He Escaped Iran at 16 With No Idea What Came Next

n this episode of the Matthews Mentality Podcast, Kyle Matthews sits down with Payam Zamani, founder and CEO of One Planet Group, CEO of Buyerlink, entrepreneur, investor, and author of Crossing the Desert.Payam shares his incredible journey from fleeing religious persecution in Iran as a teenager to arriving in the United States as a refugee with just $75 in his pocket. Less than 11 years later, he and his brother had built an early online automotive marketplace and taken the company public at a $1.2 billion valuation.But Payam's story goes far beyond financial success. After navigating the dot-com crash, divorce, family illness, and the loss of much of his wealth, he began rethinking the relationship between business, purpose, faith, and fulfillment. Those experiences ultimately shaped his philosophy of "spiritual capitalism," the belief that companies can pursue profitability while creating meaningful value for employees, customers, communities, and society.Topics covered in this episode:- Payam Zamani's escape from religious persecution in Iran- Being smuggled out of the country at 16 years old- Arriving in America as a refugee with $75- Starting over and building his first technology company- Taking an early online automotive marketplace public at a $1.2 billion valuation- The dot-com crash and losing much of his wealth- Why money alone failed to create fulfillment- The philosophy behind spiritual capitalism- Building One Planet Group without outside capital- How Buyerlink connects consumers with automotive dealers and service providers- Turning around Inspirato by cutting roughly $45 million in expenses and reaching profitability- Leadership, humility, and putting people ahead of short-term profits- Work-life balance and the sacrifices behind entrepreneurship- Gratitude for America and the opportunities it gave his family- Concerns about social media, young people, and the loss of spiritual grounding- Writing his memoir, Crossing the DesertPayam also shares why he believes business can be a powerful force for good, why leaders should think beyond maximizing shareholder value, and how some of the most difficult periods of his life ultimately reshaped his definition of success.Whether you're an entrepreneur, investor, executive, or someone navigating adversity in your own life, this conversation offers powerful lessons on resilience, leadership, faith, gratitude, and building businesses with purpose.Follow Payam Zamani:LinkedIn: Payam ZamaniLearn More About One Planet Group:Website: https://oneplanetgroup.comLearn More About BuyerLink:Website: https://buyerlink.comRead Payam's Book:Crossing the Deserthttps://crossingthedesertbook.comFollow Kyle Matthews CEO:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kylematthewsceoTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kylematthewsceoX: https://x.com/kylematthewsceoLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kylematthewsceo00:00 America as Hope00:39 Meet Payam Zamani02:32 Life and One Planet04:02 Buyerlink Explained06:30 Growing Up in Iran08:38 Persecution and Survival14:57 Decision to Escape16:26 Smuggled Through the Desert19:56 U.S. Embassy Breakthrough22:42 Landing in America27:56 Starting Over in California30:03 First Tech Venture32:23 Dot-Com IPO Reality Check36:25 Crash, Divorce, and Faith38:57 Work-Life Balance42:17 Spiritual Capitalism Begins43:13 Greed Versus Community43:47 Spiritual Capitalism45:09 One Planet Breakthrough47:04 Unicorn Doubts48:43 Writing Crossing the Desert52:24 Memoir Truths Revealed57:49 Inspirato Turnaround Playbook01:04:20 Rapid Fire Reflections01:07:26 Youth, Screens, and Faith01:13:35 Closing and Daughter's Music