Johnny VanCora is the Founder of Bread By Johnny. What started as a door to door bread business at age 14, has now grown into one of Florida's most celebrated artisan bakeries, with locations in Jupiter and West Palm Beach. Bread By Johnny supplies some of the most prestigious establishments in the country, including The Breakers Palm Beach and Buccan Sandwich Shop.

TIMESTAMP:

[00:01:06] Starting Bread By Johnny.

[00:02:43] Becoming a retail shop.

[00:03:42] Legitimizing the business.

[00:05:07] Having family investors.

[00:05:47] Creating good company culture.

[00:06:39] Cost of opening a bakery.

[00:07:41] Expenses at a bakery.

[00:08:20] Most expensive part of a bakery.

[00:09:20] Amount of bread made per week.

[00:09:51] Expanding to a second location.

[00:13:06] Problems with opening stores.

[00:14:01] Getting permits for a bakery.

[00:14:34] Figuring out the recipes.

[00:17:40] Bread by Johnny products.

[00:18:51] Number of products sold.

[00:19:52] Discontinued products.

[00:21:05] Best selling products.

[00:22:51] Margins in the bread business.

[00:25:46] Retail price of bread.

[00:26:58] Finding community at farmers markets.

[00:28:03] Baking hours.

[00:29:23] Balancing stores and farmers market.

[00:30:04] The business of farmers markets.

[00:31:29] Highest paying days.

[00:32:57] What motivates you.

[00:35:32] Best hiring practices.

[00:36:43] Incentivizing employees.

[00:37:37] Marketing strategies.

[00:40:53] Social media strategy.

[00:43:18] Biggest challenge of owning a bakery.

[00:43:47] Learning lessons from owning a bakery.

[00:45:23] Future plans for Bread By Johnny.

[00:47:32] Scaling the business.

[00:49:08] Expanding the Bread By Johnny community.

[00:50:56] Taste testing Bread By Johnny.

MONEY TALKS with Jesse

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Holly Meyer Lucas is a nationally acclaimed speaker and serial entrepreneur. She founded The Meyer Lucas Real Estate Team, which consistently ranks among the top real estate teams in South Florida, with over $1 billion in closed sales. She later launched The Meyer Lucas Companies, a Florida-based portfolio of high-growth ventures, including Hype Boss, The Mother Ship, Real Estating, The Chief Code, PodPlus Studios, and Podcast Brilliance. Holly has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Fox News, and HGTV, among others, and is a sought-after speaker for keynotes, panels, and workshops nationwide.

TIMESTAMP:

[00:01:15] Being motivated by money.

[00:03:01] Becoming an entrepreneur.

[00:05:00] Breaking into real estate.

[00:06:06] First house sale.

[00:07:12] Coming from the corporate world.

[00:08:20] Most valuable skills.

[00:09:57] Knowing your own skills.

[00:11:37] Standing out in the real estate industry.

[00:13:19] Branding The Meyer Lucas team.

[00:14:09] Building The Meyer Lucas team.

[00:15:15] Business podcasts.

[00:16:22] Learning by pattern recognition.

[00:17:07] Perceptions of wealth.

[00:18:19] A.I. impacting jobs.

[00:19:28] A.I. impacting real estate.

[00:20:17] The emotions involved in real estate.

[00:21:47] Understanding Gen Z and Millennials.

[00:22:57] Most expensive house sold.

[00:23:21] Misconceptions about realtor fees.

[00:24:02] Being transparent with fees.

[00:25:16] What are realtor fees.

[00:26:25] Handling different buyers and sellers.

[00:27:56] Real estate deal structures.

[00:30:29] Taking the loss leader.

[00:32:39] Advice for succeeding in real estate.

[00:35:29] Spending big paycheck.

[00:37:29] Financial benchmarks.

[00:39:30] Vertically integrating your business.

[00:40:14] Starting multiple businesses.

[00:41:41] Choosing what industry to go into.

[00:42:41] Diversifying instead of doubling down.

[00:44:07] Growing the Meyer Lucas portfolio.

[00:46:12] Leading a real estate team.

[00:47:21] Podcast Brilliance.

[00:49:22] Managing multiple businesses.

[00:49:52] Business ideas.

[00:51:17] Best hire.

[00:52:38] Meeting high-profile entrepreneurs.

[00:54:45] Lessons on delegating.

[00:56:06] Finding A players.

[00:57:46] Characteristics of a good employee.

[01:00:08] The chief of staff role.

