Brandon Dawson didn’t start out with the odds in his favor. In fact, he was voted “least likely to succeed” by his high school classmates, a detail he now recalls with both amusement and resolve. Fast forward a few decades, and Dawson has not only proved them wrong, but carved a legacy that spans multimillion-dollar business exits, a transformative approach to small business ownership, and a wellness empire that aims to rewrite the way people engage with their own biology.

At the helm of 10X Health, the precision wellness company he co-founded with Grant Cardone, Dawson is no longer just building businesses, he’s building a new conversation around health: one driven by data, personalized care, and a fierce belief in human potential. “Most people don’t even know how good they can feel,” he tells us. “We want to show them what’s possible.”

In this conversation with 1883, Dawson reflects on his unconventional path, the science behind 10X Health, and why the next big business frontier might be your own DNA.

Your first entrepreneurial lesson came from picking walnuts as a teenager. What did that teach you?

My parents grounded me for missing curfew. I had to clean the walnut orchard, something that usually took the whole family ten days. I realised if I could rally my friends and their families to help, I could free up my weekend. We did the whole thing in three days. It clicked – the more people you throw at a problem, the faster it gets solved. That lesson has stayed with me forever.

That team-first mindset led you from sales to becoming one of the youngest to ring the bell at the American Stock Exchange.

I was 29. I’d bought a business that was backed into a Canadian public company. I didn’t know what that meant at the time. But soon I was raising money in New York, building a team, and acquiring hundreds of companies. It was surreal. I’d dreamed of Wall Street, and there I was, ringing the bell.

But that company was eventually sold out from under you.

“Yes. It sold for $38 million but it could’ve been $85 million. I got nothing from it. At first, I was bitter. But one of my mentors told me, ‘You’ve gone from Superman to a broken track.’ That hit hard. I realised I had to stop replaying the failure and start building again.

What changed the second time around?

“Everything. I created a new equity model. Instead of raising money and buying businesses, I built a platform where entrepreneurs could join me as partners. We shared value. I gave 35% of my company to clients, 10% to employees. And when I exited, I wired over $38 million to them.”

After that, you teamed up with Grant Cardone. Why him?

Natalie and I wanted to scale what we’d created fast. We went to one of Grant’s conferences, and there were 34,000 entrepreneurs in the room. The energy, the clarity, it was obvious. Grant had mastered sales and marketing, and we had the operations and infrastructure. So, we approached him and pitched a partnership. That’s how Cardone Ventures was born.

You’ve built and sold companies. You’ve wired millions to employees. Now you’re redesigning how people approach their health. What makes 10X Health different?

We’re not doing wellness theater, this isn’t crystals and cucumber water. We’re building precise, individualised health protocols based on your DNA and real-time blood data. Think of it like running diagnostics on your body the way you would on a high-performance machine. You see what’s broken, what’s depleted, and exactly how to fix it. No guessing, no generic advice — it’s personal health at a systems level.

How does 10X Health actually work — from start to finish?

We start with data. That means two things: a one-time genetic test and ongoing blood panels. Your genes tell us what your body is built for — how you metabolise nutrients, process inflammation, detox, even how you respond to stress. Your blood shows us what’s happening right now, where you’re depleted, off-balance, or inflamed.

Once we have that, we plug it into our proprietary system, and you get a precision wellness protocol: exactly what IVs you need, what supplements are missing, how to adjust your sleep, movement, hormone levels, and more. It’s tailored to your actual biology — not what worked for your trainer or your favorite influencer.

Then we support you with access to 10X-approved clinics, supplement lines, coaching, and digital tools to keep you on track. Eventually, we’ll layer AI on top of it so you can make micro-decisions in real time, like which meal supports your testosterone levels or which morning routine best matches your circadian profile.

The goal is to make optimal performance feel normal. You shouldn’t need to crash to realise something’s off. You should know and have a plan.

You’ve said most health care is reactive. 10X is aiming to get ahead of even prevention?

Exactly. Most systems wait until you’re sick. We want to help people optimise before that — with nutrition, sleep, performance, and clarity. It’s about knowing your genetic blueprint and what works for you.

How do you build trust in a time where there’s so much health misinformation?

We’ve built this from over 11 years of life sciences research. Everything is triple peer-reviewed. Our labs, our supplements, our delivery, it’s all evidence-based. That’s why we’re approved in 46 countries, including the UK.

You recently launched in Abu Dhabi. Why the UAE?

They’re ahead in genome mapping and have a progressive approach to healthcare innovation. They’re building systems from the ground up, not trying to retrofit broken models. And they’re open, to global talent, to ideas, to collaboration. That’s exactly the environment we want to be in.

And what about 10X Health in the UK?

Everything is available now through our REVIV locations. Precision IVs, gene tests, blood panels, custom supplements — it’s all there. We’re just getting started with our expansion.

What’s next in wellness that still feels a little sci-fi?

Imagine pointing your phone at a menu and having it tell you in real time, based on your DNA and bloodwork, if a dish supports your goals. That’s what we’re building. A personal AI coach powered by your biology, not a trend. We want people to make micro-decisions that lead to massive change.

How do you filter between trend and truth when it comes to tech like AI?

It comes down to the source. Garbage in, garbage out. If AI is built on evidence and precision data, it’s powerful. But people need to know who’s behind the programming. We want to lead with trusted science, not hype.

How has 10X Health impacted you personally?

I’ve lost 45 pounds. I’m leaner, stronger, more energized than I was in my 20s. I use red light therapy, high-oxygen training, IVs, and I eat for my genes. I found out watermelon — my favorite food — was hurting me. I swapped it for grapes. One small change, huge results.

What brings you joy now — beyond business?

Watching people transform. Seeing someone lose 40 pounds and gain energy. Seeing a business owner finally scale. That feeling, that shift in someone’s belief about what’s possible, that’s what keeps me going. Business or health, it’s all human impact. And I’m here for that.

To learn more about the testing and protocols discussed with Brandon visit www.10xhealthsystem.com

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