The Megasummit in Dubai brought together some of the most exciting and inspiring doers and thinkers of our time for two days in the Coca-Cola Arena – and we were part of it! A truly mega lineup:
Robert Kiyosaki – Bestselling author and investor
Gary Vaynerchuk (GaryVee) – Serial entrepreneur and forward-thinker
Casey Neistat – Filmmaker and video blogger
Robin Sharma – Bestselling author and leadership expert
Oskar Hartmann – Unicorn hunter and ranked #18 among the world’s most successful business angels
Luc Besson – Director (e.g., The Fifth Element)
Randi Zuckerberg – Former marketing director of Facebook
Nassim Nicholas Taleb – Financial expert and philosopher
Khabib Nurmagomedov – UFC legend with 29 undefeated fights
This extraordinary lineup of top personalities sharing their stories and experiences live on stage was simply impressive.
From Experience to Results
One thing became abundantly clear: people love stories – but you can only tell them if you’ve lived them yourself. Combined with a willingness to share the lessons learned, an authentic presence, and the unique spirit of such an event, moments are created that inspire and energize. It’s about moving from experience to results.
These two days were not just inspiring but also practical: many of the shared insights can be applied immediately, or at least provoke thoughtful reflection.
10 Key Takeaways from Megasummit 2024
#1: Success
Success can be both a goal and a challenge because it attracts flatterers, yes-men, and envious people. Enjoy success briefly, wrap it up, and then ask yourself what comes next.
A master always thinks like a beginner, too. Success often fades quickly when taken for granted. That's why preparation is key: "It’s much easier to stay prepared than become prepared."
In this sense, be an optimist, but always keep an eye open for potential dangers. Many have believed in their invincibility—until someone with an idea from their childhood bedroom knocked them off track. 😉
Be a master of your craft: "Become the grandmaster of your craft." And give yourself time, because everything big once started small.
Your perspective shapes your success: Make a conscious choice to think positively. Pessimists rarely achieve greatness—surround yourself with positive people.
Routines are crucial. The "new 5 a.m." is 4 a.m.: Waking up early sets the tone for the day. Since Tim Ferriss' Tools of Titans, I’ve been a committed early riser—but 4 a.m. hasn’t (yet) become a regular habit for me. 😉
#2: Leadership
Leadership means engaging with inspiring individuals and being open to new ideas.
Create impact: share your knowledge and invest time in your environment – especially your children.
Trust others and delegate responsibilities. Allow them to gain experience.
Decision-making is essential: indecision is a significant weakness.
#3: Goals and Dreams
Reflect on your goals and visualize them.
Fear is the greatest blocker – hope conquers it.
Your life has a window of up to 100 years – don’t waste it on uncertainty.
Dream big and visualize your goals. I’ve had a vision board for years; it keeps my goals visible daily.
Health should always be your greatest priority – for you and your family.
#4: Take Care of Yourself Without Ego
The relationship you have with yourself determines freedom or captivity. Resolve conflicts – inner or outer – now.
"To have a bigger life, create a better self." Invest in yourself if the long-term benefits outweigh the costs.
Be underestimated rather than overestimated. Focus on being successful, not just looking successful. And as GaryVee puts it: "Don’t give a damn what others think about you!"
You save unnecessary energy by not constantly worrying about what others say—whether positive or negative. Just be yourself!
Life is your story: "Be the main character in your own story."
#5: Gratitude and Spirituality
Be grateful for health, life, and what you have. Gratitude was a recurring theme among all speakers.
Interestingly, many speakers embraced spirituality (in various forms), attributing it as a factor in their success.
#6: Relationships
Invest in relationships—both personal and professional. Never take them for granted, as doing so can lead to losing them over time.
Take your time and give people a genuinely good feeling because they’ll never forget how you made them feel.
Be loyal. Trust is one of the most important foundations.
If something matters to someone you care about, make it important to you as well.
Let others be who they are—don’t demand that they conform to your expectations.
For everything that matters to you, spend more time with your family, especially your children!
Have fun—because, in my opinion, that's when some of the best moments for the museum of life are created.
#7: Happiness
Don’t become a cyber zombie – take personal smartphone usage as an example: The better you start your day, the better your day, your week, your month, and your year – and ultimately, the better your life. You don’t want to know how many days of your life you’ll spend staring at your phone 😉
Stop constantly searching for happiness. Happiness is like the wind – it always comes from somewhere. Simply find your "why" or your purpose in life, and happiness will follow naturally.
How can you make the world a little better? Start with yourself!
Do what you really want to do – step out of your comfort zone and dare to take the leap. Especially if you already feel that the way things are now isn’t making you particularly happy. That’s exactly when you need to muster the courage to break free from your comfort zone – your life will improve!
