Speaker A
Okay. So about your story, like really five years ago, as you told me, you lived in the apartment with the hole in the ceiling, and now you're a multi-millionaire.
Raf Iervolino shares his journey from struggling musician to multi-millionaire entrepreneur in just two years.
Ask about this video. Answers come from its transcript only — with the timestamp, so you can check them.
Generated from the transcript and can be wrong — check the timestamp.
Key Takeaways
- Financial success requires disciplined money management and reinvestment strategies.
- Learning from failures and adapting (e.g., improving Facebook ads) is crucial for growth.
- Mentorship and continuous education can accelerate entrepreneurial success.
- Self-confidence and passion for your work are essential for overcoming challenges.
- Taking calculated risks, like moving to Milan and changing career paths, can open new opportunities.
What the video covers
- Raf Iervolino transitioned from a musician and composer earning 5-10k/month but spending all his money to entrepreneurship.
- He started an e-commerce dropshipping business selling a skin laser product during COVID but initially broke even due to poor ad strategies.
- After Facebook banned his ads, he discovered copywriting and studied intensively, eventually landing a copywriting job at a top Italian marketing agency.
- He moved from Florence to Milan with limited funds and faced tough living conditions, including an apartment with a hole in the ceiling.
- His mother supported him financially and emotionally, even renting out his room on Airbnb as a sign of tough love.
- He gradually built his business skills, started making good sales, and expanded his ventures across Europe.
- Raf emphasizes self-confidence, continuous learning, and comparing himself only to his past self as key mindset principles.
- He highlights the importance of loving what you do and persevering through hardships.
- His journey shows the power of mentorship, resilience, and strategic learning in achieving rapid financial success.
- He now runs multiple companies and works with high-paying clients, reflecting his growth from a struggling artist to a successful entrepreneur.
Chapters
- 00:00Introduction and Background as Musician
- 01:46Early Financial Struggles and Spending Habits
- 03:11Starting Dropshipping and Facebook Ads Challenges
- 05:00Discovering Copywriting and First Mentorship
- 06:34Moving to Milan and Living Conditions
- 09:11First Sales and Business Growth
- 13:12Expanding Business and Traveling Europe
- 18:26Mindset Principles and Entrepreneurial Advice
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
Speaker A
Five, six. Yes. Yeah. And now you're a multi-millionaire. Uh, how did it happen? Like, what was the day when you said, okay, now I want to, I don't know, build a business? Because you've been a pianist, right?
Speaker A
It actually was when the COVID arrived. I mean, also before, I was already starting to be bored. Not boring, but uh, which life?
Speaker A
Yeah, in general. In the past, I was a musician and a composer. So actually, to make money, I was playing piano and creating music for other composers. Uh, and also successful. You had like some compositions that had been bought by competitions, contests. Actually, I mean, my composition are, I mean, I signed a contract with one of the biggest labels, biggest labels.
Speaker A
Yeah, that actually is Sony Music. It's a sub-label of Sony Music that actually is still on Spotify if they want to listen. Eleven, uh, how do you call this? I don't know, eleven, I, eleven, I, anyway.
Speaker A
Yes. Uh, no, eleven score, score. Yes. Eleven score. So, and actually, I was making music also for other people. I had my studio at home, my recording studio with my tools, with my piano, synth, etc. And very often, I was traveling because of my job. Uh, but it was actually really, I could say,
Speaker A
uh, hard life also because I mean, I was also spending all my money. So also for this, you've been earning a lot that time? No.
Speaker A
Yeah. I mean, actually, yes, from five to ten thousand per month. Uh, so that at the time was, uh, for me a good amount of money, but actually, I was always spending everything and, uh, and because I had a bad value about how to
Speaker A
manage money. I mean, I was before not an entrepreneur, I was a musician. Okay.
Speaker A
You usually, the musicians are famous because they are poor. You had this rock and roll lifestyle.