[01:03:10] Revenue of The Meyer Lucas Companies.

[01:04:12] Raising kids with money.

[01:05:36] Money and happiness.

[01:07:14] Getting paid for speaking engagements.

[01:09:59] The importance of having cash.

[01:10:23] Renting versus buying debate.

[01:15:26] Investing money.

[01:16:03] Good habits to help your finances.

[01:18:08] Most expensive lesson learned.

[01:18:26] Starting from scratch.

[01:18:59] Future plans.

[01:21:27] Prioritizing health.

[01:22:50] Life advice.

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Gordon Crane is the founder of Apple & Eve, a premium all-natural juice brand. He spent 40+ years building it into the largest privately owned juice company in the United States, generating more than $250 million in annual sales. Under his leadership, Apple & Eve introduced several industry-shaping innovations, including the first unfiltered, natural-style apple juice for supermarkets and the first juice box in the U.S. In 2014, the company was acquired by Lassonde Inc. for a reported $150 million.

TIMESTAMP:

[00:01:49] Becoming an entrepreneur.

[00:02:45] Starting an apple juice company.

[00:04:39] Early relationship with money.

[00:05:27] Realizing the company might actually work.

[00:06:50] Setting up the company to be profitable.

[00:08:16] Reinvesting to grow the business.

[00:10:30] Getting products into grocery stores.

[00:12:48] Biggest mistakes.

[00:15:00] Investing in people.

[00:15:48] Starting a business today.

[00:18:27] Using different forms of advertising.

[00:19:19] Scaling the business.

[00:21:12] Learning along the way.

[00:23:10] Delegating in order to grow.

[00:25:52] Best hires.

[00:27:06] Working with family members.

[00:27:45] Incentivizing employees.

[00:29:21] Collaborating with Sesame Street.

[00:31:48] Margins in the juice business.

[00:32:29] Biggest risks.

[00:34:43] The stress of running a company.

[00:35:34] Raising money.

[00:37:01] Bringing on a partner.

[00:38:02] Liquidation events prior to exiting.

[00:40:12] When to take money out of the business.

[00:41:43] Feeling rich.

[00:43:22] Getting acquired for $150 million.

[00:44:22] Misconceptions of selling a company.

[00:45:33] Investing after the exit.

[00:47:21] Getting the wire transfer.

[00:48:04] Worst part of running the business.

[00:49:11] Starting over from scratch.

[00:50:15] Money and happiness.

[00:51:38] Favorite purchases.

[00:52:24] Biggest mistakes made by young founders.

[00:53:26] Beliefs about money.

[00:59:21] Reflecting on success.

[01:00:07] Future endeavors.

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Cozz is an LA native rapper signed to J. Cole’s Dreamville Records. Since 2013, he's dropped two critically acclaimed studio albums, garnered millions of streams, toured as part of J. Cole’s 2014 Forest Hills Drive Tour, and collaborated with major artists including Kendrick Lamar, YG, and more.

TIMESTAMP:

[00:00:56] Early journey with music.

[00:03:25] Life changes before & after signing.

[00:04:46] First time meeting J. Cole.

[00:06:14] Getting signed by J. Cole.

[00:07:54] The numbers behind a record deal.

[00:08:48] Working before getting signed.

[00:10:09] Partnering with Dreamville and Interscope.

[00:11:04] Creative process.

[00:13:31] Writing process.

[00:14:17] Taking time with your art.

[00:15:44] Working with J. Cole.

[00:17:35] Working with intent.

[00:18:54] Collaborating with other major artists.

[00:20:14] Getting a feature from Kendrick Lamar.

[00:21:38] Hiatus from music.

[00:23:30] Plans for unreleased music.

[00:26:26] Strategies for dropping music.

[00:28:19] Posting consistently.

[00:29:48] Making money as an artist.

[00:31:16] Sobriety journey.

[00:37:56] Future goals.

[00:39:41] Revenge of the Dreamers camp.

[00:42:00] The future of Cozz.

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Joey Papoutsis is the co-founder of Keel Management and Thirty Knots Records, an artist management company and independent record label. He began managing Louis The Child in 2013 and has since expanded his roster to include artists such as Nicky Youre, Two Feet, It’s Murph, and more.

TIMESTAMP:

[00:01:03] Breaking into the music industry.

[00:03:15] Discovering Louis The Child.

[00:04:43] Early days of working with Louis The Child

[00:06:48] First paycheck from music.

