School of Hard Knocks Podcast

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Aug 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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September 2, 202638 min

Jhalesa Seymour | She Started With $67… Now Her Soap Company Makes $20 Million/Year

Get the all-in-one business tool millionaires use to run and grow their companies. Start your free 30-day trial 👉: https://www.gohighlevel.com/schoolofhardknocks/?fp_ref=the-school-of-hard-knocks-llc20 Jhalesa Seymour is the founder of Salt.XO, an eight-figure feminine hygiene brand generating more than $20 million annually, with one launch producing $1 million in just 30 minutes. She started the company in college with only $67 and became the first millionaire in her family by age 25. In this episode, Jhalesa shares how she created demand, built trust through organic marketing, survived a devastating 20,000-order fulfillment crisis, scaled with paid advertising, and learned to manage people and money through explosive growth. She also discusses faith, motherhood, competition, building the right circle, and her ambition to turn Salt.XO into a global billion-dollar company. Find Jhalesa Seymour here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jhalesa.xo/ Salt.XO: https://www.instagram.com/salt.xo/ Website: https://www.saltxo.com/ Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

August 26, 202657 min

Mike Wystrach | He Had $15 Left… 10 Years Later He Sold His Company For $1.5 Billion

Mike Wystrach is the founder of Freshly, the prepared-meal company acquired by Nestlé in 2020 in a deal valued at $1.5 billion. Before Freshly, Mike experienced business failure, lost his home, faced a $1 million judgment, and at 35 had just $15 in his bank account. In this episode, he explains how he rebuilt his mindset, scaled Freshly to more than 1 million meals per week, navigated fundraising and hypergrowth, and ultimately decided to sell the business. Mike also shares lessons on entrepreneurship, customer obsession, building great teams, wealth, failure, and what he is building today through Petfolk and Cutting Horse. Find Mike Wystrach here: Website: https://mikewystrach.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikewystrach/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelwystrach/ Check out Mike’s businesses: Petfolk: https://petfolk.com/ Cutting Horse: https://www.cuttinghorse.com/ Listen to The Advantage: https://mikewystrach.com/podcast/ https://mikewystrach.com/newsletter/ Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

August 19, 20261 hr 8 min

Jamie Salter | How He Built a $40B Brand Empire With Reebok, Champion & Forever 21

Try Emergent for free: https://app.emergent.sh/?utm_shift=redirect&via=theschoolofhardknockspodcast Jamie Salter is the founder and chairman of Authentic Brands Group, the global brand platform behind Reebok, Champion, Forever 21, Quiksilver and partnerships with names like Shaquille O’Neal, David Beckham and Kevin Hart. In this episode, Jamie breaks down how he went from a childhood paper route and the snowboard business to building one of the largest brand licensing companies in the world. He shares how Authentic evaluates acquisitions, what gives a struggling brand a “heartbeat,” why global expansion matters, and how licensing can unlock growth without owning every part of the supply chain. Jamie also talks about working alongside his four sons, partnering with major personal brands, the rise of creator-driven commerce, financial discipline, and why organization has been one of the biggest advantages of his career. Follow Jamie Salter: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamiejsalter/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-salter-04a08933/ Learn more about Authentic Brands Group: Website: https://corporate.authentic.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authentic/ Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

August 12, 202641 min

George Heaton | How He Built Represent Into a $140M/Year Fashion Brand

George Heaton is the co-founder of Represent, the British fashion brand that has grown from a bedroom operation into a global business generating roughly $140 million in annual revenue. In this episode, George shares how he and his brother built the company from the ground up, navigated a multimillion-dollar trademark dispute, and scaled from approximately $8M to more than $100M in revenue. He also breaks down product strategy, international expansion, hiring, retail, pricing discipline and the importance of delayed gratification. A practical conversation about building a brand designed to outlive its founders. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

August 5, 202649 min

David Royce | From Door to Door Sales to 5 Companies Sold for Over $1 Billion

David Royce is an entrepreneur and sales leader who built and sold five pest control companies for more than $1 billion in combined value. Starting as a broke college student in door-to-door sales, he went on to create high-performance sales organizations, scalable operating systems, and recurring-revenue businesses across multiple markets. In this episode, David explains his RACK sales system, how he survived early cash-flow crises, why training and culture became his competitive advantage, and why “boring” businesses continue to create extraordinary wealth. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

July 29, 202647 min

Blake Johnson | He Had $7,000 Left… Then Sold His Companies for $1.1 Billion

Blake Johnson is a serial entrepreneur who has founded and sold five companies, including a $97 million exit and the sale of Byte for more than $1 billion. After nearly losing his first business during the 2008 financial crisis, he developed a disciplined framework for bootstrapping, scaling and positioning companies for acquisition. In this episode, Blake explains how he evaluates markets, controls customer acquisition costs, builds high-performing teams and creates businesses that strategic buyers and private equity firms want to acquire. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

July 22, 20261 hr 13 min

Dr. Jason Wersland | How a Terrible Motorcycle Accident Led to the Invention of Theragun

Dr. Jason Wersland is the inventor of the Theragun and the founder of Therabody, the global wellness company that transformed percussive therapy and recovery. After a serious motorcycle accident left him in extreme pain, Jason created the first Theragun prototype from a modified power tool and spent years developing the product while facing financial pressure, family doubt and failed business partnerships. In this episode, he explains how he found the right investor, protected the invention, built an entirely new product category and earned adoption from world-class athletes including Cristiano Ronaldo and Aaron Rodgers. The conversation explores invention, resilience, brand building, strategic partnerships and why consistency, persistence and delusion are often required to build something revolutionary. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

July 15, 20261 hr 7 min

David Stout | He Started With a $400 Loan… Now His AI Company Is Worth $2.5 Billion

David Stout is the founder of WebAI, an artificial intelligence company publicly valued at $2.5 billion. After growing up on a Michigan ranch, he launched a web services company in college that generated more than $750,000 annually before leaving school to pursue AI. In this episode, David explains how a $400 loan, repeated investor rejection, and a relentless focus on on-device intelligence shaped WebAI’s rise. He also discusses AI ownership, data centers, leadership, faith, recruiting elite talent, and the future of specialized artificial intelligence. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

July 6, 20261 hr 23 min

Mike Sherbakov | He Came To America With Nothing… Now He Funds $1 Billion Companies

Mike Sherbakov is a Russian-born immigrant, Marine Corps veteran, entrepreneur, angel investor, and co-founder of The Veteran Fund. After building and selling companies, Mike moved into venture capital and now helps back veteran-led startups across defense, AI, space, energy, robotics, and critical technology. In this episode, Mike breaks down his journey from poverty and military service to entrepreneurship, early-stage investing, 100X returns, and building a 130-company portfolio. He also shares what he looks for in founders, why resilience matters, and how veteran leadership is shaping the future of American innovation. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

June 27, 20261 hr 2 min

John Imah | He Sold 2 Tech Companies At 16… Now His AI Company Is Worth $1.5 Billion

John Imah is the founder of SpreeAI, a fashion technology company valued at $1.5 billion, and the youngest millionaire in School of Hard Knocks history after selling two tech companies before age 16. In this episode, John shares his journey from growing up poor in an immigrant family to working at Samsung, Twitch, Meta, and Snapchat before returning to entrepreneurship. He breaks down building AI for fashion, attracting elite talent, selling into major brands, overcoming bullying, losing his mother, and using faith, discipline, and execution to build a lasting company. Do you want more options, shorter, more intense, or more viral versions? Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.