Sean Kelly

Founder & Investor. Building companies at the intersection of health, media & founder performance.

Hey there, I’m Sean. I play at the intersection of investing, media and human performance.

I’m a three-time INC 500 founder & entrepreneur with businesses in eCommerce, SaaS, media and B2B services that have collectively generated hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue.

Right now, I serve as a General Partner at The Family Fund and am the CEO of Significant Publications, a B2B digital media holding company.

I'm particularly passionate about our brand FounderIV in support of today's founder-athletes. We help today's top entrepreneurs achieve breakout performance in their personal and professional lives.

I co-founded and led multiple other companies, including SnackNation, a health-centric foodservice and brand discovery platform that served 20,000 businesses across the US. 

Under my leadership, SnackNation was honored as one of the country’s Best Workplaces by Inc. Magazine, recognized for Top Company Culture by Entrepreneur Magazine, and certified as a Great Workplace by Great Place to Work®.

Forbes listed me as one of the top 30 leaders under 30 and one of America’s most promising CEOs under 35. Comparably also ranked me among the country’s top 50 small-to-medium sized business CEOs multiple years in a row. 

Outside of the business world, I’m a two-time national medalist in freestyle snowboarding, hold an advisory role at the growth capital firm, Meaningful Partners, have a degree in Biomedical Engineering from Columbia University and am an avid sports fan of all Michigan sports teams (especially the Wolverines).

I currently live in Venice, CA with my wife and college sweetheart, Shannon, and our goldendoodle, Jameson.

Chairman

Health > Politics

36 hrs in DC for the MAHA Summit.

After receiving a biomedical engineering degree I decided to forego med school to instead focus on prevention via entrepreneurship (and now investing).

Since the age of 12 (when my grandpa - still alive and strong at 96 -  first gave me biomed & nutrition journals to read) health & nutrition has been my greatest passion.

To me, this isn't about politics. It's about helping people transform their life experience by elevating their mental, physical and spiritual health.

I don't believe there are many more important endeavors....

And was happy to spend the last day and a half with folks who feel similarly.

Some of the highlights:

i) Masterminding with better-for-you CPG legends Bill Weiland & Bill Moses (both who inspire me with their tenacity, generosity & commitment to improving America's health)

ii) Hanging out with one of my favorite founders Jacob Peters of Superpower and finally meeting his top-tier co-founder Max Marchione (both dedicating their lives to improving America's healthcare system via the world's best longevity + AI doctor platform)

iii) Meeting dozens of early-stage founders & investors in some of the fields we're most excited about at The Family Fund & Founder Community: 

- mitochondrial diagnostics
- peptide manufacturing & delivery
- metabolic health therapy
- Parkinson's alleviation 
- neurodegeneration prevention

If you're building a company that is solving a important health problem in the world, I'd love to learn more. Hit me up!

We built the first Founderland in 10 weeks.

And almost died.

This past year we gave ourselves 6 months and built an external team to do it and it still wasn’t enough time.

So for next year’s event we decided to make the build a year-round affair…

And are focused on making Founderland a brand that lives throughout the year, not just as once-every-October event.

It’s funny to see how random ideas become full-time jobs lol

Took a quick trip to NYC this week to discuss Founderland ‘26 with one of our top partners J.P. Morgan  

The verdict?

It’s going to be big. 

Perhaps not as big as JPM’s new $3B global HQ at 270 Park Ave (most spectacular office I’ve been in w/ a Warhol or Jasper Johns around every corner)…

But still pretty big and lots of fun with a yuge amount of deals commenced (misspelling intentional)

Thanks for the tour Michael Conte you’re a legend and friend.

And glad to see you’re carrying Ancient Crunch Inc. MASA chips in all of your shops!

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Current health travel stack:

Zoomed off to NYC, Philly and Austin this week.

Back to back meetings all day, late dinners and sports games at night, and planes trains and automobiles like we all know.

Seems like 1/2 of the people I’ve met have a cold.

Here’s what I take on the road to feel good while away…

and do my best to arrive home feeling not-dead to the fam. Works most of the time ;)

 - Sinus rinse bottle filled with filtered water, betadine and salt/baking soda (use after every flight, likely illness prevention tactic #1)

- Zinc acetate lozenges if I’m feeling worn down or fatigued

- KetoneIQ every morning when I wake up to get that cognitive boost

- Momentous whey protein, plant protein, and creatine (10g) + Supergut fiber blended 1-2x per day to supplement diet

- Momentous Sleep pack + medical mouth tape + sleep mask every night

- Metal shaker bottle that doesn’t get gross

- Some type of hydration packets 2x/day minimum (right now using Dry Water)

- WIP 100mg energy pouches for a little boost early in the day usually before workout

- Another ~20 or so supplements in my vitamin case that I pre-fill for each day prior to the week

Sure, sleep/nutrition/exercise are essential and the most  important…but it’s near impossible to not sacrifice them a bit while playing the part of road warrior…so at least for me, travel supplementation is key.

