Beyond A Million

Suneet Agarwal got raided by federal marshals in his underwear, lost everything from his cannabis business, sat on the couch breeding bulldogs for two years, and then built the #1 real estate team in California, selling more than $1B in a single year. In this episode we unpack that journey. We dig into the realities of building culture in a commission-based business, why personal brand is the biggest opportunity right now, and how AI-driven content helped Suneet build and sell a high-ticket coaching business. Key Takeaways with Suneet Agarwal (00:00) Intro (01:41) From Hippie Dispensary to Real Business (05:50) The Federal Raid That Took Everything (08:06) Home Invaded With a Gun to His Head (12:12) From Breeding Bulldogs to $1B in a Single Year (17:47) Are Real Estate Agents Overpaid? (22:44) Building Culture With 1099 Contractors (25:01) Leading from the Front (28:12) Are Real Estate Brokerages Dying? (30:22) Will AI Replace Real Estate Agents? (30:28) Launching One Of The First ChatGPT Courses (34:27) Using AI To Scale Content Creation (37:53) Will AI Kill the Coaching Industry? (38:43) Selling a Coaching Company Built on Organic (42:25) Straight To High-Ticket Offers (47:00) The Personal Brand Gold Rush (48:41) 95% AI Content That Doesn't Feel Like Slop (51:22) Advice for New Entrepreneurs Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/FfcKI7VQgJQ Let's Connect: Website | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok | Twitter | Facebook

Opening a night club or restaurant looks fun from the outside, but behind the scenes it's one of the most operationally complex businesses you can start. That's why I was interested in speaking with Jack Zimmermann. After managing a team of over 200 people at XS in Las Vegas during its $100M peak, he returned to Austin to build Nova Hospitality, a portfolio of hospitality concepts including TenTen, Devil May Care, The Well, Mayfair, Neptune Sushi, LZR, and Coffee & Chill Austin. Most founders in this space struggle to make even a single concept work, and somehow Jack's been able to start and scale 7. I wanted to find out how he decides which concepts to launch, how he funds them, and how he manages the risk and pressure that comes with leading hundreds of people. You don't have to be a restaurateur to get value from this one. Let's get into it! Key Takeaways with Jack Zimmermann (00:00) Running A $100M Vegas Nightclub (06:16) Why Clubs Must Constantly Find New Customers (07:00) Running Multiple Hospitality Concepts Successfully (11:02) The Shift In Alcohol Consumption (13:11) Taking Big Swings in Austin (15:07) New Locations vs Brand New Concepts (19:58) Using Partnerships To Expand Faster (22:27) Why Hospitality is So Hard (25:04) Staying Healthy in the Hospitality Industry (26:20) Letting Your Team Put Out the Fires (28:06) Funding Through Strategic Partnerships (31:42) How To Build A Hospitality Concept (36:47) What He Personally Refuses To Delegate (40:50) Leadership Advice That Stuck (41:45) Non-Negotiable Operating Principle (42:55) Where Austin Hospitality Is Headed (47:05) Advice For New Entrepreneurs Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/qAsdI6N1vrE Let's Connect: Website | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok | Twitter | Facebook

Today, I'm joined by Michael Chu — a five-time 7-figure founder who's built over $100M in sales by focusing on one thing: retention. He believes churn isn't a marketing problem, it's a transformation problem. If you don't change who your clients become, they won't stay. In this episode, we break down the identity shifts, expectation gaps, and retention frameworks that turn short-term customers into long-term profit. And stay to the end, because we also unpack why retention in the AI era won't be built on information, but on something far harder to replicate. Key Takeaways (00:00) Intro (01:13) Who Is Actually Qualified to Coach Anybody? (03:57) Why Great Sales Reps Fail As Managers (07:28) Teaching to Learn vs. Teaching Once You've Learned (09:57) Will AI Kill the Coaching Industry? (13:24) How He Went from 2 Clients to $250K/Month with No Ads (21:17) The First 72 Hours That Determine Customer LTV (26:20) Why McDonald's Never Gets Chargebacks (31:53) The Somatic Session That Unlocked $100K Months (38:18) LTV Built on Transformation, Not Revenue (44:01) The Framework for Employee and Client Retention (46:27) Why Belonging Beats Curriculum in the AI Era (50:45) The Framework Behind Every Great Training Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/eWbDOmSPHH8 Let's Connect: Website | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok | Twitter | Facebook

