Make Money with 18 Startups | Igor Vainshtein

Travis Makes Money

Igor Vainshtein is a serial entrepreneur, best-selling author, TEDx speaker, and the founder of GolfTrak.app and Entrepreneurpoly. Born in the USSR and raised in Australia after his family immigrated with just $200, Igor’s journey is a testament to resilience, adaptability, and relentless innovation. With over 20 business ventures—most of them failures—he’s built, lost, and rebuilt his fortune, ultimately selling his golf simulator company to GOLFTEC and pioneering new ways to gamify entrepreneurship. Igor’s raw honesty about the peaks and valleys of business, combined with his passion for teaching real-world entrepreneurial skills, makes him a truly unique and inspiring guest.

On this episode we talk about:

• The reality behind “overnight success” and why most wins are built on a mountain of failures.

• How Igor rebounded from 18 failed startups to build a multi-million dollar business.

• The myth of passive income and what really happened when he chased it.

• Spotting and recovering from toxic business partnerships.

• Why financial literacy and cash flow management are non-negotiable for entrepreneurs.

• How gamification and his board game Entrepreneurpoly teach the hard truths of business.

• The immigrant mindset, resilience, and redefining success on your own terms.

Top 3 Takeaways

1. Embrace Failure as Training, Not Defeat: Igor’s story proves that repeated failure is not the end—it’s the foundation for future success. Every setback taught him critical lessons that fueled his eventual wins.

2. Cash Flow is King: No matter how innovative your idea, mastering cash flow and financial literacy is essential for survival and growth in business.

3. Build Real Skills, Not Just Hype: Sales, resilience, and the ability to pivot are more valuable than chasing trends or passive income dreams. Focus on developing skills that stand the test of time.

Notable Quotes

• “You just don’t know. There’s a phrase: ‘It’s gonna be alright in the end, and if it’s not alright, it’s not the end.’”

• “I wouldn’t change a thing because all those little sliding doors moments are why I’m here today.”

• “If you don’t have the basics—if you don’t have financial literacy—you ain’t going to be doing much willing and dealing. You’re going to be broke.”

Connect with Igor Vainshtein:

• linkedin.com/in/igorvainshtein

• https://x.com/TheIgor

• https://www.instagram.com/theigorv/

• https://igorvainshtein.com/

• entrepreneuropoly.com

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