Creator Lab - interviews with entrepreneurs and startup founders

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Let us know what you think on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/bzaidi​
https://twitter.com/noahkagan

Subscribe to Noah's YouTube channel & Podcast:
https://sleek.bio/noah

Watch & Subscribe on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/mAnOqgH0OgA

Noah Kagan is the founder of AppSumo, an 8-figure business bringing in an estimated $70mil+ in 2021.

He was employee #30 at Facebook, #4 at Mint.com and his popular YouTube channel has over 140k subscribers.

In this conversation, you'll learn:

• the 80/20 of succeeding on YouTube
• what he's learned from popular YouTubers like Mr. Beast and Ali Abdaal
• how Noah tests topics, thumbnails + behind the scenes look at the master doc his team uses to manage his channel (watch screen share on YouTube.com/creatorlabfm)
• growing through partnerships, newsletter swaps + ads
• we get personal and talk relationships, his formula for freedom + how he invests

Timestamps:

• 0:00:00 - Snippet + What We Cover
• 0:02:12 - Sponsor Break
• 0:03:01 - Intro + Booyakasha
• 0:03:32 - Number 30 Employee At Facebook
• 0:08:17 - What Is AppSumo? $70mil Revenue Business
• 0:10:15 - AppSumo’s Impact
• 0:13:19 - Is Noah 11/10 energy all the time?
• 0:16:27 - Inputs vs Outputs + Craft vs Metrics
• 0:19:01 - Formula For Freedom
• 0:20:26 - Knowing When To Stop vs Keep Going
• 0:24:16 - Finding What You’d Do For Free + As A Kid
• 0:27:51 - Understanding What Gives You Energy
• 0:37:09 - Rethinking Old Mental Models Of Money + Happiness
• 0:41:53 - What Will You Think About On Your Deathbed
• 0:44:40 - Tale Of Two Lives
• 0:50:15 - Growing To 140k+ YouTube Subscribers
• 0:53:34 - Investing $500k Into YouTube
• 0:56:07 - Who Is Doing YouTube Well?
• 0:58:42 - 80/20 of YouTube
• 1:00:41 - Mr Beast, 100 staff + treating it like a business
• 1:02:06 - His YouTube Creation Process
• 1:02:30 - Topic Selection
• 1:03:54 - Testing Topics, Thumbnails + CTRs
• 1:06:36 - Balancing What You Want To Make vs What Audience Wants
• 1:08:36 - Tools To Help With Topic Selection
• 1:09:18 - Screenshare - Noah Shares “Weekly Video Ideas” Planning Doc
• 1:14:32 - Partnerships + E-Mail Swaps
• 1:16:29 - Paid Ads
• 1:20:53 - Audience Questions
• 1:21:56 - Asymmetric Bets, Relationship With Money + Investing
• 1:26:29 - Wealth in Concentration, Preserve Through Diversification
• 1:28:08 - Where Do You Have An Advantage
• 1:28:50 - Why Noah Is Still Working

Thank you to our sponsors:

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Alex Lieberman is the co-founder & CEO of Morning Brew. They're a leading new media startup with over 2.7mil newsletter subscribers, making them one of the largest daily newsletters around.

Alex & his co-founder sold a majority stake in the business to Insider Inc for a reported $75mil in Oct 2020.

After listening to this conversation, you'll understand:

• growing from a newsletter to a full-on media business
• 3 step audience funnel: rented, owned + monetized
• hub + spoke model
• how they got their first 1000 subscribers by doing things that don't scale
• growth stages: from 1k to 10k, 100k and 1mil+ subscribers
• how to grow through email swaps, paid ads + partnerships
• a framework to reinvent old formats like Shark Tank or QVC

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

Watch with visuals referenced on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/12KYBLPvEIg

Timestamps:

