Podcasts about beehiiv

In this episode, we sit down with Jack Raines, investor at Slow Ventures and author of Young Money, a book about navigating the career, money, and life decisions that define your 20s.We discuss how to avoid wasting your 20s, why you should spend more money while you're young, how to balance ambition with adventure, how to know when you're on the wrong career path, and why building a personal brand without real substance can become a career liability.If you're interested in careers, money, investing, entrepreneurship, venture capital, personal branding, AI, or making better decisions in your 20s, this episode is for you.This episode is supported by Sydecar, HEX, Wispr Flow, Granola, Beehiiv, KalshiSydecar: https://sydecar.io/partners/trailblazersbeehiiv: https://www.beehiiv.com/splash?utm_campaign=trailblazers-2026-Partnership&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=trailblazers&utm_term=podcast-13&stripe_campaign_code=TRAILBLAZERS30 (or use code “trailblazers30” for 30% OFF)Granola: http://granola.ai/trailblazers*Granola is the official notetaker of Trailblazers! Check out the episode's show notes here: https://notes.granola.ai/t/5d11c7d5-3a1a-4c00-bbfa-aa06845fd977-008umkv4Kalshi: http://Kalshi.com/r/trailblazersWispr Flow: https://ref.wisprflow.ai/trailblazersHEX: http://hex.ai/trailblazers

How Wade uses AI (steal his prompts): https://clickhubspot.com/efcd Episode 856: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk to Wade Foster ( https://x.com/wadefoster ) about how he uses AI to save himself hours of work every day.   — Show Notes: (0:00) intro (2:27) The sales pitch  (7:04) My Robot Executive Staff, Waking Up Like The President (14:13) Evening brief (17:39) AI that argues with you (19:32) War Council skill (31:53) How to use AI to hire better (48:15) being a billionaire before 40 (51:17) a case for not having a chip on your shoulder (54:36) 1-dimensional winners (1:00:55) recommended reading — Links: • Zapier - https://zapier.com/  — Check Out Sam's Stuff: • Hampton (joinhampton.com): My community for founders. Average member does $25m/year. Many of the guests are members. Get after it...apply: http://joinhampton.com/mfm — Check Out Shaan's Stuff: • Shaan's weekly email - https://www.shaanpuri.com  • Visit https://www.somewhere.com/mfm to hire worldwide talent like Shaan and get $500 off for being an MFM listener. Hire developers, assistants, marketing pros, sales teams and more for 80% less than US equivalents. • Mercury - Shaan uses Mercury across all of his companies. you can too: http://mercury.com/  Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Column, N.A., Members FDIC • I run all my newsletters on Beehiiv and you should too + we're giving away $10k to our favorite newsletter, check it out: beehiiv.com/mfm-challenge My First Million is a HubSpot Media Podcast // Brought to you by HubSpot Media // Production by Arie Desormeaux // Editing by Ezra Bakker Trupiano /

In this episode, we sit down with Nadya Okamoto, serial entrepreneur and creator who founded PERIOD at 16, went on to build period care brand August, and is now Co-Founder and CMO of social app Pie.We discuss why every founder should become a creator, how building an audience can become a competitive advantage, why posting more can outperform perfect content, the unglamorous reality of building a startup, and why the next generation of companies will need to compete for attention.If you're interested in entrepreneurship, startups, content creation, social media, marketing, personal branding, or understanding how attention can become a business advantage, this episode is for you.This episode is supported by Sydecar, HEX, Wispr Flow, Granola, Beehiiv, KalshiSydecar: https://sydecar.io/partners/trailblazersbeehiiv: www.beehiiv.com/splash?utm_campaign=trailblazers-2026-Partnership&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=trailblazers&utm_term=podcast-12&stripe_campaign_code=TRAILBLAZERS30 (or use code “trailblazers30” for 30% OFF)Granola: http://granola.ai/trailblazers*Granola is the official notetaker of Trailblazers! Check out the episode show notes here: https://notes.granola.ai/t/744dba26-26b1-4095-aee4-3d54531745fb-008umkv4Kalshi: http://Kalshi.com/r/trailblazersWispr Flow: https://ref.wisprflow.ai/trailblazersHEX: http://hex.ai/trailblazers

Sam's database on how long it takes to become a millionaire: https://clickhubspot.com/elkv Episode 855: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk to Allison Ellsworth, the founder of Poppi.   — Links: • Poppi - https://drinkpoppi.com/  • Josie Rushing - https://josiesrushing.com/  • Orion - https://orionsleep.com/  • Nello - https://drinknello.com/  • Preston Lane - https://www.onprestonlane.com/  • Blue Land - https://www.blueland.com/  — Check Out Sam's Stuff: • Hampton (joinhampton.com): My community for founders. Average member does $25m/year. Many of the guests are members. Get after it...apply: http://joinhampton.com/mfm — Check Out Shaan's Stuff: • Shaan's weekly email - https://www.shaanpuri.com  • Visit https://www.somewhere.com/mfm to hire worldwide talent like Shaan and get $500 off for being an MFM listener. Hire developers, assistants, marketing pros, sales teams and more for 80% less than US equivalents. • Mercury - Shaan uses Mercury across all of his companies. you can too: http://mercury.com/  Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Column, N.A., Members FDIC • I run all my newsletters on Beehiiv and you should too + we're giving away $10k to our favorite newsletter, check it out: beehiiv.com/mfm-challenge My First Million is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by HubSpot Media // Production by Arie Desormeaux // Editing by Ezra Bakker Trupiano /

30+ unsexy business ideas: https://clickhubspot.com/dwtb Episode 854: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) ask 3 founders to tell them the juiciest number behind their businesses and get advice live.  — Show Notes: (0:00) Rishi Talati, Hot Plate (20:10) Ajay Mehta, Tolan (39:53) Jonathan Baer, Overlap — Links: • Hot Plate - https://www.hotplate.com/  • Tolan - https://www.tolans.com/  • Overlap - https://overlap.ai/  — Check Out Sam's Stuff: • Hampton (joinhampton.com): My community for founders. Average member does $25m/year. Many of the guests are members. Get after it...apply: http://joinhampton.com/mfm — Check Out Shaan's Stuff: • Shaan's weekly email - https://www.shaanpuri.com  • Visit https://www.somewhere.com/mfm to hire worldwide talent like Shaan and get $500 off for being an MFM listener. Hire developers, assistants, marketing pros, sales teams and more for 80% less than US equivalents. • Mercury - Shaan uses Mercury across all of his companies. you can too: http://mercury.com/  Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Column, N.A., Members FDIC • I run all my newsletters on Beehiiv and you should too + we're giving away $10k to our favorite newsletter, check it out: beehiiv.com/mfm-challenge My First Million is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by HubSpot Media // Production by Arie Desormeaux // Editing by Ezra Bakker Trupiano /

30+ blue-collar business ideas: https://clickhubspot.com/refn Episode 853: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) ask 3 founders to tell them the juiciest number behind their businesses and get advice live.  — Show Notes: (0:00) Nick Haschka, OnPoint Generators (17:39) Kevin Moyer, Smash My Trash (36:54) Noam Eisenberg, TMJaw — Links: • OnPoint Generators - https://onpointgen.com/  • Smash My Trash - https://howitworks.smashmytrash.com/  • Your TMJ Pen - https://yourtmj.com/  — Check Out Sam's Stuff: • Hampton (joinhampton.com): My community for founders. Average member does $25m/year. Many of the guests are members. Get after it...apply: http://joinhampton.com/mfm — Check Out Shaan's Stuff: • Shaan's weekly email - https://www.shaanpuri.com  • Visit https://www.somewhere.com/mfm to hire worldwide talent like Shaan and get $500 off for being an MFM listener. Hire developers, assistants, marketing pros, sales teams and more for 80% less than US equivalents. • Mercury - Shaan uses Mercury across all of his companies. you can too: http://mercury.com/  Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Column, N.A., Members FDIC • I run all my newsletters on Beehiiv and you should too + we're giving away $10k to our favorite newsletter, check it out: beehiiv.com/mfm-challenge My First Million is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by HubSpot Media // Production by Arie Desormeaux // Editing by Ezra Bakker Trupiano /

