MONEY TALKS with Jesse

Jesse Schwarz

Who needs a 9 to 5?

  1. 1d ago

    The Music Industry Isn't Broken! “People Are Making More Money Than Ever!”

    Matt McNeal is an acclaimed music industry executive and manager. In 2009, he became the youngest executive hired by Universal Music Publishing Group, where he worked on catalogs for 50 Cent, Ashanti, and Jim Jones and later signed talent including Big Sean, Cardiak, and AraabMuzik. He then became Head of A&R at Dreamville Records, working on projects by J. Cole, Ari Lennox, Cozz, and EarthGang, before serving as VP of A&R at Warner Records. Today, Matt is the founder and president of Money Makin' Management, representing award-winning producers and songwriters with placements including Eminem, Rihanna, 2 Chainz, H.E.R., Trippie Redd, and more. TIMESTAMP: [00:01:15] Dropping out of school to work in music. [00:03:52] Working at Will Smith's recording studio. [00:06:11] Getting hired by Universal Music Group. [00:07:05] Lessons learned from working in music. [00:09:40] What is a manager and a publisher. [00:11:56] Music publisher vs record label. [00:14:46] Making money in music publishing. [00:15:18] Money Makin' Management earnings. [00:16:42] Why producers sign publishing deals. [00:18:44] The two sides of publishing. [00:19:47] Music streaming payouts. [00:21:30] Producer deal structures. [00:22:44] Benefits of signing a publishing deal. [00:25:18] Advice for aspiring producers. [00:27:38] Money Makin' Management clients. [00:27:56] Biggest publishing deal. [00:29:04] The richest creatives in the music industry. [00:30:13] Surprising ways to make money in music. [00:31:41] Coming up with J. Cole. [00:33:14] Realizing J. Cole would be a star. [00:34:29] Becoming an A&R at Dreamville Records. [00:36:35] What is an A&R. [00:38:37] Having good taste. [00:41:03] Recognizing popularity bias. [00:42:28] Spotting talent early. [00:44:03] Dream artists to A&R for. [00:45:22] Working with PLUSS. [00:49:35] Virality of the Dreamville writing camps. [00:52:18] The outcome of writing camps. [00:53:21] Behind the scenes of making music. [00:55:32] Discovering Cozz. [00:58:36] Signing Cozz to Dreamville. [01:00:15] Growing with Cozz. [01:01:01] Most lucrative career moments. [01:02:40] Advice for getting discovered. [01:05:12] Discovering Jaymin. [01:06:30] Is the music industry broken. [01:09:41] Today's artists vs artists of the past. [01:12:39] New artist strategies. [01:13:40] Advice for aspiring artists. [01:15:02] Mindset of an aspiring artist. [01:16:48] What creatives waste the most time on. [01:17:52] Misconceptions of the music industry. [01:18:29] Unexpected writing credits. [01:19:25] How to get a career in music. [01:21:18] How to not become a music industry villain. [01:24:49] Drake vs UMG lawsuit. [01:28:53] Using AI in music. [01:33:52] Future goals. MONEY TALKS with Jesse SUBSCRIBE! https://youtube.com/@moneytalkswithjesse Stream MONEY TALKS: https://hoo.be/moneytalks Follow MONEY TALKS: https://www.instagram.com/moneytalks/ https://www.tiktok.com/@MONEYTALKSwithJesse https://x.com/MONEYTALKSwithJ Follow Jesse: https://www.instagram.com/frontpage https://x.com/frontpage__ Follow Guest: https://www.instagram.com/moneymakinmatt/

