50:58you. If we can both do that, I think we
51:01return to the idea of creating value.
51:03Let me share the core concept: you must
51:05have value, and in the process of
51:07creating that value, how do you
51:08allocate resources to create even
51:10greater value? When you allocate
51:12resources effectively, both sides
51:14benefit, allowing us to make
51:15concessions for each other and achieve
51:18a win-win outcome. I think that is the
51:20core concept. How should we learn and
51:22how do we approach learning in this day
51:25and age?
51:25I really like the author Yuval Noah
51:28Harari; he wrote the Sapiens trilogy, a
51:30truly brilliant author. Many people
51:32consider him a historian, but I prefer
51:35to think of him as a philosopher; his
51:37perspective is just different.
51:39There’s a part of an interview with
51:40him that I’ve long remembered, which
51:42perfectly answers the question we’re
51:44discussing. He said that in the past,
51:45learning was like building a skyscraper
51:48from the ground up—going through
51:49elementary, middle, high school,
51:51college, and even getting a master's or
51:53PhD. That systematic approach was based
51:55on specific goals, meaning we had to
51:57learn certain things. So, you’ll
51:59notice that we used to talk about
52:01majoring in finance or marketing, but
52:03let me ask you, did you ever major in
52:05social media? No. Did you ever major in
52:07YouTube? No, but once you started being
52:10a YouTuber, you began to learn it. You
52:12realize this is the standard "learning
52:15by doing." So, once when Harari was
52:17interviewed and asked how he views
52:19learning and what we should be learning
52:21, he offered two points, which I’ll
52:23share for your reference. First, we
52:26must learn how to steady our minds.
52:29Meditation helps stabilize the mind and
52:31minimizes external influence; this is
52:32what we call cultivating the heart.
52:34That’s why in recent years, beyond
52:37discussing business models or
52:39environments, I’ve emphasized that to
52:41sharpen our judgment, we must be able
52:44to calm our minds. Even on my YouTube
52:46channel, I often share tips on
52:48emotional management. Being Catholic,
52:50I’ve even started reading the Diamond
52:52Sutra, the Heart Sutra, and the
52:54Platform Sutra, discovering that these
52:56are essentially philosophy. A while ago
52:58, I interviewed Teacher Ji Jing-qing on
53:00philosophy; his book on Buddhism, "
53:02Leaving Suffering," is also excellent.
53:04When your mind is steady, you realize
53:06that change is a constant—just a
53:09normal part of life. You won’t be so
53:11anxious, asking, "Oh, ChatGPT is out
53:14today, Claude is out tomorrow, then
53:16something else—what am I going to do?
53:18" There's nothing to worry about;
53:20it’s just the new normal. Once you
53:22step out into the world, you start
53:23feeling anxious: "Oh no, what I’ve
53:25learned might be useless in the future.
53:27What should I do?" Faced with the
53:29reality that it can’t be used, how do
53:30you deal with it? You keep learning. To
53:32keep learning, there are two things to
53:33address. First, you must learn to calm
53:35your mind. How do you do that?
53:37Meditation works, or perhaps you can
53:38consistently immerse yourself in
53:39massive amounts of learning? Make
53:41yourself realize that what you learned
53:43before may not apply anymore, but you
53:44can still accumulate other skills. This
53:46is what Charlie Munger called "
53:48latticework of mental models." You can
53:50only learn other things once you calm
53:52down, and no one can do this for you.
53:54Spend five minutes each day calming
53:55down, telling yourself, "Today I won't
53:56watch short videos; I will find a field
53:58I've never touched before and start
53:59getting familiar with it, bit by bit,
54:01for five minutes." That’s over 1,500
54:03minutes in a year. Don't underestimate
54:05this practice. This is also why my
54:06YouTube videos are only five to eight
54:08minutes long. I’m telling you that by
54:10accumulating a little bit every day,
54:11you’ll have the chance to stand out.
54:13This is called calming the mind. The
54:15second point is something Charlie also
54:17specifically mentioned. He said we used
54:18to hope to build a skyscraper from the
54:20ground up, then live in that same
54:21skyscraper for the rest of our lives,
54:23relying on that one set of skills for
54:24everything. Not just one skill, but a
54:26rock-solid building that could conquer
54:28the world. To our parents' generation,
54:30this was the "iron rice bowl"—eating
54:32from the same plate in one place for an
54:34entire lifetime. The future won't be
54:36like that. In the future, you'll find
54:38that not only will the building become
54:39dilapidated, but the resources around
54:41it will also vanish. What must you do
54:43then? You must be ready to camp
54:45elsewhere and abandon that building.
