My First Million - podcast cover

My First Million

Hubspot Mediawww.mfmpod.com
Sam Parr and Shaan Puri brainstorm new business ideas based on trends & opportunities they see in the market. Sometimes they bring on famous guests to brainstorm with them.

Episodes

Business as a sport, Surge AI, and Waymo vs. Robotaxi

Want to scale your startup? Get 700 prompts for your side hustle: https://clickhubspot.com/fpg Episode 720: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk about how Surge built a $1B business in 5 years and the second-order effects of self-driving cars. — Show Notes: (0:00) Best idea of the month (6:00) Business as a sport (10:57) The inner game of tennis (14:21) Shaan writes a letter to himself (19:15) Patron View (27:42) Surge (35:00) Handshake (39:47) Waym...

Jun 25, 20251 hr 10 min

I talk to Ben about creating luck, his barbell method, plus 6 half-baked business ideas

Want to scale? Get 700 side hustle prompts: https://clickhubspot.com/blv Episode 719: Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talks to his business partner Ben Levy about creating luck, his barbell method for building relationships and 6 half-baked business ideas. Apply to join Club LTV - https://tinyurl.com/3y478hm2 — Show Notes: (0:00) Intro (4:01) Your first believer (6:11) The K Academy (9:38) Ben as a product (17:53) Measuring luck (23:43) Barbell method (30:24) Idea: Court side seats (33:44) ...

Jun 23, 20251 hr 12 min

We found the top 1% of the internet this week (so you don't have to)

Episode 718: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk about stuff that hit the group chat this week. — Show Notes: (0:00) Apple Just Unlocked a $1B App Idea (04:13) McKinsey got $55M for This? (10:28) Frank Slootman’s Ice-Cold Advice (16:20) “Treat people well, and you’ll win.” (24:41) Man steals $122 million from Facebook and Google, (28:17) ChatGPT’s $10B ARR retention curve (34:58) Elon v. Trump Meltdown (39:54) Ramp’s Monopolist Pitch Deck (46:22) R...

Jun 20, 202557 min

The Side Hustle King: “I’m making $8K/DAY from easy businesses”

Shaan Puri talks with Chris Koerner, a self-proclaimed "side hustle king" who generates significant income from multiple ventures, contrary to traditional focus advice. They explore various low-capital, high-profit local business ideas, including a floating hole-in-one golf challenge, exploiting opportunities on Facebook Marketplace, leveraging tourist traps, pet cremation logistics, and building a private pickleball facility. Chris shares his philosophy on rapid validation, finding weak competition, and the power of copying successful models.

Jun 18, 20251 hr 17 min

We found the weirdest ways to make $1M, $1B, and $5B

Episode 716: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk about the 6 weird ways to make millions. — Show Notes: (0:00) $1M Twerking Class (5:55) Fecal transplants (12:00) A brief history of butts (15:05) $1B BBLs (20:26) $5B hookup app (31:16) $200M bonus: DUDE Wipes (37:19) How many millionaires from the pod? (47:17) Having it all (50:18) Shaan's reading list (53:28) Wisdom extraction — Links: • Want Sam's Top 7 Books as a Founder (& his Reading Strat...

Jun 13, 20251 hr 6 min

“$100M dollar brands are being built for boring products” - Harley Finkelstein of Shopify

Harley Finkelstein, President of Shopify, joins the show to explore how focusing on design, branding, and distribution can transform seemingly "boring" products into multi-million or billion-dollar brands. He delves into the concept of expanding the total addressable market, shares insights into Shopify's mission, leadership style, company growth phases, the decision to remain independent, and personal strategies for health and effective communication.

Jun 12, 20251 hr 2 min

How the Smartest Founders Are Quietly Winning with AI

Episode 713: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk to Jason Lemkin ( https://x.com/jasonlk ) about cloning yourself with AI and how ChatGPT will be the end of incumbent apps. — Show Notes: (0:00) AI body doubles Users tell AI things they won't tell humans (15:15) The incumbents are dying (27:25) Inside the office of OpenAI (34:12) How to be an AI billionaire (44:40) The story of Saastr (55:49) Being a relentless recruiter (58:52) Seeing through the f...

