What It’s Like to Spend 24hrs with a Billionaire Who Plays Full Out - My First Million Recap

Podcast: My First Million

Published: 2025-07-24

Duration: 1 hr 5 min

Guests: Hayes Barnard, Sasha Koehn, Alex Hormozi, Wade Foster, Eric Glyman, Sanjiv Chopra

Summary

Sam Parr and Shaan Puri recount their recent experiences meeting billionaires, highlighting their habits, intensity, and life philosophies. From energy-rich routines to asymmetric bets, the episode provides insights into what makes top performers successful.

What Happened

Sam Parr and Shaan Puri dive into the unique lifestyles and strategies of billionaires they recently spent time with. The episode opens with Shaan’s recounting of his visit to Hayes Barnard’s Tahoe home, where he witnessed Hayes’ intense and energy-rich lifestyle. Hayes’ morning routine included breathwork, a cold plunge in Lake Tahoe, and swimming to unexplored rocks, all before 8 a.m. Shaan describes Hayes’ philosophy of playing 'full out,' which extends to everything Hayes does, from his business ventures to his personal life. Hayes’ ability to push intensity every day is seen as the foundation for his success, including building billion-dollar companies in solar and mortgages while leveraging his competitive sales background at Oracle.

Sam shares his conversation with Sasha Koehn, co-founder of Buck Mason, a clothing brand that started with the goal of making the perfect t-shirt and has grown into 52 stores with revenue in the $150 million range. Sasha’s story emphasizes the power of sticking with one thing for over a decade, compounding efforts into a thriving business. Sam reflects on the challenge of long-term focus and the potential rewards of enduring through the difficult early years of a business.

Shaan recounts his experience with Alex Hormozi, highlighting Alex’s ability to be a 'student of the game of business.' Alex shared his realization that many entrepreneurs narrowly focus on their own business rather than exploring broader business models and industries. Hormozi’s journey from running gyms to creating Gym Launch and ultimately moving into private equity showcases his ability to pivot to higher-leverage opportunities. Despite his serious demeanor, Alex is described as surprisingly fun and open to feedback, even implementing Shaan’s suggestions for improving his content strategy.

Sam reflects on Wade Foster, co-founder of Zapier, who has built a $400–500 million-a-year business with just $1 million in funding. Wade’s understated lifestyle in Jefferson City, Missouri, contrasts sharply with the high-energy personalities of other billionaires discussed. Wade’s passion for automation and AI drives Zapier’s continued growth, and his quiet commitment to his craft exemplifies a different path to success.

Shaan details the entrepreneurial strategies of Eric Glyman, CEO of Ramp, a $10 billion company. Eric’s combination of kindness and precision stands out, with Ramp’s growth attributed to exacting strategies like reducing approval times and leveraging market opportunities such as the Dodd-Frank Act. Eric’s ability to balance being intensely driven while remaining genuinely kind challenges stereotypes about what it takes to lead a fast-scaling company.

Finally, Shaan recounts the story of Sanjiv Chopra, his brother-in-law, who turned a $15 million debt crisis into a billion-dollar real estate portfolio through strategic asymmetric bets. Sanjiv’s approach to relationships and his method of breaking down commercial real estate into manageable chunks is highlighted, illustrating how a big, complex industry can be tackled systematically. Sanjiv’s success is attributed to his ability to de-risk investments and maximize upside, starting with one no-risk option that led to his empire.

Key Insights

• Hayes Barnard starts each day by cold plunging into Lake Tahoe and swimming to unexplored rocks, a ritual built around discomfort and energy. His philosophy of playing 'full out' turns physical intensity into a mental edge, which he credits for scaling billion-dollar companies in solar and mortgages.
• Sasha Koehn grew Buck Mason into a 52-store brand by spending a decade perfecting one thing: the t-shirt. His story flips the narrative on fast pivots, showing how compounding focus on a single product can outpace even broader strategies.
• Alex Hormozi avoids tunnel vision by studying business models outside his own industry. His pivot from running gyms to private equity proves that stepping back to rethink leverage points often unlocks bigger opportunities than doubling down on the familiar.
• Wade Foster scaled Zapier to $400–500M in annual revenue with just $1M in funding, operating from Jefferson City, Missouri. His quiet approach shows that you don’t need hype or high energy to dominate automation and AI—you just need relentless execution.

Key Questions Answered

What is Hayes Barnard’s philosophy on living and working full out?

Hayes Barnard believes in putting maximum intensity into everything he does, whether it’s his morning routine or business ventures. His approach involves playing 'full out,' leveraging energy and focus to achieve extraordinary results.

How did Alex Hormozi pivot from gyms to private equity?

Alex Hormozi transitioned from running gyms to launching Gym Launch, helping gym owners acquire members. Eventually, he moved into private equity, acquiring SaaS companies through acquisition.com, demonstrating his ability to adapt to higher-leverage business models.

What made Wade Foster’s approach at Zapier unique?

Wade Foster bootstrapped Zapier to $400–500 million in annual revenue with just $1 million in funding. His passion for automation and commitment to solving customer pain points led to Zapier’s success, despite operating from a small town in Missouri.