The Founder Playbook: How Michael Rubin Built Fanatics by Betting on Obsession
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How did Michael Rubin start his entrepreneurial journey?
Welcome to the Aspire podcast with me, Emma Green. If you're serious about doing something big, today's episode is so for you. Whether you're launching a brand or scaling a company or just dreaming about your first move, my guest today is someone who's done all of it over and over again. He's not just a founder, but he's a builder, a visionary and a complete master of culture and one of the most relentless entrepreneurs that I know. We also happen to be in business together on my new sports apparel brand with Kristi Juszczyk off-season. I'm talking about the one and only Michael Rubin. Michael started his first business at just eight years old. And since then, he's built and sold companies worth billions of dollars. He's now the founder and CEO of Fanatics, who are a global digital sports platform valued at over $25 billion. What makes Michael different is his ability to spot opportunity where others don't, to move fast and to build with precision at massive scale. Welcome to the show, Michael.
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I am so happy to have you on the Aspire podcast. I cannot tell you how happy I am when I text you the immediate, unsurprising, but immediate yes that came back, just like made me die, like totally die.
Well, first of all, I'm honored to be here with you. Number one. Number two, you get the fastest yes of anybody because I have so much respect for you. You're a beast and I like to learn from you. So I'm looking forward to having fun today.
What is the secret to Michael Rubin's success?
Honestly, what I really want to get out of today, and I think that so many of the people that will be listening just want to understand how you've been successful. And what I love about you is that you talk like no BS. You're extremely truthful, extremely transparent. And I think in this time where it feels like people are so careful and so deliberate about what they say, it's really refreshing to hear from someone like you.
Well, you know, first of all, I think authenticity is so important. I think you have to be yourself. And I think I couldn't be anything other than that because people would see through it and say he's full of shit. So, you know, for me, it's just like always telling you what I think, how I feel, being real about it. I think people then trust you and a lot of good things happen.
No, that's true. And what's really interesting is how that extends to your customers as well. I think that what you do feels so authentic to you, but I want to kind of get into a bit of your origin story and understand it, you know, because, and I'm sure you've told this so many times. I don't want to belabor the point, but I do want to understand a little bit. You grew up in Philadelphia. It feels like you were just a born hustler, but you have been in business for a very long time. And since you were a kid, essentially.
Yeah, look, I really believe people gravitate to what they do best at. And I think a lot of people think I'm being self-deprecating when I say like, I really was an awful student. Like I had every learning disability you could possibly have. My mom was a psychiatrist, dad was a veterinarian. So they were like, used to like sophisticated, smart people. And I just came out of the womb different. So- Um, I really struggled in school. Um, always, you know, couldn't speak well, couldn't read well, you know, struggle with my grades. And so for that reason, I hated school. Like I hate, I didn't dislike it. I hated it. And by the way, as bad as students, I was, I was a pretty shitty athlete too. Like I just, you know, I didn't have good hand-eye coordination. I just wasn't what I was good at.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
How did Michael Rubin start his entrepreneurial journey?
0:09–2:10
2
What is the secret to Michael Rubin's success?
2:10–4:25
3
How does Michael Rubin view authenticity in business?
4:25–9:00
4
What does it mean to have a startup mentality?
9:00–13:33
5
How does Michael Rubin approach competition?
13:33–15:45
6
What leadership qualities are essential for success?
15:45–18:47
7
How does Michael Rubin handle failure?
18:47–23:57
8
What is the impact of mission-driven companies?
23:57–1:12:58
Speakers
3 identifiedMore from Aspire with Emma Grede
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