I Built My First Company at 16 | Lessons That Fueled a $50M Empire Decades Later

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In this episode of the What It Takes Podcast, we sit down with Abe Breuer, CEO of John To Go - a self-made entrepreneur who built a multi-million-dollar empire in an essential but often overlooked industry and achieved a successful private equity exit.

Abe breaks down his 20-year journey from selling his first computer company as a teenager to scaling a portable sanitation business into a $50M national leader. He shares the unfiltered reality of entrepreneurship: the partner who quit during the first brutal winter, near-death cash flow moments, and the unconventional employee strategy that turned a secretary into a $280k-a-year partner.

This conversation is a masterclass in resilience, operational scaling, and leadership mindset. Whether you’re starting a service business, struggling to scale, or curious about exits and life after selling, this episode delivers hard-earned lessons you won’t find in textbooks.

💡 In This Episode, We Cover:

◼️ How Abe built his first company at 16 and sold it for $25k

◼️ The “walk between the drops” philosophy learned from his parents

◼️ Scaling revenue to $50M without losing control

◼️ The partner who walked away—and the brother who stayed to build a legacy

◼️ Managing ADHD as a superpower using pen, paper, and ruthless systems

◼️ Why Abe never gives raises—and the bonus system that creates extreme loyalty

◼️ The New Yorker article that changed everything and attracted private equity

◼️ The harsh reality of scaling too fast and running out of cash

◼️ Selling the business: identity loss, regret, and what comes next

◼️ His current venture in the challenging world of assisted living (ALFs)

⏱️ Chapters:

0:00 Intro – Meeting in the Shul & the Founder of John To Go

10:11 Early Hustle – Selling a Computer Company at 16

16:11 First Major Bet – Buying a 24-Unit Building with $400k

20:20 The Birth of John To Go – A Partner, a Stick Shift Truck & the First Winter

23:02 The Pivot – Bringing His Brother in as the Right Partner

32:20 Scaling Secrets – From $400k to $50M in Revenue

39:45 The New Yorker Call That Changed Everything

57:32 The $280k Employee – A Bonus System That Creates Partners

1:04:14 Life After the Exit – Identity, Travel & Starting Over

1:07:37 Final Advice – Would He Do It All Again?

🔗 Connect with Abe Breuer

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breuerabe/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abe-breuer-a339725/

🔗 Connect with Tuli Kraus

X (Twitter): https://x.com/TuliKraus

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackbird.recruiting/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tuli-kraus/

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