In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Sean Heberling, founder and CEO of Marion Street Capital.
From buying up newspaper routes as a kid in Rochester, New York, to hiring friends and building a mini “paperboy empire,” Sean’s early ventures taught him how to scale, manage people, and spot opportunity. Those same instincts followed him through a 20-year career in hedge funds and later into academia as a finance professor at Villanova University, where he rediscovered his passion for helping businesses grow from the ground up.
Sean explains how Marion Street Capital was born from a handful of phone calls and a desire to bridge the gap between capital and companies that need it. He breaks down the hedge fund world in plain language, reveals what separates thriving entrepreneurs from failing ones, and shares how pattern recognition, persistence, and strategic ruthlessness shape success. From scaling startups to mentoring future leaders, Sean offers a grounded take on what it really takes to build something sustainable—and why, if failure weren’t an option, he’d be sailing around the world.
Hear how Sean Heberling turned early ambition into lasting impact on the finance world in this episode of The First Customer!
Guest Info:
Marion Street Capital
http://www.marionstreetcapital.com
Sean Heberling's LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanheberling/
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