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Creator Lab - interviews with entrepreneurs and startup founders

Revealing conversations with the leading creators of our time. From proven entrepreneurs building the companies of the future, to non-profit founders creating change and the artists shaping our culture - we go beyond the surface to find the nuance in what it takes to turn your ideas, into action.
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Creator Lab - interviews with entrepreneurs and startup founders
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Now displaying: Page 1
Sep 21, 2023

Zaid Admani is a creator and part-time Civil Engineer. He creates content on finance and business that is both educational and entertaining. He has built up a following of ~400k people & has generated more than 100 million views across social media.

 

Subscribe & watch on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/j-he_V_V5nY 

 

Timestamps: 

  • (00:00:00) - Intro
  • (00:04:14) - Zaid’s Creator Journey
  • (00:21:04) - Zaid’s Civil Engineering Background
  • (00:32:04) - Zaid’s Content Style
  • (00:43:39) - Creating Viral Content vs. Meaningful Content
  • (00:57:12) - Sponsor: LinkedIn Jobs
  • (00:58:23) - Balancing Educating and Entertaining
  • (01:00:26) - Inside Look at Zaid’s Content Creation Process
  • (01:33:33) - Quantity vs Quality
  • (01:39:43) - Why TikTok Live
  • (01:49:40) - Monetization

 

Links Mentioned:

 

Thank you to our sponsors:

Linkedin Jobs - helps you find the candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post a job for free on https://linkedin.com/creator

 

Aug 24, 2023

Suneel Gupta is a writer and entrepreneur. He studies leaders from around the world to discover and share simple, actionable habits that enhance performance and deepen ones state of well-being.

 

Subscribe & watch on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/kZwbKcnsdbY

 

Timestamps: 

  • (00:00:00) - Intro
  • (00:01:49) - Suneel’s Backstory
  • (00:03:35) - What is Dharma?
  • (00:17:38) - The Arrival Fallacy
  • (00:24:44) - The Ambition Paradox?
  • (00:32:51) - Sponsor: LinkedIn Jobs
  • (00:34:02) - Searching for Meaning
  • (00:42:37) - The Importance of Recovery
  • (00:46:06) - The 85% Rule
  • (00:50:58) - Tools for Finding Dharma
  • (01:00:56) - Music Mindset
  • (01:04:33) - Staying Connected to your Essence

 

Links Mentioned

Thank you to our sponsors:

Linkedin Jobs - helps you find the candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post a job for free on https://linkedin.com/creator

Jul 27, 2023

Kallaway is creator with a passion for producing content centered around tech and cult brands. He has generated over 100 million views and amassed a large following across social media.

Subscribe & watch on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/etQpm_bQJH8

Timestamps:

  • (00:00:00) - Intro

  • (00:02:22) - Kallaway’s Backstory

  • (00:17:07) - Distribution is King

  • (00:20:57) - Why Short-Form Video?

  • (00:28:56) - Actionable Advice on Creating Content

  • (00:44:53) - Sponsor: LinkedIn Jobs

  • (00:46:04) - Comedy & Storytelling
  • (00:52:41) - Why Writing is the Most Important Skill

  • (01:03:33) - Inside Look at Kallaway’s Script Layout

  • (01:05:59) - Kallaway’s Equipment

  • (01:10:24) - Kallaway’s Editing Process

  • (01:32:35) - Psychology of Creating Content

  • (01:44:57) - How to go viral

  • (01:49:37) - Newsletter Insights

  • (01:55:26) - Thoughts on Monetization

  • (01:59:52) - Becoming a Full-Time Creator 

Links Mentioned

Thank you to our sponsors:

Linkedin Jobs - helps you find the candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post a job for free on linkedin.com/creator

 

Feb 27, 2023

Subscribe & watch on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/zJBc0-rsnVo

Timestamps:

  • 00:00:00 - Start
  • 00:04:26 - What VCs do & how it overlaps with Mario’s experience
  • 00:08:00 - Why Be A Generalist vs. Specialist?
  • 00:11:32 - Surprising characteristics of “who becomes an entrepreneur”?
  • 00:15:52 - Average age of entrepreneurs - fact vs fiction
  • 00:17:58 - Emerging Tech (AI, Crypto, Health)
  • 00:22:34 - Valuations in 2023
  • 00:24:53 - Feelings After FTX & Luna Crash
  • 0:33:24 - Web 2.5 Companies
  • 00:35:45 - Neo Banks vs Traditional Banks
  • 00:37:30 - Fintech Overlap w/ Crypto
  • 00:38:33 - ChatGPT vs. Google
  • 00:41:55 - Types of searches & AI co-pilots
  • 00:44:34 - Hype Cycles: Football vs. Tech
  • 00:48:22 - Sponsor Break: Virtual Gurus
  • 00:49:25 - Monetizing AI & Google vs. Microsoft
  • 00:56:59 - Satya Smashing It At Microsoft
  • 01:02:36 - What Running A $15mil Fund Looks Like
  • 01:16:19 - Behind The Mind
  • 01:17:08 - If you weren’t doing the generalist what would you be doing?
  • 01:18:26 - Contrarian Opinions
  • 01:23:08 - Subcultures, Reality TV & The Day of Judgement
  • 01:26:14 - People That Have Impacted Your Thinking

