School of Hard Knocks Podcast

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Jun 2026

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Feauturing the Worlds Top Entrepreneurs and Creators Brought to you by The School of Hard Knocks Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

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60 recent

June 12, 202655 min

Lynnwood Bibbens | He Sold Cutco Knives In College… Then Built A $2 Billion Empire

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, building real relationships, finding hidden value in ecosystems, and why distribution is more powerful than content alone.Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

June 6, 20261 hr 7 min

Peter Tuchman | He Survived Every Stock Market Crash… Now He Trades $1 Billion/Day

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, Peter shares lessons on market crashes, greed, disciplined investing, retail traders, wealth building, and what it really takes to survive on Wall Street.Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

May 30, 202659 min

Greg LaVecchia | He Had a 2.5 GPA… Now He’s Got a $1 Billion Brand

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 fitness products, building with his wife, betting $1 million on Target distribution, influencer marketing, retail strategy, product failures, fatherhood, and the pressure of scaling a brand built from scratch.Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

May 21, 20261 hr 4 min

Patrick Terry | It’s Never Too Late… He Started At 47 And Beat McDonald’s Out

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 leadership, employee loyalty, pricing with fairness, building customer love, and why showing up every day is still the ultimate business advantage.Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

May 13, 20261 hr 8 min

Andy Frisella | He Made $58K In 10 Years… Now His Portfolio Is Worth $1B

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 behind discipline, how 75 Hard was created, why customer experience changed his business, and what it takes to build culture, standards, and long-term enterprise value.Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

May 7, 20261 hr 0 min

Eric Spofford | He Was Addicted To Drugs... Now He's Sold A $115 Million Company

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 sellable company, private equity, hiring elite teams, relationship building, wealth after exit, and the mindset required to survive the hardest seasons in business.Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

May 1, 202641 min

Lucy Guo | How She Became The World's Youngest Self Made Woman Billionaire

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 helped build Scale AI into a company valued around $26 billion.In this episode, Lucy shares how she handled family pressure, why she believes founders must pivot quickly, how Scale AI found product-market fit, and what young entrepreneurs need to understand about AI, talent, risk, and proximity.Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

April 23, 202646 min

RJ Jain | He Left India, Sold a Startup to Google, Now He’s Building a $200M Company

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 building and exiting a company, then starting again as a solo founder. He breaks down the reality of startup risk, fundraising, distribution, consumer tech, and how AI is changing execution. This conversation is a sharp look at resilience, ambition, and what it takes to build at scale.Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

April 15, 202633 min

Richard Harpin | He Was $10K From Bankruptcy… Then Built a $4B Company

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 capital, and why copying proven ideas beats chasing originality.A masterclass in scaling, resilience, and strategic execution.Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

April 8, 20261 hr 11 min

Simon Squibb | He Was Homeless at 15… Now He’s Worth Hundreds of Millions

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 what it really takes to succeed. This is a conversation about ownership, resilience, and creating your own path.Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.