A Founder's Life

Building Wealth Without Losing Your Soul - Ken Salazar - S6 -E1

Leo Gestetner Season 6 Episode 1

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0:00 | 35:53

This episode of A Founder’s Life is brought to you by Thankz, helping founders scale with reliable remote talent. Get $1,000 off your first month by emailing founders@thankz.com with the subject line Founder’s Life.

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👤 Connect with Today’s Guest – Ken Salazar
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ken-salazar-00198a8/

Website: https://www.gosilveredge.com/


Email: ken@gosilveredge.com

Ken Salazar is a serial entrepreneur with over 20 years in payments and fintech. From investment banking during the tech bust to scaling and exiting a payments business — and later buying it back — Ken shares hard-earned lessons about growth, leadership, and purpose.

We talk about why America is still behind in payments innovation, how COVID accelerated digital adoption, and why scaling too fast can destroy a company. But more importantly, Ken opens up about a deeply personal realization at age 31 — when outward success left him feeling completely empty.

What you’ll learn:
• Why founders must not “scale broke”
• The hidden dangers of private equity pressure
• How success can mask personal emptiness
• The discipline behind faith, fitness, and family
• Why you can’t do anything alone — but must own everything yourself

⏱️ CHAPTERS 

0:00 – From Investment Banking to Payments
1:49 – Reinventing Payments & Fintech Exit
13:29 – Faith, Family & Daily Discipline
35:16 – Success Without Fulfillment
37:42 – Don’t Scale Broke & Final Advice

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Website

leogestetner.com/leo

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