Links Mentioned

  • https://www.generalist.com/briefing/all-the-answers
  • https://www.generalist.com/briefing/josh-wolfe
  • https://www.generalist.com/briefing/the-casino-and-the-genie

Thank you to our sponsors:

 

Feb 14, 2023

Subscribe & watch on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/c1vgzbouoXY

Timestamps:

  • (00:00:00) - Intro
  • (00:00:24) - Start Of Interview
  • (00:06:43) - Selling Companies & Expertise Gap
  • (00:15:40) - Expertise Gap in 2023
  • (00:20:18) - Selling Company: Strategic vs Financial Buyers
  • (00:23:50) - Getting New Clients & Figuring Out Pricing
  • (00:39:29) - Sponsor Break: Virtual Gurus
  • (00:40:32) - Press, Scaling Beyond Yourself & Dealing With Ego
  • (00:56:42) - Best In Class Influencer Marketing
  • (01:04:00) - Priorities & Long Term View On Business

Thank you to our sponsors:

Jan 30, 2023

Subscribe & watch on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/FNCgWJNR9ok

Timestamps:

  • (00:00:00) - Intro
  • (00:00:24) - Start Of Interview
  • (00:01:55) - What Is Tongal?
  • (00:04:07) - Types of Content: Branded, Original + Advertising
  • (00:07:08) - Scale Of Tongal
  • (00:12:14) - Background in Hollywood
  • (00:24:57) - The Company Before Tongal
  • (00:34:54) - Power of Cold E-mail
  • (00:36:53) - Company Origin Story
  • (00:41:12) - Sponsor Break: Virtual Gurus
  • (00:42:12) - Getting First Few Customers
  • (00:46:49) - Finding Product Market Fit
  • (00:52:19) - Scaling + Growth Levers
  • (01:02:43) - Pricing Model Change
  • (01:08:14) - Looking Ahead
  • (01:13:35) - How AI Will Impact The Creative Work Force?
  • (01:15:44) - Streaming Wars (Netflix, YouTube, HBO, Tiktok)

 

Thank you to our sponsors:

Jan 16, 2023

Subscribe & watch on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/2XHlteP32Sc

Timestamps:

  • (00:00:00) - Intro
  • (00:00:24) - Start Of Interview
  • (00:02:48) - Zapier + AI
  • (00:05:56) - No Code + AI
  • (00:17:16) - OpenAI vs Google vs Microsoft
  • (00:26:32) - AI assistant
  • (00:39:20) - Sponsor Break: The Virtual Gurus
  • (00:40:21) - OpenAI vs Big Tech
  • (00:46:49) - askmybook.com
  • (00:54:58) - AI Hype Cycle?
  • (01:00:05) - Predictions for 2023
  • (01:14:11) - End

Links Mentioned

Thank you to our sponsors:

Dec 5, 2022

Subscribe & watch on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/4PWqRILYz8U

Timestamps:

  • (00:00:00) - Intro
  • (00:00:07) - Start Of Interview
  • (00:01:25) - Who Is Danny Postma
  • (00:04:04) - Slowmad Lifestyle
  • (00:06:54) - Early Indie Hacking
  • (00:15:21) - What Is GPT-3?
  • (00:18:18) - Training AI
  • (00:24:07) - First-Hand Experience
  • (00:25:36) - Use Cases
  • (00:28:41) - Should we learn to code to play with AI?
  • (00:34:19) - Jasper and copy.ai
  • (00:38:07) - What Is Open AI?
  • (00:40:05) - Sponsor Break: Shopify
  • (00:41:39) - Sponsor Break: Justworks
  • (00:42:45) - Will AI Take Over The World?
  • (00:45:08) - How AI will replace people
  • (00:46:34) - Learning To Code
  • (00:50:39) - Use Cases and Generating Ideas
  • (00:54:52) - What Happened After Danny Sold Headlime?
  • (00:57:28) - AI Business Ideas
  • (01:04:55) - Personalized Podcasts
  • (01:10:23) - End

LINKS MENTIONED:

Thank you to our sponsors:

