School of Hard Knocks Podcast

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 critical technology. In this episode, Mike breaks down his journey from poverty and military service to entre...

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 at Samsung, Twitch, Meta, and Snapchat before returning to entrepreneurship. He breaks down building AI...

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, entertainment, and digital games. In this episode, Ronnen breaks down the early Kmart deal, passing on Beyblade, bui...

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 windows, and acquiring CNN Airport during the pandemic. Lynnwood shares his philosophy on serving customers...

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 internet bubble, the 2008 financial crisis, Covid, and today’s AI-driven market boom. In this episode, P...

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 brand doing $23 million in weekly net sales. In this episode, Greg breaks down the early days of selling...

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 the brand’s culture, and refused franchising or private equity to preserve quality. We discuss leadershi...

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 portfolio worth over $1 billion. In this episode, Andy shares the early years of struggle, the mindset beh...

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 into a major operation. In this episode, Eric breaks down addiction, entrepreneurship, building a sella...

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 behind the artificial intelligence boom. After dropping out of college through the Thiel Fellowship, she...

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 nine figures. In this episode, he shares his journey from growing up in India and studying in Michigan to...

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 shares his 9-step framework for building a billion-pound company, insights on bootstrapping vs. raising c...

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 from nothing. He breaks down why traditional education fails, why purpose matters more than money, and...

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 for growth, and navigating the realities of scaling a business as a married couple. This episode explo...

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 conversation explores network effects, founder psychology, venture capital decision-making, and how young inve...

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 hiring. In this episode, he shares lessons on scaling to 10,000 employees, hiring elite talent, navigating...

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 brand that reached hundreds of thousands of retail stores. Croak also breaks down lessons on entrepren...

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, Ben shares how culture, faith, and people-first leadership transformed his company into a powerhouse wit...

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 closes without over explaining. She also shares the personal adversity that shaped her obsession with com...

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 share fast. He also explains why service is a competitive weapon, why “money loves speed,” and how leaders...

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 win in sales. He also shares his faith-based framework for decision-making, mentorship, and building a...

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 as opportunity changed the trajectory of his career. We also cover what actually saves companies in fre...

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 cover what real buyers look for, why cheap deals are not worth the pain, how to deleverage the founder...

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 how to think about rejection as a skill—not a personality trait. We also cover what private equity looks...

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 purpose driven capitalism can create both impact and scale. Daniel shares how embracing setbacks shape...