• 0:00:00 - Preview + What You’ll Learn
• 0:02:17 - Sponsor Break
• 0:03:08 - Interview Start
• 0:03:44 - Grandma Likes Morning Brew
• 0:04:59 - Growing From Newsletter To Media Brand
• 0:07:23 - Acquired For Reported $75mil By Insider Inc
• 0:08:21 - Scale of Morning Brew: 2.7mil subscribers
• 0:11:28 - Audience Building Done Well
• 0:14:02 - Audience Funnel: Rented, Owned, Monetized
• 0:17:39 - “Who Is This NOT For?”
• 0:21:47 - Audience ≠ Distribution
• 0:25:25 - Unwritten Contract With An Audience
• 0:26:27 - Focus vs Breadth of Interests
• 0:29:05 - Ask Yourself Why 3x
• 0:33:14 - Hub & Spoke Model For Audience
• 0:38:23 - Getting First 1000 Subscribers + Growing Through Referrals
• 0:41:10 - Stages of Growth From 1k to 100k to 1mil
• 0:43:42 - When To Grow Through Paid Ads
• 0:47:20 - Growing Through E-Mail Swaps + Paid Ads
• 0:49:28 - Programmatic E-Mail Ads
• 0:50:43 - Snapchat Ads, YouTube Influencers + Channels That Worked
• 0:53:23 - Cross Promotion + Strategic Partnerships
• 0:55:59 - Signals Of Consumer Intent From E-Mail Clicks
• 1:00:13 - Multimedia + How To Grow A Podcast
• 1:02:11 - Re-Inventing What Worked In Legacy Media Business
• 1:05:05 - Macro + Micro Of Promotion
• 1:08:07 - 3 Types Of Content That Work Well For Podcast
• 1:08:38 - Timely News Hooks
• 1:10:26 - Evergreen “Service Content” - Solve Problem or Passion
• 1:13:35 - Vulnerable Content + Imposter Syndrome
• 1:19:04 - Future Of Monetization
• 1:24:14 - Talent vs Learned Skill
• 1:26:00 - Jay-Z, Mr. Beast + Ownership
• 1:30:03 - Building A Writing Habit + Ship 30 For 30
• 1:32:13 - Accountability
• 1:35:11 - Business Idea: Shark Tank For The Digital Age
• 1:39:09 - Re-inventing old formats: QVC + who wants to be a millionaire
• 1:42:51 - Dealing With Bad Times + His Dad’s Loss
• 1:48:01 - Survivor Guilt

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

Dru Riley is the founder of Trends.vc, a community + newsletter that helps 35,000 entrepreneurs discover new markets + ideas.

Trends makes tens of thousands of dollars/month in subscription revenue + was ranked "Product of The Month" on Product Hunt.

In this conversation you'll learn about:

– the meta-trends behind what Dru writes about, the things that don't change, after studying the things that do change

– democratization, positive-sum networks + fractional ownership

– trends he's excited about including: DeFi (decentralized finance) + DAOs (decentralized autonomous organizations) and NFTs (non-fungible tokens)

– the 80/20 of his research + editing process, including how he processed 172 podcasts for 1 recent report

– we go behind the mind & discuss some of his rules for life, we touch on incentives, stories + courage

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

Watch on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/q5rdqLzy-Gw

Timestamps:

• 0:00:00 - Preview
• 0:02:46 - Intro To Dru + Trends
• 0:04:57 - Scale of Trends
• 0:05:39 - Software Engineering Background + Knowing When To Leave
• 0:08:14 - Starting Books In The Middle
• 0:11:46 - Making First $15 after saving up $250k
• 0:21:00 - Rejecting An Offer Of Investment
• 0:22:22 - Decision Dilution + Stakeholder Types
• 0:25:14 - Content vs Trust Treadmill
• 0:26:01 - Refining Like A Standup Comedian
• 0:28:34 - Signals To Look For In Feedback
• 0:31:37 - Meta-trends
• 0:33:45 - Democratization
• 0:36:18 - Ability To Build Smaller
• 0:38:06 - Coders vs Builders - “Code Is Being Commoditized”
• 0:40:57 - Decentralization
• 0:43:06 - Positive Sum Networks
• 0:45:26 - What are DAOs (decentralized autonomous orgs)
• 0:46:53 - Fractional Ownership
• 0:48:45 - NFTs
• 0:51:41 - Direct To Consumer
• 0:52:44 - Research + Writing Process
• 0:54:57 - Processing 172 Podcasts
• 0:59:10 - Podcast Speed + Dopamine Hits
• 1:02:15 - Edit - “How Many, How Much”
• 1:03:52 - Filtering Feedback
• 1:05:49 - Constraints
• 1:08:34 - Starting From Scratch Today
• 1:11:37 - Behind The Mind - 100 Rules To Live By
• 1:12:15 - Hard choices easy life. Easy choices hard life.
• 1:13:05 - Think Grey, Not Black + White - Annie Duke
• 1:14:09 - Stories vs Insight
• 1:16:59 - Incentives
• 1:17:56 - “Life Is Short, Not Fair”
• 1:19:27 - Don’t Try To Change Someone’s Worldview
• 1:21:20 - “It’s Not About The Bag”
• 1:23:24 - Memento Mori
• 1:24:29 - Life Is Not Baseball - Play Asymmetric Games
• 1:25:23 - Courage

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

Lexi Lewtan the founder of Centered, where she's building the Masterclass for Mental Health.

Previously she ran operations for AngelList's Talent Platform, scaling it from zero to $20m
in revenue.

She has a deep background in the startup world, previously working at Hired & betaworks.

In this conversation you'll learn:

• lessons in recruiting & the 80/20 of hiring
• the business model behind AngelList Talent & Hired
• tools to help you deal with focus, anxiety, depression & work stress
• the difference between CBT & DBT
• why depression feels like playing life on "hard mode"

Let us know what you think on Twitter, I'm @bzaidi and she's @lexilewtan

Timestamps:

• 00:00:00 Preview
• 00:02:12 Lexi Intro – Betaworks, Hired, AngelList, Centered
• 00:03:36 Hired Raised $150mil – What Went Wrong?
• 00:07:23 Moving to AngelList
• 00:09:34 Superpower
• 00:12:24 Experiments at AngelList
• 00:15:50 Hiring Pricing Model – 15% of salary vs flat fee
• 00:21:30 Lessons In Recruiting
• 00:23:54 Scraping & Growth Hacking
• 00:26:57 80/20 Of Recruiting
• 00:29:35 Advice To New Grads
• 00:33:46 Centered Origin Story
• 00:35:57 CBT vs DBT
• 00:40:17 Tools For Mental Health
• 00:42:54 Focus: Planned Obsolescence
• 00:44:45 Motivation + Values
• 00:48:04 Tool for managing anxiety – “shut the door”
• 00:49:28 Managing Depression
• 00:51:00 Inner Child Exercises
• 00:53:37 Journaling
• 00:56:08 “Life Becomes Hard Mode” - Defining Depression
• 00:59:55 Future Of Mental Health

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

Jake Gibson is the co-founder of NerdWallet & Founding Partner at Better Tomorrow Ventures, a $75mil venture fund, investing in the future of Fintech alongside Sheel Mohnot.

He's been involved in fintech for over a decade. Prior to NerdWallet, he studied math and quantitative finance at MIT and traded interest rate derivatives at JPMorgan.

