The next episode of The Expansion Project is now online. This time around Fat Tony caught up with TJ Lavin to talk BMX and business. Hit play and listen in!
“On this episode I got to talk to TJ Lavin. TJ is a former professional BMX rider who has two X Games gold medals and was very influential in the BMX scene in the 90s.
In October 2010 he crashed at the Dew Tour in his hometown of Las Vegas and went into a coma. After he made it out of the coma he had to relearn a lot of the basic human functions like how to walk, talk, and count.
Even with monumental the setback he has hosted 17 seasons of MTV’s “The Challenge” (formerly “Real World Road Rules Challenge”). He’s also a very talented musician who has been playing the piano for many years, and he’s a dedicated and loving husband and father.
On top of all that he’s a savvy businessman and investor, which, if you’re familiar with this show at all, you know that’s what was most interested in talking about.
In our conversation I got to ask TJ all about his different investments over the years—which there have been a lot of. He told me about some of the good deals, and some of the bad ones, too.
One thing that surfaced during our conversation was his intense desire to help other people. TJ is actually working on becoming a firefighter, but not because he needs a job or the money—he’s doing it because he genuinely wants to help people and be a part of a community of like-minded people, which that says a lot about his character.
I was a huge TJ Lavin fan before I got to interview him, and I’m an even bigger fan now. He left a very big impression on me, and you’re going to learn a lot from this episode.
Some Questions I Asked:
– Do you still ride BMX?
– Why do you wake up so early?
– Did you ever have “regular” job?
– Were you interested in money, investing, and entrepreneurship at an early age?
– What happened to that strip club you said you were going to invest in?
– Where do your income streams come from?
– Have you had any mentors throughout your life?
– When do you get hit by ideas or inspiration?
– Do you have a favorite quote? ” – The Expansion Project
