Creator Lab - interviews with entrepreneurs and startup founders

Mikael Cho is the co-founder and CEO of Unsplash. The world's leading image asset platform that boasts 100 million image downloads & 20 billion views per month. Unsplash is used more than Flickr, Getty, and Shutterstock combined. Let us know what you think on Twitter: @bzaidi and @mikaelcho Watch the full convo on YouTube: https://youtu.be/vtIGAEKxC0w In this conversation, you'll learn: how Mikael built Unsplash from a series of failed experiments balancing focus with experimentation how to create a growth flywheel why good ideas are still undervalued how to create a "superpower org chart" & find undiscovered talent how to get a large scale advertising business off the ground TIMESTAMPS: 00:00:00 Intro 00:02:32 What is Unsplash? 00:06:17 Scale 00:09:24 Failed Experiments + A Side Project 00:10:15 Starting Crew 00:13:46 When Side, Becomes Main 00:17:20 Selling Crew to Andrew Wilkinson (Dribbble) 00:18:42 Balancing Experimentation + Focus 00:21:03 Competing With Adobe + Shutterstock 00:22:55 Creator Economy's Middle Class 00:25:37 Develop A New Advertising Model 00:28:29 Unsplash = Internet Real Estate Company 00:31:51 Simplifying Product 00:34:52 Aligning Your Team 00:37:09 Product Design Changes That Surprised Mikael 00:39:39 "Wow" Moments 00:41:46 Unsplash Growth Flywheel 00:43:56 API + Partnerships 00:45:01 Future of Unsplash 00:46:18 Mikael's Business Philosophy 00:48:29 Validate With No Code 00:49:41 Ideas vs Execution 00:53:27 Knowing When to Stop A Project 00:56:18 Recruiting Key Employees 01:00:24 Finding Undiscovered Talent 01:02:32 Superpower Org Chart 01:07:04 Life Design Philosophy 01:11:23 Incorporating Physical Health into Company Culture 01:15:43 "Inbox Zero is a Waste of Time" 01:19:11 "Text Edit is One of the Greatest Apps Ever Made" 01:21:25 Writing Like You're Texting A Friend 01:24:52 Proactive Actions 01:31:33 Wrap-Up

Gagan is the co-founder & former President of Udemy, an online education company that's worth more than $2bil. He later co-founded Sprig, a food delivery startup & went on to become the interim head of growth marketing at Lyft. Gagan recently announced a new education startup with Wes Kao. They've raised $4.3mil from investors like First Round Capital, Naval Ravikant & Li Jin. Let us know what you think on Twitter: @bzaidi @gaganbiyani Watch the full interview on YouTube: https://youtu.be/IifuGSaEkkU In this conversation, we discuss: lessons in building Udemy + Sprig, from high-highs to low-lows why cohort-based courses will play a major role in the future of online education what it was like being fired by a co-founder the impact of financial struggles & the unique pressure of being the child of immigrants perspective gained from traveling to all 7 continents Timestamps: 00:00:00 Intro 00:02:47 Who is Gagan Biyani? 00:05:20 Udemy Origin Story 00:10:54 Starting Up a Business When You Have A Work Visa 00:12:57 Setting A Timeline 00:16:54 Parental Pressure + Traditional Careers 00:20:53 Struggles 00:26:54 How Do You React To Financial Troubles? 00:29:27 Living Within Your Means 00:30:34 Being Content 00:33:27 Getting Fired By A Co-Founder 00:42:20 The Rise & Fall of Sprig 00:44:05 Chamath: "You're Going to Fail" 00:50:07 Failure + Cognitive Dissonance 00:52:40 3 Years of Travel 00:57:20 Finding Hidden Gems 00:59:24 Figuring Out What's Next 01:00:59 Naval's Advice 01:04:51 Evaluating Business Ideas 01:07:28 Gagan's New Startup: Cohort-Based Courses 01:13:37 Opportunities In Online Education 01:17:29 Formats That Work Best 01:21:19 Wrap-Up

Andrew Wilkinson, co-founder of Tiny, shares insights on his approach in building the 'Berkshire Hathaway of the internet' inspired by Warren Buffet + Charlie Munger. Topics include mental models like inversion, types of entrepreneurs, hiring key employees, importance of incentives, and aligning employees around a shared vision.

