Creator Lab - interviews with entrepreneurs and startup founders

Shopify: trusted by millions of entrepreneurs to create their online store and more - signup for a free trial at shopify.com/creatorlab
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Tom Osman, Shiny // AI Co-Pilots, Web3 & Online Communities 0

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

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Mike Evans, Grubhub // Building A $2bil Company, Going Public & Leaving It All Behind 0

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

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Michael Brandt: Ketones, Stem Cell Preservation, 7-Day Fasts & Micro-Dosing 0

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

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Annie Duke: When To Quit, Monkeys vs Pedestals & The Dark Side of Goals 0

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

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Elijah: History of UK Grime, Pirate Radio & The Future of Music 0

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

https://www.instagram.com/eli1ah/
Infrastructural challenges thread:

https://twitter.com/eli1ah/status/1571087605382647809?s=20&t=19lL7kSGUKZ0H3EBFLHtVw

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

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Trung Phan: Backstory, Writing in Public, Twitter Growth & Power of Memes 0

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:

Trung's newsletter: https://trungphan.substack.com/
Trung's Twitter: https://twitter.com/trungtphan
Not Investment Advice Podcast: https://linktr.ee/notinvestmentadvice

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

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Adrian Aoun, Forward + Sidewalk Labs // Smart Cities + The Future of Healthcare 0

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

Download this Episode

Kathryn Minshew, The Muse // Future of Work, Attracting Talent + How Job Sites Make Money 0

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

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Tiago Forte // Building a Second Brain in Practice + Sustained Behavior Change 0

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:

Tiago's book: https://amzn.to/3zUqgEy
Blog post: https://fortelabs.co/blog/basboverview/

Download this Episode

Sam Corcos, Levels // Metabolic Health, CGM Market & Growing A Health Tech Company 0

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

Download this Episode

Colin Sapire, Beast Health + Nutribullet // Scaling To $500mil & Launching A Physical Product Business 0

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

Download this Episode

Ramon van Meer, Alpha Paw // Bootstrapping To $35mil+ Revenue, Buying vs Building + DTC Growth 0

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

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Eric Jorgenson // Philosophy of Wealth + Happiness // The Almanack of Naval Ravikant 0

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

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Future Of Advertising: Google + YouTube Breakdown 0

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

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Mary Grove // Google For Startups + Bread and Butter Ventures 0

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

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Ryan Berckmans // Ethereum Deep Dive, Earning Yield From Staking, Exploring DeFi + Alternatives 0

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:
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Crypto Crash Recap, Decentralized Social Networks + A Special Guest // Not Investment Advice 0

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

Download this Episode

Lenny Rachitsky, Lenny's Newsletter + Ex AirBnb // Growth Engines, Early Traction + Creator Economy 0

May 6, 2021

Lenny writes the #1 business newsletter on Substack (Lenny's Newsletter) and previously sold his company, Localmind, to Airbnb.

He then spent 7yrs at Airbnb leading product + growth teams and now angel invests + works as a full-time creator.

Watch + subscribe on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/aogsYWWnq60

Get every episode + giveaways sent to your inbox: https://www.creatorlab.fm/subscribe/

Let us know what you think on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/bzaidi

https://twitter.com/lennysan

In this conversation you'll learn about:

– the racecar growth framework:
growth engines, turbo boosts, lubricants + fuel

– core growth engines:
performance marketing, virality, content + sales

– examples from Airbnb, Zapier, Superhuman, Wish, Casper + others

– benchmarks for user retention + types of virality

– 3 steps to getting early users

– growing a newsletter + the differences in approach for creators vs companies

Timestamps:

