Founder's Journal - podcast cover

Founder's Journal

Alex Lieberman, the co-founder and Executive Chairman of Morning Brew, gives you an insider’s look into building businesses. Alex explores the founder’s journey, from the painful challenges of 0-to-1 to the powerful frameworks that help you scale to millions in revenue as well as the emotional rollercoaster that is present throughout.

Episodes

Business Case Studies #4: World Mini Golf Domination

I’m taking over the world, one mini golf course at a time. In this episode, I explain why I’m working with a group of friends to buy mini golf courses, the opportunity we see in the space and you’ll even hear me cold call a course and make my pitch. Check out full episode transcripts at https://foundersjournal.morningbrew.com to learn more, and if you have any ideas for our show, email me at alex@morningbrew.com or my DMs are open @businessbarista. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megapho...

Mar 30, 202212 minEp 339Transcript available on Metacast

Business Case Studies #3: Costco's Secret Weapon (Classic)

It's a $200 billion behemoth and a place I loved frequenting for free food samples growing up. In this episode, I'm talking about Costco and what we can learn from it as business minds. Check out full episode transcripts at https://foundersjournal.morningbrew.com to learn more, and if you have any ideas for our show, email me at alex@morningbrew.com or my DMs are open @businessbarista. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 30, 202218 minTranscript available on Metacast

Business Case Studies #2: Uber Partners with Yellow Taxis

In this episode, I discuss how you should think about Uber’s partnership with taxi companies in New York City. Check out full episode transcripts at https://foundersjournal.morningbrew.com to learn more, and if you have any ideas for our show, email me at alex@morningbrew.com or my DMs are open @businessbarista. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 28, 202213 minEp 338Transcript available on Metacast

Business Case Studies #1: Allbirds' Journey to IPO (Classic)

We’re serving up another miniseries, full of business case studies. In this classic episode, I talk about Allbirds, the sustainable lifestyle brand that filed for an IPO in 2021. I’m discuss their growth journey and touch on a few major lessons we can learn from it. [Allbirds is not a sponsor of this content in any way, just an interesting company case study] Check out full episode transcripts at https://foundersjournal.morningbrew.com to learn more, and if you have any ideas for our show, email...

Mar 28, 202218 minTranscript available on Metacast

How Ryan Cohen Turned Chewy into a $3B Business

In this episode I tell the story of Ryan Cohen, a college dropout who became a hometown hero on Wall Street. Check out the full transcript at https://foundersjournal.morningbrew.com to learn more, and if you have any ideas for our show, email me at alex@morningbrew.com or my DMs are open @businessbarista. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 25, 20226 minEp 338Transcript available on Metacast

Startup Hotline: Answering Your Burning Business Questions

Welcome to Startup Hotline! A segment where I take any and all questions about building & scaling businesses directly from the Founder’s Journal community. Check out the full transcript at https://foundersjournal.morningbrew.com to learn more, and if you have any ideas for our show, email me at alex@morningbrew.com or my DMs are open @businessbarista. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 23, 202210 minEp 337Transcript available on Metacast

A New Hire vs. Promoting from Within

How do you know whether to invest in a new hire or give a current employee a promotion? I breakdown how to think about one of the toughest decisions you can make in a business. Check out the full transcript at https://foundersjournal.morningbrew.com to learn more, and if you have any ideas for our show, email me at alex@morningbrew.com or my DMs are open @businessbarista. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 21, 202210 minEp 336Transcript available on Metacast

Top Lessons from “How Will You Measure Your Life?”

In this episode, I’m sharing two of my favorite lessons from my current Founder’s Book Club Book, “How Will You Measure Your Life?” by Clayton Christensen, James Allworth, and Karen Dillon. Check out the full transcript at https://foundersjournal.morningbrew.com to learn more, and if you have any ideas for our show, email me at alex@morningbrew.com or my DMs are open @businessbarista. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 18, 202215 minEp 335Transcript available on Metacast

Great Startup Ideas, Bad Businesses

I sent out a tweet asking my followers: "what’s a startup idea that sounds great in theory but would be a shitty business?” 1,600 likes and 700 responses later, I'm running some of your ideas through the gauntlet and walking you through how I analyze and form business ideas. Check out the full transcript at https://foundersjournal.morningbrew.com to learn more, and if you have any ideas for our show, email me at alex@morningbrew.com or my DMs are open @businessbarista. Learn more about your ad c...

