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The Undercover Billionaire: Building a $1m business in 90 days

Kak

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I'm currently watching a show on Discovery Channel called "The Undercover Billionaire."

The premise is they drop a billionaire in a random city with a truck and 100 bucks and he bets he can build a million dollar business in 90 days.

I thought that was cool and I should share.
 
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Kak

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Whoa. That sounds awesome.

This review doesn't seem too flattering though:

View attachment 26484

What do you think @Kak?

Worth investing some time into? Or not far enough yet to confirm?

I think bitching about how much gas he is using won't matter.

I bet he can do it.

Even if he got a grand and a truck, it is still a lean start.
 

million$$$smile

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Fox

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I had thought about a similar concept for YouTube before - drop a web designer (me) in a city with less than $1,000 and you got to survive by selling online projects. Document the whole process and repeat a few times in different regions of the world.

They took things a little further ha.
 

Rawseed

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Great premise. Make a million dollars from scratch. In 90 days. From $100.

Thanks for posting. Definitely going to watch.

Most people will hate on the show because of cognitive dissonance.

The Script tells them that it takes 40 years to make a million dollars.

If he does it in 90 days, then their belief systems are wrong. And that's impossible.
 
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JAJT

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What do you think @Kak?

Worth investing some time into? Or not far enough yet to confirm?

Obviously I'm not not Kak, but I've read enough first hand accounts to share some details about how many of these shows work behind the scenes.

Here's the short version: Just about everything you see is a lie.

Gasp, shock, I know...

Rather than try to remember them all, I just grabbed some from a reddit thread I remember reading way back when but you can find similar stories all over the place:

Everything on Pawn Stars is scripted too. They bought a Jeep from my friend and he was even told when and how to smile or smirk when giving the interview.
My daughter and her boyfriend were on Divorce court. They were not married, and the shows producers helped them tailor their story (which was completely made up) to be more interesting. They are now married and since they've already been "divorced", it should last forever.
My cousin was on a Toronto dating show called Matchmaker many years ago. She said it was completely scripted and she met her "blind date" before filming so the producers could go over the script with them. They were given a list of ridiculous and racy questions to ask each other and encouraged to make out if they actually liked each other or to cause a scene and be dramatic if they didn't really click.
My aunt and uncle were on "Love It Or List It" they had them record both endings and the network chose which one they thought was best. They are still in the house and they love it, but the show says they listed it.
My friend was on What Not to Wear, and I was in the audience of people who were there to react when she came out from behind the curtain with her new look. She came out over and over again, but our cheering was never enthusiastic enough for the producers. After about 10 takes, we were screaming our heads off, totally hysterical, as if we'd just seen her rise from the dead.
I have worked on several reality shows. Some are more fake than others, but they are all heavily scheduled and formatted, never spontaneous.

I worked on a certain MTV dating show where one of the contestants tried to escape the house in the middle of the night, and one of the Production Assistants had to tackle him in the front yard and drag him back into the house. It's like prison, they are completely cut out from the outside world (no computer, books, phones, watches) and they are fed mostly booze. They all go insane.
I have a friend who signed up to audition for a show that she thought was "The Bachelorette", or something similar. I guess its standard practice to not give the actual name of the show, and just say, "We need good looking, energetic young women for blah blah blah."

So she got called back, went through a few different interviews and a screen test. Finally, they tell her that the concept is that she will be running a Pawn Shop with another woman. She is a dental assistant with no experience remotely related to the Pawn business.

"Pawn Queens" ended up being on for two seasons and they gave her a backstory about how/why she got interested in the pawn business. Not exactly SHOCKING, but it was pretty interesting to see that they basically looked for hot girls first, then put them into a proven concept ("Pawn Stars"-type reality show).
I had a friend on Cash In The Attic in the UK. The idea is that some antique dealers and so on will scout around in your attic/garage/shed and "find" valuable items to sell.

They found precisely F*ck all in my friend's house, so they pulled some paintings and a vase out of the van, "found" them, then asked him to go and get changed so they could film a segment from "after the sale".

It all seems like a complete waste of time, aside from the couple of hundred quid they gave him.

There are some other stories in the thread about what's actually real and what's not being faked and such but I've read similar things in a dozen different places around the web and the one constant is that you're better off assuming what you're seeing is manipulated heavily.

That being said - this billionaire show sounds interesting because even if it's being manipulated, it should be pretty easy to pull out valuable lessons from. Hell even The Apprentice had valuable insights even if the entire show was faked (I don't know how much of it was, just saying that IF it was, there was still value there).

