In this Business Blast podcast episode, host Tyler Wagner (Speaker A) interviews Julian Gordon, founder of the Freedom School. Julian shares a formative story about buying a Mercedes at 18 that was stolen, prompting him to question whose definition of success he was living—his parents' rather than his own. He urges listeners to write a personal one‑sentence definition of success. Julian explains his work in online business education, noting that only about 7% of people finish online courses and warning that sellers should be committed to student completion. He reframes sales as a moral duty to help others achieve their goals. For younger selves, he advises focusing on freedom in education rather than grades or money. He identifies presence as the key to happiness, emphasizing living in the now. His favorite book, The Alchemist, taught him about the personal legend—each person’s unique purpose that guarantees success when pursued. Julian’s favorite quote is that “we are all already entrepreneurs,” describing an “entrepreneur reality” where even employees are entrepreneurs with a single client, and stresses defining success on one’s own terms. He concludes with his online handles: Instagram @JulianGordon, thefreedomschool.com, and JulianGordon.com.
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Alright everyone, welcome back to the Business Blast podcast. Today I have Julian Gordon with us. He's the founder of the Freedom School and he is on a mission to free more people than Harriet Tubman. And because this is a short show, I will dive in right to the first question. And the first question I have for you, Julian, is what's the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable message?
Man, at the age of 18, I bought a Mercedes-Benz using money I'd saved from working at the batting cage and umpiring during college. And 2 weeks after buying the car, it was stolen at gunpoint. And I had to ask myself, why did I buy a Mercedes-Benz? And the reality was, it was the only car I had ridden in my entire life. As the son of 2 doctors, I grew up with a lot of privilege. But then after asking myself that is, whose definition of success was I living? And the reality is I was living my parents' definition of success. And the third question I'd ask myself was, what's my definition of success? And I ask adults this all the time, and most people don't know their definition of success. And I really implore people to go out there and actually just write down a one-sentence definition of success that's unique to you.
And what's the most valuable piece of information we should know that's within your expertise or industry?
Yeah, so I'm in the online business education industry, creating entrepreneurs and helping people get free through entrepreneurship. And the reality is that a lot of people spend time on webinars and buying expensive online courses, and the truth is that only 7% of people actually complete online courses. And so if the person who is selling you the online course isn't committed to you finishing the course and seeing you through the finish line, then you should question that. This— you should question that.
I agree, I agree. And what's your best piece of overall business advice?
A lot of people are afraid to sell, and I believe that the way I define sales is that sales is the process of getting someone to accept help. If you have a solution that can help someone, you actually have a moral obligation to sell it to them because you know you'll help them get to their destination faster, safer, and easier.
And if you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be?
I would say go to school, uh, with the focus of freedom, not grades or money. Um, and not freedom by cutting class, but, uh, focusing on actually creating a life that is free to you, where you feel you have freedom as you step into adulthood. If you go to school and approach education with freedom as your goal, um, you'll approach it differently than if grades or trying to get the highest paying job is your goal.
And in your opinion, what's the key to happiness?
The key to happiness is being present. A lot of people don't feel happy because happiness is a now emotion, and a lot of people live in the past or they live in the future. And so the key to happiness is actually being present. We live on a time continuum of here and now, here and now, here and now. If you ask somebody where they are, the answer will always be here. If you ask someone what time it is, the answer will always be now. And so if you're not present, it's going to be pretty hard to experience happiness.
I just have to chime in there. I love that answer, man. What's the best book you've read and what was the number one thing you learned from it?
The best book I've read is The Alchemist. And in The Alchemist, they talk about how everyone has a personal legend. And personal legend can be your mission, it can be your purpose. And once you recognize that you were created for a unique reason and that you actually guaranteed to succeed at your purpose, why would your creator create you with a purpose and then not give you everything you need to succeed at that thing? Allows you to move through the world more powerfully and with, with faith.
And what's your favorite quote and why?
My favorite quote is that we are all already entrepreneurs. An employee is simply an entrepreneur with one big client. And the reason that's so important is because in today's world, we live in what I call the entrepreneur reality. And the entrepreneur reality is just that. And until everybody accepts that we are in a brand new world where everybody is essentially an entrepreneur, even if you have a quote-unquote job, you start to manage your career and your life differently because you take personal responsibility for what you've actually created. A lot of people are successful, but they aren't successful according to their own definition. They're successful based on other people's definition, and it's really important for you to get clear on how you define success and actually use this entrepreneur reality that we're in to create the life that you truly, truly desire. Everybody that I know and everybody out there is literally too smart and too hardworking to not be living the life that they truly desire.
Incredible, man. Thank you so much for coming on. Last question is, where can people connect and find you online?
You can find me on Instagram, Julian Gordon, J-U-L-I-E-N Gordon, G-O-R-D-O-N. You can find me at thefreedomschool.com. You can find me at JulianGordon.com.
Perfect, man. Thank you for coming on.
No problem. Take care, man.
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