Speaker A
Yeah, I could say. Yeah. I mean, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, and actually, um, in general, after before the COVID, I really, I remember, started to, um, look for something that was different, uh, from the music, like, uh, uh, I was trying to understand
Speaker A
how the commerce works, uh, with a friend of mine. We decided, what did you launch? You told me that you launched something crazy at the beginning. I launched actually a product for the skin. It was an e-commerce in drop shipping that I
Speaker A
called Free Skin. H, actually we were selling like a laser, blue laser that, that in theory, you actually this laser makes the acne disappear. Okay, it probably didn't work actually, saying that it didn't work. H, but anyway, I
Speaker A
launched this, uh, this e-commerce. H, this is, I launched this commerce after the COVID. Okay, so the COVID came and I started to make money. Actually, I, I mean, make money, what I mean is that I made sales, but in reality, actually, I was
Speaker A
always at zero because my margin was super, uh, low and my, um, and I was spending everything, reinvesting everything in the ads. So I was always at zero until one day Facebook banned me because I had no knowledge about how to do
Speaker A
Facebook ads and I was doing horrible ads like, uh, are you tired to be ugly with, uh, you know, Facebook immediately bans you with all these pimples on your face, buy my product. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker A
[laughter] And people started to be actually probably, I don't know, they reported my ads and they banned me. And when they banned me, I started to research how to write Facebook ads to not be banned.
Speaker A
And I found copywriting, uh, this, this field. And I found actually my first mentor that for random case it was one of the best marketers in history, and I started actually to study his material, his course. I bought all the
Speaker A
uh, all the courses, not all the courses, uh, all the books on Amazon, all the possible books, and actually my mom was coming in my room and found me studying all day, like from 6 to my 11 p.m., so 6:00 a.m.
Speaker A
every day with this pile of books on my desk every single day. At some point, I discovered the Kindle and life became easier. Um, so and nothing, uh, after one point, actually, uh, I sent my letter to ask for feedback in a
Speaker A
marketer group, uh, on Facebook, and actually, uh, one guy answered me. This guy actually was the brother of the owner of this direct marketing agency that actually was managing this Facebook group. And they actually said, "Ah, but
Speaker A
did you write this letter?" Uh, I said, "Yes." Oh, no. It's impressive. Actually, they are still now a very good, uh, marketing agency, uh, in Italy. Uh, I started to work for them like a copywriter at the beginning. So anyway, he wrote me
Speaker A
on Facebook and he said, yes, yes, yes, but when you started to study, I said like a couple months ago. They could not believe and I had a call actually with this guy, uh, that we are still friends. I still
Speaker A
send him a present for Christmas, etc. And actually, what happened is that he called me, he invited me to go to work, uh, in their headquarters in Florence, uh, and I said yeah, yeah, I will come. So but the
Speaker A
day before, uh, and everything in two days, like okay, in two days I will come to Florence and so the next day I decided actually not to go to Florence, to go to live in Milan because Florence, I don't know, I
Speaker A
said Milan is the land of opportunity. So I called this guy, I said, hey listen, I will work remotely, I don't want to come to Florence. He said no, but why? Listen, trust me, it's a good idea. Come
Speaker A
for no, I will go to Milan. So and I went to Milan and in the meantime in Milan I had a second job. So this is, but tell the story before you go to Milan. What happened with your mom?