In this episode, we sit down with Marshall Sandman, founder and Managing Partner of Animal Capital, a seed-stage venture firm whose first fund backed four unicorns and ranked in the top 1% of its vintage.We discuss how Marshall built a venture firm backed by some of the world's most recognizable celebrities and entrepreneurs, the reality of raising a fund in a down market, why most founders should bootstrap instead of raising venture capital, what separates venture capitalists from asset managers, and why he believes today's AI market is overhyped.If you're interested in venture capital, startups, fundraising, investing, AI, or understanding how top-performing venture firms are built, this episode is for you.This episode is supported by Sydecar, HEX, Wispr Flow, Granola, Beehiiv, KalshiSydecar: https://sydecar.io/partners/trailblazersbeehiiv: https://www.beehiiv.com/splash?utm_campaign=trailblazers-2026-Partnership&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=trailblazers&utm_term=podcast-11&stripe_campaign_code=TRAILBLAZERS30 (or use code “trailblazers30” for 30% OFF)Granola: http://granola.ai/trailblazers *Granola is the official notetaker of Trailblazers. Check out the episode shownotes here: https://notes.granola.ai/t/dff2aba0-4c29-498b-a4e0-2afd6b66c6e1-00b881l8Kalshi: http://Kalshi.com/r/trailblazersWispr Flow: https://ref.wisprflow.ai/trailblazersHEX: http://hex.ai/trailblazers

140+ real business ideas database: https://clickhubspot.com/pkst Episode 852: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) ask 3 founders to tell them the juiciest number behind their businesses and get advice live.  — Show Notes: (0:00) Intro (1:31) Raav Gupta, Posha (20:03) Nick Saltarelli, Mid-Day Squares (39:48) Shreyas Parab, DayDream Dental — Links: • Posha - https://www.posha.com/  • Mid-Day Squares - https://www.middaysquares.com/  • DayDream Dental - https://www.daydream.dental/  — Check Out Sam's Stuff: • Hampton (joinhampton.com): My community for founders. Average member does $25m/year. Many of the guests are members. Get after it...apply: http://joinhampton.com/mfm — Check Out Shaan's Stuff: • Shaan's weekly email - https://www.shaanpuri.com  • Visit https://www.somewhere.com/mfm to hire worldwide talent like Shaan and get $500 off for being an MFM listener. Hire developers, assistants, marketing pros, sales teams and more for 80% less than US equivalents. • Mercury - Shaan uses Mercury across all of his companies. you can too: http://mercury.com/  Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Column, N.A., Members FDIC • I run all my newsletters on Beehiiv and you should too + we're giving away $10k to our favorite newsletter, check it out: beehiiv.com/mfm-challenge My First Million is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by HubSpot Media // Production by Arie Desormeaux // Editing by Ezra Bakker Trupiano /

Tyler Denk ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-denk ) was the second employee at ( https://www.morningbrew.com/ )Morning Brew ( https://www.morningbrew.com/ ), and his innovations there allowed one business newsletter to become a media juggernaut. That...

Sam's database on how long it takes to become a millionaire: https://clickhubspot.com/elft Episode 851: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk to Brett Adcock ( https://x.com/adcock_brett ), the founder of Figure.ai. — Show Notes: (0:00) Intro (3:29) Hark, a human in a box (8:00) zero constraints (17:32) rapid prototyping (21:38) What are the robots doing? (23:45) what about the hype is real? (27:54) finding the best people (30:14) $20M dollar salaries for engineers (32:03) How Zuck is buying his way into AI (35:44) Auditing Brett's 2026 predictions (42:33) reducing your buckets (44:00) show us your home screen (46:17) hitting rock bottom 3x (57:22) who inspires Brett — Links: • Hark - https://hark.com/  • Cover - https://www.cover.ai/  • Figure - https://www.figure.ai/  — Check Out Sam's Stuff: • Hampton (joinhampton.com): My community for founders. Average member does $25m/year. Many of the guests are members. Get after it...apply: http://joinhampton.com/mfm — Check Out Shaan's Stuff: • Shaan's weekly email - https://www.shaanpuri.com  • Visit https://www.somewhere.com/mfm to hire worldwide talent like Shaan and get $500 off for being an MFM listener. Hire developers, assistants, marketing pros, sales teams and more for 80% less than US equivalents. • Mercury - Shaan uses Mercury across all of his companies. you can too: http://mercury.com/  Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Column, N.A., Members FDIC • I run all my newsletters on Beehiiv and you should too + we're giving away $10k to our favorite newsletter, check it out: beehiiv.com/mfm-challenge My First Million is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by HubSpot Media // Production by Arie Desormeaux // Editing by Ezra Bakker Trupiano /

In this episode of Send & Grow 2.0, Hunter Kallay sits down with Dave Gerhardt, founder of Exit Five and former CMO at Drift, to talk about building a modern media and community business around B2B marketing. About Send & Grow: Send & Grow is a podcast about the people, strategies, and businesses behind today's most interesting newsletters. We talk to newsletter operators and creators about how they build audiences, create great content, and turn attention into sustainable businesses. Subscribe to Send & Grow for more conversations with the people shaping the newsletter industry.

140+ real business ideas database: https://clickhubspot.com/pkce Episode 850: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk about massive businesses hidden in plain sight.  — Show Notes: (0:00) The wild economics of lab testing on monkeys (11:01) Salad oil crisis (15:35) the art of noticing  (24:38) enthusiasm (27:39) know thy 8-year old self (32:32) be shameless (37:08) Sam goes to SF for 7 days — Links: • Qoves - https://www.qoves.com/  • Charles River - https://www.criver.com/  • How To Do Great Work - https://www.paulgraham.com/greatwork.html — Check Out Sam's Stuff: • Hampton (joinhampton.com): My community for founders. Average member does $25m/year. Many of the guests are members. Get after it...apply: http://joinhampton.com/mfm — Check Out Shaan's Stuff: • Shaan's weekly email - https://www.shaanpuri.com  • Visit https://www.somewhere.com/mfm to hire worldwide talent like Shaan and get $500 off for being an MFM listener. Hire developers, assistants, marketing pros, sales teams and more for 80% less than US equivalents. • Mercury - Shaan uses Mercury across all of his companies. you can too: http://mercury.com/  Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Column, N.A., Members FDIC • I run all my newsletters on Beehiiv and you should too + we're giving away $10k to our favorite newsletter, check it out: beehiiv.com/mfm-challenge My First Million is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by HubSpot Media // Production by Arie Desormeaux // Editing by Ezra Bakker Trupiano /

In this episode, we sit down with Polina Pompliano, founder of The Profile and author of Hidden Genius, where she studies the lives, habits, and minds of exceptional people.We discuss what drives some of the world's most successful people, how putting yourself out there creates unexpected opportunities, why flaws and insecurities can become an advantage, the role of vulnerability in storytelling, and how to use AI without letting it think for you.If you're interested in entrepreneurship, media, AI, storytelling, personal growth, or understanding what makes exceptional people different, this episode is for you.This episode is supported by Sydecar, HEX, Wispr Flow, Granola, Beehiiv, KalshiSydecar: https://sydecar.io/partners/trailblazersbeehiiv: https://www.beehiiv.com/splash?utm_campaign=trailblazers-2026-Partnership&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=trailblazers&utm_term=podcast-1&stripe_campaign_code=TRAILBLAZERS30 (or use code “trailblazers30” for 30% OFF)*beehiiv has a major announcement coming July 16 - can't say more, but you won't want to miss it. RSVP here: https://www.beehiiv.com/summer-release-2026Granola: http://granola.ai/trailblazers *Granola is the official notetaker of Trailblazers! Check out the episode show notes here: https://notes.granola.ai/t/ed6c5333-9e78-42fe-850f-8910c833df7b-00b881l8Kalshi: http://Kalshi.com/r/trailblazersWispr Flow: https://ref.wisprflow.ai/trailblazersHEX: http://hex.ai/trailblazers

My First Million: Read the notes at at podcastnotes.org. Don't forget to subscribe for free to our newsletter, the top 10 ideas of the week, every Monday --------- $1M Attention Guide: 15+ ways to get eyeballs on what you're building https://clickhubspot.com/tkwc Episode 845: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk to marketing legend Rory Sutherland ( https://x.com/rorysutherland ). — Show Notes: (0:00) Intro (1:44) Horsepower (12:15) Reverse benchmarking (17:38) Pay attention to what irritates you (21:47) Ogilvy secrets (27:28) Marketing hacks used by Apple, UBER, McDonald's (36:35) direct response marketing 101 (1:08:50) Recommended reading — Links: • Alchemy - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01F1HOAWA • Illusion of Choice - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0857199749 • Nassim Taleb books - https://www.amazon.com/stores/Nassim-Nicholas-Taleb/author/B000APVZ7W • Ogilvy on Advertising - https://www.amazon.com/dp/039472903X • Writing That Works - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0060956437 • When More Is Not Better - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1647820065 • Scientific Advertising - https://a.co/d/0ixEJA1B • The Choice Factory - https://a.co/d/0ixa769O — Check Out Sam's Stuff: • Hampton (joinhampton.com): My community for founders. Average member does $25m/year. Many of the guests are members. Get after it...apply: http://joinhampton.com/mfm — Check Out Shaan's Stuff: • Shaan's weekly email - https://www.shaanpuri.com • Visit https://www.somewhere.com/mfm to hire worldwide talent like Shaan and get $500 off for being an MFM listener. Hire developers, assistants, marketing pros, sales teams and more for 80% less than US equivalents. • Mercury - Shaan uses Mercury across all of his companies. you can too: http://mercury.com/ Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Column, N.A., Members FDIC • I run all my newsletters on Beehiiv and you should too + we're giving away $10k to our favorite newsletter, check it out: beehiiv.com/mfm-challenge My First Million is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by HubSpot Media // Production by Arie Desormeaux // Editing by Ezra Bakker Trupiano /