  • Shopify: trusted by millions of entrepreneurs to create their online store and more - signup for a free trial at shopify.com/creatorlab
  • Justworks: makes it simple to hire and manage remote employees across all 50 states; visit JustWorks.com
Nov 21, 2022

Subscribe & watch on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/K26L7HwTLcU

Timestamps:

  • (00:00:00) - Intro
  • (00:01:06) - What Is Shiny?
  • (00:03:48) - Hyperfocused On Being Unfocused
  • (00:06:14) - Shiny Object Social Club + Shiny Token
  • (00:11:09) - Crypto Sentiment & Price Action
  • (00:16:10) - Open AI & What's Driving The Growth in AI?
  • (00:22:08) - Image, Video, Podcast AI + Generative Art
  • (00:27:42) - Jasper - All-in-one Tool + AI Co-Pilots
  • (00:37:25) - Sponsor Break: Shopify
  • (00:38:35) - Sponsor Break: Justworks
  • (00:39:59) - Continuation Of Interview
  • (00:53:07) - Will AI Evolve & Be A Threat?
  • (01:07:09) - Moving Abroad

Links Mentioned

Thank you to our sponsors:

  • Shopify: trusted by millions of entrepreneurs to create their online store and more - signup for a free trial at shopify.com/creatorlab
  • Justworks: makes it simple to hire and manage remote employees across all 50 states; visit JustWorks.com
Nov 7, 2022

Subscribe & watch on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/YbEAIBbQA5E

Timestamps:

  • (00:00:00) - Intro
  • (00:00:25) - Start Of Interview
  • (00:01:56) - How Grubhub Started
  • (00:03:26) - Software Developer to Starting Grubhub & Fixer
  • (00:05:13) - Seven Deadly Sins
  • (00:06:48) - Idea To Reality
  • (00:08:45) - The Evolution
  • (00:13:26) - Knowing When To Go Full Time
  • (00:22:00) - Prioritizing & Managing Time
  • (00:25:25) - Repeat Purchases
  • (00:26:51) - iPhone & The App Store
  • (00:31:03) - Creating A New Business Model
  • (00:34:01) - Phone is the Remote Control Of Your Life
  • (00:36:30) - Sponsor: Justworks
  • (00:37:37) - Full-time Employees vs Contractors
  • (00:40:16) - Growth Moments
  • (00:42:35) - Seamless & Grubhub Merger & Exit
  • (00:52:30) - Bilal's Definition Of Success
  • (00:59:10) - Difference Between A Grump & An Entrepreneur
  • (01:04:38) - Leaving It All Behind
  • (01:09:27) - The Big Bike Trip

 Links Mentioned:

Hangry a Startup Journey: https://amzn.to/3EPudNo

Thank you to our sponsors:

  • Justworks - makes it simple to hire and manage remote employees across all 50 states; visit JustWorks.com
Oct 17, 2022

Subscribe & watch on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/8HlTDcNCDxI

Timestamps:

  • (00:00:00) - Intro
  • (00:00:26) - Start of Interview
  • (00:01:42) - Starting HVMN (Health Via Modern Nutrition)
  • (00:07:48) - Scale Of Business & Google Background
  • (00:13:02) - Ketosis & Keto
  • (00:18:23) - How The Brain Uses Energy
  • (00:21:39) - Exogenous Ketones
  • (00:35:31) - Athletes Using Exogenous Ketones
  • (00:38:55) - Sponsor: Justworks
  • (00:40:01) - Continuation Of Interview
  • (00:45:04) - Ketones Your Body Produces vs Exogenous Ketones
  • (00:47:00) - Contract With Army
  • (00:48:59) - Glucose Levels & Clearing Out Carbs You Eat
  • (00:58:57) - 7-Day Fast
  • (01:02:35) - Autophagy & Fasting
  • (01:09:52) - Stem Cell Preservation
  • (01:14:51) - Micro-Dosing

Links Mentioned:

https://twitter.com/bdm_runner

Thank You To Our Sponsor:

  • Justworks - makes it simple to hire and manage remote employees across all 50 states; visit JustWorks.com
Oct 10, 2022

Subscribe & watch on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/EtsZ36eaBPc

Timestamps:

  • (00:00:00) - Intro
  • (00:00:37) - Start Of Interview
  • (00:01:30) - Annie Duke's Background In Poker
  • (00:03:49) - Growing Up
  • (00:06:11) - How Games Help Your Life
  • (00:09:53) - What Makes A Great Poker Player
  • (00:17:52) - Annie Duke's Role At First Round Capital
  • (00:22:56) - Knowing When To Quit
  • (00:38:39) - Müller-Lyer Illusion
  • (00:49:51) - Sponsor: Linkedin Jobs
  • (00:50:54) - Sponsor: Justworks
  • (00:52:10) - Continuation Of Interview
  • (00:58:17) - Challenges With How We Think
  • (01:02:23) - Problem With Quitting
  • (01:11:00) - Example: Stewart Butterfield, Founder of Slack
  • (01:22:22) - Grit vs Quitting
  • (01:28:56) - "Quitting On Time Feels Like It's Too Early"
  • (01:30:11) - Monkeys vs. Pedestal Framework
  • (01:39:42) - The Great Resignation

