Asking One of the Richest Men in Dubai How He Got Rich!

What this episode is about

The content focuses on an interview with Muhammad Benghadi, a prominent real estate developer in Dubai, known for creating iconic luxury residences like the Bugatti residences. The conversation explores his journey to building a billion-dollar empire, highlighting the unique financial landscape of Dubai and the vision required to transform its skyline.

Key takeaways

• In Dubai, billion-dollar deals are often sealed over coffee—proof that networking trumps spreadsheets.
• Benghadi's Bugatti residences exemplify how luxury branding can transform real estate into a status symbol.
• Real estate: the favored playground for billionaires, thanks to its stability and tangible nature.
• Vertical integration in real estate isn’t just efficient; it’s a shield against market volatility.
• Obsessed visionaries like Benghadi turn skyscrapers into personal empires, proving dreams are built one floor at a time.

Who speaks in this episode?

• Unknown Host (Host) · 7 min speaking
• Muhammad Benghadi (Guest) · 10 min speaking

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 3:00: Bugatti, Muhammad Benghadi, Jacob and Co, generational wealth
2. 3:00 – 6:00: Bugatti
3. 6:00 – 9:00: Bugatti, Neymar Junior, Andrea Belli
4. 9:00 – 12:00: Blackstone
5. 15:00 – 16:57: miracles, Bugatti

Notable quotes from "Asking One of the Richest Men in Dubai How He Got Rich!"

• I'm one of the biggest real estate developers in the world. What was the most amount of money that you've made in a single year? A lot. Give me a range.

  about Muhammad Benghadi · at 0:08

• In the world. He built the first Jacob and Co residence in the world. And now look at where we are. The first Bugatti residence in the world. This is Muhammad Bengati. All…

  about Bugatti · at 1:21

• It's the best place in the world right?

  about UAE · at 2:53

• Everyone who appreciates things that are finer in life. We have very interesting clients who have bought. Neymar Junior footballer, he bought one here. Andrea Belli. So, yeah, very interesting names.

  about Neymar Junior · at 8:15

• One of my favorite quotes I think was by the CEO of Blackstone. He said, Every organization has six out of 10, seven out of 10, eight out of 10. And then he's if you want to build something truly great, you got to focus.

  about Blackstone · at 11:34

• Interviewed you, I learned that one of your secrets to success was your belief in your faith in God. You said that you've seen miracles happen in your life. Yes. How do you rely on your faith when times get tough?

  about miracles · at 15:26

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Muhammad Benghadi — Person · Main guest · 3 mentions · first at 0:08
  He is presented as one of the richest men in Dubai and a major real estate developer behind branded residences (Bugatti, Mercedes-Benz, Jacob & Co). His business philosophy (vertical integration, consistency, faith) anchors the episode.
• Neymar Junior — Person · Referenced buyer / celebrity client · 1 mention · first at 8:19
  Named as a high-profile client who bought in Bugatti Residences, signaling the project's prestige and target market.
• Andrea Belli — Person · Referenced buyer / client · 1 mention · first at 8:20
  Mentioned as another notable buyer at Bugatti Residences, though no further context is provided in the transcript.
  Finer in life. We have very interesting clients who have bought. Neymar Junior footballer, he bought one here. Andrea Belli. So, yeah, very interesting names.

Companies & orgs

• Bugatti — Company · Referenced brand / partnership focus · 7 mentions · first at 0:05
  Bugatti is the flagship luxury brand tied to the featured project (Bugatti Residences) and symbolizes the guest's ability to partner with elite global brands.
• Jacob and Co — Company · Referenced brand partnership · 2 mentions · first at 1:21
  Mentioned as another branded residence project, reinforcing the guest's positioning in ultra-luxury real estate development.
  Transformed the entire Dubai skyline. He built the first Mercedes-Benz residences in the world. He built the first Jacob and Co residence in the world. And now look at where we…
• Blackstone — Company · Referenced exemplar organization · 1 mention · first at 11:35
  Referenced via a quote attributed to Blackstone's CEO about hiring '9s and 10s', used to discuss talent standards and organizational excellence.