Business Ideas Database: https://clickhubspot.com/erhy Episode 849: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ), Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) and their producer Arie brainstorm 9 business ideas that are genius.   — Show Notes: (0:00) Intro (2:07) IDEA 1: Reverse vacations (6:03) IDEA 2: Rap battle + UFC fight (13:18) IDEA 3: Giant claw machine (20:39) IDEA 4: Butter dispenser (27:32) IDEA 5: beepers for kids (35:35) IDEA 6: Mexican Benihana (40:01) IDEA 7: bulk custom gifts (44:10) IDEA 8: Slop Stop (49:06) IDEA 9: Take your roommate to work day — Check Out Sam's Stuff: • Hampton (joinhampton.com): My community for founders. Average member does $25m/year. Many of the guests are members. Get after it...apply: http://joinhampton.com/mfm — Check Out Shaan's Stuff: • Shaan's weekly email - https://www.shaanpuri.com  • Visit https://www.somewhere.com/mfm to hire worldwide talent like Shaan and get $500 off for being an MFM listener. Hire developers, assistants, marketing pros, sales teams and more for 80% less than US equivalents. • Mercury - Shaan uses Mercury across all of his companies. you can too: http://mercury.com/  Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Column, N.A., Members FDIC • I run all my newsletters on Beehiiv and you should too + we're giving away $10k to our favorite newsletter, check it out: beehiiv.com/mfm-challenge My First Million is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by HubSpot Media // Production by Arie Desormeaux // Editing by Ezra Bakker Trupiano /

Get our CEO lessons in one guide: https://clickhubspot.com/sagh Episode 848: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk about the 7 rules of sales, Bernard Arnault's revenge letter, plus the economics of Magic: The Gathering. — Show Notes: (0:00) highest value comment from HackerNews (2:50) always bring 2 diet cokes to a negotiation (7:36) Saving lives as a service (17:24) Bernard Arnaults revenge letter (25:29) The business of Magic: The Gathering (41:58) Bryan Johnson, The Dana White of Longevity — Check Out Sam's Stuff: • Hampton (joinhampton.com): My community for founders. Average member does $25m/year. Many of the guests are members. Get after it...apply: http://joinhampton.com/mfm — Check Out Shaan's Stuff: • Shaan's weekly email - https://www.shaanpuri.com  • Visit https://www.somewhere.com/mfm to hire worldwide talent like Shaan and get $500 off for being an MFM listener. Hire developers, assistants, marketing pros, sales teams and more for 80% less than US equivalents. • Mercury - Shaan uses Mercury across all of his companies. you can too: http://mercury.com/  Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Column, N.A., Members FDIC • I run all my newsletters on Beehiiv and you should too + we're giving away $10k to our favorite newsletter, check it out: beehiiv.com/mfm-challenge My First Million is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by HubSpot Media // Production by Arie Desormeaux // Editing by Ezra Bakker Trupiano /

In this episode, we sit down with Rebecca Kaden, General Partner at Union Square Ventures, where she invests in the next generation of AI, software, and technology companies shaping the future.We discuss why AI is still dramatically underhyped, how venture capitalists identify world-changing technologies before everyone else, the future of open versus closed AI ecosystems, why the best investors think in decades instead of years, and the frameworks Rebecca uses to evaluate the next wave of billion-dollar companies.If you're interested in AI, venture capital, startups, investing, or understanding how the world's best investors think, this episode is for you.This episode is supported by Sydecar, HEX, Wispr Flow, Granola, Beehiiv, KalshiSydecar: https://sydecar.io/partners/trailblazersbeehiiv: https://www.beehiiv.com/splash?utm_campaign=trailblazers-2026-Partnership&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=trailblazers&utm_term=podcast-1&stripe_campaign_code=TRAILBLAZERS30 (or use code “trailblazers30” for 30% OFF)*beehiiv has a major announcement coming July 16 - can't say more, but you won't want to miss it. RSVP here: https://www.beehiiv.com/summer-release-2026Granola: http://granola.ai/trailblazers*Granola is the official notetaker of Trailblazers. Check out the episode show notes here: https://notes.granola.ai/t/8dccb81c-ac02-48e1-afb3-b6a7d8ff9160-00b881l8Kalshi: http://Kalshi.com/r/trailblazersWispr Flow: https://ref.wisprflow.ai/trailblazersHEX: http://hex.ai/trailblazers

Unsexy Business Ideas Database: https://clickhubspot.com/yjsa Episode 847: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk about dynastic wealth creation.  — Show Notes: (0:00) Shaan gets invited to graduation (2:19) The richest man in Italy (16:09) The golden window (26:51) meeting an xtreme multi-billionaire (36:04) An update about Ben WIlson (42:52) achieving greatness vs being great — Check Out Sam's Stuff: • Hampton (joinhampton.com): My community for founders. Average member does $25m/year. Many of the guests are members. Get after it...apply: http://joinhampton.com/mfm — Check Out Shaan's Stuff: • Shaan's weekly email - https://www.shaanpuri.com  • Visit https://www.somewhere.com/mfm to hire worldwide talent like Shaan and get $500 off for being an MFM listener. Hire developers, assistants, marketing pros, sales teams and more for 80% less than US equivalents. • Mercury - Shaan uses Mercury across all of his companies. you can too: http://mercury.com/  Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Column, N.A., Members FDIC • I run all my newsletters on Beehiiv and you should too + we're giving away $10k to our favorite newsletter, check it out: beehiiv.com/mfm-challenge My First Million is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by HubSpot Media // Production by Arie Desormeaux // Editing by Ezra Bakker Trupiano /

Tamara Steffens is managing director of Thomson Reuters Ventures, where she invests in early-stage companies building around legal, tax, accounting, and enterprise workflow. Corporate venture capital can look like a shortcut to customers, distribution, and credibility, but Steffens says founders need to understand what has to be true before strategic money can actually help. In this conversation, we get into what happens after Thomson Reuters Ventures joins your cap table, how founders can turn a corporate investor into real product or go-to-market leverage, and why inflated TAM slides can work against you. We also talk about what founders should do before and after the check clears, why some good businesses should avoid venture capital entirely, and why she says every founder should be thinking earlier about exit paths.   RUNTIME: 36:14 EPISODE BREAKDOWN (1:53)    An Overview of Thomson Reuters Ventures (3:57) CVC Expectations: When Strategic Capital Can Actually Help (7:09) Why Your TAM Needs to Match the Product You Actually Have (10:04) When Strategic Capital Becomes Product Leverage (13:13)  What Founders Should Do Before and After the Check Clears (22:18) How CVC Evaluates Founders When the Market Gets Frothy (29:05) Building the Relationship Before Series A (31:30) Why Exit Paths Matter Earlier Than You Think LINKS Tamara Steffens Thomson Reuters Ventures Thomson Reuters Fund/Build/Scale Founder Narrative Advisory SUBSCRIBE

Shaan's guide to go from $0 to $1M: https://clickhubspot.com/pfkv Episode 846: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk to Chris Camillo ( https://x.com/ChrisCamillo ) about the 5 trades he's betting on in 2026. — Show Notes: (0:00) Social Arbitrage (6:29) Needohs (20:16) Nerd culture (27:06) Information asymmetry (46:30) Amazon (1:02:21) Podcasting — Links: • Dumb Money Live - https://www.youtube.com/DumbMoneyLive  — Check Out Sam's Stuff: • Hampton (joinhampton.com): My community for founders. Average member does $25m/year. Many of the guests are members. Get after it...apply: http://joinhampton.com/mfm — Check Out Shaan's Stuff: • Shaan's weekly email - https://www.shaanpuri.com  • Visit https://www.somewhere.com/mfm to hire worldwide talent like Shaan and get $500 off for being an MFM listener. Hire developers, assistants, marketing pros, sales teams and more for 80% less than US equivalents. • Mercury - Shaan uses Mercury across all of his companies. you can too: http://mercury.com/  Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Column, N.A., Members FDIC • I run all my newsletters on Beehiiv and you should too + we're giving away $10k to our favorite newsletter, check it out: beehiiv.com/mfm-challenge My First Million is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by HubSpot Media // Production by Arie Desormeaux // Editing by Ezra Bakker Trupiano /

