Josh Luber

And I started working on on campus on the side campus was the sneaker price guide that would become stock X But that never happens if I don't go take the job at IBM if I'm not there as a consultant learning about data You know in the weeds and then on the side, you know trying to find projects and being in the sneakers, you know personally So those things came together my work and my personal passion came together at IBM which led to creating campus which led to stock X and

And I started working on on campus on the side campus was the sneaker price guide that would become stock X But that never happens if I don't go take the job at IBM if I'm not there as a consultant learning about data You know in the weeds and then on the side, you know trying to find projects and being in the sneakers, you know personally So those things came together my work and my personal passion came together at IBM which led to creating campus which led to stock X and

Yeah, first of all, I agree with everything you just said a thousand percent over. That is exactly true. I mean, StockX, I started working with Dan Gilbert and moved to Detroit in the summer of 2015. We launched in February of 2016. I was living paycheck to paycheck until 2019. Wow. So everyone sees the public success of StockX and the business blew up in holidays of 2017.

Yeah, first of all, I agree with everything you just said a thousand percent over. That is exactly true. I mean, StockX, I started working with Dan Gilbert and moved to Detroit in the summer of 2015. We launched in February of 2016. I was living paycheck to paycheck until 2019. Wow. So everyone sees the public success of StockX and the business blew up in holidays of 2017.

So 18 months in, the business blows up and StockX becomes what everyone knows. But internally, VCs are putting money into the company, not into my pocket. And it's still about growing the business and you make those decisions. And it's only truly because of the generosity of the VC community and Dan Gilbert,

So 18 months in, the business blows up and StockX becomes what everyone knows. But internally, VCs are putting money into the company, not into my pocket. And it's still about growing the business and you make those decisions. And it's only truly because of the generosity of the VC community and Dan Gilbert,

people that understand entrepreneurs that you get to a certain point and they say hey we're gonna do this next round but we are gonna carve out 10% of this for the early employees to take money off the table so you can stop living paycheck to paycheck right and you can have a little bit of you know yeah and so you know and that's what you know obviously things have continued to go well and that business has been great but yeah it's it's not even remotely overnight in fact it's it's you know years later that your life changes

people that understand entrepreneurs that you get to a certain point and they say hey we're gonna do this next round but we are gonna carve out 10% of this for the early employees to take money off the table so you can stop living paycheck to paycheck right and you can have a little bit of you know yeah and so you know and that's what you know obviously things have continued to go well and that business has been great but yeah it's it's not even remotely overnight in fact it's it's you know years later that your life changes

Yeah, I mean, look, when I left StockX in the end of 2020, we had 1,400 employees. What? Yeah. And you got to remember, StockX, in addition to the core business, we also had, I think maybe they're up to maybe nine or 10, but at the time, I think we had seven authentication centers around the world. Each of those has a couple hundred employees in it. So- So yeah, it was massive.

Yeah, I mean, look, when I left StockX in the end of 2020, we had 1,400 employees. What? Yeah. And you got to remember, StockX, in addition to the core business, we also had, I think maybe they're up to maybe nine or 10, but at the time, I think we had seven authentication centers around the world. Each of those has a couple hundred employees in it. So- So yeah, it was massive.

And in the beginning there were five of us, we sat right outside of Dan Gilbert's office. And then there were seven and eight and you slowly build and all of a sudden you gotta get a different part of the office, you gotta have your own floor. And you look up one day and the only way to manage that size of a company is in theory, right?

And in the beginning there were five of us, we sat right outside of Dan Gilbert's office. And then there were seven and eight and you slowly build and all of a sudden you gotta get a different part of the office, you gotta have your own floor. And you look up one day and the only way to manage that size of a company is in theory, right?

You can't know everybody, you can't touch everybody, you can't know everybody's job, you have to hire people to run it. And it's just a much different business than, like at GhostRite right now, it's me and 10 other people. And by the way, they're all people I've worked with before, they're all people that I know personally and have worked with many times over.

You can't know everybody, you can't touch everybody, you can't know everybody's job, you have to hire people to run it. And it's just a much different business than, like at GhostRite right now, it's me and 10 other people. And by the way, they're all people I've worked with before, they're all people that I know personally and have worked with many times over.

But at that point, you're learning on the job how to run a large company. And frankly, that's not what I was interested in. I never thought that I would be in that situation. And one day, then you are. Right.

But at that point, you're learning on the job how to run a large company. And frankly, that's not what I was interested in. I never thought that I would be in that situation. And one day, then you are. Right.

What's interesting about being a part of a startup, whether you're a founder or an early employee, everybody takes a haircut. Everybody takes less than what they could go make if they were working at Facebook or IBM or whatever. When I hired, I brought in the guy who would become the CTO at Finax Collectibles and then CTO with me at Ghostrite.

What's interesting about being a part of a startup, whether you're a founder or an early employee, everybody takes a haircut. Everybody takes less than what they could go make if they were working at Facebook or IBM or whatever. When I hired, I brought in the guy who would become the CTO at Finax Collectibles and then CTO with me at Ghostrite.

He had been a startup engineer for a while, and then he left and he was working at Facebook mid-level engineering manager Making 1.2 million dollars a year come on swear to God right and and this is exactly right and so to convince somebody like that to give up that pay to come and work for 80% less yeah

He had been a startup engineer for a while, and then he left and he was working at Facebook mid-level engineering manager Making 1.2 million dollars a year come on swear to God right and and this is exactly right and so to convince somebody like that to give up that pay to come and work for 80% less yeah