Concepts & topics

• miracles — Concept · Faith-related theme · 2 mentions · first at 15:31
  Miracles are discussed as part of the guest's faith narrative—breakthroughs after hopeless moments reinforcing belief in God.
• generational wealth — Concept · Core motivation/theme · 1 mention · first at 0:49
  The host frames the interview as learning what it takes to build generational wealth at the highest level, with real estate as the primary mechanism.
  Earth. I'm going to be going inside the mind of a billionaire to figure out what it really takes to build generational wealth at the highest level. So, with that being said, it's time to go meet Muhammad Vig.
• Artificial Intelligence — Concept · Referenced topic (program content) · 1 mention
  AI is mentioned as part of the host's 'AI Day' training recordings offered through School of Mentors, not as a main discussion topic.

Places & events

• UAE — Place · Guest origin / national context · 1 mention · first at 2:50
  The guest states he is from the UAE and frames it (and Dubai) as the best place for entrepreneurs due to supportive leadership and business climate.
• Burj Khalifa — Place · Referenced landmark · 1 mention · first at 1:38
  Used as a visual anchor for Dubai's skyline and scale, reinforcing the setting and the grandeur of local development.
  First of all, look at the skyline right here. I want to point this out. That's the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa. But man, we're about to interview an absolute legend and icon out here, you guys. So, let's go meet up.

Full transcript with timestamps

0:00 I'm about to interview one of the richest men in Dubai and I don't think people truly understand what that means. Sir, is this your Bugatti?

0:07 Yes, it is. How did you get a Bugatti? I'm one of the biggest real estate developers in the world. What was the most amount of money that you've made in a single year? A lot. Give me a range. Off the top of my head, I would say almost $5 billion.

0:18 $5 billion. This is Dubai, a city where billion dollar deals are made over coffee. where entire skylines are built by a single man's vision and where wealth operates on a completely different level. I just flew 16 hours across the world to be here for this moment. Today, I'm meeting up with Muhammad Benghadi, one of the biggest real estate developers in the entire world, the man behind some of the most iconic towers on the planet to find out how he built a real estate empire in one of the most competitive cities on Earth. I'm going to be going inside the mind of a billionaire to figure out what it really takes to build generational wealth at the highest level. So, with that being said, it's time to go meet Muhammad Vig.

1:06 All right, you guys. So, we're in route right now to interview, like I said, one of the richest men in Dubai, Muhammad Benghi. Okay? And we're going to be interviewing him not just anywhere, but at one of the buildings that he built, the Bugatti residences. This guy transformed the entire Dubai skyline. He built the first Mercedes-Benz residences in the world. He built the first Jacob and Co residence in the world. And now look at where we are. The first Bugatti residence in the world. This is Muhammad Bengati. All right, you guys. Look at this right here. This is the Bugatti residences, man. Wait, where are we at right now?

1:32 No, we're in Bugatti residence. Who are we about to interview? Mr. Muhammad. He's one of the biggest developers in the world.

1:37 Yes. Yes, of course. First of all, look at the skyline right here. I want to point this out. That's the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa. But man, we're about to interview an absolute legend and icon out here, you guys. So, let's go meet up with him himself, man. Come on. I mean, this has potential to be insane. What's going on, dude?

1:51 How you doing, Mohamad? Great to see you, man. It's good to see you. We were letting them know, man. This this is one of your creations right here. It is. Where are we at right now?

1:58 Bugatti Residences. And this is the first Bugatti residence in the world. The first and only.

2:02 Before you know, I want to ask you some questions. What goes into that? I mean, you partnered up with one of the biggest, most renowned, most credible companies in the world. How is that even possible? I mean, I think there's a lot of passion that goes into that. You're going to be obsessed. Obsessed with everything you do. you know, every wake up every day obsessed with your goals, obsessed with what you want to achieve in life and literally grind.