Ben Rubenstein has built and sold two companies: Yodle for $342M and OpCity for $210M. In this episode, we break down the operating decisions behind those outcomes. We talk about when venture capital accelerates growth and when it can quietly kill your business. Ben explains why ideas are worthless without execution, how he scaled a 1,000-person sales organization, and the hiring filters that consistently produced top performers. We also get into culture, retention, speed-to-lead systems, and the strategic decisions that position companies for 9-figure exits. If you're building and thinking about capital, hiring, churn, or long-term optionality, this conversation is a masterclass in how experienced operators think. Key Takeaways 02:10 When to Raise VC? 04:25 Ideas Are Worthless 09:36 The 3 Traits of Elite Salespeople 14:13 Culture Doesn't Happen by Accident 24:35 How to Sell – Scripts vs Talk Tracks 25:17 Yodel – From Air Mattress to $342M 29:27 Op City – Selling for Real Estate Brokerages 32:41 Are Real Estate Agents Overpaid? 38:45 Calling Leads within 4 Seconds 42:57 The Algorithm That Became their Competitive Moat 45:25 Why Most Founders Can't Scale 46:43 Setting Expectations with Your Team 48:38 Hiring Top Talent 53:34 9-Figure Exit Strategies 58:30 The 80/20 Rule That Saves Startups 01:01:02 Setpoint – Private Capital for Asset-Backed Innovators 01:06:45 Advice to New Entrepreneurs Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/wyPSp0_RV3g Let's Connect: Website | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok | Twitter | Facebook

Private equity doesn't scale the way most founders do. They buy growth. They acquire profitable businesses, combine them, and increase the value of the whole thing so they can sell at a much higher multiple. Today's guest, Tom Shipley, is a serial entrepreneur and M&A strategist who built acquisition platforms applying that same strategy to founder-led businesses. In this episode, we unpack the mechanics behind scaling through acquisitions and rollups, how combining businesses can dramatically increase enterprise value, and why so many founders stall at $1–2M in EBITDA without positioning their companies for a meaningful exit. If you've ever wondered whether buying businesses is a distraction or a legitimate growth lever, this episode will change how you think about scale. Let's dive in. Key Takeaways (00:00) Intro (01:54) The Two Biases That Destroy Acquisitions (05:00) The 4 Foundations of Business Growth (07:12) The AVA Roll-Up Story (Lessons Learned) (15:27) How to 4X Your Business Value (Multiple Expansion Explained) (19:11) How Acquisitions Outperform Organic Growth (21:26) The Roll-Up Mistake That Kills the Model (27:43) Add Zeros: How to Think Exponentially (30:51) When to Use Acquisitions as a Tool for Growth (39:27) Tom's Playbook for Acquiring Businesses (54:55) What Is DealCon? (58:49) Turns $1–2M EBITDA Owners Into PE Deals (01:05:14) Advice to New Entrepreneurs Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/oJu1sy9B6d4 Let's Connect: Website | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok | Twitter | Facebook

In this episode, Gareth Everard, founder of Rockwell Razors and co-creator and former CMO of Lomi ($100M+ in 2 years), explains why revenue growth can be misleading and what serious DTC operators track instead. We unpack Gareth's 4-lever framework for building a profitable eCommerce business, how to calculate allowable CAC before you truly know LTV, and why relying on future LTV assumptions can quietly break your financial model. We also get into his preference for funding via revenue over venture capital, why bundling often beats subscriptions, and the launch mechanics that helped Lomi generate $3M in its first 72 hours on Indiegogo. Key Takeaways (00:00) Intro (01:27) Crowdfunding Vs. Venture Capital Funding (03:25) Why Revenue Growth Can Kill a DTC Brand (06:45) The Real Math Behind SaaS vs. DTC Valuations (14:18) The 4 Levers of eCommerce (22:54) Why He Won't Build Below 80% Gross Margin (26:23) Difficult Business Models (30:26) Is the Subscription Model the Right Move? (35:40) When Bundles Beat Subscriptions for LTV (39:50) How Lomi Did $3M in 72 Hours (43:48) Using Crowdfunding for Product Feedback (Carefully) (47:04) Contribution Margin Creates Optionality Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/7NPXMBRuTXE Let's Connect: Website | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok | Twitter | Facebook

