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 youโre starting a service business, struggling to scale, or curious about exits and life after selling, this episode delivers hard-earned lessons you wonโt find in textbooks.
๐ก In This Episode, We Cover:
โผ๏ธ How Abe built his first company at 16 and sold it for $25k
โผ๏ธ The โwalk between the dropsโ philosophy learned from his parents
โผ๏ธ Scaling revenue to $50M without losing control
โผ๏ธ The partner who walked awayโand the brother who stayed to build a legacy
โผ๏ธ Managing ADHD as a superpower using pen, paper, and ruthless systems
โผ๏ธ Why Abe never gives raisesโand the bonus system that creates extreme loyalty
โผ๏ธ The New Yorker article that changed everything and attracted private equity
โผ๏ธ The harsh reality of scaling too fast and running out of cash
โผ๏ธ Selling the business: identity loss, regret, and what comes next
โผ๏ธ His current venture in the challenging world of assisted living (ALFs)
โฑ๏ธ Chapters:
0:00 Intro โ Meeting in the Shul & the Founder of John To Go
10:11 Early Hustle โ Selling a Computer Company at 16
16:11 First Major Bet โ Buying a 24-Unit Building with $400k
20:20 The Birth of John To Go โ A Partner, a Stick Shift Truck & the First Winter
23:02 The Pivot โ Bringing His Brother in as the Right Partner
32:20 Scaling Secrets โ From $400k to $50M in Revenue
39:45 The New Yorker Call That Changed Everything
57:32 The $280k Employee โ A Bonus System That Creates Partners
1:04:14 Life After the Exit โ Identity, Travel & Starting Over
1:07:37 Final Advice โ Would He Do It All Again?
๐ Connect with Abe Breuer
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breuerabe/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abe-breuer-a339725/
๐ 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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