Polina Marinova Pompliano is the author of The Profile, a newsletter that profiles the world's most successful people. She spent five years at FORTUNE, where she was the author + editor of Term Sheet, an industry-leading newsletter on dealmaking. Polina has interviewed some of the most influential dealmakers in the world, including: Melinda Gates, Steve Case, Chamath Palihapitiya and others. Watch & Subscribe on YouTube: https://youtu.be/XFIPkG0rbvU Let us know what you think on Twitter: @bzaidi @polina_marinova Full show notes on creatorlab.fm In the conversation, you'll learn about: the rise of independent writers + the creator economy evolution of the media landscape future of media monetization her writing process + the art of the edit actionable lessons from The Profile, featuring: Malcolm Gladwell, Charlie Munger, Anthony Bourdain, Ira Glass, Elon Musk + more Timestamps: 2:47 Intro 5:03 "Oprah is not JUST Oprah" 9:54 Leaving Fortune Magazine 15:44 Background On The Profile 19:09 Expectations vs Reality 23:43 Why Polina Uses Substack For Her Newsletter 27:13 Evolution of Monetization in New Media 36:20 Writing Process: Summarizing 128 Books 40:53 The Art of The Edit 44:13 Building Your Initial Audience 45:50 Growing An Audience Lessons From The Profile: 48:30 Gladwell: "3 Hours of Thinking for 1 Hour of Writing" 51:55 "Interesting, Not Perfect" 53:54 How To Find Meaning In Your Work 55:32 Ira Glass: "Great Stories Happen To Those Who Can Tell Them" 58:00 Charlie Munger: Inversion + Avoidance of Stupidity 59:29 Survivor vs Victim 1:00:46 The Bourdain Principle 1:05:46 Lessons From Shonda Rhimes 1:09:02 "I'm No Longer Looking For An Enemy..." 1:11:23 Guy Raz: Stories We Tell Ourselves 1:13:32 Elon Musk: The Chef vs The Cook 1:16:34 Thinking From First Principles 1:19:04 Unconcious Bias 1:20:25 Human Hardware vs Software 1:22:16 Wrap Up

Courtland Allen, founder of Indie Hackers, discusses indiehacker philosophy, capitalism, diversity, and the American dream. He also shares a framework for brainstorming business ideas, emphasizing problem-solving and distribution strategies.

Tim Urban is one of the internet's most popular writers. His blog, Wait But Why, attracts millions of visitors including famous fans like Elon Musk. His talk on procrastination is the #1 TED talk on YouTube with 33mil+ views. Subscribe + Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/tl2a6H1E7DU Let us know what you think on Twitter: @bzaidi @waitbutwhy FIVE THINGS YOU'LL LEARN: his writing + research process first principles thinking + lessons learned from Elon Musk + Tony Hseih (Zappos) techniques to overcome low confidence + find your authentic voice how he'd start from scratch today how to explain complex topics like AI + Neuralink through storytelling SHOW NOTES + TRANSCRIPT: https://www.creatorlab.fm/tim-urban-wait-but-why-podcast/ TIMESTAMPS: 00:00:00 Preview 00:02:05 Intro + Tim’s Cuddly Toys 00:04:38 How Elon Musk Became A Fan 00:05:33 11yr Old Tim Meets The Internet 00:07:17 Trip Down Internet Memory Lane 00:09:39 “Underneath The Turban” + Finding A Creative Path 00:14:07 Micro + Macro Happiness 00:15:22 Finding A Voice + Getting Traction 00:17:39 “What Could I Do With 60hrs A Week?” 00:19:04 Tim’s Research + Writing Process 00:25:33 “Neuralink Is A Magic Hat” 00:26:53 Tools + The Magic of “Text Edit” 00:31:53 Talent vs Craft 00:34:12 “Writing For a Stadium Full of Tim’s” 00:36:42 Adam Grant’s Antidote to Paranoia 00:38:47 Vicious Cycle of Confidence 00:42:07 Headlines 00:45:36 Example: Fermi Paradox 00:47:58 Creativity vs Promotion 00:50:33 Starting From Scratch Today 00:51:51 Facebook Ads In 2013 00:53:57 Owned, Rented + New Platforms 01:01:01 Dream Person To Interview 01:03:37 First Principles + Learning From Elon Musk 01:08:37 Manage A Business Like Elon Musk 01:10:37 Latest on Neuralink + AI 01:15:37 Re-Thinking A Cyborg From First Principles 01:16:23 Memories + Lessons From Tony Hseih (Zappos) 01:22:19 Tony Hseih’s Relationship Ripple Effect  

