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In a world where layoffs and inflation dominate headlines, millionaire entrepreneur Jesse Itzler believes there’s one investment young people can’t afford to miss. He wrote on LinkedIn earlier this month that young people should focus on gaining experience alongside career growth.
Long before he sold his private jet company to Warren Buffett‘s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK, BRK.B)), Itzler was cleaning meat trucks for $7 an hour and hustling odd jobs — until one bold move changed everything.
Before his business empire took flight, Itzler worked low-paying gigs and even tried to make it as a rapper. But his breakthrough came when he launched Marquis Jet, a fractional jet ownership company.
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Itzler recounted in a 2024 LinkedIn post that he stationed himself outside a TED conference in Silicon Valley and bought every muffin from a nearby coffee shop to spark conversations with potential private aviation clients, saying, “Hey, I’ve got an extra muffin if you’d like one.”
The creative pitch helped him land early customers for Marquis Jet, which he later sold to Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway in 2010, according to the company’s annual report.
“Sometimes you’re just one move away from changing your life,” Itzler wrote on the same LinkedIn post. “Not one business plan. Not one investor. One creative idea. One right conversation. The universe doesn’t reward perfect plans. It rewards action.”
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In another LinkedIn post recently, Itzler wrote he once watched friends rush into corporate jobs after college. “Work, work, work. No travel. No experiments. No exploration. Just straight into the grind. And before they knew it? They aged fast.”
Now in his 50s, the entrepreneur warns younger workers not to confuse stability with success. “The best investment you can make in your 20s isn’t just a career … it’s experience,” he wrote in the post. He also encouraged taking small, consistent risks — trying side hustles, saying yes to travel, and stepping outside comfort zones.
