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<description>&lt;p&gt;Here’s a &lt;em&gt;small&lt;/em&gt; taste of some of the crazy adventures discussed in today’s episode:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Building a social network with members including space shuttle captains, members swimming oceans, skiing down from the summit of Everest, winning world cups, &amp;amp; olympic gold medalists&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Growing a division of Dell Computer from 0 → 1.5B in 11 months&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Being connected with some of the most influential people in the world (he once made an intro between Martin Luther King III and the founder of Earth day if that says anything)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;p&gt;OH…&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And that doesn’t even include the crazy adventures he’s created for his community, including doing things like:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Visiting Mongolian Eagle Hunters&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Taking Russian MIGs to Space&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Climbing the inside of the Great Pyramids&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;p&gt;OH…&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And he’s also the founder of Domino.one which is an impact incubator and accelerator with clients representing the Pope and the United Nations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I think that’s all.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;(Just kidding, there’s still more).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Paul Kirchoff has a life that doesn’t seem even remotely possible (or real).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Add that to the fact that he literally lives in a bus traveling with his wife and, as he says, “moves his front door every 120 days or so”.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is a wild one. I can’t wait for you to listen.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Show Notes Generated With The Help of AI!&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3&gt;00:00 - Introduction to Beyond Curious and today’s guest, Paul Kirchoff&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;Host &lt;em&gt;Brandon Fong&lt;/em&gt; introduces Paul Kirchoff, also known as "Kirch," a serial entrepreneur, investor, humanitarian, and global adventurer. Paul has built and led multiple companies, including EPX—a next-generation business and social network for superachievers. He has pioneered billion-dollar ventures, advised leading companies, and even co-founded efforts to combat COVID-19. This episode is packed with thrilling stories, entrepreneurial wisdom, and personal growth insights.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;00:35 - Paul’s accidental strategy session with Michael Dell&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;Paul recounts an unforgettable moment early in his career at Dell. Just days into the job, he unknowingly critiques Dell’s operations to a fellow employee—who turns out to be &lt;em&gt;Michael Dell himself&lt;/em&gt;! This sets the stage for Paul’s remarkable journey within the company.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;02:05 - A deep dive into Paul’s entrepreneurial career&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;Brandon shares Paul’s impressive track record, from taking Dell’s Inspiron division from $0 to $1.5 billion in sales in 11 months to founding multiple companies in impact innovation, digital marketing, and business incubation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;05:24 - Connecting Martin Luther King III with the founder of Earth Day&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;Paul shares a powerful story of how he facilitated a life-changing conversation between &lt;em&gt;Martin Luther King III&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;Professor Alan Trattner&lt;/em&gt;, bridging environmental sustainability and social justice in a profound way.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;08:54 - The importance of adding value to powerful relationships&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;Brandon and Paul discuss how seemingly small introductions can lead to monumental impact, and how thinking outside traditional value exchanges can help anyone build meaningful connections.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;11:15 - Paul’s early days at Dell: From struggling job applicant to top performer&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;Paul opens up about how he struggled to land his first job despite attending a prestigious business school at an exceptionally young age. After multiple rejections, he finally gets a foot in the door at Dell, leading to his meteoric rise in the company.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;14:12 - The billion-dollar insight: Why Paul went against industry trends&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;Paul explains how a contrarian bet on large-screen laptops helped Dell dominate the market. While competitors focused on smaller devices, he realized that most users weren’t actually traveling. This counterintuitive move led to one of Dell’s biggest product successes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;17:53 - The lesson of ‘healthy paranoia’ in business&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;Paul shares one of...</description>

Beyond Curious ™

Brandon Fong

#229: Scaling A Dell Division To $1.5 Billion In 11 Months, Climbing The Inside Of The Great Pyramids, Taking Russian MIGs To Space & Other Normal Things… w/ Paul Kirchoff

MAR 4, 202576 MIN
Beyond Curious ™

#229: Scaling A Dell Division To $1.5 Billion In 11 Months, Climbing The Inside Of The Great Pyramids, Taking Russian MIGs To Space & Other Normal Things… w/ Paul Kirchoff

MAR 4, 202576 MIN

Description

Here’s a small taste of some of the crazy adventures discussed in today’s episode:

  • Building a social network with members including space shuttle captains, members swimming oceans, skiing down from the summit of Everest, winning world cups, & olympic gold medalists
  • Growing a division of Dell Computer from 0 → 1.5B in 11 months
  • Being connected with some of the most influential people in the world (he once made an intro between Martin Luther King III and the founder of Earth day if that says anything)

OH…

And that doesn’t even include the crazy adventures he’s created for his community, including doing things like:

  • Visiting Mongolian Eagle Hunters
  • Taking Russian MIGs to Space
  • Climbing the inside of the Great Pyramids

OH…

And he’s also the founder of Domino.one which is an impact incubator and accelerator with clients representing the Pope and the United Nations.