Jun 04, 20251 hr 19 min

How to build a $1M+ startup using AI (Full Tutorial)

For the full experience, watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0j_n3OOM7c Episode 712: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) talks to Greg Isenberg ( https://x.com/gregisenberg ) talk about how to find a startup idea and build it in a couple hours using AI. — Show Notes: (0:00) Step 1: Find an idea (7:57) Step 2: Sketch out the idea (9:48) Step 3: Scope out the MVP (18:25) Step 4: Vibe code a prototype (36:06) Step 5: Vibe marketing the business (49:14) Step 6: AI agent...

May 30, 202559 min

How I built a $3B AI Startup + 7 AI Business Ideas

Episode 711: Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talks to Guillermo Rauch ( https://x.com/rauchg ) about building Vercel plus 7 business ideas to start in AI. — Show Notes: (0:00) Dropout to job offer from Facebook (3:38) Genius vs accident (21:04) Building Vercel (25:26) AI startup ideas (31:38) IDEA: V0 for Video Games (33:09) IDEA: Doom CAPTCHA (40:04) IDEA: AI Typeform (46:54) IDEA: AI Camera (54:06) IDEA: Auto Complete (58:51) IDEA: Granular V0 — Links: • Guillermo Rauch - https://rauchg.c...

May 28, 20251 hr 18 min

5 Startups That Looked Dumb—Until They Were Worth Billions

Episode 710: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk about how to evaluate risk and upside of new ideas. — Show Notes: (0:00) Bessemer's $140B misjudgment of Shopify (5:47) Shaan's Anti-portfolio (15:26) Goal: Avoid Ruin (21:30) Outlier personalities (24:51) Underestimating Uber (32:16) "You can't overinvest in AI" — Links: • Want Sam's Playbook to Uncover Business Opportunities? Get it here: https://clickhubspot.com/bzo • “How to miss by a mile” - htt...

May 23, 202547 min

Hinge expert shares dating advice for ambitious nerds

Episode 709: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk to Logan Ury ( https://x.com/loganury ) about how young men can be more successful in dating. — Show Notes: (0:00) Intro (6:28) The secretary problem (14:43) What's happening with men right now (21:07) How to do the apps right (27:32) Meeting someone IRL (30:03) The power of weak ties (36:56) How to be a better date (40:37) Date like a scientist (45:44) Fuck the spark (49:02) What's your tendency (51...

May 21, 20251 hr 18 min

How Scott Galloway Turned $8M into $120M Through Investing

Scott Galloway discusses his investment strategies, including distressed assets like FTX claims and NJOY, and shares insights on economic trends. He touches on the importance of geographic diversification, particularly in European markets, and the growing issue of income inequality. Galloway also delves into personal advice for young men, emphasizing the value of health, relationships, and finding freedom from societal expectations.

May 16, 20251 hr 9 min

How to retire with millions (and pay $0 taxes)

Episode 707: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk to Ankur Nagpal ( https://x.com/ankurnagpal ) about IRS loopholes that can help you grow your net worth plus Ankur shares 6 business ideas. See Ankur in person at the OOO SUMMIT on Friday, May 16th - https://lu.ma/2025 — Show Notes: (0:00) Ankur's portfolio experiment (10:46) A case for direct indexing (16:29) Super backdoor roth conversions (20:59) Mega backdoor conversion (23:52) IDEA: Executive Cl...

May 14, 20251 hr 12 min

$1M+/yr Local Businesses Hidden in Plain Sight

Episode 706: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk about offline businesses that are crushing it. — Show Notes: (0:00) Be a $1M dollar business spotter (4:56) Swim lessons franchise (6:34) AWS for the Amish (17:25) At home pet euthanasia service (25:37) Take out order call center (42:35) Cheat code: Coaches (52:13) Add a performance — Links: • Steal Sam's guide to turn ChatGPT into your Executive Coach: https://clickhubspot.com/ogh • Goldfish Swim Sc...

May 12, 20251 hr 1 min

Asking a Billionaire Investor How to Turn $10,000 into $1M ft. Mohnish Pabrai

Mohnish Pabrai shares his value investing strategies, focusing on finding anomalies, understanding risk, and the importance of simplicity. He discusses learning from others' successes and failures, and using a long-term approach to investing with conviction, while illustrating key principles with stories about Warren Buffett, Sam Walton, and his own experiences.