In this episode, we sit down with John Hu, the co-founder and CEO of Stan, the platform helping creators turn their audience into thriving businesses.We discuss how AI is changing entrepreneurship, why the best companies stay relentlessly founder-first, what it takes to build a $40M business with just 30 employees, the future of creator entrepreneurs, the importance of distribution and personal branding, and the principles behind building products people genuinely love.If you're interested in entrepreneurship, AI, startups, the creator economy, or building high-growth businesses, this episode is for you.This episode is supported by Sydecar, HEX, Wispr Flow, Granola, Beehiiv, KalshiSydecar: https://sydecar.io/partners/trailblazersbeehiiv: https://www.beehiiv.com/splash?utm_campaign=trailblazers-2026-Partnership&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=trailblazers&utm_term=podcast-8&stripe_campaign_code=TRAILBLAZERS30 (or use code “trailblazers30” for 30% OFF)Granola: http://granola.ai/trailblazers*Granola is the official notetaker of Trailblazers.Kalshi: http://Kalshi.com/r/trailblazersWispr Flow: https://ref.wisprflow.ai/trailblazersHEX: http://hex.ai/trailblazers

AdTechGod sits down with Tyler Denk, Co-Founder & CEO of beehiiv, to discuss how beehiiv evolved from a newsletter platform into a complete creator operating system. Tyler shares lessons from Morning Brew, why creators should own their audience, AI's role in publishing, and how beehiiv is reshaping newsletter and podcast monetization. Takeaways: Tyler shares how Morning Brew inspired the creation of beehiiv. Learn why owning your audience matters more than relying on social platforms. Discover how AI and automation are simplifying creator workflows. Hear how beehiiv is expanding into podcasts, communities, and advertising. Learn how the beehiiv Ad Network helps creators monetize newsletters of every size. Chapters:00:00 Introduction to Tyler Denk & beehiiv00:41 Tyler's journey from Morning Brew to founding beehiiv05:13 Reinventing newsletter publishing and growth07:46 Website builder, SEO, and content automation09:42 AI tools, MCP, and creator workflows11:05 The future of AI for content creators13:03 Building an all-in-one creator operating system15:35 Why creators should own their audience18:14 Social media strategy and platform integrations19:49 Inside the beehiiv Ad Network and newsletter monetization22:59 Helping small publishers earn advertising revenue24:57 Final thoughts and Tyler's personal newsletter Guests: AdTech God Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

$1M Attention Guide: 15+ ways to get eyeballs on what you're building https://clickhubspot.com/tkwc Episode 845: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk to marketing legend Rory Sutherland ( https://x.com/rorysutherland ). — Show Notes: (0:00) Intro  (1:44) Horsepower (12:15) Reverse benchmarking (17:38) Pay attention to what irritates you (21:47) Ogilvy secrets (27:28) Marketing hacks used by Apple, UBER, McDonald's (36:35) direct response marketing 101 (1:08:50) Recommended reading — Links: • Alchemy - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01F1HOAWA  • Illusion of Choice - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0857199749  • Nassim Taleb books - https://www.amazon.com/stores/Nassim-Nicholas-Taleb/author/B000APVZ7W  • Ogilvy on Advertising - https://www.amazon.com/dp/039472903X  • Writing That Works - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0060956437  • When More Is Not Better - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1647820065  • Scientific Advertising - https://a.co/d/0ixEJA1B  • The Choice Factory - https://a.co/d/0ixa769O  — Check Out Sam's Stuff: • Hampton (joinhampton.com): My community for founders. Average member does $25m/year. Many of the guests are members. Get after it...apply: http://joinhampton.com/mfm — Check Out Shaan's Stuff: • Shaan's weekly email - https://www.shaanpuri.com  • Visit https://www.somewhere.com/mfm to hire worldwide talent like Shaan and get $500 off for being an MFM listener. Hire developers, assistants, marketing pros, sales teams and more for 80% less than US equivalents. • Mercury - Shaan uses Mercury across all of his companies. you can too: http://mercury.com/  Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Column, N.A., Members FDIC • I run all my newsletters on Beehiiv and you should too + we're giving away $10k to our favorite newsletter, check it out: beehiiv.com/mfm-challenge My First Million is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by HubSpot Media // Production by Arie Desormeaux // Editing by Ezra Bakker Trupiano /

In this episode, we sit down with Nicole Behnam, an entrepreneur, investor, and podcast host known for interviewing some of the world's top founders, investors, and business leaders.We discuss how to build relationships with influential people, why traditional education leaves entrepreneurs at a disadvantage, the future of AI and entrepreneurship, the power of storytelling, how to build a cult-like brand, and the mindset behind building one of the strongest networks in tech.If you're interested in entrepreneurship, AI, networking, business, or learning how successful founders think, this episode is for you.This episode is supported by Sydecar, HEX, Wispr Flow, Granola, Beehiiv, KalshiSydecar: https://sydecar.io/partners/trailblazersbeehiiv: https://www.beehiiv.com/splash?utm_campaign=trailblazers-2026-Partnership&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=trailblazers&utm_term=podcast-7&stripe_campaign_code=TRAILBLAZERS30 (or use code “trailblazers30” for 30% OFF)Granola: http://granola.ai/trailblazers*Granola is the official notetaker of Trailblazers. Check out the episode show notes here: https://notes.granola.ai/t/b7b67559-e75a-4321-a59e-fbc5bed34450-008umkv4Kalshi: http://Kalshi.com/r/trailblazersWispr Flow: https://ref.wisprflow.ai/trailblazersHEX: http://hex.ai/trailblazers

Unsexy Business Ideas Database: https://clickhubspot.com/kpfm Episode 844: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk about how one of the richest families in America makes its money.  — Show Notes: (0:00) The Cargill family (13:15) projects vs empires (15:00) family meetings create family dynasties (22:55) Jevon's paradox (29:00) the story of Luddites (39:19) Where's the opportunity (49:00) the phrases we tell ourselves (52:00) The ice king — Links: • The Medici effect - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1591391865  — Check Out Sam's Stuff: • Hampton (joinhampton.com): My community for founders. Average member does $25m/year. Many of the guests are members. Get after it...apply: http://joinhampton.com/mfm — Check Out Shaan's Stuff: • Shaan's weekly email - https://www.shaanpuri.com  • Visit https://www.somewhere.com/mfm to hire worldwide talent like Shaan and get $500 off for being an MFM listener. Hire developers, assistants, marketing pros, sales teams and more for 80% less than US equivalents. • Mercury - Shaan uses Mercury across all of his companies. you can too: http://mercury.com/  Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Column, N.A., Members FDIC • I run all my newsletters on Beehiiv and you should too + we're giving away $10k to our favorite newsletter, check it out: beehiiv.com/mfm-challenge My First Million is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by HubSpot Media // Production by Arie Desormeaux // Editing by Ezra Bakker Trupiano /

Thanks to AI, you could have an idea for a startup on your way home from work Thursday and finish a rough prototype by Monday morning. That's great news for founders, but it also raises the bar: if everyone can build a convincing demo, what actually separates a durable company from a clever prototype? To explore that question in depth, I interviewed Alex Niehenke a partner at Scale Venture Partners since 2012. He invests in early-stage companies tackling complex industries like insurance, wealth management, construction, and logistics. We discuss why product innovation has to be paired with distribution innovation, how he judges your TAM estimate, how founders create entirely new categories, and what investors are looking for now that building software has never been easier. RUNTIME 41:43   EPISODE BREAKDOWN (02:58) Overview: Scale Venture Partners (04:42) What Makes Slow-Moving Markets Attractive? (06:19) Product Innovation Needs Go-to-Market Innovation (08:58) Why TAM Is Really a Test of Strategic Thinking (12:03) At Least Two-Thirds of My Investments Are Category Creation (15:54) What Founder-Market Fit Means in the AI Era (21:41) What Makes a Vertical AI Startup Fundable? (24:52) What Separates a Nice Demo from a Durable Business? (27:11) Selling Into Hard Markets (33:03) When Regulation Becomes a Competitive Advantage (34:52) Founder-Led Go-to-Market Wins Early (37:01) Why Obsession Still Matters Most LINKS Alex Niehenke Scale Venture Partners Tessa Lau, CEO/Founder, Dusty Robotics Deep Tech Without Stealth: Inside Dusty Robotics' Origin Story, Fund/Build/Scale Root Insurance Motive Shoe Dog, Phil Knight Building something that's hard to explain? That's often a sign you're working on something interesting. It can also cost you fundraising, sales, hiring, and media opportunities. I help early-stage founders sharpen the narrative around what they're building: what matters, why now, who needs to care, and why they're the right team to make it happen. If you're preparing for a raise, launch, important customer meeting, panel, or hiring push, I can help you pressure-test the story before the stakes get higher.

