School of Hard Knocks Podcast
Episodes
Richard Harpin | He Was $10K From Bankruptcy… Then Built a $4B Company
15 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Simon Squibb | He Was Homeless at 15… Now He’s Worth Hundreds of Millions
08 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Poppi Founders | How They Built Poppi Into A $500 Million A Year Soda Company In 4 Years (Then Sold For $2 Billion)
02 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Alison and Stephen Ellsworth, founders of Poppi, share how they went from early-stage struggles and personal health challenges to building and exiting...
Bill Gurley | Legendary Investor on Missing Google, Backing Uber, and What Makes Billion-Dollar Founders
26 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Bill Gurley, legendary venture capitalist and early investor in Uber and Zillow, shares the principles behind identifying billion-dollar companies. He...
John Caudwell | The British Billionaire Who Lost Everything… Then Built a $2B Empire
20 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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. St...
Robert Croak | How the Sillybandz Founder Built a $100M Global Brand and Kept His Millions
12 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Ben Pogue | He Took Over His Dad’s Company at 29… Now He Owns a $20M Private Jet
04 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Ben Pogue is the CEO of one of America’s fastest growing construction companies, generating over $1.5 billion in annual revenue. After unexpectedly ...
Forbes Riley | From Actress to the Pitch Queen, $2.5B in Sales, Media, and Modern Selling
25 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Forbes Riley is the “Pitch Queen,” known for selling over $2.5B in products across TV, infomercials, and live demonstrations, including 64,000 uni...
Vick Tipnes | From $78 in His Bank Account to Owning a Private Jet
18 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Vic Tipnes is a healthcare entrepreneur who built a dominant sleep testing company after starting with almost nothing. In this episode, he breaks down...
Myron Golden | You’re 60 Minutes Away From NEVER Being Broke Again!
11 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Myron Golden is a renowned business consultant and sales strategist known for turning content into cash flow through offers, authority, and value-base...
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
06 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 hist...
Vic Keller | Sold 9 Companies Including 3 to Berkshire Hathaway on Building Durable Businesses, Partnerships, and Wealth
29 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Kirt Linington | He Came to America With $700… Then Sold for 9 Figures, Started Knocking On Doors At 42 & Made Millions
23 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Daniel Lubetzky | From a $24,000 Salary to Building a $5 Billion Company, The Billionaire Behind KIND
16 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Ari Rastegar | How Flipping Burgers Led to a $3,000 Deal That Built a Billion-Dollar Real Estate Empire
10 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Dr. De | Biohax CEO on Longevity, Burnout, Hidden Stressors, and Building Health for the Long Term
02 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. De is the CEO of Biohax, a healthcare company focused on optimizing health, performance, and longevity for high performers. In this episode, we br...
Dariush Soudhi | How a Violent Home Invasion Forced Him to Start Over From Nothing & Still Made Millions Again
26 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dariush Soudhi is a serial entrepreneur who built — lost — and rebuilt multiple companies after a violent home invasion led to a heart attack, fro...
Robert Kiyosaki | Rich Dad Poor Dad Author on Smart Debt, Cash Flow, Tax Free Wealth, and Rejecting Traditional Education
17 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 o...
Tommy Mello | From Garage Doors to a $300M/Year Empire, The Billionaire Who Got Rich From A Normal Job
05 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 spa...
Ken McElroy | From Property Manager to $2B Real Estate Mogul, Cash Flow, Tax Strategy and True Freedom
28 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Butch Hartman | The Untold Story of Nickelodeon’s Most Visionary Creator, How Was Fairly OddParents Show Created & How He Made Millions
12 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Butch Hartman — creator of The Fairly OddParents, Danny Phantom, and more — reveals how he turned rejection into one of the most successful runs i...
