Forget the glossy startup story. This week, serial entrepreneurs Kass and Mike Lazerow join Patrick McGinnis to blow up the myths of effortless success. These two built and sold Golf.com and Buddy Media (to Salesforce for $745M), but not without near-death experiences, crippling anxiety, and plenty of shoveling $h!t along the way. In this raw and often hilarious conversation, they share the real playbook: how to lead with emotional honesty, use anxiety as a superpower, raise capital when everyone says no, and stay obsessed with customers through every pivot. If you’re tired of startup hype and want hard-earned, practical lessons from people who’ve been through it all, this is the episode you’ve been waiting for.
Kass and Mike Lazerow, authors of Shoveling $h!t: A Love Story About the Entrepreneur’s Messy Path to Success, are serial entrepreneurs, investors, and advisors best known as the co-founders of Golf.com and Buddy Media, the pioneering social media marketing platform acquired by Salesforce for $745 million. Their entrepreneurial journey began with Golf.com, which they launched as a couple in the early days of the internet and later sold to Time Warner in 2006. That experience laid the groundwork for their next venture, Buddy Media, which helped global brands navigate and capitalize on the rise of Facebook and social media advertising.
Following the sale of Buddy Media in 2012, Kass and Mike focused on investing in and mentoring the next generation of founders. To date, they have supported more than 100 early-stage startups as investors and advisors. Their portfolio includes breakout successes like Scopely, which Savvy Games acquired for $5 billion in 2022, and Liquid Death, the canned water brand known for its irreverent voice and mission to eliminate plastic pollution.
With decades of experience building, scaling, and exiting businesses, Kass and Mike are sought-after voices in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. They regularly share their hard-earned lessons as public speakers, writers, and podcast guests. They live between New York City and the Hudson Valley with their three grown children, Myles, Cole, and Vivian, and two rescue dogs, Cece and Gizmo.
For media and speaking requests, and to suggest a guest for the show, please email letsconnect@patrickmcginnis.com.
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