How a 24-year-old turned advice from rich people into a $37 million business
24-year-old entrepreneur James Dumoulin has built a $37 million business, 'School of Hard Knocks,' by creating viral, semi-scripted street interviews with wealthy individuals. The company monetizes this content through consulting services and memberships, aiming to become a major media brand.
Why it matters
The success of this venture illustrates the evolving intersection of social media content creation, staged reality, and high-ticket business consulting.
School of Hard Knocks founders, from left, Jack Dumoulin, James Dumoulin, and Josh Smith, want to be the "Barstool Sports of business." School of Hard Knocks James Dumoulin has turned street interviews with moguls into a business on track for $37 million in revenue this year. School of Hard Knocks uses staged drama to hook viewers and sells consulting services and memberships. Dumoulin and his partners aim to expand and become the "Barstool Sports of business content." As James Dumoulin approaches a private equity investor in Lagos, Nigeria, there's an ominous moment when a bodyguard holding a rifle puts his hand up and demands the content creator stop. "I have a channel with 24 million followers," the School of Hard Knocks cofounder responds, and then asks if he can interview the investor, Adesuwa Rhodes, for one minute about how she got rich.
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