Neil Patel | Why Followers Don’t Pay the Bills, and How He Built Real Wealth Through Marketing Mastery
05 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Tony Cuccio | From $200 on Venice Beach to a $2 Billion Global Empire, Reinventing Beauty, Real Estate, and the Meaning of Success
31 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 glo...
Kendra Scott | From Single Mom & College Dropout to Billion-Dollar Entrepreneur, Philanthropist, and Fashion Icon
24 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 je...
Adley Kinsman | How She Went From Broke Creator to Running One of the Internet’s Biggest Media Machines
15 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 l...
Greg Perlman | The Real Estate Billionaire Who Built a $2.5B Empire and Chose to Give 75% Of It Away
09 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Greg Perlman is one of America’s most successful and generous real estate investors. Founder of multiple ventures and one of the largest affordable ...
Thomas Healy | World’s Youngest Billionaire on Dropping Out, Raising $700M, and Building an Empire Before 30
02 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 deth...
John Morgan | The Billionaire Lawyer Who Took Down Disney & Coca-Cola
25 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Brent Franklin | Broke at 26, Sued, And Became a Multi-Millionaire. How To Turn Rock Bottom Into Power And Empires
17 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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, ge...
Abdulla Kudrath | Broke Immigrant to Multi-Industry Mogul: How He Built 14 Businesses From Scratch
11 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Abdulla Kudrath went from broke immigrant to empire builder through sheer discipline, radical self-responsibility, and an unshakable mindset. From pov...
Joshua Crisp | $11.3M in a Day Without Finishing High School
08 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Joshua Crisp went from sleeping on an air mattress in his family’s one-bedroom apartment, working for $7.25 an hour, and eating ramen every day to m...
Anne Mahlum | $110M Founder on Betting It All, Turning Trauma Into Power, and Building Solidcore from Scratch
30 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Anne Mahlum risked it all. Her last $175,000, no investors, no backup plan, just pure belief. Before Solidcore, she was broke, alone, and leading a no...
John Devaney | He Lost $200 Million in 2008...Then Made It All Back
21 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
He was poor, went broke, and still made $90K on his first deal. By 28, John Devaney bought a brokerage firm and turned it into a money-printing machin...
Alli Webb | Drybar Founder Who Started From $0 and Sold for $255M on Reinvention, Grit, and Building a Beauty Empire
11 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alli Webb is one of the most unexpected and badass entrepreneurs in the beauty world. What started as a side hustle blowdrying hair for cheap quickly ...
Eric Adams | Beaten by Cops as a Kid, Now Mayor of NYC - On Using Pain as Fuel to Rise, Lead, and Rewrite the Rules
04 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Eric Adams was beaten by police as a child so badly he peed blood for days. He grew up in fear of eviction, struggled with dyslexia, and felt invisibl...
Hugo Sanchez | Latino Entrepreneur on Making $250K/Month Washing T-Shirts, Getting Rejected, and Overcoming Success
27 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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Khalil Rafati | From a Homeless Crackhead.. To a Multi-Millionaire on Addiction, Hitting Rock Bottom, and Turning Pain Into Purpose
21 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Khalil Rafati is one of the most brutally honest and spiritually grounded entrepreneurs you’ll ever hear from. After surviving heroin addiction, hom...
Edward Connors | He Killed 600 Men in Vietnam & Built Gold's Gym Empire, on Turning Pain into Power and Dreams into Reality
11 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Edward Connors is one of the most powerful and unpredictable figures the fitness world has ever seen. Before reshaping the industry, he fought in the ...
Karlton Dennis | Makes $10M/Year , Pays Nothing in Taxes, and Teaches You How
09 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Karlton Dennis is one of the most strategic and unconventional entrepreneurs you’ll ever hear about. After walking away from a future in professiona...
Edwin Arroyave | From Sleeping with Roaches to $40M: How He Beat the Odds, Found Mentors, and Built an Empire
05 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Edwin Arroyave is one of the most inspiring and resilient entrepreneurs you’ll ever hear about. Growing up in extreme poverty, Edwin slept in a wind...
