Sam Parr built The Hustle into a media empire with millions of daily readers, then sold it to HubSpot. But the project he's most passionate about is Hampton - a private community of founders and CEOs who gather regularly for in-person dinners, retreats, and peer groups.
His journey from content creator to community builder reveals something important about what actually connects people - and it's not another newsletter.
The Hustle: Building an Audience
The Hustle proved that smart, irreverent business content could build a massive audience. At its peak, the newsletter reached 1.5 million subscribers daily. Sam and his team figured out how to create content that people actually wanted to read - not because it was optimized for clicks, but because it was genuinely useful and fun.
But even at scale, Sam noticed a limitation. Content creates an audience. Community creates belonging. And belonging is what people actually crave.
Why Sam Built Hampton
Hampton is deliberately everything The Hustle wasn't. Small instead of massive. Exclusive instead of accessible. In-person instead of digital. It's a curated community of founders and CEOs (minimum $1M in revenue) who meet in small peer groups and at in-person events.
Why the shift? Sam saw that the loneliest people in business are often the ones at the top. Founders can't vent to their teams. They can't show uncertainty to their investors. They can't admit to their spouses how scared they sometimes are. They need a room of people who understand - and that room has to be in person.
What Makes Hampton Work
Curation Over Growth
Hampton doesn't try to be big. Members are vetted, and the community grows slowly. Sam learned from The Hustle that scale isn't always the goal - sometimes the value is in exclusivity and trust. When everyone in the room has similar stakes, the conversation immediately goes deeper.
In-Person as the Core Product
Hampton has an online component, but the heart of the community is the in-person gathering. Monthly dinners, quarterly retreats, annual summits. Sam believes these physical touchpoints are what separate Hampton from every other "founder community" with a Slack channel.
"You can share information online," Sam says. "But you can't build trust online. Trust requires looking someone in the eye, sharing a meal, and spending enough time together that the walls come down."
Vulnerability by Design
Hampton gatherings are structured to create vulnerability. Small groups (8-12 people), seated dinners, conversation frameworks that encourage honesty. No panels, no keynotes, no networking. Just real conversations between people who understand each other's reality.
The Lesson for Every Team
You don't have to be a founder community to apply Sam's playbook. The principles scale to any team:
- Small groups build deeper bonds. The most impactful part of any retreat isn't the all-hands session - it's the 6-person dinner table where real conversation happens.
- In-person isn't optional for trust. The teams that never meet in person can be effective, but they'll always lack the trust layer that physical proximity builds.
- Consistency compounds. Monthly or quarterly touchpoints create a trust flywheel. Each gathering deepens the bonds formed at the last one.
- Structure the vulnerability. Don't just hope people will open up. Design the environment, the group size, and the conversation prompts to make it natural.
This conversation was part of the Marco Labs series exploring the future of work culture and team connection.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Sam Parr and what is Hampton?
Sam Parr is the founder of The Hustle, acquired by HubSpot, and Hampton, a peer community for high-growth founders and CEOs. Hampton brings together business leaders through curated small groups, virtual discussions, and in-person gatherings.
Why do founders need in-person community?
Entrepreneurship is inherently isolating. Founders face decisions that most people in their company cannot relate to. In-person gatherings create the psychological safety needed for honest conversation that leads to better decisions and reduced burnout.
How can companies create the kind of community Sam Parr describes?
Start small and be consistent. A monthly dinner for 8-12 people from similar roles creates more genuine connection than a 500-person conference. Invest in facilitation and commit to in-person gathering.
What is the connection between community and company culture?
Community and culture are mirrors. External community reflects and reinforces internal culture. Companies that invest in gathering their people build stronger brands, higher retention, and more resilient organizations.