How This Founder Hit $56M Revenue After Living in His Car for a Year Following Bankruptcy

Startups With Stu

What does it take to build a $56 million company after losing everything twice? Jeremy Barker, founder of Murphy Door, shares his incredible journey from making his first $20 million at 21, going bankrupt, and living in his car for exactly one year to building the Kleenex brand of hidden doors. In this episode, Jeremy reveals how he created an entirely new product category from scratch while working as a full-time firefighter, turning a simple hardware concept into a monopoly business that's projected to hit $109 million by 2027. He breaks down the mental shift that saved his life during his darkest moments, why he chose domestic manufacturing over cheap imports, and his contrarian approach to scaling without taking investor money. Jeremy also unveils Pure Brand, his revolutionary customer-to-customer sales platform that converts prospects at 47% compared to traditional website conversion rates of 0.24%. His hard-earned wisdom about resilience, the dangers of early success, and building authentic value over flashy signaling makes this essential listening for any entrepreneur facing setbacks or looking to create a category-defining business.

Connect with Jeremy Barker:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-barker-02007648/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jbarker482/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JeremyBarker482

Follow Murphy Door:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-murphy-door/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/murphydoor/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@murphydoor

Twitter/X: https://x.com/murphydoor