This episode is brought to you by Circle — the all-in-one platform to run your community, courses, and memberships in one place. Try it free

You know the drill: two hours into fighting with an email template, the fonts still don't match your brand, and you're one broken column away from just hitting send on something that looks... fine. What if that email actually took ten minutes and looked like you hired a designer? Jan just spent real time inside Flodesk's brand-new AI design tool, Flodesk Studio, and she's back with the unfiltered rundown — what it nails, where it's still buggy, and whether it deserves a spot in your owned-media toolkit.What You'll LearnWhy a generic-looking email is a missed branding opportunity, not just a minor annoyanceHow Flodesk Studio builds emails around your actual colors, fonts, and voice instead of generating something off a promptThe one prompt trick that makes the AI copywriter sound like you, not like AIWhere the beta still has bugs (and what to check before you move your whole workflow over)Whether you need a full Flodesk account to use it — and how to export it elsewhere if you don'tEpisode Highlights[00:04] Why the email you've been wrestling with for two hours could take ten minutes instead [01:23] The owned-media reminder: your email list is the most personal real estate you have — you're landing in someone's inbox next to messages from actual people [02:50] What Flodesk Studio actually is, and why it matters that it's currently free, beta access [03:49] The key difference from other AI tools: every layout starts with work from real human designers, not a prompt-generated template [05:29] You don't need a Flodesk email account to use Studio — design it there, export the HTML, and drop it into Mailchimp, Kit, Beehiiv, or wherever your list already lives [06:46] Walkthrough of setup: brand colors, font mapping, and how it guides you even if your branding isn't dialed in yet [08:12] The favorite tip of the episode: ask your AI platform of choice for a short brand voice summary first, then feed that straight into Studio [10:55] Why the AI copywriter's first draft didn't need the usual heavy rework AI drafts normally require [12:44] Sending the finished email — straight through Flodesk, or downloaded as HTML for another platform [13:39] The honest bugs: a font that shifted on delivery, no click-based tagging inside Studio yet, and having to hop back into Studio for edits after import [16:46] The bottom line: a time-saver that elevates rather than replaces the human, brand-first design workKey Takeaway"A tool that makes every email look like Chef's Kiss — made, not generated — in a fraction of the time. It's good stewardship for a business owner."Resources MentionedFlodesk Studio (beta, free): studio.flodesk.comJan's full written walkthrough with screenshots: available on the blog at https://jantouchberry.com/flodesk-studio-review-my-honest-first-look-at-the-betaBook a brand and website consult with Jan: jantouchberry.comGet 2 free weeks of Flodesk - https://partners.flodesk.com/757l1wvhqq8sCall to ActionStudio can only carry a brand that's actually been defined — colors, fonts, voice, all of it. If your brand still feels like a midnight Canva situation, that's exactly where Jan comes in. Head to jantouchberry.com to book a time to talk through your next best brand and website step, then go grab your free Flodesk Studio beta and start playing.CONNECT WITH JAN:Here are all the best places and FREE stuff

Blue-Collar Business Ideas Database: https://clickhubspot.com/rvko Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) spends the day with Mark O'Brien ( https://www.instagram.com/themarkobrienteam ) to see what it's like to be a blue collar millionaire.  — Links  Mark O'Brien - https://buildmeabrownstone.com/ — Check Out Sam's Stuff: • Hampton (joinhampton.com): My community for founders. Average member does $25m/year. Many of the guests are members. Get after it...apply: http://joinhampton.com/mfm — Check Out Shaan's Stuff: • Shaan's weekly email - https://www.shaanpuri.com  • Visit https://www.somewhere.com/mfm to hire worldwide talent like Shaan and get $500 off for being an MFM listener. Hire developers, assistants, marketing pros, sales teams and more for 80% less than US equivalents. • Mercury - Shaan uses Mercury across all of his companies. you can too: http://mercury.com/  Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Column, N.A., Members FDIC • I run all my newsletters on Beehiiv and you should too + we're giving away $10k to our favorite newsletter, check it out: beehiiv.com/mfm-challenge My First Million is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by HubSpot Media // Production by Arie Desormeaux // Editing by Ezra Bakker Trupiano /

In this episode, we sit down with Geoff Woo, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Antifund, an unconventional venture capital firm investing in the next generation of companies across technology, consumer, defense, and culture. Geoff is also the Founder and Executive Chairman of Ketone-IQ and has built businesses alongside creators like Jake and Logan Paul, giving him a unique perspective at the intersection of venture capital, entrepreneurship, and internet culture.We discuss why venture capital is "high-class begging," how Antifund uses celebrity partnerships to win the most competitive startup deals, why attention is becoming more valuable than capital, how AI is changing the future of startups and human expertise, the philosophy behind Ketone-IQ, and the mindset founders need to build category-defining companies.If you're interested in startups, venture capital, AI, entrepreneurship, creator businesses, or learning how top investors think, this episode is for you.This episode is supported by Sydecar, HEX, Wispr Flow, Granola, Beehiiv, KalshiSydecar: https://sydecar.io/partners/trailblazersbeehiiv: https://www.beehiiv.com/splash?utm_campaign=trailblazers-2026-Partnership&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=trailblazers&utm_term=podcast-6&stripe_campaign_code=TRAILBLAZERS30 (or use code “trailblazers30” for 30% OFF)*Granola is the official notetaker of Trailblazers! Check out the episode show notes here: https://notes.granola.ai/t/7b44b7f3-ac56-487b-befa-81d024355e49-00b881l8Kalshi: http://Kalshi.com/r/trailblazersWispr Flow: https://ref.wisprflow.ai/trailblazersHEX: http://hex.ai/trailblazers

In today's MadTech Daily, we cover a new study finding AI is accelerating the collapse of Google Search referral traffic, the EU fining AliExpress €550m over failures to police illegal and counterfeit products, and Beehiiv launching Community and AI Copilot as it expands beyond newsletters.

Ray Dalio's rules for building wealth: https://clickhubspot.com/rgsk Episode 842: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) sit down with Ray Dalio ( https://x.com/RayDalio ) to talk about the holy grail of investing strategies. — Show Notes: (0:00) Intro (0:49) Hitting rock bottom (8:28) Personality traits of the 1% (14:22) Partnerships that win (18:25) Pain + Reflection = Progress (23:30) What's the money for anyway? (26:26) Principles (28:41) Ray's hiring philosophy (30:43) Being a caddy (35:16) Mistakes smart investors make (37:01) What Ray spends his money on (39:13) Aliens (41:00) The 5 Big Forces (46:35) Investing in Gold and Bubble Mechanics (52:55) How Bridgewater became the biggest hedge fund (55:40) The gap between the best and everyone else (59:26) The 1 Big Takeaway — Links: • Ray's Personality Test - https://principlesyou.com/  • Bridgewater Associates - https://www.bridgewater.com/  — Check Out Sam's Stuff: • Hampton (joinhampton.com): My community for founders. Average member does $25m/year. Many of the guests are members. Get after it...apply: http://joinhampton.com/mfm — Check Out Shaan's Stuff: • Shaan's weekly email - https://www.shaanpuri.com  • Visit https://www.somewhere.com/mfm to hire worldwide talent like Shaan and get $500 off for being an MFM listener. Hire developers, assistants, marketing pros, sales teams and more for 80% less than US equivalents. • Mercury - Shaan uses Mercury across all of his companies. you can too: http://mercury.com/  Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Column, N.A., Members FDIC • I run all my newsletters on Beehiiv and you should too + we're giving away $10k to our favorite newsletter, check it out: beehiiv.com/mfm-challenge My First Million is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by HubSpot Media // Production by Arie Desormeaux // Editing by Ezra Bakker Trupiano /

