Ivan Piskunov

Posted on Oct 2

The Unspoken Rules: Key Insights From My 15-Year Climb from Junior Specialist to Startup Founder

#career #motivation #cybersecurity #startup

Ver. 1.4, Oct 2025 (c)

Teaser

In my previous article , I charted my 15-year journey from a wide-eyed newcomer to a CISO and eventually a startup founder. But a map only shows the route—it doesn't prepare you for the terrain. This follow-up is about that terrain: the mental shifts, the hidden hurdles, and the practical realities of each stage. For all the ambitious professionals out there wondering ‘How can I actually do this?’—this is for you. We’re moving past the ‘what’ and into the ‘how.’ This isn’t about boasting; it’s a blueprint to show you that your ambitions are not just dreams—they are achievable realities.

Table of Content

Teaser and Roadmap
The Essence and Core of My Journey
A Few Questions I'm Often Asked:
Beyond the Career: Recommendations for a Fuller Life
The Summit of Success. What's Next?
True Change: Not a Battle, But a Transformation
- Arnold Schwarzenegger "Say No To The Naysayers"
- Dwayne The Rock Johnson Speech

The Essence and Core of My Journey

In my previous publication, I outlined my personal path from a young hired gun to a recognized expert, a leader, a CISO, an expat who immigrated to Europe, and finally, a founder of my own IT startup. However, some nuances, insights, and behind-the-scenes details were left out to keep that already substantial article focused. I believe they are important enough to warrant this new piece.

I’m certain that among the readers are folks like me, walking a similar path, fueled by analogous ambition and drive. This text will help them better prepare for certain pivotal life and career stages. It will provide mental fortitude and inspiration, clearly demonstrating that much of what seems impossible is, in fact, highly achievable.

This material is not bragging or a cheap grab for fame. It's a public statement on potential—a case study proving that you are the architect of your own destiny.

The Roadmap
We will sequentially walk through all the key career milestones: line staff -> expert -> director/business partner -> expat -> startup owner.

And the life milestones: moving from a small town to the capital -> immigrating as a digital nomad -> life through the eyes of an expat in Eastern Europe -> immigrating as an extraordinary talent.

I'll share my most significant events on this path, the lessons I learned, and prove that YOU CAN DO IT TOO.

My Starting Conditions (childhood and youth)

I was not a child prodigy. I didn't show extraordinary talents from infancy, I didn't start programming in BASIC at age 6, and I didn't have a ZX Spectrum or an Atari. I grew up in an ordinary, not wealthy family. My father lost his status and income in the mid-90s, and my mother did closer to the end of that decade. My school commute was about 50 minutes each way, first by bus and then on foot. The city I grew up in has a long cold season (7-8 months) and a short summer. The population was stable at around 600k people, a number that hadn't changed for decades. I got my first personal computer only in 2003.

My environment lacked talented individuals or people who would push me toward projects, motivate me, or help me. Except, perhaps, for my father, who, through some tough measures, instilled in me a sense of ambition and laid the foundation for my drive during my academic studies at the university. And also my stepsister, a mathematician, who helped me with subjects like discrete mathematics, mathematical analysis, probability theory, and mathematical statistics. I sourced most of my information from the internet, as much as was possible at the time.

So, as you can see, I didn't have ideal conditions or a head start. I dreamed of living differently. I dreamed of leaving the cold city, earning an honest and decent living, and being able to buy myself anything I wanted without pinching pennies. That's what drove me forward; I saw my path to that life through professional self-realization.

The 2000s, when I finished school and entered university, were still saturated with "legends" of guys who, in the 90s, rose from the bottom to become authoritative, respected people in certain circles—businessmen, executives, business owners, investors, politicians, and government managers. It was a terrible time of racketeering, violence, contract killings, and criminal wars in post-Soviet Russia. And many saw a chance for a good life precisely on that path. I made a different choice. The ability to earn a living using my mind and to gain respect and recognition for my work was what I strived for. And in the end, as we can see, I wasn't wrong!

Key Realizations:

Scarcity and limitations are indeed limiting factors. But instead of letting resentment and despair consume you from within, you can transform them into fuel for your journey. Let them be a constant, silent, and polite reminder of "where you came from" and "where you are going." Movement without a goal won't get you to your desired destination. Transform all your pain into the strength that gets you out of bed in the morning, pushes you to go for a run, open a textbook, start learning, and fearlessly seek out and try different paths.
Play sports from childhood. It builds your physique, strengthens your character, and creates muscle memory for a future athletic profile. I never had a gym membership; I worked out at home using my father's program—the dumbbells and adjustable barbell I used were his. The 2000s were also the heyday and popularization of parkour, tricking, and street workout (think Hannibal for King). I tried acrobatics, hand-to-hand combat, and did breakdancing for six months, but I remained forever loyal to athletics. At a time when I had no money, wore shabby clothes, couldn't invite a girl to a nice cafe, buy a movie ticket, take a taxi, or afford flowers, my athletic build attracted attention. It made me more confident and helped partially compensate for my financial lack. You can be broke in your pocket, but don't be broke in your mind!
Most of your social circle from your youth will significantly shrink over the next 10-15 years. Everyone who was supposedly a "friend," "bro," or colleague will fall away. Only those closest to you, who know the real you, will remain. At first, I perceived this as a critical loss, a failure. Later, I understood it was a cleansing; everything unnecessary left on its own. A lack of common goals, shared activities, differences in mindset, and some people's tendency towards freeloading, criticism, and negativity clearly divide people into sides, and you will inevitably end up on one of them. Don't strive to prove anything to anyone. Do it for yourself. Those who are meant to be on your path will find you.
You can achieve almost anything you set your mind to on your own. Outside help is undoubtedly useful, but the main player in this journey is you. You are the one who makes the decisions and initiates action, with or without help. Having a loved one by your side is priceless. My girl kept the flame of faith alive in me as I walked through the darkness.
Take risks, try things, and accept failure as experience. The first 25 years of life are a real testing ground for your own experiments—a kind of pre-training before the main mission, much like in video games. See it all as a "game" where you need to explore the external world, gain diverse experience, and pass "levels." The best outcomes are only possible in the growth zone, in the unknown. Doing something for the first time allows you to create something that never existed before. Take the best the world has already invented and create something new for yourself—new emotions, impressions, memories. Otherwise, you're already a corpse on the inside.
Stop caring about other people's opinions. As your self-respect, authority, and personal experience grow, you will become increasingly independent. Unfortunately, most people live by stereotypes and behavioral patterns inherited from the past. Their personal laziness and criticism of others serve to justify their own inaction; it's a psychological defense mechanism. You can't change them, nor should you try. But you can change yourself. Listen to everyone, take advice from only a few, but make your own decisions and act. Consider the opinions of those who have walked the path before you, not "armchair strategists" or "relatives who only want the best for you."
Money solves more than half of all your current and future problems, but it is not the ultimate goal of life. It's a resource necessary to realize or create something. Treat it as a tool. Charity, volunteer work, and non-profit projects are extremely valuable, but you can only start sharing with the world when you yourself are already in a state of abundance. Don't be ashamed of money, don't worship it. Respect it, accept it, and let it go with gratitude. Don't accumulate it without a purpose. Remember, its job is to provide for and realize your projects, turning your dreams into reality. Boldly put a price tag on your work, value your labor. Don't work for free, reject handouts, don't chase discounts and cheapness. Always choose the best and highest quality.
At least two-thirds of everyone you've ever known—including classmates, university peers, childhood friends, coworkers, gym buddies, etc.—will follow the "basic script" for their lives: some job, loans, a mortgage, unplanned children, maybe a used car or a new budget model from the dealership, a renovation in a tiny apartment, etc. Don't criticize them; it's their adventure, their chosen "difficulty level" in the game, and they will have a different ending. All people are different, and that's normal. They don't have to meet your standard of living. Don't strive to save anyone; you are not a savior. Being a victim is their choice. You can make the world a better place through your own development.
Your time on Earth is limited. Whether you do something or not, physical time cannot be stopped. Use every moment; don't put everything off until "tomorrow." It's better to regret something you did than to regret never trying, never doing, never taking the risk. Be the first to introduce yourself, walk into your boss's office as their equal, and present yourself boldly as a young star at the beginning of your rise. The world needs bright personalities, daring actions, and bold ideas, not timid gray mice and infantilism.

