Good afternoon, and welcome back to ToTheUnknown,
The newsletter that’s like your favorite pair of socks—comfortable, reliable, and always there when you need it.

Today, I’m diving into the life of one of the most influential people I know. This guy has shaped my financial brain so much that, at this point, I probably owe him royalties.

(But don’t worry, Shaan, my lawyer says free shoutouts count as payment.)

Oh, and a quick side note: Some of you haven’t sent me feedback.

I mean, come on, I’m over here sweating over my keyboard trying to make this newsletter better than your favorite YouTuber’s content, and I just get… crickets?

Don’t worry—I’m not mad, just mildly disappointed (kidding… mostly)

But hey, maybe you sent it, and it got lost in the void of the internet.

If that’s the case, I’ll get it sorted.

Pinky promise.

Alright, alright.

Enough small talk.

Let’s get to the good stuff.

Here’s the SAUCE for today:

• 👶 The Early Days (Teenage Hustler in the Making)

• 🧒 College Years (The Experimenter)

• 🧑‍🎓 Post-College (The Hustle Gets Real)

• 🧑 The Breakthrough (Building Momentum)

• 🧔‍♂️ Today (The Visionary)

• 🧠 The Shaan Puri Philosophy

• 🤓 What can we learn from Shaan? Playbook for Success

👶The Early Days (Teenage Hustler in the Making)

Shaan Puri wasn’t born with a golden spoon in his mouth or a cheat code to life.

Growing up, he was just another kid trying to figure it out (like most of us).

But what set him apart?

Curiosity and a knack for spotting opportunities.

As a teenager, Shaan wasn’t spending his time binge-watching TV or scrolling aimlessly.

He was hustling.

From flipping random items on eBay to trying out mini-businesses, he was constantly experimenting.

Sure, not every venture was a win—there were flops, embarrassing fails, and moments of “What was I thinking?” But each failure taught him something.

Lesson one?

Fail fast, learn faster

(the same lesson that Luke mentioned, is there a pattern!?🤔)

The Lesson Here:

Even if you’re just selling your old Pokémon cards or mowing lawns, the key is to build momentum early.

🧒College Years (The Experimenter)

In college, while most were busy chasing grades or partying, Shaan was chasing ideas. He wasn’t the straight-A student who aced every test, but he was the guy constantly asking, “What if?”

What if you could build a better version of this?

What if you could monetize that?

Shaan’s big realization came during this time: You don’t need to be the smartest person in the room. You just need to be the person willing to take action. 

While others overanalyzed, he was out there trying, failing, and tweaking.

He started small businesses, tested apps, and even considered dropping out at one point.

Did all of them succeed?

Absolutely not.

But they built his toolkit for future ventures. He also learned the art of networking—realizing that people can open doors money can’t.

The Lesson Here:

And don’t be afraid to take risks—it’s the best time to do so.

🧑‍🎓Post-College (The Hustle Gets Real)

After college, Shaan faced the real world—a place where your safety net disappears, and the grind gets real. He didn’t land his dream job right away.

Instead, he took whatever opportunities came his way and turned them into gold.

One of Shaan’s early wins was building a business around online gaming communities.

While others dismissed it as “just gaming,” Shaan saw potential.

He created products for gamers, solved their problems, and built a loyal community.

His secret?

Find a niche, understand the people in it, and deliver value.

But even then, there were moments of self-doubt, long nights, and setbacks.

What kept him going?

A clear vision and relentless execution.

The Lesson Here:

Find your niche and become indispensable to it.

🧑The Breakthrough (Building Momentum)

Shaan’s big breakthrough didn’t come overnight. It came after years of stacking small wins.

He started businesses, sold them, and reinvested the profits into new ventures.

One of his biggest moves?

Joining and later running a startup accelerator, where he learned the ins and outs of startups, pitching, and scaling.

This phase taught him the power of leverage. 

Whether it was leveraging other people’s skills, capital, or networks, Shaan mastered the art of multiplying his impact.

He also started sharing his journey online, building a personal brand that attracted opportunities he never imagined.

The Lesson Here:

And don’t forget to build your personal brand (the Nr.1 welth driver, and a reason I’m starting a YT)—it’s your 24/7 resume.

🧔‍♂️Today (The Visionary)

Fast forward to today, Shaan is an entrepreneur, investor, and creator. He’s built and sold multiple businesses (3 businesses, one of them being Milk Road), hosts a popular podcast (MFM, I’m a BIG fan), and continues to share wisdom with his audience.

But what makes him truly inspiring isn’t just his success—it’s his mindset.

Shaan isn’t afraid to question the status quo, take unconventional paths, and focus on the things that matter—family, learning, and giving back.

He’s also a big believer in designing your life, not just letting it happen to you.

The Lesson Here:

Create, give back, and never stop learning.

🧠The Shaan Puri Philosophy

Shaan often emphasizes the importance of momentum.

Start small, he says, because small wins stack into big ones.

Whether it’s launching a side hustle or learning a new skill, the key is to keep moving forward.

He’s also a huge advocate of “unfair advantages.”

What does that mean?

It’s about leveraging your unique position, skills, or network to get ahead.

For Shaan, this was understanding his knack for storytelling and networking, which helped him build businesses and connect with key players in the industry.

He’s shared anecdotes of being broke and making hard decisions, like whether to pay for groceries or invest in a startup idea.

These moments shaped his belief that calculated risks lead to extraordinary rewards.

One of Shaan’s most powerful lessons is his belief in leverage.

Whether it’s outsourcing tasks, using technology, or collaborating with others, leverage allows you to achieve more with less effort.

As he puts it,

The Lesson Here:

Momentum, leverage, and calculated risks are the holy trinity of success. 

And always bet on yourself.

🤓 What can we learn from Shaan? Playbook for Success

1/ Start Small: Every big success starts with a tiny experiment.

2/ Fail Fast: Learn from every mistake and keep moving forward.

3/ Build Leverage: Use tools, networks, and skills to multiply your efforts.

4/ Stay Curious: Never stop asking, “What if?”

5/ Design Your Life: Don’t chase someone else’s dream—build your own.

6/ Embrace Momentum: Keep stacking small wins—they’ll snowball into something massive.

7/ Bet Big on Yourself: If you don’t believe in you, who will?

If there’s anything to remember/keep in mind from Shaan’s journey, it’s this: You don’t need to have it all figured out. You just need to start. 

Alright, folks, that’s a wrap on today’s Storytelling Wednesday!

Hope you found it as insightful as I did—especially since I’ve been soaking up Shaan and Sam Parr’s wisdom for years.

Fun fact: I even slid into Shaan’s inbox to ask if he’d give this newsletter a shoutout to a bigger audience.

No reply yet (classic “seen and ignored”), but hey, I’m not giving up. Role models don’t need to reply to still inspire, right?

If you want to dive deeper into Shaan’s brain, check out his website—it’s a goldmine. And oh, the latest My First Millionpodcast just dropped! It’s titled How to Make $1,000,000 After You Graduate (5 Steps) and dives into Shaan’s early days and how he turned his dreams into dollar signs.

Highly recommend it.

That’s all for now—see you on Sunday! I’ve got some BIG things to unpack, so stay tuned.

Until then, keep hustling and stay curious.