It Doesn't Take Money To Make Money | Brandon Leibel | TEDxSDSU

Starting a business is all fun and games until you're eating ramen everyday and using your kitchen as an office space -- hear SoundCloud's co-founder's story to success filled with a lack of funding, innovative marketing ideas and heartfelt anecdotes.
It wasn’t long ago that Brandon Leibel attended San Diego State University with dreams of working in the movie industry. He graduated in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in television, film and new media. However, Leibel’s love for San Diego pushed him to stick around, opting for a sales position at a local insurance company.
After working for the company for less than a year, Leibel, along with his two best friends, decided to quit their jobs to start their own company. Extensive surveying and tireless experimentation resulted in Sand Cloud: a popular beach apparel company that has expanded its operation from Leibel’s apartment to a 2,000 square foot warehouse within a few years. Leibel is eager to share how he reimagined traditional business models with his fellow Aztecs. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx

[@alexbk44]

What’s more important then money? The balls to consistently get out of your comfort zone and go for what what you want. 99% of people are not willing to do this, and settle.

[@ash42ism]

Best comment on here mate.. And so accurate

[@limawhisky]

wow!!! i learnt in australia, how to become successful: just wake early in the morning put your hours ang bring home $$$

[@turolretar]

If you’re consistently out of a comfort zone, then doesn’t this become your new comfort zone? Think about it

[@dreamz_sw]

@@turolretarMaybe you're right somehow with this logic

[@ryanni4]

This had me so ready to CRY. No one has a stronger drive than someone who's starving to succeed.

[@tanmayasahu5171]

Yess

[@AA-dw1wg]

If you are starving you have no money.......

[@tomc1266]

People like him deserve that success ,overcoming obstacles is the biggest challenge in life . Desire for success is the drive

[@JoseRodriguez-rx4ck]

The title of this talk should be "It does not take A LOT of money to START A BUSSINES", but people I am sorry, money still makes a lot more money than "no money", that is the way it is.

[@BaioWithMayo]

The point of the talk was you dont need a mountain of cash to start doing something... they were in debt and still started, and yeah did they need to work odd jobs just to stay afloat? thats how it works, with those odd jobs come opportunity, so every dollar they make can be spent better than the last. This is in contrast to someone getting 100k and "starting" with that, because they can make 100k go a lot farther than someone who it was given to. If you wanna talk investing, then yes someone given 10 mil to invest will make more than an average american in dividends alone, so yeah you got me there. the point was entrepreneurship though, not this scenario

[@ericmuermann3682]

This should be called to truly start something all you need is a few good souls willing to sacrifice!

[@chris15325]

Thanks for the warning

[@darkside7382]

💯💯💯

[@salmahmud7668]

Totally agreed with Jose

[@kataonly9233]

Lack of money is going to finance your resourcefulness and make you successful. Word brother.

[@SuperGreatSphinx]

Making money isn't hard in itself... What's hard is to earn it doing something worth devoting one’s life to. ― Carlos Ruiz Zafón, The Shadow of the Wind

[@gregnixon1296]

The problem is that the most money is made in meeting the consumer’s unnecessary wants.

[@shak9472]

it is hard though

[@tsheposhibane6311]

Thanks... Very motivational. I'm a South African. I'm attempting to build a business to rid unemployment.

[@Xiferr]

hows it going

[@noahkabz1625]

The experience shared in this video simply informs me even more that life itself is and endless resource that we can tap from and make our dreams a reality and not the make money to make money attitude.

[@jromero584]

❤

[@BrandonAEnglish]

Having money or not having money aren't determiners of success. It is the drive and passion we have, which provides our natural motivation. Any motivation we might otherwise artificially inject will never assist us if we are laboring away at causes or work which we neither value nor feel passionate about.

[@LemonPIEGamer]

Many people think there's an easy road, there's not, one way or another you'll find problems, the whole point is to solve them! That's why money is not a real obstacle, but something you need to solve if you want to start a business and learn and do what it takes! Great Talk man, very inspiring!:) I'm also sick of eating beans and rice, but it's part of the road and so far I'm happy! Wish you everyone great success on your projects:)

[@meettheleaderspodcast3188]

Amazing speech! You need money to make money. However, money is made with passion, hustle and trust. So this is all it takes to start and then to make it a success!

[@arlinegeorge6967]

Drive , determination, passion. Great talk . Thank you, bless you, All your dreams come true.

[@servicioslinguisticos5502]

HOT DAYUMN! So that whole summer vacation I spent enclosed in my living room in front of my computer, watching tutorials and reading blogs on how to do the things I need for my embryo-stage business was NOT time wasted?! You've given me hope. Thank you.

