David Guttman is a serial entrepreneur, three-time Inc. 500 executive, and business strategist with more than 30 years’ experience building, scaling, and exiting multiple eight- and nine-figure companies. He’s bought and sold 15 businesses, raised over $25 million, and holds degrees from Brown and Wharton—but as he reveals in this episode, Guttman's most powerful business lessons have all come from hands-on experience, not classrooms. Joined by Anna, a first-time founder going through his new "Anti-MBA" program, David shows how anyone can launch, scale, and exit a real business—no fancy degree or pedigree required.

On this episode we talk about:

  The difference between academic knowledge and real-world business competence (and why David tore up his Wharton MBA diploma)

  How Guttman’s new “Anti-MBA” course powers hands-on learning for first-time founders—including an 18-year-old launching a tech-savvy poster company

  The secrets of buying, scaling, and selling businesses across 40+ industries, including key lessons from epic failures and wins

  How to build winning businesses: bottoms-up budgeting, asking the right questions, and synthesizing knowledge from every team member

  Networking, mentorship, and why podcasting is still the “single best tool for building relationships” in the modern era

Top 3 Takeaways

1.  Building and scaling companies is about learning by doing, asking questions, testing assumptions, and embracing mistakes—not degrees or credentials.
2.  All business victories (and most big lessons) come from execution, pattern recognition, honesty, and the ability to synthesize data and team insights.
3.  Owners should treat employees as true owners—make everyone a shareholder, drive open-book management, and prioritize real relationships for long-term wins.

Notable Quotes

  "I didn't learn anything particularly useful in the classroom. I learned by doing."

  "If you wouldn't do the deal on a handshake, don't do the deal—even if contracts look great."

  "Podcasting is hands down the single best networking tool ever invented—by galaxies."

Connect with David Guttman:

https://www.guttmanmedia.com/

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