Beyond A Million

229: Biking 2,000 Miles in 13 Days to Raise $1 Million with Matt King

Today I'm talking to Matt King, CEO of GoBundance, host of The Matt King Show, and Chief of Staff for a family office managing high-level investments and operators. Matt is about to ride a bike 2,000 miles from Mexico to Canada while giving away $1 million to people in overlooked communities across America. We get into how he thinks about balance, why he believes entrepreneurs should stop chasing net worth and focus more on cash flow, and what he's learned reviewing financial statements from ultra-high-net-worth investors. We also talk about how GoBundance scaled from a small mastermind into a 900-member community without destroying the culture, the investing mistakes he sees over and over again, and why the best operators are usually the people willing to admit they don't have all the answers. Key Takeaways with Matt King (02:11) The Highest-ROI Skill (03:14) Why Balance Is Overrated (06:31) Prioritizing What Matters (08:52) Scaling Without Killing Culture (13:58) Genuine Contribution (19:20) What Great Investors Do Differently (23:48) Managing High-Ego Entrepreneurs (25:48) How Family Offices View Risk (31:23) The Red Flags That Kill Deals (35:33) Riding 2,000 Miles & Raising $1M (49:46) Play Calling for Your Life (52:03) Non-Negotiable Recovery Habits (53:46) Empowering Kids with Core Values (55:37) The Amputee Who Wouldn't Quit (57:18) Advice for New Entrepreneurs Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/4T-DXZ-HnSg [https://youtu.be/4T-DXZ-HnSg] Let's Connect: Website [https://beyondamillion.com/] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/beyondamil] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@Beyondamillion] | TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@beyondamil] | Twitter [https://twitter.com/BradWeimert] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089061999787]

228: How Tommy John Became a 9-Figure Underwear Brand with Tom Patterson

Today, I'm talking with Tom Patterson, founder of Tommy John, the underwear brand that turned a frustrating problem into a 9-figure business. Tom started the company after getting tired of undershirts constantly coming untucked while working in medical sales. What began as a simple fix turned into one of the biggest direct-to-consumer apparel success stories of the last 15 years. In this conversation, we break down how Tommy John bootstrapped its way to over $100M in revenue before taking meaningful outside capital, why Howard Stern and Kevin Hart became game-changing growth channels, and what founders misunderstand about building premium consumer brands today. Tom also shares lessons on raising capital, balancing wholesale with direct-to-consumer, building a company with your spouse, and why experience can actually become a disadvantage in fast-changing markets. Key Takeaways (01:27) Leveraging Howard Stern's Audience (03:08) Pioneering Podcast/Radio Marketing (04:25) Starting Tommy John with $100 and a Sketch (07:27) How Useful is a Patent? (11:12) Evolve and Innovate (13:49) AI's Future In Product Development (15:04) How to Defend Against Knockoffs (18:01) Wholesale Vs DTC Margins Explained (21:33) Why Women Became 30% of Sales (26:26) How Tommy John Financed Growth (30:47) Kevin Hart's Unexpected Partnership (33:08) The Kobe Bryant Deal That Fell Apart (36:05) Selling A Minority Stake (38:20) Running A Business With Your Spouse (42:36) Experience Can Be Your Worst Enemy (44:38) Handing Off The CEO Role (46:53) Avoiding The Post-Exit Crisis (48:24) Lifestyle Businesses Are Changing (50:23) The Truth About Raising Venture Capital (52:06) Advice For New Entrepreneurs Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/879q12wejtw [https://youtu.be/879q12wejtw] Let's Connect: Website [https://beyondamillion.com/] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/beyondamil] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@Beyondamillion] | TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@beyondamil] | Twitter [https://twitter.com/BradWeimert] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089061999787]

227: Dan Brisse: From Pro Snowboarder to $500M in Real Estate

Dan Brisse won back-to-back X Games gold medals as one of the most dangerous urban snowboarders on the planet—jumping off parking garages, rooftops, and rails for a living. But while he was at the peak of his career, he was watching his heroes lose their homes, their wives, and their minds. So he did something different. He started investing. In this episode, Dan breaks down how he went from living on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to co-founding Granite Towers—a real estate company that manages nearly $500M across 3,300+ apartment units. We get into how he protects downside in every deal, why multifamily real estate quietly compounds wealth, and what his exact investing criteria looks like today. We also get into hiring on core values, why urgency is a red flag in any investment, and the one piece of advice he's giving his 13-year-old son about building wealth. Key Takeaways with Dan Brisse (00:00) Intro (02:25) From Gold Medals to $500M AUM (02:41) The Snowboard Lesson That Saves Him Millions (03:40) His Mental Checklist Before a Crazy Jump (06:10) How Risk in Sports Translates to Real Estate (9:15) Why Most Pro Athletes Go Broke (14:19) Why Losing Is the Best Motivator (16:51) The Passive Income Mindset Shift (20:10) From Duplex to Real Estate Empire (24:39) Lessons in Real Estate Investing (35:56) Understanding Cap Rates & NOI (41:43) Criteria for Evaluating Real Estate Deals (49:40) Analyzing Real Estate Submarkets (53:45) What to Look for in a General Partner (58:43) How to Attract A-Players (01:04:47) Business With a Purpose (01:07:12) The #1 Habit Every Pro Athlete Needs (1:08:26) Advice to New Entrepreneurs (1:09:32) Would He Do It All Over Again? Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/5E1FQNZDPWM [https://youtu.be/5E1FQNZDPWM] Let's Connect: Website [https://beyondamillion.com/] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/beyondamil] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@Beyondamillion] | TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@beyondamil] | Twitter [https://twitter.com/BradWeimert] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089061999787]