[@joppekim]

He got money, or things of value that he sold, he also got a friend that he could live in a apartment with which is cheaper. So many conditions i knew it was too good to be true.

[@johannajorgensen6416]

I thought that also when he mentioned that they each (three of them) opened 5 credit cards and his buddy sold his Apple stock. Ok. I for one don't have the credit to get an apartment, charge cards, or even a car to drive for uber. His idea of NO money and mine are vastly different.

[@kaygrover2852]

Then they more than likely had to have credit and make 3x the rent to get the apartment. Possibly first and last month's rent with deposit. The title just isn't accurate. It could've been titled with little money. I think that's what was really meant.

[@N8teyrve]

I sold all my furniture and bought a box of beach towels. Now I live in a house with furniture made from beach towels and work at McDonald’s. Thanks guy

[@franciscorosa760]

Whoever looks for success, always makes a mistake, thinks that the important thing is the arrival, but what is really important is the trip, not the arrival. And you only realize the error when it's all over!

[@prophet6171]

I’m starting my small business but I’m a bit lost into this, My lack of study makes me overthink so much when comes to a decisive moment I have a problem since child dealing with maths and was slow learning in this subject, But I’m trying everyday to develop something from my head to use as a tool in order to achieve the success

[@spiritmama]

So true!! Been there... and I’ve done it. Best experiences ever! Love this!! ❤️

[@slademassie6305]

At first I was thinking, wow TED talks have really fallen in quality and content. Then I noticed, it is not a TED talk, but a TEDx which means anyone come talk even if you're wrong.

[@Retired2021]

Thank you did not notice that!

[@christyvero4708]

Best advice everr cuz im doing the same thing im broke n im my own everything. U gave me more hope on what in doing right now. Thank uuu

[@JNKprops]

Its not always that you hear the process raw and straight and clear.

[@tomfommber]

Even better title: How I Became Successful At Business By Being Terrible At Uber. Also, brilliant.

[@dancedricarevalo699]

I don't know...I'm all for supporting and motivating the startup community--I did one myself--but his entire talk just reinforced that it DOES take money to make money. Apart from commenters stating the obvious (they actually squeezed out money to get money), his team did all those efforts and even went social media superstar but still little to no sales. Then he wraps up that after getting backing and funding only then did they go millions of sales

[@donjean6590]

Basically what he has said here is work hard. Dont give up and be willing to take the chance when it comes along. Its a good speech but I've heard it many times for any number of successful people. But it always boils down to "you have to put the work in". It has very little to do with having or not having money. Because without the work nothing will happen.

[@SasoJakljevic]

Yup, they had to sell everything first to buy the first batch of towels. Clickbait title.

[@sherzod7788]

1.5 years passed, but im not gonna give up. I've learnt adobe ps, illustrator, filmora, insta strategies (just like mentioned in the video), learnt wordpress to build a web site. i've got customer database everything is ready except for small business equipments.

[@amolbharat4970]

Being resourceful is awsome in such ways :)

[@tdmmnrdrk2830]

very nice story which is delivered very nicely.. the biggest capital he had was those two friends bruno and steve.. obviously there was a great team work among them with great harmony and most importantly they have believed in themselves.... thanks for the inspiration. love

[@natashaentrenadora1]

Love this story! Thank you so much ❤

[@mrED123]

The description tells you he started sound cloud but it was such an amazing video

[@katiemonster4147]

He’s not really saying you can make money with no money- it’s more like if you have no money you need to be think more, be more resourceful, dedicate yourself to an idea, make things happen with some creative financing and eventually it will pay off. He’s really saying Money can’t buy the experiences, will and determination you get along the journey - and that experience is going to make you successful in the long run. Of course, he’s a success story and we like to hear about success as opposed to the those broke dudes who failed and lost everything

[@boliojesus4]

So much grit and power in this ted talk . I love the motivation , inspiration, and encouragement this brings

[@smarty3000]

"It doesn't take money to make money"....*takes out 5 credit cards*

[@dragonicmonkey7]

Sells all of his assets and stocks

[@kevinjackson4457]

Exactly!!

[@sandeep786sood]

Hahaha only there is 1 catch

[@jamesbrycen7977]

Instablaster

[@VonDutchNL]

haha he just got lucky he encountered a reporter that's all.. so it's more about "luck" than actually making a business.

[@mariamayub212]

So inspiring, thank you!

[@timkerstetter8454]

This is what I'm doing now, I understand completely.

[@bonniegreatorex72]

So happy for you! It's true what Shakespeare once said, a man becomes what a man thinketh. You're only successful if you say you are and you're only a failure if you say you are. We live in a time space reality where we truly do create our own Futures and our past is just a regurgitation of what we've already manifested.

