Success in business is simple—but it isn’t easy.
Alex Hormozi, an entrepreneur who scaled his businesses to over $100 million in revenue, has a straightforward message for young entrepreneurs: most people fail because they refuse to accept reality.
In a brutally honest interview on The School of Greatness with Lewis Howes, Hormozi shared the three biggest truths that separate successful entrepreneurs from those who waste years spinning their wheels.
If you’re in your 20s (or even early 30s) and want to build something great, these are the hard truths you need to embrace right now.
Brutal Truth #1: Success Has a Price—And You Can’t Change It
Most young entrepreneurs think they can hack their way to success. They want the rewards without the sacrifice.
Hormozi disagrees:
“You may not like the price of success, but you can’t change the price.”
In simple terms, there’s no shortcut. You can either pay the price of success—long hours, failures, rejection, and relentless discipline—or you can avoid the work and stay where you are.
What Does That Price Look Like?
- Time: You’ll need to spend years mastering skills, building relationships, and failing before you win.
- Comfort: While your friends are partying or relaxing, you’ll be grinding.
- Energy: If you’re not exhausted at the end of the day, you’re not pushing hard enough.
Most people stomp their feet and complain about how hard it is. They wish it were easier, faster, or less painful. But wishing doesn’t change reality. The price is non-negotiable.
✅ What You Should Do: Stop resisting. Accept the price of success, and be willing to pay it.
Brutal Truth #2: Your Environment is Keeping You Stuck
You are a product of your surroundings—whether you like it or not.
Hormozi explains that if you’re surrounded by broke, unmotivated, and directionless people, you will stay broke, unmotivated, and directionless.
“The fastest way to change your behavior is to change your conditions.”
How Hormozi Used This to His Advantage
Early in his career, Hormozi wanted to break into the fitness industry. He deliberately moved to Southern California—because that’s where the top fitness entrepreneurs were.
Instead of staying in a city where no one was doing what he wanted, he put himself in an environment where success was the norm.
✅ What You Should Do:
- Audit your environment. Who do you spend the most time with? Are they ambitious or complacent?
- Change your circle. Join mastermind groups, attend industry events, and build relationships with people ahead of you.
- If necessary, move. If you’re stuck in a dead-end location, go where the action is.
Success is contagious. The more time you spend around winners, the more their habits will rub off on you.
Brutal Truth #3: If It Doesn’t Get You Closer to Your Goals, DELETE IT
The #1 reason most entrepreneurs don’t succeed? Distraction.
Hormozi explains that every decision you make—big or small—either moves you closer to your goals or further away. There is no neutral.
“Does this action, this person, or this habit increase or decrease the likelihood that I hit my goals?”
If the answer is decrease (or even not sure), cut it.
How Hormozi Used This to Scale His Business
When Hormozi first found success with Gym Launch, he made a crucial mistake: he started another business instead of doubling down on what was working.
The result? His company’s growth slowed dramatically.
Since then, he’s been ruthless with his focus. Instead of chasing shiny objects, he asks himself:
- What’s the ONE thing that will move my business forward?
- What’s the highest-leverage activity I should be doing?
- What can I delete from my schedule that’s not mission-critical?
✅ What You Should Do:
- Eliminate distractions. If it doesn’t directly contribute to your success, cut it.
- Focus on your highest-value task. Find the ONE thing that will have the biggest impact, and obsess over it.
- Say “No” more often. Success isn’t about doing more—it’s about doing less but doing it better.
Stop Waiting, Start Acting
If you want to succeed as an entrepreneur, stop making excuses and start making decisions.
Hormozi’s three brutal truths may not be easy to hear, but they are exactly what you need to break through:
- Success has a price—you can’t change it. Pay it or stay stuck.
- Your environment will make or break you. Choose wisely.
- If it doesn’t move you closer to your goal, delete it. Ruthlessly.
If you’re ready to take your business (and your mindset) to the next level, start applying these principles today. Success isn’t complicated—you just have to be willing to do what others won’t.
