In this Business Blast podcast episode, host Tyler Wagner interviews Alex Ikonn, co‑founder of Luxy Hair and Intelligent Change. The conversation opens with a sponsor plug for Authors Unite, then moves into a personal story where Alex recounts proposing to his wife at 21, emphasizing the importance of following one’s gut and the value of a lifelong partnership that also became a business partnership. Alex shares his belief that it’s still early to build a brand on social media, highlighting how Luxy Hair grew organically through YouTube and Instagram, amassing millions of followers and views. He advises listeners to set ambitious goals, warning against under‑estimating potential, and even suggests skipping university. When asked about happiness, Alex says a strong relationship with oneself is foundational. He cites Seth Godin’s Lynchpin as his favorite book, stressing the need to become indispensable by adding massive value to others. His favorite quote is Paulo Coelho’s “The possibility of the dream coming true makes life exciting,” which he linked to his personal love story. The episode closes with Alex’s online handles, directing listeners to his Instagram (@alexikonn) and YouTube channel.
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Welcome to the Business Blast podcast. I'm your host, Tyler Wagner. This episode is brought to you by Authors Unite. Authors Unite provides you with all the resources you need to become a successful author. You can learn more about Authors Unite and join the free community at authorsunite.com. Now let's jump into the episode.
¡Ayúdame! ¡Ayúdame!
Alright everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Business Blast Podcast. I'm your host Tyler Wagner. Today I have a very special guest named Alex Icon. He's the co-founder of Luxie Hair and Intelligent Change. So welcome to the show, Alex.
Thank you for having me.
Of course, thanks for coming on, man. The first question that I have for you is, what is the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable message?
Alright, man. Yeah, there's many. The one that comes to mind right now is the one I've just been thinking about recently. My wife and I just had a baby, and we've already been together for over 8 years. And I proposed to her when I was 21, so it's fairly young. And a lot of my friends back then told me I was stupid because I was gonna miss out on so many girls and women and all or whatever, and miss out on my 20s. By just being with one woman. And in reality, I just felt at that moment that in my gut, this was the right thing. This is the woman of my dreams, really. And why would I just keep going and try to look for more? I think a lot of the people in our generation right now, Tinder generation, they keep trying to swipe whatever, left or right. I don't even know what you swipe. And I felt like, you know, the underlying message there is that really like, don't— you have to go with your gut at the end of the day. And that was probably one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life. Not only do I have an incredible business partner now, but also I have an incredible partner in life and mother. So it's incredible. So I'm really grateful for that. So that's my little story that I can think of really quickly.
Yes. And what is the most valuable piece of information we should know that's within your expertise or industry?
I'll say another thing is like it's not too late to be on social media or online. I think it's still very early. So we built our businesses organically through social media. So through platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and I'll say our own influence. So my wife, you know, she has over 1.4 million followers on Instagram and close to a million, I think, on her YouTube channel. And also our main channel, which we built up our business, Luxy, has over 3 million subscribers and over 300 million views, which was one of our first channels. But my message is that it's still early. Like, you— there's so much opportunity for for people to come out and really create value for people online. And that's the most important thing. Don't think about getting bigger, think about how you can add value to other people. Yes.
And what's your best piece of overall business advice? So not necessarily industry-specific.
Uh, the one that really comes to mind, I recently learned from Barry Sternlicht, which is the founder of Starwood Hotels and W Hotels. That really comes to mind, and I really agree to it, is that be careful what you set your goals to because you might just achieve it. And a lot of us actually underplay our potential, and we don't set our goals high enough of what we can reach. So that would be my advice. Don't play too small, you know, go out for the big leagues.
And if you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?
Uh, don't go to university.
Yeah, I agree with that. And then, in your opinion, what is the key to happiness?
Um, I would say, ooh, key to happiness. Most probably a great relationship with yourself. So you get to know yourself and accept yourself and love yourself. So I think that's it. That would be my thing. It all starts with that.
And I'd say it's not necessarily the key, but just a little plug for you here, the 5-Minute Journal definitely helps with that. And next question I have for you is, what is the best book that you've read and what was the number one thing you learned from that?
Oh man, there's so many. Once again, the one that comes to the top of my mind is Lynchpin by Seth Godin. And just overall, important lesson of being indispensable, meaning if you really want to be successful, you have to be an indispensable person, meaning person that others can't live without. So you have to add massive value to other people's lives, whether you're working for somebody or you're creating business, you have to be an individual that creates a lot of value for other people.
And what's your favorite quote and why?
Favorite quote? Oh man, okay, I would say— I'll use this one. It's the possibility of the dream coming true that makes life exciting. And that's by Paulo Coelho. And the reason I like that quote is actually, I would say, one over my wife's heart with that quote because I sent her flowers and I sent her that quote because it's from one of her favorite authors. But I really, to me at that point, it was a dream of that possibility of her being my partner and I made it real.
Yes, man. Thank you so much for coming on. The last question I have for you before we let you go is where's the best place for people to find you online?
Yeah, for sure. You can find me on Instagram. It's probably one of the best places. So you can just find me @alexaicon. It's @alexiqonn on Instagram, and you can also check me out on YouTube. So it's YouTube, and just, you can search my name, Alex Ikonn. And yeah, make sure to say hi, comment, DM.
Perfect, bro. Thanks again for coming on. We appreciate it.
All right, it's my pleasure, man. All the best, Tyler. The podcast you just heard was recorded with Anchor. If you want to make your own, download the Android or iOS app completely free from anchor.fm/podcast. That's anchor.fm/podcast.
