In this episode of the Mind Soak Podcast, I sit down with Taj Now Smith, a 20-year-old Australian entrepreneur who turned $50 into a $2M landscaping empire. But Taj’s story runs much deeper than business.

At just 16, he was raided by 17 cops for drug dealing. Ten days before his 17th birthday, everything changed. What followed was a wild journey of redemption: starting from a car wash hustle, battling mental health, rebuilding after losing everything, and finding purpose through pain.

We dive into:

• The truth behind making money young without social media
• What it takes to break free from small town syndrome
• Real-world entrepreneurship lessons no one talks about
• Mental health, identity, and choosing purpose over comfort

If you're feeling stuck, need a fire lit under you, or want to hear a story of raw resilience, this is the one.

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Time Stamps:

00:00 – Taj’s $50 to $2M story
01:03 – Why he chose the hard road over online fame
02:36 – Failing school, carpentry, and quitting his job
05:17 – The drug raid that changed everything
07:24 – Using car washing to escape the streets
10:06 – $50 to $10M dream: Swallowing ego and starting dirty
12:03 – The illusion of success on social media
14:51 – How Taj found a real-world mentor
16:54 – Growing too fast and losing $250K
21:14 – Mental health: How Taj rebuilt himself from zero
28:35 – The power of human connection in business
32:27 – Taj’s purpose: Helping others through real experience