School of Hard Knocks Podcast Daniel Lubetzky | From a $24,000 Salary to Building a $5 Billion Company, The Billionaire Behind KIND
Jan 16, 2026
Daniel Lubetzky, the founder of KIND and a pioneering entrepreneur, shares his inspiring journey from a $24,000 salary to creating a $5 billion snack empire. He emphasizes the importance of long-term thinking over quick wins and how setbacks shaped his entrepreneurial mindset. Daniel outlines the three core pillars that fueled KIND’s success: product quality, transparent packaging, and company culture. He also discusses maintaining humility amidst success, the significance of building trust with consumers, and the value of teamwork and constructive debates in leadership.
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Lead By Modeling Behavior
- Daniel's father modeled lifelong self-education and kindness, shaping Daniel's leadership by example.
- The behavior you model as a leader determines organizational culture more than what you say.
Ten Lost Years That Built KIND
- Daniel spent ten difficult years at PeaceWorks making many mistakes that taught him core business lessons.
- Those failures prepared him to launch KIND a decade later and fueled its rapid, sustainable growth.
Analyze Setbacks, Don't Deny Them
- Embrace setbacks and analyze them to learn what to improve.
- Use failures as data points to refine strategy rather than as final verdicts.