226: How He Scaled to $30M ARR (While Living a Life of Extreme Adventure) with Jonathan Ronzio

I'm sitting down with Jonathan Ronzio, who scaled Trainual from an idea to $30M ARR—while building a company known for its culture and still finding time to climb mountains, run marathons, and live a full life outside of work. What stood out to me in this conversation is how intentional he's been about building systems—not just in the business, but in his life. We talk about why most founders document the wrong things early, how structure actually creates freedom, and how AI is completely reshaping how companies build, sell, and operate. We also get into how he thinks about balance versus alignment, what changes (and what doesn't) after raising capital, and why the most defining moments in business are usually the ones you never planned for. If you're trying to scale without becoming consumed by your business, there's a lot here worth paying attention to. Key Takeaways (00:00) Introduction (01:28) Summiting Aconcagua vs Closing a Series B (03:01) What Is Trainual and Why It Exists (03:52) The #1 Thing SaaS Founders Document Too Late (04:59) When to Create Company Core Values? (06:48) Why Structure Actually Creates Freedom (09:57) Which Processes Deserve SOPs? (11:43) How AI Transformed Trainual's Product Roadmap (15:16) Will AI Kill SaaS? His Honest Take (18:49) Figure Out How to Disrupt Your Business (20:38) Agentic AI and the New Outbound Playbook (22:34) The Exact AI Tech Stack His Team Uses (26:05) Data Security in the Age of AI (30:11) $400K in Credit Card Debt for FB Ads (32:27) Balance vs. Alignment (34:31) Why Daymond John Joined the Cap Table (38:05) Cultural Practices That Actually Work (39:48) Project Management & Communication Tools (43:36) How to Define Culture at Scale (46:30) Mountaineering Lessons That Made Him a Better Leader (53:08) Living an Adventurous Life (58:50) Obsessive Compulsive Creative Disorder (59:43) Advice for Founders Torn Between Focus and Exploration Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/q17qPXHSEC0 [https://youtu.be/q17qPXHSEC0] Let's Connect: Website [https://beyondamillion.com/] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/beyondamil] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@Beyondamillion] | TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@beyondamil] | Twitter [https://twitter.com/BradWeimert] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089061999787]

225: Selling for 10x by Building What Customers Have to Buy with Will Caldwell

You don't need to create demand if demand is mandated. That's the insight Will Caldwell used to build and sell his company. Will discovered that inside the mortgage industry, banks are legally required to buy flood certificates on every loan. So, he started Snap — a platform that makes it faster and cheaper for banks to do exactly that. Then he partnered with Intercontinental Exchange, the $95 billion company that owns the New York Stock Exchange, plugged into their existing infrastructure, scaled quickly, and eventually sold 51% of the company for 10x. In this episode, we break down how to build within regulated industries, tap into existing demand, and scale without chasing customers. Key Takeaways (00:00) Small Teams Beat Large Companies (01:52) Why "Fat Cats Don't Hunt" (03:13) Starting His First Tech Company (06:09) Knowing When to Shut Down a Business (06:51) Turning a $100 Compliance Headache Into a Startup (09:03) Finding Opportunity in Regulated Industries (16:58) AI Underwriting (21:09) Scaling via Strategic Partnerships (24:00) Selling 45 Banks in One Month (30:56) Selling to Intercontinental Exchange for 10x (32:31) Why He Sold Only 51% of the Company (36:10) Don't Build the Tech Until You Have THIS (37:44) What Post-Exit Life is Like (38:41) What Will is Investing In Right Now (40:00) Advice for Entrepreneurs Starting Today (40:27) Books That Have Shaped His Thinking Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/UmihuBdZByU [https://youtu.be/UmihuBdZByU] Let's Connect: Website [https://beyondamillion.com/] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/beyondamil] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@Beyondamillion] | TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@beyondamil] | Twitter [https://twitter.com/BradWeimert] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089061999787]