Moneywise

She sold for $88M, almost bought a lake house she didn't want, and spent $340K on Knicks playoff tickets — then gave two away because it felt better.We're still surprised people did this but... 50+ founders worth $10M to $4B reveal their personal finances. Here it is: https://joinhampton.com/mw-wrWhy do we do this? Because if you're an aspirational person or someone who runs a business and is making money, it's incredibly challenging to figure out what to do. Information is impossible to find — and that's what we put together: the net worth reveal and why we do this podcast, Moneywise.Also, this podcast is made by Hampton, which is a community for founders doing on average $20M a year in revenue. We saw a lot of these money conversations happening privately behind closed doors and we thought, "Why not, let's make it public." If you are a founder, apply here: https://joinhampton.com/mwAnne Mahlum built Solid Core from $175,000 of her own savings into an $88M exit. Two years later, her net worth is $115–120M, with $65M in public equities and $15M in a single stock alone. But the numbers are the least interesting thing that's happened since.After the sale, she secretly launched a second fitness company, had panic attacks she's never talked publicly about, shut the whole thing down, and spent two years in legal fallout. Then she had a baby, pulled an accepted lake house offer the morning after making it, and started forcing herself to spend $200K a month just to stop the money from piling up.This episode covers the full portfolio breakdown two years post-exit, why she's done with private investments, the Ambition story she's never told, what a baby did to how she thinks about money and time, and what she actually wants to be remembered for — which has nothing to do with net worth.Sponsors: Daily Body Coach - achieve your dream body with https://moneywise.dailybodycoach.com

JOIN HAMPTON:This episode came directly out of conversations happening inside Hampton, a private community for founders and CEOs with $3M+ in revenue or $10M+ exits. Members range from $5M net worth to billions. They wrestle with these same questions off the record. Apply at http://joinhampton.com/mw.HOW FOUNDERS ARE BUILDING WEALTH:How much do founders actually make, spend, invest, work, and keep in net worth? Hampton surveyed founders directly and put the answers into one report. Download it for free here: https://joinhampton.com/mw-wrTHIS EPISODE OF MONEYWISE:70% of wealthy families lose all their money by the second generation. 90% lose it by the third.The data is even worse for the kids themselves. Children from households making $200K+ have rates of anxiety, depression, and substance abuse 2 to 3 times the national average. 22% of affluent suburban girls show clinically significant depressive symptoms.So how do you raise a kid in a wealthy household without breaking them?In this episode of MoneyWise, I went back through every conversation we've had on the show about parenting and money. Doctor Becky. Taylor Adams (from a multi-generational billionaire family in LA). Alex Peikoff. Shane. Jane. Hank. Neil Patel. Scott Galloway. The pattern they all kept landing on was uncomfortable. Most parents with real money are accidentally setting their kids up to fail. Not because they're bad parents. Because they're doing exactly what their instincts tell them to do.I'm a dad of two. I'm trying to figure this out in real time. Here's what the research, the experts, and the founders who already screwed it up are telling us.WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:- Why "entitlement" is actually a fear of frustration, not a character flaw- The Carol Dweck Columbia study that should change how you talk to your kids- Why your kid is running on your behavior, not your rules- The "shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations" trap (and why it's not about money)- How allowance teaches financial trade-offs (and why unlimited Amazon access kills it)- The single biggest regret of founders after a life-changing exit- Why downsizing your house might be the best parenting decision you ever makeCHAPTERS:00:00 The 16-year-old in the airport02:57 Frustration tolerance is the most important life skill05:30 Why wealthy kids have 2-3x higher anxiety and depression08:00 Monkey see, monkey do: the emulation problem11:00 70% lose it in 2 generations. 90% in 3.14:00 Praise effort, not traits (the Dweck study)18:00 Just because you love business doesn't mean your kid will21:00 Why allowance only works if money is finite25:00 The Scarsdale busboy who sees $300 sweatshirts as 30 hours of work28:00 Scott Galloway's moving goalpost30:17 The presence problem (the hardest one for me)33:00 The 5 rules I'm taking with meREFERENCED EPISODES:- Taylor Adams: How a multi-generational billionaire family thinks about wealth- Doctor Becky on parenting through money- Hank: Inside a 24,000 sq ft home- Neil Patel on going from 10,800 sq ft to 3,000 sq ft- Alex Peikoff: The Macedonian milk family- Jane: Finding out about a $20M inheritance in her late 30s- Pete: $80M exit, rock bottom afterABOUT MONEYWISE:MoneyWise is the podcast where wealthy founders open up about the real numbers behind their lives. Net worth. Monthly burn. Portfolio allocation. The stuff nobody talks about in public. Hosted by Daniel Berk and produced by Hampton.SPONSORS:Oceans - Hire incredible talent for marketing, ops, sales, and more, and even have them build out all your AI workflows for you. Go to https://www.oceanstalent.com/moneywise now.

