How to make $10M and still love your life | Dickie Bush

💰 FROM WALL STREET TO $22M | Dickie Bush & Tristan Homsi UnfilteredDickie Bush was a hedge fund trader at BlackRock making $200K/year. He started a newsletter in 2020. By 2024, he'd built Ship 30 for 30 and Premium Ghostwriting Academy to over $2M in total revenue with 30+ employees.In this 2+ hour conversation, Dickie and former top sales rep Tristan Workman break down:📊 BUSINESS & SCALING:✅ The Marketing Efficiency Ratio (MER) that changed everything✅ Why perfect attribution is the enemy of scaling✅ Contribution margin formula: How doubling team size TRIPLES breakeven✅ Cost per call vs cash per call (the only 2 numbers that matter)✅ From $50 cohort to $8M/year: The Ship 30 scaling journey✅ Hiring the first sales team (how Tristan's Loom video won the job)✅ 345 days on Slack: The burnout that led to complete system redesign Blended marketing: Why organic + paid beats either alone💡 STRATEGY & SYSTEMS:✅ Bottleneck analysis: How to identify the ONE constraint killing growth✅ Just-in-time vs just-in-case: Why planning is often procrastination✅ The 2x income rule before quitting your job✅ Working 2 full-time jobs: How Dickie did it (and why you shouldn't)✅ The "3 quests" framework for goal setting that actually works✅ Why raising price $1K goes straight to bottom line🧠 MINDSET & LIFE:✅ The "turkey problem": Why salary jobs are riskier than you think✅ Memory dividends: The $5,800 Super Bowl ticket that pays forever✅ 10% fund: Automatically investing in experiences, not just stocks✅ From 280lbs to 185lbs: The health transformation that enabled everything✅ Why travel as a "digital nomad" killed productivity (and what he does now)✅ 75 memory dividends goal for 2025✅ The meditation routine that guides $10M decisions📍 TIMESTAMPS:00:00 - Introduction: Dickie & Tristan's story05:30 - The L Tristan hired12:45 - Life at BlackRock: The moment Dickie knew he had to leave18:20 - The "turkey problem" and Covid wake-up call25:10 - Starting Ship 30 for 30: $49 to $60K in one month31:40 - The 2x income rule before quitting38:15 - Working 2 full-time jobs: The 2021 grind44:20 - Moving to Miami with Cole: The acceleration period52:30 - Hiring the first sales team & Tristan's 46% close rate58:45 - $5-6M generated by Tristan alone01:05:20 - Why most sales reps are entitled (and how to avoid them)01:12:15 - The marathon mindset applied to sales01:18:40 - Follow-up mastery: 17 emails to close01:25:30 - 2024: The year of mistakes and lessons01:32:10 - Marketing Efficiency Ratio explained01:38:45 - Contribution margin: The math that changes everything01:45:20 - Why they cut $500 payment plans (and revenue went UP)01:52:15 - Organic vs paid: It's always blended01:58:30 - LinkedIn algorithm change tanked leads 70%02:05:40 - Travel as a tool, not a lifestyle02:12:20 - Memory dividends: Investing in experiences02:18:50 - The 3 quests for 202502:25:15 - Health routine: Meditate, train, stop eating by 7pm02:31:40 - Sobriety stance: Michelin dinners and weddings only02:38:20 - Discipline = doing it on the 10 hardest days🎯 KEY TAKEAWAYS:→ Your overall throughput = sum of moving everyone closer to buying→ Contribution margin decreases as you scale (plan for it)→ Marketing Efficiency Ratio (Revenue ÷ Total Marketing Spend) = business health→ Memory dividends compound forever, stocks only compound financially→ Future you will laugh at what current you is worried about→ Perfect attribution kills scaling; blended metrics enable it→ The best sales reps do boring follow-up for 7+ days→ Raise prices more than you think; it goes straight to profit💼 DICKIE'S JOURNEY:2018: Started at BlackRock ($120K/year)2020: Started newsletter during Covid2021: Ship 30 first paid cohort ($60K month)2021: Quit BlackRock (hit 2x income rule)2022: Moved to Miami with Cole2023: Hired Tristan & first sales team2024: $8M+ revenue, 30 employeesTotal: $22M+ revenue in 4 years💼 TRISTAN'S STATS:46% lifetime close rate~800 total enrollments$5-6M revenue generatedRecord: Highest upfront cash month (no financing)Now: Running own sales team & consulting📱 CONNECT:Dickie Bush: @dickiebush (Twitter/X)Tristan Homsi: @tristanhomsi (Instagram)Ship 30 for 30: ship30for30.comPremium Ghostwriting Academy: [link]📚 RESOURCES MENTIONED:"Efficiency" by Wall Street Playboys"Die With Zero" by Bill PerkinsThe Compound EffectTim FerrissSpotter Studio (thumbnail tool)TubeBuddy / VidIQRapidTags.com🎙️ ABOUT:Raw, unfiltered conversations with entrepreneurs building 7-8 figure businesses. No fluff, just systems, numbers, and real talk.🔔 SUBSCRIBE for more deep-dive business breakdowns💬 COMMENT: What's your Marketing Efficiency Ratio right now?