May 09, 20251 hr 22 min

I dropped out of high school…Now I’m building a $1T dollar company

Episode 704: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk to Blake Scholl ( https://x.com/bscholl ) about he went from high school dropout to Groupon to the founder of a supersonic jet startup. — Show Notes: (0:00) Find your red line (4:29) Problems hidden in plain sight (13:00) The making of Boom Supersonic (23:00) No rules of thumb (29:13) Blake's favorite interview question (34:22) Demo Day at YC (38:13) Selling Richard Branson (47:46) Being a dark matte...

May 07, 20251 hr 12 min

The Most Valuable Skill For Any Founder

Episode 703: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk to George Mack ( https://x.com/george__mack ) about high agency. — Links: • Steal Sam's guide to turn ChatGPT into your Executive Coach: https://clickhubspot.com/wec • High Agency - https://www.highagency.com/ • Nick Mowbray episode - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pHcxoZ0j9A — Check Out Shaan's Stuff: • Shaan's weekly email - https://www.shaanpuri.com • Visit https://www.somewhere.com/mfm to hire ...

May 05, 20251 hr

Brainstorming $10M+ business ideas with Jess Mah

Steal Jess' Billion-Dollar Startup Playbook [for free]: https://clickhubspot.com/jhm Episode 702: Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) boards the private jet of Jess Mah ( https://x.com/jessicamah ) to brainstorm business ideas and talk about her process for vetting which ideas to jump on. — Show Notes: (0:00) Buying a jet (5:37) Barn full of horses (8:44) Business ideas matrix (11:06) Idea: DOGE as a service (13:30) Idea: Vertical agents (16:52) Idea: Cargo ship coating (21:26) Idea: Holy Healt...

May 02, 20251 hr 5 min

How Nick Saban’s Side Hustle Might Make Him a Billionaire

Episode 701: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk about Nick Saban’s car dealership play, plus the most defensible ideas for AI startups. — Show Notes: (0:00) Car dealership billionaires (13:35) Local Maxima (17:07) Most defensible AI ideas right now 34:40) AI workflows for profitable newsletters (43:10) Spermracing — Links: • Want to make $ with AI? Get the database here: https://clickhubspot.com/bfu • John Elway - https://www.elwaydealers.com/ • L...

Apr 28, 202555 min

5 under-the-radar trends (+ our business ideas)

Want to spot trends before they explode? Get the guide here: https://clickhubspot.com/wdv Episode 700: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) talks to Steph Smith ( https://x.com/stephsmithio ) about business trends that are currently untapped and ripe for opportunity to build businesses around. Use code "MFM" to get access to Steph's Internet Pipes - http://internetpipes.com/ — Show Notes: (0:00) Trend 1: Hearing Loss (11:33) Trend 2: eVTOL (17:42) Trend 3: Psychedelics (24:26) Trend 4: New Job ...

Apr 24, 202552 min

The Board Game Billionaire: From a $10k Kickstarter to $100M/Year Business

Want your own $100M side project? Get our guide to win your first 100 customers: https://clickhubspot.com/wfp Episode 699: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk to Elan Lee ( https://x.com/elanlee ) about growing Exploding Kittens from a $10K Kickstarter campaign to $100M dollar company. — Show Notes: (0:00) Humble Success: Exploding Kittens Insights (8:07) The origin story - From 10k to $9M on kickstarter (16:17) Focus on the crowd, not the funding ...

Apr 21, 20251 hr 18 min

Anti-Business Billionaires: Lessons from Steve Jobs, James Dyson, and Yvon Chouinard

Episode 698: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) talks to David Senra ( https://x.com/FoundersPodcast ) about what qualities make an anti-business billionaire. — Show Notes: (0:00) High Level of Disagreeableness (9:02) Extreme Self-Confidence (12:55) Product Quality Obsessed (18:37) Retention of Total Control (27:28) Exit Strategy is Death — Links: • Steal Sam's guide to turn ChatGPT into your Executive Coach: https://clickhubspot.com/wcv • Play Nice But Win - https://tinyurl.com/uuwumk8d • Cr...