Stop making million-dollar decisions alone. Hampton gives you a personal board of eight vetted founders in your city who meet monthly to tackle your hardest problems. Find your group: joinhampton.comEveryone’s chasing success — but what does that actually mean? Founders hit milestones, sell companies, and still feel unsatisfied. After 150+ interviews, the most consistent lesson is that most people are aiming at the wrong definition.Here’s what we talk about:Why the traditional founder definition of success doesn’t hold upThe dangerous feedback loop of external validationHow imposter syndrome thrives — even after a $50M exitWhy goal-setting alone can leave you feeling hollowThe “post-success” slump that no one prepares forWhy founders keep building (and chasing) after they’ve “won”A better way to define success that doesn’t move the goalpostsCool Links:Hampton https://www.joinhampton.com/Lower Street https://www.lowerstreet.co/Sponsors:Get a team of AI agents that run compliance for you at delve.co/moneywiseAchieve your dream body with dailybodycoach.com/moneywiseJoin 700+ founders hiring A-players in Latin America at hirewithnear.com/moneywiseChapters:(1:00) Founders Who “Make It” Still Feel Unsatisfied(2:57) Defining Success: Objective vs. Subjective(4:27) The Founder’s Scoreboard and Moving Goalposts(5:11) The Emptiness After Achieving Big Goals(6:36) Internal Fulfillment vs. External Markers(8:23) Connecting Goals to Personal Fulfillment(8:44) The Search for Purpose After Success(9:25) Rethinking Purpose: Determination Over Destiny(10:30) Lifelong Fulfillment vs. Chasing Milestones(10:48) The Trap of Confusing External and Internal Success(12:01) Why Internal Success Makes External Success EasierThis podcast is a ridiculous concept: high-net-worth people reveal their personal finances. Inspired by real conversations happening in the Hampton community.Your Host: Jackie LamportNot really the host, but the producer.Wrote this sentence.

Stop making million-dollar decisions alone. Hampton gives you a personal board of eight vetted founders in your city who meet monthly to tackle your hardest problems. Find your group: joinhampton.comAdam White didn’t set out to build a media company – he just wanted a job in sports. So at 19, he started posting informational interviews on a Wix site. Today, he runs a $20M brand with NFL partnerships and no background in media. Because in the end, it wasn’t about who he knew – it was about who knew him, and how he got in the right rooms by outplaying legacy media at their own game.Here’s what we talk about:Building Front Office Sports out of his dorm roomWhy brand aura matters more than ever and how to create it from scratchThe tweet that led to a $750K investmentWhy he gave up 51% of the business early – and doesn't regret itThe role of soft touchpoints in landing major dealsGrowing to 800K newsletter subs without chasing SEOHow an official NFL content partnership changed everythingDiversifying revenue from newsletters, social, events, and brand partnershipsThe personal side: paying off student debt, buying his mom a car, and defining success as freedomCool Links:Hampton https://www.joinhampton.com/Lower Street https://www.lowerstreet.co/Front Office Sports https://frontofficesports.com/ Adam White https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-white-85ab4389/Sponsors:Protect your upside and get your time back at cressetcapital.com/moneywiseAchieve your dream body with dailybodycoach.com/moneywiseJoin 700+ founders hiring A-players in Latin America at hirewithnear.com/moneywiseChapters:(0:42) Building Front Office Sports: Growth & Early Days(1:40) Revenue Milestones(3:40) Building Brand Aura & Early Partnerships(10:34) Attracting Investors & Business Model Shift(13:24) Audience Growth During COVID(16:04) Monetization & Revenue Diversification(17:44) Philosophy on Investors(19:08) New Investors, Professionalization, & Validation(22:07) NFL Partnership (25:44) Networking Secrets(28:31) Personal Growth as a CEO(30:45) Personal Financial Journey & Mindset(33:40) Motivation, Competition, & Enjoying the JourneyThis podcast is a ridiculous concept: high-net-worth people reveal their personal finances. Inspired by real conversations happening in the Hampton community.Your Host: Harry MortonFounder of Lower Street, a podcast production company helping brands launch and grow top-tier podcasts.Co-parents a cow named Eliza.

Stop making million-dollar decisions alone. Hampton gives you a personal board of eight vetted founders in your city who meet monthly to tackle your hardest problems. Find your group: joinhampton.comAlex Smereczniak built a $100M laundry business and sold 118 franchise locations in just 14 months. But just as the business took off, life hit hard. After a series of personal and professional crises, he stepped down as CEO. Now he’s back – not for another big exit, but to fix a franchise industry riddled with bad incentives and hidden fees.Here’s what we talk about:Building a $100M brand from a college dorm laundry hustleThe personal crises that forced him to walk awayWhy he thinks franchising is totally broken – and how brokers quietly take 60% commissionsWhat he’s doing differently at Franzy: flat fees, transparency, no bullshitWhy he’s not taking a salary, even with an $11M net worthWhat it actually costs – financially and emotionally – to scale fastThe moment he knew he wasn’t the right CEO anymoreWhy he believes franchising could be the path for millions displaced by AIHow he defines success today: not exits, but impactCool Links:Hampton https://www.joinhampton.com/Lower Street https://www.lowerstreet.co/Franzy https://franzy.comAlex Smereczniak https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-smereczniak-%F0%9F%A6%81-40310329 Sponsors:Get US caliber talent at offshore prices with https://www.oceanstalent.com/Achieve your dream body with https://www.dailybodycoach.com/moneywiseProtect your upside and get your time back at https://www.cressetcapital.com/moneywiseChapters:(0:41) Early Entrepreneurship: College Laundry Business(1:31) Selling the First Business & Lessons Learned(2:47) The Moment Alex Reconsidered Corporate Life at Ernst & Young (3:37) Returning to Laundry: The Startup Vision(6:07) Raising Capital & Startup Growth(10:40) Team Building, Hiring Challenges, and Culture(13:15) COVID-19, Franchising, and Business Model Shift(18:21) The Franchise Broker Problem & Franzy's Solution(20:45) Franchising as a Path to Wealth(24:03) AI, Job Displacement, and the Future of Work(28:30) Alex’s Personal Wealth, Fulfillment, and Impact(31:00) Reflections on Net Worth, Liquidity, and Success(34:40) Community, Support, and Peer Groups(40:02) The Sweet Spot: Wealth, Happiness & Freedom for FoundersThis podcast is a ridiculous concept: high-net-worth people reveal their personal finances. Inspired by real conversations happening in the Hampton community.Your Host: Harry MortonFounder of Lower Street, a podcast production company helping brands launch and grow top-tier podcasts.Co-parents a cow named Eliza.