From Immigrant to Industry Leader: Leo Climaco's Story

0:01Light that spark fire nation JLD here and welcome to entrepreneurs on fire brought to you by high level, the all-in-one sales and marketing platform. Today, we'll be breaking down the story of Leo going from an immigrant to an industry leader. And to drop these value bombs, I have brought Leo into EO Fire Studios. Leo is an entrepreneur, communicator, and host of the Leo Clamaco podcast, one of the most authentic shows about purpose, mindset, and performance of the new generation. Founder of Forge Studio, he teaches entrepreneurs how to turn their ideas into authority using podcasting as a powerful positioning and marketing tool.

0:34And today, we talk about where it all began, finding direction, breaking barriers, building the vision, and oh so much more. And a big thank you for sponsoring today's episode goes to Leo and our sponsors. Are you ready for the ultimate all-in-one platform for entrepreneurs, marketers, coaches, and agencies? Build funnels, automate follow-ups, manage clients, and even white-label your own software. Say hello to our featured partner, High Level, and visit highlevelfire.com to start your free trial today. Leo, say what's up to Fire Nation and share something that you believe about becoming successful that most people disagree with.

1:17What's up, Fire Nation? I am so excited to be here. John, thank you so much for the opportunity. and something that I believe. Well, I know that money is not the root of all evil. I know a lot of people believe that. So I think that that's a great misconception that a lot of people deal with. I think money is a tool and I think that success can be many different things and money is one of those forms. I think what you do with that money is what matters and is what is ultimately the end goal. I always tell people, if you think money can't buy happiness, try writing a six or seven figure check to your favorite philanthropic adventure.

2:06And tell me that doesn't bring you joy. That doesn't bring you happiness because it truly can for all those reasons. And for those people that are struggling with money, like Leo's talking about, there's a lot more people than you would imagine. Read The Psychology of Money. It's a fantastic book. It will definitely uncover. So good. It'll uncover some demons for some people right now that are struggling with that and help you get to the roots of what it really is and means. Now we're talking about an immigrant to industry leader story. And I don't often get blown away by stories because this is episode 4862 of EO Fire, but this one's special.

2:44And you're going to hear why Fire Nation. So sit back, relax and let's talk, Leo, about where it all began. I mean, what do you remember most about those first days arriving in the US? Looking back, what did those early years teach you about survival, about grit, about ambition? Let's do it. Those early days for me, they were exciting. Be fully honest. I mean, I was an immigrant boy from Brazil and I came at seven years old to New York city. I was extremely excited. I got here. I had never seen snow before. That was super exciting to me, but what I learned most was family and tenacity. I saw my parents evolve into people that they weren't previously.

3:35I saw my family come together and unite in a manner that we had to, you know? It was the four of us here in a strange country, new language, new culture. This was 1995. Things were very, very different. We came together. We really united. And we are still that close to this day. So I love that because I built my family in that same way. but I really learned the meaning of family, tradition, and hard work. Fire Nation, you can tell that we are just starting on what's going to be an amazing story, an amazing conversation with Leo. And I want to talk about finding direction because I think a lot of people, Leo, are struggling right now finding direction, finding their big idea, finding their purpose, their reason for, you know, their why, like their reason for getting up in the morning, you know, beyond just being a human being and potentially a parent or in a relationship, but like, what are they doing day to day?

4:38Let's talk about you talking about that shift that happened from just barely surviving day to day to realizing that you, Leo, were born to lead. Great question. And you get to a point where you hold so many walls. It's just never giving up. and by being consistent. I'll give you an example. I was the first one in my family to learn English. I was very young. I learned it very quickly. So it became my responsibility to begin translating for my adult parents who were struggling learning English. So by nine years old, I understood the tax code. I understood so many different intricate things about the American life.

5:26I interviewed for my dad to get a job. I translated. I grew up very, very fast. But I think at a very young age, I knew that I had this leadership quality in me because my family needed me. We were a unit of four. And that really was the moment where I knew that, you know what? But I was put here to navigate this world and help others navigate it as well. Fire Nation, this is a story about not just surviving, but thriving. We've talked about where it all began, finding direction. But now, Leo, I want to talk about breaking barriers. Because every leader faces internal barriers before they achieve that external success.