2:21 Growing up, did you think that this was possible that you were going to, you know, have your name on the side of the buildings, working with some of the biggest companies in the world? I mean, literally putting up their skyscrapers,

2:29 you know, it's funny you ask because I had a lot of Bugatti posters in my room being a kid, but I would have never dreamed to actually achieve something like this any day.

2:37 That's amazing, man. You know, we flew 16 hours out here and we want to make this a master class for the younger generation trying to become billionaires, trying to become the best entrepreneurs they can be. Can we make that happen?

2:48 Sure. So, I got to ask you, where are you from originally? From uh the UAE. And you never left. No.

2:53 Why not? I mean, it's the best place in the world right? Why is this the best city for business owners?

2:57 I think it's it's the entrepreneurial flare of the city. I think you know the the the leadership have have been very supportive in creating this atmosphere that supports any entrepreneur in building a billiond dollar business.

3:08 And when you were starting out in the business, were there a lot of nos? Did you have any failures? Were there a lot of downsides?

3:14 Plenty. Plenty. I've had a lot of nos in my life. Like you said, you didn't take no for the answer.

3:18 I mean, I think the more and more successful you become in life, the more you realize that you're going to fail a lot and you're going to get a lot of rejection. And part of becoming successful is that maturity of your mindset. That understanding that you're not always going to get the answer you want and then you've got to navigate towards the answer you want.

3:35 Why was real estate your vehicle? Cuz you could have been in any business. Why do you like real estate as your vehicle to wealth creation and business building?

3:41 Well, I mean real estate is ultimately what any wealthy person ends up doing in the end. I believe you know everyone who makes a lot of money ends up buying real estate.

3:49 Why is that? Why do the wealthiest the most successful people in the world why do they all invest in real estate? I mean, I think as an asset, it's very solid. You can touch it, you can feel it, see it, smell it, and I think it's the least volatile. So, uh, in terms of risk management, you know, it's always a safe investment. So, I think it's the most versatile asset class or one of the most out there.

4:06 Did you ever diversify? I did, but then I learned a very tough lesson that diversification doesn't always mean to venture into another sector. You can always do it in one sector

4:15 and that's the vertical integration. Absolutely. Absolutely. That's what we did. You know, we became completely vertically integrated as a developer. We built a full construction company, you know, a factory. We have seven factories for joinery, aluminium, steel. And so, we really focus on serving this one sort of single monstrosity of a business rather than, you know, getting distracted in different sectors. So, we're about to see the building right here, but I wanted you to touch on real quick your progression of that vertical integration. When you started out in the real estate business, were you selling properties? Were you brokering? before you had the factories, before you had the steel manufacturing and whatnot, how did you come about, you know, kind of obtaining all the different verticals?

4:51 This is something I learned in in business in general. You never have the full picture from day one. You just got to start and navigate your way through. And, you know, one of the best quotes I like about this is in the book of his highness shake Muhammad bin Rashid al- Maktum, the ruler of Dubai. And he says, "When a bee starts its day, it doesn't know its full plan. It just, you know, leaves and and starts harvesting, you know, the honey." And same thing with birds. And I think, you know, you never have a plan that's fully perfect from day one. You just start and you navigate your way through and you learn, you fail, you fix, and ultimately you figure out a way. When you're thrown in the ocean in a stormy day, you you either drown or you swim. Now, there's been a lot of day in the lives on YouTube where people go spend the day with people at their homes, their apartments. We are at a apartment complex that you're

5:32 building. Correct. This is going to be fascinating. Can you go show us around real quick? Let's go. Let's go check it out. And real quick, you know what I love? You got the the Bugatti right there with the Bugatti building right here. It would be inappropriate to drive a different car. I love that. Let's check it out. Man,