University Education: The Great Debate (2005/2010)

I've encountered two opposing views on higher education. The first claims that formal education is absolutely essential—that without it, there is no path to success. It's often seen as the cornerstone of career building and the primary place to acquire knowledge. This is a very common cliché dating back to the 1990s in post-Soviet Russia, a period of political and economic chaos following the collapse of the USSR.

The second view argues that the education system is outdated, lagging far behind real-world industry needs. It's seen more as a formal obligation than a genuine necessity—a waste of precious time and money, an investment that never pays off.

There are substantial arguments for the first opinion. For certain professions and roles, a candidate simply must have a specialized degree and a license to practice, which requires specific training. Formally, it undoubtedly adds status, even for a candidate with no experience.

The second opinion is backed by real-world cases. Many startup founders dropped out of university to focus on their businesses. Entrepreneurs have built empires without ever attending college. A significant percentage of financially successful people either lacked formal education or worked in fields far removed from their academic background. In my research (link here), I wrote about how Google, Facebook, and other giants no longer focus on diplomas but instead look at personal projects and practical experience. Furthermore, straight A's and high grades don't guarantee success in life and business. Some studies suggest that even after ten years, degrees in the humanities often don't pay for themselves. The recent mass layoffs in US Big Tech companies from 2020 to 2025 show that even a STEM education is no guarantee of a good job or financial well-being.

I lean toward the view that the greatest value of a university often isn't the academic knowledge itself, but the networking opportunities, the chance to participate in projects, secure an internship or first job through the university, find like-minded people, and gain access to private or state grant programs and academic scholarships. University is a training ground for your best qualities: it stimulates cognitive abilities, provides socialization, and teaches you how to build communication skills, etc.

Success can truly be achieved without formal education. The world has shining examples of self-taught individuals (I've written about them in my research, by the way) who not only taught themselves complex subjects but went on to teach others, passing on previously unrecorded knowledge. Therefore, in some cases, formal (academic) education will be an additional advantage, but it's also true that for a number of specialties, the investment in learning never pays off.

I don't want to make this paragraph too long, so I'll just highlight some realizations that came to me several years after my graduation.

My Flashbacks:

I gained my first experience writing research papers, preparing, and properly formatting academic documents (diploma, course work, essays, semester assignments). I also tried my hand at public speaking. My first printed collections of works (articles, research) were published during this time.
Taking personal initiative, I worked with my department professors and engaged institute members to prepare and host the first CTF (Capture The Flag) competitions in computer security between universities in Siberia (Russia, Irkutsk region) in 2009/2010!
The good relationships I built with my professors lasted long after graduation. My supervisor, Oleg Usenko, helped me develop an electronic signature verification module for the "Akademiya InfoTekS" competition in 2013.
Having been in the student's shoes, I was able to apply this experience first in preparing guys for the "IT Planet" olympiad in 2013/2014 at BSU, and then later by becoming the best lecturer (Lecturer of the Year), winning an informal internal competition at Moscow Polytech in 2017/2018.

Key Realizations:

University (or college) is a place where you learn independently, even with a personal tutor, mentor, or a cohort of lecturers. About 60-70% of all material mastery comes from self-study. Don't expect to be taught everything; it's merely a foundation.
Practice is more valuable than theory; an excellent ratio is 60/40 or 70/30 in favor of practice. For academic and fundamental research, the ratio is precisely the opposite.
Sometimes, one or two books or a video course are far more valuable than an entire year of classes. Seek out material on your own and refer to sources no older than 3-4 years from the start of your studies.
90% of your stream (classmates) lack proper motivation, are unprepared to take initiative, often miss opportunities, and avoid building deep connections with the faculty. Therefore, your chances to stand out and become a leader in your stream increase dramatically.
Professors are human and can be wrong. They might use outdated sources, unproven theories, and concepts. Show respect, but maintain critical thinking and have the courage to argue and substantiate your point of view. The ability to express yourself, go against the passive majority, and stand up for yourself and your opinions is often far more important than the subject of the debate itself.
Take personal initiative. Approach lecturers with questions, take on extra topics (electives), show interest in projects supported by your department (faculty), participate in research and scientific readings, prepare speech theses, and get your name into scientific collections, academic projects, and the history of the university. Build trusting relationships with the department—you can continue to collaborate even after graduation.
A good graduate is one who knows more than their teacher. Yes, it's difficult, but that's precisely how a true master of their craft is forged.

The Hired Gun (Line Staff)

The path of nearly every world-class expert, leader, or large-scale entrepreneur begins with that first job as an employee. Some continue in this role until retirement—and that's neither good nor bad. A first job is always about experience and new knowledge.

It's very common and fair for young specialists in the first two years to focus more on the experience they gain and the connections they make than on a high salary. This is a valuable and necessary life stage that shapes a professional, gives them chances to prove themselves, and try different areas within their industry (specialization, lateral moves).

