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.
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Episodes

Die, Workwear: "This is how to look better in your 20s and 30s"

Episode 649: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) talks to Derek Guy ( https://x.com/dieworkwear ) about how to dress better, have more confidence, and where and how to build a wardrobe that lasts decades. — Show Notes: (0:00) Why it matters (3:17) Sprezzatura (6:01) Ralph Lauren (9:33) Advice for the American male (15:16) How to find a tailor (17:21) Why we dress worse now (20:15) How to build a wardrobe (24:54) Budgeting (28:23) Ready-to-wear, made-to-measure, and bespoke (34:21) Personal sty...

Nov 13, 202446 min

Unicorn Founder on Unseen Arbitrages, the Paradox of Wealth + Charlie Munger Wisdom ft. Ryan Petersen

Episode 648: Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talks to Flexport founder Ryan Petersen ( https://x.com/typesfast ) about playing both games: bootstrapping a startup to millions and raising venture capital to build a multi-billion dollar company. — Show Notes: (0:00) Import Genius (5:36) Paul Graham's superpower (9:34) Data-as-a-service framework (13:51) Charlie Munger's worldly wisdom (19:45) Prioritizing adventure (24:09) The paradox of wealth (28:51) Charlie Munger's student experiment (31:...

Nov 11, 20241 hr

6 College Students Pitch Us Their Startups | MFM Shark Tank

Episode 647: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) invite 6 college students to pitch their startup ideas. — Show Notes: (0:00) Intro (3:58) Meet Your Class (16:32) Metafrazo (30:21) Milieu (42:47) Brother Nuts (54:14) Tour (1:08:38) Pathlit — Links: • Meet Your Class - http://meetyourclass.com • Jonah Liss - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonahliss/ • Blake Mischley - https://www.linkedin.com/in/blake-mischley/ • Metafrazo - http://metafrazo.ai • Shrikar Le...

Nov 08, 20241 hr 32 min

I failed 22 times... then I built a $2.5B Company | Christina Cacioppo from Vanta

Episode 646: Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talks to Vanta founder Christina Cacioppo ( https://x.com/christinacaci ) about quitting her job and betting on herself. — Show Notes: (0:00) Stumblehustling into USV (4:36) Betting on the left side of your email address (8:30) The art of fear (11:47) Making bad art (13:30) The marshmallow test (17:26) Startup advice to beware of (18:16) The idea for Vanta (21:00) The only question that matters (22:30) Managing your mind (27:47) How to pick an id...

Nov 06, 202450 min

3 Killer Businesses Hidden in Plain Sight

Episode 645: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk about cash-printing businesses that are around us every day and how to spot them. — Show Notes: (0:00) $1M dollar product: Water quality testing (8:26) $10M dollar product: EZ Labor Law Posters (15:22) $100M dollar product: Barcodes (22:55) Idea: Casual Friday (28:44) Marketing campaigns that altered culture (36:00) Shaan reads his intro (40:06) "Torches of freedom" (44:42( Sam tours Yale campus (50:...

Nov 04, 202455 min

Inside The Marketing Machine Of Billion-Dollar Presidential Campaigns

Episode 644: Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talks to author and political campaign expert Sasha Issenberg ( https://x.com/sissenberg ) about the marketing machine behind presidential elections. — Show Notes: (0:00) The malarky factory and The Harm Index (18:55) Trump's 2016 playbook (28:18)Kamala's viral clip factory (32:35) Who’s running a better 2024 campaign? (35:04) What is Elon's role in Trump's campaign (38:31) The lopsided downside of doorknocks (42:25) Deepfakes and new tools in ca...

Nov 02, 20241 hr 3 min

Q&A: Gut punches, favorite guests, plus advice for life

Episode 643: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) answer juicy questions from the audience. — Show Notes: (0:00) Where should I put my money? (9:35) Best thing you've read lately? (15:28) Who’s on MFM’s Mt. Rushmore? (26:18) When was your biggest gut punch? (31:31) Who would you spend 24 hours with? (40:24) What’s your best advice for new dads? — Links: • Alex Karp article - https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/17/style/alex-karp-palantir.html • Casa Bonita -...

