Jake Paul Says He's 'Scared' to Fight Mike Tyson, But This Mindset Hack Helps Him 'Embrace' Fear and Make Millions: 'Let It Fuel You'

At 27 years old, Jake Paul has amassed 26.6 cardinal Instagram followers, 17.8 cardinal TikTok followers, and astir 20.7 cardinal YouTube subscribers. He started successful contented creation erstwhile monetization was successful its infancy, and managed to amass almost two cardinal views making drama videos connected Vine (RIP), opening astir 2013.

Fast-forward a decade, and Paul's accordant activity ethic has catapulted him from influencer to entrepreneur to master boxer. He is fighting erstwhile UFC combatant and bare-knuckle-boxing champion Mike Perry successful his eighth pro lucifer connected Saturday, and taking connected Boxing Hall of Famer Mike Tyson connected November 15, which will beryllium streamed connected Netflix.

Paul, it seems, is nary longer conscionable astir drama and pranks.

"It's conscionable very surreal and it feels for illustration each my difficult activity is starting to salary off," Paul tells Entrepreneur over a video call. "I'm very honored to beryllium successful nan ringing pinch Mike Tyson. After 12 to 15 years of knocking down nan doorway of opportunity, I was capable to unfastened this door. So it conscionable goes to show that you person to commencement pinch 1 measurement astatine a clip and turn into things for illustration these, that you can't moreover judge you're doing."

Jake Paul is seen astatine Michael Rubin's Annual Fourth of July statement connected July 4, 2024, successful East Hamptons, NY. (Photo by Gotham/GC Images)

When nan Tyson conflict was announced, Paul emerged arsenic nan favorite to win. But his consequence wasn't 1 of an untouchable heavyweight — he's conscionable happy to beryllium here. And yes, he says he is frightened to conflict Tyson.

"Fear is ever going to beryllium there, you're ever going to beryllium scared," Paul said. "I'm frightened to conflict Mike Tyson. I'm frightened to conflict Mike Perry. It's astir being brave capable to person nan courageousness to do it erstwhile nan fearfulness is ne'er going away. You person to clasp it and fto it substance you versus fto it extremity you from possibly making nan champion determination of your life."

Still, he hasn't been without controversy. Business Insider reports allegations of online scams, abusive behavior, and vandalism.

His videos filming protests during nan pandemic successful 2020 led to nan FBI raiding his home successful 2021 successful relationship to a looting incident astatine an Arizona shopping mall. Paul was charged pinch trespassing and unlawful assembly.

Following an investigation, nan U.S. Attorney's Office ruled that he would not look national charges.

Around nan aforesaid time, Paul had tension pinch nan politician of Calabasas, California, erstwhile he threw a monolithic statement during nan pandemic, contempt societal distancing restrictions.

Despite nan setbacks, Paul didn't measurement distant from nan spotlight and took it arsenic a learning lesson. Paul's net worth is now an estimated $34.3 million.

Jake Paul, Brand Builder

Paul owns 4 businesses — sportsbook app Betr, VC money Antifund, sports promotion institution Most Valuable Promotions — and now his latest, a men's assemblage attraction line, W, sold direct-to-consumer astatine Walmart, which launched successful June.

"I started not knowing what thing was, I conscionable learned a small each azygous day, accumulated knowledge, applied each my learnings, and worked harder than my peers," Paul said.

Paul likens W products to "a new, amended type of Axe for millennials."

"These aged bequest brands that we're going up against are companies owned by monolithic conglomerates. We're coming successful pinch a caller crippled plan, and a caller measurement to market," Paul added. "There's truthful overmuch room to turn and to alteration things present and to innovate connected a merchandise that tin link pinch a younger assemblage of men, which is my audience."

Related: Ringside Tyson-Paul Fight VIP Tickets Selling for Millions

Paul's trading techniques are not for everyone (he was astir attacked by a shark, and filmed a lie detector test connected Instagram), but they consciousness authentic to who he is and his already hyper-online societal media presence.

"I deliberation group should beryllium themselves. Authenticity is what's winning, show your failure, show your mistakes, show your story," Paul said. "The struggle is what group tin subordinate to, and I deliberation that's what's missing pinch a batch of entrepreneurs."

Paul says erstwhile he was making videos connected Vine arsenic a teen a decade ago, he anticipated really large nan influencer system could beryllium 1 day. He was right: A caller study from Emarketer projected that U.S. marketer spending connected sponsored social-media contented could emergence 16% this twelvemonth to $8.14 billion.

"[Back then], nan numbers said for themselves," he said. "We were Viners getting millions of views connected our Vines and getting paid for illustration $2,000 for a video, but a commercialized slot connected TV would get possibly 500,000 views, and they get paid $100,000 aliases $200,000."

Paul said he knew yet that numbers "would beryllium nan astir important thing," and that influencers and creators would go much valued. "And that's becoming true," he added.

Paul says his first paycheck was for $300, and he spent it connected Christmas-edition LeBron James sneakers and a Diesel watch.

"You person to clasp it and fto it substance you versus fto it extremity you from possibly making nan champion determination of your life."

Transitioning into nan business world didn't travel without a slew of haters, either.

"I [was] frightened to put W into nan world to spot really group are going to person it," he said.

Paul says that he heard a quote years agone astir entrepreneurs being nan champion astatine sweeping their mistakes nether nan rug, learning, and moving on, and he tries to retrieve that erstwhile things get tough.

"It hasn't been easy astatine all, it's difficult each azygous time still," Paul said.

Related: Jake Paul Reportedly Earned Sky-High Amount for Fight

And he whitethorn conscionable beryllium fighting his aged estimation for a while: After all, he knows nan Internet is forever.

"I want group to look astatine maine arsenic an illustration of nan American dream, of relentlessly pursuing my dreams for complete a decade and ne'er stopping erstwhile I fell level connected my look and persevering done each of those moments," he said.