  2. Aug 6

    He Built a Merch Empire: From $17K in Credit Card Debt to an 8-Figure Exit

    Stephen Brudzewski is the co-founder of Electric Family, a dance music merch brand, and Top Drawer Merch, a global e-commerce management agency that's worked with artists like Skrillex, Tiesto, and Kygo, as well as brands like Coca-Cola, Red Bull, and Warner Bros. Today, Steve is the founder and CEO of Feel Peptides, a wellness startup focused on consumer peptides. TIMESTAMP: [00:01:06] Building the brand Electric Family. [00:01:57] Working in branded merchandise. [00:03:16] Working in the corporate world. [00:04:40] Finding an unmet need in dance music. [00:05:01] First product sold. [00:07:39] Money made from the first presale. [00:08:21] Continuing the business after year one. [00:10:17] Growing the brand. [00:11:30] Leaving the corporate world. [00:14:18] Collaborating with artists. [00:15:13] The struggles of running a brand. [00:15:56] Transitioning from corporate to startup. [00:16:57] The benefits of working a corporate job. [00:18:28] Getting fired. [00:21:21] Starting the agency Top Drawer Merch. [00:23:36] Partnering with artists on merchandise. [00:24:54] Competing in the merch industry. [00:26:04] Margins of the merch business. [00:26:44] Most profitable product. [00:29:20] Least profitable product. [00:30:54] Best collaborations. [00:31:52] Scaling the businesses. [00:32:57] Raising capital. [00:34:13] Electric Family & Top Drawer Merch numbers. [00:34:41] Pitching investors. [00:35:47] Part one of getting acquired by EMPIRE. [00:36:54] Crypto merch drops. [00:41:19] Earn-outs. [00:41:53] Becoming a major competitor in the industry. [00:42:52] Competing with artist advance payments. [00:44:10] Diversifying the clientele. [00:45:54] Working with Coca-Cola. [00:47:51] Expanding the business internationally. [00:48:16] Exit talks with Warner Music Group. [00:49:15] Exit talks with REVOLT Media. [00:51:02] Part two of getting acquired by EMPIRE. [00:51:32] Structuring an exit deal. [00:53:26] Final exit deal with EMPIRE. [00:54:30] Exiting with multiple owners. [00:55:22] Personal finances after the exit. [00:56:14] Final exit payout. [00:58:09] Worst artist to work with. [00:58:49] Best artist to work with. [01:00:59] First hire. [01:02:05] Hiring process. [01:04:51] Divvying up roles between co-founders. [01:06:16] Closing deals. [01:08:59] Personal investments. [01:10:19] Getting into peptides. [01:13:13] Starting the business Feel Peptides. [01:16:06] How peptides work. [01:17:52] Starting a new business post-exit. [01:19:29] The future of peptides. [01:21:35] The pushback on peptides. [01:23:36] Future plans. MONEY TALKS with Jesse SUBSCRIBE! https://youtube.com/@moneytalkswithjesse Stream MONEY TALKS: https://hoo.be/moneytalks Follow MONEY TALKS: https://www.instagram.com/moneytalks/ https://www.tiktok.com/@MONEYTALKSwithJesse https://x.com/MONEYTALKSwithJ Follow Jesse: https://www.instagram.com/frontpage https://x.com/frontpage__ Follow Guest: https://www.instagram.com/stevebrew/

  3. Jul 8

    Real Estate Expert: The American Dream Is NOT Dead — Here’s Why

    Erin Sykes is the founder of SYKES Properties, a real estate firm serving Florida, New York, and New Jersey. She is also a frequent business news contributor and real estate analyst for CNBC, FOX Business News, TODAY, CNN, NBC Nightly News, Bloomberg, and Forbes. TIMESTAMP: [00:01:11] Founding a real estate firm. [00:01:45] The housing crisis. [00:03:19] Housing affordability. [00:04:24] Mortgage rates. [00:05:35] Deciding to buy a house. [00:07:09] Renting versus buying. [00:08:05] Shifting the mindset on home buying. [00:10:34] Running the numbers on renting. [00:12:38] Most expensive home sold. [00:13:03] Working with luxury clients. [00:14:36] Best client purchases. [00:16:09] Worst client purchases. [00:17:16] Greatest opportunities in real estate. [00:19:53] Making money outside of traditional sales. [00:22:45] Multiple streams of income via real estate. [00:23:38] Personal investments. [00:25:23] Being on the news. [00:26:55] Getting on national television. [00:29:02] Resonating with audiences. [00:29:57] Speaking engagements. [00:30:19] Starting a podcast. [00:31:15] Entrepreneurial interests. [00:32:22] Managing a demanding career. [00:33:24] Patterns in successful people. [00:34:11] Advice from successful people. [00:34:46] Lessons on money. [00:35:49] Mental money problems. [00:36:38] Questions to ask when buying a house. [00:37:52] Hot takes about money. [00:38:39] Giving up on homeownership. [00:41:51] The impact of AI. [00:43:08] Using AI. [00:44:23] Future plans. MONEY TALKS with Jesse SUBSCRIBE! https://youtube.com/@moneytalkswithjesse Stream MONEY TALKS: https://hoo.be/moneytalks Follow MONEY TALKS: https://www.instagram.com/moneytalks/ https://www.tiktok.com/@MONEYTALKSwithJesse https://x.com/MONEYTALKSwithJ Follow Jesse: https://www.instagram.com/frontpage https://x.com/frontpage__ Follow Guest: https://www.instagram.com/sykesstyle