[@carlos.digitanos]

I think the big learning is that not having money makes you creative in how to solve problems. . All that you make is win. . It doesn't matter if you're happy or not with the learnings. . The focus to solve problems to make money (what is also a problem) makes you strong and unbeatable.

[@hopeforbest5594]

Thank you for this content❤❤

[@DeependraTube]

very inspiring. thnx ! 👶 Sand Cloud Beach Apparel Company .

[@Taliz303]

This is amazing a nothing but the truth only the ones who struggle will understand

[@aryanraj4688]

Thank you sir 🙏 ☺

[@gauravyadav9761]

Just loved it man

[@fromdustyoucame]

My lack of money has never given me fuel to do better. More money almost always has.

[@phonethipsongkham7375]

Great story thank u!

[@bruno_nwogu]

Watching this in 2021...and my name is Bruno.. great

[@ShiloStorm]

He keeps saying zero dollars - but in actual fact they sold personal inventory to get starting capital, they squeezed living conditions to save - what? Money , they did all their personal research on tools ( ie computers, phones) that cost what - money? They cashed some amount from their 401k that may not have had a lot but still had what? - money. They were able to order their first supplies with what ? - you guessed it ..money. Yeah they were resourceful, but they still had some start off money. They didn’t have the money they would have liked to have made their start off easier but they still had some money. They went on shark tank to get what - money? They were three of them pulling financial resources together however small. Pretty sure you can’t log onto KZbin on a bare wall. . Anybody else think money wasn’t needed to start up? Hope not. You need money to make money, but that’s not all you need definitely. That’s a more honest presentation rather than to say you don’t need money at all.

[@blueghost1952]

I was skeptical too and yes you do eventually need money, but I think you should look at this at a different perspective. He meant not having money right away up front will help you become better than starting right away if they had the funds to pay for the start up costs Immediately. He means that even if your at the bottom of the barrel and not feed will a silver spoon growing up you can still make it.

[@willlynott5681]

@shilo storm I just about wrote what you said, then i came across your comment. Absa-friken-lutly - does take money - and the right people to know or bump into. As per his story.

[@robertvandeneijk1284]

I agree and would like to add: 30k education depth. And when we are really honest we should also count lost income from quitting his initial insurance company job. Both those arguments open cans of worms. What about the bills his parents swallowed when he was growing up. How much did the taxpayer contribute? Everything costs money. So the title is a bit misleading. Non the less, his talk had some merit.

[@MX-CO]

And A Team , which is what im lacking. Well im lacking a team and money lol, but im still starting a business I am Currently starting a car Dealership with no money of my own , and im working on starting a business that has to do with dirtbike racing the 2nd one im more passionate about and i need some people to work with on that plan, at this point i would put, Team ahead of money, There is IDEA,TEAM,TIMING,FUNDING, BUSINESS MODEL. Experts say timing is #1 even though most start out thinking its idea. Imo Team is #2

[@ShonTolliverMusic]

@@blueghost1952 you can't speak on the intentions of what he "meant." You can, however, state that which You interpreted from the speech.

[@meshalwanigaming2702]

He is right!

[@Derlet30]

Great presentation! ❤

[@amykeever8527]

What a great talk !!! And I've seen a lot of them !

[@WalkingRandomly1983]

really inspiring

[@debbiehargreaves3350]

This video sounds like it actually takes money to get a ted talk

[@kaywilsonesq.2654]

Ouch! Wow, you may have nailed it.

[@importadoravyr]

Yeah lol

[@KN-cool]

Who wants to hear from poor people about how to make money ? The 😂

[@debbiehargreaves3350]

K N it is very obviously that you are poor and are projecting your insecurities onto people who want to make decent change in a system that is not meritocratic

[@KN-cool]

@@debbiehargreaves3350 you know it makes sense and it makes you so mad you had to like your own comment

[@devashishmisra]

Inspiring

[@Georgije2]

Long story short: the product doesn't really matter, as long as you know how to sell it.

[@canaldeautoayuda6089]

Love you!!! Such amazing story!!!! Keep on. I wish I knew what his company name is..

[@abdullahrahmani2556]

Bro if it was possible I would have been a billionaire by now. I believe more work can be done when you have money, not just with (nothing)!! Great job buddy ☝️

[@evo2542]

The point was that even with no money you can still do something. It's not the end all be all.

