Episode 110: On today’s episode, I am going to break down 17 startup principles by Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI & former President of YCombinator. The essay is called What I Wish Someone Had Told Me & as I read the piece I found myself nodding from beginning to end. Sam managed to bottle up so many thoughts & experiences that I’ve had as an entrepreneur, but never articulated in such a clear way. Original Essay: https://blog.samaltman.com/what-i-wish-someone-had-told-me Send us an email and let...
Feb 21, 2024•18 min•Ep. 110
Episode 109: On today’s episode, I am going to break down & analyze an essay by one of my good friends & the super popular internet writer, David Perell. David is a prolific content creator, the founder of the super popular writing school Write of Passage, and the host of the writing podcast, How I Write. The essay I’ll be sharing is called Imitate, then Innovate, which explores entrepreneurs & creatives’ desires to be original, why imitation is core to every world-class performer, and why the b...
Feb 19, 2024•17 min•Ep. 109
Episode 108: For today’s episode, I read and analyze startup founder Paras Chopra’s essay on market size from his online book Mental Models for Startup Founders. Chopra’s essay suggests that entrepreneurs should want to define their market as narrowly as possible. Original essay: https://invertedpassion.com/define-your-market-as-narrowly-as-possible/ Send us an email and let us know what you think of the idea! foundersjournal@morningbrew.com #FoundersJournal #Startups #Entrepreneur Listen to Fou...
Feb 16, 2024•12 min•Ep. 108
Episode 107: Today, I break down one of my favorite issues of one of my favorite newsletters, No Mercy No Malice, which explores why some entrepreneurs are considered visionaries and others are called frauds. Original Essay: https://www.profgalloway.com/tell-me-a-story/ 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:...
Feb 14, 2024•22 min•Ep. 107
Episode 106: On today’s episode, I read and breakdown Speed as a Habit by David Girouard, CEO of Upstart and former President of Google Enterprise Apps. This essay was originally posted on First Round Review, one of my favorite startup blogs, and it talks about the importance of speed in decision making and execution when building a business. Original essay: https://review.firstround.com/speed-as-a-habit Send us an email and let us know what you think of the idea! foundersjournal@morningbrew.com...
Feb 12, 2024•21 min•Ep. 106
Episode 105: For today’s episode, I read and break down The Great Online Game by Packy McCormick. This essay provides a completely new way of looking at the internet economy, and how you can structure your career and life in a manner that embraces curiosity, experimentation, and collaboration. Original essay: https://www.notboring.co/p/the-great-online-game Send us an email and let us know what you think of the idea! foundersjournal@morningbrew.com #FoundersJournal #Startups #Entrepreneur Listen...
Feb 09, 2024•27 min•Ep. 105
Episode 104: Today, I’m going to be breaking down an essay by Morgan Housel, one of my favorite internet writers. Morgan is a partner at Collaborative Fund and a New York Times best selling author of The Psychology of Money and Same as Ever, of which he’s sold over 4.5 million copies combined. If there’s one lesson you take from this amazing essay it is the importance of embracing wandering and curiosity as you look to grow in life and in work. Original essay: https://collabfund.com/blog/active-...
Feb 07, 2024•18 min•Ep. 104
Episode 103: I’m going to break down a seminal essay by Andreesen Horowitz General Partner Chris Dixon. In 2010, Chris wrote an essay titled “The next big thing will start out looking like a toy” which talks about why the next big technology product always starts out by being dismissed and being considered “toy-like.” And while I think understanding this essay and Chris’ words are always important, I think it’s an especially timely essay to read with the introduction of the Apple Vision Pro, whi...
Feb 05, 2024•19 min•Ep. 103
Episode 102: For today’s episode, I’m going to be reading 3 emails from Elon Musk. These emails were initially just for Tesla employees’ eyes, but were eventually made public. I think these emails not only give good insight into the way in which Elon operates as a person & operates his businesses, but I also think there are great lessons hidden within each of these emails regardless of what you think of Elon as a person. Email 1: https://x.com/TechEmails/status/1511366496219402242?s=20 Email 2: ...
Feb 02, 2024•15 min•Ep. 102
Episode 101: I’m going to be reading quite possibly the most viral twitter thread in the world of business ever. In 2018, Naval Ravikant, wrote “How to Get Rich (Without Getting Lucky),” a 40-tweet thread that covers everything from what wealth is & what it isn’t to the power of leverage to finding your specific knowledge to the power of optimism. For those who don’t know him, Naval is the founder of AngelList as well as a prolific angel investor and writer. I’m going to read tweet by tweet, sto...
