Lessons from the 'Ndrangheta

Growing up in Italy, I encountered many mafia guys One of my best friends was from Calabria, the poorest region in Italy Calabria has 1 million population, however, the local Mafia alone (which is called 'Ndrangheta) makes more money than Coca Cola It's the richest organized crime association in the world, makes 2x the money of all the Mexican cartels combined. 1. They're not "violent", they stay super low-key. Killing someone = police investigating = they make less money 2. Trust is everything. They work exclusively in families. They don't let anyone else in. In Italy you can work for the mafia if you're a foreigner, but you're not IN the mafia. This way you avoid snitching, because you're literally family members. You should be like a Jew. Build your own close circle and do business with people who have proven loyalty (friends, family). Most betrayals happen because you let the wrong people in. 3. They diversify their revenue streams. They don't rely on one hustle. They make money everywhere. As an entrepreneur, never depend on just one source of income. 4. They put themselves in the middle. They control Gioia Tauro's port (80% of drugs in Europe are entering from there). If you control something central or indispensable, you'll never stop making money. 5. They embrace new opportunities. When smuggling stopped paying, they moved into cocaine. Don't get sentimental about yesterday's success, pivot when you see a new trend or better opportunity. 6. Go legal. They use legal businesses to cover their operations. Even when I was living in Denmark, I was reading the news that a mafia-ran company is building the metro in Copenhagen. Pay your taxes, have contracts in place, clear SOPs and systems. This is not a side hustle, OFM can be a good cash flow business if done properly.