Arena CEO Anastasios Angelopoulos talks about Moonshot Kimi K3 beating Claude Fable 5 in coding with TITV Host Akash Pasricha. We also talk with Co-Executive Editor Martin Peers about Netflix's post-earnings drop and Stripe's proposed buyout of PayPal and Co-Executive Editor Amir Efrati about Google using backstop deals to pitch TPUs over Nvidia GPUs. Lastly, we get into Beehiiv's new community features with CEO Tyler Denk.Articles discussed on this episode: https://www.theinformation.com/briefings/moonshot-ais-new-kimi-k3-challenges-u-s-frontier-modelshttps://www.theinformation.com/newsletters/applied-ai/nobody-immune-nvidia-gpu-crunchhttps://www.theinformation.com/briefings/netflix-reports-slowing-revenue-growth-second-quarterSubscribe: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theinformation The Information: https://www.theinformation.com/subscribe_hSign up for the AI Agenda newsletter: https://www.theinformation.com/features/ai-agendaTITV airs weekdays on YouTube, X and LinkedIn at 10AM PT / 1PM ET. Or check us out wherever you get your podcasts.Follow us:X: https://x.com/theinformationIG: https://www.instagram.com/theinformation/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@titv.theinformationLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theinformation/Chapters:00:00 - Introduction01:13 - China's Kimi K3 Tops Coding Benchmarks20:51 - Netflix Growth Crunch & Stripe's $53B PayPal Bid30:16 - Inside Google's TPU War Against Nvidia44:50 - Beehiiv CEO Tyler Denk on Social & AI Copilots

In this episode, Matt McGarry, Ryan Carr, and Kolby Hatch analyze the recent beehiiv summer release, discussing new features like community, podcast integrations, and ad networks, and sharing insights on how to effectively leverage these tools for business growth.

Investing Guide: https://clickhubspot.com/epkr Episode 841: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk to legendary investor Howard Marks about AI and making decisions in the face of fear and uncertainty.  — Show Notes: (0:00) AI Hurtles Ahead (8:26) second level thinking (10:21) investing through the end of the world (14:47) raising $11B at a time of crisis (17:54) investing with fear (20:22) the key to a successful partnership (25:01) being a good father (27:37) only 1 success: to live your life your way (34:17) Having lunch with Warren Buffett (37:18) What people don't know about Buffett (39:37) cigar butt investing (41:35) recommended reading — Links: • AI Hurtles Ahead - https://www.oaktreecapital.com/insights/memo/ai-hurtles-ahead  • A Short History of Financial Euphoria - https://www.amazon.com/History-Financial-Euphoria-Penguin-Business/dp/0140238565  • Fooled by Randomness - https://www.amazon.com/Fooled-Randomness-Hidden-Markets-Incerto/dp/0812975219  — Check Out Sam's Stuff: • Hampton (joinhampton.com): My community for founders. Average member does $25m/year. Many of the guests are members. Get after it...apply: http://joinhampton.com/mfm — Check Out Shaan's Stuff: • Shaan's weekly email - https://www.shaanpuri.com  • Visit https://www.somewhere.com/mfm to hire worldwide talent like Shaan and get $500 off for being an MFM listener. Hire developers, assistants, marketing pros, sales teams and more for 80% less than US equivalents. • Mercury - Shaan uses Mercury for banking across all of his companies. you can too: http://mercury.com/  Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Column, N.A., and Evolve Bank & Trust, Members FDIC • I run all my newsletters on Beehiiv and you should too + we're giving away $10k to our favorite newsletter, check it out: beehiiv.com/mfm-challenge My First Million is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by HubSpot Media // Production by Arie Desormeaux // Editing by Ezra Bakker Trupiano /

In this episode, we sit down with Ann Miura-Ko, Co-Founding Partner of Floodgate and one of Silicon Valley's earliest investors in companies like Lyft, Twitch, Twitter, and Okta. After nearly two decades investing in founders at the earliest stages of company building, Ann shares how she identifies exceptional entrepreneurs long before the rest of the market. We discuss how Twitch almost never happened, the early rivalry between Uber and Lyft, why the best entrepreneurs are truth seekers, the future of AI-pilled organizations, what teaching has revealed about curiosity and character, and how Ann thinks about investing in the next generation of world-changing companies. If you're interested in startups, venture capital, AI, or understanding how the best investors think, this episode is for you.This episode is supported by Sydecar, HEX, Wispr Flow, Granola, Beehiiv, KalshiSydecar: https://sydecar.io/partners/trailblazersbeehiiv: www.beehiiv.com/splash?utm_campaign=trailblazers-2026-Partnership&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=trailblazers&utm_term=podcast-5&stripe_campaign_code=TRAILBLAZERS30 (or use code “trailblazers30” for 30% OFF)*beehiiv has a major announcement coming July 16 - can't say more, but you won't want to miss it. RSVP here: https://www.beehiiv.com/summer-release-2026Granola: http://granola.ai/trailblazers*Granola is the official notetaker of Trailblazers. Check out the episode show notes here: https://notes.granola.ai/t/d1fb3aec-f1c5-4681-b763-af05df15ac3d-008umkv4Kalshi: http://Kalshi.com/r/trailblazersWispr Flow: https://ref.wisprflow.ai/trailblazersHEX: http://hex.ai/trailblazers

A lot of founders assume raising venture capital is just part of the process: you have an idea, build a deck, find some investors and start pitching. But what if you don't actually need the money yet? Elia Wallen is the founder and CEO of Engine, a business travel platform valued at $2 billion. He bootstrapped his first company and resisted raising outside capital for Engine until the business was growing faster than he could support on his own. In this episode, we talk about why raising too much money too soon can lead founders astray, how to tell the difference between needing capital and craving validation, why early-stage equity may be the most expensive money you'll ever raise, and how to know when your company is actually ready to start talking to investors. We also get into the risks of letting investors steer a company before product-market fit, why founders should pressure-test how much money they really need, what Elia means by having "conviction with rationale," and why the opportunity should be pulling you forward before you raise. RUNTIME 35:13   EPISODE BREAKDOWN (1:40) What is Engine? (3:25) Why ignorance can be an advantage (5:38) Are you raising money for validation? (8:58) What constraint teaches founders (10:57) How much money do you actually need? (17:44)When it actually makes sense to raise (21:18) How investors can pull you off course  (26:38) Equity is more expensive than you think (30:55) How to know when you're ready to raise LINKS Elia Wallen Engine The Case for Raising Less Money Than You Can, Inc.com Building something that's hard to explain? That's often a sign you're working on something interesting. It can also cost you fundraising, sales, hiring, and media opportunities. I help early-stage founders sharpen the narrative around what they're building: what matters, why now, who needs to care, and why they're the right team to make it happen. If you're preparing for a raise, launch, important customer meeting, panel, or hiring push, I can help you pressure-test the story before the stakes get higher.

140+ Business Ideas (Database): https://clickhubspot.com/efdj Episode 840: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk to Mark Pincus ( https://x.com/markpinc ) about figuring out what projects to spend your life on.  — Show Notes: (0:00) $0- $38M in 7 months (3:00) if you pick the right body of water, you don't have to have the right boat (16:51) pattern matching  (23:17) there's always a new freak (25:00) picking macros (27:48) a case for gold (39:50) How to know what to chase (49:12) create a book of life (59:59) Frameworks vs instincts (1:09:00) being hated and misunderstood (1:11:13) the story of farmville (1:15:00) avoiding the fur coat moment (1:19:49) the nickelback problem (1:22:02) introspection vs rumination — Links: • Life At The Speed of Play - https://www.amazon.com/Life-Speed-Play-Launch-Products/dp/0063352575  — Check Out Sam's Stuff: • Hampton (joinhampton.com): My community for founders. Average member does $25m/year. Many of the guests are members. Get after it...apply: http://joinhampton.com/mfm — Check Out Shaan's Stuff: • Shaan's weekly email - https://www.shaanpuri.com  • Visit https://www.somewhere.com/mfm to hire worldwide talent like Shaan and get $500 off for being an MFM listener. Hire developers, assistants, marketing pros, sales teams and more for 80% less than US equivalents. • Mercury - Shaan uses Mercury for banking across all of his companies. you can too: http://mercury.com/  Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Column, N.A., and Evolve Bank & Trust, Members FDIC • I run all my newsletters on Beehiiv and you should too + we're giving away $10k to our favorite newsletter, check it out: beehiiv.com/mfm-challenge My First Million is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by HubSpot Media // Production by Arie Desormeaux // Editing by Ezra Bakker Trupiano /