Climbing a mountain you didn’t want to climb in the first place makes no sense – no matter how efficient you are 😉
#8: Money Comes from Value Creation
"The rich don’t work for money." And the more you work for money, the more taxes you end up paying – guess who said that? 😉 The book "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" is a bestseller that has already changed the mindset of many people.
People who were once poor and then became rich have succeeded once – and if they ever become poor again, they know they can make it back to the top. BUT – if someone has never been poor before, watch out!
A steady cash flow is often the best setup for bankruptcy. A steady "heartbeat" of ups and downs signals success because it shows adaptation to markets and attentiveness.
Oskar Kaufmann has invested in several unicorns and mentioned that there are around 1,500 unicorns globally – startup companies with a valuation of at least 1 billion USD. In his view, there are only about 10,000 highly talented individuals capable of achieving this. Interestingly, only a few individuals have founded multiple unicorns.
Unicorn founders are far from ordinary; otherwise, they wouldn’t succeed. 50% of unicorn founders are immigrants and have no prior knowledge of the industry they founded their startup in. Many unicorn founders are older, many have studied, and 98% of them come from rural areas. 100% of them have experience creating value for others with their own hands (producing something). 100% of them like people and have trust in them. Moreover, they have exceptionally high energy – because they have a dream!
#9: Consistency and Action
"An addiction to distraction is the death of my creative production." This phrase is perfectly fitting and resonates deeply. In essence: keep distractions away.
Be a minimalist rather than a maximalist – prioritize and focus on a few major themes.
Casey Neistat never knew how his projects would turn out – he simply started. It's fascinating how consistently he created successful videos, whether for himself or his clients. He shared how he once spent Nike’s entire marketing budget on a 10-day trip around the world without knowing what the outcome would be. Or how he achieved his breakthrough by being fined $50 for "avoiding" obstacles in the bike lane. He sets an example: find something you love and live off it.
Just do it – step by step. Prioritize and focus on what’s essential.
Your environment shapes you – surround yourself with positive influences and free yourself from "vampires" with negative or pessimistic energy.
#10: Authenticity
Be authentic – a skill that cannot be learned but is lived through mindset!
Have your own opinion, stand by it, and create something yourself – inspiration should come from within, not from others (people or AI).
Stay as you are. There’s no need to fear being different – if someone has a problem with it, that’s their problem.
Principles and independence make decisions simpler and faster. I love the book "Principles: Life and Work" by Ray Dalio – it’s a guaranteed perspective-changer.
Conclusion: Is a trip to Megasummit Dubai 2025 worth it?
In short – everyone has their own stories and has shared the experiences they’ve gained from them – the perfect example of turning experiences into results. They all built a buffet of insights, and I “feasted” on it ;-) Some things I already knew but happily revisited, some I didn’t know – and most of it was absolutely delightful – after all, the way to someone’s heart is through their stomach.
A fascinating question came up, and it applies to all areas of life: What will people laugh about 100 years from now when looking back at our generation? We relied too much on our heads and forgot about our gut. So, trust your gut feeling!
My gut tells me we’ll be back in 2025 – there are already some exciting announcements, and if they deliver, I look forward to a reunion. This year convinced me:
There was an extremely high concentration of doers with something to say – people who technically don’t need to work for money anymore but still share their experiences – for many, it’s a sort of “duty” and perhaps also a bit of pocket money ;-)
One amazing opportunity was the 15-minute Q&A sessions with these personalities after most presentations.
The surrounding event provided an exciting networking opportunity in the Arab world – such friendly openness and active networking were new experiences for me.
Unthinkable but possible – many things happen there, and I’m excited about my first Erlebnis-Geh-Spräch in Dubai – there are already two interested participants, so 2025 could be exciting in this regard as well. Imagine a sheikh walking in the forests of Sternstein – and if necessary, I’ll simply go back to Dubai ;-)
For me, the difference between online talks and live events is the unique energy in the room, the 360-degree perception, the networking opportunities, the time you give yourself, and finally – combining the pleasant with the even more pleasant, building and deepening friendships.
Dubai itself is an experience – I was incredibly impressed by the city, the people, and the unbelievable speed of life there.
The only area for improvement was the event’s organization and moderation, which is far better at the Greator Festival in Cologne. However, I see the positive side here as well, because for me, the saying “Content is King” holds true. The focus on essentials, without unnecessary frills, and the doers on stage delivered – across the board – and how. So, feel free to cut back here again if the lineup remains this strong ;-)
What’s truly admirable is the mindset of the organizer. He managed to pull this all off while also setting a world record – congratulations, dear colleague!
Thank you to everyone who made this summit an unforgettable experience – especially my travel partner Stefan Süß; shared joy is double joy! Shared knowledge makes even more sense – I hope my summary and inputs provided some added value.
All the best, and ignite the fire within,
Thomas Fleischanderl =)
P.S. If anyone wants to join in 2025, send me a message – I’ll keep you posted, and maybe we can put together a small, exclusive group.