0:00:00 - Snippet + What We Cover
0:01:28 - Sponsor Break
0:02:17 - Lenny Intro + Background
0:07:38 - Scale of Newsletter
0:09:17 - Questions To Ask Yourself When Figuring Out Your Next Step
0:12:18 - Energy + The Struggle Of The Content Treadmill
0:13:31 - Early Days Of Airbnb
0:15:09 - Creating Something Remarkable
0:17:22 - Racecar Growth Framework - Who Is This For?
0:18:20 - Early vs Late Stage Growth
0:19:48 - Engine, Turbo Boosts, Lubricants + Fuel
0:20:05 - Growth Engines - virality, performance marketing, content, sales + bonus examples
0:24:11 - “1st time founders focus on product, 2nd time founders focus on distribution”
0:28:09 - Becoming The Best In The World At 1 or 2
0:28:38 - Airbnb vs Booking
0:29:16 - Performance Marketing
0:30:51 - Wish + Casper - Built On Performance Marketing
0:31:42 - Feasibility When Bootstrapping
0:32:31 - If You Should Be Performance Marketing Driven: 1) Generating Revenue From Users 2) Not Something Users Are Looking For
0:34:01 - Growth vs Brand Marketing
0:35:37 - When To Expand To The Next Engine + S Curve
0:36:56 - Examples Of Virality - Word-of-mouth, referrals, inviting friends, etc
0:40:22 - Bottoms Up vs Top Down Virality
0:41:31 - Knowing When You’re Going Viral - K Factor vs % of people who came in thru referral
0:42:33 - % Benchmark To Aim For
0:43:24 - Companies Who Are Suited To Viral Growth
0:43:48 - Clubhouse + FOMO
0:45:17 - User Generated Content Loop
0:47:29 - Data Driven SEO - Zapier + Thumbtack
0:49:11 - Editorial SEO + Figuring Out Content Strategy
0:50:31 - Superhuman Example
0:51:13 - Desired Outcomes, Primary + Secondary KPIs
0:52:43 - Sales Channel
0:55:19 - Turbo Boosts + Lubricants
0:56:52 - Power Of Events
0:58:37 - Retention + Conversion
1:00:41 - Activation: Using Product For Its Core Purpose
1:02:03 - Superhuman , Creators + The Customers Who Care
1:05:38 - User Retention Benchmarks
1:07:44 - Common Pitfalls
1:09:36 - Getting First 1000 newsletter subscribers
1:11:20 - 3 steps to getting early users
1:14:45 - Creators vs Companies - Finding Core Users
1:19:27 - Would You Still Be Doing This With 1000 Subs?
1:20:55 - 5 “Jobs To Be Done” Of Content
1:21:49 - Newsletter Discoverability
1:23:42 - What Gives You Energy
1:25:23 - Airbnb Job vs Creator Life
1:26:22 - Tim Urban on Content That Spreads
1:27:18 - Creators: Value vs Support
1:29:22 - Decision To Stay On Substack
1:31:31 - Knowing What To Write About
1:35:57 - Longer-Term Plan

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

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Anti-Life Portfolio, European Super League + Meme School + // Not Investment Advice 0

Apr 29, 2021

Subscribe to "Not Investment Advice":
https://pod.link/notadvicepod

Watch + Subscribe on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/_pqfAU92ZGw

Let us know what you think on Twitter:

@bzaidi
@jackbutcher
@trungtphan

Jack Butcher, Bilal Zaidi & Trung Phan discuss the latest in business, technology & memes.

Timestamps:

0:00:00 - Snippet + What We Cover
0:01:40 - Best Bad Investments + The Surprise Gap
0:05:27 - Anti-Life Portfolio - Trung’s 20s In Vietnam
0:08:33 - Bilal’s 401k Mistake
0:12:33 - Paper Hands
0:15:34 - Immigrants + Property
0:17:21 - Jack’s 20s + Working On Brands
0:18:32 - Working on Ferrari
0:20:57 - “You’ll Never Work In This Town Again”
0:22:40 - Anti Warren Buffet Portfolio
0:27:43 - European Super League
0:39:03 - Meme School On The Blockchain
0:48:46 - Trung’s Comedy Script (Preview)
0:50:29 - Audience Question: Life 5yrs Ago Vs Now
0:54:14 - Jack’s 180
0:56:30 - Trung 5yrs ago vs now
0:59:18 - Useless Dads + Super Moms
1:02:08 - What Changed After Becoming A Dad

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Ben Tossell, Makerpad // No Code + Paid Learning Communities 0

Apr 23, 2021

Ben Tossell is the founder of Makerpad, the leading online community for No Code.