Links Mentioned:

Annie Duke's New Book, QUIT:
https://amzn.to/3RQsTwH

Thinking In Bets:
https://amzn.to/3eqOcHf

 

Thank you to our sponsors:

  • Linkedin Jobs - helps you find the candidates you want to talk to faster. Post a job for free on linkedin.com/creator
  • Justworks - makes it simple to hire and manage remote employees across all 50 states; visit JustWorks.com
 
Sep 26, 2022

Subscribe & watch on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/hXHZLKFpTu8

Timestamps:

  • (00:00:00) - Intro
  • (00:00:27) - Sponsor Break: Sendinblue
  • (00:01:17) - Who Is Elijah?
  • (00:07:10) - Sound System Culture
  • (00:09:13) - What's A Reload?
  • (00:12:26) - Origins of UK Grime
  • (00:16:30) - Controversy of Form 696
  • (00:27:21) - Pirate Radio
  • (00:31:45) - How Musicians Make Money
  • (00:36:07) - How Much You Get Paid Per Stream
  • (00:38:05) - Industry Standards In Music
  • (00:44:15) - Communities, Artists & Gatekeepers
  • (00:51:49) - Balancing Old & New
  • (00:57:43) - Sponsor Break: Bambee
  • (01:07:46) - Web 3 + Music
  • (01:14:05) - The Yellow Squares Project
  • (01:19:07) - Choosing A Social Media Platform
  • (01:21:06) - The Disadvantage Of Having A Degree
  • (01:25:19) - The Yellow Squares Live Event
  • (01:31:50) - The Doomscroll Formula
  • (01:39:36) - Rinse FM & Y Combinator
  • (01:42:22) - Skepta
  • (01:43:57) - Why Michaela Cole Rejected £1M Netflix Deal
  • (01:46:09) - The Life & Passing Of Jamal Edwards

 

Link Mentioned

 

Thank you to our sponsors:

  • Sendinblue - an all-in-one marketing, automation, and email platform empowering small businesses to build stronger customer relationships. Visit sendinblue.com/creator
  • Bambee - get access to your own dedicated HR Manager starting at just $99/month. Visit bambee.com/lab

 

Sep 12, 2022

Watch on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/dytmn7fcBxo

Timestamps:

  • (00:00:00) - Intro  
  • (00:02:34) - How The Phan Family Got To Canada    
  • (00:07:34) - Trung's Exposure To Writing   
  • (00:11:28) - Twitter: The Good & Bad
  • (00:14:29) - South East Asia To America      
  • (00:24:42) - Anxiety & Writing Publically    
  • (00:27:12) - Growing A Podcast    
  • (00:32:04) - Sponsor: Linkedin Jobs 
  • (00:33:04) - Sponsor: Justworks
  • (00:34:20) - Cringe Test    
  • (00:39:45) - Vanity Metrics & Distraction of Follower Count
  • (00:45:52) - Film Script To TV Show    
  • (00:52:04) - Why Trung Started On Twitter
  • (00:58:10) - Where To Start
  • (00:04:53) - Topic Ideas: Breadth vs. Depth

Subscribe & watch on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/dytmn7fcBxo

Links Mentioned:

Thank you to our sponsors:

Linkedin Jobs - helps you find the candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post a job for free on linkedin.com/creator

JustWorks - makes it simple to hire and manage remote employees across all 50 states; visit JustWorks.com

 

Aug 15, 2022

Adrian Aon is the founder & CEO of Forward. They've raised more than $225mil from the world's leading VCs to "build an insurance-free healthcare system from the ground-up”.

Before that, he was the Director of Special Projects for Google's CEO & founder of Sidewalk Labs, the startup at Google tasked with re-inventing cities & sold Wavii to Google for $30mil.