Apr 17, 202544 min

From making $6/week selling worms to making $110M+

Episode 697: Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) sits down with James Currier ( https://x.com/JamesCurrier ) to talk about going from $0 to $110M through network effects. — Show Notes: (0:00) $0 to $1.6B (4:23) Your life on network effects (8:00) Savage founders (13:40) Speed (15:49) The art of unlearning (21:23) Technology window curves (30:29) Network Vampire attacks (37:37) Language first (43:15) Tickle (42:29) Finding a business bromance (58:47) James isolation mistake (1:01:27) Become an A...

Apr 15, 20251 hr 39 min

Are tariffs good or bad for founders?

💰 Steal Shaan's [free] Episode 696: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk about what they’re doing about the tariffs. — Show Notes: (0:00) Intro (3:13) Tariffs (22:00) Medieval Times (27:48) Shaan's process for finding edges — Links: • Shaan's $20M Pitch Deck: https://clickhubspot.com/uve • Medieval Times - https://www.medievaltimes.com/ — Check Out Shaan's Stuff: • Shaan's weekly email - https://www.shaanpuri.com • Visit https://www.somewhere.com/m...

Apr 11, 202549 min

The Happiest Man in Atlantis (A Short Story)

💰 Steal Shaan's $20M Pitch Deck: Join Nick Huber and Shaan Puri for a free CEO Bootcamp on April 16th at 2pm EST: https://lu.ma/5kbwnk7v Episode 695: Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) tells the story of finding what is truly valuable. — 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...

Apr 09, 202516 min

"Ocean is the new space" - 7 Wild Ideas for the $3 Trillion Dollar Frontier

[free] Episode 694: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk to Will O’Brien ( https://x.com/willobri ) about how the ocean is the new hot girl. — Show Notes: (0:00) Ocean is the new space (8:50) Ocean surveying (10:25) Sea grass restoration (16:39) Defense drones (22:34) Underwater cable networks (31:51) Technology windows (38:16) Lab-grown seafood (41:03) Pirate treasure profit sharing (44:03) Marine geo-engineering (47:43) A new era for tech guys (57...

Apr 07, 20251 hr 18 min

The Step-by-Step Playbook We Used to Build a $100M+ Newsletter Business

[free] Episode 693: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) talks to Alex Lieberman ( https://x.com/businessbarista ) and Austin Rief ( https://x.com/austin_rief ) about how to build a profitable newsletter. — Show Notes: (0:00) Intro (3:12) 0 to 100K subscribers (9:18) Nontraditional hires (15:26) 100K to 1M subscribers (35:00) Entrepreneurs Operating System (43:27) 8-figure Exits (55:28) How to start a newsletter in 2025 (1:02:57) Newsletter ideas — Links: • The Hustle - https://thehustle.co/ • ...

Apr 04, 20251 hr 14 min

$100M founder predicts what will be big in 5 years

💰 Get the [free] Episode 692: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) talks to Justin Mares ( https://x.com/jwmares ) about what’s going to be big in the next 5 years. — Show Notes: (0:00) Intro (3:16) Longevity products for dogs (9:24) Toxin testing (19:55) Function and Superpower (26:19) Doctor for your home (37:25) Skin gut health (47:39) Natural fiber clothing (51:04) Justin's take on vaccines — Links: • Truemed - http://truemed.com/ • Justin’s Substack - https://justinmares.substack.com/ • R...

Mar 31, 202558 min

7 Business Ideas from a Unicorn Founder

💰 Get the [free] Episode 691: Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talks to Immad Akhund ( https://x.com/immad ) about the businesses he would start if he wasn’t running a unicorn. — Show Notes: (0:00) Intro (2:17) IDEA: Lunar nuclear power plant (5:04) IDEA: Defense tech (10:09) The Peter Thiel test (13:52) IDEA: Selling stars (15:54) IDEA: Enterprise Agents (22:45) IDEA: Digital Twin CEO (32:39) Find accepted abuse (36:18) Silicon Valley Bank fail (44:15) Bets with asymmetric upside (54:07) C...

Mar 27, 20251 hr 1 min
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