5:46 guys, I can't believe we're in Dubai right now. But I need you to listen very carefully. Look, I built the craziest network in the entire world of millionaires and billionaires at just 23 years old. And it is the only reason why I've been able to build a multi-million dollar business so young. And for Christmas this year, I'm doing something insane for you. I'm opening up my entire billionaire network and I'm giving you direct access to them. All the millionaires and the billionaires that you guys watch me interview, now I'm letting you get mentored by them every single week. Seriously, guys, in 2026, I will be hosting a live call with a millionaire or billionaire mentor. Every single week, you will be able to hop on Zoom with me and ask them your questions live. It's called the School of Mentors, the number one mentorship network in the world for entrepreneurs. And for Christmas, if you join the School of

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7:07 And on top of all that, five people who joined for this Christmas special will be given lifetime access to the School of Mentors for free. So, if you went in, stop what you're doing right now. Click the link in the description in this video and grab your spot before the end of the year because after this, this Christmas special will be gone forever. So, I can't wait to see you on the inside. With that being said, let's get back to the video. You see that they're starting to put the steel cladding on top. It's 13 kilometers of steel cladding going on the exterior. So, how much goes into building an apartment complex like this? Honestly, the sort of real estate you're looking at here and the sort of people who have bought it here, you have the the the the Crown Penthouse, which is a triplex that is almost 50,000 square ft. It has a cinema, it has a cigar lounge, it has anything you can think of. We have a

7:55 beach up here, literally a French Riviera inspired beach. That's never been done before.

8:00 No, it's We literally have two car elevators to take your Bugatti into your penthouse, park it in front of your office, and work from home looking at your car. Is it a requirement that in order to live here, you have to have a Bugatti?

8:10 Well, I mean, I'd like to think you you would have one if you're buying here, but I think ultimately this is for everyone who appreciates things that are finer in life. We have very interesting clients who have bought. Neymar Junior footballer, he bought one here. Andrea Belli. So, yeah, very interesting names.

8:25 You're known as one of the fastest developers in the region. Correct. What's the secret to that speed?

8:28 I think again it goes back to the vertical integration. We have our own workforce all in house. We have our factories. So like these construction companies, do you own the companies or are they

8:37 contracts? Everything literally everything that goes into building the product we control and we own and ultimately what that gives you is agility when it comes to speed, quality and uh cost obviously.

8:47 Did you kind of acquire these companies or did you start them from the ground up?

8:50 Mostly started from the ground up, some acquired actually. So some opportunities seen here and there in a steel factory acquire it upgraded and ultimately supports you in building much faster.

8:59 Fascinating man. So what number building is this for you? I think you've done how many? 60 complexes or something.

9:04 Uh, a little bit closer to 100. 100 complexes, man. Yeah. What's the biggest thing that you've changed since very the very beginning? I would imagine the first one wasn't super easy.

9:13 Absolutely. I think the biggest lesson I learned when building these complexes is focusing on quality and letting the product talk for itself. So, we do a lot of marketing, of course, as a brand, you know, on a global scale, but I think the best companies out there worldwide are the companies that have products that market themselves. You don't need to say anything. The product speaks for itself. You have the architect background.

9:33 Yes. Do you have a lot of input in the design process for the building? Oh, I'm always on site.

9:37 Actually, probably more than the time I spend in office. Oh my goodness. I love it. Lobby space. You can see monumental height. It's a very large lobby space. How many stories is this one going to be?

9:47 This is going to be 46 stories. We have 180 units here. And each and every unit is a piece unique. So, different layout, different interior design scheme, completely bespoke. What's the average price point of one of these units? Well, I mean, uh, penthouse up there was listed at 750 million dirhams. It's just above $200 million.

10:04 Oh my goodness. And somebody bought it. We're on the market right now. Maybe maybe you'll hear some news someday.