Over ten years, I tried my hand as a security tools administrator, security auditor, pentester, malware analyst, forensics expert, and AppSec/DevSecOps engineer. During my time as an employee, I made my biggest leaps in public work: I launched a blog, taught at a university, wrote a book, published articles, and spoke as a guest at several cybersecurity events.

As your professional skill, personal maturity, network, opportunities, mindset, and priorities evolve, you reach a point where a salaried job limits you more than it develops you. The bitter truth is this: no matter how highly skilled you are or how much you're valued, you are highly dependent on the company, your contract, and the job market. Your income is capped. You are selling your time—the most valuable thing you have, your life—in exchange for supposedly "valuable" money that often doesn't correlate with your happiness, self-fulfillment, or sense of purpose.

However, while you are a young specialist in a growth zone, gaining experience, expanding your expertise, and learning from failures, a salaried job is a catalyst for growth and a launchpad for more ambitious goals.

My Flashbacks:

I started working while still in university. Back then, I could only find jobs in adjacent fields—a system administrator, a junior IT specialist. It involved little cybersecurity, but it allowed me to try out in practice much of what I had previously learned in theory. My next job was finally in my chosen field. I was hired as a security systems administrator. Gradually, my responsibilities expanded; I took on new tasks from my manager, covered for colleagues when they were overloaded or absent, and thus grew first to a lead specialist, and then to deputy head of the information security group.

I learned to hold my own when communicating with senior colleagues and to deal with people whose position and status were higher than mine. For the first time, I began successfully developing and implementing security policies, both at an organizational level and for information systems like Microsoft Windows Group Policy. On the side, I also worked part-time as an IT administrator at a municipal hospital, where I learned how to run computer networks, and as a sysadmin at a training center, maintaining a fleet of computers and other tech.

Work consumed almost all my free time, but I was full of enthusiasm and motivation. My goal was to level up as a technical specialist, maximize my competencies through hands-on practice, and, of course, earn significantly more, as the pay in my region left much to be desired. I viewed it as an investment in my better future, breathing with what I had for the time being.

The late 2000s and first half of the 2010s were a tough time for job hunting. The cybersecurity industry in Russia was in its infancy, especially in regions outside the capital. The technologies used in enterprises were often outdated, and demand, if it existed, was mostly for junior maintenance staff, sysadmins, and less frequently, programmers for ERP systems like "1C."

I received rejection after rejection. There were almost no security positions, and many didn't see an experienced sysadmin in me. I went to different companies, banks, and chain franchises, left my CV at the reception desk, and asked for an audience with the head of the InfoSec department, or if they were absent, the head of IT. It was that personal contact with one of them that eventually gave me a chance to get a job. I made an impression as a young, maybe not-so-experienced but ambitious guy with fire in his eyes, ready to take on anything. They took down my contacts, and the impression I made stayed with the people I met. Several months later, I got a call on my personal phone and was invited to come in and get hired.

Key Realizations:

Rejections will always outnumber job offers. Every rejection is not a catastrophe; it's a filter sifting out what isn't right for you. Each "no" is a chance to identify weak spots and improve for the next interview.
The statistics are brutal. At best, only 10-20% of all resumes sent out on career portals will get any feedback. Out of 100 applications, maybe 50 will be reviewed, 25-30 will pique an HR recruiter's interest (screening), only 10-15 will lead to an interview, and you might get an offer in about 5 cases. So it's not that you're "incompetent"; it's often just how the hiring system works. The more attempts you make, the higher your chances of a final interview and an offer.
Reasons for rejection vary wildly: lack of technical skills, misalignment with company culture, personal incompatibility with a hiring manager, or weak soft skills (e.g., poor communication, passive behavior, unclear career goals). In 90% of cases, you'll never know the real reason. Standard HR phrases hide the truth. But you can identify your weaknesses by going through dozens of interviews and developing a strategy to improve.
The hiring process takes time. It typically involves an initial screening (call or chat) and 3-4 in-person or online meetings. Don't expect fast results (on average, up to 3 months for individual contributor roles and 6 months for leadership positions).
Learn to negotiate. Be honest and soberly assess your skill level and industry salary benchmarks. Employers often have a 10-25% buffer in the budget for a position. Try to push the rate. Sometimes, winning non-monetary benefits (remote work, a shortened workweek, extra day off) is more valuable than a simple salary bump or a promised bonus. Also, remember that in the American model, some companies and startups offer stock options or a chance to become a co-owner of a future unicorn.
Don't be shy about promoting yourself. Talk about your achievements and the value you brought to your previous company. The ability to present yourself, highlight your strengths, and acknowledge mistakes as part of your expertise is highly valued in the American work model. Have a prepared pitch for the screening call (1-1.5 minutes) and a more detailed one for the in-depth interview (2-3 minutes).
Failures and mistakes from past jobs are priceless experience. View them not as defeat, but as an opportunity to draw conclusions, learn something new, and understand nuances that weren't initially visible. Any problem, handled correctly, becomes your valuable, niche expertise. Don't be afraid to talk about it.

The Leap: Moving to the Capital & Forging an Expert Identity (2015)

Realizing that the potential of the region where I lived was exhausted, technological changes were happening at a snail's pace, and my life was ticking away, I decided to step into the unknown and move to the capital—the technological, economic, cultural, and business center of the country, brimming with new opportunities and prospects.

Undoubtedly, the move was stressful, a leap outside my comfort zone. However, the capital hosted offices of foreign companies with enticing prospects; about 100% of all employers offering cybersecurity positions were there. I met many new people, including those who didn't speak Russian, learned the term "Expat," saw a different business model, communication style, sales approach, and got sucked into a rhythm of life completely different from my "village" one. It was here, in the capital, that my ascent as a specialist began, the forging of a new person—perhaps the most important stage that laid a solid foundation for my current status.

Key Realizations:

Always, always be in the center of your region/country. That's where the opportunities are. No matter how skilled you are, if there's no demand for you, you'll languish on the sidelines, dragging out a miserable existence. You can only realize your potential by finding your place, applying your efforts, and transitioning to a qualitatively different level of life and comfort.
When moving to a more expensive region, have a financial cushion that allows you to live for at least 6 months on basic terms (rent, food, transport, internet, and mobile) without any income. Use your old things, tech, and gadgets until you can earn your first money. Don't take out loans. Leave a general power of attorney with relatives or trusted persons at your previous place of residence so they can handle legal and other matters without your physical presence.
Renting an apartment requires a significant one-time financial investment. This typically includes a realtor's fee for finding a suitable place (usually 50% to 100% of one month's rent), a security deposit (equal to 1-3 months' rent paid to the landlord upon signing the lease), and the first month's rent itself. Sometimes, there are additional upfront costs, such as professional cleaning paid for by the tenant, installing internet (running cables, setting up a junction box), and configuring and testing a router.
Choose a district and building as close to the metro as possible. If you have to commute to the office, the round-trip travel time will consume a significant part of your day, and consequently, your life.
Start your job search months before the physical move. Remote communication and the internet make this possible today. Have agreements for in-person interviews, pre-offers if possible, even before your flight takes off. Remember, this is a big city; everyone has their own path here. No one owes anyone anything; no one will help you without knowing you personally. Don't complain about difficulties; you need to be mentally and psychologically prepared for challenges, hardships, and initial failures.
Digitize all your personal documents, keep them handy for quick access via laptop or smartphone, get a local SIM card, and set up a new postal address. Shed your old self; build a new person within you, one with new reference points, habits, and behaviors.
Remember, in some cities, newcomers make up over 50% of the population, so carry yourself with confidence, act as if this is your city where you grew up and developed. America is entirely a country of immigrants who weren't taken seriously, yet today it's the largest economy and one of the biggest business, cultural, and tech hubs in the world!

