POWERS

Chris Powers

Conversations with the best founders, entrepreneurs, and investors. POWERS brings you inside the minds of world-class leaders who have built, battled, and succeeded at the highest levels. POWERS digs beyond the surface with questions driven by curiosity, uncovering stories and insights rarely shared publicly. Each episode delivers timeless wisdom and hard-earned lessons that apply across business and life. The show has earned a reputation for asking the right questions at the right moment. The focus is on timeless principles, proven through years of discipline and risk, not on shortcuts. Each conversation is direct, deliberate, and designed to leave listeners sharper than when they arrived. The aim is simple: to deliver insights that matter and can be carried into business and life. Since its launch, POWERS has drawn a high-caliber audience of builders, investors, and decision makers. Past guests have represented companies such as Starwood Capital, JLL, Hillwood Capital, Chick-fil-A, Morning Brew, Founders Podcast, Tiny Capital, Permanent Equity, Fort, Matthews REIS, Bonobos, and ConvertKit. At its core, POWERS is a celebration of leadership, of work that matters, and of the American spirit that makes it possible.

  1. Building a $100M CPG Brand With Only 10 Employees - James Beshara (# 413)

    1 DAY AGO

    Building a $100M CPG Brand With Only 10 Employees - James Beshara (# 413)

    In this episode, Chris sits down with James Beshara - founder of Magic Mind, angel investor in 150+ companies (Mercury, Alchemy, Gusto, Halo Top), and a Dallas native who built Tilt and sold it to Airbnb. James spent two years tinkering with Magic Mind before he ever called it a business. Today it's a $100M CPG brand and the #1 health shot in natural retail - run with 10 employees, no Slack, almost no meetings, and a founder-CEO split he calls the Palmer Lucky lane. He is also one of the more thoughtful voices on the question every operator eventually wrestles with: what to build, when to build it, and how to know whether you are actually wired for it. They discuss: - How Magic Mind got to $100M with 10 employees, no Slack, and almost no meetings - The Palmer Lucky lane - how to be a founder without being the CEO - Why scratching your own itch beats chasing big ideas on a notepad - His biggest miss as an angel investor - the OpenAI seed round, what one investor calculated as the equivalent of 30 Googles - Wave selection - why standing still is sometimes the highest-leverage move in business - The Bhagavad Gita and surrendering into a duty-bound existence - Apt - the new company he sat on for seven years before building it Timestamps: (04:30) Where Can You Be Most Uniquely Useful? (10:02) The Nootropics Rabbit Hole(15:49) Wave Selection as a Business Philosophy (18:14) Retention is King (29:02) Asynchronous-First Company Culture (41:30) Magic Mind's Core Values (45:53) Cracking the Meta/Instagram Algorithm (52:22) Scaling Beyond E-Commerce (1:07:29) Founders are Sleeping on the Power of Encouragement (1:20:28) The Bhagavad Gita, Lion King & Duty (1:30:10) Surrendering to a Duty-Bound Existence You can receive 50% using the code POWERS50 at Magic Mind: https://magicmind.com/ Apt: https://www.tryapt.ai/ Support our Sponsors Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Chris on Social Media: X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepowerspodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO

    1hr 35min
  2. The High School That Refunds Your Tuition If You Don't Make $1M with Nat Eliason (#412)

    28 APR

    The High School That Refunds Your Tuition If You Don't Make $1M with Nat Eliason (#412)