[00:08:38] Finances needed to solidify a career.

[00:10:23] Creating Keel Management + Thirty Knots.

[00:14:18] The stigma around major record labels.

[00:16:11] Structuring artist deals.

[00:18:25] Signing “Sunroof” by Nicky Youre.

[00:20:03] Campaigning for a hit song.

[00:23:14] The numbers behind a hit song.

[00:26:24] The future of making music.

[00:28:15] Advice for new artists.

[00:29:55] Advice for breaking into the music industry.

[00:31:34] Scouting talent.

[00:32:35] Signing It’s Murph.

[00:33:36] Understanding roles in the music industry.

[00:35:28] How will A.I. change the music industry.

[00:37:26] Future of Keel Management + Thirty Knots.

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Dan Givon is the founder of The Deck People and Shine Window and Eaves Cleaning in Toronto.

TIMESTAMP:

[00:00:41] Learning to allocate your time.

[00:03:00] Focusing on one goal.

[00:06:39] Cutting through the noise.

[00:07:22] Getting into the home service industry.

[00:10:06] Finding a niche in the market.

[00:11:35] The evolution of the business.

[00:13:22] Scaling a service business.

[00:14:07] What revenue actually means.

[00:17:18] Reinvesting in the business.

[00:19:23] Running an 8 figure business.

[00:20:07] Marketing two separate brands.

[00:25:18] Having a lead magnet in business.

[00:26:57] Advice for starting a business.

[00:33:28] Sharing business ideas.

[00:34:50] Focusing on a “boring” business.

[00:38:00] The richest people are in boring businesses.

[00:41:04] Your two choices when starting a business.

[00:42:25] Monetary goals.

[00:44:05] Creating content for business.

[00:46:41] The value of running ads.

[00:51:53] Productivity hacks.

[00:55:42] Having no secrets in the business.

[00:56:40] What’s exciting right now.

[00:58:23] If money didn't matter.

[01:02:18] Advice to your younger self.

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Daniel Sohmer is the founder of Sohmers Pizza, one of Toronto’s hottest pizza pop-ups.

TIMESTAMP:

[00:00:31] Starting Sohmers Pizza.

[00:02:13] The business model of Sohmers Pizza.

[00:04:07] Start-up costs for launching a food business.

[00:04:53] Buying ingredients for a food business.

[00:05:50] The costs of making pizza.

[00:07:12] Scaling a start-up business.

[00:08:25] Breaking into saturated markets.

[00:09:59] Pre-selling a product.

[00:10:52] Making Sohmers Pizza stand out.

[00:11:21] Making a product exclusive.

[00:12:13] Doing pop-ups and collaborations.

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Ryan Leslie is a Grammy-nominated recording artist turned tech entrepreneur who built 4 multi-million dollar companies from the ground up, including SuperPhone, a direct text marketing service. A Harvard graduate and seasoned angel investor, Ryan now offers mentorship through WealthPlan, a private community that provides financial education and tools to help members scale their wealth.

TIMESTAMP:

[00:01:07] The start of his career.

[00:03:15] Early thoughts on money.

[00:06:54] Growing up in a musical family.

[00:09:08] Getting into Harvard at 15 years old.

[00:12:43] The moment where music became a career.

[00:16:39] The deal that kept his music career alive.

[00:19:59] Landing an unpaid internship in NYC.

[00:21:29] Working on songs with The Hitmen.

[00:22:30] Producing a song for Beyonce.

[00:23:25] Getting signed by Diddy & Tommy Mottola.

[00:24:08] Achieving success in the music industry.

[00:29:29] Joining an a cappella group at Harvard.

[00:33:02] Journey with money & mentorship.

[00:34:43] Launching the Cassie project.

[00:36:54] The numbers behind the Cassie project.

[00:38:56] Investing early in Apple.

[00:41:41] Having high conviction.

[00:43:23] Knowing when to hold or sell.

[00:47:04] Being early to Bitcoin.

[00:50:27] How to be early to things.

[00:53:03] Great opportunities in A.I.

[00:56:14] How to earn 4%/month on your money.

[01:01:15] The Wheel Strategy.

[01:03:26] Success stories from WealthPlan members.

[01:06:08] Approach to growing different net worths.

[01:10:23] Learning lessons from WealthPlan.

[01:13:07] Having an abundance mindset.

[01:17:55] Thoughts on debt.

[01:20:11] Mindsets that lead to success.

[01:22:56] Buying versus renting.

[01:24:19] The purpose of WealthPlan.