10:10 Hey, I'm excited to hear it, man. When you're driving on the road, the highway out here in Dubai, and you look to your right and your left, and you see your name on the side of that building. What does that feeling mean to you? It

10:18 makes me feel happy and proud, but ultimately, if if anything, it it evokes a sense of urgency in me to achieve more. I mean, comfort is the most dangerous drug. You got to learn to be comfortable being uncomfortable because the moment you become complacent and comfortable is the moment you have no drive to achieve more success in life.

10:36 So, anything else in here that we should check out? Yeah, I mean do it. Yeah. What's an underrated thing at all of your properties that you have that a lot of people don't put enough emphasis on?

10:44 I think it's the design. The design. Yeah. I mean, I we put a lot of passion into our design.

10:48 What goes into a great design? I heard somebody tell me one time that in real estate, it's never a money problem. It's a creativity problem. And in your case, right, you've got some of the most uniquely designed buildings that have, you know, filled up and they're renowned out here. What goes into your creative process?

11:01 I think a lot of storytelling goes into it. I think a lot of brand narrative. It even stems to like things like the name of the project. You know, does the name reflect the architecture? Does it help with telling the story? What sort of elements are you including in the interiors, in the exterior, in the amenities? You know, what what lifestyle are you building? Is this for people who are interested in things like health, in fitness? And so you build this whole narrative targeting a specific audience that you like to enjoy this product and see the value. That's what good design is about.

11:30 Another thing I wanted to ask you was about people. What do you look for in people when you're building a business?

11:34 One of my favorite quotes I think was by the CEO of Blackstone. He said, "Every organization has six out of 10, seven out of 10, eight out of 10." And then he's like, if you want to build something truly great, you got to focus on having nines out of 10 and tens out of tens only.

11:48 A players absolutely. and he said the difference between an 8 out of 10 and a 10 out of 10 is huge.

11:53 What is that difference that you see most of the time that separates an eight from a 10.

11:56 If I have to tell them what to do, they're not in the right place. Hear that one. Say that again.

12:00 If I have to tell someone what to do or how to do their job, they're not in the right place.

12:04 So, let's talk about this real quick. Our company has up to about 50 or so employees now. We're doing a million a month right now. Come on, man. Let's go. I'm trying to get like youing. But one of the biggest things that we see in the most talented people even within our organization is they're selfarters. Oh, they go out and get it themselves. The eight, they may be good at the task.

12:22 Oh, yeah. But they got to think of new things to do. You know, we have a saying in Arabic. We say once the the chick is born from the egg, it knows how to walk. Or once the duckling is born, it knows how to swim. So, a person who is good at what they do should know what to do without you telling them what to do. And they should be way better than you as their boss to show you how something should be done. A lot of people talk about micromanagement and how it's bad and everything. I don't believe in micromanagement. I believe in passion management. So, if you're involved in everything, it's okay. But as long as you're empowering people who are specialized in something and know more than you, you're letting them play and you're letting them do their thing and and take your product to a whole other level or your company. You want to bring those sort of people into your business.

13:01 I love that. I've I heard a a term one time and it's always stuck with me. I interviewed the founder of LinkedIn, Reed Hoffman. He sold LinkedIn to Microsoft for $26 billion. And I asked him, Reed, if if you had to start from zero and you had one year to make a billion dollars in your life dependent on it, what would you do? And he stopped me. He goes, "I never play a one-year game. I only play a 10-year game." What is your mindset and long-term vision and thought process like for your company and what you're building today? What are you thinking?

13:25 It's definitely long term for me. There's no set term. It's like till the day I die. And it's just part of your lifestyle. You get used to it. It's almost like if you're an athlete and you're working out, you don't think I'm going to work out for 10 years in my life and then I'm going to stop because my body is good now. It's just part of your lifestyle and it becomes part of your daily routine, your grind every day. And once you approach work like that, you build consistency. And I think in my mind, consistency is the most important ingredient towards success.

13:51 There are a lot of smart people out there who haven't made it and a lot of less smart people who are more consistent who have made it. So I think consistency plays a big role in being smart.