    In this episode, Chris sits down with Nat Eliason - founder, writer, and now launching Founders School, a new entrepreneur high school in New York City. Tuition is $150K a year. The promise: every student hits a million dollars in gross profit by graduation, or the family gets their tuition refunded. The first class is around 20 freshmen. The day is split between AI-driven academics in the morning and business building the rest of the day. This is also the same Nat Eliason who in his spare time built Felix - an AI agent he gave a Stripe account, an email, and an X handle, then told to launch a business overnight. Felix has done $60+K in sales since. Nat has not touched the code. They discuss: - Why the "game of school" is kayfabe and what's finally breaking it - The 16-year-old flying out to California to run short-form video for Al Pacino's new movie - The Munger inversion behind Alpha's curriculum: "why would these kids fail?" - What businesses a 14-year-old should and shouldn't build (and the $500/month software budget) - How Nat masters a new domain every two or three years, and why his $35K smart-contract loss accelerated him faster than caution would have - Felix - what "zero human" actually looks like, and the rules Nat set up to keep himself out of it - The day Anthropic shut off Open Claw and Alpha students reverse-engineered a proxy workaround in hours - Why the founding fathers wrote the Declaration in their early 20s, and what we forgot about teenagers Timestamps (05:55) What Alpha Does Differently From Conventional Schools (11:48) Playing the Fake Game of School (21:46) How Nat Masters New Domains (32:18) Open Claw Deep Dive (43:50) Building the Alpha Entrepreneurship Program (51:43) Freshman Year Structure at Alpha School (1:00:23) How Students Can Pitch for Equity or Debt Funding (1:04:08) Why Establish a New York Location for Year One (1:11:15) Nat’s 10-Year Vision (1:15:11) AI as a Force Multiplier for Teenage Founders (1:16:15) How Alpha Students Quickly Reverse-Engineered a Workaround After Open Claw Went Down (1:24:13) Teen-Parent Conflict as a Symptom of Infantilization Support our Sponsors Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Chris on Social Media: X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepowerspodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO

    1hr 28min
  3. Building a $3B Family Office From Scratch with Matthew Ogle, Co-founder & CEO of Legacy Knight (#411)

    21 APR

    Building a $3B Family Office From Scratch with Matthew Ogle, Co-founder & CEO of Legacy Knight (#411)

    In this episode, Chris sits down with Matthew Ogle, Co-founder & CEO of Legacy Knight, a $2.8B multi-family office in Dallas, TX that he co-founded in 2019. We dig into how you build a world-class multi-family office from scratch - and why so many wealthy families out there don't actually have one yet. Matthew's path into wealth management didn't start in a boardroom - it started on a tennis court. A summer teaching tennis to a CIO's family at Cape Cod opened the first door, which led him to Credit Suisse's private bank through the GFC and then five years at the Crow family office, helping transform it into one of the first true multi-family offices in Dallas. He opened Legacy Knight's doors in October 2019 with $2.5M of operating capital, 14 seed families, and a contrarian bet - that the new generation of sub-50-year-old entrepreneurs hitting their first liquidity event needed something the bulge brackets couldn't offer. Six years later, Legacy Knight manages over $3B and was named the fastest-growing RIA in Texas. Chris and Matthew go deep on what it actually takes to build a multi-family office the right way - the technology, the hiring, the legacy conversations with families, and why Matthew refuses to grow by acquiring other books of business. They discuss: Why every hire at Legacy Knight comes out of the family office world, not from the bulge brackets How most $100M+ families are still running their wealth on a Google Doc and a handshake with their accountant Why "do nothing in the year after a liquidity event" is half good advice and half terrible advice The most creative things Matthew has seen ultra-wealthy families do with their capital How Matthew thinks about his own kids, legacy, and when to start the wealth conversation Links: Legacy Knight - https://legacyknight.com/ Matthew on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-ogle-ab11873/ Topics: (02:01) Matthew’s First Exposure to Wealth Management (07:58) Joining Credit Suisse (Pre-GFC): Why the "Bulge Bracket" Mattered, How the Private Banking Associate Model Works (13:08) Why Credit Suisse Failed to Serve Ultra-High-Net-Worth Families (20:07) The First Client Meeting: Soft-Tissue Questions (28:57) Tax Timing and Mitigation Strategies (37:57) The Founding Thesis: People and Platform (Building Legacy Knight) (44:46) The Decision to Launch Legacy Knight Independently (54:43) Fundraising Lessons: Managing Expectations and The Importance of Pitch Order (01:01:18) The Full-Service Family Office Model (01:06:24) What a Vertically Integrated Family Office Actually Includes (01:09:07) Proactive Investment Sourcing (01:13:02) Next-Gen Engagement and Family Legacy Planning: How to Involve Children Appropriately (01:21:46) Matthew’s Hiring Philosophy (01:30:05) Time as the Hidden Cost of Unstructured Wealth Support our Sponsors: Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Chris on Social Media: X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepowerspodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO

    1hr 33min
  4. #410 - Austin Tunnell - Founder of Building Culture - The Power of Developing Beautiful Buildings

    14 APR

    #410 - Austin Tunnell - Founder of Building Culture - The Power of Developing Beautiful Buildings

