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School of Hard Knocks

School of Hard Knocks is a business-interview media brand founded in 2021 by James DumoulinJames DumoulinJames Dumoulin is a cofounder, interviewer and speaker at School of Hard Knocks, a media brand focused on entrepreneurship and business experience. He works with his brother Jack Dumoulin and cofounder Joshua Smith.Open the full entry, Jack DumoulinJack DumoulinJack Dumoulin, who competed under the name John Dumoulin, is a cofounder of School of Hard Knocks involved in operations, business systems and community development. He won the Excel 2016 division of the 2017 Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship.Open the full entry and Joshua SmithJoshua SmithJoshua Smith, also known as Josh, is a cofounder of School of Hard Knocks whose work includes content strategy, audience growth and interviews. His public profile says he grew up in Northern Virginia and is based in Austin, Texas.Open the full entry, based in Austin, Texas. Its street interviews, long-form videos and podcast explore guests’ careers and business experiences. It also operates content services and the School of Mentors community.

Contents7 sections
Key facts

2021Founding

James Dumoulin, Jack Dumoulin and Joshua Smith started School of Hard Knocks in 2021. In its account of the founding, the team describes taking interviews onto the street to share entrepreneurs’ experience with a wider audience.⁠[1][2]

June 4, 2024School of Mentors Launch

School of Hard Knocks launched School of Mentors on June 4, 2024, extending its mentor network into an online community. Its advertised services include weekly mentor calls, a content library and member discussions.⁠[1][3]

July 4, 2025New York City Publishes Interview Transcript

New York City published the program’s Eric AdamsEric AdamsEric Adams is an American politician and former police officer who served as mayor of New York City from 2022 to 2025, following service in the New York State Senate and as Brooklyn borough president. He is the author of Healthy at Last and has been interviewed by School of Hard Knocks.Open the full entry interview transcript, naming James Dumoulin, Jack Dumoulin and Joshua Smith as hosts.⁠[4]

Content and Business Model

The brand publishes short street interviews and longer conversations about entrepreneurship. Its company profile also describes client services in content strategy, editing and posting. In a 2026 interview, James Dumoulin identified advertising, brand partnerships, consulting and School of Mentors as revenue streams.⁠[2][5]

Verified Interviewee Directory

The following 153 verified interviewees are listed alphabetically by their displayed English names. Select a name to read the person’s entry. The list covers the brand’s YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry videos, podcast and other public interview records; it is not a complete historical guest list.⁠[6]

A–F

⁠[7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][28][34][35][36][37][20][38][39][40][41][42][43][4][44][45]

G–L

⁠[46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][28][65][66][67][68][69][70][71][46][72][73][74][75][57][76][77][78][20][79][80][81][82][83][84][20][85][86][87]

M–R

⁠[88][89][90][91][92][93][94][95][96][97][98][99][100][101][102][103][104][97][105][106][107][108][109][110][20][111][112][113][114][115][116][117][114][118][119][120][92][121]

S–Z

⁠[122][123][124][125][126][14][114][127][128][129][130][131][132][133][134][135][136][137][138][56][92][139][140][141][142][143]

Related Organizations, Websites, and Public Accounts

YouTube: Public channel: https://www.youtube.com/@theschoolofhardknocks (opens in a new window). Instagram: Public account: https://www.instagram.com/theschoolofhardknockz/ (opens in a new window). LinkedInLinkedInLinkedIn is a social networking platform for professionals. It was founded in 2002 by Reid Hoffman and others, launched in 2003, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2011; after Microsoft acquired it for approximately $26.2 billion in 2016, it became a wholly owned Microsoft subsidiary. Its revenue comes from membership subscriptions, advertising, and recruitment solutions.Open the full entry: Public profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-school-of-hard-knocks-llc (opens in a new window). School of Mentors: Official website: https://www.skool.com/schoolofmentors/about (opens in a new window).⁠[6][144][2][3]