Todd Johnson | He Lived on Food Stamps… Now He’s Worth $100M
02 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Todd Johnson is one of the most inspiring and unshakable entrepreneurs you’ll ever come across. Raised in deep poverty and surviving off food stamps...
Michael Franzese | He Made $10 Million a Week in the Mafia...Now He's Found Redemption
23 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Michael Franzese is one of the most fascinating and legendary figures to ever walk away from the mob and live to tell the tale. As a former Capo for t...
Dean Graziosi | 9-Figure Entrepreneur & Investor on Overcoming Struggles, Finding Mentors, and Achieving Success
03 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dean Graziosi is a multiple New York Times best-selling author, entrepreneur, and investor. He has started or played a major role in over 14 successfu...
Jeremy Miner | Founder & CEO of 7th Level - How Anyone Can Become Successful in Sales & How to Be a Master Communicator
15 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Jeremy Miner is the Founder and CEO of 7th Level. During his 17yr sales career, he was recognized in the direct selling industry as the #45th highest ...
Ryan Serhant | Luxury Real Estate Mogul & Influencer - How He Became the #1 Luxury Realtor in the World & Essential Keys to Success
25 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ryan Serhant is the Founder and CEO of SERHANT a vertically-integrated mega brokerage comprising an in-house film studio, education arm, marketing div...
Chris Watters | CEO of Watters International Realty - Going From $0 to $10M+/Yr & Doing 9 Figures in Revenue in Real Estate
31 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Chris Watters is the Founder and CEO of Watters International Realty, a real estate company that does over 9 figures a year in revenue. Chris first go...
Todd Nepola | Founder of Current Capital Group - On Building a $100M+ Real Estate Empire & How to Start Investing in Commercial Real Estate
03 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Todd Nepola is the CEO and Founder of Current Capital Group, a commercial real estate investing and property management company. Todd started out as a...
James Keyes | Former CEO of 7-Eleven & Blockbuster - On Truth Behind Blockbuster's Collapse, Operating as a CEO, & Priceless Business Advice
27 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
James Keyes served as the Global President and CEO of 7-Eleven from 2000-2005 as well as Chairman and CEO of Blockbuster from 2007-2011. This podcast ...
Josh "Snow" Elizetxe | Founder & CEO of Snow - On Selling a Company at 17, Building a 9-Figure Brand, and the Skills Needed to Be Successful
22 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Josh Snow is the founder and CEO of one of the fastest growing teeth whitening and oral care brands, Snow. They do over 9 figures a year in revenue an...
Andy Elliott | World's Fastest Growing Sales Trainer - On Sales Training, Discipline, Leadership & Entrepreneurship
15 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Andy Elliott is the founder and CEO of the fastest-growing sales and leadership training company in the world, The Elliott Group. Training over 600,00...
Onyi Odunukwe | Founder, CEO of Glo Tanning - On Building a National Franchise Brand, Entrepreneurship, & How to Delegate
06 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Onyi Odunukwe is a commercial real estate developer and investor as well as the Founder and CEO of a rapidly growing tanning salon company called "Glo...
Paul Hedrick | Founder of Tecovas - How He Left His Corporate Job to Start a 9-Figure Boot Brand
29 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Paul Hedrick is the founder of the famous western boot brand "Tecovas." He takes us all the way back to the early stages of Tecovas, explaining how th...
Justin Waller | Influencer & Serial Entrepreneur - On Business, Moving out of Your Home Town, Dating, and the Power of Focus
22 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Justin Waller is a successful serial entrepreneur and influencer with over 1 Million followers across social media. He often discusses entrepreneurshi...
Renji Bijoy | Founder, CEO of Immersed - The Most Used VR Company in the World
15 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Renji Bijoy is the founder and CEO of the most used virtual reality app on the planet "Immersed". Renji walks us through his tech journey where he cam...