Paul Allen - Ancestry.com Founder | The Ultimate Competitive Advantage

➡️ Join 321,000 people who read my free weekly newsletter: https://newsletter.scottdclary.com ➡️ Like The Podcast? Leave A Rating: https://ratethispodcast.com/successstory Paul Allen is a serial entrepreneur and technology pioneer who co-founded Ancestry.com in 1997 and served as its first CEO, helping to build the company into the largest for-profit genealogy company in the world before its sale to Blackstone for $4.7 billion. Under his leadership, Ancestry reached profitability before raising any outside capital and developed one of the largest databases of historical records, revolutionizing how people discover their family history. Beyond Ancestry, Allen founded multiple mission-driven technology companies, including MyFamily.com and FamilyLink, which created the viral Facebook app "We're Related" that attracted over 120 million users. A Brigham Young University graduate who began coding at age twelve, Allen has dedicated his career to leveraging technology to connect people and unlock human potential, currently serving as CEO of Soar.com while remaining a passionate advocate for strengths-based leadership development. ➡️ Show Links https://www.instagram.com/paulallendc/ https://x.com/paulballen/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulballen/ ➡️ Podcast Sponsors Hubspot - https://hubspot.com/ Huel - https://huel.com/scott (Code: scott) ShipStation - https://www.shipstation.com/ (Code: SuccessStory) Square - https://square.com/go/success SurveyMonkey - https://www.surveymonkey.com/scott Monarch Money - https://www.monarchmoney.com (Code: Success) NetSuite - https://netsuite.com/scottclary/ Indeed - https://indeed.com/clary ➡️ Talking Points 00:00 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cZEPwqo1hs) – Intro 01:25 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cZEPwqo1hs&t=85s) – From Skeptic to Believer in Entrepreneurship 10:07 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cZEPwqo1hs&t=607s) – Is Entrepreneurship the Right Path? 27:11 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cZEPwqo1hs&t=1631s) – Sponsor 29:43 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cZEPwqo1hs&t=1783s) – Why Making $1M Is Easier Than Ever 34:16 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cZEPwqo1hs&t=2056s) – The Myth of the Self-Made Entrepreneur 39:44 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cZEPwqo1hs&t=2384s) – How Short-Term Thinking Kills Businesses 44:59 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cZEPwqo1hs&t=2699s) – Hard Lessons from Building Ancestry.com 46:44 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cZEPwqo1hs&t=2804s) – Sponsor 48:37 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cZEPwqo1hs&t=2917s) – Creating the Perfect Environment for Entrepreneurs 55:46 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cZEPwqo1hs&t=3346s) – Can Anyone Really Be an Entrepreneur? 57:50 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cZEPwqo1hs&t=3470s) – Why Most AI Projects Fail in Big Companies 1:02:47 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cZEPwqo1hs&t=3767s) – How Entrepreneurs Should Use AI 1:10:21 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cZEPwqo1hs&t=4221s) – Knowledge Without Action Is Useless 1:15:52 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cZEPwqo1hs&t=4552s) – Will AI Replace Jobs or Create Them? 1:21:40 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cZEPwqo1hs&t=4900s) – Why Locus of Control Determines Success 1:23:57 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cZEPwqo1hs&t=5037s) – God Helps Those Who Help Themselves 1:31:31 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cZEPwqo1hs&t=5491s) – Advice Paul Would Give His 20-Year-Old Self 1:34:55 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cZEPwqo1hs&t=5695s) – How Paul’s Definition of Success Changed