In this episode, we sit down with Kate McAndrew, Co-Founder and General Partner of Baukunst, a $100 million pre-seed venture fund investing in the next generation of founders. After spending more than a decade investing in over 100 early-stage companies, Kate shares how she evaluates entrepreneurs long before the rest of the market catches on. We discuss what makes a startup worth investing in, how great investors think from first principles, the traits that separate exceptional founders, how to build company cultures and institutions that last, and the unconventional path that led her into venture capital. If you're interested in startups, investing, entrepreneurship, or understanding how the best venture capitalists think, this episode is for you.This episode is supported by Sydecar, HEX, Wispr Flow, Granola, Beehiiv, KalshiSydecar: https://sydecar.io/partners/trailblazersbeehiiv: https://www.beehiiv.com/splash?utm_campaign=trailblazers-2026-Partnership&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=trailblazers&utm_term=podcast-4&stripe_campaign_code=TRAILBLAZERS30 (or use code “trailblazers30” for 30% OFF)*beehiiv has a major announcement coming July 16 - can't say more, but you won't want to miss it. RSVP here: https://www.beehiiv.com/summer-release-2026Granola: http://granola.ai/trailblazers*Granola is the official notetaker of Trailblazers. Check out the episode show notes here: https://notes.granola.ai/t/860f1c91-f717-41cd-a6c1-567458bfb806-00b881l8Kalshi: http://Kalshi.com/r/trailblazersWispr Flow: https://ref.wisprflow.ai/trailblazersHEX: http://hex.ai/trailblazers

Sam's guide to run your life like a $100M business: https://clickhubspot.com/krhd Episode 839: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk about everything Shaan learned from his NYC trip.  — Show Notes: (0:00) Lesson: Proximity (9:11) Lesson: What does it really mean? (23:04) Lesson: Trust (18:53) Lesson: City Brands (33:39) Lesson: Marketing — Links: • Ben Wilson's GoFundMe - https://t.co/kJN7pArRIO  — Check Out Sam's Stuff: • Hampton (joinhampton.com): My community for founders. Average member does $25m/year. Many of the guests are members. Get after it...apply: http://joinhampton.com/mfm — Check Out Shaan's Stuff: • Shaan's weekly email - https://www.shaanpuri.com  • Visit https://www.somewhere.com/mfm to hire worldwide talent like Shaan and get $500 off for being an MFM listener. Hire developers, assistants, marketing pros, sales teams and more for 80% less than US equivalents. • Mercury - Shaan uses Mercury for banking across all of his companies. you can too: http://mercury.com/  Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Column, N.A., and Evolve Bank & Trust, Members FDIC • I run all my newsletters on Beehiiv and you should too + we're giving away $10k to our favorite newsletter, check it out: beehiiv.com/mfm-challenge My First Million is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by HubSpot Media // Production by Arie Desormeaux // Editing by Ezra Bakker Trupiano /

Most startup fundraising advice focuses on how to get investors interested. Ryan Ziegler sees the process from the other side of the table. As a General Partner at Edison Partners, Ryan evaluates startups that have already survived one of the hardest phases of company building: finding customers willing to pay for what they've built.  By the time founders reach him, the question is no longer whether the idea is interesting. It's whether the business is repeatable. In this episode, Ryan explains why most startups shouldn't raise money even if they can, how investors separate durable customer demand from vanity metrics, what actually makes a company ready for Series A, and why founder self-awareness may matter more than a perfect pitch deck. We also discuss customer reference calls, leadership scorecards, founder coachability, and why companies need an operating system before they try to grow. RUNTIME 45:29   EPISODE BREAKDOWN (2:37) How Edison Partners Finds Bootstrapped Companies Ready to Scale (5:40) Why Most Startups Shouldn't Raise Money (Even If They Can) (11:39) How Venture Capital Can Create False Signals About Product-Market Fit (19:49) What Series A Readiness Actually Looks Like (25:01) The Difference Between Real Customer Demand and Fundraising Theater (27:35) Founder Transparency, Investor Trust, and Long-Term Partnerships (33:32) Why Coachability Beats Founder Ego (35:45) Building an Operating System That Scales Beyond the Founder (38:21) A Practical Series A Readiness Self-Audit LINKS Ryan Ziegler Edison Partners SUBSCRIBE

Get Sam and Shaan's hard-won CEO lessons in one guide: https://clickhubspot.com/ktng Episode 838: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk to Aaron Levie ( https://x.com/levie ) talk about building Box, getting rich slowly, why AI might make us work harder. — Show Notes: (0:00) Story of Box (06:30) Enterprise Over Consumer (10:00) Turning Down Huge Acquisition Offers (17:05) Angel Investing, Missed Bets, and Investing in Your P&L (23:00) Aaron's Contrarian AI Takes: More Jobs, More Work (30:00) Founder Anxiety, Therapy, and Surviving the CEO Grind (38:45) The Business Strategy Books Aaron Swears By (48:00) AI Tools, Software Stocks, and Why SaaS Isn't Dead — Links: • Box - https://www.box.com/  — Check Out Sam's Stuff: • Hampton (joinhampton.com): My community for founders. Average member does $25m/year. Many of the guests are members. Get after it...apply: http://joinhampton.com/mfm — Check Out Shaan's Stuff: • Shaan's weekly email - https://www.shaanpuri.com  • Visit https://www.somewhere.com/mfm to hire worldwide talent like Shaan and get $500 off for being an MFM listener. Hire developers, assistants, marketing pros, sales teams and more for 80% less than US equivalents. • Mercury - Shaan uses Mercury for banking across all of his companies. you can too: http://mercury.com/  Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Column, N.A., and Evolve Bank & Trust, Members FDIC • I run all my newsletters on Beehiiv and you should too + we're giving away $10k to our favorite newsletter, check it out: beehiiv.com/mfm-challenge My First Million is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by HubSpot Media // Production by Arie Desormeaux // Editing by Ezra Bakker Trupiano /

Business Idea Database: https://clickhubspot.com/ecat Episode 837: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) bring in 3 founders with weird businesses making $10M, $20M, and $30M.  — Show Notes: (0:00) Intro (3:32) Alex Daniels, $10M junk mail magazine (20:31) Josh Weissenstein, $20M camp ground business (38:36) The $1.8B App Copying Politicians & Hedge Funds — Links: • Haven Lifestyles - https://www.havenlifestyles.com/  • Team Outsider - https://www.teamoutsider.com/  • Autopilot - https://www.joinautopilot.com/  — Check Out Sam's Stuff: • Hampton (joinhampton.com): My community for founders. Average member does $25m/year. Many of the guests are members. Get after it...apply: http://joinhampton.com/mfm — Check Out Shaan's Stuff: • Shaan's weekly email - https://www.shaanpuri.com  • Visit https://www.somewhere.com/mfm to hire worldwide talent like Shaan and get $500 off for being an MFM listener. Hire developers, assistants, marketing pros, sales teams and more for 80% less than US equivalents. • Mercury - Shaan uses Mercury for banking across all of his companies. you can too: http://mercury.com/  Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Column, N.A., and Evolve Bank & Trust, Members FDIC • I run all my newsletters on Beehiiv and you should too + we're giving away $10k to our favorite newsletter, check it out: beehiiv.com/mfm-challenge My First Million is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by HubSpot Media // Production by Arie Desormeaux // Editing by Ezra Bakker Trupiano /

*20+ hours of investing wisdom:* https://clickhubspot.com/cbah Episode 836: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk about people who have turned their lifestyles into millions, plus Nick Sleep's investing genius.  — Show Notes: (0:00) fringe creators (13:14) Nick Sleep's shared economies of scale (24:41) lloyd blanfein's personal finances (31:14) David Rubenstein, the man (39:09) Nat Turner's crazy new business (50:13) a brief masterclass in valuing denim — Check Out Sam's Stuff: • Hampton (joinhampton.com): My community for founders. Average member does $25m/year. Many of the guests are members. Get after it...apply: http://joinhampton.com/mfm — Check Out Shaan's Stuff: • Shaan's weekly email - https://www.shaanpuri.com  • Visit https://www.somewhere.com/mfm to hire worldwide talent like Shaan and get $500 off for being an MFM listener. Hire developers, assistants, marketing pros, sales teams and more for 80% less than US equivalents. • Mercury - Shaan uses Mercury for banking across all of his companies. you can too: http://mercury.com/  Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Column, N.A., and Evolve Bank & Trust, Members FDIC • I run all my newsletters on Beehiiv and you should too + we're giving away $10k to our favorite newsletter, check it out: beehiiv.com/mfm-challenge My First Million is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by HubSpot Media // Production by Arie Desormeaux // Editing by Ezra Bakker Trupiano /

