Billionaire Lawyer spills his side hustles (pick one)

I don't hunt deer, I hunt money. That line isn't a joke—it's the operating system I use for picking projects. Over the decades I built a law firm that became a national brand, then used the cash flow and systems from that business to fund a string of side hustles that behave like miniature, self-funding startups: upside-down museums, crime museums, food-and-entertainment complexes, mall repurposes, software for lawyers, and more.

Table of Contents

• Why side hustles that scale are better than hobbies
• WonderWorks: sell the sizzle, not the steak
• Alcatraz East: niche, authentic, profitable
• The law firm that financed the carnival
• Litify and Practice Made Perfect: build the flywheel
• Downtown Flavortown and Santa’s Chocolate Factory: entertainment as anti-AI
• Malls: first principles repurpose
• The operating rules that actually matter
• The legal secret: hunt big game, not cockroaches
• How to pick your next side hustle
• Final thought
• FAQ

Why side hustles that scale are better than hobbies

Side hustles are usually thought of as hobbies that make a few extra bucks. I think about them differently. A good side hustle solves a simple problem, is repeatable, and compounds into a cash-printing machine when you get scale and location right.

My personal playbook is simple: spot opportunity others miss, test with bullets, then deploy the bombs. That means small pilots first, learn fast, then roll out aggressively when the metrics prove out.

WonderWorks: sell the sizzle, not the steak

WonderWorks started as a reaction to boring science centers. Kids wanted to touch and do. Parents wanted an experience worth the ticket. So I built a science attraction where the building itself is the hook: an upside-down house that makes people curious before they even buy a ticket.

The inside flips you via an inversion tunnel so families are literally standing on the ceiling. The experience sells itself because the location is next to Orlando and Universal, and the value-to-price ratio is massive. This is the core lesson: design an experience with identifiable sizzle and make the perceived value far higher than the ticket price.

Alcatraz East: niche, authentic, profitable

Inspiration comes from what people already love. After going to Alcatraz I realized America is obsessed with crime and punishment. I built a museum that leaned into that fascination: authentic artifacts, strong storytelling, and low operational complexity.

The first attempt in DC taught me a brutal lesson: location and facade matter. When the landlord locked down the look, people didn't come. So I moved the concept to a high-traffic tourist market and rebuilt it the way it should be. Today Alcatraz East nets roughly $5 million per year. That move from failure to pivot is a classic example of failure being useful when you learn and act.

The law firm that financed the carnival

The law firm was never a random opportunity—it was personal. Watching my brother mistreated after a catastrophic injury convinced me to fight for people who had no power. That passion drove the practice, but the business lessons came fast: advertising, brand, and ruthless testing.

I treated marketing like math: know what a case is worth, know how many cases you need at a given ad spend to break even, and scale as long as the unit economics make sense. Brand was the multiplier. I made the URL my mission statement so one line would carry the message: ForThePeople.com.

Litify and Practice Made Perfect: build the flywheel

When something works internally, turn it into a product. We needed software to run a national law firm the way Google would if Google was a law firm. So we built Litify on top of Salesforce and then started selling it because others wanted the same operational clarity.

Practice Made Perfect was the advertising arm. I charged a fee to place ads for other firms and used the relationships to get case referrals. The result was a flywheel: the firm produced cash, the ad/lead engine provided cases, and the software standardized operations across all partners.

Downtown Flavortown and Santa’s Chocolate Factory: entertainment as anti-AI

As more things go digital, physical, screen-free, shared experiences become more valuable. Downtown Flavortown (think Dave & Buster's meets celebrity dining) and Santa's Chocolate Factory (an immersive retail-entertainment play) are both built on that insight: put irresistible experiences in the right locations and people will show up—and pay.

For Santa's Chocolate Factory I plan to charge a nominal entry fee and create many "Bellagio" moments where the retail environment becomes the show. Once the location and the spectacle are right, retail converts to entertainment revenue.

Malls: first principles repurpose

Most people tear malls down. I asked a different question: what if we keep the shell and turn the mall into the attraction? With LED, illusions, ziplines, and ropes courses, a tired property becomes a gallery and destination. This is classic first principle thinking: strip away assumptions and rebuild from what actually delivers value today.

The operating rules that actually matter

• Location, location, location. A good concept in the wrong place is a bad investment.
• Bullets before bombs. Test a small pilot. Learn. Then scale hard.
• Fish first, fish fast. Be early and be aggressive at customer acquisition.
• Build for value. Customers will pay for experiences that feel worth more than the price.
• Culture of execution. Consensus building matters, but once the decision is made, move fast and execute.

The legal secret: hunt big game, not cockroaches

There are two sides to the law business: catching fish and cooking fish. Catch early and fast with ads and leads. Then have the trial horsepower to extract full value from big cases. A few big wins produce most of the profit. If competitors are marketing-first but trial-weak, they will take the last best offer. Be both a marketing machine and a trial team that can win in court. That combination amplifies margins and reputation.

How to pick your next side hustle

1. Start with a simple insight people already care about.
2. Validate with a low-cost pilot in a high-traffic location.
3. Measure unit economics: ticket price, visit length, repeat rate.
4. Iterate on the experience until the NPS and time-on-site are high.
5. Scale using proven systems and partners.

Final thought

Side hustles are not a distraction if you treat them like experiments that can scale. Use cash flow from core businesses, test with humility, and double down when the numbers and attention prove out. Collect artifacts, build spectacles, and keep a muscle for big bets that turn into dependable cash machines.

FAQ

What makes a location-based attraction profitable?

Profitability depends on foot traffic, ticket value versus perceived experience, and operational simplicity. Place the attraction where people come to spend money and design a high-value, low-friction experience so families stay longer and spend more.

How do you test a new concept without losing too much money?

Run small pilots: rent a pop-up, use a single gallery, or convert an outparcel. Measure unit economics like conversion rate, time on site, and per-visit spend. Only scale once the pilot consistently hits targets.

Can a law firm create and sell software successfully?

Yes. If the software solves a real operational problem that the firm relies on, it can become a product. Build for your needs first, then productize once the tooling is proven and demanded by peers.

How do you balance focus with multiple side projects?

Use the bullets-before-bombs approach: move deliberately on pilots, rely on trusted operators for day-to-day execution, and centralize strategy. Focus doesn’t mean doing one hobby; it means ruthlessly prioritizing where you deploy capital and attention.

What industries should entrepreneurs consider today?

Service industries with fragmented markets (plumbing, HVAC, electrical) are prime for scaling. Immersive entertainment and location-based experiences are also attractive in a digital-first world because they offer screen-free value that can’t be replicated by AI.

"I don't hunt deer, I hunt money." Let the phrase remind you: pick projects that feed each other, and focus on making each dollar work harder.