Oct 30, 202449 min

Y Combinator CEO Shares How They Pick Winners, Advice For Founders + Lessons From Paul Graham | Garry Tan Interview

Episode 642: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk to Garry Tan ( https://x.com/garrytan ), CEO of Y Combinator, about the sauce that makes YC outperform the rest of Silicon Valley plus lessons from Paul Graham, Peter Thiel and Garry’s first million. — Show Notes: (0:00) Winning the game (3:16) Being the Harvard of startups (7:31) How YC outperforms most Silicon Valley investors (9:36) Spotting extreme winners (14:14) Capital-as-a-service (16:34) How...

Oct 28, 20241 hr 12 min

How Mike Posner built a music empire from his dorm room

Episode 640: Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP )sits down with Mike Posner ( https://x.com/MikePosner ) about his insane hustle, fame, loss and reinvention. — Show Notes: (0:00) iTunesU Story (14:41) Going back to school, famous (21:40) Getting on the radio (26:40) “I just do what's cool to me and sometimes the whole world agrees” (30:06) One true sentence / Writing Process (39:50) Money, fame and Survivor (46:52) Advice to my younger self (48:10) Missed flight story (58:00) The making of a hit...

Oct 25, 20241 hr 19 min

You Have 70 Days to Win the Year

Episode 640: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk about setting one priority–one sprint–to turn your entire year into a win. It’s time for life or death mode. — Show Notes: (0:00) 70 days left to win 2024 (10:27) The prestige hacking of Jamie Beaton (25:32) Billy of the Week: Ken Fisher (and his marketing playbook) (39:25)The shocking economics of public monuments (46:19) Pro tip for founders: Find a banker (54:28) The double standard of VCs — Links...

Oct 23, 20241 hr 2 min

The $600M Protein Bar Founder is Back Again | Peter Rahal Interview

Episode 639: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk to Peter Rahal ( https://x.com/peterrahal ) about starting RXBAR with $10K and selling it for $600M, business ideas he would chase today, plus why he’s back with another bar. — Show Notes: (0:00) RX Bar's path to $600M (8:32) Branding to solve a problem (14:03) David Protein (16:22) Idea 1: Differentiated vasodilator (27:53) Idea 2: The coffee of sleep (32:28) Idea 3: Continuous Testosterone meter (3...

Oct 18, 20241 hr 1 min

Meet the 14yo entrepreneur who's already launched 2 businesses

Episode 638: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk to 14-year-old founder Isaac Katayev ( https://x.com/isaackatayev ) about the startup he launched out of his 7th grade computer class. — Show Notes: (0:00) Cookieduck (4:18) Making $1,500 a day at age 12 (6:19) Price Satellite (11:08) Being peerless — Links: • Cookieduck Games - http://cookieduck.com • Price Satellite - http://pricesatellite.com/ — Check Out Shaan's Stuff: Need to hire? You should us...

Oct 16, 202419 min

Did the creator of Bitcoin just get unmasked?

Episode 637: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk about the conspiracy theory behind Bitcoin’s biggest mystery. — Show Notes: (0:00) The making of Satoshi (14:02) Is Peter Todd the guy? (30:20) A "1 minute" case for Bitcoin (35:21) “It's political suicide to not be pro crypto" (43:42) Must watch crypto thriller movies (46:32) SBF and FTX update — Links: • Money Electric - https://tinyurl.com/yw5mktnn • Bitcoin Forum - https://bitcointalk.org/ • Fide...

Oct 14, 202458 min

The Wild Story of Mike Lynch’s Rise From Janitor to Tech Billionaire

Episode 636: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk about the rise and fall of Mike Lynch aka The British Bill Gates and his mysterious death onboard his $30M dollar yacht. — Show Notes: (0:00) The British Bill Gates Dies in Freak Yacht accident (14:51) The Kennedy Curse, conspiracies and coincidences (20:49) Sam bombs his meeting with the mayor (33:50) Branding to attract equals (44:36) Work backwards from the customers (48:00) Knowing something in y...

Oct 10, 202453 min

How Silicon Valley’s Most Prolific Investor Picks Unicorns | Elad Gil Interview

Episode 635: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk to Elad Gil ( https://x.com/eladgil ) about the three things he looks for when betting on startups, how he became an early investor in Anduril, plus 3 business ideas he thinks someone should go after. — Show Notes: (0:00) How to be successful in angel investing (3:00) How to create a bankroll (5:00) Making the great works of history available to anyone anywhere (7:21) The 1 thing that matters in a bu...