Speaker A
With my mom, ah, that actually, I mean, uh, I mean depends what you mean because my mom said that actually she was sure that soon you will say to her that you will not come back and she left, made
Speaker A
your room an Airbnb. Ah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So I mean, in general, first my mom, when I saw that actually I have to leave in that, in that period was a very hard period for us. So she, we had
Speaker A
she actually showed me, um, that she had like three, four thousand in total, something like that. That was her savings and she gave me 2,000 euro, uh, to actually go to Milan and do my stuff, etc. So she invested in me
Speaker A
and, um, and I said to her, uh, the day before, uh, no, the day before to leave, I said, Mom, listen, actually put my room on Airbnb because I don't have to come back anymore. I will have success or I
Speaker A
will not come back anymore. And then, uh, actually, you know, I did, but I could never imagine that actually she would really do it. Next day Airbnb, the next, yeah, the next day I was in the train, in the high-speed train, and she sent me
Speaker A
the screenshot of the Airbnb ad. Look, I put your room on Airbnb. So and I said, oh Jesus, now I cannot come back home anymore. So, and I went to Milan actually with this $2,000, um, 800 rent of
Speaker A
this, uh, uh, super small studio, uh, in a horrible area of Milan. And I went there and actually when I went there, I remember I did the auto-shin because I had the key, uh, outside, like stuck to somewhere
Speaker A
that I have with the combination. Actually, I could unlock this box. And, uh, when I went inside, of course, like sixth, seventh floor without elevator. So and I was with this giant baggage. Of course, of course. Uh, and I arrived in the
Speaker A
apartment and I, I, I, I remember that actually I could immediately understand that was something weird because I could feel a weird smell from outside where when I was actually [laughter] opening the door. So and it was like a smell of old water, something
Speaker A
like that. I don't, I don't know. Anyway, I opened and, uh, as soon as actually I closed the door, I did two steps and I immediately found this incredible hole in the roof and everything was destroyed. H there was actually water,
Speaker A
little water coming down, all these, uh, white stuff from the roof on the actually on the floor. So and I was like, what happened? So I called actually the owner and said, hey listen, look what happened here.
Speaker A
I wrote him. He came in the apartment. He said, "Oh Jesus, sorry. Sorry. I didn't know. It's the first time that actually I see this." Anyway, he asked me to give me a refund because he said that I could not see the apartment. But
Speaker A
because I
Speaker A
because I already saw all the um apartment on Airbnb and I knew it that it was the cheapest one that I said, "No, no, no, no. It's okay. I [laughter] I I will say here, don't worry." And oh
Speaker A
no, how are you? No, no, no, don't worry. It's okay. It's a little bit of water and give me only the favor to clean all this on the floor and I will say here it's totally okay. So he
Speaker A
sent um actually someone to clean and I was actually I lived in this apartment for some months with this whole incredible cold inside this apartment because in Milan there is also the snow.
Speaker A
Uh, and I didn't know and I was actually uh I every day I put under this uh this whole like the washing machine um bucket how you call it where you put your clothes inside.
Speaker A
Yeah, like the basket. Yes, exactly. Your the basket every day actually I put a basket a plastic basket. Um where is this for the drops?
Speaker A
Yes, exactly. And when it was full actually I went in the toilet and empty and put again and I live like that for many months uh many months I mean uh some three three four yeah so that's actually
Speaker A
was the story and what happened that actually I in Milan now because otherwise it will be too long in Milan I become actually I start to sell for a famous company I become a sales guy for a the one of the biggest um company in
Speaker A
info business in Italy and they were like 50 60 uh sales guy and after like my one month I was already in the first top three and my first sales call I did the my first sales in my life the first
Speaker A
sales call I still remember the name of this guy and that's what I sold him I sold him a trading course actually trading follows you everywhere trading course yeah yeah I sold him actually I don't do trading anyway um so
Speaker A
and I did my first my first call. I did my first sales in my life and from there actually I start to earn I mean good amounts of money but at some point actually I mean a good amount of money
Speaker A
uh I start to earn like uh 2 3,000 after uh three four months um but no one moment important so the first month actually because also how they paid they didn't pay me the first month so actually they they pay like after 60
Speaker A
days something like that and at the same time actually the the first copyrightiting company they were paying me like uh they were not actually paying me because at the beginning I was paying I was working for them for free uh
Speaker A
because uh actually they say to me hey we will teach you everything for free and later when you will become good we will start to pay you. So at the beginning actually I start to uh finish the money very very quickly and then
Speaker A