    In this episode, Chris sits down with Austin Tunnell, founder of Building Culture - a real estate development and design-build company based in Oklahoma City specializing in structural masonry construction and walkable, mixed-use urban infill. Austin's path to real estate is one of the more unusual ones we've had on the show. He grew up a football player in the suburbs of Houston, went to work at KPMG out of college, hated it, and joined the Peace Corps. A chance meeting with a master mason in Panama changed the trajectory of his life. He returned to the US and apprenticed for two years laying brick by hand for $12 an hour in rural Oklahoma while his wife cleaned houses to support them. Today Austin designs and develops some of the most beautiful residential and mixed-use projects being built in America, including an 18-townhome, live-work, and mixed-use commercial project currently underway in downtown Edmond, Oklahoma. Chris and Austin go deep on Austin's philosophy of beauty, the case for building things meant to last hundreds of years, and the policy, financing, and culture obstacles standing in the way. We discuss: - How a chance meeting with a master mason in Panama changed the trajectory of Austin's life - The difference between veneer brick and true structural masonry, and why almost no one in the US builds the real thing anymore - Why Austin believes beauty is real, beauty is important, and beauty "connects us to the divine" - Five simple brick details any developer can use to make a veneer building look dramatically better for almost no added cost - How fire codes, building codes, and Euclidean zoning quietly destroy neighborhoods and push developers toward the same ugly apartment complexes - Austin's long-term-hold model for funding new construction infill, inspired by Moses Kagan and ReSeed - Missing middle housing, walkability, and why a 30-unit townhome neighborhood can feel more like home than any class-A apartment building About the guest: Austin Tunnell is the founder of Building Culture, an Oklahoma City-based real estate development and design-build firm focused on beautiful, durable, human-scale neighborhoods. Building Culture specializes in structural masonry construction, walkable urban infill, and mixed-use development. Links: Building Culture - https://www.buildingculture.com/ Austin on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@austintunnell Austin on X - https://x.com/austintunnell Austin on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-tunnell-2a41894a/ Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:02:33) - Austin’s journey with the Peace Corps and how that led him to Masonry (00:12:26) - Why we moved away from Masonry and toward wood frames (00:15:19) - What drew Austin to Masonry (00:19:34) - Learning the craft (00:24:25) - Why humans gravitate toward humanely built things (00:26:51) - What people can do with brick to get more value from a home (00:31:23) - What to ask architects when looking for a Mason (00:32:39) - Training Masons (00:33:28) - Austin’s project in Edmond, OK (00:38:17) - Defining beauty (00:50:03) - The impact of over regulation in construction and zoning (00:55:50) - Austin on scaling his business (00:59:38) - Local, state, and national policies that need to change (01:05:03) - Interior beauty in Austin’s world (01:09:30) - Tax incentives and capital structures (01:16:52) - Building a media business in Real Estate (01:18:05) - Live-work real estate Support our Sponsors Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Chris on Social Media: Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepowerspodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO

    1hr 22min
  5. #408 - Jordan Levi - The Largest Cattle Feeder In America

    31 MAR

    #408 - Jordan Levi - The Largest Cattle Feeder In America

    In this episode, I sit down with Jordan Levi to explore how he’s built a unique edge in the cattle industry by combining deep analytical thinking with real-world market experience. Jordan walks me through how he approaches cattle trading, the key biological and financial variables that ultimately determine profit and loss, and how he developed his framework without growing up in the business. We spend time unpacking how the cattle market actually works, where volatility comes from, and how operators think about risk across the cycle. We also dive into how he’s embracing AI tools and building custom workflows to stay ahead in a fast-moving, data-heavy environment. We discuss: - How the cattle market works and why volatility creates both risk and opportunity - The key drivers of profitability including feed efficiency, average daily gain, and out weight - The difference between biological intuition and building a data-driven edge in cattle trading - How Jordan processes daily reports and market data to inform trading decisions - How he’s building AI agents to summarize information and streamline his workflow Links: Vote for Jordan to be inducted into the Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame - https://cattlefeeders.org/poll/2027-cattle-feeders-hall-of-fame/ Jordan on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-levi-b107182/ Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro(00:02:16) - The Belted Galloway(00:03:51) - The Kosher Cowboy(00:08:05) - Pulling value of the futures forward(00:11:43) - Learning cattle trading(00:16:48) - Daily average gain in cattle(00:18:20) - Jordan’s eureka moment in the cattle industry(00:21:08) - What does trading in animals actually look like?(00:27:05) - How Jordan defines his ROI in trading cattle(00:31:17) - The cattle curve(00:33:37) - The state of the cattle market(00:42:10) - Buying the largest cattle feeder in the world(00:46:09) - Grass vs. grain-fed cattle(00:49:15) - Predictions for the cattle supply over the next 10 years(00:50:54) - The international market(00:53:17) - Trading frequencies and macro thesis(01:00:27) - USA beef vs. international beef(01:05:21) - The cattle supply chain(01:07:32) - The future of auction yards and ranchers(01:09:40) - AI in AgTech(01:12:52) - The biggest problem facing the industry(01:14:42) - Livestock as a commodity that dies and how that impacts trading theory(01:20:51) - Is there a market for new entrants into cattle?(01:21:41) - Beef prices and the impact of a closed border on the industry(01:24:39) - Jordan’s biggest ideas for the industry(01:26:49) - Philanthropic efforts(01:31:24) - A day in the life of Jordan(01:26:42) - Risk management in cattle(01:41:17) - Does what you do show a leading indicator to the broader health of the American economy? Support our Sponsors Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Chris on Social Media: X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepowerspodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO

    1hr 43min
  6. #406 - Carl Edwards - From a $1,500 Race Car to the Hall of Fame (and Why He Walked Away)

    17 MAR

    #406 - Carl Edwards - From a $1,500 Race Car to the Hall of Fame (and Why He Walked Away)

    In this episode, I sit down with NASCAR legend Carl Edwards to explore the unlikely journey that took him from a dirt track in Missouri to the highest levels of professional racing. Carl shares how a childhood fascination with his father’s racing career sparked a relentless pursuit that eventually led to NASCAR success. Along the way, we unpack the strategy behind racing, the persistence it took for Carl to break into the sport, and the pivotal moments that defined his career. We also discuss the surprising decision to walk away from racing at the height of his career and the deeper personal transformation that followed. We discuss: - Carl’s early inspiration from watching his father race and the moment he knew he wanted to drive race cars - The persistence and unconventional path it took to break into professional racing and reach NASCAR - The strategic complexity of racing, from managing tire grip to communicating with engineers and crew - Why Carl chose to retire at the peak of his career and the realization that reshaped his priorities - The identity shift, spiritual journey, and life lessons that came after stepping away from racing Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro(00:04:23) - Carl’s early days racing(00:09:37) - The strategy behind auto racing(00:13:05) - Why isn’t everyone driving a “1st place” car?(00:19:28) - How important is the pit crew?(00:22:13) - What does a typical week look like for a NASCAR driver?(00:23:56) - Carl’s career storyline(00:39:58) - The conversation that led Carl to consider walking away from the sport(00:51:50) - Rebuilding life after NASCAR(01:02:06) - The impact of Cloud Camp & John Marsh(01:17:08) - Being inducted into the NASCAR hall of fame(01:22:15) - What Carl is doing today Links: Carl's hall of fame speech - https://youtu.be/IQJHH2f9EnI Support our Sponsors Ramp: https://ramp.com/powers Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Chris on Social Media: Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepowerspodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/

    1hr 26min
  7. #405 - Christopher Zook - Founder of CAZ Investments - Building An $11B Alternative Investment Platform

    10 MAR

    #405 - Christopher Zook - Founder of CAZ Investments - Building An $11B Alternative Investment Platform