Watch on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/IwO12HgtWqw

Timestamps

  • (00:00:00) - Intro    
  • (00:00:31) - Sponsor: Justworks    
  • (00:03:21) - Sidewalk Labs    
  • (00:11:40) - Director Of Special Projects at Google    
  • (00:15:23) - What Is Forward    
  • (00:18:43) - What Is Wrong With The US Health Care System    
  • (00:22:15) - Life Expectancy In The Bronze Age    
  • (00:24:11) - Sponsor: Bambee
  • (00:25:21) - Sponsor: Linkedin Jobs    
  • (00:26:24) - How US Health Care Can Be Improved
  • (00:33:07) - Using Technology To Improve Health Care    
  • (00:35:45) - What Is The Body Scanner Doing That We Couldn't Do Before
  • (00:42:45) - Prenuvo Whole Body Scan
  • (00:49:28) - Best Way To Go About Health Care    
  • (00:52:59) - Health Care As A Product
  • (00:56:11) - Outro

Subscribe & watch on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/IwO12HgtWqw

Thank you to our sponsors:

Linkedin Jobs - helps you find the candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post a job for free on linkedin.com/creator

Bambee - get access to your own dedicated HR Manager starting at just $99/month. Visit bambee.com/lab

JustWorks - makes it simple to hire and manage remote employees across all 50 states, visit JustWorks.com

Jul 12, 2022

Kathryn Minshew is the Founder & CEO at The Muse

Subscribe & watch on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/ZKOgdHTnKc8

Timestamps:

  • (00:00:00) - Intro
  • (00:00:40) - Sponsor Break: AppSumo
  • (00:01:19) - What Is The Muse
  • (00:05:29) - How Big Is The Muse
  • (00:06:46) - Pay-Per-Click vs Pay-Per-Hire  Business Model
  • (00:11:38) - Hiring Is The More Important Thing
  • (00:16:16) - The Average Cost To Hiring People
  • (00:22:27) - Kathryn’s View about Pallet's Approach
  • (00:29:05) - Sponsor Break: The Economist
  • (00:30:26) - Shift From Office Work To Hybrid + Benefits Of Hybrid Work
  • (00:39:30) - Shift Shock
  • (00:43:39) - One Of The Most Important Element In Career Search
  • (00:48:52) - The Value Of Transparency Between Companies And Employees

Links Mentioned

Thank you to our sponsors:

The Economist - full access to the topics that matter to you and original analysis as events unfold. Start your 30-day trial with The Economist today: economist.com/lab

AppSumo - the marketplace entrepreneurs trust to buy and sell the products that grow small businesses into name brands: https://social.appsumo.com/creatorlab

 

Jun 23, 2022

Tiago Forte is the creator of Building a Second Brain.

Subscribe & watch on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/h04N_6tmMeg

Timestamps:

  • (00:00:00) – Intro
  • (00:00:40) – Sponsor Break: AppSumo  
  • (00:03:23) - How Second Brain Began    
  • (00:05:49) - Building a Second Brain    
  • (00:13:31) - Multi-Million Dollar Live Courses.    
  • (00:16:23) - What Makes People Have Sustained Behavior Change  
  • (00:24:15) - 4 Steps of C.O.D.E (Capture, Organize, Distil, Express
  • (00:27:08) - 3 stages: 1) Remember 2) Connect 3) Create
  • (00:29:49) – Sponsor Break: The Economist + Linkedin Jobs
  • (00:32:02) - Think Like a Curator    
  • (00:34:30) - Screenshare of Tiago’s System in Action on youtube: https://youtu.be/h04N_6tmMeg?t=2085
  • (00:49:33) - Designing Notes for Future Self    
  • (00:53:37) – Expression is a chaotic + messy process (no checklist)
  • (00:55:52) - Don’t Start from Scratch Every Time

Thank you to our sponsors:

The Economist - full access to the topics that matter to you and original analysis as events unfold. Start your 30-day trial with The Economist today: economist.com/lab

Linkedin Jobs - helps you find the candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post a job for free on linkedin.com/creator

AppSumo - the marketplace entrepreneurs trust to buy and sell the products that grow small businesses into name brands:
https://social.appsumo.com/creatorlab

Links Mentioned:

May 27, 2022

Sam Corcos is the co-founder & CEO of Levels Health

Subscribe & watch on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/iI331lJkPm0

Timestamps:

(00:00:00) Preview
(00:00:34) Sponsor - AppSumo
(00:01:02) Intro to Sam
(00:10:23) Problems Caused by Metabolic Dysfunction
(00:15:43) Current Stage of The Company
(00:22:49) Alternative Business Model
(00:28:47) Product Market Fit
(00:39:56) Sponsor: Linkedin Jobs
(00:42:17) 10x in Digital Content
(00:44:34) Podcasting As A Channel
(00:49:17) Partnerships
(00:52:36) Transition from CTO to CEO
(01:04:30) Time Management + Prioritization

Thank you to our sponsors:

AppSumo - the marketplace entrepreneurs trust to buy and sell the products that grow small businesses into name brands:
https://social.appsumo.com/creatorlab

Linkedin Jobs:

LinkedIn Jobs helps you find the candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post a job for free on linkedin.com/creator

Apr 28, 2022

Colin Sapire is the founder of Beast Health & Nutribullet.