actually I decide to launch to because I was desperate after a couple months to the old info business to send this cold email because I was almost at zero h and I start to receive answer and uh and I start to
Speaker A
receive so I start to close my my clients with as a freelancer as a copyriter and I start to actually earn the first money to receive actually the first money from my sales from this uh company and I did my first $20,000 per
Speaker A
month. Um and then actually what happened that I decided to leave this copyrightiting agency because actually they would not pay so much and actually also your expectation to grow were not so big and I decided to keep only this job to to
Speaker A
sell and I start to travel the Europe. I left Milan because it was too boring for me. So I start to go in a lot of place uh like in Bar of alo in Poland and in Poland actually in Poland I start to
Speaker A
make a really good amount of money because uh I was already doing doing the the sales guy and I start to ear selling on the phone like eight 10,000 I was start to close like every month several clients for my offer and I start to sell
Speaker A
for 10,000 uh for every clients my my offer as a copyriter. So at some point I start to earn like 70,000 I think that I totally alone I almost did $80,000 as a freelancer total with no team totally alone uh in that period in
Speaker A
Barcel and then I start to actually have I mean good life I can say because I start to actually uh rent a nice apartment actually I went to live in the most expensive hotel one of the most expensive hotel in Warsov Hotel Bristol
Speaker A
if no one knows And from there actually I start to do uh I start to make a lot of money but because actually I had uh at some point I I leave my job as a sales guy because
Speaker A
I say okay I will focus only on my freelancer job that will bring me more and because actually I have I had a big scam from a guy that actually he promised me a bigger return on my investment. and he said to me,
Speaker A
"Hey, if you give me this money, I will give you on this money like the 10% every month." So, I had this big scam.
Speaker A
And I, of course, I was not a rich guy. I was only a a teenager that was earning a lot, but I was I I didn't know how to manage money. uh I give a big amount of my earning that it was uh I think I give
Speaker A
him 300,000 or maybe more 300 anyway from almost half million euro I uh I remain with less of 100,000 less 80,000 something like that uh maybe less actually 70,000 anyway and uh it was a scam so a good lesson that actually I
Speaker A
learned to not trust to to people that promise you the 10% every amount 20% every month for your investment and uh and at the end actually I reinvest all this money to recreate all my uh all my wealthy I start to hire the
Speaker A
first people uh and the first guy that start work with me in that period when I almost lost everything I hired the first guy that is still working with me that he start working with me for free h now
Speaker A
he's earning uh I mean a lot. So now he's happy and uh yeah and from there actually so I start to travel, I start to earn again money, I start to have more clients. Uh at some point I move in
Speaker A
Dubai. I think I I move in Dubai in 2021. Uh and uh in Dubai actually I uh I met uh uh two of my men or that actually uh are uh I I mean they don't know but Monica Franchesco of a international
Speaker A
that is one of the uh biggest and most successful company in Europe on selling English course and in general they teach you English. So it's very important. I think that it's very helpful also for many Russian people. H [clears throat]
Speaker A
and as soon at the beginning they asked me to become uh I was their like copyriter. Okay. So I had my business with my team and I was like I had my small company and I was working with them at the same time. Later I
Speaker A
become marketing manager. At some point I start to become like SEO. I do everything that SEO uh do and actually they teach me a I mean they because they they were they having amazing result now I mean they had actually uh 100 people
Speaker A
working for them and I mean they teach me about how to be an entrepreneur. I start to hire people every day manage a big team with 20 30 people at time. So actually that was the experience that teach me a lot and after this experience
Speaker A
that actually uh bring me so much at the end I remember that after uh one year uh I say to Franchesco that actually he no after one year Franchesco said to me hey listen you have to decide if you want to
Speaker A
keep going with your company with us you cannot do both uh because you are not dedicating the 100% to us and he asked me if uh what I want to do I say Okay, let me think a little bit. And after a
Speaker A
couple days, I say to him that actually I I'm not a co uh but I'm an entrepreneur. So I want to keep going with my company. Also, if this choice was for everyone was crazy to leave my position in that company and he say this
Speaker A
to me that actually was a big motivation. He say okay uh I allow you to do because on the contract I could I had to stay with them more etc. Uh I mean I mean I mean no because if he want
Speaker A
he could he could actually kick me out from every every moment. Uh but I could not actually leave the job without saying nothing. So he say okay I will not create problem if you will promise me that in one in one year you will be
Speaker A
uh you will have at least 1 million cash. Uh so you will be millionaire in one year you have one. I say okay okay I accept. Okay. [laughter] Okay. No problem.
