How They Built a $745M Company Together and Stay Married
Stop making million dollar decisions alone. Hampton gives you a personal board of eight vetted founders in your city who meet monthly to tackle your hardest problems. Find your group: https://joinhampton.com/Kass and Mike Lazerow built two companies together, sold one for $25M… and the next for $745M. Along the way, they went bankrupt, survived dot-com busts and Facebook booms, and figured out how to build a business without destroying their marriage. Here’s what we talk about:What it’s actually like to sell your company for $745 millionThe early Golf.com bankruptcy scare, and how Tiger Woods saved the businessWhy their co-founder relationship works (and where it almost blew up entirely)Mixing work and love: the brutal fights, trust, and one-liners from the delivery roomFull breakdown of their first splurge, and what “enough” money really meansRaising $50M without meaning to sell, and getting a surprise offer from SalesforceThe $12M flop that reminded Mike why Kass is the only co-founder he needsCo-founder red flags, communication rules, and how they manage disagreementsLiving rich vs. feeling rich: the moment they finally felt secureCool Links:Hampton https://www.joinhampton.com/Lower Street https://www.lowerstreet.co/Kass and Mike https://kassandmike.com/ Kass and Mike's book: Shoveling $h!t: A Love Story https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shoveling-Story-about-Entrepreneurs-Success/dp/B0DY21NS7W Sponsors:The modern way to run your business phone is https://www.quo.com/perks/moneywiseAchieve your dream body with https://www.dailybodycoach.com/moneywiseProtect your upside and get your time back at https://www.cressetcapital.com/moneywiseChapters:(1:26) The $745M Buddy Media exit(4:29) What people get wrong about working with a spouse(6:22) How Kass and Mike met(8:44) The Golf.com story(15:33) Managing team dynamics as married co-founders(23:17) Handling finances as a married couple(28:18) What they did with the money after the exit(32:33) Lessons learned and what they'd do differently(36:58) Closing thoughts on finding the right co-founderThis podcast is a ridiculous concept: high-net-worth people reveal their personal finances. Inspired by real conversations happening in the Hampton community.Your Host: Harry MortonFounder of Lower Street, a podcast production company helping brands launch and grow top-tier podcasts.Co-parents a cow named Eliza.
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I Sold My Company for $22M. Here’s Why I Bought It Back.
Thinking about selling your company? 24 founders told us what really happens after the wire hits. — http://www.joinhampton.com/exit-reportJaclyn Johnson sold Create & Cultivate for $22 million. Then she hit pause – burned out, got divorced, and took a year off to figure out what she actually wanted. Now? She’s back, running the same company she sold, after buying it back for less.Here’s what we talk about:Flipping real estate, investing in 25 startups, and turning $10K into $1.2MSpending $17K/month on rent – and not caringThe number where she actually felt rich: $4–5M liquidHer full wealth breakdown: real estate, stocks, startups, and “a little” cryptoWhy angel investing works for her, and the returns that keep her goingHow burnout and divorce forced her to take a full year offWhat it’s like buying back the company you sold – for lessWhy she’ll never run day-to-day again (and how operators changed everything)Female founder scrutiny, and why being the face of the brand gets brutalWhy she’s done chasing status, and how FOMO just disappearedCool Links:Hampton https://www.joinhampton.com/Lower Street https://www.lowerstreet.co/Jaclyn Johnson https://jaclynrjohnson.com/ Sponsors:Get US caliber talent at offshore prices with https://www.oceanstalent.com/Achieve your dream body with https://www.dailybodycoach.com/moneywiseProtect your upside and get your time back at https://www.cressetcapital.com/moneywiseChapters:(0:25) How Jacqueline Johnson built and sold businesses for millions(1:43) The three kinds of success every founder chases(7:04) What it actually feels like to have $15M in the bank(15:29) How Create & Cultivate became a brand women rally behind(18:37) The double standard: What it’s really like being a female CEO(23:18) The moments that made Jacqueline feel like she’d “made it”(25:37) What happens after you stop chasing FOMO(29:38) The money mistakes founders make after a big exit(32:04) What Jacqueline wishes every founder knew before sellingThis podcast is a ridiculous concept: high-net-worth people reveal their personal finances. Inspired by real conversations happening in the Hampton community.Your Host: Harry MortonFounder of Lower Street, a podcast production company helping brands launch and grow top-tier podcasts.Co-parents a cow named Eliza.
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I Chose Fun Over Profit…. And I Regret It
Thinking about selling your company? 24 founders told us what really happens after the wire hits. — https://www.joinhampton.com/exit-reportJordan Schlipf spent a decade building companies optimized for fun, freedom, and friendships. But with years of hindsight, he wonders if he left too much money on the table.Here’s what we talk about:Why Jordan left a lucrative investment banking path to chase startupsHow the Rainmaking model let him share risk (and reward) with fellow foundersThe downside of passion-led business: no investment thesis, millions wastedWhy he believes he could’ve made way more money doing less exciting workWhat he thinks about his $4M liquid net worth — and why it doesn’t feel like enoughThe moment he realized private equity is a better game than startupsHow he’s now trying to turn around a $10M beauty business without raising capitalWhat it really costs to live well in London as a founder with a familyWhy he regrets chasing the “cool” startup dream instead of playing it safeWhat true wealth means to him today: help, time, and optionalityCool Links:Hampton https://www.joinhampton.com/Lower Street https://www.lowerstreet.co/Jordan Schlipf https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-schlipf-0b855174Sponsors:Tam your taxes today at https://olarry.com/Achieve your dream body with https://www.dailybodycoach.com/moneywiseProtect your upside and get your time back at https://www.cressetcapital.com/moneywiseChapters:(0:49) Breaking Down the Rainmaking Model(2:08) Jordan’s Pivot from Investment Banking to Startups(4:15) Why He Couldn’t Stay Away from Startups(5:43) The Origins & Vision Behind Rainmaking(8:48) Biggest Challenges in the Rainmaking Model(10:57) Costly Mistakes & Lessons Learned Along the Way(13:00) Why Jordan Stepped Away from VC(17:05) Taking Over as CEO of a Beauty Brand(18:23) Jordan’s Current Finances & Where He Stands Today(20:23) Lifestyle Adjustments & Financial Struggles(24:32) Life Before Family vs. Life After(29:04) What He Wishes He’d Done DifferentlyThis podcast is a ridiculous concept: high-net-worth people reveal their personal finances. Inspired by real conversations happening in the Hampton community.Your Host: Harry MortonFounder of Lower Street, a podcast production company helping brands launch and grow top-tier podcasts.Co-parents a cow named Eliza.
