Raising Kids in a Divided America, The Silver Tsunami, and Scott’s Early Career Advice

0:28Support for the show comes from Adobe Express. to create on-brand content, Adobe Express. Learn more at adobe.com slash express slash business. True story. I have used Adobe Express and I was shocked how easy it is to use and produce content.

0:48Avoiding your unfinished home projects because you're not sure where to start? Thumbtack knows homes, so you don't have to. Don't know the difference between matte paint finish and satin, or what that clunking sound from your dryer is? With Thumbtack, you don't have to be a home pro. You just have to hire one. You can hire top-rated pros, see price estimates, and read reviews all on the app. Download today. Not all journalism is the same. Take The Guardian. Our coverage has something unique. Fierce independence. Nobody owns us or tells us what we can and can't say. So we're free to report the whole picture.

1:26We connect what's happening in Washington to the rest of the globe, expose corruption wherever we find it, and give fresh perspective on everything from wellness and soccer to culture, the climate, and more. Read, watch, and listen to The Guardian for free at theguardian.com.

1:45Welcome to Office Hours with Prop G. This is the part of the show where we answer your questions about business, big tech, entrepreneurship, and whatever else is on your mind. If you'd like to submit a question for next time, you can send a voice recording to officehours at profgmedia.com. Again, that's officehours at profgmedia.com. Or post your question on the Scott Galloway subreddit, and we just might feature it in our next episode. First question. Our first question comes from user OKLandscape5569 on Reddit. They say, Hi, Scott. You seem to have such a close and loving relationship with your sons.

2:19how do you explain what is happening in the United States? As a mother of two teen boys myself, I often try to explain our current situation in this country. The lack of honesty, integrity, and loyalty to the Constitution continues to weigh heavily on our family. Any advice on how to talk to your children in this very difficult time in history we find ourselves in? Thank you for all your hard work, and best of luck with your upcoming book. It's a really thoughtful question, OK Landscape 5569. But you know something, and I might be naive, my kids, so I have 15 and 18 year old boys, and kind of between snapping their friends and watching TikToks on highlights of Tottenham Spurs goals, I don't think, quite frankly, they're that politically engaged.

3:04And also we're somewhat, I don't know, sequestered from it, living in the UK. Occasionally they do say something that feels like, you know, just straight misinformation that I think they, like two-thirds of Americans got from social media that's not fact-checked. But I wouldn't say what's going on has had a big toll on my kids. I mean, the reality is they're just much more interested in their video games and their friends and Premier League football than they are in politics. And I kind of like it. I don't, you know, I hear about, so there's a, as you probably read, there's a mating crisis. And some of it is that there's an increasing gender divide in terms of political affiliation.

3:46And a lot of young women are turned off of young men who express sort of red pill conservative viewpoints. And I imagine many of the men are turned off by what they see as sort of, I don't know, unrealistic progressive ideals. I don't know how to frame it. And I was thinking that when I was younger and dating, I couldn't for the life of me tell you what the politics were of anyone I dated. And it just bums me out that it's yet another thing that gets in the way of people connecting. But in terms of my sons or in terms of your sons, I think that just a conversation and what I find with people who don't align.

4:26I mean, so my son, my youngest, said something about the conflict in the Middle East, which was just blatantly wrong or incorrect. And rather than my immediate reaction was to kind of gag on it, tell him he's wrong, say that just makes no sense, and break into lecture about why he's wrong. And what I realized with my boys is that the moment I do that, it just kind of cements their opinion. There's a healthy instinct among, especially among teenagers, that they should start rebelling against their parents such that leaving the pack becomes easier and less painful. That's healthy. Young people need to think creatively.

5:04They need to disrupt the ideology of the previous generation to innovate around new and better ideas. What I do or try to do when they bring up something that I think is just misinformed or off point, if you will, I start asking questions. I'm like, well, what about this? Where did you get that? What do you think are the arguments against that? What about X, Y, and Z issues? And I just have a conversation as opposed to sort of weighing in on, you know, what's wrong. Also, I wonder sometimes if we project our own disappointment on our kids. I'm suitably freaked out about what's going on in America, but what I've tried to do is not infect my kids with that anxiety because I think most kids, I'm not suggesting these actions and what's going on won't have real ramifications.