Oct 08, 202451 min

5 Random But Useful Things I Learned At A Private Equity Conference

Episode 635: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk about the things Shaan learned while at Re-convene in Los Angeles. — Show Notes: (0:00) the low-status-technique for becoming high-status at a conference (7:09) the richer the guy, the weirder the guy (12:17) dressing well vs. dressing comfortably (18:25) meeting mike posner (26:06) little luxuries — Check Out Shaan's Stuff: Need to hire? You should use the same service Shaan uses to hire developers,...

Oct 04, 202432 min

The guy who gets paid $80K/yr to do nothing

Episode 634: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk about Shoji Morimoto, the Japanese guy who’s making $80k/yr renting himself out to friendless people, Autopilot’s viral marketing stunt, PLUS how to make $1M in 8 weeks. — Show Notes: (0:00) The Do Nothing Man: $80K/yr for doing nothing (4:23) The new male situationship (11:24) Setting long term intentions (14:06) Non-sexual companionship-as-a-service (21:52) Professional grievers (24:18) Autopilot’s...

Oct 02, 202445 min

Steph Smith: “This opportunity is totally overlooked”

Episode 633: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) talks to Steph Smith ( https://x.com/stephsmithio ) about the mega trend called the Silver Tsunami. — Show Notes: (0:00) Silver tsunami (7:10) Perimenopause = 6k new customers a day (10:57) One chart opportunity: Nursing homes and assisted living (18:28) Why entrepreneurs are sleeping on this space (20:11) Opportunity: Measuring and tracking (27:36) Idea: Stava for CGMs (39:41) Idea: Solutions for nerd neck (44:19) Idea: Niche paddle sports leag...

Sep 30, 20241 hr 2 min

From Navy SEAL To Viral Content Creator - MrBallen’s Insane Story

Episode 632: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk to John Allen ( https://x.com/MrBallen ) and Nick Witters ( https://x.com/themrwitters ), the minds behind MrBallen and Ballen Studios. — Show Notes: (0:00) Being a creator on hard mode (7:19) Slow is smooth and smooth is fast (8:44) Being hit by a grenade in combat (17:03) Elite Meet (18:29) John's TikTok ideas bank (21:42) The SEALs turn on John (25:02) How telling 1 story launched MrBallen (28:18)...

Sep 27, 202451 min

How I Went From Broke to $7 Million With An Airbnb Business

Get our episode with MrBallen before anyone else: https://clickhubspot.com/mbe Episode 631: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk to Isaac French ( https://x.com/isaacfrench_ ) about how to he bought his first investment property at age 24 with $2K down and sold it 2 years later for $7M. — Show Notes: (0:00) Buying an investment property with $2K (9:53) $7M exit in 2 years (16:41) Repeating the formula (20:35) Blueprint for flipping properties into A...

Sep 20, 202459 min

From Nonprofit Founder To Building A $300M Pilates Business

Get next week's episode early, watch it right now: https://clickhubspot.com/mbe Episode 630: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) talks to Anne Mahlum ( https://www.instagram.com/annemahlum/ ) about starting an $8M/yr charity from scratch and betting her entire life savings ($175K) on a pilates studio. — Show Notes: (0:00) Building a $8M/yr non-profit (16:27) The economics of [solidcore] (22:07) Play a game you can win (24:16) How to be a killer negotiator (27:00) Turning down $75k (30:39) 0 - ...

Sep 18, 20241 hr 5 min

10 Startups w/ Stock Grants That’ll Make You A Millionaire | Sara’s List 2024

Episode 629: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) bring you the third installment of Sara’s List. A path to wealth that doesn’t involve insane amounts of risk, luck, or burnout. Just get a job at the right company. The criteria? Growth-stage startups that have the potential to 5-10x over the next 5 years. — Show Notes: (0:00) Auditing Cohort 1 (9:56) OpenAI (12:07) Retool (17:04) Mercury (23:04) Cursor (27:28) Epirus (33:30) Wiz (42:52) Neuralink (46:00)...

Sep 13, 20241 hr 22 min

The $70M/yr Sports Bar + Sleepy Industries Worth $100M

Episode 628: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) break down the business behind the sports bar Cosm and the massive trend coming to out-of-home entertainment. — Show Notes: (0:00) Cosm’s playground virality (10:38) The Tesla of home appliances (18:13) $100M sleepy industries (23:11) The rise and fall (and rise?) of Weight Watchers (40:42) "What story is the data telling me?" (48:54) What certainty level is needed to make a decision (53:49) Confidence vs...