Watch & subscribe on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/lqSfvL7QHRo

Timestamps:

  • 0:00:00 - Snippet
  • 0:00:39 - Sponsor: AppSumo
  • 0:01:07 - Intro + Landing In The US
  • 0:07:45 - Origins Of Nutribullet
  • 0:11:21 - Finding A Differentiator + Landing On Pricing
  • 0:13:17 - Reaching Half A Billion Dollars In Revenue
  • 0:15:57 - Transitioning To Beast Nutrition + Getting Kids Interested In Nutrition
  • 0:18:34 - Motivation After A Massive Business Success + Keeping The Hunger Alive
  • 0:23:00 - Designing Product
  • 0:26:27 - Day 1 of Designing New Product
  • 0:30:20 - Creating a Prototype + 3D CAD Model
  • 0:32:10 - 80/20 of launch + growth
  • 0:35:42 - Customer Feedback
  • 0:39:19 - Sponsor Break: Linkedin Jobs
  • 0:40:23 - Lessons From Running The Most Successful Infomercials Of All Time
  • 0:45:07 - Craziest Informercial Day
  • 0:47:24 - Scale of TV advertising + using data
  • 0:51:13 - Understanding ROI of Ad Spend
  • 0:53:37 - Increasing Cost of Facebook & Google Ads
  • 0:59:52 - Home Shopping Channel and China’s Live Shopping App
  • 1:03:27 - International Expansion
  • 1:06:51 - Hiring Good People
  • 1:09:03 - Logistics, outsourcing or keeping fulfillment in-house
  • 1:15:14 - Staying Healthy

Thank you to our sponsors:

AppSumo - the marketplace entrepreneurs trust to buy and sell the products that grow small businesses into name brands:
https://social.appsumo.com/creatorlab

Linkedin Jobs:

LinkedIn Jobs helps you find the candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post a job for free on linkedin.com/creator

Dec 16, 2021

Ramon is a Dutch immigrant who dropped out of high school before finding an entrepreneurial path. 

Most recently he acquired a DTC dog ramp business (Alpha Paw) for $300k + which he's grown to $35mil+ in sales.

Previously, he grew a soap opera blog to 30mil+ monthly pageviews before selling it for $9mil.

In this conversation you'll learn:

– why buy vs build
– buying a company with little money down
– growth levers to ramp up a DTC ecom business
– growing through paid acquisition, influencers, whitelisting, seo + affiliates 
– creating a healthy channel mix + managing platform risk
– benefits of in-house vs 3rd party logistics

Watch + Subscribe on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/2DzHRUyI28Q

Timestamps:

  • 0:00:00 - Snippet
  • 0:02:27 - Intro + Selling $35mil Worth Of DTC Dog Ramps
  • 0:04:07 - Highschool dropout, business philosophy + 10 figure exit
  • 0:13:04 - Finding Direction
  • 0:16:01 - Finding A Buying An Existing Problem
  • 0:21:35 - Pet Industry
  • 0:23:15 - Finding A Good Business To Buy
  • 0:29:44 - 3PL vs In-House
  • 0:40:02 - Growth Levers To Look Out For When Buying
  • 0:49:23 - Smart Due Diligence
  • 0:52:18 - What To Look For In Google Analytics
  • 0:55:37 - Amazon vs Shopify Split
  • 0:58:40 - Paid Acquisition, Apple Update + Platform Risk
  • 1:07:20 - Budget Allocation + Testing Channels
  • 1:10:17 - Working With Affiliates
  • 1:13:19 - Working With Influencers
  • 1:18:23 - When You Should Work With An Agency
  • 1:21:27 - Whitelisting Strategy
  • 1:24:05 - Partnering With Investors + Funding An Acquisition

Ramon's original thread:
https://twitter.com/ramonvanmeer/status/1448022919901335552?s=20

Thank you to our sponsors:

AppSumo - the marketplace entrepreneurs trust to buy and sell the products that grow small businesses into name brands:
https://social.appsumo.com/creatorlab

Nord VPN:

Grab NordVPN’s Cyber Month Deal. Go to nordvpn.com/clab or use code CLAB to get up to 73% off your NordVPN Plan + a bonus gift

Nov 15, 2021

In this conversation, we explore:

  • Eric's approach to writing a book entirely made up of Naval's words
  • philosophy around wealth + happiness
  • eastern vs western approaches
  • permissionless leverage + ownership
  • why desire is a contract you make with yourself to be unhappy
  • freedom to vs freedom from

Watch the full episode on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/J7j-5sgDkxQ

Timestamps:

  • 0:00:00 - Snippet
  • 0:01:50 - Intro + Figuring Out Transitions
  • 0:08:54 - Who Is Naval Ravikant?
  • 0:15:08 - Unique Approach To Writing This Book
  • 0:21:08 - Process Of Writing A Book
  • 0:30:17 - Not Letting The Tools Get In The Way
  • 0:33:12 - 80/20 Of Naval’s Philosophy on Wealth + Happiness
  • 0:39:36 - The Older The Problem, The Older The Solution
  • 0:41:10 - Eastern + Sufi Philosophy, Imam Ali + Nahj al-Balagha
  • 0:45:06 - Western vs Eastern Philosophy - Meditation Example
  • 0:46:49 - Seek Wealth, Not Money or Status
  • 0:51:59 - Ownership, Wage Work + “Do not fear work that has no end”
  • 0:55:51 - Types of Leverage
  • 1:00:17 - Sponsor Break - Nord VPN
  • 1:01:20 - Permissionless Leverage, Gatekeepers + DeFi
  • 1:12:33 - Creative Work For Its Own Sake
  • 1:14:33 - A Year To Decide, And A Day of Acting
  • 1:18:58 - Antigoals + Sacrificing Today For An Imaginary Tomorrow
  • 1:25:49 - Background on Creator Lab
  • 1:27:48 - Buddha Was A Prince
  • 1:32:56 - FIRE Community + Knowing How Much Is Enough?
  • 1:40:43 - Direction vs Speed
  • 1:44:10 - Happiness = Not Suffering
  • 1:49:19 - Desire is a contract you make with yourself to be unhappy
  • 1:56:38 - Losing Motivation + Hunger
  • 1:59:47 - Happiness is peace in motion, and peace is happiness at rest
  • 2:03:07 - Healing Old Wounds
  • 2:05:38 - Freedom To vs Freedom From

 

Thank you to my sponsors:

AppSumo - the marketplace entrepreneurs trust to buy and sell the products that grow small businesses into name brands:
https://www.appsumo.com

Nord VPN - https://nordvpn.com/clab 
Coupon code: CLAB

Aug 10, 2021

Bilal breaks down the secret sauce that makes Google + YouTube two of the greatest businesses of all time. 

We discuss the ad auction, how Google understands intent better than anyone, the future of advertising + compare YouTube, Netflix + live TV.

Subscribe + listen to the full episode on "Not Investment Advice":

https://linktr.ee/notinvestmentadvice

Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/not-investment-advice/id1563288568?itsct=podcast_box_link&itscg=30200&ls=1

Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/0Pogh5lcyKxmZVKQnao8zT?si=DSuMCklFTM-mOV9WbltZkg&dl_branch=1

YouTube:
https://youtube.com/notinvestmentadvice

Join our groupchat on Telegram:
https://t.me/notinvestmentadvice

Let me know what you think on Twitter: @bzaidi

Thank you to my sponsors:

AppSumo - the marketplace entrepreneurs trust to buy and sell the products that grow small businesses into name brands:
https://www.appsumo.com

Space - the easiest way to engage your team over audio:
http://www.JoinSpace.co

Jun 24, 2021

Mary Grove is Managing Partner of Bread and Butter Ventures. She brings nearly two decades of leadership experience in technology, early-stage investing, and startup ecosystem growth. 

She began her career working on the Google IPO, and went on to lead new business development partnerships, negotiating early-stage product and technology deals worldwide. 

She was the founding director of Google for Startups, leading the company’s global efforts to support entrepreneurs in over 100 countries.

Let us know what you think on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/bzaidi
https://twitter.com/marygrove

Watch on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/t52IaNs2IYE

Timestamps: 

  • 0:00:00 - Preview
  • 0:01:52 - Google IPO Team, Google For Startups + VC
  • 0:09:05 - What Changed After Google IPO?
  • 0:12:36 - Figuring Out Your Next Career Step
  • 0:15:03 - Career Mistakes
  • 0:17:19 - Knowing When To Move On
  • 0:20:27 - Google For Startups
  • 0:24:04 - International Startup Hubs
  • 0:29:13 - Only 65% Of The World Has Internet Access
  • 0:31:22 - Thesis To Invest Outside Of The Coasts
  • 0:36:10 - Investing In A Distributed + Remote Work World
  • 0:39:58 - Health Tech, Food Tech + SaaS
  • 0:44:33 - Investing In Clipboards + Fax Machines
  • 0:45:14 - Solo Capitalists + Creators Becoming Investors
  • 0:49:22 - Learning How To Be A Good Startup Investor
  • 0:53:36 - What Their Team Looks Like
  • 0:54:38 - The Funnel of Dealflow To Get To 15 Startup Investments
  • 0:56:38 - Being Proactive About Diversity In LPs, Founders + Hiring
  • 1:01:26 - Close

Learn more about Bread & Butter Ventures:

Thank you to our sponsors:

AppSumo - the marketplace entrepreneurs trust to buy and sell the products that grow small businesses into name brands:
https://www.appsumo.com

Space - the easiest way to engage your team over audio:
http://www.JoinSpace.co

Jun 10, 2021

Ryan Berckmans is an ex-Amazon + fintech startup engineer. He's been involved with the Ethereum community for many years + invests in the crypto space.