Jan 31, 2024•26 min•Ep. 101
Episode 100: On this episode, I’ll be sharing the best moments from Lenny Rachitsky’s recent interview with Brian Chesky, the co-founder & CEO of Airbnb. Airbnb is a $95bn company that under Brian’s leadership has grown into a community of 4 million hosts welcoming over 1.5 billion guests across 220 countries. These moments range from how politics & bureaucracy are created in a company to surviving near-business death in 2020 to how Brian has grown as a CEO since day 1. Send us an email and let ...
Jan 29, 2024•29 min•Ep. 100
Episode 99: I’m going to be reading & analyzing one of the most famous essays that has been published on the internet in the last 20 years: 1,000 True Fans by Kevin Kelly. Kevin Kelly is the founding Executive Editor of Wired magazine & he wrote 1,000 True Fans to illustrate the ability for creators on the internet to make a very meaningful living with a seemingly small number of consumers or customers. While the essay was written in 2008, I believe it is as if not more relevant today in an age ...
Jan 26, 2024•25 min•Ep. 99
Episode 98: I’m going to be breaking down a 45-minute video by one of the greatest startup minds of all-time, who quite possibly, you’ve never heard of. Bill Gross is the Founder of IdeaLab, considered by many to be the world’s first venture studio. Modeled after Thomas Edison’s Lab, a place where many ideas and inventions can be tested under one roof, IdeaLab went on to find 5,000 ideas, launch 150 companies, and successfully IPO or exit 50 businesses. The business hit its 25-year-mark in 2021 ...
Jan 24, 2024•20 min•Ep. 98
Episode 97: On this episode, I talk with Sahil Lavingia about his 2019 essay titled “Reflecting on My Failure to Build a Billion-Dollar Company.” Sahil is the founder & CEO of Gumroad, an e-commerce platform for creators. Gumroad does nearly $20m per year, is highly profitable, and has no full-time employees. In the essay, Sahil talks about leaving Pinterest as its second employee in 2011, to build his life’s work…a company called Gumroad that would be worth billions of dollars, IPO one day an e...
Jan 22, 2024•46 min•Ep. 97
Episode 96: Most startups and their founders don’t spend their money well, often using it as a crutch for a bad product or a misguided tool for growing their business too quickly. Today, I’m going to read essays from Elad Gil, a successful entrepreneur and arguably the greatest angel investor in the world, and Paul Graham, the founder of Y Combinator, on spending your money wisely. Elad Gil Essay: https://blog.eladgil.com/p/capital-efficient-businesses Paul Graham Essay: https://www.paulgraham.c...
Jan 19, 2024•21 min•Ep. 96
Episode 95: Today, I’m sharing one of the greatest pieces of business writing living on the internet today. It’s been hiding in plain sight since 1997 yet the fact every entrepreneur hasn’t read it is criminal. I’m talking about the very first Amazon shareholder letter written by Jeff Bezos the year that the company went public. It’s a 4 page, 1600-word letter, but it punches way above its word count. On this episode I’m going to summarize the letter for you & share a number of timeless business...
Jan 17, 2024•21 min•Ep. 95
Episode 94: Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) takes you through an exercise to recalibrate and focus on his zone of genius. The zone of genius is work that you do that brings out the best version of yourself. Follow this super easy, super quick 3-step process to find your own zone of genius. 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 F...
Jan 15, 2024•13 min•Ep. 94
Episode 93: Today, we’re talking about product market fit. Product market fit is one of those things that every startup founder obsesses over, but it’s always been this elusive thing that can’t be measured or quantified. Until now. Rahul Vohra, the founder & CEO of superhuman, which is the fastest email app ever, felt strongly that there had to be a better way to measure product market fit. A way to quantify it and use it as a proactive tool to dictate how you run your business and build your pr...
Jan 12, 2024•41 min•Ep. 93
Episode 92: Today, we’re talking about Founder personal finance. My buddy Ankur Nagpal is the Founder & CEO of Carry, a business that helps business owners build wealth in a number of ways, most notably with their Solo401k product. And he is probably the smartest person i know as it relates to tax strategies and wealth preservation tactics for entrepreneurs. So on this episode of the pod, Ankur runs through everything from the QBI deduction for business owners to what business type (like llc, c-...
Jan 10, 2024•19 min•Ep. 92
Episode 91: I did something crazy. I convinced HubSpot to send me & 7 friends to sit 50-yard-line at the College Football National Championship. The deal is simple. They’re paying for our seats. We’re gonna do some awesome, creative sh*t to market the brand & hopefully go viral. Here’s the story of how it happened, how we plan to go viral, and the lessons learned. Send us an email and let us know what you think of the idea! foundersjournal@morningbrew.com #FoundersJournal #Startups #Entrepreneur...