5:54but just being back in the U.S. for a bit, I've been in Nashville, I've been in New York. I generally find like if I didn't know what was going on in the public press and watching, you know, Charlie Kirk's funeral and listening to rants and being online, or I'm extremely online, unfortunately, I kind of wouldn't know what's going on. And I think that kids I'd like to think are in a bit of a healthy bubble around this. I'm not suggesting they shouldn't be politically engaged and learn about what's going on. But I like kind of the innocence of my kids focused on Premier League football and their friends and school and college apps and things like that.

6:33So I haven't done that. My only suggestion would be to ask questions, have open, honest conversations around it, and also remind them that this is not, if in fact they really are upset by it, to remind them this has happened before in America. I keep hearing discussions that, oh, we're headed towards, obviously towards civil war. There have been a couple moments in American history where we were in a much worse place. Anyways, I think it's interesting that you're even cognizant of this, thinking about it from a viewpoint of a parent. I would love it if my kids wanted to talk to me about this stuff, but they just quite frankly aren't interested.

7:09Thanks for your question. Question number two, Eric from Kentucky. Hi, Scott. My name is Eric from Louisville, Kentucky, the home of bourbon, horse racing, and baseball bats, and I am the father of a current senior business major. I spent my career in corporate America, specifically in technology, and I don't think my son is interested in a similar path. As I advise him, I've been intrigued by the so-called silver tsunami, the wave of retiring baby boomers and Gen Xers looking to exit and sell their established businesses. My son is a hardworking young man who I could see being successful in small business ownership, but I think about the need for a foundation that would serve him well in pursuing this.

7:50I'm interested in your perspective on the silver tsunami and the opportunities it could create for his generation. Acquisition cost is a headwind for sure, but this offers an alternative path with AI and automation impacting early and career jobs in big corporations. And please, you folks keep doing your thing. I love your jokes, benefit from your insights, and really appreciate your authenticity. Eric from Kentucky, it's a really thoughtful question, and I love that you're couching it in opportunity for your son. The term silver tsunami refers to the wave of aging populations worldwide, including in the United States.

8:28By 2030, the entire baby boomer generation, one of the largest generational cohorts in U.S. history, will be at or beyond retirement age. For the first time Americans over 65 will outnumber those under 18. This wave of retirements will result in sort of a trillion-dollar baby boomer sell-off. In the U.S. alone, an estimated 10 million small businesses, roughly 70 percent of all small firms, are expected to go up for sale in the next decade as boomers and Gen X retire, representing an estimated$14 trillion wealth transfer. However, the planning or the kind of questions you're asking is pretty rare.

9:06Less than a third of small business owners have an exit plan for when they retire or people on the supply side are thinking about this. Also, the people inheriting these businesses, only 4 % of small businesses survive to the fourth generation. There's not a lot of kids taking over dad's car wash or dad's energy efficient heater installation. There's also a dearth of capital going into it, especially human capital. And that is, the example I use is when I take my in-laws to a dinner party. People are polite to them. You know, they're in their 70s now, but people aren't like kind of super engaged and interested in them, even despite the fact they're very interesting people.

9:48People are interested in youth. People are interested in growth. People want to hang out. Whereas when I take my 18-year-old who's applying to college, people are just sort of fascinated with him, want to hear about what he's up to. Because we're drawn unnaturally or naturally, I guess, to youth. It's the same in business. We're attracted to growth. We're attracted to the cool new thing. We're attracted to venture capital-backed technology companies. And the boring stuff is things like a senior home or something to do with health care. And that's where you get enormous return on invested capital.

10:19If I were just an economic animal coming out of school, I would try and probably try and position myself somewhere between the intersection between AI and healthcare. In the United States, it's our largest business, 17 % of the GDP. I think it's like, what is that? About a$4 trillion business. And four out of five people are dissatisfied with their healthcare. So that just all spells opportunity. If I didn't have a college degree or was just more entrepreneurial, I think there's an enormous opportunity in trying to identify local small businesses that are owned by a boomer who has no succession plan.