Sources

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  2. The School of Hard Knocks — Company Profile (opens in a new window)
  3. School of Mentors — About (opens in a new window)
  4. Transcript: Mayor Adams Appears on School of Hard Knocks Podcast (opens in a new window)
  5. This 24-Year-Old Has the Largest Business Education Platform in the World (opens in a new window)
  6. School of Hard Knocks — Official YouTube Channel (opens in a new window)
  7. Abdulla Kudrath | Broke Immigrant to Multi-Industry Mogul: How He Built 14 Businesses From Scratch (opens in a new window)
  8. I Asked Adin Ross How He Made $100 Million (opens in a new window)
  9. Adley Kinsman | How She Went From Broke Creator to Running One of the Internet’s Biggest Media Machines (opens in a new window)
  10. Multi-Millionaire drops the keys to wealth (Aleric Heck) (opens in a new window)
  11. From Minimum Wage to Real Estate Millionaire (opens in a new window)
  12. Asking Africa’s Richest Man How He Made $30 Billion! (opens in a new window)
  13. Alli Webb — Drybar Founder Who Started from $0 and Sold for $255M (opens in a new window)
  14. Poppi Founders — School of Hard Knocks Podcast (opens in a new window)
  15. How Anastasia Soare Built a Billion-Dollar Beauty Empire (opens in a new window)
  16. Andy Elliott — Sales Training, Discipline, Leadership & Entrepreneurship (opens in a new window)
  17. Andy Frisella — He Made $58K in 10 Years… Now His Portfolio Is Worth $1B (opens in a new window)
  18. Anne Mahlum — Betting It All and Building Solidcore from Scratch (opens in a new window)
  19. Ari Rastegar: How Flipping Burgers Led to a $3,000 Deal That Built a Billion-Dollar Real Estate Empire (opens in a new window)
  20. I Spent A Day With Shark Tank Billionaires! (opens in a new window)
  21. He Made $500 Million Playing Real Life Monopoly (opens in a new window)
  22. Ben Pogue | He Took Over His Dad’s Company at 29… Now He Owns a $20M Private Jet (opens in a new window)
  23. Asking Billionaires What To Invest In! (opens in a new window)
  24. Bill Gurley | Legendary Investor on Missing Google, Backing Uber, and What Makes Billion-Dollar Founders (opens in a new window)
  25. Blake Johnson | He Had $7,000 Left… Then Sold His Companies for $1.1 Billion (opens in a new window)
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  27. Butch Hartman — The Untold Story of Nickelodeon’s Most Visionary Creator (opens in a new window)
  28. A 60 Year Old Millionaire Shares What Actually Made Him RICH! (opens in a new window)
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  30. Chris Watters | CEO of Watters International Realty — Going From $0 to $10M+/Yr & Doing 9 Figures in Revenue in Real Estate (opens in a new window)
  31. I Asked Dana White How He Made $500 Million! (opens in a new window)
  32. Daniel Lubetzky — From a $24,000 Salary to Building a $5 Billion Company (opens in a new window)
  33. Dariush Soudhi — How a Violent Home Invasion Forced Him to Start Over (opens in a new window)
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  35. I Started With $600... Now I Make $10B/Year (opens in a new window)
  36. David Royce | From Door to Door Sales to 5 Companies Sold for Over $1 Billion (opens in a new window)
  37. David Stout | He Started With a $400 Loan — Now His AI Company Is Worth $2.5 Billion (opens in a new window)
  38. Dean Graziosi — Overcoming Struggles, Finding Mentors, and Achieving Success (opens in a new window)
  39. How to Wholesale Real Estate for Beginners (opens in a new window)
  40. 10 Questions with a Millionaire: Investor & Executive Doug Williams (opens in a new window)
  41. Eddie Maalouf: He Couldn’t Give Marketing Away for Free — Now His Agency Makes $18M/Year (opens in a new window)
  42. Edward Connors — School of Hard Knocks Interview (opens in a new window)
  43. Edwin Arroyave — From Sleeping with Roaches to $40M (opens in a new window)
  44. Eric Spofford: He Was Addicted to Drugs… Now He’s Sold a $115 Million Company (opens in a new window)
  45. Forbes Riley — From Actress to the Pitch Queen (opens in a new window)
  46. Lessons From a Self Made Female Billionaire (opens in a new window)
  47. George Heaton — How He Built Represent Into a $140M/Year Fashion Brand (opens in a new window)
  48. Day in the Life of a 120M/Year NBA Player (opens in a new window)