Jan 08, 2024•22 min•Ep. 91
Episode 90: Today I’m interviewing Jason Fried who is a legendary entrepreneur. Jason is the cofounder & CEO of 37signals which is a software development company that has created popular products like Basecamp, Hey, and others. 37signals is completely bootstrapped, it’s been in business since 1999, it has more than 100,000 customers and it does tens of millions in profit per year. In addition to listening to this pod I highly recommend you follow Jason on twitter, check out his blog posts (which...
Jan 05, 2024•38 min•Ep. 90
Episode 89: Most new year's resolutions fail. Studies say north of 90%. So I’ve built a program for myself and others that I believe will help people be the exception versus the rule for new years resolutions. I’m going to take you through this program so you know how I use goal setting & accountability in unison to help maintain my direction & discipline throughout the year. EOS episode: https://foundersjournalpod.morningbrew.com/how-to-use-eos-entrepreneurial-operating-system-to-run-scale-your...
Jan 03, 2024•16 min•Ep. 89
Episode 88: Today, I’m highlighting a nearly $20m per year business that is run in a pretty unconventional way. This business has no meetings, no deadlines, and no full-time employees. The business is Gumroad, an e-commerce platform for creators, and to break it down I chat with Sahil Lavingia the company’s founder & CEO. While the way Sahil runs Gumroad may be too unorthodox for how you run your company, I have no doubt that this episode is going to push you to think more critically & creativel...
Jan 01, 2024•34 min•Ep. 88
Episode 87: On this episode, I take questions from you all! I discuss three big lessons from building morning brew, how I’ve processed the loss of my dad, facing OCD while building a business, transitioning out of finance into entrepreneurship, and more. 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.you...
Dec 29, 2023•25 min•Ep. 87
Episode 86: Today, we’re talking about mining the internet for great business ideas. And to help me do that, I’m bringing on my friend Greg Isenberg. Greg is one of the best business ideators I know. He has an iPhone note with literally thousands of business ideas and he has a number of go-to software tools that help him find emerging trends & ideas hidden in the corners of the internet. After listening to this episode, you’ll have a handful of tangible tools you can use to either find ideas for...
Dec 27, 2023•21 min•Ep. 86
Episode 85: In this episode of Founder’s Journal, I teach you how to crush a quarterly meeting. I take you through the 7-step meeting process I use (thanks EOS) and share specific examples from storyarb’s recent offsite using this process. V/TO: https://www.eosworldwide.com/blog/whats-in-your-v-to Rocks 101: https://www.eosworldwide.com/blog/creating-the-best-rocks Send us an email and let us know what you think of the idea! foundersjournal@morningbrew.com #FoundersJournal #Startups #Entrepreneu...
Dec 25, 2023•16 min•Ep. 85
Episode 84: Alex (@businessbarista) is giving you a playbook for surrounding yourself with the right people & right things in life. To achieve the ambitious goals you have for yourself you need to live a certain set of values & to live those values you need to keep a highly curated circle of connections, role models, content, and community. This 15-minute, 9-step process will enable you to do that. Send us an email and let us know what you think of the idea! foundersjournal@morningbrew.com #Foun...
Dec 22, 2023•11 min•Ep. 84
Episode 83: Alex (@businessbarista) speaks to Jason Fried (@jasonfried), co-founder and CEO of 37signals, a software development company that has created popular products like Basecamp and Hey, about the tradeoffs of bootstrapping your business vs. raising venture capital. 37signals is completely bootstrapped, doing tens of millions in profit per year, with more than 100,000 customers. Jason Fried Blog: https://world.hey.com/jason Send us an email and let us know what you think of the idea! foun...
Dec 20, 2023•23 min•Ep. 83
Episode 82: On this episode, Alex (@businessbarista) shares the best moments from Lex Fridman’s recent conversation with Amazon & Blue Origin Founder Jeff Bezos. He also shares his reactions & analysis. These moments range from having deep self-awareness to the difference between an inventor & entrepreneur to running great meetings. Full interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcWqzZ3I2cY&t=196s Send us an email and let us know what you think of the idea! foundersjournal@morningbrew.com #Foun...
Dec 18, 2023•27 min•Ep. 82
Episode 81: Alex (@businessbarista) is talking about things you’d do differently as a second time founder. My buddy Ankur Nagpal is the Founder & CEO of Carry, a business that helps business owners build wealth in a number of ways, most notably with their Solo401k product. Prior to Carry, Ankur was the Founder & CEO of Teachable, a teaching platform for creators, which sold to Brazilian education company Hotmart for $250 million. On this episode, Ankur talks through all of the ways he’s approach...
Dec 15, 2023•27 min•Ep. 81