He recently published a bullish thesis for investing in ETH at:
ethereumcashflow.com

Watch on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/u3IGTSBzwOk

Let us know what you think on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/bzaidi
https://twitter.com/RyanBerckmans

In this conversation you'll learn about:

  • blockchains, bitcoin + ethereum
  • difference between ethereum + ether (ETH)
  • ETH 2.0 + the transition from proof of work to proof of stake
  • how to earn 6-20% yield from ETH "staking"
  • applications of DeFi, peer-to-peer lending, smart contracts + NFTs
  • alternatives like Solana + what could still go wrong
  • side chains (Polygon) + layer 2 rollups (Arbetrum)

Timestamps:

  • 0:00:00 - Snippet
  • 0:01:18 - Intro To Ryan + What We’ll Cover
  • 0:05:57 - Explaining Blockchain, Bitcoin + Ethereum
  • 0:08:25 - Decentralization
  • 0:13:57 - Difference Between Bitcoin Blockchain, Currency + Example Transaction
  • 0:19:55 - Game Of Monopoly Example
  • 0:21:50 - Ethereum Is Like The App Store + Uniswap Example
  • 0:26:52 - What’s Being Built On Ethereum? ENS domains, Defi + NFTs
  • 0:30:02 - Smart Contracts
  • 0:31:24 - Decentralized Lending Through Code vs Banks
  • 0:32:37 - “An App That Can’t Lie”
  • 0:34:39 - Individuals Earning Yield Like The Banks
  • 0:36:17 - Eco Is Like A Decentralized Venmo
  • 0:37:26 - Ethereum Cash Flow Thesis
  • 0:39:04 - Transition From Confidence To Cashflow Based Investment
  • 0:42:06 - Replacing Basic Lawyer Tasks With Smart Contracts?
  • 0:43:15 - Complimentary To Bitcoin
  • 0:45:01 - ETH 2.0
  • 0:47:03 - Consuming Less Energy + Impact On Environment
  • 0:48:00 - Proof Of Work vs Proof Of Stake
  • 0:51:10 - Solving For Scarcity
  • 0:52:41 - EIP 1559 - Destroying ETH Tokens + How Fees Work
  • 0:58:01 - How To Earn Yield By Staking ETH
  • 0:58:50 - 3 Rewards As A Validator
  • 1:03:34 - Staking Through Lido Without 32 ETH Minimum
  • 1:05:11 - What % Yield Can You Expect From ETH? Why Will It Change?
  • 1:09:56 - Currently 8 Day Wait To Be A Validator
  • 1:12:29 - Why Yield Will Go Up + Down
  • 1:14:16 - Summary Of ETH Bull Case
  • 1:15:09 - What Could Go Wrong? Bear Case For ETH
  • 1:17:25 - Why Can’t We Do This All On Bitcoin Instead?
  • 1:22:29 - Network Effects + Head Start
  • 1:23:15 - Promise Of Solana As An Alternative?
  • 1:29:16 - Other Alternatives: DOT, Cardano, Binance Smart Chain
  • 1:30:24 - Polygon/Matic + Side Chains
  • 1:32:57 - Scaling Solutions + Rollups
  • 1:34:48 - How Ryan Is Investing
  • 1:39:41 - Do Your Own Research + Understand Risks And Downside
  • 1:41:40 - Advanced Levels Of Yield Farming

Thank you to our sponsors:

AppSumo - the marketplace entrepreneurs trust to buy and sell the products that grow small businesses into name brands:
https://www.appsumo.com

Space - the easiest way to engage your team over audio:
http://www.JoinSpace.co

May 21, 2021

Bilal Zaidi is joined by Jack Butcher, Trung Phan & Alex Cohen to discuss the latest in business, technology & memes.

Listen to the full convo on "Not Investment Advice":

Apple:
https://pod.link/notadvicepod.apple

Spotify:
https://pod.link/notadvicepod.spotify

YouTube:
https://youtu.be/t1MmZk6aWnI

Let us know what you think on Twitter:

http://twitter.com/bzaidi

http://twitter.com/trungtphan

http://twitter.com/jackbutcher

http://twitter.com/anothercohen

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