Team Lead, Director, Partner

The next evolutionary step in a corporate career is the transition from an individual contributor or narrow technical specialist to a team leader, department head, director, or business partner. This requires a new set of skills: communication, understanding finances and budgeting, knowledge of hiring psychology, strategic thinking, task delegation, and bearing responsibility for the result.

My Flashbacks:

Thanks to my growing, yet already stable, reputation, in 2016 I was invited to a project where I started as a line expert and within a few years rose to the post of CISO, while still doing some technical hands-on work. The project expanded from a local market to an international level, opening an additional office in Dubai, and its product evolved from a single application into an ecosystem. Leveraging this achievement allowed me to aim for director-level roles or at least team leader positions with strong management functions.

I later moved to a consulting firm initially providing tax, accounting, and documentation support for foreign businesses operating in Russia (branches and representative offices). I created a cybersecurity product line from scratch and took on promotion and client acquisition. This included various services like audits of personal data security, annual ITGC audit reports, and subscription-based services like consulting and inspection of cryptographic keys for digital signatures. Within 3 years, my efforts accounted for about 35% of the company's annual revenue. The company itself later entered the top 100 fastest-growing businesses in the "Business Services" category in Moscow.

Key Realizations:

Communication skills, understanding human psychology, knowledge of market dynamics (sales, niche positioning), basic financial literacy, and strong English fluency often become more critical than deep technical knowledge.
A director or partner role doesn't mean less work (though it often means more income). The nature of the work changes. Shifting from routine technical tasks to management moves you to a different level of responsibility. In some companies, top managers and rock-star experts work not for a salary but for a percentage of the company's overall income. Instead of the engineering metric of "task done," you face either the failure or success of the entire endeavor!
A director or business partner doesn't need to "know everything." They need to know how to leverage the pinpoint expertise of their team or third parties, make informed conclusions, and make high-quality, fact-based decisions. Unlike a tech specialist, a leader's task is to have strategic vision, forecast, calculate, predict, prioritize tasks, negotiate, and take responsibility for the final result.
For small companies (under 100 people), outsourcing certain tasks is often more profitable than hiring in-house staff. Labor cost optimization is a key factor in profitability for many businesses.
Being a business partner doesn't mean giving orders and sitting back to collect profit. Often, the partner acts as an executor for critical project tasks, tackles things no one has done before, and takes on risky and unpredictable ventures. A partner develops the business, generates ideas, and creates or expands product/service lines. The ability to distinguish a boss from a leader, an exploiter from an innovator, largely predetermines a business's success.

Startup Owner: Debunking the MBA Myth

Finding myself without a stable salaried job, in a new country and an unfamiliar environment, but together with some like-minded people (thanks to Igor S. and his team), I created an MVP of an application on a No-Code platform, which later turned into a startup. The IT accelerator KrokIT helped us position it correctly and provided assistance with legal and financial matters.

This product wasn't related to cybersecurity, even though I generated many ideas connected to my professional field. But as it turned out, value can be created in different ways, and it doesn't always have to be tied to your past activity. After scaling and the first sales, the product was rewritten using a modern software development stack.

The payback period was extremely long; I invested my own money, but I felt like I was raising a child—it demanded a lot of strength, attention, and resources, but it was also a joy! I won't say I got rich from my first startup, but it opened the door to a new era, a new role, and a new status for me. Right now, I'm working on a new project, but I can't disclose any details until the first beta test.

Key Realizations:

A stereotypical opinion exists that to land any executive post or start your own business, you need extensive theoretical preparation, connections, etc. Many consider getting an MBA degree a mandatory step. However, not always, but quite often, the most credentialed experts, lecturers, authors of books and training programs, and speakers promoting MBAs are not business owners or financially independent people. Meanwhile, people without higher education, with a complete lack of theoretical background, often build trading empires and eventually make it to the Forbes list.

I took a six-month entrepreneurship course in 2015 while studying for my Master's in Economics at BSU. I was actively interested in the stock market, exchanges, financial instruments, technical analysis, and capital management. However, an MBA was a distant prospect. I chose self-education. And here, I can recommend several of the most interesting and practically significant books that essentially replace a year-long MBA course in a couple of months of reading (Read more in my article).

The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business by Josh Kaufman
The Ten-Day MBA by Steven A. Silbiger
The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
MBA in Your Pocket: A Practical Guide to Developing Key Management Skills by Pearson Barry
Business without MBA by Tinkov Oleg and Ilyakhov Maxim
25 MBA Need-to-Know Models by Ken Mark
Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future by Peter Thiel
The Visual Mba: Two Years of Business School Packed into One Priceless Book of Pure Awesomeness by Jason Barron
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey
The Real-Life MBA: The no-nonsense guide to winning the game, building a team and growing your career by Jack Welch, Suzy Welch

And then it's just a matter of practice. Often, those who become the most successful are the ones who try, don't give up, and go all the way. Remember that Albert Einstein didn't speak until he was 5, Thomas Edison was expelled from school being considered mentally deficient, J.K. Rowling received dozens of rejections from major publishers before the fame of Harry Potter, and Michael Jordan missed shots in the most critical moments of the game.

Life Through the Lens of a Digital Nomad

The status of a digital nomad undoubtedly brings freedom of movement, a flexible schedule, the stability of a long-term residence permit, and no need for a "formal" local job. It's the most straightforward way to immigrate adequately. However, it places special demands on having a financial safety net, disclosing bank accounts, savings, and assets. In some cases, it takes a bit longer than getting a work visa and may require the services of specialists (lawyer, translator, document verification) when applying at an embassy.

The Strategic Pivot: Becoming a Digital Nomad

After my expat contract ended, I was forced to look for a new employer on the local market, but the task proved extremely difficult. My legal stay in the country was running out, and there were no worthy offers. Everything I came across offered an income that barely covered basic needs (rent, health insurance, public transport, modest groceries, internet, and mobile service).