10:56And I'm not entirely sure how you find those businesses, but there must be a way. And then offering to work with that person for a year or two years and then try and buy that person's business. If you're not as hardworking, scrappy, good with people. You know, the guy who installed my drapes at the home I renovated or my curtains five years ago has a nice business. I would guess he makes clears five to seven hundred thousand a year. He tells me this does about two million dollars a year in top line revenues. Got, I think, five or six people working for him. a couple of vans. I bet he clears a half a million to, I don't know, six or 700 ,000 a year, really good living, right?

11:31Now it's taken him a long time to build that business. But I said, what about your kids? And he said, his daughter has no interest in it. And his son worked in the business for a while, but didn't like it. So I think there's a big opportunity to try and find small businesses. Now, what do you do to, what if you don't have the capital to acquire these companies? I think that there's opportunities for quote unquote seller financing. And that is finding someone who's three, five, eight years out from retirement and saying, look, I'll work with you. I'll learn the business. Then I'm going to own it.

12:02And I'm going to give you a certain percentage of top line revenues for the next three, five, 10 years, such that you have passive income. And I slowly but surely buy the business from you and you continue to get a share of top line revenues. I would be very thoughtful about the economics there because the last thing I want to do is buy a business and just feel like you can never get out from these payments. You have to pay the original owner. But I think a lot of these smaller businesses, there's not really a liquid market to purchase them. And the person who's going to buy them is really the key if he or she is very engaged.

12:31And you can probably figure out ways to do kind of seller financing, if you will. So one, huge opportunity in the silver tsunami across different businesses, especially those around health care as it relates to seniors. And two, a lot of opportunities to buy small services businesses, whether it's pool cleaning or car repair or what have you, if your son has those skills, and maybe even the opportunity to structure it in terms of seller financing. But you're absolutely thinking the right way. Peter Drucker said no major business category has ever really boomed, that you couldn't reverse engineer it to essentially a huge demographic shift.

13:11Thanks for the question. We'll be right back after a quick break.

13:22Support for the show comes from Silicon Valley Bank. Silicon Valley Bank is deeply embedded in the company's products and services that form the innovation economy. They are a proactive partner that helps bring their clients' vision to life, and they fuel high-growth companies with tailored solutions and the hands-on support that turn potential into performance. And now, SVB is a division of First Citizens Bank. First Citizens Bank has always been dedicated to highly personalized service and supporting emerging sectors. That's why buying SVB made sense for First Citizens Bank and for you. SVB clients can now benefit from this combined commitment to tailored solutions, incredible service, and deep expertise from a top 20 bank with a national footprint.

13:59So, if you're serious about being a part in the innovation economy, there's really only one bank for you. Silicon Valley Bank. Yes, SVB. Learn more at svb.com slash vox. And this is not in the script, but we have been a client of SVP at Prop G Media and my company before, L2, for the better part of a decade.

14:39It's not just good for your health, it's better for your wallet, your time, and honestly, your happiness. Upway makes it easy. They offer top brands including Specialized Cannondale and Eventon at up to 60 % off retail. Every e-bike is thoroughly inspected by a professional mechanic and comes with a one-year warranty so you can ride with peace of mind. You can search by brand or style, book a call with a real human for help, or even stop by their showrooms in New York or LA. So go to Upway.co and use code PropG2025 to get$150 off your first e-bike purchase of$1 ,000 or more. That's Upway.co, code PropG2025.

15:16Go ahead. You won't regret it.

15:26When did making plans get this complicated? It's time to streamline with WhatsApp. The secure messaging app that brings the whole group together. Use polls to settle dinner plans. Send event invites and pin messages so no one forgets mom's 60th. And never miss a meme or milestone. All protected with end-to-end encryption. It's time for WhatsApp. Message privately with everyone. Learn more at whatsapp.com.

15:56Welcome back onto our final question. Hey, Scott. A year ago, I graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in computer science, and I moved to New York to work as a product manager on an AI team at a Fortune 500 company. The pain benefits are good, and I know I'm in a very privileged position, especially this early in my career. I've been given meaningful responsibility, but most of what I'm learning feels like navigating corporate politics rather than actually building great products. The team is remote, the pace is slow, and to be honest, I don't have to work very hard to do my job well. Following your advice, in my free time, I've really leaned into building relationships in the city.

