"Self made" has different meanings to different people:

Jeff Bezos' parents ploughed $245k into his e-commerce startup.

Donald Trump received "a small loan" of $1m from his father.

Bill Gates' parents funded his founding company.

Kylie Jenner had an already famous family.

People would have you believe success is down entirely to hard work, passion & attitude...but that's a small part.

The bigger part?

- access to capital
- influential relationships
- rare opportunities
- getting lucky
- having a financial fall-back
- a supportive network

Motivational speakers will tell you ANYONE can be successful. You can also roll a 6 on a dice 2 million times in a row. It's possible... but not probable.

Life is a lottery.

Your gender, race, parents, country of birth, era you're born in, industry you pick... all play a role.

One way to win the lottery, is to buy more tickets. Still, you need a bit of luck.

These tickets come in the form of developing a set of skills, cultivating relationships, growing a network of influence, staying resilient, securing financial capital, being innovative & creative

If you win the success lottery through hustling & grinding, pay it forward.

It's fucking tragic to die without sharing your experiences & insights.

If you can help someone avoid the mistakes you made & help them progress quicker, do it!

There's always enough space at the top.