Delivered November 29 @ 5:00pm ET

Table of Contents

• Venture Alchemy - Gratitude

  • The Ultimate Power: Peace

• Trillionaires, Billionaires, and Millionaires

  • Only Billionaires have power?

  • But what about Millions of Millionaires?

• Next Week’s Deal:

Happy Friday everyone! My name is Gerry Hays, and I’m the Founder of Doriot (pronounced: dor-ee-oh).

I’m actively in the venture game as a Founder/CEO, investor, researcher, inventor, author, game designer, and professor. I’ve built companies and developed a global venture portfolio entirely from the great state of Indiana, all while teaching over 6,000 undergraduates and MBAs at Indiana University, as well as in Croatia, Hong Kong, Slovenia, and Singapore.

Through Doriot, I’m devoting the remainder of my professional career to democratizing venture.

If you’re enjoying this newsletter and think others in your network would too, I’d be grateful if you forwarded it along and encourage them to subscribe. And, with 10 referred subscribers, I’ll autograph a copy of my first book, the First-time Founder’s Equity Bible and ship it to you!

Venture Alchemy - Gratitude

“Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking”

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I want to take a moment to reflect on the power of gratitude - on the practice of giving thanks for what’s already present in our lives.

Marcus Aurelius, the Stoic philosopher-emperor, said it best: “Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.” In short, happiness is a state of mind we cultivate within ourselves. And at the heart of that mindset is gratitude.

Thus, gratitude is a powerful tool for success, offering three major benefits that can transform how we live and achieve:

1. It Grounds Us in the Present
   Gratitude pulls us out of the past, where regret lives, and away from the future, where worry thrives. It plants us firmly in the here and now, allowing us to experience the fullness of life in this moment.

2. It Frees Us from Comparison
   Comparison is the thief of joy, and gratitude is its antidote. When we focus on what we’re grateful for, we stop measuring ourselves against others. We let go of envy and start appreciating our unique journey.

3. It Builds Resilience
   Life is challenging and gratitude helps us find meaning even in hardship. It reminds us that no matter how difficult things get, there’s always something to hold onto, something to keep us moving forward.

The Ultimate Power: Peace

At the end of the day, in my opinion, the most powerful place you can be is in a state of peace. Gratitude is the key that unlocks that peace. It allows us to stop resisting what is and start embracing what’s possible.

As we enter this season of Thanksgiving, pause and reflect on the blessings in your life (big and small). But don’t stop there. Take a few minutes each day for the next 30 days to practice gratitude and see how it begins to transform your perspective.

We all want a silver bullet to success, but successful people commit to everyday success habits. Gratitude is one of those habits, and its impact is undeniable. Start small, stay consistent, and watch the change unfold.

Trillionaires, Billionaires, and Millionaires

Recently, I came across the “Americans and Billionaires Survey,” a fascinating snapshot of how Americans perceive wealth today. Conducted by The Harris Poll, the survey reveals the aspirations and anxieties of over 2,000 adults spanning Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, and Boomers.

Here’s the standout finding: 6 in 10 Americans want to become billionaires someday.

This dream is particularly strong among Millennials (73%), Hispanic Americans (71%), and Black Americans (70%).

And the kicker? Nearly 60% believe they’ll see trillionaires in their lifetime.

One Trillionaire = One Million Millionaires

Think about that equation for a moment. A trillionaire represents the combined wealth of one million millionaires. Crazy 🤔 

I don’t begrudge anyone for aspiring to build wealth - far from it. But the fact that more than half of young people dream of becoming billionaires reveals a deeper psychological trap:

Only Billionaires have power?

Statistically, your odds of becoming a billionaire today are about 1 in 600,000. Building a unicorn startup? Maybe 1 in 10,000. Becoming a trillionaire? That’s in “one-in-a-billion” territory - my estimate, but you get the point.

Yet, despite these staggering odds, 6 of 10 Americans cling to the dream of extreme wealth. At the same time, nearly 70% of Americans are deeply concerned about wealth inequality - a system that prioritizes the few while marginalizing the many.

So how do we make sense of this contradiction? Why do so many aspire to the heights of wealth while simultaneously decrying the inequities it creates?

Here’s my take: We’ve been conditioned to believe that power (or even agency) only comes through the attainment of astronomical wealth. 

This mindset isn’t just a cultural narrative - it’s a trap. It pulls focus away from real, achievable goals and keeps people chasing unattainable fantasies that ultimately reinforce the power of those already at the top. When power is framed as something reserved for the ultra-wealthy, everyone else is left feeling powerless, endlessly striving without agency. It’s inherently disempowering. And worse, it often leads people to give up entirely, convinced there’s no point in trying.

But what about Millions of Millionaires?

Here’s a stat that’s far more achievable: Americans have a 1 in 32 chance of becoming a millionaire. That’s right. Compare that to the odds of becoming a billionaire - it’s actionable and within reach for millions of people. It means you’ve maximized your earning potential and learned how to preserve and grow your capital.

And, for aspiring founders, the odds of building a company with $1 million in annual revenue is 9%. That’s not a pipe dream - it’s a realistic goal for those with vision and determination. From there, once a foundation is built, with AI being able to handle multiple work lines, anything is possible in terms of growth and scale.

A few weeks ago, I shared the Doriot Blueprint, a framework for creating a new game of venture that doesn’t compete with traditional venture. It’s about leveraging our collective ideas, capital, and grit to collectively build something new - a system focused on creating profitable million-dollar companies first. From there, we apply the Silicon Valley playbook, powered by AI-driven agents, to scale these ventures globally. A system designed to produce founders and investors across the globe that have been traditionally gated out of venture by a lack of money and connections.

I just love the idea of “millions of millionaires” instead of a few trillionaires or thousands of billionaires. It’s a vision of shared success and opportunity that feels far more powerful.

Next Week’s Deal:

Notey on Wefunder - Learn musical instruments through AI - Raising up to $1MM on Wefunder at a $8.1MM Valuation Cap.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Sincerely, -gerry ([email protected])