6:18So break it down for us. Tell us the story of the toughest obstacle that you had to unlearn to step into leadership There's a deep question And I think it's one that that haunts many many people So I had a issue with addiction And I was in my teens Hanging out the wrong crowd didn't really know where I fit in. I was trying to figure out where I belonged And I struggled and I went into a very dark place. But thankfully, because of family and because of good people around me, I was able to get the help that I needed and I was able to come out of that. And that was a really, that was a returning point for me because everything could have collapsed.

7:08Could have gone to jail, could have gone even deeper. But I was able to, incredible support around me that was able to guide me and pull me out and really show me what I'm here for and to really shine that light again within myself was a big turning point for me. That's a truly honest share. You know, addiction is something that, if we're being honest, every human is dealing with addiction of some sort. I mean, there's addiction to food. There's addiction to drugs, to alcohol. There's addiction to gambling. There's addiction to porn. You know, there's addiction, you know, to exercise. I mean, there's people that really are addicted to exercise.

7:46They over-exercise themselves into being very unhealthy. We've seen it before with, you know, anorexia and things along those lines. I mean, there's addictions. They come in all ways, shapes, and forms. They just truly, truly do. So before we move on, what would you say to somebody out there right now, Leo, who's struggling with addiction like you were at one point? what's one step they can take to start breaking that incredibly difficult chain to break? The first step is to admit to yourself, you do have a problem. Step number two is seek out help. And it's okay to seek out help because we can't do this alone.

8:29We need support. The love and the support of the people most dear around you is what's going to give you the strength of you come out of the addiction. Fire Nation, I want to talk about building the vision, staying grounded, legacy and lessons, and more. When we get back from thanking our sponsors. It's January, and that means new goals for your business. And because I know you actually want to hit those goals, it's time to stop messing around and start knowing exactly what's happening with your money. It's simple. Without visibility and control over your cash flow, decisions get delayed, bills pile up, and opportunities slip through the cracks.

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9:37Learn more at quickbooks.com slash money. Again, that's quickbooks.com slash money. Terms apply. Money movement services are provided by Intuit Payments, Inc., licensed as a money transmitter by the New York State Department of Financial Services. Okay, let's talk about a platform that's completely changing how entrepreneurs are running their business, and they are also our featured partner, High Level. If you're an entrepreneur, coach, agency, or course creator looking to grow faster and smarter, HighLevel is the all-in-one platform that replaces your entire tech stack. Seriously, think ClickFunnels, Calendly, MailChimp, Kajabi, and even your CRM all rolled up into one powerful white label solution.

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10:48Seriously, every question that pops up, they will have your answer waiting. And if you visit my special partnership link, you'll get a free trial. So visit highlevelfire.com to start your free trial and see why thousands of businesses are switching. That's highlevelfire.com where marketing, sales, and automation finally come together. High level, join the revolution. Leo, we're back. And as I kind of teased before the break, I want to talk about building the vision. I mean, you went from starting over as an immigrant to leading not just one, but multiple successful ventures. What was the key mindset shift that fueled your transformation?

11:28Never give up. I know that sounds cliche. I know that sounds simple, but a lot of people give up. A lot of people give up too early. A lot of people give up when they're three feet from gold. I think consistency is the key to being successful. Understanding that there is no failure. Failure is simply a lesson that you're learning. If it didn't go the way that you planned it, great, analyze it, learn from it. Make sure you don't do it again. What can you do now? And you keep moving. There is no failure. You just are endlessly learning. And if you take that mindset and you never stop and you keep your foot on the gas in a controlled manner, you will 100 % succeed.

12:12Just never give up. Fire Nation, I'm gonna tell you a little story. When I launched Entrepreneurs on Fire back in September of 2012, everybody, the mentor that I hired, who was the podcasting knowledge guru at the time, everybody, including him, said, do not do a daily show. You will burn out. You will run out of guests to find. Your listeners will burn out. You'll never find a way to make money. And I just knew the show had to be created. So I created it as a daily format and I had to grind my face off. After three months, that's 90 episodes, by the way, nine zero in just three months, no results.

12:50After six months, a little bit of an audience, but no, no revenue came in whatsoever. After 12 months, I looked back a year, 365 episodes. I had made$18 ,000 and I had a very small audience that was growing, but it was small and it was, I was grinding every day. Month 13, the big idea happened because I was up every day and luck is where effort meets opportunity. The opportunity came in the form of an idea. I was there because I was working every day. So the opportunity came and I took it, got quote unquote lucky, launched a course and have not made under a hundred thousand dollars a month since then for over 10, actually, sorry, 13 years now since 2012.