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$12 Million Exit... Did He Just Get Lucky?
Thinking about selling your company? 24 founders told us what really happens after the wire hits. — https://joinhampton.com/exit-reportDonald Spann built a multi-million dollar call center from scratch — with no outside capital, no technical background, and no safety net. Even crazier? He sold it for $12M to the first person who ever signed up.Here’s what we talk about:Dropping out of college because he knew he’d never work for anyone elseBuilding a cleaning business off a Reddit thread… then using it to launch something way biggerAccidentally going viral and getting 65,000 applications on a mom blog Why he’s never raised a dollar of capital — and never plans toHis $12M exit from a bootstrapped call center (and how the buyer was his first-ever customer)Breaking down his finances: no real estate, no advisor, just stocks and angel betsGrowing up Black in a private school bubble and how that shaped everythingLiving on $10K/month in Mexico and self-funding a new mezcal brandCool Links:Hampton https://www.joinhampton.com/Lower Street https://www.lowerstreet.co/Sponsors:Tam your taxes today at https://olarry.com/Achieve your dream body with https://www.dailybodycoach.com/moneywiseProtect your upside and get your time back at https://www.cressetcapital.com/moneywiseChapters:(1:26) Donald’s Net Worth & Current Ventures(3:57) Early Life, Education, and First Lessons(7:40) First Businesses & Getting Into Y Combinator(10:49) Building and Selling the Cleaning Business(14:02) The Successful Exit of Vicki Virtual(18:54) Personality, Confidence, and Entrepreneurial Edge(22:41) Meritocracy, Hard Work, and the Role of Luck(25:40) Reflections on Success & Personal Growth(29:02) Race, Identity, and the Entrepreneurial JourneyThis podcast is a ridiculous concept: high-net-worth people reveal their personal finances. Inspired by real conversations happening in the Hampton community.Your Host: Harry MortonFounder of Lower Street, a podcast production company helping brands launch and grow top-tier podcasts.Co-parents a cow named Eliza.
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Rajiv Khaneja Made Millions Young, Then Refused to Upgrade His Lifestyle
Thinking about selling your company? 24 founders told us what really happens after the wire hits. — joinhampton.com/exit-reportRajiv Khaneja made tens of millions running an ad tech company, but still lives in the same city he grew up in, wears the same clothes, and told friends he rented his house—even though he owned it. Here’s why.Here’s what we talk about:How Rajiv built a profitable tech business as a teenager (and hired adults while still in high school)Turning down a $2.5M acquisition offer... then heading back to chemistry classWhat 25 years of “anti-lifestyle inflation” looks likeThe impact of immigrant parents and a “worst-case-scenario” money mindsetWhy he lived undercover for years, and how finding a peer group unlocked everythingHow he built AdButler into an 8-figure, bootstrapped businessRajiv’s idea of a lifestyle upgrade: attentional freedom > private jetsHappiness optimization: spending $7M on a home to be closer to friends His new obsession: using AI to help cure cancerCo-founding Arvita Therapeutics — and why he’s still building, even with $50M+ in net worthSponsors:Achieve your dream body with https://www.dailybodycoach.com/moneywiseProtect your upside and get your time back at https://www.cressetcapital.com/moneywiseCool Links:Hampton https://www.joinhampton.com/Lower Street https://www.lowerstreet.co/AdButler https://www.adbutler.com/index.htmlArvita Therapeutics https://www.arvita.co/Chapters:(0:00) Teen Millionaire: How Rajiv Made His First Money(0:45) Living Cheap on Purpose: Why He Drives a Prius(1:59) Managing Wealth & Long-Term Investing Strategy(3:36) Monthly Spending Breakdown & Frugal Habits(9:02) The Origin Story: From Web Polls to Ad Butler(19:16) Family, Upbringing & Money Values(24:49) Social Life, Hiding Wealth & Finding Founder Friends(31:56) Resisting Lifestyle Upgrades After a Big Exit(35:40) Choosing the Right Life & Business Partner(41:29) Future Bets: Biotech, Longevity & Playing the Long GameThis podcast is a ridiculous concept: high-net-worth people reveal their personal finances. Inspired by real conversations happening in the Hampton community.Your Host: Harry MortonFounder of Lower Street, a podcast production company helping brands launch and grow top-tier podcasts.Co-parents a cow named Eliza.
This is Moneywise, a podcast where hosts Sam Parr and Harry Morton are joined by high-net-worth guests to explore exclusive insights into personal finance and lifestyle tailored for other high-net-worth people, or those on their way. They'll get radically transparent about the numbers, revealing things like their burn rates, portfolios, and spending habits. This podcast was made for the Hampton community, a private, highly-vetted, peer membership community for founders and CEOs of fast-growing, tech-enabled startups. Check it out at https://joinhampton.com/.
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