Momentous Ketone-IQ DryWater Supergut

Codie A. Sanchez

Investing millions in Main St businesses & teaching you how to own the rest | HoldCo, VC fund, Founder

On a mission to create financially free and free-thinking humans.

I founded a media company called Contrarian Thinking that teaches people to think critically and cashflow unconventionally with boring businesses.

Our newsletter has over 1M+ weekly readers, here → contrarianthinking.biz/li

Our community has taught 9,000+ members biz buying, biz growing, and doing deals. 

We value experience over degrees.
Betting on yourself over building someone else's dream.
Main Street over Wall Street.

My mission is less suits, more boots. Meaning: we the people holding the power… and the purse strings.

🔗Join 1M+ others who get our free newsletter: contrarianthinking.biz/li
🔗YouTube: @CodieSanchezCT
🔗Instagram: @codiesanchez
🔗Twitter: @Codie_Sanchez
🔗Weekly business-buying newsletter Main Street Minute: contrarianthinking.biz/minute-li

Founder

We help free minds and build bank accounts.

5 uncomfortable truths about success:

1. You can't be a real leader and a people pleaser.

2. One day they'll go from judging you to bragging how they know you.

3. You win in life by being ok with people: not liking you, disagreeing with you, and wishing you'd fail.

4. It’s supposed to be hard, and you’re supposed to do it anyway.

5. The underrated part about being rich... you get to do what you want, say what you want, and people unfollowing or not agreeing matters ZERO.

Hope this one puts a little air in your tires today 😉

Btw - feel free to follow me Codie A. Sanchez if you haven’t yet

Investing millions in Main St businesses & teaching you how to own the rest | HoldCo, VC, Founder | NYT best-selling author

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Talks about #growth, #finance, #investing, #venturecapital, and #contrarianthinking

3 more harsh truths about success:

- You only have to be right ONCE. One big right move can erase a lifetime of wrong ones.
- You can't be upset at the results you’re not getting from the actions you’re not taking.
- The successful don't wait for someone to come save them. You want a better life, go build it.

If you needed to hear this today, feel free to share for next person who needs it ♻️

Don’t be afraid of outgrowing EVERYONE.

Your friends. Yes.

Your family. Likely.

If you are great... Even the people you hire today you will outgrow.

Don’t apologize a f*cking second for outgrowing people who can not keep up with you.

You need to make the hard call to move on, and move on FASTER than you think.

I was on the phone with a friend the other day runs another portfolio and famous on the internet and we both had to fire a csuite executive. We talked on Friday, I asked on Tuesday when she was doing it, she said she already did it that morning.

“Once I know I have to, I rip the bandaid off.”

Tough truth I’ve never regretted ONCE parting ways with someone who isn’t going as fast as I am.

THIS is the hard and brutal truth of greatness.

Formula is do, fail, learn, fail, do again.

Cassandra Taylor

A reminder that it’s ok to rise a lil earlier and grind a lil harder…

A few lessons on reputation learned over the years:

- Long-term games and long-term people compound. Resist shiny objects.
- Everything you do, everything you say, is part of a permanent record you can't see.
- I used to think it was a win to never answer my phone, always be focused on work. Now I realize those who show up for others are the only ones who win in the long term.
- Never trade your reputation for money. Money you can make more, reputation you can't.
- Your positioning is your most important asset. Product can be copied... But brand and reputation cannot.
- “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.” True reminder.

On the flipside, we can't let this paralyze us...

Nothing you do will matter to anyone here in 2 years.

Even less in 20.

And your name will be forgotten in 100.

There's freedom in a bit of nihilism.

The faster you move, the more money you make.

You can flatter & pander.

Or you can become ACTUALLY likable:

• Do what you say you’re going to do
• Show your results, not your intentions
• Your job isn’t done until THE job is done
• Communicate - less words, more meaning
• Bring solutions, not complaints
• Do the dirty work
• Don’t be boring

The truth:

People like competence.

So does money.

(Feel free to share if this resonates♻️)

6 money-making truths you need to hear:

1. Unapologetically chase your first $500K. Life is just easier up until you make about $500k, then it gradually evens out. 

