Celebs Share Success Secrets At InvestFest [Exclusive]

InvestFest 2025 blended pop culture, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy as the likes of Issa Rae, Steve Harvey, Charlamagne Tha God, and Magic Johnson offered attendees hard-earned business wisdom and motivational insights.

The annual festival, launched by Earn Your Leisure (EYL), brought together thousands of attendees for a dynamic weekend of panels, live interviews, and networking.

For Earn Your Leisure founders Rashad Bilal and Troy Millings, the event is the culmination of a year-long, meticulous planning process that Millings described to BOSSIP as preparing “12 months for three days.” Their dedication ensures the festival remains “super concentrated on what we feel like the community needs to know,” providing direct access to experts on topics from AI and real estate to cryptocurrency.

While the main panels drew massive crowds, a key component of the festival was its marketplace, which highlighted over 400 businesses. The event also featured two game-changing additions: the Deal Room and a live Open Pitch competition with a hefty $125,000 on the line, and a lineup of headlining speakers—including Issa Rae, Steve Harvey, Charlamagne Tha God, and Magic Johnson—who offered attendees a masterclass in wealth and self-empowerment.

While speaking on the EYL stage with Charlamagne Tha God, Steve Harvey delivered a powerful message of self-belief, telling the audience they were “the chosen ones” for their willingness to invest in themselves. He also emphasized the importance of authenticity, urging people to embrace their unique life stories.

“Let me say something to all of you who invest money in yourself, you’re the chosen ones,” he said. “God picked you a long time ago, that’s why you’re the first one in your family.”

Basketball legend-turned-business mogul Magic Johnson also shared a pivotal moment from his youth that shaped his financial philosophy. He recounted a long-ago decision to take a lump sum of cash over Nike stock.

“You know how much money, 46 years later, that stock will be worth today?” he asked an auditorium full of InvestFest attendees. “$1,000,000,005.” This humbling lesson, he said, fuels his mission to educate others.

“We educate ourselves about that so that you are successful, so that your siblings, your family, your friends can follow your lead.”

Johnson also spoke on his relentless drive, a trait he believes is key to his success.

“I go to bed at eight o’clock, I’m up at four o’clock, I work out for two hours, and then I’m in the office all day. I’m driven. I don’t need nobody to pat me on the back, I’m self-motivated, so that plays in my favor.”