$10M and Total Freedom, I Left the Family Empire to Build My Own

127 founders (net worth: ~$1M–$100M+) opened up their personal books. Want to see how your finances stack up? https://www.joinhampton.com/wealth-report

Shane Cultra walked away from his family's five-generation nursery business—triggered, in part, by watching Succession. Along the way, he built up a $10M net worth, stacked Bitcoin, turned a blog into a domain empire, and made peace with a father who didn’t speak to him for a year after he left.

Here’s what we talk about:

• How Shane went from pit trader to plant farmer
• The domain side hustle that cashflows $300K+ a year
• Breaking down his $10M net worth: Bitcoin, land, stocks, and side gigs
• Why his dad thought success would make him lazy
• The real cost of working with family—and why he’d still do it all over again
• How Succession mirrored his life and led him to finally walk away
• The awkward equity breakdown: 33%, but no control
• Selling a blog for $75K and going all-in on digital real estate
• Why he’d rather make $18K for himself than $100K working for someone else
• Letting his daughter fail—and why that’s the lesson his dad never learned
• His exact monthly spending: $5,600/month, no mortgage, travel-heavy lifestyle
• From Porsches to a two-door Bronco: redefining what rich looks like
• $4M in stock holdings (including a $10K Apple investment for his daughter that grew to $400K)
• Why he's not pushing the family business to the next generation—and what legacy really means

Cool Links:

• If you’re a founder or CEO with $3M+ in revenue or funding, or you’ve sold a company for $10M+, check out Hampton: https://www.joinhampton.com/
• If you want a cool podcast like this one, check out Lower Street https://www.lowerstreet.co/
• Check out Shane's blog! https://www.botany.com

Chapters:
A Family Legacy in Crisis (00:00)
Shane's Financial Journey (00:31)
The Nursery Business Dynamics (04:51)
Shane's Early Career and Return to Family Business (09:12)
Navigating Family and Business Conflicts (11:49)
The Importance of Land Value (16:25)
Venturing into Domain Names (17:27)
The Unexpected Offer: Selling My Blog (21:07)
Family Tensions: Side Income and NFTs (21:43)
Measuring Wealth: Personal Stories (23:01)
Leaving the Family Business: A Tough Decision (24:59)
Reconciliation and Moving Forward (30:42)
Advice for Founders with Kids (33:41)
Financial Overview and Spending Habits (35:37)
Final Thoughts on Family Legacy (39:10)

This podcast is a ridiculous concept: high-net-worth people reveal their personal finances.

Inspired by real conversations happening in the Hampton community.

Your Host: Harry Morton

• Founder of Lower Street, a podcast production company helping brands launch and grow top-tier podcasts.
• Co-parents a cow named Eliza.