Founder's Journal

Today's read is by one of my favorite startup creators, Lenny Rachitsky. The essay, How To Kickstart & Scale a Consumer Business, breaks down the seven proven strategies to acquire your first 1,000 users as a B2C startup. I'm going to read through each of the strategies, share some examples that Lenny provides, and provide some of my own thoughts on early growth. Original essay: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/consumer-business-find-first-users — Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Gusto. Head to www.gusto.com/alex — Check Out Alex's Stuff: • storyarb - https://www.storyarb.com/ • growthpair - https://www.growthpair.com/ • distro - https://youdistro.com/  • X - https://x.com/businessbarista • Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-lieberman/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1995, Charlie Munger gave a speech called the Psychology of Human Misjudgment, which contains 25 psychological tendencies by humans that can lead to bad decision making & bad outcomes. Today, Alex shares his 13 favorite & provide examples of how they impact your abilities and success as an entrepreneur. Link to the original speech: https://fs.blog/great-talks/psychology-human-misjudgment/ Link to Poor Charlie's Almanack: https://www.amazon.com/Poor-Charlies-Almanack-Charles-Expanded/dp/1578645018 — Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Gusto. Head to www.gusto.com/alex — Check Out Alex's Stuff: • storyarb - https://www.storyarb.com/ • growthpair - https://www.growthpair.com/ • distro - https://youdistro.com/  • X - https://x.com/businessbarista • Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-lieberman/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Founder's Journal, I teach you how to crush a quarterly meeting. V/TO: https://www.eosworldwide.com/blog/whats-in-your-v-to  Rocks 101: https://www.eosworldwide.com/blog/creating-the-best-rocks  — Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Gusto. Head to www.gusto.com/alex — Check Out Alex's Stuff: • storyarb - https://www.storyarb.com/ • growthpair - https://www.growthpair.com/ • distro - https://youdistro.com/  • X - https://x.com/businessbarista • Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-lieberman/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I share my experiences with imposter syndrome and some techniques I use to cope with it. — Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Gusto. Head to www.gusto.com/alex — Check Out Alex's Stuff: • storyarb - https://www.storyarb.com/ • growthpair - https://www.growthpair.com/ • distro - https://youdistro.com/  • X - https://x.com/businessbarista • Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-lieberman/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let's face it…most meetings suck. Even when they're set up with all the best intentions, they often end up being a waste of everyone's time. So what can be done? Alex Lieberman has 7 important lessons to keep your meetings under control. By incorporating these lessons, you'll know when a meeting is needed or not (Hint: most of the time, it's not).  — Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Gusto. Head to www.gusto.com/alex — Check Out Alex's Stuff: • storyarb - https://www.storyarb.com/ • growthpair - https://www.growthpair.com/ • distro - https://youdistro.com/  • X - https://x.com/businessbarista • Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-lieberman/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex hands the mic to Josh Reeves, co-founder & CEO of Gusto. Josh walks us through major milestones in the first 12 months of building a multibillion dollar people platform. — Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Gusto. Head to www.gusto.com/alex — Check Out Alex's Stuff: • storyarb - https://www.storyarb.com/ • growthpair - https://www.growthpair.com/ • distro - https://youdistro.com/  • X - https://x.com/businessbarista • Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-lieberman/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex does a Founder's Journal variety show, covering some of his favorite topics from the week: - Building one company vs. many - The power of channel partnerships - Pet psychics exist? - AI audio business idea - Great product thinking — Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Gusto. Head to www.gusto.com/alex — Check Out Alex's Stuff: • storyarb - https://www.storyarb.com/ • growthpair - https://www.growthpair.com/ • distro - https://youdistro.com/  • X - https://x.com/businessbarista • Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-lieberman/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex talks about raising a preseed round for Distro & some takeaways from the process thus far. — Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Gusto. Head to www.gusto.com/alex — Check Out Alex's Stuff: • storyarb - https://www.storyarb.com/ • growthpair - https://www.growthpair.com/ • distro - https://youdistro.com/  • X - https://x.com/businessbarista • Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-lieberman/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex talks about his startup heroes and why they've changed over time. — Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Gusto. Head to www.gusto.com/alex — Check Out Alex's Stuff: • storyarb - https://www.storyarb.com/ • growthpair - https://www.growthpair.com/ • distro - https://youdistro.com/  • X - https://x.com/businessbarista • Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-lieberman/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex tells the story of a wrecking ball he recently hired. What a wrecking ball is, why they're so valuable, and what it looks like in practice. — Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Gusto. Head to www.gusto.com/alex — Check Out Alex's Stuff: • storyarb - https://www.storyarb.com/ • growthpair - https://www.growthpair.com/ • distro - https://youdistro.com/  • X - https://x.com/businessbarista • Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-lieberman/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex shares his thoughts on quitting your business & how he thought about it while building Morning Brew. — Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Gusto. Head to www.gusto.com/alex — Check Out Alex's Stuff: • storyarb - https://www.storyarb.com/ • growthpair - https://www.growthpair.com/ • distro - https://youdistro.com/  • X - https://x.com/businessbarista • Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-lieberman/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex takes you through his 7 tips for pitching early stage investors on a preseed round. — Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Gusto. Head to www.gusto.com/alex — Check Out Alex's Stuff: • storyarb - https://www.storyarb.com/ • growthpair - https://www.growthpair.com/ • distro - https://youdistro.com/  • X - https://x.com/businessbarista • Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-lieberman/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex talks about why agencies are underrated especially in the age of AI. He shares why agencies are considered unsexy (relative to software businesses) & why that's about to change. — Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Gusto. Head to www.gusto.com/alex — Check Out Alex's Stuff: • storyarb - https://www.storyarb.com/ • growthpair - https://www.growthpair.com/ • distro - https://youdistro.com/  • X - https://x.com/businessbarista • Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-lieberman/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex walks you through his new, 5-step process for interviewing potential employees & how he's using AI to improve his approach. — Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Gusto. Head to www.gusto.com/alex — Check Out Alex's Stuff: • storyarb - https://www.storyarb.com/ • growthpair - https://www.growthpair.com/ • distro - https://youdistro.com/  • X - https://x.com/businessbarista • Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-lieberman/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex breaks down the different levels of motivation for entrepreneurs. He shares what motivated him early in his journey (while building Morning Brew) and what motivates him today. — Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Gusto. Head to www.gusto.com/alex — Check Out Alex's Stuff: • storyarb - https://www.storyarb.com/ • growthpair - https://www.growthpair.com/ • distro - https://youdistro.com/  • X - https://x.com/businessbarista • Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-lieberman/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex walks you through his process for building an employee influencer program. — Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Gusto. Head to www.gusto.com/alex — Check Out Alex's Stuff: • storyarb - https://www.storyarb.com/ • growthpair - https://www.growthpair.com/ • distro - https://youdistro.com/  • X - https://x.com/businessbarista • Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-lieberman/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex breaks down seedstrapping. What it is, why it's in vogue, what the internet thinks, and how you should think about it in the context of your business. — Show Notes: (0:00) A note from our sponsor (4:26) Intro to seedstrapping (6:20) Why seedstrapping is in vogue (9:15) Founder take on seedstrapping (12:40) VCs views on seedstrapping (14:00) My take on seedstrapping — Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Gusto. Head to www.gusto.com/alex — Show links: • HackerNews on seedstrapping: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36508471 • VC on seedstrapping: https://x.com/nikunj/status/1908155930690359437 • Josh Payne Linkedin post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jnpayne_when-i-started-my-first-company-in-2011-activity-7292920969323503617-JJKk?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAuMh6ABe5yrIF2I6gDHnZ3Fpixhetg9Rfg • Zapier CEO interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ36aQDjcC4&t=906s&pp=ygUSd2FkZSBmb3N0ZXIgemFwaWVy0gcJCYQJAYcqIYzv Check Out Alex's Stuff: • storyarb - https://www.storyarb.com/ • growthpair - https://www.growthpair.com/ • distro - https://youdistro.com/  • X - https://x.com/businessbarista • Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-lieberman/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex pitches you on Codex, his AI prompt database idea. He gives you the elevator pitch & likely questions a venture investor would have.  — Show Notes: (0:00) A note from our sponsor (2:28) Welcome back to Founder's Journal (4:00) What is Codex?  (4:20) Two truths in prompting (6:05) Elevator pitch (8:50) Biggest investor questions (13:05) Conclusion — Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Gusto. Head to www.gusto.com/alex — Check Out Alex's Stuff: • storyarb - https://www.storyarb.com/ • growthpair - https://www.growthpair.com/ • distro - https://youdistro.com/  • X - https://x.com/businessbarista • Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-lieberman/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex talks through the science of procrastination, his own journey with it, and tools he uses to take charge of it.  — Show Notes: (0:00) A note from our sponsor (2:28) Welcome back to Founder's Journal (3:33) Why we procrastinate (5:23) Cognitive biases (6:28) Hyperbolic discounting (7:21) Temptation bundling (8:40) Social commitments (10:00) Conclusion — Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Gusto. Head to www.gusto.com/alex — Episode Links: • Cognitive Biases: https://foundersjournalpod.morningbrew.com/13-dangerous-psychological-biases/  • Pomodoro Method: https://foundersjournalpod.morningbrew.com/my-favorite-productivity-method/  Check Out Alex's Stuff: • storyarb - https://www.storyarb.com/ • growthpair - https://www.growthpair.com/ • CTA - https://www.creatortalentagency.co/ • X - https://x.com/businessbarista • Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-lieberman/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex walks through limiting beliefs he's faced from childhood through entrepreneurship as well as his process for healthily navigating them.  — Show Notes: (0:00) A note from our sponsor (2:28) Welcome back to Founder's Journal (2:57) Exploring Limiting Beliefs (3:48) High School Limiting Beliefs (5:01) Morning Brew Limiting Beliefs (8:07) Post-Exit Limiting Beliefs (9:13) Understanding and Addressing Limiting Beliefs (16:14) Conclusion — Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Gusto. Head to www.gusto.com/alex — Check Out Alex's Stuff: • storyarb - https://www.storyarb.com/ • growthpair - https://www.growthpair.com/ • CTA - https://www.creatortalentagency.co/ • X - https://x.com/businessbarista • Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-lieberman/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex breaks down how quarterly offsites are run at his companies & what separates great offsites from royal wastes of time.  — Show Notes: (0:00) A note from our sponsor (2:28) Welcome back to Founder's Journal (4:09) General thoughts on offsites (4:48) Well run vs. unproductive offsite  (5:29) Key leadership roles  (7:25) Sticking to the program  (8:50) Item 1: Check-in (9:30) Item 2: Previous quarter review (10:35) Item 3: Review V/TO (12:01) Item 4: Go through EOS tools (12:28) EOS Tool 1: Organizational check-up (13:16) EOS Tool 2: Accountability chart (13:55) EOS Tool 3: People analyzer (16:10): Item 5: Setting next quarter rocks (16:50): Item 6: Identify, discuss, solve (18:58): Item 7: Next steps (19:18): Item 8: Conclusion — Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Gusto. Head to www.gusto.com/alex — Episode Links: • Visionary vs integrator: https://www.eosworldwide.com/blog/95591-traction-thoughts-integrators-visionaries  • Rocks: https://www.eosworldwide.com/blog/managing-quarterly-rocks  • Scorecard: https://www.eosworldwide.com/blog/measured-managed#:~:text=The%20Scorecard%20provides%205%E2%80%9315,track%20to%20hit%20its%20goals. • V/TO: hhttps://www.eosworldwide.com/vto-ty  • Organizational Check-up: https://organizationalcheckup.com/oc/quiz.php?ucode=anonymous  • Accountability chart: https://www.eosworldwide.com/blog/accountability-chart-or-organizational-chart  • People Analyzer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MSVMM6bwCw  • GWC: https://www.eosworldwide.com/blog/difference-between-capacity-and-get-it • Making rocks SMART: https://www.eosworldwide.com/blog/tips-writing-smart-rocks  • IDS: https://www.eosworldwide.com/implementer-posts/an-eos-implementers-guide-on-how-to-ids-identify-discuss-and-solve Check Out Alex's Stuff: • storyarb - https://www.storyarb.com/ • growthpair - https://www.growthpair.com/ • CTA - https://www.creatortalentagency.co/ • X - https://x.com/businessbarista • Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-lieberman/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex breaks down a leaked internal memo by Tobi Lutke, CEO of Shopify. The memo details Tobi's view on AI, expectations of how Shopify employees will use AI, and six AI action items for the company, top-down.  — Show Notes: (0:00) A note from our sponsor (2:26) Welcome back to Founder's Journal (3:32) Shopify CEO AI interest (4:48) Leaked AI Memo (6:03) AI step function change  (8:18) What is reflexive AI?  (9:45) Point 1: AI is an expectation (9:05) Point 2: Prototyping requires AI (11:03) Point 3: AI performance reviews (11:40) Point 4: Share AI learnings  (12:29) Point 5: AI before human (13:52) Point 6: AI adoption is required to-down (14:08): Use this memo as an instruction manual  — Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Gusto. Head to www.gusto.com/alex — Episode Link: • Shopify CEO memo: https://x.com/tobi/status/1909251946235437514  Check Out Alex's Stuff: • storyarb - https://www.storyarb.com/ • growthpair - https://www.growthpair.com/ • CTA - https://www.creatortalentagency.co/ • X - https://x.com/businessbarista • Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-lieberman/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex shares his 6 strategies for identifying business ideas.  — Show Notes: (0:00) A note from our sponsor (2:26) Welcome back to Founder's Journal (3:34) Business ideas are everything (5:21) How I find business ideas (6:25) Turning brain off autopilot  (7:43) Friction finder (8:10) The why ladder (9:05) Game of ‘what if' (9:50) Scan for repetition  (10:36) Content-based ideas (11:40) Conversation-based ideas (13:32) Conclusion — Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Gusto. Head to www.gusto.com/alex — Episode Links: • Marc Andreessen essay: https://pmarchive.com/guide_to_startups_part4.html  Check Out Alex's Stuff: • storyarb - https://www.storyarb.com/ • growthpair - https://www.growthpair.com/ • CTA - https://www.creatortalentagency.co/ • X - https://x.com/businessbarista • Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-lieberman/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex breaks down his new business, Distro, the first AI content strategist.  — Show Notes: (0:00) A note from our sponsor (2:26) Welcome back to Founder's Journal (3:34) Be a student of AI (5:48) Post-It Note Pitch (7:08) Launch process (9:42) Create clarity before launch (12:18) Moats in AI (14:09) Go-forward plan (16:05) Conclusion — Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Gusto. Head to www.gusto.com/alex — Episode Links: • Distro: https://youdistro.com/ • AI cancer study: https://x.com/PeterDiamandis/status/1905266239720612160  • Replit: https://replit.com/  • Testing the idea: https://x.com/businessbarista/status/1847032386887770326  Check Out Alex's Stuff: • storyarb - https://www.storyarb.com/ • growthpair - https://www.growthpair.com/ • CTA - https://www.creatortalentagency.co/ • X - https://x.com/businessbarista • Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-lieberman/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex does a 2-year lookback on his 7-figure B2B content agency, storyarb.  — Show Notes: (0:00) A note from our sponsor (2:26) Welcome back to Founder's Journal (3:00) 2-year storyarb review  (3:36) Founding story (8:05) The pivot (10:03) Product evolution  (13:01) Building the right team (14:51) Financials & path forward  — Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Gusto. Head to www.gusto.com/alex — Episode Links: • Original storyarb tweet: https://x.com/businessbarista/status/1638176672485904384  • Abby Murray: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abbymurray/  Check Out Alex's Stuff: • storyarb - https://www.storyarb.com/ • growthpair - https://www.growthpair.com/ • CTA - https://www.creatortalentagency.co/ • X - https://x.com/businessbarista • Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-lieberman/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex does a SXSW 2025 recap.  Here's what to expect: Why conferences are a waste Two exceptions to the rule 7 stops & lessons  — Show Notes: (0:00) A note from our sponsor (2:26) Welcome back to Founder's Journal (3:35) When conferences aren't a waste (5:12) SXSW recap (6:05) Founders run club (6:48) Brunch with Lauren Zima (7:38) Lunch with David Perell (9:28) Hampton Dinner  (10:18) B2B Creator Panel (11:32) Run with Connor Tomkies (14:05) Chat with Bryan Johnson  (16:32) Conclusion — Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Gusto. Head to www.gusto.com/alex — Episode Links: • Lauren Zima: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lauren_Zima • David Perell: https://perell.com/  • Connor Tomkies: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connortomkies/  • Founders: https://www.founderspodcast.com/  • Bryan Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/@BryanJohnson Check Out Alex's Stuff: • storyarb - https://www.storyarb.com/ • growthpair - https://www.growthpair.com/ • CTA - https://www.creatortalentagency.co/ • X - https://x.com/businessbarista • Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-lieberman/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 142: Alex talks about his do sh*t meter & give a sh*t meter, how to calibrate them properly, and why they're essential for being a successful founder.  — Show Notes: (0:00) A note from our sponsor (2:26) Welcome back to Founder's Journal (3:36) Being lazy is good (5:13) My do sh*t meter  (7:38) My give a sh*t meter (8:02) Tobi from Shopify on Lenny's pod (12:46) Concluding thoughts — Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Gusto. Head to www.gusto.com/alex — Episode Links: • Tobi on Lenny's Podcast: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/podcast • Jesse Pujji: https://www.gateway.xyz/about    Check Out Alex's Stuff: • storyarb - https://www.storyarb.com/ • growthpair - https://www.growthpair.com/ • CTA - https://www.creatortalentagency.co/ • X - https://x.com/businessbarista • Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-lieberman/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 142: Alex breaks down the drama between Deel & Ripping, the VC-backed HR software giants.  Here's what to expect: Why Rippling is suing Deel for corporate espionage The timeline of events A lawyers analysis of the case 3 founder lessons from the saga  — Show Notes: (0:00) A note from our sponsor (2:26) Welcome back to Founder's Journal (3:15) Timeline of alleged espionage (8:00) Impact on Rippling's business (9:30) Rippling's honeypot (11:30) Takeaways for entrepreneurs (15:30) Conclusion — Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Gusto. Head to www.gusto.com/alex — Episode Links: • Parker Conrad's tweet: https://x.com/parkerconrad/status/1901615179718406276 • ChatGPT with legal complaint: https://chatgpt.com/share/67da0154-8524-800a-89b5-af992530fec0  Check Out Alex's Stuff: • storyarb - https://www.storyarb.com/ • growthpair - https://www.growthpair.com/ • CTA - https://www.creatortalentagency.co/ • X - https://x.com/businessbarista • Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-lieberman/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 141: Alex breaks down his 2-year journey as a multipreneurHere's what to expect: What is multipreneurship? Why did Alex pick this path 2 years into storyarb 6 lessons from multipreneurship — Show Notes: (0:00) A note from our sponsor (2:26) Welcome back to Founder's Journal (3:30) Post-Morning