‘School of Hard Knocks’ founder James Dumoulin shares wisdom, business knowledge at Convocation

In conjunction with the 2026 CEO Summit, Liberty University welcomed “School of Hard Knocks” cofounder and content creator James Dumoulin to the Convocation stage on Friday to encourage students to find their value in Christ as they work to grow the Kingdom of God.

Dumoulin sat with Vice President for Spiritual Development Josh Rutledge to discuss his explosive content creating career and how he leverages that for the Gospel. He credited his success in part to his determination and perseverance.

“The way I got here to 26 million followers and to own four million-dollar companies at 24 years old was not because I got smarter, it’s because I took action,” he said. “I did something everyone in this room can do, which is go up and start having conversations, not being afraid to ask for help, and that’s what I did. By result we built the largest business media channel in the entire world.”

Dumoulin said he dreamed of doing incredible things with his life from a young age, but he didn’t know at first what that may look like. After college, he entered the world of content creation alongside his brother and a friend. The team began cold approaching individuals on the street to ask them for their advice to the next generation.

This determination eventually brought them in contact with renowned entrepreneur Mark Cuban through a chance meeting on the street. Their willingness to approach Cuban for advice provided a springboard for their careers.

“There is a fundamental principle I want to instill in everyone watching,” Dumoulin said. “Take the risk or lose the chance. If I didn’t go up to Mark Cuban, we would have never been able to leverage that to get so many more interviews. That was extremely important. But more importantly, the worst thing he can say is ‘no.’ And guess what, he says ‘no,’ and we’re in the exact same position we were before we asked him.”

He also told students to refuse to get discouraged by rejection but instead use negative responses as an opportunity to grow and foster relationships.

Noting the relatively short human lifespan, Dumoulin encouraged students to make the most of every opportunity they have.

“You were obviously created for a reason,” he said. “You were born to do more than go to school, get a job, pay bills, and that be the end of life on earth. I believe in eternity, and I believe in Jesus, but we were created for a purpose (on earth) to go after that every day and take action. … We’ve really got to think way bigger for ourselves.”

“Could you imagine if I had let the fear of rejection and the fear of getting sent around in group chats, probably being called a clown?” he asked. “That’s the price you’re willing to pay if you really deeply love and believe in something and you have a burning passion and desire to make something succeed. I guarantee any successful person was told ‘no,’ time and time and time again.”

Having incredible success at such a young age, Dumoulin said he recognizes the importance of building relationships first with God and second with others. Throughout that success, however, he noted that he has come to understand the fleeting value of material possessions and business success.

“I came to a realization early on that you can make all the money in the world, you can build all the businesses in the world, you can have all the relationships in the world — that’s all temporary,” he said. “That’s a dying, dead road. I learned that early on, and a lot of people unfortunately don’t learn that (until) later in life.”

He instead finds his purpose in his faith in Christ.

“Having that core foundation, in my opinion, will get you through anything,” Dumoulin added. “And if you know you have God on your side and you have that deep belief in God, that’s going to take you further than anything else.”

Ultimately, Dumoulin told students to discover their passion and use that as a propellent throughout their personal careers. He also argued that the current generation is effectively positioned to succeed through the advent of the internet, cell phones, and other technology. The way to use those to your advantage is through rejecting procrastination.

Dumoulin closed by sharing a word of wisdom he heard one time from business executive Billy Ray Taylor.

“If a bird lands on a branch, does it trust the branch or does it trust its wings?” Dumoulin posited. “I’ve seen many birds land on branches, but I’ve never seen the branch break and the bird fall and die. Trust your wings.”

Dumoulin’s visit to campus coincided with the 2026 CEO Summit held Oct. 7-9. The annual event provides a platform for an extensive network of CEOs, government leaders, innovators, and world-changers to join students, faculty, and staff in promoting one of the largest Christian business networks in the country. The event featured various panel discussions and special sessions dedicated to forwarding the Great Commission through business and beyond. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and New York Times bestselling author Eric Metaxas provided main addresses at Wednesday’s keynote dinner. CEO Summit attendees joined students at both Wednesday’s and Friday’s Convocations.