His company was recently acquired by Zapier, a $5bil+ tech company. Ben is also an educator + investor in the no code space.

In this conversation you'll learn about:

what it was like to get acquired by Zapier
developing the maker muscle by starting + launching projects
what it takes to build a paid learning community + knowing when to monetize
80/20 of learning no code
evolution of learning + membership models

Watch + subscribe on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/ONh66pmDUwk

Get every episode + giveaways sent to your inbox: https://www.creatorlab.fm/subscribe/

Let us know what you think on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/bzaidi
https://twitter.com/bentossell

Timestamps:

0:00:00 - Snippet + What We Cover
0:01:12 - Sponsor Break
0:02:00 - Ben Intro + Time In China
0:06:21 - Getting Acquired By Zapier
0:13:06 - Before Makerpad - 50+ Projects
0:17:11 - Knowing When To Move On From Projects
0:21:26 - Role Of Fear
0:25:02 - Motivation, Parents + Buying A Yacht
0:29:20 - Zapier - Expectation vs Reality
0:33:02 - Working With Someone Who Built A $5bil Company (Wade)
0:36:00 - No Code + Paid Learning Communities
0:39:57 - Size Of Makerpad + 10k Community Success Stories
0:46:12 - Reforge + Membership Models
0:48:21 - Evolution Of Learning
0:50:44 - Shishir (Coda) + Unbundling
0:51:58 - Masterclass, Edutainment + Netflix
0:54:03 - Paid Products - Make You Money Or Save You Time
1:02:36 - Knowing When To Charge
1:04:16 - Other Projects Ben Considered
1:07:16 - Types of entrepreneurs
1:16:09 - 80/20 of growing Makerpad
1:19:06 - Paid Acquisition
1:19:44 - Hiring Good People
1:22:17 - Working In vs On The Business
1:25:09 - Starting In 2021 - What Would You Do Differently
1:26:05 - “Hope No Code Isn’t A Thing In 5yrs”
1:30:15 - 80/20 of learning no code
1:33:31 - What’s Missing In No Code

Thank you to our sponsors:

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

Micro Acquire - the largest startup acquisition marketplace, join 50k+ others and buy or sell your startup:
http://www.microacquire.com

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Trung Phan, Jack Butcher + Bilal Zaidi // Not Investment Advice 0

Apr 16, 2021

Watch the full episode on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/ZNFxICgbkuY

Let us know what you think on Twitter:

@bzaidi
@jackbutcher
@trungtphan

This is an experimental episode w/ Trung Phan & Jack Butcher discussing the latest in business, technology & memes.

Expect a raw & uncut convo, mostly filled with silly, fun banter.

You'll hear us discuss:

behind the scenes look at Jack's recent NFT success & crowdsourced Figma experiment
Balaji's convo w/ Tim Ferriss
The Future Of Online identity: pseudonymous vs anonymous vs real names
Coinbase going public
WeWork documentary
Difference between Fyre Fest + Tesla
Potential for decentralized social networks + Bitclout
The mechanics of memes + what it's like to write a daily newsletter to 1.7mil people
Why Jack dubbed Trung "Fiat Phan"

Time Stamps:

0:00:00 - Snippet + What We Cover
0:03:08 - Start
0:03:25 - Intros - Trung, Jack + Bilal
0:04:53 - ROI On Jack’s Tweets
0:06:26 - Inside Look At Jack’s NFTs
0:16:48 - NFTs Explained - Visualize Value
0:18:06 - Meme Mechanics + The Roast Of Jack Butcher
0:19:49 - Selling An NFT For $150k
0:20:49 - Trung’s Theory
0:23:03 - Jack’s Opinion On NFTs
0:29:13 - From Nations To Nodes
0:30:16 - Crowdsourcing Creativity On Figma
0:32:24 - What Goes Into Writing A Daily Email To 1.7mil People?
0:34:53 - “Give Me That Dopamine Son!”
0:37:26 - Ideas From Balaji’s Tim Ferriss Podcast
0:38:38 - “2020 is the year the internet starts”
0:40:23 - Pseudonymity + The Future Of Identity Online
0:49:03 - Bitclout + Moving Beyond Rented Platforms
0:51:59 - “Can I Get A Dollar Son”
0:54:58 - Bitclout, legit or scam?
0:56:15 - “Not Financial Advice”
0:58:36 - Fiat Phan
1:01:33 - US, China + Bitcoin
1:05:40 - Coinbase Going Public
1:12:04 - WeWork Documentary
1:15:57 - Reality Distortion Field
1:20:49 - Difference Between Fyre Fest + Tesla

Download this Episode

Kevin Chou, Rally + Kabam // Evolution Of Gaming, Crypto + The Creator Economy 0

Apr 8, 2021

Kevin is the co-founder + CEO of Rally, a platform that allows creators to launch their own digital currency + build independent economies with their communities.

He's also Chairman of Gen.G, an esports enterprise bridging Asia and North America. Previously, Kevin co-founded Kabam, a top mobile gaming company that grew to $400M/yr in revenue, 500+ million players and sold for nearly $1 billion.

Watch + subscribe on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/mlSl5q_n9xU

Get every episode + giveaways sent to your inbox: https://www.creatorlab.fm/subscribe/

Let us know what you think on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/bzaidi
https://twitter.com/kevinchou

In this conversation you'll learn about:

emerging waves like AI, crypto, climate change + biotech
evolution of the gaming industry + its business models
rise of social gaming, esports, live streaming + where we're today
gartner's hype cycle + how this applies to crypto
how Rally is empowering creators to develop their own economies
why there's a need for decentralized alternatives

Timestamps:

0:00:00 – Preview Of Convo
0:02:19 – Sponsor Break
0:03:08 – Intro + Kevin’s Interest In Gaming
0:07:00 – 50 Games + 500mil Users
0:08:23 – Moment You Understand Ownership
0:14:59 – Hype Cycles + “Finding Something New”
0:20:57 – Other Waves: AI, Climate Change, Biotech
0:23:11 – What Is Rally?
0:24:02 – How Creator’s Use Rally
0:31:02 – What Are The Alternatives?
0:33:22 – NFT vs creator coin + creating an economy
0:37:49 – Why is it beneficial for a game to have its own currency?
0:46:04 – Kabam – Building A Billion Dollar Gaming Company
0:48:39 – Evolution Of Gaming Industry – 2.5bil People Playing Games
0:52:06 – Impact Of Social + Mobile On Gaming
0:53:38 – Gaming Business Models – Virtual Goods, Micro Transactions, Ads
0:56:04 – Fortnight
0:57:24 – Psychology Of Buying Virtual Goods
1:00:31 – Streaming – Watching People Play Games
1:04:54 – Rise of esports
1:09:33 – esports vs traditional sports
1:12:25 – NFTs + Vectors Of Opportunity
1:13:16 – Crypto Transcends Nations
1:16:56 – Digital Gold + Oil
1:18:44 – Problems with government money printing, dollars are worthless
1:23:31 – Price Volatility + Stable Coins
1:25:59 – Putting Bitcoin On Your Balance Sheet
1:29:43 – What does a decentralized alternative look like
1:33:37 – Decentralized social networks?
1:34:43 – “there is no corporation who runs email”
1:37:07 – Investing
1:39:34 – How to participate in crypto

Thank you to our sponsors:

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

Micro Acquire - the largest startup acquisition marketplace, join 50k+ others and buy or sell your startup:
http://www.microacquire.com

Download this Episode