2. Get a job that pays you more if you do more, mimic everything the top performer does, until you can't possibly earn or learn more, then apply for a higher-paying job.

3. The fastest way to make your first million... Go be a crazy CEO's #2.

4. Saving won't make you rich.

5. Biggest mistake I made making money was waiting too late to start taking risk.

6. The key to getting rich rapidly? Live like you're poor. Increase your income. Use your income to buy cash-flowing assets.

↓↓↓↓

FYI - I'm having a biz-buying masterclass tomorrow if you want to stop by...

We're going to talk about how to buy the right business for you, why now is the time to buy, how to derisk your deal, and more.

Grab a spot here if you want to come and learn:    https://lnkd.in/e24qgbuh

How to win in your 20s:

1. Choose your hard. If you don't choose your hard, hard will choose you.

2. Ask more questions. As Socrates said: “Smart people learn from everything and everyone. Average people learn from their experiences. Stupid people already have all the answers.”

3. Do whatever it takes

4. Chase purpose. A friend once told me: “I wish you not one penny over $299 million. Reality gets lost somewhere after that.”

5. Not every moment has to be productive. Silence is not your enemy.

6. Be bored more often

7. Get in shape, stay in shape (applies to both finances and fitness)

8. If someone you just met is talking shit about their ex, friend, partner, or boss, they will do the same to you next. Character matters.

9. Behind every successful person is a story that gave them no choice.

10. Put your relationships first. My number one regret in life is not prioritizing my marriage above just about everything.

11. You become the person you want when no one else is watching. It's the quiet, private reps that will never be cheered that actually lead to greatness.

12. Never take advice from someone who hasn't achieved what they're advising about. If you don't want their life, don't listen to their advice.

13. Inconvenience yourself. This generation went way too hard setting boundaries. Show up for those you love, even when it's not convenient.

14. The greatest muscle you can build is urgency.

15. If it's not a hell yes, it's a no.

16. You will be richer when you understand leverage. But you'll also be aware of when people are trying to take advantage of you. Learn it so you can spot it.

17. Learn to be disliked or you will find yourself stuck in a prison of other people's beliefs.

18. You don't have time to hate someone when you're busy building. The less you build, the more you criticize.

19. Your input eventually becomes your output.

20. 99% of people don't move fast enough. Every time you say "one day," you cost yourself future dollars.

21. Complexity makes you seem smart. Simplicity makes you money.

22. The longer something has been successful, the more likely it is to continue being successful.

23. Say you will do a thing, then actually do the thing.

24. The fastest way to build a memorable brand is to pick a fight.

25. Never let your worry be bigger than your faith. God doesn't give you a seed without provision for it to grow.

26. Nobody cares about your life.

27. Someone not as good as you is making more money because they're not afraid to start.

28. You will wish you started earlier and worked harder when you are young.

29. Waking up at 5:45 a.m. solves 99.9% of daily issues.

30. Work smarter, not harder is a beautiful lie. You will not know how to work smart until you've worked very hard for an irrationally long time

31. The size of the problems you solve equal the size of your bank account.

32. The smartest people I know obsess over their reputation. Do not play short-term games with your name.

How to win in 2026:

1. Don’t be woke. 
2. Work. Hard.
3. No victim mentality allowed.
4. Have strong opinions, loosely held.
5. Take strategic bets with your $.
6. Protect your time.
7. Be curious and a good human.

Doesn't matter who you are. Who you share a bed with. Or the color of your skin.

Anybody can win. (Btw this was from 2023).

Money = options. Poverty = trapped.

It's not the money we want. It's the freedom.

↓ ↓ ↓

You’re either the hammer or the nail.

Hammers make things happen. They drive the point home. They aren’t afraid to swing hard, take calculated risks, and make an impact. They don’t wait for things to happen; they make things happen.

Nails? They get pounded. They hold things in place, but only because *someone else* decided that’s where they should be.

Nails wait for instructions. They stay put, keep their heads down, and hope they don’t get bent out of shape. Nails might hold things together, but hammers built the house.

No one remembers the nails — they remember who hammered them in.

It can be easy to look at the work of a hammer and think, “Must be nice.” But don’t be mistaken, the toll on a hammer is rough.

What you don’t see are the years of blunt force trauma on the hammer’s head, face, neck, cheek, throat, eye, and claw (all real parts of a hammer). Years of being thrown around. Years of missing the mark and smashing a finger.

Are you starting to get it now?

