It always fascinates me when I walk into an organization and find people who've worked together for years, sometimes even on the same floor, and yet they barely know each other. I make a point of speaking to everyone.
– David Blackwealth
I interviewed David Blackwealth, who started out as an entrepreneur—a graphic designer and music producer—but found his calling in the corporate world, rising to Vice President of a global finance giant after being Assistant VP at Merrill Lynch. In this episode, we uncover his journey—how he climbed the ladder, why some people succeed faster, and the framework he used to navigate his career trajectory. Plus, as a father of eight, David shares his method for staying productive, managing time well, and achieving good work-life balance.
Show Notes
00:42 Intro
01:57 How’s it being a father of eight?
09:54 Dealing with rejection
16:58 Entrepreneurship vs. corporate world
29:48 Strategic thinking and goal setting
37:37 Paper/pen vs digital tools
49:23 Climbing the corporate ladder
50:50 The ladder vs. lattice
53:25 The power of networking and relationship building
01:03:13 The importance of vision and planning in your career
01:11:44 The role of soft skills in achieving career success
01:13:38 How to stay focused
More David Blackwealth quotes from the interview
“It's okay to lose if you were bested. If you weren’t the best that day and you lost, that's fine. But don't lose because you weren't prepared.”
– David Blackwealth
“Remember why you started.”
– David Blackwealth
“If you want to become good or you want to become successful at something, you have to increase your rate of failure.”
– David quoting Jim Rohn
“What some people may not realize is that not only do we have traditional career ladders, but we also have career lattices. You can navigate your career in various directions, not just upwards.”
– David Blackwealth
“It was hard to stay in business during the 2008 crash, and the thought of starting over weighed heavily on me. My grandma told me something that stuck with me: You never lost a skill.”
– David Blackwealth
People Mentioned
Jim Rohn
Cal Newport
Jocko Willink
Simon Sinek
Barbara Oakley
LeBron James
Napoleon Hill
(Apologies for the bad video quality on my end. I had to use a backup recording as I lost the original.)