Let us know what you think on Twitter: @bzaidi & @iamjakestream

Full video with timestamps on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/s-Tcuootl7s

In this conversation we discuss:

• NerdWallet's business model + growing to a $500mil+ valuation
• the transition from founder to investor + the 80/20 of investing
• mental models to figure out your next step
• why "everything is fintech" + examples of this thesis
• DeFi, NFTs, stock market highs & ideas from a global fintech market

Timestamps:

• 00:00:00 Preview
• 00:02:20 Intro To Jake + Nerdwallet
• 00:06:57 Nerdwallet Deep Dive + $500mil Valuation
• 00:15:02 Opportunity: Nerdwallet Model In Other Verticals
• 00:18:40 Audience First Business in 2021
• 00:22:24 Trend: Audience Business Selling To Software Companies
• 00:26:09 Founder To Investor
• 00:31:12 Mental Model For Thinking About Next Step
• 00:35:29 "I want to be rich" - more context
• 00:39:48 Finding Motivation In Struggles
• 00:42:43 Role of Luck, Golden Handcuffs + Lifestyle Creep
• 00:48:51 80/20 of investing
• 00:51:31 "Everything Is Fintech" - Raising A $75mil Fund
• 00:56:04 Starting A Neo Bank
• 00:57:48 Fintech Opportunity In Ridesharing, Tesla & Airbnb
• 01:02:37 Facebook + Whatsapp Payments
• 01:03:06 Asia Market + WeChat Model
• 01:05:24 Problem vs Product…Verb vs Noun
• 01:10:54 Jake's Take on DeFi
• 01:16:40 NFTs + NBA Top Shots
• 01:20:59 Tesla's Balance Sheet
• 01:23:00 Elon + Chamath: Meme Masters
• 01:23:19 Global Market Ideas
• 01:29:09 Why Do We Have Stock Market Highs?
• 01:31:54 Investing Advice To A 25yr Old

Ana Lorena Fabrega is an EDUpreneur and former teacher known by little ones as Ms. Fab.

She's currently the Chief Evangelist of Synthesis School, an innovative online enrichment club started by the director of Elon Musk’s experimental school at Space X.

Synthesis helps students build decision-making & problem-solving skills through games.

Let us know what you think on Twitter:
@bzaidi & @anafabrega11

Watch on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/Fo_CM01BNTQ

After listening to this conversation, you'll understand:

• why the current education system needs an overhaul
• the skills we should be developing in kids
• unlearning & the future of education
• the role of technology in learning
• forest schools, micro-schools & alternatives for parents to consider
• how games can be good for your kids
• the lindy effect & ideas that will stick around in education
• remote vs online education
• recommended books for kids

Ana's Fab Friday Newsletter:
https://afabrega.com/

Book Recommendations:

• Wonder by R.J. Palacio: https://amzn.to/3pNfneZ
  
  
• The Man Who Walked Between The Towers by Mordicai Gerstein: https://amzn.to/3qSvnh3
  
  
• The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires:
  https://amzn.to/3pStkbu
  
  
• Fantastically Great Woman who Changed the World by Kate Pankhurst: https://amzn.to/3dG3nd3
  
  
• Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Keaty and David Roberts: https://amzn.to/3uuPZyk
  
  
• What do you do with an idea? By Kobi Yamada: https://amzn.to/3qXaqSk
  
  
• Zero and One by Kathryn Otoshi: https://amzn.to/3dKezoM
  
  
• Beautiful Oops by Barney Saltzberg: https://amzn.to/3bC898H

Nick Huber is a real estate entrepreneur, self-storage owner & operator.

His commercial real estate portfolio is approaching $30mil in assets (as of 2021) & he's built a name for himself by championing "sweaty startups" aka unsexy businesses.

Nick has built a 100k following on Twitter by transparently sharing the lessons learned from his time in business & by simplifying concepts in the real estate game.

