281: Spartan Race’s Joe De Sena on Being in the Industry of Barbed Wire, Blood, and Bruises

281: Spartan Race’s Joe De Sena on Being in the Industry of Barbed Wire, Blood, and Bruises

Joe De Sena, like many of us, is a fitness fanatic. But his approach to fitness is a bit more...intense than most. De Sena used to participate in countless obstacle course races, Ironman events, and marathons around the world. But even those weren’t challenging enough for this hardcore athlete. That’s why, after wrapping up a decade-long career on Wall Street, De Sena decided to start his own adventure racing company. The first race De Sena hosted was on the British Virgin Islands, and it didn’t go very smoothly. That race cost De Sena half a million dollars and resulted in a participant getting lost at sea for several days. Thankfully, the races have evolved a bit since then—although are no less challenging—and are known today as the Death Race and Spartan Race, which are collectively a $60 million business that has revolutionized the world of obstacle racing. Check out this interview to learn more about De Sena’s financial, mental, and physical journey to popularizing this global franchise. Key Takeaways De Sena’s decade-long stint on Wall Street, and how it helped fund his next venture Why De Sena decided to start his own adventure racing company How the very first race De Sena hosted on the British Virgin Islands went terribly wrong for one participant The birth of Death Race and Spartan Race Why De Sena never gave up on his company, despite losing $8 million in the process over a span of 15 years How the network effect eventually helped the obstacle course races gain traction The expansion of Death Race and Spartan Race to 45 countries De Sena’s honest thoughts on work-life balance and what it takes to be an entrepreneur A sneak peek into his latest book, The Spartan Way

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592: (Solo) The Truth About Originality: What Great Founders Really Do

592: (Solo) The Truth About Originality: What Great Founders Really Do

Most founders think they need a completely original idea to succeed. The truth? Great businesses are often built by borrowing brilliance — and putting your own spin on what already works. In this e...

30 Sep 20258min

591: From $0 to $3.4 BILLION Selling Socks | Bombas (Best of Foundr)

591: From $0 to $3.4 BILLION Selling Socks | Bombas (Best of Foundr)

David Heath and Randy Goldberg turned Bombas from a scrappy Indiegogo campaign into the most successful Shark Tank investment of all time—now valued at $3.4 billion. In this interview, the Bombas co...

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590: (Solo) Why You Need to Do Things That Don’t Scale

590: (Solo) Why You Need to Do Things That Don’t Scale

When you’re just starting out, the fastest way to grow isn’t automation, ads, or scaling systems — it’s doing things that don’t scale. In this episode, I share why the most successful founders — fr...

23 Sep 20257min

589 : The Mad Scientist Behind One of America’s Fastest Growing Supplement Brands | Brian Littlefield (Best of Foundr)

589 : The Mad Scientist Behind One of America’s Fastest Growing Supplement Brands | Brian Littlefield (Best of Foundr)

Brian Littlefield is the co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Jocko Fuel—one of the fastest-growing supplement brands in America. But his story didn’t start in a boardroom. It started with a life-c...

19 Sep 202546min

588: (Solo) The #1 ROI Move You’re Probably Not Using

588: (Solo) The #1 ROI Move You’re Probably Not Using

Most ecommerce founders think the only way to grow is to get more traffic — but often, the fastest way to increase sales is by making more from the traffic you already have. In this episode, I shar...

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587: She Built a $1 Billion Brand Selling Other Peoples Clothes | Julie Wainwright

587: She Built a $1 Billion Brand Selling Other Peoples Clothes | Julie Wainwright

Julie Wainwright, founder of The RealReal, reveals how she built a billion-dollar resale marketplace that transformed luxury fashion. In this exclusive Foundr Podcast interview, Julie shares how she s...

12 Sep 20251h

586 : (Solo) How I Solve The Biggest Problems in My Business (and How You Can Too)

586 : (Solo) How I Solve The Biggest Problems in My Business (and How You Can Too)

Every business has one major constraint holding it back from the next stage of growth — and solving it is the fastest way to scale. In this episode, I share the exact formula I use to identify the ...

9 Sep 20258min

585: The $100K Mistake Most Founders Make with Manufacturers (and How to Avoid It) (Best of Foundr)

585: The $100K Mistake Most Founders Make with Manufacturers (and How to Avoid It) (Best of Foundr)

Kian Golzari is one of the world’s leading experts in sourcing and product manufacturing—developing over 2,500 products and visiting 500+ factories. In this episode, he shares how to go from idea t...

5 Sep 202538min

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