Amy Jo Martin built one of the first social media agencies because Shaq told her to. True story. Seven years later, she shut it down. Not because it failed, but because it worked in a way that locked her into a life she didn't want. Walking away gave her the freedom to decide what to build next. Since then, she's scaled multiple 8-figure companies, written bestselling books, and hosts the Why Not Now? podcast where she's interviewed countless celebrities. This conversation is packed with value for entrepreneurs building at every stage. We also go deep on what building a social media agency in 2009 can teach us about AI today — and what that means if you're building anything right now. Key Takeaways with Amy Jo Martin (00:00) Intro (01:25) Social Media in 2009 vs AI Today (04:18) The Only Metric That Actually Matters (06:38) Shaq Told Me to Quit My Job (11:39) Is AI a Trampoline or a Trap? (15:32) Why the Agency Model Keeps Breaking (19:18) Can AI Improve Your Relationships? (23:34) The LinkedIn Hack That Replaces Hours of Biz Dev (28:03) This Kills The Traditional Brainstorm Meeting (31:20) Taking Tony Hsieh's Money (34:44) Why She Shut Down a Profitable Company (38:34) When Personal Brand Becomes a Liability (43:24) Why AI Won't Save Bad Marketing (45:52) The Real AI Problem Is Organizational Culture (51:06) The Renegade Reinvention Experiment (57:41) Can AI Help You Feel More Alive? (01:06:25) Action Creates Clarity (01:07:49) Don't Raise Money Too Early Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/kdos8mOBLgk Let's Connect: Website | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok | Twitter | Facebook

Two years ago, Brian Luebben was doing $750K a year. Now he's posting million-dollar months. In this conversation, we break down what actually changed. It wasn't a new tactic or growth hack. It was a shift in how he thinks about goals. That might sound a little woo-woo, but Brian explains why most entrepreneurs unknowingly limit their own growth, and outlines how a single shift in your thinking could completely alter the trajectory of your business. Not only does this conversation challenge how you think about growth, it also unpacks the operational decisions he made that supported the jump from sub-seven figures to a true eight-figure business. Key Takeaways with Brian Luebben 00:00 From $750K to $10M in 3 Years 04:34 The 3 People You Need to Be Around 09:55 Cashflow Investing vs Equity Investing 14:20 2 Frameworks from a $250M Mentor 17:45 Alex Hormozi Discipline 20:27 Long-Form Content To Scale Impact 22:51 How Career Capital Translates to Entrepreneurship 26:56 The Hires That Led to Million Dollar Months 32:00 Course Creation vs. Community Building 39:22 Expectations Matter More Than Price 44:52 Buy Businesses Then Learn To Run Them 49:53 Holding On Too Long Gets Expensive 56:33 Passive Income Is Mostly A Lie 59:18 Earn Your Summer 01:04:29 The Two Week Vacation Test Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/GC3-ElhoKF8 Let's Connect: Website | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok | Twitter | Facebook

If you're running content and ads without proof of what converts, you're gambling. Today I'm talking with Pedro Jerez, an entrepreneur and growth strategist who's led marketing for multiple 8- and 9-figure companies and spent years as a top 1% sales closer inside Tony Robbins' organization. Pedro breaks down how a single, well-built offer can scale past 9-figures — and how to validate it in days, not months — instead of burning time and money on ideas that don't convert. We get into the biggest content mistakes entrepreneurs make, the one metric algorithms use to decide what gets distribution, and how to use organic content to pressure-test creative before you ever spend on paid. Then we go deeper — what working for Tony Robbins was really like, the inner work most founders avoid, and how to shift from just making money to building businesses that align with how you want to live and lead. Key Takeaways with Pedro Jerez 01:45 Launching Too Many Offers Kills Scale 02:47 Validate Offers In Days, Not Months 03:51 Creative Is The Real Growth Lever 05:38 Media Buying Is Losing Its Edge 07:39 How Algorithms Decide What Content Wins 10:21 Which Platforms Should You Be On? 11:31 The Real Customer Buying Journey 14:00 Use AI To Pressure-Test Your Priorities 15:32 Reverse Engineer Where Demand Already Exists 18:17 Organic Content Predicts Paid Performance 19:25 How Targeting Actually Works In 2026 22:02 Fast Experiments Create Real Leverage 24:32 Consciously Rewire Your Reality 39:06 Tony Robbins Gave Him Frameworks, But Not Identity 44:27 Most People Underestimate What Mastery Takes 48:53 Obsessing Over Making Things Better 53:09 Move At The Speed Of Alignment 59:31 Miserable Millions to a Business that has Soul 01:05:37 What is Hum? 01:10:06 Advice for New Entrepreneurs Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZdwDxovY1q8 Let's Connect: Website | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok | Twitter | Facebook