Let me know what you think on Twitter: @bzaidi Subscribe + watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/jWYhsGaK3Qk Chris Kuenne started Rosetta & grew it to become the largest independent digital agency in the world before selling to Publicis for $575mil. Now he runs Rosemark Capital, investing in companies with revenues of $30–60mil. Chris teaches high-tech entrepreneurship at Princeton University. In this conversation, we discuss: how Chris pre-sold $1mil of contracts before launching his agency four personality types of builders the opportunity to solve expensive problems + merge software with services how acquisitions fueled growth before selling for $575mil lessons in hiring 1200+ people breaking down implications of money raised + liquidation in his sale TIMESTAMPS: 00:00:00 Intro 00:02:23 Behind A $575M Deal 00:07:08 What Would You Do Differently? 00:11:01 Turning Down A Larger $600M Offer 00:13:49 How Much Does A Founder Keep After A Huge Sale? 00:19:18 Venture Waterfall + Preference Stack 00:22:13 What Changed After the Deal 00:26:45 Early Years At Rosetta 00:31:22 Pre-Selling $1mil In Sales Before Quitting His Job 00:34:55 Find An Expensive Problem - The Mckinsey Approach 00:38:36 Expensive Problems To Work On In 2021 00:41:27 Using Data To Create A Quantitative Persona 00:43:21 Opportunities To Combine Software + Services 00:45:35 Who's Doing It Well In SaaS? 00:50:01 Lessons In Hiring 1200+ People 00:56:40 The Right Way To Fire Someone 00:59:19 4 Builder Personalities: Driver, Explorer, Crusader + Captain 01:01:04 The Driver: Apple 01:03:44 The Explorer: Facebook 01:04:52 The Crusader: Google 01:05:50 The Captain: Alibaba 01:08:11 Wrap Up

Matteo Franceschetti is the founder of Eight Sleep, the sleep fitness company at the forefront of sleep tech. They’ve raised more than $70mil, came out of Y Combinator and are one of the leading companies at the forefront of sleep technology. Time magazine named their product one of the best inventions of 2018 + 2019. Watch + subscribe on YouTube: https://youtu.be/vd3wXxYaAxc Let us know what you think on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bzaidi https://twitter.com/m_franceschetti In this conversation, you'll learn: how they’re using AI + machine learning to improve sleep the challenges of building hardware + software (smart mattress) unit economics you should think about when launching a DTC brand future plans to control oxygen levels, humidity + light to improve sleep balancing organic growth vs paid acquisition successfully partnering with influencers actionable ways to improve deep + REM sleep TIMESTAMPS: 00:00:00 Intro 00:03:07 What Is Eight Sleep? 00:04:34 Coming To America 00:08:01 4 Factors To Improve Health + Sleep 00:09:49 How To Start a DTC Company 00:12:05 Indiegogo Launch + Raising Money 00:13:07 Focusing On Thermal Regulation 00:14:10 Future Of Sleep Technology 00:15:58 Brand Partnerships 00:17:01 Using AI + Machine To Improve Sleep 00:18:02 Temperature's Impact On Sleep 00:21:14 Marketing a DTC Product 00:22:46 Organic Growth + Influencers 00:23:24 Balancing Paid Acquisition + Organic Growth 00:27:04 Reverse Engineering + Diminishing Returns 00:30:59 Measuring Word Of Mouth + 7 Touchpoints Rule 00:32:27 DTC Unit Economics 00:34:06 Peloton, Tesla + Price Sensitivity 00:37:38 Pros + Cons of Going Public 00:40:42 How To Get Better Sleep 00:42:30 Stages of Sleep: Light, Deep + REM 00:44:32 Sleep's Impact On Hormones + Junk Food 00:45:42 Factors To Improve Sleep 00:49:24 Stop Your Mind Racing 00:52:19 Caffeine + Alcohol 00:54:50 3 Roles Of A CEO 00:58:55 Board Meetings + Close