Moral of the story - don't come for the "reality" part of reality shows. They are entertainment first and occasionally you might learn a thing or two along the way.
 
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1step

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Whoa. That sounds awesome.

This review doesn't seem too flattering though:

View attachment 26484

What do you think @Kak?

Worth investing some time into? Or not far enough yet to confirm?

The guy reviewing this is a moron and I wouldn't listen to a word he says. He knows hes landing in PA because it literally shows the planes GPS as they are descending.

As for the rest of your comment about whether it is worth the investment. So far there has only been 1 episode. The first episode was ok, a lot of it was setting up for future shows so I think it would be tough to say at this moment whether it is worth the investment. The premise and first episode are interesting enough that I will watch the rest of the show to find out.
 

Kak

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Most people will hate on the show because of cognitive dissonance.

The Script tells them that it takes 40 years to make a million dollars.

If he does it in 90 days, then their belief systems are wrong. And that's impossible.

I wish we still had rep+. Great post.
 
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Roli

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Whoa. That sounds awesome.

This review doesn't seem too flattering though:

View attachment 26484

What do you think @Kak?

Worth investing some time into? Or not far enough yet to confirm?


Yeah that's TV I guess.

What annoys me about this is that he probably will build something and the message will be "see you can do it too with just $100"

However he doesn't have to bother about food, accommodation, a family and of course if it doesn't work he can simply go home.

Still though, sounds interesting and I'd love to have at least a little watch.
 

AgainstAllOdds

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Whoa. That sounds awesome.

This review doesn't seem too flattering though:

View attachment 26484

What do you think @Kak?

Worth investing some time into? Or not far enough yet to confirm?

After watching the first episode, I can say that this review is dumb.

The show has some good takeaways. The individuals that wrote the show definitely have proper business background (whether that's the billionaire guy or not), and the principles they're teaching are worth learning.
 

Sander

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Yeah that's TV I guess.

What annoys me about this is that he probably will build something and the message will be "see you can do it too with just $100"

However he doesn't have to bother about food, accommodation, a family and of course if it doesn't work he can simply go home.

Still though, sounds interesting and I'd love to have at least a little watch.

He needs to bother about food and accommodation.
 
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Charnell

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I had thought about a similar concept for YouTube before - drop a web designer (me) in a city with less than $1,000 and you got to survive by selling online projects. Document the whole process and repeat a few times in different regions of the world.

They took things a little further ha.
There's a guy that does that with real estate on YouTube. He was recently on Mike Winnet's podcast about whether he was a scam or not hehe

EDIT:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uWMbmwyj3g
 

Bearcorp

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I had thought about a similar concept for YouTube before - drop a web designer (me) in a city with less than $1,000 and you got to survive by selling online projects. Document the whole process and repeat a few times in different regions of the world.

They took things a little further ha.

This would still work and be an interesting You Tube series I reckon, doing a couple a year in different cities around the world, being able to share the unique challenges of that city, language barriers, local ways of doing things, and overcoming all those obstacles. Don’t let go of that idea if your looking for You Tube content to create and a new challenge :thumbsup:
 

Get Right

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Kelly592

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Watched an episode today. Even though you have to be skeptical with these reality tv shows its much better than 90% of whats out there. Good concepts to take away and was entertaining.
 

LittleWolfie

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I think bitching about how much gas he is using won't matter.

I bet he can do it.

Even if he got a grand and a truck, it is still a lean start.
I thing the bitching is about the accuracy. If say he has $100 and a truck when he secretly has a grand, it destroys the entire premise.

I'd believe a grand and a truck he could do it,would wonder of $100 + truck is enough though.

Seems odd he wouldn't sleep in truck,if he is that short of money.

I dislike it when they never consider the cost of rent and the like,at least bg dropping him in random place they take that factor out.
 
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Scot

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But I'm sure lots of people will actually believe they can start a million dollar business in 90 days with only $100.

Why are you on this forum if you don’t believe this premise?
 

1step

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However he doesn't have to bother about food, accommodation
Seems odd he wouldn't sleep in truck,if he is that short of money.

I dislike it when they never consider the cost of rent and the like,at least bg dropping him in random place they take that factor out.

Why are you all criticizing the show and the premise of it when you clearly haven’t watched it?

All of this is discussed thoroughly in the first half of the show.