Hammers are owners.

Nails? The owned.

(PS: This is an excerpt straight from my newsletter. Get it every Thursday here → https://lnkd.in/euh-mDd8)

What they dream of: Starting the next Apple

What I dream of: Owning a painting biz...

Trillions of dollars are about to fall into the hands of those who are paying attention.

Let's talk numbers:

• 33.3 million small businesses in the US.
• That's 99.9% of all businesses.

What does this mean?

A sea of opportunity. 

Over 80% of these businesses have no employees. Just solo owners, doing their thing.

But of the other 20% (aka 6.6 million)... Many are ready to sell.

Problem is, most people are still daydreaming about sexy startups and AI breakthroughs.

They’re not daydreaming about plumbing companies. Laundromats. Self-storage units.

Because they’re not sexy.

In fact, they kind of smell like hard work. They smell like Main Street.

But the thing about these businesses is:

They quietly cashflow.

So.. why don’t you just start one?

A few reasons why starting sucks:
• Cashflow takes time
• You start with 0 employees (aka, you do all the work)
• You start with 0 customers (aka, even more work)
• You have to find a profitable biz model.

But there’s another option…

BUYING a business (done right) means:
• Instant cash flow.
• Existing customers.
• Proven business model.

You're not reinventing the wheel. You're taking something that works and making it work better.

It's a path to financial freedom that most people overlook.

The opportunity of a lifetime is hiding in plain sight.

So here's my challenge to you:

Stop dreaming about the next big startup.
Start looking at the businesses in your backyard.

Then go big and DO the damn thing.

↓↓↓↓

Disclaimer: I know I've made this sound easier than it is. 

Buying & running a biz is NOT easy. 

One of the reasons why I'm hosting a (free) Masterclass next week on biz buying. I'll break down the 10-step process I've used to buy dozens of cashflowing businesses.

My goal? You leave with the confidence & roadmap to buy your first biz. 

More info here → https://lnkd.in/e24qgbuh

Work smarter not harder is a beautiful lie.

Hard lesson for me and you...

The people doing better than you aren’t smarter than you. They aren’t better than you. They aren’t luckier than you.

They’re just working so much harder than you, you can't even imagine.

The only thing separating you from them is:

Grit + Time + Consistency

MBA graduates aren't chasing jobs at Goldman or Google anymore.

They want ownership.

Here’s why some MBA graduates are choosing acquisitions over startups: 

In the 70s, 80s, 90s, MBA grads bought fancy suits and gloated about their big corner offices.

Now, they’re being taught to acquire companies.

We’re living in a GOLDEN ERA for business buying...

Baby Boomers hit ‘peak 65’ last year and it was the largest surge of in our beautiful nation's history. 

An average of 4.1 million Americans will retire EVERY year until 2027. 

And many own businesses they don’t know what to do with…

It’s up to us to continue their legacy and keep their businesses alive. 

Use my 3-6-12 framework to go a-z in buying your first biz... 

The TL;DR is this: 

• 3 months minimum to learn dealmaking
• 6 months to source and secure your deal
• 12 months post-purchase to master the business

Now, let’s break each step down: 

Your first 3 months should be pure learning.

There’s no such thing as a perfect business. Only a perfect business for YOU.

Figure out exactly what that business looks like before you start searching for it.

Terms, financials, tactics, structuring.

Acquisitions is a language. You need to get fluent.

The next 6 months are about finding YOUR deal:

• You'll look at 50+ businesses
• Submit 10-25 offers
• Perform due diligence on 3-5
• Close on 1

The numbers game isn't sexy. But it works.

Once you buy, give yourself 12 full months to master the business.

Why?

• Month 1-3: Learning systems
• Month 4-6: Stabilizing operations
• Month 7-9: Building team trust
• Month 10-12: Growing strategically

Rush this timeline and you'll destroy what you just bought.

I can’t stress this last point enough — you need to be patient. 

As the wonderful Warren Buffett once said: 

"You can't produce a baby in 1 month by getting nine women pregnant."

You CAN have the business you want. But it comes on its own timeline, not yours.

And that’s it!

Remember, before buying ANYTHING, ask yourself:

1. What kind of business would I actually ENJOY running?

2. What skills do I bring that would ADD VALUE?

3. Can I handle the pressure of other people's livelihoods depending on me?

Then, execute on the 3-6-12 framework.

↓↓↓↓

If you've read this far... I've got something for you. 

I'm sure there are a bunch of questions running through your mind like: 

• How do I buy a business?
• Which is the right one to buy?
• Would I be capable of running it?
• How do I know if this would be the right path for me?

Give me 90 minutes and I'll answer you.

I'm hosting a live Masterclass next week on all of this. Completely free.

Get details & save your spot here → https://lnkd.in/e24qgbuh

This reminds me of a study I learned about.

It found what's called The Spillover Effect:

Kellogg Insight did a study across 58,000 hours in 11 companies.

There were two main findings.

1) Positive Spillover

If you sit within 25ft of a HIGH performer, your performance increases by 15%.

You are no smarter, you work no harder... and you're 15% better.

These highest performers are not impacted by the low performance of their neighbors.

My takeaway = the strong lift up the weak.

But there was a second finding too, a much more concerning one...

2) Negative Spillover

If you sit near a LOW performer… Things get bad fast.

How they define “low performer” in the study is important:

These are “toxic workers.”

A “toxic” person = someone who ends up being fired for their behavior/performance.

On average:

- A toxic worker costs a company $12,800
- 2% of all workers are toxic
- They infect FAST.

And actually – the poison of a toxic worker spans way beyond 25ft:

Researchers said, “You can see their negative imprint and negative effect across an entire floor.”

So remember:

Success is contagious.

But so is toxicity.

↓ ↓ ↓

The same is true for the media you consume. Doomscroll hate on social media, you become a hateful person.

But if you'd rather surround yourself with stories of business owners & freedom finders, read this instead → https://lnkd.in/euh-mDd8

The 6 secrets to increasing your biz's value all start with one term: 

Recurring revenue.

The holy grail of business.

It's predictable, stable income that comes in month after month, year after year. Plus, there are a ton of other benefits:

• Higher Customer Lifetime Values (CLVs)
• for lower acquisition costs
• More predictable cashflow
• which makes budgeting & planning easier

Potential buyers LOVE recurring revenue. It makes it 10x easier to hire an operator, secure funding, and scale.

As an owner, your end goal is likely an acquisition... And recurring revenue increases your chances.

There are 6 types of recurring revenue:

(Ideally, your biz has at least 3 of these)

1. Long-term contracts

These are agreements of over a year that lock in guaranteed revenue. The longer the contract term, the more valuable it makes a business.

2. Auto-renewal subscriptions

This is the "set it and forget it" model. Customers sign up once, and their card is charged every month, quarter, or year.

3. Sunk money subscriptions

This is also known as the 'razor and blades' business model: You buy a base product (a razor), then have to continually buy refills (blades). Since the real money's in the refill, the base product is often sold cheap.

4. Pay-as-you-go

Customers only pay for what they use, but are still subscribed long-term as there’s friction in moving to another platform.

5. Loyalty programs

Giving your customers points & perks makes a customer feel they're "losing out" on potential savings if they go elsewhere. No one does this better than airlines.

6. Simple consumables

These are one-off items that are repurchased out of sheer habit & loyalty. Think, regulars at coffee shops, your favorite brand of toothpaste, transportation you have to take every day.

Recurring revenue is a HUGE key to retirement as a business owner.

With so many different types, the options are limited only to your creativity.

↓ ↓ ↓

Best way to track & forecast recurring & non recurring revenue? 

A cashflow tracker. 

Because the only real business advice you really need is...don't run out of cash. 

Feel free to use my template: https://lnkd.in/eHEiMUr9

We’ve completely forgotten why we're entrepreneurs.

When did we become a group of vitamin-D-deprived, Allbird-wearing, alternative-milk-drinking, extreme PowerPointers?

Many of us got soft.

We don’t climb mountains, we only take risks with other people’s money, we sit behind keyboards bragging about how ChatGPT did all the work.

What a terrible thing to strive for.

How can you make the most money by employing the fewest people and doing the least amount of work? How can you get mailbox money? Or a fast exit so you can tweet about it?

The secret:

Entrepreneurs don’t exist just for a bunch of zero’s and some big exit, but because we are crazy people willing things into very existence.

We are supposed to be the next generation of explorers, risk-takers, adrenaline junkies. Addicts to the masochistic mission of achievement and ownership.

The feeling of being so damn unemployable your only option is owner. The inability to sleep because of visions so big they pull you from bed in the dead of the night. Dreams so futuristic people laugh when you tell them.

Those are the entrepreneurs I admire.

My husband and I have a saying: “Protect those who can’t, cast aside those who won’t, enable those who want.”

Here’s to all of you who want so badly your wants become realities.

↓
💥 Follow me Codie A. Sanchez for more

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