Kass & Mike Lazerow — Shoveling Shit: A Love Story About The Entrepreneur’s Messy Path to Success, Building Golf.com & Selling Buddy Media to Salesforce
Mike and Kass Lazerow, co-founders of Golf.com and Buddy Media, share their unique journey of love and entrepreneurship. They talk about their unconventional email proposal and how they navigate the challenges of building businesses together. The couple reflects on the emotional toll of entrepreneurship, the importance of trust in relationships, and the impact of their successful exit from Buddy Media to Salesforce. Their candid discussion highlights the messy realities of startup life while emphasizing gratitude and community in the entrepreneurial space.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Email Proposal Story
Mike proposed to Kass via email during a launch day, causing a delayed response that humorously stressed him out.
This moment highlights their unique, work-centered relationship dynamic early on.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Trust in Business Partnerships
Building trust and communication is essential when working with your partner in business.
Playing to each other's strengths strengthens both relationship and company success.
insights INSIGHT
Power of Vulnerability and Transparency
Vulnerability and transparency transform leadership and relationships in entrepreneurship.
Owning mistakes and communicating openly builds stronger partnerships and resilience.
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The Lean Startup introduces a revolutionary approach to building and scaling businesses, emphasizing continuous innovation, customer feedback, and scientific experimentation. Eric Ries defines a startup as an organization dedicated to creating something new under conditions of extreme uncertainty. The book advocates for 'validated learning,' rapid experimentation, and the Build-Measure-Learn feedback loop to shorten product development cycles and measure actual progress. It also stresses the importance of pivoting or persevering based on data and customer needs, making it an essential read for anyone involved in starting or growing a business[1][2][5].
The hard thing about hard things
building a business when there are no easy answers
Ben Horowitz
In this book, Ben Horowitz shares his personal and often humbling experiences in the tech industry to offer essential advice and practical wisdom. He addresses various hard decisions and challenges that business leaders face, such as firing friends, managing company culture, handling layoffs, and making tough strategic decisions. Horowitz emphasizes the importance of honesty, resilience, and adaptability in leadership, drawing from his experiences with companies like Loudcloud and Andreessen Horowitz.
Zero to One
Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future
Peter Thiel
In 'Zero to One,' Peter Thiel argues that true innovation comes from creating something entirely new, going from 'zero to one,' rather than incrementally improving existing ideas. He emphasizes the importance of vertical progress through technology and the benefits of monopoly in driving innovation. Thiel also discusses the need for long-term planning, the importance of finding the right co-founders, and the power law in startup success. The book challenges conventional wisdom and encourages readers to think critically and aim big to build the future[2][3][5].
Shoveling Shit
A Story About Entrepreneurs, Relationships and Doing Whatever It Takes to Win
Kass Lazerow
Mike Lazerow
Crushing It
Jennifer Knox
The poems in *Crushing It* by Jennifer L. Knox are characterized by their darkly imaginative and surreal nature, traversing a wide range of subjects from history to true crime to epidemiology. The collection is marked by its expansive and autobiographical poems, which explore the complexities of identity and the difficulty of words. Knox’s poetry is known for its assertive and daring voice, combining self-deprecating humor with a wide-ranging imagination. Despite its morbid and disturbing elements, the book grounds readers in the knowledge of underlying tenderness and compassion[1][3][4].
Today on The Casey Adams Show, I’m joined by Kass and Mike Lazerow — the powerhouse couple behind Golf.com and Buddy Media, and co-authors of Shoveling Shit: A Love Story About The Entrepreneur’s Messy Path to Success. From launching startups to navigating marriage and business together, Kass and Mike bring a raw, honest perspective to what it really takes to build and exit successful companies — while building a life together.
In this episode, we dive into their one-of-a-kind love story that began with an email proposal, the ups and downs of building businesses as a couple, and what inspired them to write so candidly about the messy side of entrepreneurship. We cover their early days, fundraising strategies, the sale of Buddy Media to Salesforce for nearly $800 million, and the emotional journey behind it all. Whether you’re a founder, in a relationship, or both — this one will hit home.
Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to the Lazerow Story 02:59 The Journey of Love and Business 05:46 Building Trust in Relationships 08:48 The Decision to Write a Book 11:58 The Evolution of Golf.com 15:00 Navigating Challenges and Setbacks 17:53 Fundraising Insights and Strategies 20:52 The Importance of Relationships in Business 23:51 Gary Vee and the Power of Consistency 31:28 The Early Days of Entrepreneurship 33:02 Buddy Media and the Social Media Revolution 36:20 The Impact of Facebook on Society 39:04 Navigating the Challenges of Entrepreneurship 41:34 The Emotional Journey of a Billion Dollar Exit 47:39 Looking Ahead: Future Aspirations and Giving Back
The Casey Adams Show 