Accordingly, to avoid returning to Russia, which by that time had begun to experience harsh international sanctions and a declining domestic market, I decided to temporarily become a digital nomad. My first step was to fly to a country with visa-free entry and from there look for new projects and work as a contractor.

General:

Be prepared for periodic rent increases (every 6-12 months) if the cost isn't fixed for the entire lease term. It's not always frequent but is a standard possibility.
Whenever possible, have contracts (rental, cleaning, car rental, parking, medical documents) drafted in two languages – the national language and English – to avoid potential misunderstandings and different interpretations of contract clauses.
Be aware that in some areas, far from the center, signs, menus, and boards may not be in English. Many locals, especially older people, may not understand English.
Some countries prohibit driving with an international license for more than 3-6 months. You may need to pass a local driving exam.

Residence Permit & Taxes:

A residence permit (RP) is typically issued for the duration of your freelance/remote work contract. Therefore, try to secure an indefinite contract or one for the maximum term (usually 3 or 5 years). A 1-year contract will likely lead to a 1-year RP.
Strictly comply with the tax laws of your country of residence. Pay taxes on time. Submit necessary updates about your status to local government agencies on time. Non-compliance can threaten your RP, lead to deportation, and in some severe cases, result in a ban on entering the country.
When moving, throw out, give away, or sell all the clothes you won't wear, gadgets and tech you use less than once every two days. Leave only the essential minimum for the current season; you can buy everything else on-site. This saves both space in your suitcase and money on overweight baggage fees or an extra bag. Believe me, mobility and compactness are far more valuable than the perceived "value" of your familiar possessions that aren't essential or vital.

The Expat's Perspective (2022)

Working as an expat means you are typically tied to a single employer, and your residence permit is valid only for the duration of your contract. The employer can dictate strict work conditions (KPIs, vacation schedules, etc.) and create significant limitations (ban on secondary employment/freelancing, restrictions on leaving the city, mandatory office attendance, etc.). However, they often offer 100% relocation compensation, fast visa and RP processing handled by company lawyers, and significant leverage with immigration officers (priority over tourists and short-term business trips).

When One Door Closes: The Push into Entrepreneurship

This is exactly what happened to me. My work contract expired, the employer didn't wish to renew it, and I had to look for a new opportunity. Moreover, according to the law, I had to find a local employer. In Eastern Europe, this turned out to be an extremely difficult task, as there are simply no major IT hubs in the region, and offices of foreign, particularly American, companies are small. They typically hire low-skilled staff or offer positions incompatible with my profile.

Let's be honest, the number of job offers in cybersecurity significantly lags behind equivalent offers for, say, software developers or DevOps engineers. Even UI designers and QA specialists are often more in demand than cybersecurity pros. But this isn't the catastrophe many might think. It was the push I needed to finally do what I always wanted: work for myself, run my own projects, generate value, and create income, not just receive a fixed hourly wage. One person's moment of pain can be another's point of power. It all depends on the perspective of the person looking at the situation and their expectations for the future. I see life as a grand adventure, and this is just one stage paving the way to the next level with even more valuable prizes and new challenges.

General

Research the specifics of temporary housing rentals in your destination country beforehand. In some countries, foreigners can only rent empty apartments without furniture or basic appliances. Others might lack central heating or have restrictions on electricity use during certain times of the day.
Lease terms often start at 1 year, with penalties for early termination. A security deposit is typically 2 to 5 months' rent.
Be ready for frank conversations and disclosing personal details to landlords, especially with private listings from older owners. Very personal questions are often considered normal and framed as "assessing the conscientiousness of potential tenants."
Consider exchange rate fluctuations for the currency of the country where you are working (this is typical for countries not using the Euro). Your income might be significantly above the local average but look very different after conversion to Euros (especially relevant for travel within the Schengen area).
Learn about local traditions, cultural nuances, national holidays, and taboo topics to avoid awkward moments and delicate situations.
In many European countries, grocery stores are closed on weekends. A metro station might be closed on certain days of the week or month. New Year's or other holiday breaks might not align with what you're used to.

Employer, Contract, Relocation Package, RP:

Prepare all personal documents in advance (passport, military ID, marriage certificate, children's birth certificates). Get an apostille, verify documents through government channels (passport, police clearance certificate, name change documents), and get certified translations at least into English. Consider getting your diplomas and degrees recognized (nostrification).
Read your employment contract very carefully – clauses about salary, benefits (relocation package), and performance bonuses. Often, a bonus (quarterly or annual) requires perfect company performance, which is rare in practice, especially in startups. Therefore, when calculating your income and expenses, rely on your base salary as your primary income. Don't count on maximum bonus payouts.
The relocation package (tickets, visa, hotel, airport taxi) might only cover you as an employee, not your family members moving with you. Keep all receipts and tickets, take photos of documents with your smartphone, and note your expenses – this will all be useful for reimbursement. Often, you organize the move yourself and get reimbursed after your first 1-3 months on the job.
Your total annual compensation might include non-cash items, like paid training (books, online courses, in-person trainings) or discounts on fitness/language study (up to a certain amount), a public transport pass, or a paid parking spot near the office. These sums might be listed as part of your income, but you might not use them.
Pay attention to the notice period for resigning. It's often at least 3 months, and for some positions, up to six months! Violating this can mean losing bonus payments or incurring a substantial penalty.
Terminating your contract early usually leads to the cancellation of your residence permit. Typically, local authorities give you up to 3 months to find a new employer and reapply for an RP. Otherwise, it will be classified as a violation of immigration law and could lead to deportation with a multi-year entry ban. If you don't have an EU Blue Card, changing employers for any reason, even a simple change of the company's legal name, automatically requires obtaining a new RP with the new employer's details.
Contracts often include strict sanctions for having a side hustle/freelance work (even done outside main working hours) or a second official job (even part-time). Some employers install activity trackers on work computers, collect data on employee movement, their contacts with other employees, and monitor all incoming and outgoing emails and messenger messages.
Opening a local bank account usually requires an RP, an employment contract, a proof of income (pay slip or advance), and sometimes a guarantee letter from your employer. A similar situation exists with renting temporary housing, where they often require proof of financial solvency (funds equivalent to 3 months' rent) and, rarely, a recommendation from your employer.

Extraordinary Ability | Recognized Talent

If you work hard, develop consistently, accumulate experience, achievements, and victories, then months turn into years, and small successes into major breakthroughs. You can become what is called a Celebrity, a Rock Star, a Unicorn Expert. These are outstanding people, recognized experts, genuine masters of their craft. Often, "talent" here implies not a "gift from God," but daily, constant work that has a cumulative effect and leads to something very significant.

