Marc Lore : Why 95% of Success is Just "Shit Work" | E181 episode artwork

EPISODE · Jan 27, 2026 · 52 MIN

Marc Lore : Why 95% of Success is Just "Shit Work" | E181

from In Search Of Excellence · host Randall Kaplan

In this explosive episode of In Search of Excellence, Randall Kaplan sits down with Marc Lore—the billionaire entrepreneur, owner of the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the visionary founder behind Diapers.com (sold to Amazon for $545M) and Jet.com (sold to Walmart for $3.3B).If you think entrepreneurship is glamorous, think again. Marc drops the filter to reveal that "95% of the day is shit work"—boring, repetitive, and unexciting tasks that most people quit on. From hauling thousands of diaper boxes out of Costco in an 18-wheeler because manufacturers wouldn't sell to him , to counting cards in Atlantic City casinos, Marc shares the raw stories of resourcefulness and resilience that defined his path to billions.SUBSCRIBE for more masterclasses with the world's most successful leaders!Key Moments & Timestamps00:00 – Intro: Why entrepreneurship is low probability and "shit work" 01:46 – The Story: Marc’s dad crashing Bruce Springsteen’s house 03:44 – How Marc’s dad "hacked" the job market for programmers 07:44 – Marc’s mom becoming a competitive bodybuilder at age 36 11:31 – The "Farmer Mindset": Creating something from nothing 13:32 – Nature vs. Nurture: Are entrepreneurs born or made? 14:44 – Overcoming bullies and the power of being alone 19:48 – Why "A-students" from top schools often struggle with failure 23:40 – Hiring Strategy: Why Marc is a "Resume Snob" 31:30 – Trading options and derivatives at 12 years old 35:32 – The Fake ID Ring: Deconstructing licenses to beat the system 40:12 – Why manual labor is the best training for CEOs 43:55 – The Diapers.com Hustle: Buying inventory from Costco with an 18-wheeler 45:48 – The "Loss Leader" Strategy: Losing money to win the customer 48:14 – The Human Calculator: Marc proves his insane math skills live 51:51 – Why visionary founders are obsessed with magic About the Guest: Marc LoreMarc Lore is a serial entrepreneur, investor, and owner of the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves. He is one of the few founders to sell a company to Amazon (Diapers.com) and another to Walmart (Jet.com) for multibillion-dollar exits. Known for his "human calculator" math skills and extreme risk tolerance, Marc is currently building the utopian city project Telosa and the food delivery startup Wonder.About the Host: Randall KaplanIf you're ready to change your life and achieve your goals, apply here: https://www.randallkaplan.com/coaching Listen to my Extreme Preparation TEDx Talk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIvlFpoLfgs Listen to this episode on the go!Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/23q0XIC... For more information about this episode, visit https://www.randallkaplan.com/ Follow Randall!Instagram: @randallkaplan LinkedIn:  @randallkaplan TikTok:  @randall_kaplan Twitter / X: https://x.com/RandallKaplanWebsite: https://www.randallkaplan.com/1-on-1 Coaching: https://www.randallkaplan.com/coachingAbout Randall Kaplan: Randall Kaplan is a serial entrepreneur, venture capitalist, executive coach, co-founder of Akamai Technologies, founder and CEO of JUMP Investors, and host of In Search of Excellence. Through his Extreme Preparation™ methodology, he helps founders, executives, business owners, and ambitious professionals improve strategy, communication, decision-making, and execution.Coaching and Staying Connected:1-on-1 Coaching | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok | LinkedIn | X

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In this explosive episode of In Search of Excellence, Randall Kaplan sits down with Marc Lore—the billionaire entrepreneur, owner of the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the visionary founder behind Diapers.com (sold to Amazon for $545M) and Jet.com (sold to Walmart for $3.3B). If you think entrepreneurship is glamorous, think again. Marc drops the filter to reveal that "95% of the day is shit work"—boring, repetitive, and unexciting tasks that most people quit on. From hauling thousands of diape...

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Marc Lore : Why 95% of Success is Just "Shit Work" | E181

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