In this solo episode, Axel gets highly tactical on the one thing every real estate investor should be doing right now to get the most out of AI — regardless of which tools they use, how big their portfolio is, or how tech-savvy they are. The answer isn't a new app or a prompt hack. It's building context: the foundational informational backend of your business that allows AI tools like Claude to actually understand your company, your portfolio, and your goals well enough to do meaningful work on your behalf.Axel opens up his own Notion workspace and walks through exactly what Aligned Real Estate Partners has built — from company information and brand voice to portfolio dashboards, transaction coordination, and vendor contacts. He also shares specific real-world use cases: auto-completing loan applications, running weekly email analyses to identify new automation opportunities, and having Claude keep the Notion database updated on its own.This episode is essential listening for any investor or operator who wants to build a real estate business that scales with AI — not one that uses AI as a party trick.Join us as we dive into:Why Axel recommends Notion as the informational backbone of your real estate business — and why it integrates cleanly with Claude, Google Drive, Gmail, and other tools.The new employee analogy: why giving AI context is exactly like training a new hire, and why most people skip this step entirely.A walkthrough of Aligned's Notion workspace: company information, brand voice, mission and values, organizational chart, glossary, lessons learned, software tools, and business history.Why uploading monthly property management statements to Notion creates a living dashboard that Claude can analyze and reference at any time.How Claude is integrated with Axel's Gmail, calendar, Notion, and Beehiiv — and what becomes possible once those connections are live.The 21-day email analysis scheduled task: how Axel uses Claude Cowork to identify workflows that can be automated or removed from his plate entirely.The rent comp use case: how Claude now automatically runs a rent comp search and drafts a renewal offer whenever a lease renewal email appears in the inbox.The weekly vendor discovery task: Claude scans the last seven days of email, flags new contacts worth adding to Notion, and updates the database with one click.Are you looking to invest in real estate, but don't want to deal with the hassle of finding great deals, signing on debt, and managing tenants? Aligned Real Estate Partners provides investment opportunities to passive investors looking for the returns, stability, and tax benefits multifamily real estate offers, but without the work - join our investor club to be notified of future investment opportunities.Connect with Axel:Follow him on InstagramConnect with him on LinkedinSubscribe to our YouTube channelLearn more about Aligned Real Estate Partners

*Sam's guide to run your life like a $100M business:* https://clickhubspot.com/dfbn Episode 835: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk about people who have turned their lifestyles into a business. — Show Notes: (0:00) escape aesthetics (4:06) putting the life in lifestyle (17:28) Law 25: Recreate Yourself (20:20) Your word is your wand (25:06) unclear words, unclear thinking (27:24) America amazes world cup tourists (33:43) the game of more (49:07) no hedging — Links: • Your Word Is Your Wand - https://a.co/d/05683tU7  • The 48 Laws of Power - https://a.co/d/0ghzjpKk  — Check Out Sam's Stuff: • Hampton (joinhampton.com): My community for founders. Average member does $25m/year. Many of the guests are members. Get after it...apply: http://joinhampton.com/mfm — Check Out Shaan's Stuff: • Shaan's weekly email - https://www.shaanpuri.com  • Visit https://www.somewhere.com/mfm to hire worldwide talent like Shaan and get $500 off for being an MFM listener. Hire developers, assistants, marketing pros, sales teams and more for 80% less than US equivalents. • Mercury - Shaan uses Mercury for banking across all of his companies. you can too: http://mercury.com/  Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Column, N.A., and Evolve Bank & Trust, Members FDIC • I run all my newsletters on Beehiiv and you should too + we're giving away $10k to our favorite newsletter, check it out: beehiiv.com/mfm-challenge My First Million is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by HubSpot Media // Production by Arie Desormeaux // Editing by Ezra Bakker Trupiano /

Get our Investment Guide: https://clickhubspot.com/rgek Episode 834: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) sits down with former Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blanfein ( https://x.com/lloydblankfein ) to talk about what he does with his money.  — Show Notes:  (0:00) Lloyd on Money, Day Trading, and Feeling “Rich” (3:52) Meeting Elon (5:23) What the worst traders have in common (9:54) Warren Buffett's handshake deal (15:04) Lloyd breaks down his portfolio (20:41) Advice to young investors  (23:09) biggest mistakes (25:54) Anxiety as a superpower (27:54) Family finances (31:35) Scarcity (40:46) The Goldman Obituary Test (43:53) Lessons from history — Links: • Streetwise - https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/780438/streetwise-by-lloyd-blankfein/  — Check Out Sam's Stuff: • Hampton (joinhampton.com): My community for founders. Average member does $25m/year. Many of the guests are members. Get after it...apply: http://joinhampton.com/mfm — Check Out Shaan's Stuff: • Shaan's weekly email - https://www.shaanpuri.com  • Visit https://www.somewhere.com/mfm to hire worldwide talent like Shaan and get $500 off for being an MFM listener. Hire developers, assistants, marketing pros, sales teams and more for 80% less than US equivalents. • Mercury - Shaan uses Mercury for banking across all of his companies. you can too: http://mercury.com/  Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Column, N.A., and Evolve Bank & Trust, Members FDIC • I run all my newsletters on Beehiiv and you should too + we're giving away $10k to our favorite newsletter, check it out: beehiiv.com/mfm-challenge My First Million is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by HubSpot Media // Production by Arie Desormeaux // Editing by Ezra Bakker Trupiano /

Get our Business Idea Database: https://clickhubspot.com/wjsl Episode 833: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) breakdown the biggest IPO of all time.  — Show Notes:  (0:00) what even is SpaceX (7:11) What even is a trillion dollars? (8:51) Launches explained (9:07) Starlink (14:07) Data centers in space (17:39) Starship (24:46) Grok (28:06) a wonderful business at a silly price? (34:16) the mission (37:51) SBF's $114B fumble (39:04) funny, weird, surprising nuggets from the IPO (42:35Who's getting rich this week? (51:13) The genius insight of Luke at Gigafund (55:46) Pessimists get to be right, optimists get to be right (59:12) Elon's comp package — Check Out Sam's Stuff: • Hampton (joinhampton.com): My community for founders. Average member does $25m/year. Many of the guests are members. Get after it...apply: http://joinhampton.com/mfm — Check Out Shaan's Stuff: • Shaan's weekly email - https://www.shaanpuri.com  • Visit https://www.somewhere.com/mfm to hire worldwide talent like Shaan and get $500 off for being an MFM listener. Hire developers, assistants, marketing pros, sales teams and more for 80% less than US equivalents. • Mercury - Need a bank for your company? Go check out Mercury (mercury.com). Shaan uses it for all of his companies! Mercury is a financial technology company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Column, N.A., and Evolve Bank & Trust, Members FDIC • I run all my newsletters on Beehiiv and you should too + we're giving away $10k to our favorite newsletter, check it out: beehiiv.com/mfm-challenge My First Million is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by HubSpot Media // Production by Arie Desormeaux // Editing by Ezra Bakker Trupiano /

Get our Investment Guide: https://clickhubspot.com/klsr Episode 832: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk to legendary fund manager Barry Ritholtz( https://x.com/Ritholtz ) about the behaviors that destroy returns for investors and how to avoid them.  — Show Notes:  (0:00) Intro (2:19) christmas tree portfolio (4:43) the cowboy account (9:51) day trading (11:09) Barry yells at Lloyd Blankfein (13:46) panic selling (16:45) sam picks a fight (18:46) direct indexing (21:43) Great investors  (27:25) 90% of everything is crap (36:14) Elon's foray into PE (44:02) Predicting the housing crisis (46:01) spending a year as the dumbest guy on wall street (49:01) Why bubbles are good for the economy — Links: • How Not To Invest - https://www.hownottoinvestbook.com/ — Check Out Sam's Stuff: • Hampton (joinhampton.com): My community for founders. Average member does $25m/year. Many of the guests are members. Get after it...apply: http://joinhampton.com/mfm — Check Out Shaan's Stuff: • Shaan's weekly email - https://www.shaanpuri.com  • Visit https://www.somewhere.com/mfm to hire worldwide talent like Shaan and get $500 off for being an MFM listener. Hire developers, assistants, marketing pros, sales teams and more for 80% less than US equivalents. • Mercury - Need a bank for your company? Go check out Mercury (mercury.com). Shaan uses it for all of his companies! Mercury is a financial technology company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Column, N.A., and Evolve Bank & Trust, Members FDIC • I run all my newsletters on Beehiiv and you should too + we're giving away $10k to our favorite newsletter, check it out: beehiiv.com/mfm-challenge My First Million is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by HubSpot Media // Production by Arie Desormeaux // Editing by Ezra Bakker Trupiano /