    Today I sit down with Christopher Zook to explore how he built and scaled CAZ Investments into an $11B alternative investment platform.   Christopher shares the early vision behind launching his firm at age 31 and the philosophy of investing his own capital first before inviting others to participate alongside him. We discuss how a chance confrontation in a country club locker room ultimately forced him to rethink capital formation and marketing, transforming the trajectory of the business. Christopher also breaks down the strategy behind GP stakes, the evolution of private markets, and why alignment with partners sits at the center of everything he does. We discuss: • How Christopher built an investment firm around the principle of investing his own capital first alongside partners • The locker room moment that forced a shift toward proactive capital formation and communication with investors • Designing an irresistible offer by eliminating management fees and aligning incentives entirely with investor outcomes • How GP stakes investing works and why it has become one of the most powerful business models in private markets • Why themes like media rights, private markets expansion, and access to alternatives are shaping the future of investing Support our Sponsors Ramp: https://ramp.com/powers Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro(00:03:53) - The origins of CAZ Investments(00:12:42) - Creating the irresistible offer(00:17:38) - Partnering with Tony Robbins(00:36:54) - GP stakes explained(00:41:48) - Secondary market edge(00:44:58) - How GP stakes are underwritten(00:49:48) - Tech and venture carry risk(00:53:12) - Consolidation trends(00:56:31) - Big checks and liquidity rights(01:02:18) - Thematic funds and investor access(01:07:04) - Alignment rules and guardrails(01:11:03) - Sports team investing thesis(01:15:54) - Media rights and league economics(01:26:11) - Democratizing alternatives Links: CAZ Investments - https://cazinvestments.com/ Christopher on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-zook Chris on Social Media: Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepowerspodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO  POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/

    1hr 32min
  8. #404 - Chris Huckabee - Founder @ MORE Group - From Founder-Led to Private Equity Backed

    3 MAR

    #404 - Chris Huckabee - Founder @ MORE Group - From Founder-Led to Private Equity Backed

    Today’s episode is with a great friend of mine, Chris Huckabee, Founder @ MORE Group.   We unpack his company's remarkable private equity journey and why it was so successful.  Chris shares how the unexpected loss of his business partner pushed him to rethink the future of his company, leading to a strategic shift, a private equity partnership, and rapid national expansion.  We talk candidly about valuation surprises, building trust with employees during major transitions, and what makes a great private equity partner. Then we pivot to education reform, AI’s impact on schools, and the deeply personal story of how Chris helped lead the effort to rebuild Robb Elementary in Uvalde, TX, after the tragic shooting. We discuss: • The process Chris went through to pursue private equity and national expansion • Why he told every employee about the strategic plan before making a deal • How to hire the right investment banker • The hard lessons around valuation, deal structure, and selecting the right private equity partner • What AI means for K–12 and higher education and where public education must improve • How he mobilized donors and contractors to rebuild Robb Elementary in Uvalde, TX Links: MoreGroup - https://moregroup-inc.com/ Chris on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-huckabee-693a3a31/ Support our Sponsors Ramp: https://ramp.com/powers Collateral Partners: https://collateral.com/fort Topics: (00:03:19) - Chris’ journey to finding Private Equity (00:09:27) - Strategic planning (00:11:31) - Valuing the business (00:14:36) - People don’t like change (00:17:43) - Making the decision to pursue PE (00:21:28) - Finding the right Investment Banker (00:37:26) - Selecting a buyer (00:44:44) - The first day after selling to PE (00:47:59) - Going out to buy companies (00:51:16) - What makes a great PE partner (00:57:08) - The state of Education and AI (01:13:16) - Rebuilding Robb Elementary in Uvalde after the 2022 shooting Chris on Social Media: Chris on X: https://x.com/fortworthchris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepowerspodcast LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/45gIkFd Watch POWERS on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3oynxNX Visit our website: https://www.powerspod.com/ Leave a review on Apple: https://bit.ly/45crFD0 Leave a review on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Krl9jO POWERS is produced by https://www.johnnypodcasts.com/

    1hr 30min

About

Conversations with the best founders, entrepreneurs, and investors. POWERS brings you inside the minds of world-class leaders who have built, battled, and succeeded at the highest levels. POWERS digs beyond the surface with questions driven by curiosity, uncovering stories and insights rarely shared publicly. Each episode delivers timeless wisdom and hard-earned lessons that apply across business and life. The show has earned a reputation for asking the right questions at the right moment. The focus is on timeless principles, proven through years of discipline and risk, not on shortcuts. Each conversation is direct, deliberate, and designed to leave listeners sharper than when they arrived. The aim is simple: to deliver insights that matter and can be carried into business and life. Since its launch, POWERS has drawn a high-caliber audience of builders, investors, and decision makers. Past guests have represented companies such as Starwood Capital, JLL, Hillwood Capital, Chick-fil-A, Morning Brew, Founders Podcast, Tiny Capital, Permanent Equity, Fort, Matthews REIS, Bonobos, and ConvertKit. At its core, POWERS is a celebration of leadership, of work that matters, and of the American spirit that makes it possible.

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