  49. How I Turned $1,000 Into $1 Billion (opens in a new window)
  50. Young Entrepreneur Interviews Billionaire Grant Cardone (opens in a new window)
  51. 10 Questions with a Millionaire: Founder & Investor Grant Mitt (opens in a new window)
  52. Greg LaVecchia | He Had a 2.5 GPA… Now He’s Got a $1 Billion Brand (opens in a new window)
  53. Greg Perlman | The Real Estate Billionaire Who Built a $2.5B Empire and Chose to Give 75% Of It Away (opens in a new window)
  54. I Was Making $250K/Month and Gave It All Up | Hugo Sánchez (opens in a new window)
  55. 5 Sales Tips To Start Closing Deals Ft: Alex Hormozi’s Closer Jacob Hopkins (opens in a new window)
  56. Asking Wealthy Americans How They Got Rich! (Palm Beach) (opens in a new window)
  57. Asking NY Billionaires How They Got Rich! (opens in a new window)
  58. This Always Happens Before a Company Collapses — Jim Keyes (opens in a new window)
  59. Jamie Salter | How He Built a $40B Brand Empire With Reebok, Champion & Forever 21 (opens in a new window)
  60. Jason Derulo Made $30 Million Doing THIS (opens in a new window)
  61. Jason Mickool | He Got Fired From Every Job… Then Built a $130M Company (opens in a new window)
  62. Dr. Jason Wersland — School of Hard Knocks (opens in a new window)
  63. Jeremy Miner — School of Hard Knocks Interview (opens in a new window)
  64. Jhalesa Seymour — School of Hard Knocks Interview (opens in a new window)
  65. Asking A Tech Millionaire How To Start & Scale a Tech Company (opens in a new window)
  66. John Caudwell — The British Billionaire Who Lost Everything… Then Built a $2B Empire (opens in a new window)
  67. John Devaney | He Lost $200 Million in 2008...Then Made It All Back (opens in a new window)
  68. John Imah — School of Hard Knocks Podcast (opens in a new window)
  69. John Morgan | The Billionaire Lawyer Who Took Down Disney & Coca-Cola (opens in a new window)
  70. The Single Skill That Built His $100M Year Business (opens in a new window)
  71. Josh "Snow" Elizetxe | Founder & CEO of SNOW (opens in a new window)
  72. HOW TO GET EVERYTHING YOU WANT IN LIFE Ft. Josh Terry (opens in a new window)
  73. Joshua Crisp: $11.3M In A Day Without Finishing High School (opens in a new window)
  74. Justin Waller — Influencer and Serial Entrepreneur (opens in a new window)
  75. Karlton Dennis — School of Hard Knocks Interview (opens in a new window)
  76. Ken McElroy: From Property Manager to $2B Real Estate Mogul (opens in a new window)
  77. Kendra Scott: From Single Mom and College Dropout to Entrepreneur (opens in a new window)
  78. I Asked Kevin Hart How He Made $400 Million (opens in a new window)
  79. How to Make $2 Million in Commercial Real Estate (opens in a new window)
  80. Khalil Rafati — Addiction, Hitting Rock Bottom, and Turning Pain Into Purpose (opens in a new window)
  81. Kim Perell — She Borrowed $10K From Grandma (opens in a new window)
  82. Kirt Linington — He Came to America With $700 (opens in a new window)
  83. 10 Questions with a Millionaire: Insurance CEO Lavon Perrin (opens in a new window)
  84. Asking Wealthy Americans How They Got Rich! (Las Vegas) (opens in a new window)
  85. I Had to Beg Borrow & Steal.. Now I Make $300 Million (opens in a new window)
  86. Asking Billionaire Women How They Got RICH! (opens in a new window)
  87. The Sales Secrets That Built a Billion Dollar Media Network | Lynnwood Bibbens (opens in a new window)
  88. The Cable BILLIONAIRE: Interview with Marc Nathanson in Beverly Hills (opens in a new window)
  89. Dr. De: Biohax CEO on Longevity, Burnout, Hidden Stressors, and Building Health for the Long Term (opens in a new window)
  90. Asking Mark Cuban the advice he’d give to his younger self (opens in a new window)
  91. This CEO Says It Is All About the Right Team (opens in a new window)
  92. I Asked Mark Wahlberg How He Made $400 Million! (opens in a new window)
  93. 6 Questions With A Public CEO (opens in a new window)
  94. 10 Questions with a Real Estate Millionaire: Tips for Building Wealth and Success (opens in a new window)
  95. Why Matthew McConaughey Turned Down $15 MILLION (opens in a new window)
  96. Michael Franzese — He Made $10 Million a Week in the Mafia...Now He’s Found Redemption (opens in a new window)
  97. Asking Monaco Billionaires How They Got Rich! (opens in a new window)