  4. Jun 5

    How This College Dropout Made $80M Selling Books Without a Publisher

    Chandler Bolt is the founder & CEO of SelfPublishing.com,  the #1 online resource for writing, self-publishing and marketing books online. He built one of America's fastest-growing private companies, scaling it from $0 to $75M+. He is also the author of 7 bestselling books, including his most recent, titled “Published.” TIMESTAMP: [00:01:01] Getting into the publishing industry. [00:01:30] First published books. [00:01:59] Deciding to write a book. [00:03:24] Money made from the first book. [00:04:12] Traditional publishing versus self-publishing. [00:05:06] The downsides of traditional publishing. [00:06:03] Size of the business. [00:06:30] Pricing structure. [00:07:28] Similarities between publishing industries. [00:09:04] Services provided by the business. [00:10:58] Saturated markets. [00:11:31] The impact of AI on the publishing industry. [00:12:54] Combating AI in writing. [00:14:00] Best marketing tactics to promote a book. [00:15:18] The New York Times Best Seller list. [00:19:33] Helping clients meet their goals. [00:21:45] Using books as cash-flowing assets. [00:23:17] The top 1% of the industry. [00:25:35] Money made from the book "Published." [00:26:46] Paying for the domain. [00:27:21] Business expenses. [00:28:36] Profit margins. [00:28:53] Business structure. [00:30:45] Learning lessons from delegation. [00:33:13] Managing employees. [00:34:03] Removing yourself from tasks. [00:35:11] Building a marketable brand. [00:37:01] Who should write a book. [00:39:02] Process for working with clients. [00:40:33] Finding a book topic. [00:42:26] Having a book define your business. [00:43:58] Example of ideating a book topic. [00:47:24] Packaging yourself. [00:47:59] Storytelling is a skill. [00:50:08] Creating a story bank. [00:50:36] Return on investment for books. [00:51:36] Evergreen promotional tools for books. [00:52:40] Marketing hacks for book launches. [00:55:29] Titles and book covers. [00:56:26] Involving people in the creative process. [00:58:38] Choosing the title and cover for "Published." [01:00:31] Running ads for customer acquisition. [01:03:23] Dirty secrets of the book industry. [01:04:31] Most successful client book launch. [01:05:30] The stresses of running an 8 figure company. [01:07:02] Personal finances. [01:08:16] Personal investments. [01:09:50] The barbell strategy. [01:10:42] Biggest mistakes made by entrepreneurs. [01:13:00] The downside of an entrepreneurial mindset. [01:15:10] The best decision an entrepreneur can make. [01:16:21] Buying digital real estate. [01:18:26] Building a media team. [01:19:49] The psychology of investing. [01:22:10] Results of investing in a media team. [01:24:02] Understanding social media metrics. [01:26:06] Content team members. [01:26:58] Slow growth versus viral moments. [01:28:24] Future plans. MONEY TALKS with Jesse SUBSCRIBE! https://youtube.com/@moneytalkswithjesse Stream MONEY TALKS: https://hoo.be/moneytalks Follow MONEY TALKS: https://www.instagram.com/moneytalks/ https://www.tiktok.com/@MONEYTALKSwithJesse https://x.com/MONEYTALKSwithJ Follow Jesse: https://www.instagram.com/frontpage https://x.com/frontpage__ Follow Guest: https://www.youtube.com/@ChadlerBoltOfficial https://www.instagram.com/chandler.bolt/

  5. May 8

    Hit Music Producer Lil Rich Exposes How Record Labels Hide Millions (And How to Collect)