Let us know what you think of this convo on Twitter:
@bzaidi and @sweatystartup

Watch and subscribe on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/s9Wgw1GN9-k

After listening to part 1, you'll understand:

• the equation for getting wealthy in the real estate game
  
  
• the difference between creating vs growing wealth
  
  
• categories of real estate beyond what 99% of people invest in, from self-storage, to cemeteries & tiny homes - you'll learn about niche opportunities with less competition
  
  
• how real estate investors can make millions & legally pay little in taxes with depreciation, bonus depreciation & 1031 exchanges
  
  
• Nick's unique approach to finding upside from day one in commercial real estate
  
  
• why 100% occupancy rates aren't always a good thing & what Nick looks for in deals

In part 2, "behind the mind" (starting at 48min) Nick & Bilal discuss:

• tribes, relationships & what truly matters in life
• growing up, dealing with bullying & insecurities
• choosing who you compete with
• unique ways to connect with aging parents
• why having kids is underrated & the importance of a supportive spouse

Timestamps:

• 00:00:00 Intro
• 00:03:41 Who is Nick Huber?
• 00:11:00 What is a Cash-Out Refinance?
• 00:13:26 Growing Up in a Small, Rural Town
• 00:14:28 Having A Chip on Your Shoulder
• 00:18:28 Building vs Growing Wealth
• 00:20:31 Alpha vs Beta In Real Estate
• 00:21:02 Initial 700k Nest Egg
• 00:25:03 Initial Investment - Rule Of Thumb
• 00:27:25 Real Estate Investing On The Side
• 00:29:24 Nick's Real Estate Framework
• 00:33:55 100% Occupancy Isn't Always Good
• 00:36:45 Zero Income Tax With Depreciation & 1031 Exchanges
• 00:44:22 Conservation Easement
• 00:46:35 Real Estate Professional Status
• 00:47:52 Capital Gains
  
  
• 00:48:32 Part 2: Behind The Mind
• 00:51:02 Is Chasing Your Passions A Bad Idea?
• 00:55:35 "I Wanted To Call My Mother And Cry In Her Arms"
• 00:59:20 Giving Up Is Often The Best Choice There Is
• 01:01:38 Miami + Austin
• 01:02:48 "Nobody Cares About You Apart from A Handful Of People"
• 01:05:23 Google Maps Trick - Connecting With Parents
• 01:07:20 Dad's Twitter Post Went Viral
• 01:09:42 Having Kids is Underrated
• 01:12:29 The Tribe Makes The Place
• 01:15:04 Virtual Communities
• 01:19:48 Dealing With Bullying + Racism
• 01:23:43 The Importance of a Supportive Spouse
• 01:25:44 Advice For A Successful Relationship
• 01:28:13 Being An Opportunist
• 01:31:22 Wrap-Up

Anne-Laure Le Cunff is the founder of Ness Labs, a community for knowledge workers to be more productive and creative while taking care of their mental health.

She's an ex-Googler and holds a MSc in Neuroscience from King's College London. Her work has been featured in WIRED, Rolling Stone, and more.

Let us know what you think on Twitter:
@bzaidi
@anthilemoon

In this conversation, you'll learn about:

• focused vs diffused learning
• common misconceptions about the brain
• networked thought + idea sex
• the Feynman technique
• lucid dreaming + psychedelics
• how to build a thriving community as an individual creator

Timestamps:

• 00:00:00 Intro
• 00:03:49 Who is Anne-Laure Le Cunff?
• 00:06:49 Ness Labs Revenue Breakdown
• 00:09:18 Transition From Consulting
• 00:12:09 French Dad + Algerian Mother
• 00:13:36 London
• 00:15:31 Knowing When To Leave Your Job
• 00:17:34 Ness Labs Flywheel
• 00:20:28 If Starting From Scratch Today
• 00:22:54 Introvert vs Extrovert
• 00:25:24 Monetization
• 00:27:38 Part 2: Behind the Mind
• 00:27:50 Focused vs Diffused Thinking
• 00:31:42 Sleep + Learning
• 00:32:40 There's No Such Thing as "Learning Styles"
• 00:35:35 Tackling Procrastination
• 00:37:10 Chunking
• 00:37:56 Process vs Product
• 00:41:01 The Feynman Technique
• 00:45:07 Lucid Dreaming
• 00:50:38 Neuromyth 1: Using 10% of Your Brain
• 00:53:18 Neuromyth 2: Left Brain vs Right Brain
• 00:54:37 Neuromyth 3: IQ Tests
• 00:58:36 Networked Thought
• 01:00:16 Roam Research
• 01:03:25 Idea Sex
• 01:06:50 6 Factors of Happiness
• 01:09:16 Wrap-Up

