$32M Exit: Left the U.S., Built a $15K/Month Life in Japan

Moneywise

Hampton

Business, Entrepreneurship, Investing

4.8 • 674 Ratings

🗓️ 1 April 2025

⏱️ 48 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

If you're a founder doing at least $3M/year in sales, check out Hampton: https://www.joinhampton.com/.

Eran Galperin bootstrapped a niche SaaS for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gyms, sold it for $32.5 million, moved to Japan, and is now quietly living the FIRE dream — with a few luxury upgrades.

Here’s what we talk about:
- How Eran went from $15K in the bank to a $32M exit (with 90% equity!)
- Why he ignored VCs and chose to bootstrap — and how it paid off years later
- The long, slow ramp: 4 years to $12K MRR, 8 years to $3M ARR
- The FIRE mindset that guided his financial decisions from day one
- How and why he moved to Japan — including taxes, cost of living, and lifestyle
- What it actually cost to move abroad and build a luxury home in Tokyo
- His full post-exit portfolio breakdown (hint: most of it’s in index funds)
- What it’s like working after the exit — and why he’s still showing up
- The one splurge that changed his mindset about spending
- The emotional reality of selling your company — and why it felt more like relief than celebration
- Why he's mentoring early-stage founders and learning real estate development — just for fun

Cool Links:
Hampton https://www.joinhampton.com/
Lower Street https://www.lowerstreet.co/
FIRE Subreddit https://www.reddit.com/r/Fire/?rdt=37862
fatFIRE Subreddit https://www.reddit.com/r/fatFIRE/

Chapters:
(00:00) The $32 Million Exit
(01:48) Why FIRE
(08:31) The Slow SaaS Ramp of Death
(12:49) The Big Move to Japan
(14:32) Financial Optimization and the Exit Strategy
(19:05) The Final Deal: $32.5 Million Sale
(23:25) Financial Breakdown and Initial Investments
(26:03) Post-Exit Financial Planning
(28:19) Lifestyle Changes and Spending Habits
(33:49) Building a Dream Home in Tokyo
(38:52) Continued Work and New Ventures
(42:30) Final Thoughts and Future Plans

This podcast is a ridiculous concept: high-net-worth people reveal their personal finances.
Inspired by real conversations happening in the Hampton community.

Harry Morton
Founder of Lower Street, a podcast production company helping brands launch and grow top-tier podcasts.
Co-parents a cow named Eliza.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	I sold a majority stake of the company for $32.5 million.
0:08.0	That's Erin Galparin. He took a Brazilian jiu-jitsu side project, turned it into a niche
0:12.4	SaaS company and cashed out for $32 million. And that's likely just the beginning.
0:17.1	If things go according to plan, it would actually be worth more than the initial exit.
0:22.8	Erin is a fire guy. If you don't know, that means financial independence retire early.
0:27.2	He's been building his finances in his career with one singular goal in mind, that early retirement.
0:33.0	This is one of those rare moments where the dream actually plays out.
0:36.8	No co-founder drama, no messy exits, just a quiet SaaS success story that turned a side
0:42.2	project into $30 million payday and counting.
0:46.2	And that's not even counting the biggest change of all, a move to Japan, where he and his
0:50.1	wife are building a luxury home and settling into their new post-exit life abroad.
0:58.8	In this episode, we'll cover the cost of the move, the unexpected downsides, the expected upsides, and how getting out the restrictive fire mindset and embracing a new life of modest
1:03.7	luxury. I'm Harry Morton and this is Money Wise, a podcast not about how to make money, but
1:09.2	how your life changes after you do. It was made for
1:12.0	members of Hampton, actually, a private vetted community of high net worth founders looking for people
1:16.5	going through the same crazy experiences of building, growing and oftentimes exiting a company.
1:22.1	I'm a member and I know firsthand that building a company can be isolating and connecting with
1:26.8	others going through
1:27.6	the same thing has been game changing for me personally. I've learned a lot, I've made great
1:32.1	friends and honestly I feel more confident as a founder. So if you're a CEO or a founder
1:36.6	doing at least 3 million ARR, check it out at joinhampton.com.
1:48.4	All right, so before we get to Japan and learn all about how much it costs to make the move,
	...

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