Speaker A
I said accept. No. And at the end actually uh I I it takes less of the one year and I still remember uh how you told him.
Speaker A
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. When I told him that actually I did my first million in my bank account. So not my first million sales that I had 1 million in bank account.
Speaker A
Saves. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. This is actually because uh yeah I know a lot of people that maybe they say ah I uh I did 20 million sales there zero in the bank account. So what is actually is important is
Speaker A
the S and that's it and from there actually I start to grow my company actually million copy and we become probably no not probably I I mean for the client for our client we are the best in our actually niche first to
Speaker A
launch only for business uh launch scaling for business later actually other different company we work with I mean people that sell boat or uh people that sell door people that sell apartment. I mean we work with actually a lot of different issue and uh later
Speaker A
actually we start to work I mean in general also in uh English market and later I start to launch the the second company that actually is the one that we said before that is the company about um the app.
Speaker A
Yeah. Yeah. The app. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. Uh the app the tech up and that's it. And until now actually and then you moved to San Francisco after. Yes. After harmony.
Speaker A
Yes, I Yes. Yes. I moved in San Francisco actually because uh this app was something I mean uh the San Francisco environment had actually a lot of big opportunity that you cannot find anywhere. So I decided to uh to move in
Speaker A
San Francisco and uh I have been there actually for uh 6 months before now to uh travel here in Asia etc. uh after San Francisco actually that helped me a lot to grow my company where I met a lot of incredible
Speaker A
people a lot of billionaire people uh now I'm here to travel a little bit around the world because in the last four five years I almost never did I mean no it's not true because I did in Europe before to go in Dubai but when I
Speaker A
go in Dubai when I went to Dubai from Dubai I never moved okay so this story is still inspiring for me I've heard it two years ago I've heard it many times but still inspiring for me so much and every time when I'm
Speaker A
listening I'm like seriously you had so many situations when life was not so easy I mean uh you had to like life as pianist and you started everything from scratch and many times you started everything from scratch again and again
Speaker A
so what are your main let's say five principles mindset principles or general life principles that you stick to in your life in your business in your entrepreneurial journey. I mean Wi-Fi I mean I don't know could be also less
Speaker A
[laughter] I I mean so the question is what are your principles like what are the life rules that you have for yourself or maybe advice like could be like this but but actually I mean I always the first principle is always do what I want
Speaker A
to do so I never do something that actually I don't uh I feel forced to do so for me it's very important actually to to be free to whatever I want. That's why for me it was important to uh to
Speaker A
become um wealthy actually because money at the end gives you the freedom. That's is the reality. So give you choice. I mean I yes maybe I don't care actually to buy this watch or this but I want the
Speaker A
choice to that I know that if I want I choose I I choose to not buy but if I want I can I can go. So that's for me is important and so what the one principle is actually to to to
Speaker A
always do what what I want to do. This is means that actually if I want to create something big I do without have any any doubt of feel. I mean I maybe I know that actually could be could sound
Speaker A
very a little bit arrogant. Uh but I never never have any doubt that when I do something I can fail. I never sometimes I ask to myself if I'm doing the in the right way in the right way. So for example let's say I'm
Speaker A
launching this new business I as recently I asked to myself but I'm doing the right I'm doing in the right way but I never doubt that I have an incredible success of this. So it is actually self-confidence helped me a lot because
Speaker A
on every obstacle that actually challenge or not obstacle because challenge is more funny every challenge you know that you will overcome and yeah so for me in general the business is funny my I mean I for me I it's like I
Speaker A
spend so many hour every day to work but the people usually associate work with something bad but I have fun.
