PODCAST · business
School of Hard Knocks Podcast
by The School of Hard Knocks
Feauturing the Worlds Top Entrepreneurs and CreatorsBrought to you by The School of Hard KnocksHosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.
Episodes
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Eddie Maalouf | He Couldn’t Give Marketing Away For Free… Now His Agency Makes $18 Million/Year
Eddie Maalouf is the founder and CEO of BAD Marketing, an agency generating roughly $18 million annually, and an entrepreneur behind multiple businesses including Scoville Hot Chicken. Before building his agency, Eddie became the top sales rep by volume at Lifetime Fitness and later helped…
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Jhalesa Seymour | She Started With $67… Now Her Soap Company Makes $20 Million/Year
Get the all-in-one business tool millionaires use to run and grow their companies. Start your free 30-day trial 👉: https://www.gohighlevel.com/schoolofhardknocks/?fp_ref=the-school-of-hard-knocks-llc20 Jhalesa Seymour is the founder of Salt.XO, an eight-figure feminine hygiene brand generating...
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Mike Wystrach | He Had $15 Left… 10 Years Later He Sold His Company For $1.5 Billion
Mike Wystrach is the founder of Freshly, the prepared-meal company acquired by Nestlé in 2020 in a deal valued at $1.5 billion. Before Freshly, Mike experienced business failure, lost his home, faced a $1 million judgment, and at 35 had just $15 in his bank account. In this episode, he explains…
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Jamie Salter | How He Built a $40B Brand Empire With Reebok, Champion & Forever 21
Try Emergent for free: https://app.emergent.sh/?utm_shift=redirect&via=theschoolofhardknockspodcast Jamie Salter is the founder and chairman of Authentic Brands Group, the global brand platform behind Reebok, Champion, Forever 21, Quiksilver and partnerships with names like Shaquille O’Neal…
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George Heaton | How He Built Represent Into a $140M/Year Fashion Brand
George Heaton is the co-founder of Represent, the British fashion brand that has grown from a bedroom operation into a global business generating roughly $140 million in annual revenue. In this episode, George shares how he and his brother built the company from the ground up, navigated a...
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David Royce | From Door to Door Sales to 5 Companies Sold for Over $1 Billion
David Royce is an entrepreneur and sales leader who built and sold five pest control companies for more than $1 billion in combined value. Starting as a broke college student in door-to-door sales, he went on to create high-performance sales organizations, scalable operating systems, and...
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Blake Johnson | He Had $7,000 Left… Then Sold His Companies for $1.1 Billion
Blake Johnson is a serial entrepreneur who has founded and sold five companies, including a $97 million exit and the sale of Byte for more than $1 billion. After nearly losing his first business during the 2008 financial crisis, he developed a disciplined framework for bootstrapping, scaling and...
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Dr. Jason Wersland | How a Terrible Motorcycle Accident Led to the Invention of Theragun
Dr. Jason Wersland is the inventor of the Theragun and the founder of Therabody, the global wellness company that transformed percussive therapy and recovery. After a serious motorcycle accident left him in extreme pain, Jason created the first Theragun prototype from a modified power tool and...
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David Stout | He Started With a $400 Loan… Now His AI Company Is Worth $2.5 Billion
David Stout is the founder of WebAI, an artificial intelligence company publicly valued at $2.5 billion. After growing up on a Michigan ranch, he launched a web services company in college that generated more than $750,000 annually before leaving school to pursue AI. In this episode, David…
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Mike Sherbakov | He Came To America With Nothing… Now He Funds $1 Billion Companies
Mike Sherbakov is a Russian-born immigrant, Marine Corps veteran, entrepreneur, angel investor, and co-founder of The Veteran Fund. After building and selling companies, Mike moved into venture capital and now helps back veteran-led startups across defense, AI, space, energy, robotics, and…
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John Imah | He Sold 2 Tech Companies At 16… Now His AI Company Is Worth $1.5 Billion
John Imah is the founder of SpreeAI, a fashion technology company valued at $1.5 billion, and the youngest millionaire in School of Hard Knocks history after selling two tech companies before age 16. In this episode, John shares his journey from growing up poor in an immigrant family to working…
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Ronnen Harary | Meet The Billionaire Toymaker Who Turned 5,000 Toys Into $2 Billion
Ronnen Harary is the co-founder of Spin Master, the global toy and entertainment company behind Paw Patrol, Bakugan, Air Hogs, Rubik’s Cube, and more. Starting with a handmade product called Earth Buddies, he helped build the company into a multi-billion-dollar business across toys…
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Lynnwood Bibbens | He Sold Cutco Knives In College… Then Built A $2 Billion Empire
Lynnwood Bibbens is the founder of ReachTV and an entrepreneur who has built billions of dollars in business across tech, media, retail, film finance, and distribution. In this episode, he breaks down how he went from selling knives in college to building major companies, creating new rights...