Brew journey (5:20) What is multipreneurship? (8:00) My plan as a multipreneur (9:20) Case study: storyarb (10:10) 6 lessons as a multipreneur (16:40) Conclusion — Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Gusto. Head to www.gusto.com/alex — Episode Links: • Best Stuff exercise: https://conscious.is/excercises-guides/the-best-stuff • Greg Isenberg multipreneur post: https://x.com/gregisenberg/status/1680670141632196609 • Initial storyarb tweet: https://x.com/businessbarista/status/1638176672485904384Check Out Alex's Stuff: • storyarb - https://www.storyarb.com/ • growthpair - https://www.growthpair.com/ • CTA - https://www.creatortalentagency.co/ • X - https://x.com/businessbarista • Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-lieberman/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 141: Alex shares why sales is king of the hill in entrepreneurship & how you can be great at it.Here's what to expect: Why sales is misbranded Why sales is a founder's most important skill 7 tactics Alex used to sell at Morning Brew Tactics from 3 startup sales experts — Show Notes: (0:00) A note from our sponsor (2:26) Welcome back to Founder's Journal (3:03) The Misconception of Sales (4:21) The Role of Sales in Entrepreneurship (7:50) Seven Effective Sales Tactics (17:26) Expert Sales Tips (20:40) Conclusion and Listener Engagement — Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Gusto. Head to www.gusto.com/alex — Episode Links: • Naval tweet: https://x.com/naval/status/1002104154737684480 • Jen Abel X thread: https://x.com/jjen_abel/status/1869530668054564866 • Jason Lemkin article: https://www.saastr.com/what-is-the-best-sales-advice-you-can-give/Check Out Alex's Stuff: • storyarb - https://www.storyarb.com/ • growthpair - https://www.growthpair.com/ • CTA - https://www.creatortalentagency.co/ • X - https://x.com/businessbarista • Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-lieberman/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 140: Alex breaks down Pieter Levels' AI-coded flying game, which hit $67,000 in monthly revenue in just 3 weeks. Here's what to expect: The stats & story behind Levels' flying game Key lessons to take from this business Understanding critiques of the game — Show Notes: (0:00) A note from our sponsor (2:26) Welcome back to Founder's Journal (3:09) Peter Levels' AI-coded flying game (6:17) The power of AI in game development (8:00) The value of trusted distribution (13:24) Vibe marketing explained (15:58) Addressing critiques (20:15) Conclusion— Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Gusto. Head to www.gusto.com/alex — Episode Links: • Flying game - https://fly.pieter.com/ • Levels on X - https://x.com/levelsio • Andrej Karpathy - https://www.youtube.com/@AndrejKarpathyCheck Out Alex's Stuff: • storyarb - https://www.storyarb.com/ • CTA - https://www.creatortalentagency.co/ • X - https://x.com/businessbarista • Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-lieberman/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 139: Alex talks about the unsung hero of startups: boring work. He shares how society forgets that much of entrepreneurship involves doing boring work privately, to become celebrated publicly. He also breaks down three under-discussed aspects of boring work: It's an unavoidable part of building a business, especially in the early days. Some founders stay in boring work for far too long, even when they no longer need to. Boring work is a gift that every entrepreneur should feel grateful for. — Show Notes: (0:00) A note from our sponsor (2:26) Welcome back to Founder's Journal (3:15) Danger of celebritizing entrepreneurship (5:38) Boring work is unavoidable (8:57) Staying in boring work too long (13:00) Boring work is a gift — Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Gusto. Head to www.gusto.com/alex — Check Out Alex's Stuff: • storyarb - https://www.storyarb.com/ • CTA - https://www.creatortalentagency.co/ • X - https://x.com/businessbarista • Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-lieberman/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 138: Alex Lieberman, host of Founder's Journal, announces the relaunch of the show. He shares what you can expect from Founder's Journal & how he thinks about shifting his businesses from off-course to on-course, using the pirate ship approach. — Show Notes: (0:00) A note from our sponsor (2:28) Welcome back to Founder's Journal (3:58) Effortless vs. effortful (5:38) Your business as a pirate ship (10:12) Ship example: storyarb — Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Gusto. Head to www.gusto.com/alex — Check Out Alex's Stuff: • storyarb - www.storyarb.com • CTA - www.creatortalentagency.co • X - https://x.com/businessbarista • Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-lieberman/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 137: This week, Kyle Hagge, Chief of Staff to the COO at Morning Brew and co-host of the podcast Per My Last Email is guest hosting Founder's Journal to chat about career pivots. Kyle shares his own experience with career changes and discusses the importance of utilizing side projects, weak ties, and storytelling.   Want to hear more of Kyle's career advice? Check out his podcast, Per My Last Email, here: https://link.chtbl.com/uMGkoryq Send us an email and let us know what you think of the idea! foundersjournal@morningbrew.com #FoundersJournal #Startups #Entrepreneur Listen to Founder's Journal here: https://link.chtbl.com/OV4W93_W Watch Founder's Journal here: https://www.youtube.com/@FoundersJournal/  Subscribe to Morning Brew! Sign up for free today: https://bit.ly/morningbrewyt Follow The Brew! