Podcast Summary: Just A Moment – "Entrepreneurship by Design: Adam Sandow"
Host: Brant Menswar | Guest: Adam Sandow (CEO, Material Bank; Founder, Sandow Media)
Date: November 3, 2025 | Duration: ~28 min

Episode Overview

In this episode of Just A Moment, host Brant Menswar sits down with Adam Sandow, renowned media entrepreneur and CEO of Material Bank. Sandow’s journey is one of relentless curiosity, calculated risk-taking, and creative problem-solving. The discussion explores the defining moments that shaped his career—from lemonade-stand beginnings to disrupting print media—and the wisdom gained from both breakthrough successes and setbacks. Through candid storytelling, the episode offers actionable insights for aspiring entrepreneurs navigating an ever-evolving landscape.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Roots of Creativity and Entrepreneurship

• Family Influence and Early Inspiration

  • Both parents were business owners: father in printing, mother in graphic design—shaping Adam’s creative drive and entrepreneurial mindset.
    • "My father was always his whole life in the printing business. My mother worked with him ... So she was the creative graphic design company. My father was the printing company. And I grew up learning design and printing from watching my parents." (Adam, 01:12)
  • Diagnosed with dyslexia, Adam excelled in creativity over conventional academics.

• First Ventures and School Entrepreneurship

  • Ran side hustles in school—selling custom stickers, typesetting services.
  • Innovatively fundraised for his business club by leveraging his father’s print business, organizing 150 students to hand-collate large projects, out-earning traditional methods.
    • "That was me literally in 10th grade going, I'm going to take over the cafeteria... we raised in five hours what would take a couple of weeks." (Adam, 05:03)

2. The Breakthrough Moment: Pivot to Media Ownership

• College Years and Early Business Acumen

  • Founded a typesetting and graphic design company in high school—saw early waves of desktop publishing as game-changing.
  • At University of Miami, launched a newspaper on Miami Beach and even owned a bar at 19, displaying a fearless appetite to create and grow businesses.

• Pivotal Career Epiphany

  • While producing a magazine for a cruise line, Adam realized the real profits were in selling ads, not just providing printing services—a moment that fundamentally changed his trajectory.
    • "I put a lot of care into the book... And he said, 'I only sold 400,000 of ads.' And I said, $400,000? I said, I charged you 60 and I made good money. There was an epiphany... I'm no longer making books for anyone. I'm going to go get the contracts and sell my own ads." (Adam, 11:23)

3. Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

[14:01 - 16:59]

• Short-Term vs. Long-Term Thinking

  • Sandow distinguishes between entrepreneurs who chase easy, short-lived opportunities ("arbitrages") and those who aim to build lasting companies.
    • "It's never been easier to start a business. It's also never been harder... Think long term. It's harder, but you want to build things, you want to put your energy into things that you can build on over a long period of time and build a great company." (Adam, 15:13)
  • Warns about platforms (Amazon, Turo) that may enable fast money—until the opportunity evaporates or the company absorbs the value themselves.

• Business Model Fascination

  • Emphasizes the importance of strong, adaptable business models that can withstand changing markets and technologies.

4. The Power and Necessity of Failure

[18:10 - 20:29]

• Learning Through Mistakes
  • Adam credits his entrepreneurial education to freedom to fail in youth, cautioning that younger generations shielded from setbacks miss essential growth.
    • "Failure is one of the most powerful teaching aids as long as you learn from your mistakes." (Adam, 18:10)
  • Social media's glorification of effortless success (e.g., viral get-rich-quick stories) can mislead young people about what's sustainable.

5. The Missed Moment: Lessons from Setbacks

[20:52 - 22:39]

• Turning Mistakes into Opportunity
  • Example: Acquiring Worth Magazine right before the 2008 financial crisis—while a financial disaster, this led to the creation of a profitable private airport distribution business.
  • Reflection:
    • "For me, when I've had setbacks, nothing is ever perfect. I try and take learnings from it... If I was speaking to my 20 year old self, I would really focus on, okay, keep things simple, don't over complicate them." (Adam, 21:35)
  • Values simplicity as a key lesson—drawing inspiration from iconic companies like Apple.

6. The Next Frontier: AI, Robotics & Curiosity

[22:56 - 25:05]

• Future-Proofing Business

  • Adam now deliberately builds companies "AI and robotic proof," warning that the next technological leap could render entire business models obsolete.
    • "When you've got Elon Musk saying we're going to make a billion robots at $20,000 a piece... those things worry me. I try and focus on businesses that are both AI and robotic proof, meaning there's physical moats." (Adam, 23:14)

• Value of Boundless Curiosity

  • Encourages leaders to go beyond their comfort zones:
    • "Be curious because there's so many interesting things out there, especially when you've got this incredible device, a supercomputer in your pocket, you've got these incredible podcasts." (Adam, 24:23)
  • Suggests reading trade magazines outside one's industry every month.

7. Bridging Divides Through Curiosity & Shared Values

[25:05 - 28:02]

• A Broader Worldview

  • Brant observes that Americans have become narrowly focused—Sandow agrees, urging deliberate exposure to opposing perspectives.
    • "It's almost ignorant to go, well, they're wrong about everything... To truly be educated, if you don't really understand both sides of any issue and you don't listen and be reasonable on both sides, it's ignorant." (Adam, 27:08)

• Building Community through Shared Passions

  • Sandow’s media ventures intentionally create communities by connecting people through shared values and interests; a counterweight to societal division.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "I was always creative and really driven in my own way." (Adam, 01:49)
• "I always had little enterprises, little businesses... It was the only thing I ever wanted to do." (Adam, 03:16)
• "If I didn't make it happen, it wouldn't happen for me." (Adam, 08:13)
• "You gotta be a businessman or a student. You just can't do both... I'm dropping out, and I'm leaving, and I'll go be a businessman." (Adam's dean's advice & Adam's reaction, 10:34)
• "Remember there was a company called Turo that rents cars... That's the kind of short term thinking I think sometimes I worry about. Because when it's that good and there is an arbitrage to be made, it gets filled quickly... Go back to think long term, don't think short term." (Adam, 16:45)
• "Failure is one of the most powerful teaching aids as long as you learn from your mistakes." (Adam, 18:10)
• "Looking back... focusing on simplicity is something that I am bringing into every company that I own... I think it's the reason Apple is Apple today, right?" (Adam, 21:53)
• "I have an infinite curiosity about everything, not just about my world or what's in my lane... Be curious because there's so many interesting things out there." (Adam, 24:39)

Recommended Listening Timestamps

• Adam’s family background and early entrepreneurial drive: [01:02 – 03:47]
• Breakthrough dealing with media ownership: [10:19 – 12:48]
• Advice to young entrepreneurs—short-term vs. long-term: [14:01 – 16:59]
• Failures, setbacks, and learning simplicity: [18:10 – 22:39]
• Insights on the future of AI and robotics: [22:56 – 25:05]
• On building community, curiosity, and bridging divides: [25:05 – 28:02]

Tone & Language

The episode blends warm, storytelling narration with candid, pragmatic advice. Adam Sandow speaks with energetic humility—unpacking tough lessons honestly and championing both creativity and pragmatism. Brant’s tone is empathetic, reflective, and facilitative throughout.

For listeners seeking inspiration, practical entrepreneurial wisdom, and a refreshing take on navigating the rapidly shifting business world, Adam Sandow’s journey and insights are not to be missed.