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Peter Tuchman | He Survived Every Stock Market Crash… Now He Trades $1 Billion/Day
Peter Tuchman, known globally as the “Einstein of Wall Street,” is the longest-standing trader on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange and one of the most recognizable figures in finance. After starting as a $47-a-week runner in 1985, he built a decades-long career through Black Monday, the...
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Greg LaVecchia | He Had a 2.5 GPA… Now He’s Got a $1 Billion Brand
Greg La Vecchia is the founder of Bloom, one of America’s fastest-growing supplement and energy drink brands, now sold across 70,000 retail doors. After bootstrapping the company to $180 million with no investors, mentors, or traditional playbook, Greg helped turn Bloom into a category-defining...
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Patrick Terry | It’s Never Too Late… He Started At 47 And Beat McDonald’s Out
Patrick Terry is the co-founder of P. Terry’s, the Texas burger brand that grew from a 527-square-foot Austin stand into 38 locations and 1,800 employees. In this episode, Patrick shares how he built the company with his wife Kathy, competed directly against national fast food giants, protected…
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Andy Frisella | He Made $58K In 10 Years… Now His Portfolio Is Worth $1B
Andy Frisella is the founder of 1st Phorm, creator of 75 Hard, and one of the most influential entrepreneurs in the fitness and personal development space. After making only $58,380 total across his first ten years in business, he built a vertically integrated supplement empire and a personal...
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Eric Spofford | He Was Addicted To Drugs... Now He's Sold A $115 Million Company
Eric Spofford is an entrepreneur, investor, and founder who overcame heroin addiction before building and selling his treatment business for $115 million. After dropping out of high school at 15 and getting sober with almost nothing, he launched his state’s first sober living house and scaled it...
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Lucy Guo | How She Became The World's Youngest Self Made Woman Billionaire
Go try Agent Opus and start making your own videos today! Get 600 free credits using our link: https://agent.opus.pro/home?special_credit=SOHK Lucy Guo is the youngest self-made female billionaire in the world and the co-founder of Scale AI, one of the most important infrastructure companies…
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RJ Jain | He Left India, Sold a Startup to Google, Now He’s Building a $200M Company
Go try Agent Opus and start making your own videos today! Get 600 free credits using our link: https://agent.opus.pro/home?special_credit=SOHK RJ Jain is the founder of Price.com, an AI-powered shopping platform valued at around $200 million, and previously sold his last startup to Google for…
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Richard Harpin | He Was $10K From Bankruptcy… Then Built a $4B Company
Richard built HomeServe into a £4.1 billion global company operating in 10 countries, starting with just £50,000 and multiple early failures. In this episode, he breaks down the near-collapse moments, the pivot that changed everything, and the exact business model that scaled globally. He also...
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Simon Squibb | He Was Homeless at 15… Now He’s Worth Hundreds of Millions
Simon Squibb is a self-made entrepreneur worth hundreds of millions who has invested in over 80 companies. After becoming homeless at 15, he built his first business with just £200 and no formal education in business. In this episode, he shares the raw truth about failure, survival, and building...
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Poppi Founders | How They Built Poppi Into A $500 Million A Year Soda Company In 4 Years (Then Sold For $2 Billion)
Alison and Stephen Ellsworth, founders of Poppi, share how they went from early-stage struggles and personal health challenges to building and exiting a $2 billion beverage company. They discuss risking financial stability, validating their product through real customers, leveraging viral content...
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Bill Gurley | Legendary Investor on Missing Google, Backing Uber, and What Makes Billion-Dollar Founders
Bill Gurley, legendary venture capitalist and early investor in Uber and Zillow, shares the principles behind identifying billion-dollar companies. He reflects on missing the Google opportunity, lessons from evaluating thousands of founders, and why execution consistently beats ideas. The...
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John Caudwell | The British Billionaire Who Lost Everything… Then Built a $2B Empire
John Caudwell, founder of Phones 4u, built a billion-pound empire from scratch and exited for £1.5 billion after two decades of relentless growth. Starting with monthly losses and facing near collapse after losing 95% of his supply, he rebuilt through sharp commercial instincts and strategic...
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Robert Croak | How the Sillybandz Founder Built a $100M Global Brand and Kept His Millions
Robert Croak is the founder of Sillybandz, the global toy brand that exploded into one of the biggest product crazes of the 2010s, selling billions of units worldwide. In this episode he shares the story behind discovering the idea in China, scaling from 17 to over 3,000 employees, and building a...