  98. Asking a Private Equity Millionaire How He Got Rich (opens in a new window)
  99. Mike Sherbakov | He Came To America With Nothing… Now He Funds $1 Billion Companies (opens in a new window)
  100. Mike Wystrach | He Had $15 Left… 10 Years Later He Sold His Company For $1.5 Billion (opens in a new window)
  101. Asking One of the Richest Men in Dubai How He Got Rich! (opens in a new window)
  102. Myron Golden | You’re 60 Minutes Away From NEVER Being Broke Again! (opens in a new window)
  103. Neil Patel | Why Followers Don’t Pay the Bills, and How He Built Real Wealth Through Marketing Mastery (opens in a new window)
  104. 5 SKILLS Every Young Man Should Know in 2023 (opens in a new window)
  105. Omar Soliman | He Got Rich Hauling Trash (opens in a new window)
  106. Onyi Odunukwe — Building a National Franchise Brand (opens in a new window)
  107. Young Entrepreneur Interviews Patrick Bet-David (opens in a new window)
  108. Patrick Terry — It’s Never Too Late (opens in a new window)
  109. Paul Hedrick — Founder of Tecovas (opens in a new window)
  110. Peter Tuchman: He Survived Every Stock Market Crash (opens in a new window)
  111. Meet the Billionaire Who Created LinkedIn (Then Sold It for $26B) (opens in a new window)
  112. Renji Bijoy | Founder, CEO of Immersed (opens in a new window)
  113. Richard Harpin | He Was $10K From Bankruptcy… Then Built a $4B Company (opens in a new window)
  114. Asking Wealthy Americans How They Got Rich! (Miami) (opens in a new window)
  115. RJ Jain: He Left India, Sold a Startup to Google, Now He’s Building a $200M Company (opens in a new window)
  116. Robert Croak: How the Sillybandz Founder Built a $100M Global Brand and Kept His Millions (opens in a new window)
  117. Bob Duggan: He Grew Up With Nothing Then Made $2 Billion in One Day (opens in a new window)
  118. Robert Kiyosaki (Rich Dad Poor Dad Author) on Smart Debt, Cash Flow, Tax-Free Wealth and Rejecting Traditional Education (opens in a new window)
  119. 10 Questions with a Millionaire: Founder & E-commerce Entrepreneur Robert Miller (opens in a new window)
  120. Ronnen Harary — Meet the Billionaire Toymaker (opens in a new window)
  121. Ryan Serhant — Luxury Real Estate Mogul & Influencer (opens in a new window)
  122. Billionaire Sara Blakely says she launched Spanx with just $5,000 (opens in a new window)
  123. Young Entrepreneur Interviews SHAQ (opens in a new window)
  124. I Was Bankrupt… Now I’ve Made $3 Billion (opens in a new window)
  125. Simon Squibb | He Was Homeless at 15… Now He’s Worth Hundreds of Millions (opens in a new window)
  126. How I Turned –$20 Million Into $3.3 Billion (opens in a new window)
  127. Inside Africa’s Billionaire City (Lagos) (opens in a new window)
  128. Thomas Healy | World’s Youngest Billionaire on Dropping Out, Raising $700M, and Building an Empire Before 30 (opens in a new window)
  129. Success without purpose is the real failure (opens in a new window)
  130. How I Turned $50,000 Into $20 Billion (opens in a new window)
  131. Todd Johnson: He Lived on Food Stamps... Now He’s Worth $100M (opens in a new window)
  132. Do Not Buy A House… Here’s How To Get Rich | Todd Nepola (opens in a new window)
  133. Asking One of the Richest Men in the NFL How He Got Rich! (opens in a new window)
  134. I Asked Tom Cruise How He Made $600 Million (opens in a new window)
  135. Tommy Mello | From Garage Doors to a $300M/Year Empire, The Billionaire Who Got Rich From A Normal Job (opens in a new window)
  136. School of Hard Knocks interview with Tony Buzbee (opens in a new window)
  137. Tony Cuccio | From $200 on Venice Beach to a $2 Billion Global Empire, Reinventing Beauty, Real Estate, and the Meaning of Success (opens in a new window)
  138. Tony Elumelu Shares Tough Choice That Changed His Life Forever (opens in a new window)
  139. Vic Keller — Building Durable Businesses and Partnerships (opens in a new window)
  140. I Had $78... Now I’m Worth $100 Million (opens in a new window)
  141. From $0 To $12M A Year At 26Years Old. Here’s How (opens in a new window)
  142. I Asked Will Smith How He Made $350 Million (opens in a new window)
  143. Asking A 27 Year Old How to Make $300 Million (opens in a new window)
  144. School Of Hard Knocks — Public Profile (opens in a new window)