13:59 They say that C students, they run the world. Absolutely. But yeah, I think it's about, you know, being able to fail, fall, and then get up every time and and just continue like nothing happened. And I think it's successful people are like that.

14:10 At 31, if you lost everything tomorrow, could you make it back? Absolutely. What would you do? Just start again. And you know all the lessons I learned.

14:17 You think because once it's in you, it's just it's always in you once you kind of know the formula and how to do it.

14:22 You understand the process. So you know that it's okay to fail. Being an entrepreneur, you're going to fail every day. Even when you are successful, there's one thing you're not going to get fully right. Secret recipe to success is try, fail, learn, fix, try again. Five steps.

14:36 Love it. The five steps. So like I said, outside of one of your creations, man, first of all, congratulations. Thank you very much.

14:42 Hey, and you know, I know you hear it, but I'm proud of you, man. And you inspire my team, and we've traveled the world. We've interviewed over 30 billionaires, and you are hands down one of our favorite people that we've ever met.

14:53 Thank you very much. And likewise, you know, I'm proud of you guys and what you do. I've been following you on social media, and you're doing an amazing job.

14:59 Yeah. Muhammad, I'm going to ask you, if me and you died tomorrow and you had one last message to leave with the younger generation, what would that be? I think it's to leave something valuable behind, whether it's a project, a product, something that changes people's lives positively whilst, you know, making money for you. And I think the most successful companies worldwide do that. Exactly. So, I think if if you're able to solve a big problem, that's what you want to do. That's what you want to be leave behind and and ultimately that becomes your legacy. When I last interviewed you, I learned that one of your secrets to success was your belief in your faith in God. You said that you've seen miracles happen in your life. Yes. How do you rely on your faith when times get tough?

15:35 There has to be a master architect that designed all of this, you know, sun and the moon and everything

15:41 and us, man. Humans, you know, with two cameras in our face and two a microphone and but ultimately I think back to miracles. I asked for miracles in my life. And I think it's when you're so hopeless and you reach that point where you know you've done everything you could have done, but you're still failing. And then ultimately one of those follow-ups that you thought would never end up being a deal or or a successful milestone suddenly becomes a breakthrough and and you had asked for that in a prayer. So that makes you believe that miracles exist and ultimately God exists.

16:12 I love that. Thank you so much for your time, Muhammad. We really appreciate you, man. It's great to see you again in Dubai man.

16:18 Always welcome. Yeah, it means a lot to us. Really appreciate it. Guys, we just wrapped up with one of the richest men in Dubai, Muhammad Benghi. You got to see the Bugatti residences before it comes this right here. Look, next year we may have to do another video. Run it back. But like, subscribe for amazing content every week, guys. I'm bringing you guys the billionaires from every part of the world here on this channel, man. Go down, click the link in the description of this video to join the number one community for business owners and entrepreneurs in today's world where you get direct access to billionaire entrepreneurs that I interview, the 8 figure, the 9 figureure, 10figure business owners that I interview on this channel. You get to speak directly to them on live calls.

16:50 Click the link in the description and I'll see you on the inside. That being said, see you in the next

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Asking One of the Richest Men in Dubai How He Got Rich!"?

Unknown Host (Host), Muhammad Benghadi (Guest).

What is "Asking One of the Richest Men in Dubai How He Got Rich!" about?

The content focuses on an interview with Muhammad Benghadi, a prominent real estate developer in Dubai, known for creating iconic luxury residences like the Bugatti residences. The conversation explores his journey to building a billion-dollar empire, highlighting the unique financial landscape of Dubai and the vision required to transform its skyline.

What is mentioned in this School of Hard Knocks episode?

11 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Muhammad Benghadi, Bugatti, miracles, generational wealth, Jacob and Co, UAE. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Asking One of the Richest Men in Dubai How He Got Rich!"?

The episode runs 17 min; the transcript is about 4,171 words in 73 timestamped sections.

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