I think that’s all.

(Just kidding, there’s still more).

Paul Kirchoff has a life that doesn’t seem even remotely possible (or real).

Add that to the fact that he literally lives in a bus traveling with his wife and, as he says, “moves his front door every 120 days or so”.

This is a wild one. I can’t wait for you to listen.

Show Notes Generated With The Help of AI!

00:00 - Introduction to Beyond Curious and today’s guest, Paul Kirchoff

Host Brandon Fong introduces Paul Kirchoff, also known as "Kirch," a serial entrepreneur, investor, humanitarian, and global adventurer. Paul has built and led multiple companies, including EPX—a next-generation business and social network for superachievers. He has pioneered billion-dollar ventures, advised leading companies, and even co-founded efforts to combat COVID-19. This episode is packed with thrilling stories, entrepreneurial wisdom, and personal growth insights.

00:35 - Paul’s accidental strategy session with Michael Dell

Paul recounts an unforgettable moment early in his career at Dell. Just days into the job, he unknowingly critiques Dell’s operations to a fellow employee—who turns out to be Michael Dell himself! This sets the stage for Paul’s remarkable journey within the company.

02:05 - A deep dive into Paul’s entrepreneurial career

Brandon shares Paul’s impressive track record, from taking Dell’s Inspiron division from $0 to $1.5 billion in sales in 11 months to founding multiple companies in impact innovation, digital marketing, and business incubation.

05:24 - Connecting Martin Luther King III with the founder of Earth Day

Paul shares a powerful story of how he facilitated a life-changing conversation between Martin Luther King III and Professor Alan Trattner, bridging environmental sustainability and social justice in a profound way.

08:54 - The importance of adding value to powerful relationships

Brandon and Paul discuss how seemingly small introductions can lead to monumental impact, and how thinking outside traditional value exchanges can help anyone build meaningful connections.

11:15 - Paul’s early days at Dell: From struggling job applicant to top performer

Paul opens up about how he struggled to land his first job despite attending a prestigious business school at an exceptionally young age. After multiple rejections, he finally gets a foot in the door at Dell, leading to his meteoric rise in the company.

14:12 - The billion-dollar insight: Why Paul went against industry trends

Paul explains how a contrarian bet on large-screen laptops helped Dell dominate the market. While competitors focused on smaller devices, he realized that most users weren’t actually traveling. This counterintuitive move led to one of Dell’s biggest product successes.

17:53 - The lesson of ‘healthy paranoia’ in business

Paul shares one of Michael Dell’s key lessons: Always operate with healthy paranoia. He explains how it pushed Dell to innovate aggressively and why he later left the company when it couldn't adapt to the rising internet boom.

22:04 - Walking away from millions: Why Paul left Dell at the peak of success

Despite being ranked the #1 employee out of 30,000 at Dell, Paul chooses to leave, rejecting millions in unvested stock. He shares the internal struggles, reflections, and realizations that led him to prioritize freedom and innovation over financial security.

30:44 - The power of self-awareness and reprogramming negative emotions

Paul and Brandon dive into how entrepreneurs can recognize and neutralize deep-seated fears and limiting beliefs. They discuss how simple mindset shifts—like expressing gratitude in frustrating moments—can dramatically change one’s trajectory.

39:15 - The lonely New Year's Eve that sparked EPX

Paul recalls the exact moment he decided to create a global network of high achievers. Sitting alone on New Year's Eve, he realizes how much he had isolated himself through work. This moment of introspection leads to a spontaneous trip to Iceland, which sets off a chain reaction that ultimately results in the creation of EPX.

43:24 - Building a community of high achievers through adventure

Paul describes how EPX started with simple adventures—riding with Mongolian eagle hunters, crossing the Sahara, and climbing the inside of the Great Pyramids. Over time, it evolved into a business ecosystem for elite performers, blending entrepreneurship, adventure, and personal development.

50:51 - The DNA of a thriving community

Brandon and Paul discuss what it takes to build a strong, engaged community. Paul shares insights on curating the right first members, setting cultural norms, and fostering an environment of mutual admiration between entrepreneurs, athletes, and explorers.

56:46 - A life of freedom: Living in a bus while building global ventures

Paul shares why he and his wife choose to live in a mobile home, changing their front door every 20 days. Despite leading major ventures in AI and business networking, he prioritizes simplicity, adventure, and alignment with his true self.

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