[@supercyanblue2379]

@@evo2542but it is a multiplier

[@abdelhadyaitlahcen5905]

Great story

[@purplelillyx9895]

Kudos

[@JuanMedina-sk9vp]

Great brother god bless you. Amazing awesome thanks for sharing this beautiful video this conversation great job idea.✌☝️👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👏🏿🤝🤜🤛👊

[@aajulie1]

Brilliant

[@dafnasinayleibel6089]

Wow.....terrific talk.

[@Teach75]

This is all great for young single guys who have more time than anything. I have been doing this as well for years, little by little as a mom with a career and second job and raising three kids, but I can tell you it would have been a lot quicker if there were 3 of me and I was single and didn’t have two jobs. I think most people are more in my boat than yours.

[@Abhishek00601]

appreciate the efforts mam so what u mean is start at when u r young with less responsibilities ?

[@JUICESxFLOWIN]

Excuses are like assholes

[@KimiCruz]

Coulda shoulda woulda. So you're jealous he started off sooner than you? Lol I'm a mom too, you don't see me guilting single ppl in the comments

[@stevesunclaimedmoneyquest9040]

Awesome money motivation. One way to get some money is looking for unclaimed money. States hold on to unclaimed money until the rightful owner collects it and I've collected money for myself and many others dong this.

[@samuelvance5674]

I'm surprised that you didn't get more likes. Your words are very true

[@dakemostv9899]

How?

[@sreekanthadari1]

Love this video

[@ZevfromWB]

bro can you take some time to subscribe to me I’m on the road to 100 subs

[@dakshgurjar5194]

Great.....

[@anderscmwinther8952]

Great video

[@phamxuanhung83]

thanks

[@prabhjitsingh3298]

Great job!!🔥❤️

[@alangorman8]

Quality!

[@FT4YOU]

Thanks

[@gkeith64]

It takes strategy, commitment, advertising, and a great idea or concept....

[@siyabongakhumalo8379]

And those takes money

[@gkeith64]

@@siyabongakhumalo8379 a little yet not much. I started my carpet cleaning business with $200.00, did $100,000.00! I started my night club with $400.00 it went on to bring in $457,000.00... So while it may take a little money? Let the sales begin the process of your business sailing to success.

[@siyabongakhumalo8379]

Fully agree man, all the best

[@siyabongakhumalo8379]

@@gkeith64 fully agree my man, all the best

[@Santafefashionweek]

Great information, that is basically how we started Santa Fe Fashion Week

[@arshaady1615]

Santa Fe Fashion Week™ awesome congratulations I wish you guys all the best!!!

[@prabuk5727]

It's SandCloud not SoundCloud. Maybe you ppl should update your description @tedxtalks

[@tjmmachine]

Lol, the description says Soundcloud instead of Sand Cloud

[@shanel9756]

I liked it, but thought a more suitable title might have been “having money is no guarantee for making more money” because, based on what they started with, there was at least *some* money (401k cashout, Apple stock sale, etc.)., but I get that it still took a lot of hustle.

[@turtleairships]

effen ay! no one starts with "nothing".

[@thomaslally7536]

Lost me at 'sold my apple stock'

[@stampandscrap7494]

Me too

[@wmc9722]

Where did you build stock? Stock in a trade? Friends?

[@marspl]

$1000 in apple stock would buy a LOT of towels at manufacturing prices.Think with yo brain.

[@TTuoTT]

well, then stay in your hole, peasant

[@thomaslally7536]

@@TTuoTT I have no problem with the man investing or owning apple stock. I own some myself. But if I sold it at todays share price of $439 I wouldnt then turn around and make a video entitled "how to make money without money". This video is click bait.

[@michaelpope9009]

"It takes more than money" would've been a better title. He is a very enjoyable speaker to listen to

[@andrewwong5670]

Yeah true. It doesn't use money to make money. All comes to virtue and true values of a person. Would he or she a reliable person to collaborate with? Money just can buy temporary outcomes n results, but can't obtain the ultimate results perpetually. Therefore, there is no clear cut towards making money, just get out of your comfort zone and adjust your mindset.

[@mahmoud5461]

Thank you a lot.

[@jeebydeeby]

Yes. Exactly. Anyone can found a product that cannot survive without advertising... And then what? You have the listeners and the creators and most of them are PISSED. The listeners who have framed Soundcloud as their indie music library for the past decade can not even access their own collection without being assaulted. It is now plain to see their long term collections have no intrinsic value to the company... makes great sense. On the other hand - the creator. Many artists pay Soundcloud to host their work so that listeners don't need to hear ads. Those artists have never agreed to allow Soundcloud make ad revenue off of their independently made content - some of them don't even want their art monetized! Then, of course, there are those that do... But the catalogue of those who do not cannot be ignored, and those are the creator who not only generated the raw power behind the platform, but have actually profoundly affected the future of music. SC will not last into 2030 unless they return to their heart & soul; a strong platform for bedroom producers. The one thing no other streaming model will ever have. Soundcloud will be excavated by their greed and I can only hope to watch a novel new media solution rise from the ashes.

