“Do you want to pick my brain or pick my pocket?” A wealthy restaurateur named Harvey Baskin asked me that over a dinner I had invited him to, while I was trying to slide the check back across the table to him. I was young, I was working for him, and I had spent the whole meal asking him questions. I paid the bill, left a good tip, and kept asking questions all the way home. That relationship opened doors I still walk through today.

I tell that story during a conversation about a very public debate over what Hollywood talent gets paid. My take may not be popular. Business is not personal. The producer’s job is to bring the project in on budget, and the talent’s job is to negotiate the best deal they can without burning the relationship. Once you sign, honor it. Then deliver so well that the next conversation is about profit sharing.

The heart of this episode is a formula I’ve tested in my own life and first laid out in Up from Nothing: the five pillars of success. The first is as much education as you can take in. The second is understanding money. I walk through all five, explain why three of them give you a fighting chance, and why four or five mean nobody can stop you, no matter who is standing in your way.

We close with a listener question about using a home equity line to pay off high-interest credit card debt, and when that move makes sense. Get your pen and paper out for this one.

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