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Ben Pogue | He Took Over His Dad’s Company at 29… Now He Owns a $20M Private Jet
Ben Pogue is the CEO of one of America’s fastest growing construction companies, generating over $1.5 billion in annual revenue. After unexpectedly taking over the business at age 29, he navigated personal hardship, public industry controversy, and massive leadership pressure. In this episode…
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Forbes Riley | From Actress to the Pitch Queen, $2.5B in Sales, Media, and Modern Selling
Forbes Riley is the “Pitch Queen,” known for selling over $2.5B in products across TV, infomercials, and live demonstrations, including 64,000 units in 24 hours and $1.2M in a day. In this episode, she breaks down the pitch structure that creates instant desire, third-party proof, urgency, and...
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Vick Tipnes | From $78 in His Bank Account to Owning a Private Jet
Vic Tipnes is a healthcare entrepreneur who built a dominant sleep testing company after starting with almost nothing. In this episode, he breaks down the low point of having $78 in his account, the long grind before the breakthrough, and the aggressive deal-making that helped him take market…
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Myron Golden | You’re 60 Minutes Away From NEVER Being Broke Again!
Myron Golden is a renowned business consultant and sales strategist known for turning content into cash flow through offers, authority, and value-based selling. In this episode, he breaks down why income follows value—not effort—why “time is money” is a trap, and how to use the law of averages to...
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Jim Keyes | Former CEO of 7-Eleven and Blockbuster on What Always Happens Before a Company Crash and How He Ran Multi Billion Dollar Busines
Jim Keyes led some of the most iconic companies in the world, including serving as CEO of 7 Eleven during one of the most volatile periods in its history. He breaks down how growing up dirt poor shaped his leadership edge, why 7 Eleven’s bankruptcy nearly ended the company, and how seeing crisis…
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Vic Keller | Sold 9 Companies Including 3 to Berkshire Hathaway on Building Durable Businesses, Partnerships, and Wealth
Vic Keller founded 17 companies and exited 9 of them, including three sales to Berkshire Hathaway. He breaks down how growing up blue collar shaped his edge, why getting punched in the mouth early almost killed his first business, and how rebuilding instead of quitting changed everything. We also...
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Kirt Linington | He Came to America With $700… Then Sold for 9 Figures, Started Knocking On Doors At 42 & Made Millions
Kirt Linington is a South Africa–born entrepreneur who came to the U.S. with $700, started door knocking at 42, and sold his roofing company in 2022 for a nine-figure exit. He breaks down how he built $62M in revenue while still working his corporate job, why sales must come before systems, and…
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Daniel Lubetzky | From a $24,000 Salary to Building a $5 Billion Company, The Billionaire Behind KIND
Daniel Lubetzky is the founder of KIND and one of the most influential entrepreneurs in modern consumer brands. In this episode, we break down how he went from a $24,000 salary after Stanford Law School to building a $5 billion company, why long term thinking matters more than early wins, and how...
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Ari Rastegar | How Flipping Burgers Led to a $3,000 Deal That Built a Billion-Dollar Real Estate Empire
Ari Rastegar is a real estate developer and investor behind some of the most ambitious projects reshaping major U.S. cities. In this episode, we break down how starting with just $3,000 turned into a multi-billion-dollar real estate portfolio, why failure became his greatest advantage, and why…
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Dr. De | Biohax CEO on Longevity, Burnout, Hidden Stressors, and Building Health for the Long Term
Dr. De is the CEO of Biohax, a healthcare company focused on optimizing health, performance, and longevity for high performers. In this episode, we break down why burnout is normalized, why modern systems treat symptoms instead of building long-term health, and how hidden stressors quietly drain...
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Dariush Soudhi | How a Violent Home Invasion Forced Him to Start Over From Nothing & Still Made Millions Again
Dariush Soudhi is a serial entrepreneur who built — lost — and rebuilt multiple companies after a violent home invasion led to a heart attack, frozen accounts, and total collapse. Starting over in Dubai with just $750, he rebuilt from zero through door-to-door sales, ruthless self-accountability,...
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Robert Kiyosaki | Rich Dad Poor Dad Author on Smart Debt, Cash Flow, Tax Free Wealth, and Rejecting Traditional Education
In this episode of the School of Hard Knocks, we sit down with Robert Kiyosaki, legendary author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad and real estate investor with over 15,000 rental properties. He shares how he went from Marine helicopter pilot and failed employee to building massive tax-free cash flow and...
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Tommy Mello | From Garage Doors to a $300M/Year Empire, The Billionaire Who Got Rich From A Normal Job
Tommy Mello, founder of A1 Garage Door, scaled his home-service company to more than $300M in annual revenue and over 1,100 employees. His journey spans two decades of failures, rebuilding, systemizing, and mastering leadership. In this episode, he breaks down talent acquisition, firing top...
