TOM LIBELT: America’s former Polish hip hop sensation, record label owner, now an SEO magnate in Thailand, on decline of US & rise of Asia. He recalls his escape from Communist Poland at age 11.

Tom Libelt, 40, is an avowed and successful free enterprise businessman, describing himself without apology as a capitalist. This former hip hop sensation has led a charmed life from a young age, escaping as an 11-year-old with his family from his native Poland during the waning days of the Communist regime. Libelt eventually found himself in New York where he would take the hip hop scene by storm in the city's large Polish community. He released two albums with five hits on top ten Polish radio.  Libelt, who now runs Smart Brand Marketing as well as online course marketing, out of Chiang Mai, Thailand, learned from a young age how to sell and negotiate business by getting haggled by Russian vendors back in Europe. He says after his family fled Poland for the US to escape the terrible grip of communism, his parents took any job they could to survive. Seeing this as a young man motivated him to never want a job, and to keep moving forward as an entrepreneur, publisher, salesman and creative artist. In this episode, Libelt recalls his own success from humble beginnings, explains why he started a business in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and he offers his assessment of America on the global stage. The US, he says, is under siege, battling to reverse an economic and broader decline with the rise of Asia.  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/john-aidan-byrne0/support