[01:27:53] Building custom apps.

[01:32:26] The next evolution of Ryan Leslie.

[01:36:19] Scaling mentorship at WealthPlan.

[01:40:04] Getting Ryan Leslie as your mentor.

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Michelle Battersby is the Co-Founder of Sunroom, an app built for women to safely monetize their unfiltered content through monthly subscriptions and tips. In August 2025, Sunroom was acquired by Fanfix, and Michelle stepped into a new role as President at Peanut, the leading motherhood app. Prior to Sunroom, Michelle was the first employee at Bumble Australia, the seventh employee globally, and the Director of APAC Marketing, where she grew Bumble to 3.2 million registrations across Australia.

Disclaimer: This episode was filmed prior to Sunroom’s acquisition by Fanfix in August 2025.

TIMESTAMP:

[00:00:40] What is Sunroom.

[00:01:00] Becoming the first employee at Bumble Australia.

[00:04:00] Perks of being one of the first Bumble employees.

[00:06:36] Leaving Bumble to start Sunroom.

[00:08:48] Transitioning from employee to founder.

[00:11:14] Raising $7 million for Sunroom.

[00:14:04] Pitching Sunroom to investors.

[00:16:36] Benefits of having worked in tech.

[00:17:55] Handling money from investors.

[00:19:33] Offering $100,000 for a domain.

[00:20:41] Having relationships with investors.

[00:22:22] Managing roles at Sunroom.

[00:24:20] The numbers behind Sunroom.

[00:25:36] Attention is a currency.

[00:27:12] The paid content experience.

[00:28:47] The biggest opportunities for creators now.

[00:30:25] Personal approach to content creation.

[00:33:00] Newsletters & Substack.

[00:35:34] Making authentic content.

[00:37:30] The power of the mom community.

[00:38:21] Benefits of having a personal brand.

[00:41:32] Productivity hacks.

[00:43:30] Balancing parenting and working.

[00:45:52] Personal & professional goals.

[00:47:45] Global relationship with money.

[00:51:40] Weird exercises that lead to success.

[00:54:01] The Anti-Network.

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LaRussell is a rapper, entrepreneur, and founder of Good Compenny, a Bay Area based nonprofit that provides local creatives with resources, support, and opportunities to showcase their talents and ideas. Since 2018, LaRussell has dropped an astounding 40 albums as an independent artist, using a business model that allows fans to bid on everything from merchandise to concert tickets to royalties to features.

TIMESTAMP:

[00:01:53] Streams of income.

[00:05:22] Biggest source of revenue.

[00:06:23] Making money from touring.

[00:09:03] Offer-based pricing.

[00:11:19] TBA ticketing site.

[00:12:13] Restaurant buyouts.

[00:13:06] Removing suggested prices.

[00:14:03] Making money from merchandise.

[00:15:16] What holds new artists back.

[00:17:51] Weirdest booking experience.

[00:18:25] Being open to all opportunities.

[00:19:37] Approach to sharing content.

[00:21:46] Advice to new creators.

[00:22:57] Content creation process.

[00:25:01] Delegating work.

[00:26:24] LaRussell team members.

[00:27:53] Best hires.

[00:29:23] Tasks handled by the team.

[00:33:57] Process for making music.

[00:35:39] Working with distribution platforms.

[00:38:58] The cost of making hits.

[00:40:21] Spending money on advertising.

[00:41:21] Creating organic viral content.

[00:44:04] LaRussell fandom.

[00:45:18] Supply & demand of today’s music market.

[00:48:51] Making money from streams.

[00:49:45] Creating demand for your art.

[00:51:43] Capitalizing off one moment.

[00:53:53] What makes someone go viral.

[00:55:22] Declining a deal from Jay-Z & Roc Nation.

[00:59:45] Benefits of major labels.

[01:01:09] Maintaining autonomy.

[01:04:12] Having an abundance mindset.

[01:05:45] Journey with money.

[01:09:28] Hustling on a small scale.

[01:11:03] Biggest career risks.

[01:14:20] Performing on NPR’s Tiny Desk.

[01:15:49] Financial trajectory.

[01:20:53] The riff between artists & promoters.

[01:22:55] Increasing the surface area of luck.

[01:24:41] Future plans for Good Compenny.

[01:27:18] The optics of LaRussell.

[01:28:55] Fighting perfectionism.

[01:34:08] Benefits of increasing your output.

[01:35:46] More time does not equal better quality.

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