Mar 16, 202216 minEp 333Transcript available on Metacast

How to Think About Failure (Classic)

Failure needs a rebrand. Without failure, we cannot grow as builders, searchers, and starters. Without failure, we can’t learn what works & what doesn’t. In this classic episode, I distinguish good failure from bad failure, and how to approach good failure thoughtfully to accelerate your career. Check out the full transcript at https://foundersjournal.morningbrew.com to learn more, and if you have any ideas for our show, email me at alex@morningbrew.com or my DMs are open @businessbarista. Learn...

Mar 14, 202211 minTranscript available on Metacast

The Most Dangerous Traits in Employees

I break down 8 characteristics that make people super unpleasant and dangerous to work with. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 11, 202211 minEp 332Transcript available on Metacast

10 Tips for Crushing Your Next Presentation

I break down five big ideas to think about and five tactical tips to practice ahead of your next big presentation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 09, 202214 minEp 331Transcript available on Metacast

The Creator Economy & Money With Katie

Individual creators now have the tools and distribution to earn a massive audience. But it isn’t easy. It’s a physical grind that can take years to pay off. Morning Brew wants to help our own creators accelerate their growth by leveraging Morning Brew’s audience. In this episode, I’m joined by Katie Gatti (better known as Money With Katie) to discuss her journey to full time creator and joining the Brew family. Click here to check out Katie's podcast on your favorite pod platform. Learn more abo...

Mar 07, 202220 minEp 320Transcript available on Metacast

What Motivates You?

I talk about the different things that motivate all of us and why we all need to think really hard about it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 04, 20227 minEp 329Transcript available on Metacast

How to Build a Personal Moat to Further Your Career

Building a personal moat isn’t just about accumulating knowledge or building skills. It’s all about finding a mixture that creates a massive unlock in your career. In this episode, I give you a guide to building your own personal moat. For more on personal moats, check out Erik Torenberg’s tweet thread here. Check out the full transcript at https://foundersjournal.morningbrew.com to learn more, and if you have any ideas for our show, email me at alex@morningbrew.com or my DMs are open @businessb...

Mar 02, 202214 minEp 328Transcript available on Metacast

5 Questions to Ask If You Don't Love Your Job

It really really sucks to feel stuck in a job you don’t love. In this episode I go through five questions to ask yourself if you're feeling stuck in your job. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 28, 202212 minEp 327Transcript available on Metacast

Dealing with Conflict #6: How to Fire Well

Firing an employee is every leader’s least favorite job and it will always suck. In this episode I give you a checklist to help you do it the right way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 25, 202212 minEp 326Transcript available on Metacast

Dealing with Conflict #4: Suck Less at Giving Feedback

Giving constructive criticism is tough. In this episode, I give you 6 rules for sucking less at giving feedback. As mentioned, you may want to check out previous Founder’s Journal episode, How to Speak with Radical Candor Check out the full transcript at https://foundersjournal.morningbrew.com to learn more, and if you have any ideas for our show, email me at alex@morningbrew.com or my DMs are open @businessbarista. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 23, 202215 minEp 325Transcript available on Metacast

Dealing with Conflict #2: How to Handle Big Disagreements

We’re serving up another miniseries this week all about dealing with conflict. In this episode, I’m giving you a playbook on how to handle big disagreements at work. Some links from the episode: How to disagree well: https://tinyurl.com/muc8vvh8 My thread on disagreement: https://tinyurl.com/yckjjaxa Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 21, 202213 minEp 324Transcript available on Metacast

Dealing with Conflict #1: How to Speak with Radical Candor (Classic)

We’re serving up another miniseries this week all about dealing with conflict. Imagine how well companies would be run if everyone understood what people thought of them and how they could be doing their job better to help the business grow. In this classic episode, I lay out the challenges and benefits of radical candor. Check out the full transcript at https://foundersjournal.morningbrew.com to learn more, and if you have any ideas for our show, email me at alex@morningbrew.com or my DMs are o...