My Flashbacks:

So, in 2022, even before immigrating to Europe as an expat, I realized I had the potential to present myself at a new level. Countries like the UK, USA, and Canada offer a path to a residence permit and then citizenship based on one's merits. In Canada, it's the Express Entry program; in the USA, it's EB-1A and EB-2 NIW immigration visas; in the UK, it's the Global Talent Visa (Exceptional Promise, Exceptional Talent) and Innovator Founder visa (pre-2023 known as the Start-up visa). This is an adequate, clear, legal way to transform from an immigrant, an outsider with limited rights, into a full-fledged citizen. It's a completely different level of opportunity and potential scale. I've always been driven to move forward, step into the unknown, and try new things. And this was a real chance for me. I prepared my case, which is where all my professional achievements collected over the past 10 years came in handy, went through the necessary procedures, and got approved.

So, if you're suffering from economic or political hardship in your home country and finally want to become a full member of the society you immigrated to, not just a highly skilled immigrant—this is your path!

Key Realizations:

Save all artifacts of your activities: photos, press articles, blog posts, emails, messenger correspondence, collaboration requests, interview requests, awards, invitations as an event participant or jury member, website screenshots, saved web pages, etc.
Create a structured catalog. Sort all artifacts into corresponding categories: "Publications," "Interviews," "Event Participation," "Jury Member/Judge," "Work Contracts," "Project Sales/Commercial Activity," "Photos from Exhibitions/Award Ceremonies," etc. This will significantly ease the assessment of your case by an immigration lawyer and speed up the petition preparation.
Don't hesitate to ask for recommendation letters and written reviews of your work and services. In the text, specify (or ask the recommender to specify) your role, your contribution, the value you bring, the benefit to the client/customer, and the uniqueness of your work.
Gather statistics on your income, fees, and high salary (significantly distinguishing you from other experts in your industry). This is a serious criterion that can emphasize your special status and value as a professional, a unique talent, a rare and sought-after specialist.
Design your public profiles meticulously, aesthetically, and conscientiously (e.g., LinkedIn, Google Scholar, public websites, e-business cards, honor boards presenting you as an expert, speaker, jury member, etc.).
List only confirmed information about yourself, your achievements, works, projects, and merits. Provide links to sources. Avoid vague phrasing and inaccuracies in your bio or CV. Exclude political statements and value judgments about public figures from your feed, blogs, articles, etc.
Don't be shy about publicly promoting yourself. Attract attention, collaborate. Propose your formats for participation and cooperation. Take a proactive stance. Society should see you as a professional, a person creating value, an active participant ready for joint work and partnership.
Expand your network of contacts. Cover as many countries, languages, and time zones as possible.
Publish materials in English. Target the international community and the global market. If possible, translate your most valuable materials (books, brochures, articles, interviews, etc.) written in your native language into English, listing them as a source for readers from other regions.
Don't be afraid to create volunteer projects and lead non-profit initiatives. Money doesn't always express the adequate value of the result obtained, and some actions are simply impossible to overestimate due to their social and humanitarian importance.

A Few Questions I'm Often Asked:

Q: How did you manage to do so much—studying, working on projects, training, and working part-time? There are only 24 hours in a day, the same for everyone on the planet. How did you not get burned out? How did you recover and keep yourself going?

A: That's a rhetorical question, but it has a practical proof and solution. You're right, each of us has 24 hours a day, 12 months a year. If we take the average lifespan of 80 years, that's 42,048,000 minutes, 700,800 hours, 960 months, or 4,171 weeks. But if we look at the window of time when you're neither a teenager nor elderly—say, about 40 years of active life—that's already 21,024,000 minutes, 350,400 hours, just 480 months, or 2,086 weeks.

You're going to live through that time one way or another. The only question is your priorities. Even if you subtract all the holidays, a month-long vacation, a couple more months for personal stuff, and another month total per year for being sick and recovering, you're still left with at least 7 months to achieve your goals. That's roughly 306,720 minutes, 5,112 hours, and 30 weeks.

With the right approach, you can learn a foreign language (excluding some Asian or Arabic languages, or a dead language) from scratch in 3-6 months. You can master a new skill (a programming language, Windows administration, Linux basics—like the Cisco CCNA course I took, which was 280 academic hours) in 1.5 to 3 months. If you have muscle memory, you can get back in shape in 60-90 days with just two solid, full workouts a week and eating right at least 5 days a week.

In one study I mentioned in my brochure (link here), it's said that core skills take 10,000 hours, but any learning can be effectively broken down into a 12-week plan (or 6 weeks with very intense study). By improving just 1% every month, you'll outperform 95% of the people around you in a year.

You need to cut out toxic conversations, aimless wandering around, scrolling through TikTok, YouTube, Instagram feeds, and watching dumb TV shows and uninteresting movies. This easily saves nearly half of your free time. Yes, I had to deny myself a lot, give up quick entertainment and fast dopamine, limit my social circle (some people thought I was a closed-off freak), sleep less (7 hours is plenty), tackle my most important tasks during my peak productivity hours (the first half of the day), have a clear plan for every day—even weekends—objectively measure my progress every week/month, and constantly keep my internal motivational fire burning.

During exam periods, I briefly used adaptogens and nootropics to support my brain function. During strength training phases, I took sports recovery supplements: creatine monohydrate, citrulline, beta-alanine, Vitamin C, complex amino acids, and a protein shake daily. I also practiced cold showers and some Qi Gong exercises. For motivation, I read books, biographies of famous and successful people, watched motivational videos on YouTube, and just lived my dream, my vision. I believed in myself! Videos by Artem Dolgin, a well-known bodybuilder and self-made man from Russia/Ukraine who moved to the US as a student to build his life and business, did a lot for me. I've even posted some of his original videos on my White2Hack channel.

Q: How did you manage your affairs back home when you moved to new locations? What about your stuff, clothes, etc.? How were you able to leave your relatives and parents thousands of kilometers behind?

A: Before moving from Irkutsk to Moscow, I granted my stepsister a general power of attorney to manage my real estate. I sold my beat-up first car, a Toyota Chaser JDX100. A few years later, I handed over my old apartment in the Topkinsky district to its new owners. That's how I cut off my path back. In the capital, I rented apartments, and understanding I wasn't ready to stay there forever, I never bought property. In 2015, I shipped my clothes and basic belongings from Siberia via a freight logistics company.

Later, when I left the country as an expat and moved around as a digital nomad, I threw away all unnecessary things. I sold or gifted all valuable items to loved ones and friends, and moved some stuff to a storage unit with monthly rent. As it happened, I had no close relatives or parents left by that time, so I was on my own, unburdened, with no obligation to return anywhere. You always have to pay a price for your success, give something up, and change your priorities. It's uncomfortable, but that's real management, responsibility, and vision for your path.