54:47You need to be like the Mongols—
54:49follow the water and grass. Wherever
54:51there is nourishment, you go there. Wow
54:53, the things I learned before are now
54:55being replaced; they’ve been replaced
54:57by AI. We must learn new things—
54:59things that are different from the past
55:02. I have to move forward so I can
55:04survive and keep going. You say it's
55:06such a pity, but what can you do about
55:08it? It’s a pity, but it’s already
55:10been replaced. What has been replaced
55:12is a done deal. For things that have
55:14been replaced, you must find things
55:15that cannot be replaced and keep moving
55:16forward; this is called keeping pace
55:18with the times. And keeping pace with
55:20the times never stops. Think back to
55:21elementary school and middle school;
55:23frankly, what you learned in middle
55:24school was more advanced than
55:25elementary, so you were already keeping
55:26pace with the times—it never really
55:28stopped. It's just that now we expect
55:29the things we learn to last a lifetime,
55:31which is impossible. Since it's
55:33impossible, if you adopt the concept of
55:35"living where the water and grass are,"
55:37the act of learning itself becomes very
55:39simple. What does that mean? As long as
55:41you encounter something new every day,
55:42that is learning. This is what's called
55:44"following the water and grass." Don't
55:46expect to have to master one specific
55:48thing for the future. I remember two
55:50people who provided this closing
55:52thought to share with everyone: one was
55:54Hao Ge, who spoke about Sapiens, and
55:56another who shared a similar concept,
55:58named Luo Zhenyu. Luo Zhenyu is a
56:00knowledge content creator in mainland
56:02China, and he has a very famous app
56:04called "Dedao." He said that in the
56:06past, we all hoped to learn a complete
56:08system, but nowadays, many things
56:10emerge in their nascent stage; they
56:12aren't systems yet. Take Bitcoin
56:13suddenly bringing about blockchain, for
56:15instance—it kept evolving, and at
56:17first, you didn't even know what it was
56:18, right? He said, even if you don't
56:20know what it is, don't worry about
56:21whether it's a system; just follow it
56:23and learn. Previously, we learned big
56:25systems; now, we start by learning from
56:27individual points. Eventually, these
56:28points accumulate and become lines. It
56:30turns out blockchain is related to NFTs
56:32, related to Bitcoin, and in fact,
56:34related to every piece of
56:35authentication we have online. Simply
56:37put, just as we previously had property
56:39rights in the physical world,
56:40blockchain now tells us we can have
56:43property rights online as well. Every
56:45person leaves a digital stamp, the
56:47whole network knows, and you use that.
56:49As you begin to slowly understand, you
56:51are moving from a point to a line, to a
56:53plane, and then to a three-dimensional
56:54view—this is the process of knowledge
56:56cultivation. When you know more, your
56:58mental models naturally become more
57:00powerful, and you have more weapons at
57:02your disposal. This is what I learned
57:03from Luo Zhenyu and Charlie Munger; in
57:05both of his books, "Poor Charlie's
57:07Almanack" and his other collections, he
57:09says the exact same thing. He is an
57:11investment master, yet he doesn't tell
57:13people how to invest; he only reminds
57:15us of his own personal life philosophy.
57:17He says his greatest fortune and value
57:19in life is to be just a little bit
57:20wiser when he goes to sleep than when
57:22he woke up. It might not seem very
57:25grand, but don't underestimate it. When
57:27you improve a little bit each day,
57:29looking back, it’s just like what I
57:31said about reaching level 100; level
57:33100 will definitely be different from
57:35level one. You started with just a
57:37phone for your first episode, but I
57:38suggested using three cameras. Right?
57:41The point isn't the three cameras, but
57:42that as you keep going, your daily
57:44progress makes a difference. When you
57:46improve every day, your skills will
57:48grow, and with great skill comes great
57:51courage. So, what is the simplest way
57:54to learn? I’ll leave everyone with
57:56one final thought: aim to be just a
57:58little bit wiser when you go to sleep
58:00than when you woke up. When you are a
58:03little bit wiser, you’ll realize you
58:05are different from yesterday, and
58:07different from this morning. How are
58:09you different? There is no set rule.
58:12Many people ask, "Hao-Ge, must I read
58:15books?" I say, just listen to podcasts
58:17or watch YouTube. "But Hao-Ge, I like
58:19reading manga and watching anime!"*
58:21Haikyu!!*and*Slam Dunk*are the two
58:23team-building cases I cite most often
58:24in corporate management. Are movies
58:26good? Yes, they are. Are K-dramas good?