Feb 21, 202217 minTranscript available on Metacast

Lessons from a Billionaire Investor: Part II

Ray Dalio is truly one of the greatest thinkers of our generation. In this episode I outline how his philosophies can be applied to hiring new staff members, managing employees and more. Check out the full transcript of this episode below, and if you have any ideas for our show, email me at alex@morningbrew.com or my DMs are open @businessbarista. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 18, 20228 minEp 323Transcript available on Metacast

Lessons from a Billionaire Investor: Part I

Ray Dalio is truly one of the greatest thinkers of our generation. In this episode I outline how his philosophies can be applied to any area of work or life, without having to learn things the hard way. Check out the full transcript of this episode below, and if you have any ideas for our show, email me at alex@morningbrew.com or my DMs are open @businessbarista. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 16, 202211 minEp 322Transcript available on Metacast

Bonus: "How Twitch Co-founder Justin Kan Got Sober" from Imposters

Welcome to the first episode of Imposters, the newest podcast from Morning Brew, hosted by none other than Alex Lieberman! Drinking and alcohol are well-documented in the world of tech/startup culture, and for Twitch cofounder Justin Kan it was no different. Justin tells Alex about his unhealthy relationship with alcohol, and how after 23 years, getting sober was the best thing for him personally, as well as his career. To hear another episode of Imposters with TV's Carson Daly RIGHT NOW, click ...

Feb 15, 202231 minTranscript available on Metacast

A Universal Rule in Work & Life

I break down how the Pareto principle drives results in life, work, investing, and business. Check out the full transcript of this episode below, and if you have any ideas for our show, email me at alex@morningbrew.com or my DMs are open @businessbarista. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 14, 202210 minEp 321Transcript available on Metacast

9 Rules for Working Smarter

I think people who say hard work is overrated are full of sh*t. I don't know a single successful professional that didn't work hard. But I also think for most professionals, the way to improve the fastest is by getting smarter at how you work. In this episode, I explain how to work smarter. Check out the full transcript of this episode below, and if you have any ideas for our show, email me at alex@morningbrew.com or my DMs are open @businessbarista. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megap...

Feb 11, 202212 minEp 320Transcript available on Metacast

Why I Invested in Mr. Beast’s Chocolate Bar

I invested thousands of dollars in a chocolate bar. In this episode, I talk about my decision to invest in Feastables, the company launched by Mr. Beast, that wants to change the way you snack. As mentioned, you may want to check out previous Founder’s Journal episode, How to Maximize Your Own Evolution Check out the full transcript of this episode below, and if you have any ideas for our show, email me at alex@morningbrew.com or my DMs are open @businessbarista. Learn more about your ad choices...

Feb 09, 202211 minEp 319Transcript available on Metacast

How to Maximize Your Own Evolution

“Pain plus reflection equals progress.” That’s a quote from Ray Dalio, the founder of Bridgewater Associates, the largest hedge fund firm in the world. In this episode, I break down one of the principles from his best-selling book. Check out the full transcript of this episode below, and if you have any ideas for our show, email me at alex@morningbrew.com or my DMs are open @businessbarista. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 07, 202211 minEp 318Transcript available on Metacast

Life & Business Lessons from Will Smith

In this episode, I share lessons from the life of one of the greatest entertainers of our generation, Will Smith, including my favorite quotes from the audiobook for his new memoir Will. As mentioned, you may want to check out previous Founder’s Journal episode Lessons from Starting a Book Club Check out the full transcript of this episode below, and if you have any ideas for our show, email me at alex@morningbrew.com or my DMs are open @businessbarista. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit m...

Feb 04, 202213 minEp 317Transcript available on Metacast