Sam Gordon: Why the Top 1% Run Toward the Storm

Elevate With Jack Delosa

Most people want the highlight reel of success. This isn’t that.

On The Top 1% Podcast with Sam Gordon, I opened up about the toughest chapters of my journey, losing half a million dollars a month, cutting my team in half overnight, and staring down $5 million in survival debt. These were the moments that could have broken me, but instead they reshaped the way I build, lead, and think today.

Adversity doesn’t just shape individuals; it reshapes entire industries. During COVID, when most expected collapse, our members experienced explosive growth, driving hundreds of millions in revenue, with some bricks-and-mortar businesses recording their biggest months in the very same month they thought they’d die.

This conversation is about more than survival. It’s about what adversity really does: stripping away ego, forcing you to find out who you are without the scaffolding of titles, awards, or net worth, and showing you that resilience is the only real currency that matters.

Inside, you’ll discover:

How businesses grow more in hard times than in good ones (including COVID)

Why money doesn’t change you — it magnifies you

The hidden danger of “good times” and complacency

The single trait that separates average performers from elite entrepreneurs

If you’ve ever wondered what it actually takes to stay in the game when everything is on the line, this episode will give you the unfiltered truth

Connect with Jack:

Instagram | jackdelosa

YouTube | @jackdelosa

LinkedIn | jackdelosa

Connect with Sam Gordon

Instagram | @samgordon_official

Podcast | The Top 1% Podcast

LinkedIn | Sam Gordon

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – What Defines the Top 1%

02:20 – Why True Success Knocks the Ego Out of You

05:40 – From $50M Growth to Facing the Storm

07:13 – How I Navigated $5M of Survival Debt

12:15 – The Only Way Out Is Through

17:15 – Calm Seas Don’t Make Skilled Sailors

20:00 – Money Matters, But It’s Not the Mission

25:45 – Building a Culture of A-Players

39:20 – The Danger of Complacency

42:00 – Why Hard Times Drive the Biggest Growth

50:20 – Why I’ll Never Sell The Entourage

01:20:57 – The #1 Trait of the Top 1%