Brainstorming $100M AI-Proof Businesses

**SPEAKER_1** (0:00)
I think the theme of this episode today is basically anti-digital, anti-tech, anti-AI ideas. I have an idea for you, by the way.

**SPEAKER_2** (0:17)
What?

**SPEAKER_1** (0:17)
All right, so, Hampton, you've got this community of CEOs in different cities, and it's great, and you're doing great. And it's mostly a, it started off online. I'm so glad you shifted to in-person, which I'm sure was hard, but painful but necessary change. I've just been thinking about some of these AI-proof ideas. I think it's just an interesting lens to be like, what doesn't really make sense for AI to improve or disrupt? And we joined a country club. And-

**SPEAKER_2** (0:50)
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.

**SPEAKER_1** (0:51)
I thought I could just keep going. I didn't think the TSA agent would ask me for my passport there.

**SPEAKER_2** (1:00)
Who's we? Like you and your wife, your family? I'm like, okay, you and your wife, like a golf, like a golf club?

**SPEAKER_1** (1:05)
A golf country club, even though I don't play golf currently.

**SPEAKER_2** (1:08)
Okay. Like the stereotype in my head of like a golf course and like chicken tenders.

**SPEAKER_1** (1:15)
I think it's a lot of that. There's a great pool, great amenities, tennis court, pickleball, etc.

**SPEAKER_2** (1:20)
Okay.

**SPEAKER_1** (1:21)
Look, I don't want to talk too much about the country club. What I'm trying to say is from a business perspective, I'm breaking fast. Did you have to interview?

**SPEAKER_2** (1:27)
Did you have to interview?

**SPEAKER_1** (1:27)
Did they Google you? We have an interview scheduled in a few days. Yeah.

**SPEAKER_2** (1:30)
Oh my God.

**SPEAKER_1** (1:31)
The hardest part, by the way, is there's a dress code.

**SPEAKER_2** (1:36)
It's Under Armour on it. Are you allowed to wear Under Armour?

**SPEAKER_1** (1:42)
I was like, okay, I get full tank, but how about a muscle tank? You guys good with that? That's actually how I showed up to the first tour. Anyways, yeah, I'm a little fish out of water.

**SPEAKER_2** (1:50)
Wait, what are they going to ask you at the interview? Are they going to, like, are you going to, you can't tell them you host a podcast called My First Million.

**SPEAKER_1** (1:58)
I mean, just to be honest, they reject me.

**SPEAKER_2** (2:02)
Don't be honest. What, are you insane? You have to lie.

**SPEAKER_1** (2:07)
Look, my wife really wants this. She knows a lot of the moms from the school go there, whatever, all right. So let me get to my point here. Yes, yes to everything you're thinking insane. All right. Let's just agree on all of those things that are every thought in your head right now.

**SPEAKER_2** (2:23)
How much is it going to cost?

**SPEAKER_1** (2:24)
What's your monthly membership fees are something like you pay $7,500, so $7,500 just to like get your foot in the door. That's not even the dues. Well, there's a $500 application fee. Then it's like a $7,500 initial join the club fee. And then you pay something like, I don't know, $700 to $1,000 a month as a member. And that's to not even get to play golf. That's like pleb member. You don't get to play golf. If you play tennis, you got to like use your left hand or something. I don't know, you don't even get everything. So we're joining as like the basic member. But I was looking at the numbers, I was like, OK, so they're basically probably close to 2,000 members at this club. And so 2,000 members times, let's call it 10 grand a year average membership fee, which again doesn't even include the golf, is a $20 million annual recurring revenue business to then have the right to go pay for food there and drinks, to just have the right to go shop there. And so everything else I think mostly operates break even. I think they do events like weddings and birthday parties and stuff like that. That makes some money too. But I'm pretty sure this country club is pulling in something like 20 to 25 million a year in recurring revenue, not including all of the, whatever margin they have on food, beverage, golf, et cetera, which might be closer to like 10% or something. And I just thought, man, this is incredible business. And I've seen a few of these now. So I saw that one. When I first moved to San Francisco, the guy I was working with, Michael Birch, he created The Battery in San Francisco, which was like, San Francisco didn't have a Soho House, so he created The Battery.

**SPEAKER_2** (4:06)
Was that good? Was that a good business?