From Zero to $700M: The Brutal Truth Behind Startup Life as a Couple | Ep. 224 with Kass & Mike Lazerow founder of Golf.com
Jun 02, 2025•25 min•Ep. 224
Episode description
Kass and Mike Lazerow peel back the curtain on life—and love—as co-founders of multiple breakout ventures. From the early days of building Golf.com to scaling Buddy Media into a $700 million+ Salesforce acquisition, they share the grit, the joy and the “shoveling shit” mentality behind every pivot and payoff.
Key Discussion Points:
- Why “Shoveling Shit”?: The visceral truth of entrepreneurship—every success is paid for in messy, daily hard work.
- Business + Marriage = Love Story: How dating, co-founding and parenting three kids forged their partnership both in and out of the boardroom.
- Co-founder Chemistry: Choosing non-overlapping skill sets, setting clear expectations, and having tough conversations early to survive the rough patches.
- The High-Profile Exit: Celebrating a $700 million sale to Salesforce—and the mixed emotions, burnout and newfound freedom that followed.
- Who’s an Entrepreneur?: Everyone—from the corner pizza shop owner to the solo‐founder—can embrace the entrepreneurial spirit if they’re willing to shovel shit.
- Risk, Debt & Scale: Why wanting nothing (minimal burn) + smart leverage of debt + relentless focus on execution define the winners.
Takeaways:
- Real success demands loving the daily grind—embrace the mess, don’t fear it.
- A co-founder relationship is your most critical asset—invest in alignment on values, work ethic and communication.
- Money changes the game but doesn’t guarantee happiness; use your windfall to fuel purpose and impact.
- Everyone can be a founder at their own scale—but only those who master risk tolerance and ruthless prioritization will thrive.
Closing Thoughts:
Kass and Mike Lazerow prove that the world’s greatest companies—and relationships—are built one shovel of shit at a time. Tune in to find out how they turned daily disasters into billion-dollar exits, and why the love of the hustle is the ultimate driver of both profit and purpose.
For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android
Open in Metacast