    Lil Rich is an artist, producer, songwriter, and engineer. He's worked with a number of A-list artists, including Big Sean, BIA, Doja Cat, YG, DaBaby, and more. In 2021, he pivoted from producer to solo artist, releasing his trilogy of albums: "It's Purple at Midnite" (2021), "hyperviolet" (2024), and now his forthcoming album "Indigo Child" (2026). TIMESTAMP: [00:00:59] When music became a career. [00:02:20] Working to become a full-time artist. [00:03:56] Landing a placement. [00:04:54] Setting producer fees. [00:06:11] Working with A-list artists. [00:07:10] The importance of relationships. [00:08:46] Working with BIA. [00:10:14] Executive producing a project. [00:11:20] Getting paid in music. [00:13:10] Biggest source of income. [00:14:43] Biggest record worked on. [00:15:03] Making money from a hit record. [00:15:39] Producing records for major label artists. [00:16:31] Passive income from music catalogs. [00:17:20] Breaking down a publishing deal. [00:18:51] Advance payments. [00:20:11] Hidden checks in the music industry. [00:23:26] Gray areas in the music industry. [00:24:09] Is the music industry broken. [00:26:00] Not getting paid for work. [00:26:53] Sending out beats. [00:28:17] Building organically with your peers. [00:31:37] Creative process. [00:33:49] Learning to be creative. [00:35:09] Using comedy to make music. [00:36:08] Best time to ideate. [00:36:50] Recording with different artists. [00:38:58] Approaching personal artist projects. [00:40:58] Trilogy of albums. [00:42:46] Succeeding as an independent artist. [00:45:05] Storytelling with content. [00:47:11] Getting people to care. [00:48:53] What's needed for a successful release. [00:50:40] Best use of a marketing budget. [00:53:37] Financial goals. [00:54:54] Lifestyle creep. [00:56:56] Future financial plans. [00:58:43] Future creative plans. MONEY TALKS with Jesse SUBSCRIBE! https://youtube.com/@moneytalkswithjesse Stream MONEY TALKS: https://hoo.be/moneytalks Follow MONEY TALKS: https://www.instagram.com/moneytalks/ https://www.tiktok.com/@MONEYTALKSwithJesse https://x.com/MONEYTALKSwithJ Follow Jesse: https://www.instagram.com/frontpage https://x.com/frontpage__ Follow Guest: https://www.youtube.com/@imreallyrich https://www.instagram.com/lilrich/ https://www.tiktok.com/@reallylilrich

  6. Apr 20

    How He Turned a Baking Passion Into a 7 Figure Business

    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 SUBSCRIBE! https://youtube.com/@moneytalkswithjesse Stream MONEY TALKS: https://hoo.be/moneytalks Follow MONEY TALKS: https://www.instagram.com/moneytalks/ https://www.tiktok.com/@MONEYTALKSwithJesse https://x.com/MONEYTALKSwithJ Follow Jesse: https://www.instagram.com/frontpage https://x.com/frontpage__ Follow Guest: https://www.instagram.com/breadbyjohnny

    How He Turned a Baking Passion Into a 7 Figure Business

  7. Mar 27

    She Built a $1B Real Estate Business (Then Pivoted Her Career)

    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. MONEY TALKS with Jesse SUBSCRIBE! https://youtube.com/@moneytalkswithjesse Stream MONEY TALKS: https://hoo.be/moneytalks Follow MONEY TALKS: https://www.instagram.com/moneytalks/ https://www.tiktok.com/@MONEYTALKSwithJesse https://x.com/MONEYTALKSwithJ Follow Jesse: https://www.instagram.com/frontpage https://x.com/frontpage__ Follow Guest: https://www.instagram.com/holly.meyer.lucas/ https://www.tiktok.com/@hollymeyerlucas https://hollymeyerlucas.com/

    She Built a $1B Real Estate Business (Then Pivoted Her Career)

  8. Feb 21

    $150M Juice Brand Founder: The Playbook for a 9-Figure Exit

    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. MONEY TALKS with Jesse SUBSCRIBE! https://youtube.com/@moneytalkswithjesse Stream MONEY TALKS: https://hoo.be/moneytalks Follow MONEY TALKS: https://www.instagram.com/moneytalks/ https://www.tiktok.com/@MONEYTALKSwithJesse https://x.com/MONEYTALKSwithJ Follow Jesse: https://www.instagram.com/frontpage https://x.com/frontpage__ Follow Guest: https://www.instagram.com/appleandevejuice http://appleandeve.com/

    $150M Juice Brand Founder: The Playbook for a 9-Figure Exit
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Who needs a 9 to 5?

Information

  • Creator
    Jesse Schwarz
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    56
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Jesse Schwarz
  • Show Website
    MONEY TALKS with Jesse

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