Making Billions: Lessons Learned From the King of the Thrill Pill Cult – Shaahin Cheyene
The Human Upgrade with Dave Asprey
Dave Asprey
4.6 • 7.3K Ratings
🗓️ 3 September 2024
⏱️ 74 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this special Asprey Archive episode from 2023, we talk to Shaahin Cheyene.
Today’s guest is nothing short of a modern-day Willy Wonka for Generation X. He built a billion-dollar ecstasy business in the '90s and did not end up behind bars. That's a story you've got to hear. Shaahin Cheyene, not only dabbled in the wild world of herbal ecstasy but also managed to stay out of trouble despite being investigated by seven attorney generals. And get this, he wasn't even 18 when he pulled off these daring feats.
Shaahin's story doesn't stop there. Since those days, he's become an Amazon expert, successfully selling nootropics and a variety of other products on the platform. He's also a filmmaker and author of the book, “Billion: How I Became the King of the Thrill Pill Cult.”
From Fleeing Iran at the age of five to being homeless and living out of his car, Shaahin's journey is nothing short of remarkable. It's safe to say he's one of the most interesting individuals I've had the pleasure of interviewing.
We dive into Shaahin's captivating journey, exploring his transformation from a young criminal to a thriving entrepreneur. You’ll also learn about what went into his groundbreaking herbal ecstasy formula and how he managed to get his business off the ground. Along the way, we discuss the challenges of navigating the bureaucracy of big government, the importance of seeking help when needed, and the valuable lessons Shaahin learned from building and eventually exiting his herbal ecstasy empire.
We also delve into how he managed to run a nine-figure company selling on Amazon, the mindset benefits of Brazilian jiu-jitsu training, the power of curating ideas, and how you can strategically leverage podcasts as an entrepreneur. Join us on a ride you won't want to miss.
(01:47) How Shaahin Became the King of the Thrill Pill Cult
(07:36) Formulating Herbal Ecstasy & Building a Million-Dollar Business
(16:34) Navigating the Bureaucracy of Big Government
(28:04) Pro Tip for Entrepreneurs: Why It’s Important To Ask for Help
(32:09) What Cheyene Learned From Building & Exiting His Business
(37:29) What To Do When You Make Your First Million
(39:21) Scaling a 9-Figure Company Selling on Amazon
(45:05) Lessons From Martial Arts & Our Bets on Musk vs Zuckerberg
(54:03) The Tactical Advantage of Podcasting & Being a Curator of Ideas
(01:03:30) Media Training 101
Sponsors
LMNT | Free LMNT Sample Pack with any drink mix purchase by going to https://drinklmnt.com/dave.
Leela Quantum | Head to https://leelaq.com/DAVE for 10% off.
Resources
Website: shaahincheyenne.com
PodcastCola: podcastcola.com
Instagram: @shaahincheyene
Podcast: Business Story of the Week
LinkedIn: Shaahin Cheyene
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | You're listening to the human upgrade with Dave Asprey. |
| 0:06.0 | Formerly, Bulletproof Radio. Hi. of Asprey. This is a live in-person show which I absolutely prefer over Zoom or remote but |
| 0:28.0 | broadcasts are people that you want to hear from oftentimes aren't where I am and vice versa with good microphones and all. |
| 0:36.0 | So thanks for showing up in the same city, same time as me, Shane. |
| 0:40.0 | Yeah, great to see. I always find face to face is better. |
| 0:43.0 | Yeah, it's just way more fun. |
| 0:45.0 | So what are we going to talk about? What are you going to learn today? |
| 0:48.0 | Well, how about we talk with the Willy Wonka of Generation Acts. |
| 0:54.0 | That's a name I think you've earned, |
| 0:55.8 | building a billion dollar ecstasy business |
| 0:59.6 | and not going to jail for heads. Creating herbal ecstasy being investigated by seven attorney |
| 1:06.0 | generals and not going to jail for it because there's nothing wrong with selling |
| 1:09.6 | herbal ecstasy and this is back in the 90s. So this is a while ago and weren't even 18 or did that. |
| 1:16.7 | Nope. Okay. So you guys interested yet? Like what is this you know kind of drug kingpin |
| 1:22.4 | from the 90s got for us except |
| 1:25.2 | He's also an Amazon expert since then he's been selling eutropics and a bunch other stuff on Amazon as a very, very successful entrepreneur. |
| 1:34.0 | So, he was also an author, a filmmaker, |
| 1:36.0 | got a couple of his books here, like |
| 1:38.0 | billion, how I became the king of the Thrill Pill cult. |
| 1:42.0 | So basically all around, interesting. the king of the thrill pill cult. |
| 1:45.2 | So basically all around interesting guy Shahehein Shahein |
| 1:47.8 | When people are taking a lot of herbal ecstasy and they try to say your name three times fast what happened? |
... |
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