Q: Did anyone help you in your adventure? Did you have a large financial safety net for moving and relocating? Did you have a backup plan if something went wrong?

A: I had a safety net, but it was minimal—enough for about 3-4 months of living on a very tight budget. There was a time when I had only 30,000 rubles left in my bank account and no job—just enough for a ticket back to Siberia. I didn't give up then. And I never will again.

No one really helped me much. Some friends (if you could call them that) forgot about me; others were probably jealous and asked weird questions. Business contacts from previous jobs faded away. I mostly just maintained good relationships with my teachers from my cybersecurity program (2010) and my Economics Master's degree university (2015). Only a handful of people knew the details of how I lived. Success often loves silence; only the closest people know the details.

Besides my father and stepsister, my girlfriend was a huge help and inspiration. It was thanks to her that I got through the toughest moments of my journey and the most difficult parts of my career. Her voice is forever etched in my mind. There's a saying, "Behind every successful man is a strong woman," and I've lived that truth.

I had no backup plan. I stepped into the unknown, simply believing in my abilities. I once saw a phrase that fits me perfectly: "I was born when the Soviet Union collapsed (1991), I started school during the default (1998), I graduated university during the global financial crisis (2008), I moved to Moscow during a new wave of financial crisis (2012), and then came political turmoil in Russia and the start of international isolation (2014)." And now, on top of all that, we have total isolation and international sanctions (since 2022). So if you wait for the "right time," you might wait forever. Act now with what you have!

Beyond the Career: Recommendations for a Fuller Life

Everything listed is undoubtedly very important and essentially made me who I am today. However, there are some other aspects that go beyond the career path and immigration, relating more to personal development, changing your mindset, and internal transformation. Without these elements, my path would have been incomplete, not of the same quality.

And I'm ready to talk about them:

Work out. Nobody is forcing you to be a fitness model or a cover guy with a six-pack. However, if you want to run a business and live a quality life, you absolutely need a healthy body, a clear mind, and a reserve of energy for new achievements. This means at least a couple of gym sessions a week, or outdoor workouts if you have a pull-up bar, parallel bars, resistance bands, or maybe even your own set of dumbbells and a collapsible barbell. A morning run every other day or a 40-minute session with a punching bag every three days. Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, runs for 30 minutes every morning, no matter where he is or how late he went to bed. Other executives known for morning workouts include Tim Cook, CEO of Apple. A fit body builds confidence; your appearance creates a first impression and follows you everywhere. Your body is also your business card. Healthy eating doesn't exclude an occasional burger, pizza, or even a glass of alcohol, but systematic proper nutrition creates the necessary conditions for maintaining an optimal weight and, with it, hormonal balance, which greatly affects your appearance. Many millionaires I met in California or Florida under 40 actively work out. If they don't have a personal gym, they go to a fitness center, swim in a pool, cook for themselves, or order healthy meals from the best restaurants in the city.
Invest. Set aside at least 10% of your income for investing in assets or potential projects. Don't rely solely on your employer. As the wave of mass, unpredictable layoffs in Big Tech companies in the US from the start of the COVID-19 pandemic until spring 2025 showed, tens of thousands of qualified, experienced IT and cybersecurity specialists found themselves on the street.
Plan your life, but live fully today. No one knows which day will be your last. No one can guarantee that tomorrow will be exactly like yesterday or today. Do your projects, make your dreams a reality, get emotions, create value, bring it into the world, give warmth and care to loved ones and even strangers. Money is just a poor equivalent of the value and good you can create or receive. Money doesn't mean happiness, and photos on magazine covers don't make life more fulfilling. In the end, what will matter is the legacy you left, the mark you made on the lives of others. Things age, cars wear out, real estate crumbles with age—impressions never get old. Invest in your experiences; don't just live on memories, create them!

The Summit of Success. What's Next?

My narrative is nearing its end. I've tried to reflect all the important and key aspects of my path in this and my previous publication. However, inquisitive readers might have a question: what's next? The story is indeed still being written and can't be fully told right now.

There's a saying that _"the best way to predict your future is to create it." _ This likely refers to the text in the next chapter following this one. It's important to understand that my path is not a call for everyone to follow it. It's not a template you must copy to prove that "I'm no worse." It's a clear example of realizing possibilities for those who are close to me in spirit, ambition, and motivation. I had them, I have them now, and you have them now too. Yes, they are different, not like mine, but they are definitely there. For some, it will be enough to buy a small house and grow flowers; someone will spend their entire life researching atomic particles, even if as an employee, or searching for a new medicine. There is no single universal path to your triumph, to your success, that is identical for everyone.

I used to also believe that fame, financial independence, and socially recognized authority in your field were the cornerstones of personal success. Now I know that self-realization, unlocking your best talents and abilities, is most important. For me, self-realization was becoming a self-made man, achieving financial well-being, and immigrating to a safe place with a warm climate. For someone else, it's opening a car tuning atelier or traveling through all the countries of the planet in a pair of sandals with a camera in hand.

If before I was moving "Away from something..." (escaping poverty, fleeing the cold climate, avoiding low-quality communication, from people with a narrow mindset), now the right path is moving "Towards something..." (my own product, my house with a fenced yard, my foundation helping young startups, my book, film, platform, etc.). It's not so important what the goal is for you; what's more important is that you move "Towards something..." and not run "Away from something..."

True Change: Not a Battle, But a Transformation

This paragraph will probably not be understood by all my readers. But I can't omit it, as the picture of the path would then be incomplete. This is the most invisible part of working on yourself, one that is extremely underestimated, ignored, or simply unknown.

Everything I did for my success, everything described above in one form or another, is a struggle, overcoming obstacles, competition, fighting for a better place, pushing through pain, winning through force, through resistance. No one is denying the merits of this path; it's where character is tempered, all your strongest and weakest sides are revealed. It's hard work worthy of respect. It's like the path of a warrior, a conqueror, the behavior model of a shogun, so to speak in historical terms.

However, it's not the most optimal path, not the most efficient one. Yes, it is perhaps the most obvious and logical in the eyes of the average person. No matter how much of a professional or master of your craft you are, a lucky son of fate, or the son of a rich father, a moment of fatigue eventually comes, sometimes even internal emotional and physical emptiness, burnout, exhaustion. Great success through struggle demands a great price for the result. For instance, this is well demonstrated by some crime dramas showing an epic rise to success, big money, and authority, but later forcing the main characters to pay with their own freedom, life, or the lives and well-being of their loved ones.