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Ken McElroy | From Property Manager to $2B Real Estate Mogul, Cash Flow, Tax Strategy and True Freedom
In this episode of the School of Hard Knocks Podcast, we sit down with Ken McEelroy, a real estate investor who manages over $2 billion in assets and runs a 300-person company in just 90 minutes a week. He shares how he went from property manager to owner, using distressed properties, billboards,...
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Butch Hartman | The Untold Story of Nickelodeon’s Most Visionary Creator, How Was Fairly OddParents Show Created & How He Made Millions
Butch Hartman — creator of The Fairly OddParents, Danny Phantom, and more — reveals how he turned rejection into one of the most successful runs in Nickelodeon history. From his early days as an animator to running his own studio, Hartman shares the formula behind hit shows, building creative...
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Neil Patel | Why Followers Don’t Pay the Bills, and How He Built Real Wealth Through Marketing Mastery
Neil Patel became a millionaire at 17, lost it all by 20, and came back to build a 9-figure global marketing company. In this episode, he reveals the hard truths about fame, money, and the business of content — why followers don’t pay the bills, how AI will redefine marketing, and what it really...
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Tony Cuccio | From $200 on Venice Beach to a $2 Billion Global Empire, Reinventing Beauty, Real Estate, and the Meaning of Success
Tony Cuccio is a true American entrepreneur — a kid from Brooklyn who started with just $200 selling beauty products on Venice Beach and built a global empire worth over $2 billion in sales across 90 countries. Known as the man who revolutionized the nail industry, Tony invented gel nails and...
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Kendra Scott | From Single Mom & College Dropout to Billion-Dollar Entrepreneur, Philanthropist, and Fashion Icon
Kendra Scott is a single mom and college dropout who built a billion-dollar brand from her bedroom. With only $500 and a dream, she turned handmade jewelry into one of the most successful fashion empires in America. In this episode, she shares how she went from failure and near bankruptcy to...
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Adley Kinsman | How She Went From Broke Creator to Running One of the Internet’s Biggest Media Machines
Adley Kinsman is one of the most influential creators on the planet, generating over 1.3 billion views every month and proving that virality isn’t luck—it’s a formula. After going bankrupt and starting from scratch, she built an eight-figure media company and became the architect behind some of…
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Greg Perlman | The Real Estate Billionaire Who Built a $2.5B Empire and Chose to Give 75% Of It Away
Greg Perlman is one of America’s most successful and generous real estate investors. Founder of multiple ventures and one of the largest affordable housing portfolios in the U.S., he built a $2.5 billion empire with over 25,000 apartments nationwide. After decades of building wealth through…
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Thomas Healy | World’s Youngest Billionaire on Dropping Out, Raising $700M, and Building an Empire Before 30
Tom Healy is the world’s youngest self-made billionaire — a Carnegie Mellon dropout who raised $700M, took his company public at 28, and even dethroned Kylie Jenner. From building startups in his dorm room to ringing the bell at the New York Stock Exchange, his story is a masterclass in vision,...
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John Morgan | The Billionaire Lawyer Who Took Down Disney & Coca-Cola
John Morgan is one of America’s most feared lawyers—and for good reason. Founder of Morgan & Morgan, the largest personal injury firm in the U.S., he turned a family tragedy into a $2 billion empire. From taking down Disney after his brother’s accident to battling Coca-Cola, Big Pharma, and…
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Brent Franklin | Broke at 26, Sued, And Became a Multi-Millionaire. How To Turn Rock Bottom Into Power And Empires
Brant is a ninth-grade dropout who went from sleeping in a garage and mowing lawns for $23 an hour to risking it all on oil wells, losing millions, getting sued, and still refusing to quit. That same obsession and grit turned his failures into fuel, and today he’s built multi-million-dollar...
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Abdulla Kudrath | Broke Immigrant to Multi-Industry Mogul: How He Built 14 Businesses From Scratch
Abdulla Kudrath went from broke immigrant to empire builder through sheer discipline, radical self-responsibility, and an unshakable mindset. From poverty to launching 14 companies across multiple industries, Abdulla has become a doctor, actor, world traveler, and founder of his own medical...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Feauturing the Worlds Top Entrepreneurs and CreatorsBrought to you by The School of Hard KnocksHosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.
HOSTED BY
The School of Hard Knocks
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does School of Hard Knocks Podcast have?
School of Hard Knocks Podcast currently has 77 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is School of Hard Knocks Podcast about?
Feauturing the Worlds Top Entrepreneurs and CreatorsBrought to you by The School of Hard KnocksHosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.
How often does School of Hard Knocks Podcast release new episodes?
School of Hard Knocks Podcast has 77 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
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You can listen to School of Hard Knocks Podcast on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts School of Hard Knocks Podcast?
School of Hard Knocks Podcast is created and hosted by The School of Hard Knocks.
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