Watch the full convo and Q&A on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/gSVQHw-da5s

This is part 2, the Q&A of the live convo with Jack Butcher from Visualize Value. Listen to the previous episode to hear our live convo on the evolution of the creator economy & unique ways to monetize.

Who Is Jack Butcher?

Jack is the founder of Visualize Value, a company that builds content, community & courses for building independent income on the internet.

His Twitter + Instagram accounts have grown to 400k+ followers in 2yrs & his business earned $1mil+ in 2020.

This was Jack's second appearance on Creator Lab. This time, Jack & Bilal co-hosted a live recording with a virtual audience.

To join the next one, sign up at:
https://www.creatorlab.fm/live

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

Q&A Timestamps:

• 00:00:00 Intro
• 00:00:40 "A Niche Picks You"
• 00:02:55 Personal Brand vs Company Brand
• 00:04:21 Repurposing Across Platforms
• 00:13:21 Photographer - How To Productize a Service
• 00:15:23 "Why should I care?"
• 00:20:23 Music Industry example
• 00:21:00 Minimize Risk
• 00:24:07 Tactics To Get Momentum On A Project
• 00:26:11 Social Proof
• 00:28:32 Managing Relationships At Scale
• 00:32:53 Jack-of-all-trades
• 00:39:11 Wrap-up

Watch the full convo and Q&A on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/gSVQHw-da5s

Jack Butcher is the founder of Visualize Value, a company that builds content, community & courses for building independent income on the internet.

His Twitter + Instagram accounts have grown to 400k+ followers in 2yrs & his business earned $1mil+ in 2020.

This was Jack's second appearance on Creator Lab. This time, Jack & Bilal co-hosted a live recording with a virtual audience.

To join the next one, sign up at:
https://www.creatorlab.fm/live

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

After listening to this conversation, you'll understand:

• the evolution of the creator economy from 1000 true fans to 100 true fans
• importance of "1 true fan"
• content/product machine + "the factory is the product"
• why an audience is like a stem cell
• unique examples of creator monetization
• the importance of packaging, owning phrases & outcome-based marketing
• Jack's 2020 revenue breakdown

Part 2, the live Q&A is in the next episode (look in your podcast feed)

Timestamps:

• 00:00:00 Intro
• 00:04:26 What is the Creator Economy?
• 00:07:49 Succeeding With A Smaller Audience
• 00:08:39 1000 vs 100 True Fans
• 00:10:03 Jack's 2020 Revenue Screenshare
• 00:11:38 1 True Fan + Hedging
• 00:14:51 The Permissionless Apprentice
• 00:22:25 Audience ≠ Distribution
• 00:27:49 Concentration vs Diversification Of Focus
• 00:34:34 Downsides of Building a Public
• 00:36:41 "The Factory is the Product"
• 00:40:41 Employee = 1 Customer
• 00:44:00 Packaging + Owning Phrases
• 00:47:52 Outcome-Based Marketing
• 00:49:47 Unique Examples of Creator Monetization
• 00:50:45 Audience is like a Stem Cell - Shaan Puri Example
• 00:51:54 Investing As A "Knowledge Influencer"
• 00:55:35 Reps, Consistency + A-Side Tracks
• 01:01:18 The Value of Services vs Ads
• 01:06:37 Social Impact + Charity
• 01:10:22 Strategic Partnerships + Distribution
• 01:13:55 Choosing Partners Is Like A Marriage
• 01:16:51 SMS + New Channel Experiments