16:35While that's been rewarding, I don't want my entire sense of progress to ride on my social life. This all leaves me wondering, am I wasting my early career years at a company like this? And how should I be thinking about making the most of my time, both inside and outside of work? Thanks, Prof G. So first off, it's really good to be you. You're living in New York, you're working in AI, and you have a degree in computer science from the best public school in the nation, or what I believe is the best public school in the nation. What I would suggest is if you don't feel really challenged at first, yeah, be as social as you can.

17:11Don't change anything there. As long as you're not out getting fucked up every night and drinking too much, being out and being social. This is a point in your life where you should be finding friends, mentors and mates. So I wouldn't dial back the social part, especially living in New York. This is a playground. Go out and enjoy it. As long as it's not getting in the way of your ability to be productive the next day. You know, be the guy that goes out and goes home at a reasonable hour. You know, don't be the person that sticks around and orders a bottle of Grey Goose at one in the morning. You know, I used to be that guy when I first moved to New York and was working in Morgan Stanley.

17:40We used to pool our vouchers for a car, the money we'd get for dinner, and then we'd all go out and party and somehow convince ourselves that it's okay to stay out till 1 or 2 a.m. on a Tuesday night. Anyways, don't be that guy. But absolutely, I wouldn't dial back the social part of your life unless you feel it's getting in the way of your professional life. In terms of the company you're at, I think that being in an AI group of a corporation is a great branding event. And you also, when you're younger, you want to learn and you want to set yourself up and build a platform for future scale and success.

18:14And you want to workshop careers. And it doesn't sound like you're that challenged there. So a couple of things. One, I personally think at your age that the office is a feature, not a bug, that you want to be in an office getting more regular feedback. I really needed, I didn't have the discipline to work remotely when I was your age, so I'm glad it wasn't available. I had to put on a tie, get up at 7 a.m., put on a tie and haul my ass into Morgan Stanley. And my boss, this wonderful man named Carter Cordner, would on a regular basis pull me into a conference room and say, don't say that or that was good or keep doing this or, you know.

18:46and I needed that. I needed kind of the skills and socialization to read the room. I used to have to give the update for the fixed income department in front of the entire office because my boss didn't want to go. And that was great training for me to do it in person because it was nerve wracking and slowly but surely I became less nervous doing it. So a couple of things. One, if you've been there less than two years and it's a good job, I would just stick there no matter what. You want to be seen as someone who can show up and stay somewhere. I would also consider if you have a good relationship with someone in the organization, a mentor or your boss, I would express very openly your concerns and say, is there an opportunity for me to be in something more challenging that's maybe on a faster career path and see what's available inside of the company?

19:34One of the most frustrating things that's happened to me as a boss is when someone comes in and tells me they're leaving and they say, well, I'm going to get to manage two people at this company, I'm like, well, if that was your priority, we would have figured out a way for you for the next couple of hires in your group for you to manage. Or strangers always look more attractive than the person you're actually with. And that's the same is true of corporations. And that is the idea or the concept of a different company you think is probably going to solve all your problems. What you want to see is if you can solve those problems with the company you're at currently, especially if you're doing well.

20:08So what's the advice here? One, be as social as possible, as long as it's not getting in the way of your day job. Two, if you've been at your firm less than two years, I'd probably stick around unless you hate it. And three, maybe investigate other opportunities. If you have a mentor you can be open and honest with about trying to find what it is you want within that company. And four, if it's kind of none of the above, just start interviewing. It's much easier to find a job when you have a job than it is to find a job when you don't have one. But let me just circle back to the beginning. It is really good to be you, my brother, to be an AI at a big corporation with a credential in computer science from Berkeley.

20:54You know, your biggest issue or your biggest problem is not what to do, it's what not to do. And I trust you take stock of your blessings around, you know, you're living in New York that your worst days are probably better than most people's best days. I very much appreciate the question and congratulations on all your success to date.

21:14That's all for this episode. If you'd like to submit a question, please email a voice recording to officehours at PropGmedia.com. Again, that's officehours at PropGmedia.com. Or if you prefer to ask on Reddit, just post a question on the Scott Galloway subreddit and we just might feature it in an upcoming episode. This episode was produced by Jennifer Sanchez. Our assistant producer is Laura Jenaire. Drew Burrows is our technical director. Thank you for listening to the PropG pod from PropG Media.