# 304. Maks Chmerkovskiy: Dancing With The Stars, Losing Money, Building Businesses & The Work Ethic Behind It All

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/trading-secrets-3243157/304-maks-chmerkovskiy-dancing-with-the-stars-losing-money-building-businesses-the-work-ethic-behind-it-all
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/trading-secrets-3243157/304-maks-chmerkovskiy-dancing-with-the-stars-losing-money-building-businesses-the-work-ethic-behind-it-all.md
Podcast: [Trading Secrets](https://stenobird.com/podcast/trading-secrets-3243157)
Published: 2026-06-01T09:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://audioboom.com/posts/8910100
Audio file: https://prfx.byspotify.com/e/clrtpod.com/m/pscrb.fm/rss/p/audioboom.com/posts/8910100.mp3?modified=1780291901&sid=5107273&source=rss
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Duration seconds: 3395

## Resource

This week, Jason is joined by world-renowned dancer, entrepreneur, and Dancing With The Stars legend, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, for a conversation about career longevity, entrepreneurship, financial lessons, family, and the relentless work ethic that has fueled every chapter of his life. Before becoming one of the most recognizable faces in ballroom dance, Maks immigrated to the United States from Ukraine with his family in search of opportunity. Arriving in Brooklyn without speaking English and with little more than determination, he quickly immersed himself in the growing ballroom dance community that would eventually become the foundation for an extraordinary career. Maks reflects on his rise from competitive dance champion to one of Dancing With The Stars’ most iconic professionals, sharing how the show evolved into a cultural phenomenon spanning multiple generations. He explains why the current success of Dancing With The Stars isn’t an accident, how social media transformed the show’s reach, and why today’s professional dancers are becoming stars in their own right. Beyond television, Maks opens up about the business side of his career. He shares lessons learned from building a nationwide dance studio company, launching new ventures, investing in businesses, and navigating costly entrepreneurial mistakes along the way. From a failed restaurant venture that never opened to learning hard lessons about money management and lifestyle inflation, Maks reveals the financial realities behind life in entertainment. Jason and Maks also discuss the importance of diversification, building businesses outside of television, and why financial success isn’t just about making money — it’s about learning how to keep it. Maks explains how he and his wife, fellow Dancing With The Stars p…

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## Transcript

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