Speaker A
How many hours you work? Yeah. In general, never less never less of 12 hours per day. Yeah.
Speaker A
So, yeah. Yeah. Sometimes never but but because I like I mean how I mean if you are doing something that you like. You don't want to stop. You know actually I'm enjoying I like I'm you know I'm not boring.
Speaker A
Yeah. You have fun all the time. Ah you know what I found. Ah this new trick. Ah I found this. I found that. You know what I learn because when something but of course there are also moment where I'm I have
Speaker A
to do something that it's not funny because it's part of the business but I do but I do uh and actually I'm very fast to do because I want to actually but yeah and I want to always be
Speaker A
actually the best uh I want to be the best not compared to other uh but compared to myself. I mean the other actually for me if there are people better on me they for me are only an inspiration that actually if he's doing
Speaker A
I can do it but I can do also better and usually the first way to do this and actually um I mean uh work not only more but also smarter of him of her etc. And yeah in general actually
Speaker A
yeah my my principle is you have one goal set set one goal and work live for this goal I mean that actually I'm literally living for my goal my vision that is the the actually all my effort everything go there almost because
Speaker A
there's also personal life but we have admit that actually 9% of my life I spend actually on business.
Speaker A
But um what do you think that sometimes people say? Oh, but I don't but it's too harsh. This life is without it's not happy life.
Speaker A
I don't care. I mean I would other people. Okay. For you. Okay. I don't care. I mean the important I respect their opinion.
Speaker A
Yeah. I respect their opinion. Uh I think that they do this because I mean if you ask to these people, hey do something that you like. How many hour you would do?
Speaker A
They say I could do all day. So it means that they don't like what they are doing so much. If if something is harsh, it's hard. Okay. It means that you don't like so much to do. If I I mean why I have to
Speaker A
stop to do something that I like. You know what I mean? So So the trick is to find inside your business to build your business in a way that you like to I I I I think that it's impossible. I
Speaker A
don't know for me, but I know other people that that they do this. For me, it's impossible to work in something that you don't like. You don't. It's impossible. Only for money. I mean, seriously, we both acquire.
Speaker A
I mean, I mean, only for money. Only when you know actually I mean the second business, the second company, I'm not launching only for money because it I mean, of course, money is important part of the equation. And of course, uh my
Speaker A
goal is actually to have a $1 billion business. But actually, it's not a goal.
Speaker A
It's a consequence of my vision. The value enough. It's a consequence in in helping millions of people so that I will have a $1 billion business. At the beginning I start actually this marketing stuff only money because I was
Speaker A
desperate but it's normal when you don't have money you know at the beginning it's normal but later becomes but also you're excited to receive money in the end so in the beginning it's something after some point become an habit I mean
Speaker A
you you can see that I mean when uh when clients uh pay 50 60,000 70,000 Mhm. Mhm.
Speaker A
Because it's normal. I mean, but of course, if now someone will start to pay uh me like I don't know, uh $5 million tomorrow, of course, I would I would be like, whoa. Because it's different from the usual 100,000 whatever.
Speaker A
Yeah. So, yeah, that's it. Yeah. So, and actually the thing is that what you create is actually will bring the consequence of this money because more value you create, more money you receive in the end.
Speaker A
You don't need to ask yourself how to make 1 million. How to create the offer, the product worth 1 million.
Speaker A
I mean, why I'm making money? Because actually people that work with me makes money. So it's actually in more value you give to the world and more and more money you do. So that's it. Money. Yes.
Speaker A
How much value you can bring to the to the market. That's it.
Topics:Raf Iervolinoentrepreneurshipcopywritingdropshippingbusiness growthCOVID impactfinancial successmindsetecommercemarketing