[@azulecoordinator4874]

awesome.... nothing like disingenuous platitudes to get ME all fired up about participating in the collapsing commodity marketplace. 2 thumbs up!!!!

[@dalianosseir2817]

30'000$ thats crazyyyy !!

[@AnbuRajanburajn]

True

[@BangMaster96]

In summary, it still takes money to make money.

[@hopeforbest5594]

😂God bless u

[@SourabhNagarSN]

He is the Co-founder of Sand Cloud not Sound cloud, Kindly correct Thanks

[@wmc9722]

Ah, details....

[@themehmoodshah]

Error correction Alert ⚠️. At the beginning of description it mentioned *SoundCloud* co-founder. Below it's mentioned correctly Sand Cloud.

[@joshuadiaz2330]

@ 3:41-3:46 "Bruno's gonna CASH OUT his APPLE STOCK to pay for our first batch of towels" 🤔 Gee, I wonder how much THAT turned out to be!?? Hrmm. Fascinating & Intriguing detail. Care to expound on that piece of information??

[@NewEarthBlog]

This is a good Law of Attraction story.

[@lemmaabisha]

HOW TO CONTROLLING UNHEALTHY THINKING? Controlling the mind means reacting to the thoughts that come to me or to my thoughts. We cannot change our lives or our circumstances without changing our thinking. This is because our thinking is the beginning of everything and our thinking is the “mill” of our identity. First, an idea comes to mind. This thought then engulfs us and begins to manifest itself in speech and action. Once this practice becomes a habit, it will have the power to change and shape our destiny. This idea is the same for both healthy and unhealthy processes. Steps you can take to get rid of unhealthy attitudes 1. Identify thoughts in your life. You need to know what ideas are appropriate for your identity and purpose in life. Knowing this can help you to identify ideas and to decide which ones to deal with. 2. Do not deal with unhealthy thoughts. Not every idea has a place in your mind. Resist the temptation to come up with something out of the ordinary, out of the ordinary.

[@lemmaabisha]

if you do not know about all of the above ideas you do not change your life like your business to developing in the future.

[@mgoskay]

highly doubt it

[@calebfoster2751]

so frustrating that hitting like button twice doesn't work

[@Joezeph592]

🏁

[@camelprotector]

This only works if you are very driven to learn.

[@matthias.loesche]

Hey everyone, I’m currently trying to find out how one could make the lives of entrepreneurs a lot easier ;) Which is why I have two very simple questions: 1. As an entrepreneur, what are the 2 biggest issues you’re dealing with when it comes to building a social life or social circle besides the business? 2. Regarding your social circle, what would you wish for more than anything else? Thanks so much in advance - looking forward to reading your answers!

[@anelerubinaite5558]

The description says 'hear SoundCloud's co-founder's story', but isn't company's name actually 'Sand Cloud'?

[@EmptyPocketsXotics]

Damn, buncha haters up in these comments. Maybe rather than nitpicking every minute, negative aspect of this video, you could understand that it took drive and passion to build something out of virtually nothing. I'd like to know how many of you actually built a company from the ground up... *crickets*

[@antoncastillo404]

Correct the description. He is the co founder of Sand Cloud not SOUNDCLOUD...!!

[@hellagoegfranky]

Yasss

[@nsfrozen]

Didn’t know ted talk use click bait title too xD

[@jeanlenor1858]

I just really hate this society. People will applaud you just for the sake of standing in front of them. They dont even care if what your saying is true or not? WTF? Guy says you dont need money to make money and every sentence he uttered was all about money. Went and gave a portion of his business to shark tank looking for money. What kind of society do we live in?

[@tsheposhibane6311]

LMAO

[@dakemostv9899]

Very true

[@iconicon5857]

€how to be resourceful, to get money.

[@mrsvoice7292]

You know what shame is??is that I have parents with money but I'm still miserable as hell,I don't ask for money from my parents and i find it so embarrassing, even my mom literally tell me everyday that what's your plan and what you wanna do ,I will give you the money, but I don't know what can I do with that money yet,no plans and no brain also

[@dakemostv9899]

The best I can tell you is to learn from people who were at the same situation that you are in. Take notes and have a plan, it will eventually work

[@luizaclarkson8762]

people saying it did take money to make money lol of course it does, he just meant that its not because you have a lot of money that you are gonna be successful, it takes more than that.

[@luizaclarkson8762]

and that its not because you don't have money that you cant be successful