We Live to Build Founder vs. Investor: Which Role is Actually Harder? (Mike Lazerow)
Which is harder: being a founder or being an investor? Mike Lazerow has done both, building and selling companies for nearly $1 billion and now running a $400M VC fund and a PE firm. His answer might surprise you. In this interview, Mike unpacks the "existential dread" of entrepreneurship versus the challenges of deploying capital. He shares why he's most excited about AI transforming "boring" businesses , the reality of feeling lost and purposeless after a massive exit, and the single most important lesson he's learned: your network is your net worth. Check out the company: https://velvetseavc.com
👀 CONNECT WITH SEAN
Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@seanweisbrot
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/seanweisbrot
Inquiries: welivetobuild@gmail.com
🕒 CHAPTERS
00:00 - Founder vs. Investor: Which is Harder?
01:19 - Why I Still Prefer Being an Entrepreneur
02:04 - Scratching Both Itches: VC vs. PE
05:49 - The Best Part of Being an Investor
07:23 - Why AI Will Revolutionize "Boring" Businesses
12:03 - The Post-Exit Depression No One Talks About
14:30 - Feeling Lost After Selling for $1 Billion
16:01 - Why We're the Luckiest People in the World
19:57 - Why I Keep My Anonymity
23:36 - Money Buys Security, Health & Freedom
27:30 - Why Idle Brains Go Dark
31:41 - Your Network IS Your Net Worth
38:45 - Giving GaryVee His First Office Space
40:40 - The #1 Rule in Life & Business
📈 WORK WITH ME
▶ Startup Fundraising: https://welivetobuild.com/fundraising
▶ Sponsor the Channel: https://www.welivetobuild.com/ai-product-testing
▶ My AI/Automation Agency: https://optimai.ai
🎧 LISTEN TO THE AUDIO VERSION
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/68lykxIMOyofZNiWSF4vFx
iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/we-live-to-build/id1531994765
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