The alternative—the "Path of the Heart" as Steve Jobs called it—is more like a grand diplomat who achieves success through negotiation, persuasion, and making mutually beneficial deals and alliances instead of the warrior's forceful pressure. This already goes beyond the scope of this publication, even beyond the goal of my narrative. Nevertheless, it is probably the most important lever/method for changing your destiny after moving away from the struggle model. But I suppose that's a topic for another material...

And finally, I want to share two outstanding motivational speeches by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who are self-made men and have walked their own path to success.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Say No To The Naysayers (click for open the spoiler)

Rule #2: Don't Listen to the Naysayers

Rule number two is don't listen to the naysayers. Don't listen to the naysayers. Everything I ever did, the thing that I heard out of people's mouths was, "That's impossible," "That can't be done," or "No." I remember when I wanted to be a bodybuilding champion, including my parents and everyone else around me said, "This is impossible. When they become a ski champion, that's what they do in Austria, or bicycling champion, they'll do some track and field. You can't be a bodybuilding champion." That is exactly what I heard. And of course, I proved to the people that it can be done. So whenever someone said to me it can't be done, I heard it can be done. When they say no, I heard yes. And when they said it's impossible, I heard it is possible.

The Belief That Drives Achievement

Because I am a strong believer. I'm a strong believer in what Nelson Mandela said: that everything is always impossible until someone does it. Well, I'm gonna be the one, I said to myself. I'm gonna do it and I'm going to show it to them. Maybe it has never been done before; that's perfectly fine with me. But I'm gonna do it. And I did not listen to the naysayers.

Pursuing the American Dream

The same was also when I went into, not just bodybuilding, they said no. When I wanted to come to America, and I wanted to go to America, they said, "It's impossible. Is it? There's no money. You have to fly even over there. You have no money when you go over there to live with. And what do you think they're gonna wait for you? They have plenty of big bodybuilders over there." It was all "no, no, and it can't be done, it's impossible." And I remember then the same thing happened also when I went into show business.

Breaking Into Hollywood Against All Odds

And now I said to the agent, the Hollywood agent, "I want to get into movies." He said, "That's funny, Arnold." I ask a studio executive, I say, "I want to get into movies. I want to be a leading man." He started laughing. So they all say that's impossible. I said, "Why is it impossible? Is this because look at how big you are? You weigh 250 pounds. Hercules bodies and muscular bodies, 20 years ago, I know this is the 70s, it's Al Pacino, he weighs 150 pounds. It's Dustin Hoffman, he weighs 146 pounds." And then they told me, "And your accent. Even if you reduce all your body weight and everything and have a normal body, your accent," I said, "your accent will give people goosebumps." That's the kind of stuff that I heard. They said, "No, you see it's impossible. And plus your name." This is the kind of thing that I heard.

Persistence in the Face of Universal Rejection

Imagine you go from studio executive to studio executive, from agent to agent, from manager to manager, and they all said exactly the same thing. That's very encouraging, isn't it? But you know something? I didn't give a ****. I didn't. Because I believed that I can be a leading man. I said there's enough room on that ladder that I can fit up there. And I look back again and learned from what I learned in sports. In my case, in bodybuilding, it's all about the hard work that you put in. I said to myself, "In bodybuilding, I've worked out five, six hours a day. I'm gonna do the same thing now for acting." But I didn't listen to those losers. I didn't listen to them at all.

From the Gym to the Governor's Office

Because that's exactly the way it was in politics again, when everyone said, "No, no, no, and it can't be done," and I became governor of California. And this has been everything like that. It's just the reality of it. This is that you cannot listen to the naysayers. So this is a very important lesson for all of you. If I would have listened to the naysayers from bodybuilding, through show business, to politics, I would not be standing here today talking to you. Exactly. So this is why I say, don't listen to the naysayers.

Dwayne The Rock Johnson (click for open the spoiler)

Introduction: Speaking from the Gut

So I'm going to share with the team today just a few thoughts that I have about my own process every day, and what has helped me in terms of getting to the place I'm at now. More importantly, what has helped me stay at the place I'm at today. So this is gonna be a lot of fun.

I really didn't know what I was gonna say because you guys, you guys are at the top, right? You made it. You're here. So I thought, what I do instead of telling you what I think you should be doing or how you could be better, I thought, well, let me just speak from the heart, speak from my gut, and really not have anything prepared. But just tell you what's worked for me, and maybe some of the stuff that's worked for me might work for you.

The Mindset: Your Back Against the Wall

The thing that has worked for me is to remember the hard times. I keep my back—excuse my language—my back is up against this *ing wall every day. It's against this *ing wall because it's what I believe in. And when my back is against this ***ing wall, then there's nowhere to go but *that way. That's it.

For me, I need this. I need this. So every day my back is up against this *ing wall, and this is how I operate. Now, it doesn't mean you don't smile, there's no laughing, no joke, you're happy—I'm a happy guy. But when it comes to business and when it comes to executing, it's up against this, and I got to go that way. And I don't give a * who is in front of me, they're not gonna stop me.

The Power of Remembering Hard Times

Before a big movie comes out, back in the days when I was wrestling with WWE, a WrestleMania match, anything big that would happen, I would always take a moment and I just remind myself: I was evicted when I was 14. We were kicked off the island, we couldn't live in Hawaii, had no place to live. A lot of **** happened.

Then when I moved to Nashville, I was arrested multiple times by the time I was 16 years old. I got cut from Canada, I had 7 bucks in my pocket. And I always tell that story—so now my production company's "Seven Bucks," advertising agency "Seven Bucks," everything is "Seven Bucks."

So always remember that. What helps me is to keep the hard times in the front of my mind because it allows me to go into these big moments that I've worked my ass off for—and you guys have worked your ass off—it allows me to go into these big moments with a different perspective. It allows me to be present in the moment and understand, holy ****, this is the stuff I dreamed of when I was a kid. I am here.

A Story of Failure and Resilience: The Football Years

I played for University of Miami, played great teams. Warren Sapp, Ray Lewis, they were my teammates. Warren Sapp was playing tight end at that time, I was starting defensive tackle. They moved him over to D-line and he looked at me, he's like, "Yo, I'm gonna take your spot." And I said, "You ain't taking my ****ing spot." He's gonna take your spot? Yeah, we battled. And he took my spot.

Like you'd imagine, it *ed with me because there goes my opportunity. He went in, I switched to defensive tackle, lit the world on fire. Well, what that did, it questioned me too, crushed my dreams. I had a piss-poor senior year, zero production. No NFL, no combine invite, nothing. Finally went to the CFL, Calgary Stampeders, making $250 a week. Canadian. Canadian. I had to send that * home to my wife at that time. I had no money. So I remember that.