58:29Yes, they are. Are TV shows good? Any
58:32medium of knowledge that helps us
58:33improve even a little is a good thing.
58:34Learning has no fixed method. The real
58:37key is, at the moment we go to sleep,
58:40can we ask ourselves one question? That
58:44is, am I just a little bit wiser
58:46tonight than I was when I woke up this
58:48morning? If you're not sure, write it
58:50down on your phone, and look back in
58:53five days. You'll realize, "Oh,
58:55learning how to learn was never hard."
58:57Making yourself different every day is,
59:00I believe, the most important thing to
59:03integrate into our lives to truly
59:05elevate our own value.
59:06Hao-Ge, you currently have an online
59:08course where one can learn business
59:10knowledge in 15 minutes a day.
59:12Could you please tell us what it covers
59:14and who it is suitable for?
59:15Sure, the course is actually a 60-day
59:17business management learning program.
59:19The core concept is that it takes less
59:22than 15 minutes a day—some lessons
59:24are 12 minutes, others are 15. Each
59:25lesson focuses on about one to three
59:28key points. I hope everyone learns a
59:30little bit every day—not just
59:31learning it, but mastering it and being
59:33able to put it into practice. Most
59:35importantly, the three core concepts
59:37within the course show everyone how to
59:39create value. This includes the
59:41underlying logic of business models, as
59:43I’ve shared with you. Beyond just
59:44wanting people to pay for your skills,
59:46you shouldn't start from your own
59:48abilities, because ability alone is
59:49useless; it only becomes useful when
59:51you see the needs and desires of others
59:53. As we often say in venture capital, a
59:55product is a vehicle for needs, and
59:57needs are a vehicle for desires. To
59:58truly create value, you must pierce
1:00:00through the needs and hit the desires.
1:00:03So, the first core concept is how to
1:00:05create value for others. The second
1:00:07part brings us back to resource
1:00:08allocation. When we talk about wealth,
1:00:11money is important, but time is more
1:00:13important than money, and attention is
1:00:15more important than time and experience
1:00:18. So, how do we allocate our resources
1:00:21so that we can create greater value per
1:00:23unit of time? Only then can you make
1:00:26the best use of your life’s time and
1:00:28attention, giving you more surplus to
1:00:30continuously return to that first point
1:00:32. After value creation and resource
1:00:34allocation, it's definitely not just
1:00:36about self-satisfaction. The real goal
1:00:38is to work smart, not just hard—to
1:00:40figure out how these things can serve
1:00:42others and benefit them, which is what
1:00:43we call "yielding benefits." True
1:00:45yielding is never just about giving
1:00:47money or perks to others. You need to
1:00:49know how to help others solve problems.
1:00:52By bringing solutions to problems and
1:00:54giving people the answers they are
1:00:55looking for, you’ll find you’ve
1:00:57circled back to the first point:
1:00:59creating value. This is a 60-day
1:01:01program, 12 to 15 minutes a day,
1:01:03covering everything from mindset to
1:01:05tools. Through these three structural
1:01:08steps, we help everyone turn value
1:01:10creation, resource allocation, and
1:01:12yielding benefits into a personal
1:01:14business model. Whether for an
1:01:16individual or a company, if you
1:01:18continuously practice and reflect on
1:01:21this life business model, I believe it
1:01:24will not only earn you attention and
1:01:26time, but when you focus that attention
1:01:29and time on what is most valuable, and
1:01:31provide the answers others need, the
1:01:34money will naturally follow as a
1:01:36byproduct. I highly recommend this
1:01:38great course and look forward to it.
1:01:41Let’s learn together on-site.
1:01:43If you're interested in this course,
1:01:45you can find the link and discount code
1:01:47in the description below. Enter the
1:01:49code C500 at checkout to save $ 500
1:01:52immediately. Thanks for sharing today,
1:01:55Hao Ge.
1:01:56Thank you, and thanks to everyone.

About this transcript

This page contains the full transcript of 你賺不到錢不是能力不夠！前台積電主管郝哥點破盲點：決定你收入天花板的不是有多努力，而是「記住、想要、買單」！ft. 郝聲音郝旭烈 by 西索 Celso, generated from the public captions YouTube serves with the video. The transcript has 12,674 words across 1,915 segments, with the original timestamps preserved so you can click any line to jump to that moment in the embedded player.

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