Today, I'm talking with Jeff Walker—the creator of Product Launch Formula® and the pioneer behind the modern launch model that's driven over $1B+ in documented sales—to break down why product launches fail… According to Jeff, it almost always comes down to one thing: the offer. Not only does Jeff break down where failed launches miss the mark, but we pull on that thread to explore how launches have evolved over the years. What no longer works? What role does AI play? And how can entrepreneurs adapt as buyers get smarter and attention gets harder to earn? Jeff's been doing online business for nearly 30 years, and he's watched tools, platforms, and tactics come and go—and still, he continues to produce results while others chase what's new. This episode is not only about launches, it's about what actually holds up when you're building a business over the long game. Check it out! Key Takeaways 00:00 Why Most Launches Fail 01:23 The Offer Is The #1 Lever 02:59 What Takes a Launch from Good to Great? 04:16 Delivering Value Before Reveal 05:28 The Origin of Product Launch Formula 14:43 The Core Elements of Product Launch Formula 20:10 What Launch Tactics No Longer Work? 25:54 The Challenge Model vs. Product Launch Formula 27:19 Why People Still Swear by the Product Launch Formula 31:20 Making a Difference in Peoples Lives 34:22 The Role AI Now Plays with PLF 37:33 Adventures as a Relationship Amplifier 47:21 Why Jeff's Leaving His Business to His Kids 48:21 Designing Wealth Around Freedom 56:45 Advice for New Entrepreneurs Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/T0f_WQkqEOY Let's Connect: Website | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok | Twitter | Facebook

For a long time, being in rooms (masterminds, events, paid groups) were incredibly valuable for me. That's where relationships were built, perspective expanded, and a lot of growth came from. But lately, I've been wrestling with whether that value still outweighs the cost—time, energy, relationships, broken routines, stepping away from the business, and more. And I know I'm not the only entrepreneur who struggles with this. That's why I'm sharing this unreleased, behind-the-scenes footage from my interview with Stu McLaren. In it, Stu explains the exact rules he's put in place to keep himself from being pulled in a hundred different directions when everything looks like a good opportunity. For him, this was critical, because without those rules, he knew he'd end up making WAY more money as an entrepreneur, but only at the cost of his family. This conversation completely reframed how I decide what to say yes to. And I think it'll resonate if you're wrestling with the same thing. Enjoy! Key Takeaways (00:00) Intro (01:00) Is Being In the Room Still Worth It? (01:47) The Cost of Being Away from Family (04:45) Why Travel Breaks Productivity (06:01) Calling BS On Nomad Efficiency (09:03) Stu's Framework for Deciding What to Say YES to (14:26) Why Rules Create Freedom Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/mCwcdH_Kpus Let's Connect: Website | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok | Twitter | Facebook

If your revenue resets every month, growth is harder to predict, and harder to scale. That's why so many companies are moving toward a membership model. A lot of businesses assume recurring revenue doesn't apply to them. Today's guest has spent nearly two decades proving that assumption wrong. Stu McLaren has helped more than 20,000 entrepreneurs to launch, grow, and scale membership-based businesses across nearly every industry imaginable—and in this conversation, he breaks down how to identify where recurring revenue already exists in your business and how to structure it into a membership that actually works. Stu also shares the single biggest factor that determines whether members stay or leave in the first 30 days. Don't miss it! Key Takeaways (00:00) Intro (00:45) Why Predictable Revenue Lowers Founder Stress (02:40) Why "Passive Income" Is A Misleading Idea (03:16) How To Tell If A Membership Will Actually Work (06:26) You Only Need One Signal To Move Forward (07:31) Why Subscriptions And Memberships Are The Same (14:43) Turning One-Time Buyers Into Monthly Revenue (17:34) The Real Reason Members Quit In 3–6 Months (23:03) What Actually Matters In The First 30 Days (24:12) Why Retention Is A Customer Experience Problem (48:44) How To Lock In Retention By Highlighting Wins (59:03) The Mindset That Keeps Entrepreneurs Moving Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/J-qQWrV4AIg Let's Connect: Website | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok | Twitter | Facebook