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/morningbrew/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/MorningBrew Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@morningbrew Follow Alex! Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 136: In today's episode, I chat with marketing master Noah Kagan, the founder and CEO of Appsumo and New York Times bestselling author of Million Dollar Weekend. Noah shares his repeatable marketing playbook, and I have him rip apart my marketing strategy for Storyarb.  Send us an email and let us know what you think of the idea! foundersjournal@morningbrew.com #FoundersJournal #Startups #Entrepreneur Listen to Founder's Journal here: https://link.chtbl.com/OV4W93_W Watch Founder's Journal here: https://www.youtube.com/@FoundersJournal/  Subscribe to Morning Brew! Sign up for free today: https://bit.ly/morningbrewyt Follow The Brew! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/morningbrew/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/MorningBrew Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@morningbrew Follow Alex! Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 135: Today, I speak with Kian Sadeghi, one of the most impressive early-stage founders I have ever met. Kian's genetic testing company, Nucleus, has attracted investment from Peter Thiel's Founders Fund and Alexis Ohanian's 776, and he shares how he has employed relentlessness to build his company after dropping out of the University of Pennsylvania.  Send us an email and let us know what you think of the idea! foundersjournal@morningbrew.com #FoundersJournal #Startups #Entrepreneur Listen to Founder's Journal here: https://link.chtbl.com/OV4W93_W Watch Founder's Journal here: https://www.youtube.com/@FoundersJournal/  Subscribe to Morning Brew! Sign up for free today: https://bit.ly/morningbrewyt Follow The Brew! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/morningbrew/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/MorningBrew Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@morningbrew Follow Alex! Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 134: Today, I speak to legendary executive and investor Keith Rabois about his ability to identify top 1% founders and employees. Keith has invested in a billion-dollar business every year for the last 20 years, including Doordash, YouTube, and Lyft. Previously, he held senior leadership roles at Paypal, LinkedIn, and Square. We chat about how to find undiscovered talent, hiring barrels, and the two traits of 10X founders.  Send us an email and let us know what you think of the idea! foundersjournal@morningbrew.com #FoundersJournal #Startups #Entrepreneur Listen to Founder's Journal here: https://link.chtbl.com/OV4W93_W Watch Founder's Journal here: https://www.youtube.com/@FoundersJournal/  Subscribe to Morning Brew! Sign up for free today: https://bit.ly/morningbrewyt Follow The Brew! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/morningbrew/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/MorningBrew Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@morningbrew Follow Alex! Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 133: In today's episode I chat with Jesse Pujji (@jspujji), co-founder of Ampush and founder of startup studio Gateway X. Jesse has used entrepreneurship as a vehicle for personal and professional growth, and we talk about the tools and tactics he's found valuable including, Zone of Genius, five levels of motivation, and context versus content.   Send us an email and let us know what you think of the idea! foundersjournal@morningbrew.com #FoundersJournal #Startups #Entrepreneur Listen to Founder's Journal here: https://link.chtbl.com/OV4W93_W Watch Founder's Journal here: https://www.youtube.com/@FoundersJournal/  Subscribe to Morning Brew! Sign up for free today: https://bit.ly/morningbrewyt Follow The Brew! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/morningbrew/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/MorningBrew Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@morningbrew Follow Alex! Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 132: To kick off Founder's Journal's new episode format, I speak with Sam Parr (@thesamparr), founder of The Hustle and Hampton. Sam is an expert at reverse engineering business ideas, and we speak about the tools and frameworks he uses to find and vet the best businesses using examples from Sam's life.  Send us an email and let us know what you think of the idea! foundersjournal@morningbrew.com #FoundersJournal #Startups #Entrepreneur Listen to Founder's Journal here: https://link.chtbl.com/OV4W93_W Watch Founder's Journal here: https://www.youtube.com/@FoundersJournal/  Subscribe to Morning Brew! Sign up for free today: https://bit.ly/morningbrewyt Follow The Brew! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/morningbrew/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/MorningBrew Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@morningbrew Follow Alex! Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 131: On this episode, I discuss the future of Founder's Journal and why I think it will be the best entrepreneurship show, full stop. Thanks as always for being on this journey with me and can't wait for what's next. Send us an email and let us know what you think of the idea! foundersjournal@morningbrew.com #FoundersJournal #Startups #Entrepreneur Listen to Founder's Journal here: https://link.chtbl.com/OV4W93_W Watch Founder's Journal here: https://www.youtube.com/@FoundersJournal/  Subscribe to Morning Brew! Sign up for free today: https://bit.ly/morningbrewyt Follow The Brew! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/morningbrew/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/MorningBrew Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@morningbrew Follow Alex! Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 130: On today's episode, I talk about refinding purpose post-exit and launching my new business storyarb. I share the full details on storyarb with no details spared including, ideation, customer acquisition, early challenges, pivots, finding my co-founder, and our biggest lessons.  Send us an email and let us know what you think of the idea! foundersjournal@morningbrew.com #FoundersJournal #Startups #Entrepreneur Listen to Founder's Journal here: https://link.chtbl.com/OV4W93_W Watch Founder's Journal here: https://www.youtube.com/@FoundersJournal/  Subscribe to Morning Brew! Sign up for free today: https://bit.ly/morningbrewyt Follow The Brew! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/morningbrew/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/MorningBrew Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@morningbrew Follow Alex! Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 129: On today's episode I discuss my decision to step down as CEO of Morning Brew. I chat about going from a Chapter 1 to a Chapter 2 CEO, the emotional journey after stepping down, and climbing out of the trough of sorrows. Send us an email and let us know what you think of the idea! foundersjournal@morningbrew.com #FoundersJournal #Startups #Entrepreneur Listen to Founder's Journal here: https://link.chtbl.com/OV4W93_W Watch Founder's Journal here: https://www.youtube.com/@FoundersJournal/  Subscribe to Morning Brew! Sign up for free today: https://bit.ly/morningbrewyt Follow The Brew! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/morningbrew/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/MorningBrew Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@morningbrew Follow Alex! Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 128: On today's episode of Founder's Journal, I talk through the sale of Morning Brew. I chat about how the opportunity came about, why we said no to previous potential deals, why I thought selling the business was the right decision, and if I have any regrets reflecting on the decision today. Send us an email and let us know what you think of the idea! foundersjournal@morningbrew.com #FoundersJournal #Startups #Entrepreneur Listen to Founder's Journal here: https://link.chtbl.com/OV4W93_W Watch Founder's Journal here: https://www.youtube.com/@FoundersJournal/  Subscribe to Morning Brew! Sign up for free today: https://bit.ly/morningbrewyt Follow The Brew! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/morningbrew/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/MorningBrew Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@morningbrew Follow Alex! Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 127: On this episode of Founder's Journal, I break down the exact strategies we used to acquire our first 10,000 newsletter subscribers and abstractable growth lessons you can apply to your business. Send us an email and let us know what you think of the idea! foundersjournal@morningbrew.com #FoundersJournal #Startups #Entrepreneur Listen to Founder's Journal here: https://link.chtbl.com/OV4W93_W Watch Founder's Journal here: https://www.youtube.com/@FoundersJournal/  Subscribe to Morning Brew! Sign up for free today: https://bit.ly/morningbrewyt Follow The Brew! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/morningbrew/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/MorningBrew Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@morningbrew Follow Alex! Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 126: Today I discuss my biggest takeaways from a Fortune 500 CMO dinner I hosted, choosing between freelancers vs. full-time employees, lessons in storytelling from Shaan Puri, the importance of following your energy, and joining the board of a non-profit.  Send us an email and let us know what you think of the idea! foundersjournal@morningbrew.com #FoundersJournal #Startups #Entrepreneur Listen to Founder's Journal here: https://link.chtbl.com/OV4W93_W Watch Founder's Journal here: https://www.youtube.com/@FoundersJournal/  Subscribe to Morning Brew! Sign up for free today: https://bit.ly/morningbrewyt Follow The Brew! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/morningbrew/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/MorningBrew Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@morningbrew Follow Alex! Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 125: In today's episode I chat about being in a content creation slump, making an impact as an entrepreneur, and why you never know if it is the right time to go all in on your business.  Send us an email and let us know what you think of the idea! foundersjournal@morningbrew.com #FoundersJournal #Startups #Entrepreneur Listen to Founder's Journal here: https://link.chtbl.com/OV4W93_W Watch Founder's Journal here: https://www.youtube.com/@FoundersJournal/  Subscribe to Morning Brew! Sign up for free today: https://bit.ly/morningbrewyt Follow The Brew! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/morningbrew/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/MorningBrew Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@morningbrew Follow Alex! Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 124: Today we're throwing it back with a true journal style episode. I talk about the joys of finding product market fit, being a default-trusting founder, and understanding extrinsic vs. intrinsic drivers.  Send us an email and let us know what you think of the idea! foundersjournal@morningbrew.com #FoundersJournal #Startups #Entrepreneur Listen to Founder's Journal here: https://link.chtbl.com/OV4W93_W Watch Founder's Journal here: https://www.youtube.com/@FoundersJournal/  Subscribe to Morning Brew! Sign up for free today: https://bit.ly/morningbrewyt Follow The Brew! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/morningbrew/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/MorningBrew Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@morningbrew Follow Alex! Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 123: On this episode, I share a recent blog post by my friend and former colleague, Tyler Denk. Tyler is the co-founder & CEO of beehiiv, a high-growth email newsletter platform. This post outlines Tyler's philosophy on building a team and culture that allows your company to ship features at lightning speed. His insights are valuable not just for technical founders, but for any entrepreneur who wants to better empathize with engineers and product employees. Original essay: https://mail.bigdeskenergy.com/p/always-be-shipping Send us an email and let us know what you think of the idea! foundersjournal@morningbrew.com #FoundersJournal #Startups #Entrepreneur Listen to Founder's Journal here: https://link.chtbl.com/OV4W93_W Watch Founder's Journal here: https://www.youtube.com/@FoundersJournal/  Subscribe to Morning Brew! Sign up for free today: https://bit.ly/morningbrewyt Follow The Brew! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/morningbrew/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/MorningBrew Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@morningbrew Follow Alex! Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 122: Lulu Meservey is the former Chief Communications Officer of Activision Blizzard and Substack. This episode, I read her recent manifesto, which details the importance of founders crafting their narrative, learning how to communicate, and going direct to their audiences via social media. Original essay: https://www.rostra.co/ Send us an email and let us know what you think of the idea! foundersjournal@morningbrew.com #FoundersJournal #Startups #Entrepreneur Listen to Founder's Journal here: https://link.chtbl.com/OV4W93_W Watch Founder's Journal here: https://www.youtube.com/@FoundersJournal/  Subscribe to Morning Brew! Sign up for free today: https://bit.ly/morningbrewyt Follow The Brew! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/morningbrew/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/MorningBrew Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@morningbrew Follow Alex! Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 121: Writer, Columbia Business School grad, and college athlete Jack Raines' essay, "The Opportunity Cost of Everything," forces readers to ask themselves the only question that really matters: If I was nearing the end of my life, would I be happy with how I am currently spending my time? It is a question that any human being must ask themselves periodically, but I find that it is especially relevant for entrepreneurs. There are many external forces that can push you down the path of making ego-driven decisions, and I believe this article is an important counterbalance to ground you. Original Essay: https://www.youngmoney.co/p/opportunity-cost-everything Jack's X URL: https://twitter.com/Jack_Raines Jack's Linkedin URL: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackraines/ Send us an email and let us know what you think of the idea! foundersjournal@morningbrew.com #FoundersJournal #Startups #Entrepreneur Listen to Founder's Journal here: https://link.chtbl.com/OV4W93_W Watch Founder's Journal here: https://www.youtube.com/@FoundersJournal/  Subscribe to Morning Brew! Sign up for free today: https://bit.ly/morningbrewyt Follow The Brew! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/morningbrew/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/MorningBrew Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@morningbrew Follow Alex! Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 120: Andrew Wilkinson is the co-founder and CEO of Tiny, a publicly traded holding company trying to be Berkshire Hathaway but for internet companies. In 2007, Andrew started a Canada-based design agency called MetaLab, which grew to $40-50 million in revenue & $20 million in profit. After trying and failing to launch other businesses, Andrew pivoted to buying businesses to grow his holding company. I'm going to read a story by Andrew about one of the businesses he tried to launch after MetaLab and his lessons from its spectacular failure.  Original Story: https://twitter.com/awilkinson/status/1376985854229504007 Andrew's X Account: https://twitter.com/awilkinson Send us an email and let us know what you think of the idea! foundersjournal@morningbrew.com #FoundersJournal #Startups #Entrepreneur Listen to Founder's Journal here: https://link.chtbl.com/OV4W93_W Watch Founder's Journal here: https://www.youtube.com/@FoundersJournal/  Subscribe to Morning Brew! Sign up for free today: https://bit.ly/morningbrewyt Follow The Brew! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/morningbrew/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/MorningBrew Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@morningbrew Follow Alex! Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices