What business advice would you give your 24-year-old self if you could go back in time?

“Invest in yourself,” declares BigMike on this episode of Business Outlaws alongside Chris “Bulldog” Collins.

The Outlaws agree — you’re going to fail if you rely on investors to fund your business ventures. It’s not uncommon for folks that are young or new to business to rely on others for success instead of themselves. “The first thing you need to do,” advises BigMike, “is believe in yourself and sell yourself.” Only then can you begin to build your brand.

When he first started growing weed, BigMike didn’t have money, didn’t look for it, and says he didn’t need it. Instead, he relied on himself and the strength of his product. Most people are looking for a lottery ticket to get their business off the ground, but skills and capital will come later. You need to have the mindset of Cortés: Burn the ships, no retreat.

Meanwhile, Chris takes us back to his early days, when he sold his car and asked his mom for a loan to get his businesses off the ground. “I didn’t know what I needed to know,” he recalls. Investing in yourself, full-tilt, is the only way. You need to be prepared to burn everything to make it. “If you aren’t willing to do that, you probably aren’t going to be successful,” adds BigMike.

Learn more about what you don’t know about business by checking BusinessOutlaws.com. Invest in yourself by following @BusinessOutlaws so you’re never again swayed by the empty promises of investment “sugar daddies.”