13:32I was three feet from gold that entire time, three months in, six months in, 12 months in. What's 13 months? 13 months goes by in the blink of an eye. I was three feet from gold. I could have quit at any point. And who knows, I would have probably gone back to the crappy job that I had before that I hated. So I love that mindset you just shared, Leo. Thank you for that. I want to talk about with all of this, staying grounded, because right now you're sitting here talking to me, you've had so much success. How do you balance family, culture, and business while staying deeply connected to your roots with all the success that you've had?

14:07Well, first, congratulations on not giving up. Thank you. Tremendous story. I understand that very, very well. So to answer your question, it requires putting in effort, right? Because I am so busy, because I do so many things, I can't forget about my kids and my wife, especially my wife. So my wife and I schedule date night. We have date night once a week, minimum. It's scheduled in, in our calendar. make sure it happens. I scheduled play dates with each of my boys. It's really how I do it. For me, it's the only way that it works. I live by my calendar. So I make sure that I dedicate time to things that I need to do.

14:57And so it gets done. Let's talk about legacy and lessons. I mean, looking back, what advice would you give to anybody that's listening right now who's chasing their version of the american dream i mean we all know that we have our own versions of that american dream even if you're not living in quote-unquote america you know the american dream is you work hard you create a life of freedom you create a life of happiness of success that's the american dream and it's available anywhere in the world so what advice would you give to anyone who's listening right now, who's chasing their version of the American dream?

15:33Learn the trade, learn a skill that you can then go teach to somebody else. Think that is the future. An extension to that is build a brand that goes along with that trade, with that skill. Because in this world that we are living in, in this AI, humanoid robots coming our way, if you don't stand out, if people don't know who you are, if you don't have a brand, if you don't stand for something, if you're not good at one particular thing that you can excel in and teach others, you unfortunately are going to be left behind. Leo, let's end with a closing value bomb. For anybody who's starting from scratch, or maybe they're just feeling stuck right now, wherever they're at in their journey, What's one lesson from your journey that can help our listeners rise, rebuild, and lead with purpose?

16:28I love this question because it allows me to go a little bit deeper. And I would say, find whatever God means to you. I think God is something that gives us as humans purpose, guidance, comfort in tough times. it's what you can rely on it's what you can fall back into knowing that there is a higher power of force out there protecting you, guiding you and making sure that you are in your path and that you are on your journey I would say connect with God and put in the work also obviously clearly and God will meet you in the middle. Leo, we talked about where it all began, finding direction, breaking down barriers, building divisions, staying grounded, legacy and lessons and of course that final value bomb was incredible.

17:33Thank you for that. What's the one thing you would want our listeners to walk away with from this conversation today? Never give up. I think if there's one thing that you take away from this is never give up. Or let's actually quote Winston Churchill. Never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never give up. Well said. Leo, if Fire Nation's loving our conversation, they want to learn more about you, they want to connect with you, what is your call to action for our listeners today? You can find me at Leo Clamaco on Instagram. Leo Clamacopodcast on Instagram. And also, if you go to

18:26OrgeStudiosFL.com and you fill out your email and your name, we're going to give you a free ebook on how to build out your podcast. Fire Nation, you're the average of the five people you spend the most time with. You've been hanging out with LC and JLD today, so keep up the heat. And for links to everything we talked about, visit eofire.com, type Leo, L-E-O, in the search bar. The show notes page will pop right up. And Leo, thank you for sharing your truth, your knowledge, your value with Fire Nation today. For that, we salute your brother and we'll catch you on the flip side. Thank you, John.

19:05Fire Nation, a huge thank you to our sponsors and Leo for sponsoring today's episode. and don't let another 90-day slip by. Inside the Freedom Circle, my community, entrepreneurs are building real freedom with proven playbooks and community support. Claim your spot now at freedom-circle.com. I'll catch you there or on the flip side. Are you ready for the ultimate all-in-one platform for entrepreneurs, marketers, coaches, and agencies? Build funnels, automate follow-ups, manage clients, and even white-label your own software. Say hello to our featured partner, High Level, and visit highlevelfire.com to start your free trial today.