He gets $100 and has to buy EVERYTHING except the old truck. His goal for the first week was to make $3300 because the average cost of living for 90 days where he is is $3300. He sleeps in his truck all but one night.

I'd believe a grand and a truck he could do it,would wonder of $100 + truck is enough though.

$900 makes all the difference between whether he can make 1M in 90 days and not?

If he had $1000 vs $100 it probably makes this challenge 1% easier at most.
 

Fox

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If you became a billionaire over 20 years you would be used to making around 4.2 million a month (averaged evenly).

For a billionaire to make one million in 90 days should be handy enough for them.

BUT you can bet that whatever way they did do it “they had an advantage” (cue poverty mindset folk). It will be that they had connections/industry knowledge/deal skills/specific skills.

The average person can’t accept that wealth can be created that fast. It’s just beyond their reality.

Not saying this TV is 100% legit but more that a billionaire could complete that challenge easy.
 
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LittleWolfie

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Why are you all criticizing the show and the premise of it when you clearly haven’t watched it?

I'm describing why I like the premise of the show, over others. Besides how do you know if I watche dit or not?
All of this is discussed thoroughly in the first half of the show.

$900 makes all the difference between whether he can make 1M in 90 days and not?

Unless i mucked up my cost of living and exchange rare calculations, Yes.


BUT you can bet that whatever way they did do it “they had an advantage” (cue poverty mindset folk). It will be that they had connections/industry knowledge/deal skills/specific skills.

Either way is good, if they show the advantage in use that tells people what they should obtain (sell TV and network instead), if they do it otherwise, they will say they just need a truck and x dollars money.
 

Stargazer

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If you became a billionaire over 20 years you would be used to making around 4.2 million a month (averaged evenly).

For a billionaire to make one million in 90 days should be handy enough for them.

BUT you can bet that whatever way they did do it “they had an advantage” (cue poverty mindset folk). It will be that they had connections/industry knowledge/deal skills/specific skills.

The average person can’t accept that wealth can be created that fast. It’s just beyond their reality.

Not saying this TV is 100% legit but more that a billionaire could complete that challenge easy.

I was going to write something similar.

It would be no different from watching Bear Grylls being tossed out of a helicopter anywhere in the world and then getting to a town.

Years of Army------------> SAS---------> Adventure Travel taught, refined and honed his knowledge which is why he can be tossed out of a helicopter anywhere in the world and survive

Forget the TV editing and poetic licence; listen to his constant commentary about what he is doing and why. There is always the same process pattern adapted to the environment.

I haven't seen this Billionaire thing but presumably he/she is providing a commentary about what they are doing and why.

Those are the things that viewers should focus on but invariably don't. The light-bulb moments and way of thinking that can shorten and/or enhance your journey whether sport, business, survival &c

Dan
 

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Just watched it yesterday. I think the $100 that he is starting with is pretty irrelevant to what is being taught. I'm sure what's going to happen is that it will take him a little longer because he has to now build up more seed money.

He has to cover living expenses first, then build up some seed money and connections, so there will be more episodes. If they set him up with a 90 day apartment and $1000, he wouldn't be looking for tires and iron gates. He would be trying to flip cars and then houses. If he was set up with $10,000, he'd probably buy into a business and scale it.

But the purpose of this episode is to show his thinking and hustle at all money levels. I'm sure in the later episodes he is going to end doing this like Marcus Lemonis does in the profit.
 
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SquatchMan

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BUT you can bet that whatever way they did do it “they had an advantage” (cue poverty mindset folk). It will be that they had connections/industry knowledge/deal skills/specific skills.

I call that being realistic. Not that it invalidates the money, but it makes the entire premise irrelevant to the Average Joe watching the show.

It's similar to those challenges where a personal trainer gets fat, and then looks ripped within a few months. It's good publicity, but the results aren't typical (or even possible in that case). Those challenges probably give people unrealistic expectations too.

Speaking of that, didn't you stop your web design challenge because you had an advantage with the skills you learned from before and didn't find the challenge useful to your students?
 

LittleWolfie

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I call that being realistic. Not that it invalidates the money, but it makes the entire premise irrelevant to the Average Joe watching the show.

This is presumably the reason behind the truck and $100 on the basis the average Joe has that, and they know their audience.

@SquatchMan

I like your mindset, as they say. Optimists, think realists are too pessimistic and pessimists think they are over-optimistic.

I was going to follow you, however your profile is restricted.
 

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