Physical security is a brutally competitive, commoditized industry. Most companies look the same, act the same, and sell for the same. Will Duke did things differently. And when it came time to sell, buyers lined up. He didn't just exit the core business. Along the way, Will built an internal software platform to manage and track thousands of security devices for customers. That platform eventually became its own SaaS company, and both businesses were sold as part of the same exit, at roughly double market value. In this episode, we break down how he differentiated in a crowded market, what actually mattered during the sale, and his repeatable process for investing smartly after an exit. If you want to understand what actually drives valuation, and why buyers were willing to pay a premium for Will's business, this episode is definitely worth your time. Key Takeaways (00:00) Intro (00:45) Building a Business Over 20 Years (03:00) Selling Outcomes, Not Security Hardware (08:19) Using Data to Differentiate (14:00) The SaaS Tool that Became a Competitive Advantage (21:45) Video Surveillance for Small Business Owners (26:20) Advice for Entrepreneurs Exiting a Business (31:02) Exiting Two Companies at the Same Time (33:46) How to Use AI Before Talking to Attorneys (35:39) Maximizing Exit Value Through Culture & Core Values (43:07) Learning How to Invest Post-Exit (46:12) A Repeatable System for Vetting Investments Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/XhpaE31zOg0 Let's Connect: Website | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok | Twitter | Facebook

Today, I'm sitting down with Larry Walshe, founder of Larry Walshe Studios, a global event design firm producing large-scale, luxury weddings and private events for ultra-high-net-worth families, celebrities, and royal households. While Larry's roots are in floristry, his work goes far beyond flowers. His studio designs fully customized experiences—shaping the creative vision, transforming spaces, and defining how guests experience an event—while bringing together specialized artisans from around the world to execute complex, high-stakes productions. In this episode, Larry breaks down what it actually takes to build and protect a premium brand at the top end of the market, how he orchestrates massive productions with a small team, and why learning to say no early was essential to attracting the right clients and scaling without lowering the bar. If you're building a service business or premium brand and want a clearer sense of what it takes to operate at the highest level, this conversation offers a grounded look at how that kind of work actually gets done. Key Takeaways 00:00 Intro 00:55 Why Saying No Builds a Luxury Brand 03:28 Don't Chase Revenue That Dilutes Your Brand 07:08 Consistency Is the Real Competitive Edge 08:20 Why High-End Clients Pay 10X More 13:07 Defining the Client You Actually Want 17:24 How to Shift Into a Higher-Paying Client Category 19:37 Inside Multimillion-Dollar Events 22:10 Running Global Operations With a Small Team 26:23 Becoming the Creative Director, Not the Doer 33:01 Managing Clients Who Want the Wrong Thing 35:03 The Sales Approach That Works at the Top End 40:02 When to Walk Away From Work 45:04 Handling Last-Second Client Demands 52:00 The Non-Negotiable's of Elite Client Work 57:15 Larry's Advice for Founders Moving Upmarket Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/kmYqmgFjDIM Let's Connect: Website | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok | Twitter | Facebook

Amy Simmons is the founder of Amy's Ice Creams—a beloved Austin institution with 19 locations built over 41 years—not through franchising or rapid expansion, but through deep community roots, creative culture, and an unshakeable commitment to people first. In this conversation, Amy shares how she grew the company without franchising, avoided national rollout, and even allowed each store to operate with its own personality. We get into the role theatrical customer service plays in the brand, how open-book management teaches financial literacy and strengthens decision-making, and why staying regional became a strategic advantage. We also talk about real estate, vertical integration, and how hyper-local partnerships helped turn Amy's into a fixture of Austin rather than just another ice cream shop. If you're interested in the kind of business that grows deeper instead of wider, Amy's story offers a very different—and very successful—approach to scale. Key Takeaways 00:00 Intro 01:10 What Makes Amy's Ice Cream Different 02:54 Small Community Gifts That Drive Big Returns 04:01 Why 350 Rotating Flavors Actually Work 08:39 Prioritizing Customer Feedback Over Sales Data 11:32 The Secret Behind Amy's #1 Top-Selling Flavor 13:52 Managing Supply Chain Shortages Without Losing Quality 15:14 The One Flavor Austin Refused to Let Her Remove 16:05 Hiring With Creativity: The Paper Bag Application 19:14 How Amy Identifies the Right People for Her Culture 21:15 The Experience Matters More Than the Ice Cream 21:47 How Showmanship Became an Amy's Trademark 24:44 The System Behind Amy's Creative Culture 27:55 The Power of Open Financials in a Small Business 33:53 The ROI of Teaching Money Skills to Employees 36:27 Why Amy Refused to Franchise or Expand Globally 46:35 Growing Deeper, Not Wider: Amy's Approach to Expansion 52:59 How Your Business Can Increase Real Estate Value 57:22 The Moat That Protects Amy's From National Chains 58:43 Advice for Entrepreneurs Facing Imposter Syndrome 1:00:00 Amy's Take on Austin's Growing Pains Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/gU5eigqFtns Let's Connect: Website | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok | Twitter | Facebook