Sep 11, 20241 hr 8 min

Life Hacks From The King of Introverts + 7 Business Ideas | ft. Nick Gray

Episode 627: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk to the socially rich, “Friends Billionaire”, Nick Gray ( https://x.com/nickgraynews ) about how to be a master networker, throw the perfect cocktail party, plus 7 simple business ideas. — Show Notes: (0:00) Intro (4:12) If you had $10M, how would you live? (10:11) Find who your heroes follow (13:29) Speedrun of Nick Gray's career (22:15) Idea: White label enterprise sales (26:08) Idea: Millionaire Ma...

Sep 06, 20241 hr 24 min

The Guy Who Studied Buffett for 25 Years

Episode 626: Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talks to Guy Spier ( https://x.com/GSpier ) about everything he’s learned from studying the greatest value investors of all time. — Show Notes: (0:00) The Posse (5:41) Farmer Mac (17:30) Lessons from going to 9 Tony Robbins seminars (28:57) Handwritten notes from Warren Buffett (42:00) Don’t study lottery winners (59:22) Berkshire vs Index (1:05:13) Finite vs infinite games (1:13:26) Be a promiscuous reader — Links: • Get our business idea databa...

Sep 04, 20241 hr 21 min

The Top 0.1% Of Ideas I've Stumbled Upon On The Internet

Episode 625: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) are back with George Mack ( https://x.com/george__mack ) to talk about the best ideas he’s come across. — Show Notes: (0:00) Spotting high agency people (26:12) The Kale phone vs the Cocaine phone (31:37) The obsessiveness of Lee Kuan Yew (37:34) Life as a Midwit meme (43:22) Work like a lion, not like a cow (51:52)The Buffett Coin — Links: • Get our business idea database here https://clickhubspot.com/mf...

Aug 31, 20241 hr

5 Dead Simple Business Ideas You Can Start With A FB Ad | ft. George Mack

Episode 624: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) brainstorm cash-printing business ideas with George Mack ( https://x.com/george__mack ). — Show Notes: (0:00) Intro (2:49) Idea: Self Awareness Test (16:35) Idea: Designer babies (26:30) Idea: Selling eyes as art (30:40) Idea: Personal color analysis (34:45) Idea: Mold removal as a service (40:11) Idea: CMO of the UK (46:43) George's favorite ad campaigns — Links: • Get our business idea database here htt...

Aug 30, 202455 min

Building A 100+ Year Legacy + Peter Thiel’s Fellowship + Bomb Hiring Questions

Episode 623: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk about the underrated philanthropy style of Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, and Alfred Nobel. MFM Scholarship: Apply for $10K to start The Onion For College - https://www.shaanpuri.com/collegepaper — Show Notes: (0:00) Alfred Nobel's $266M Legacy (6:06) Competitions vs. Trusts (15:28) Idea: XPRIZE but for companies (19:15) Shaan’s Prize: Win $10K to start a college paper (23:07) How Barstool Sports started (2...

Aug 28, 202456 min

Bootstrapping a +$1B Business + Selling To The Ultra Rich | Jesse Pujji

Episode 622: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk to Jesse Pujji ( https://x.com/jspujji ) about bootstrapping Ampush and the four levers of digital marketing. — Show Notes: (0:00) Unique insight + unfair advantage (3:05) How Jesse bootstrapped Ampush using GLG (14:00) Digital marketing in masterclass in 3 minutes (20:30) How to sell to the ultra rich (27:38) Red Ventures' Playbook (32:40) The Four Big Levers (41:00) Calling Zuck's cell (46:30) Noah...

Aug 26, 20241 hr 9 min

Jack Smith On Biohacking, 2 Easy Business Ideas, PLUS Why Procrastination Is Good

Episode 621: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk to Jack Smith ( https://x.com/_jacksmith ) about his under-the-radar biohacking experiments plus 2 $1M dollar business ideas. — Show Notes: (0:00) Is reverse-aging a scam (3:23) The 1% of biohacking (12:28) Business idea: Mobile Dexa Scan (25:30) Business idea: Medical tourism brokers (32:06) Anti-beast mode (39:10) Why smart people have bad ideas (45:40) Hunt for the starving crowd (49:27) AppLovin ...

Aug 23, 20241 hr 1 min
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