E140 - Billionaires Brutal Lessons On Wealth, Discipline & Building From Nothing episode artwork

EPISODE · May 11, 2026 · 1H 17M

E140 - Billionaires Brutal Lessons On Wealth, Discipline & Building From Nothing

from First Things THRST · host Mike Thurston

» Produced by Hack You Media: pioneering a new category of content at the intersection of health performance, entrepreneurship & cognitive optimisation.Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hackyoumedia/Website: https://hackyou.media/Gediminas Ziemelis is Lithuania's wealthiest entrepreneur, who started his first business at 19, and this conversation reveals what separates founders from managers, why treating business like a three-life computer game keeps him motivated, and how being born in a small country forced him to think globally from day one.Gediminas explains growing up in the Soviet Union where businessmen were criminals, how poverty and limitation shaped his drive to be rich, and why selling his first company at 27 pushed him toward building something unrepeatable in aviation. The key insight: work-life balance doesn't exist when building something big; your lifestyle becomes the business, and you risk everything while managers sell hours for the highest price with no social life at stake.This covers why he has four assistants but stays hands-on daily, how spending money on relationships beats marketing, and why the only thing he fears is losing motivation.00:00 Gediminas Ziemelis Introduction04:47 Early business endeavours in post-Soviet Lithuania10:19 Importance of international business for Lithuanian entrepreneurs15:28 First IPO and stepping into diverse business sectors20:30 Entering aviation amidst challenges and opportunities26:46 Overcoming financial crises in business34:25 Global thinking and expanding aviation business43:54 Dedication to Avia Solution Group and future plans47:54 Passion and motivation in business pursuits54:18 Importance of networking and relationships in business59:53 Expanding interests beyond aviation, including AI and numbers01:05:09 Space industry insights and potential future ventures01:10:19 Reflections on health, AI, and personal discipline01:14:36 Final advice for aspiring entrepreneurs on collaboration and planning» Escape the 9-5 & build your dream life - https://www.digitalplaybook.net/» Transform your physique - https://www.thrstapp.com/» My clothing brand, THRST - https://thrstofficial.com» Custom Bioniq supplements: https://www.bioniq.com/mikethurston• 40% off your first month of Bioniq GO• 20% off your first month of Bioniq PRO» Join our newsletter for actionable insights from every episode: https://thrst-letter.beehiiv.com/» Join Whoop and get your first month for free - join.whoop.com/FirstThingsThrst» Follow GediminasYouTube: youtube.com/gediminasziemelis-officialLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/gediminasziemelis

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