Erik Torenberg sits down with Greg Isenberg, CEO of Late Checkout, and co-host of Where It Happens. He's spent the last 15 years building venture-backed businesses at WeWork, Islands and WallStreetSurvivor, as well as advising the teams behind Reddit and TikTok. Riverside.fm is a presenting sponsor of Media Empires. Go to https://creators.riverside.fm/MediaEmpires + use code MEDIAEMPIRES for 20% off individual plans.

In this episode, Greg and Erik discuss personal holding companies, the unbundling of Reddit and how subreddits can help identify product opportunities, and how Greg is strategizing his own PHC, content, and projects in 2023.

Media Empires is part of the Turpentine podcast network. To learn more: www.turpentine.co

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SPONSOR:

Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "EMPIRES" for 20% off your first three months.

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We're hiring across the board at Turpentine and for Erik's personal team on other projects he's incubating. He's hiring a Chief of Staff, EA, Head of Special Projects, Investment Associate, and more. For a list of JDs, check out: eriktorenberg.com.

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RECOMMENDED PODCAST:

🎙️ECON 102 W/ NOAH SMITH - Keeping econ entertaining - Noahpinion author Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg break down business news and politics every week.

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1696419056

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6q7Gn5lP8TTtBPuV1NJSGs

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TIMESTAMPS

(00:00) Episode Preview

(02:49) Greg's inspiration for starting a personal holding company and building differently 

(04:34) Greg Isenberg for X

(06:10) Why start an agency? 

(08:00) Cashflow opportunities for people without audiences or expertise

(10:30) What platforms are ripe for audience-building and what's changed in 2023?

(16:45) Email is king

(17:28) Y-Combinator for PHCs and the "do things that don't scale" for creators

(22:51) Acquisitions and ownership percentages

(24:26) Why build a services business

(26:48) The unbundling of Reddit and how Greg's thesis has changed

(30:09) Forget being an EIR, be a subreddit moderator

(31:27) Content first vs. community first

(34:40) New funding models for creators

(38:25) How Greg is thinking about his projects in 2023

LINKS:

Late Checkout: https://www.latecheckout.studio/

Where It Happens Podcast: https://whereithappens.trwih.com/

TWITTER:

@gregisenberg (Greg)

@_trwih (Where It Happens Podcast)

@eriktorenberg (Erik)

@MediaEmpiresPod (Media Empires)