Shaan Puri is an entrepreneur, investor & top 50 podcast host. He was the CEO of Bebo when they sold to Twitch (Amazon) where he's now a senior director of product. He invests in startups + recently raised $2.5mil for his "rolling fund" in 11 days, just from a tweet. Watch + subscribe on YouTube: https://youtu.be/6Hoo38Fr07g Let us know what you think on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bzaidi https://twitter.com/ShaanVP In this conversation we discuss: solopreneurship vs high growth startups ideas + blueprints for solopreneurs creating a life vision + the 3 stages of "becoming" selling your company by creating your "Amazon buy button" lessons in building trust, persuasion + social dynamics how to get unstuck + the A, B, Z framework why you should work like a lion, not a cow how Shaan makes $50k/month by "working in public" Timestamps 00:00:00 Intro 00:01:51 Shaan's Background 00:05:58 Startups vs Big Company 00:10:38 Babies, Teenagers + Startups 00:13:13 "Stay Hungry, Not Thirsty" 00:16:02 How To Correctly Slip Into The DMs 00:18:06 Raising $2.5mil In 11 Days From A Tweet 00:21:24 "Create An Amazon Buy Button For Yourself" 00:23:56 "Companies Are Either Bought Or Sold" - Selling To Amazon 00:31:02 Social Dynamics, Persuasion + Lessons From "The Game" 00:37:54 How To Come Up With A Life Vision? 00:45:19 $50k/Month To Work In Public – "1000 True Fans" Moment 00:48:24 Importance Of Emotional Juice In Decisions 00:51:33 Soloproneurship vs High Growth Startups 00:58:04 Ideas + Blueprints For Solopreneurs 01:03:14 Behind The Mind – A, B, Z Framework 01:10:27 "Work Like A Lion, Not Like A Cow" 01:14:22 "You Either Win Or You Learn" 01:15:15 Navigating "Should I Be Doing This?" 01:23:09 Feeling Down + How To Get Unstuck 01:30:11 3 Stages Of "What Do I Become" 01:31:26 Closing

Steph Smith leads Trends at The Hustle. She’s a serial indie maker, writer + marketer. She’s been a nomad since 2016 & has traveled to 50+ countries while working, learning to code + creating. Watch + subscribe on YouTube: https://youtu.be/qQtciVUeOMU Let us know what you think on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bzaidi https://twitter.com/stephsmithio What You'll Learn: how to pre-sell + validate your idea economics of self-publishing vs traditional book deals what you can learn from games like chess defining your personal monopoly finding your first 1000 users writing for humans vs google leveraging communities + viral platforms Timestamps 00:00:00 Intro 00:02:00 What You Can Learn From Chess 00:07:39 Chess vs Real Life 00:13:33 Pre-Selling An Idea 00:17:51 Economics of Book Deals vs Self-Publishing 00:19:23 “Steph is an animal…in a good way” 00:21:19 Healthy Competiton + Sibling Rivalry 00:25:38 Lifestyle Creep + Golden Handcuffs 00:27:14 Steph’s Book: “Doing Content Right” 00:29:09 Avoiding Scammy “Online Marketers” 00:34:08 Personal Monopoly + Your Differentiator 00:39:04 Example: Costco’s Differentiator 00:43:17 “What You Wouldn’t Do In Person” 00:46:34 Growth Models To Grow Efficiently + Compound Over Time 00:48:02 Bedrock Channels: Importance of SEO 00:51:09 Example: Writing For Humans vs Google 00:55:46 How We Do Keyword Research 01:01:43 Tools To Use + Ranking For Keywords 01:04:38 First 1000 Users – Do Things That Don’t Scale 01:08:40 Leveraging Communities + Viral Platforms 01:12:06 “How To Be Great? Just Be Good, Repeatedly” 01:15:25 The Power Of Building In Public 01:19:22 Wrap-Up