Magic Minds

"The most exciting new podcast in the startup world.” - Eric Ries, Founder, and NYTimes bestselling author Get your free Endel subscription: https://code.endel.io/?code=BELOWTHELINE Today's episode is with Andrew Dudum. He’s a co-founder of Hims & Hers; one of the fastest growing companies in history. They are two and a half years in and are valued north of a billion dollars. I saw their first million in sales within five weeks of launch. One of the fastest growing companies that I've ever come across, and though it seems like an overnight success... as the cliche goes, it's overnight, 10 years in the making. Andrew has started north of 10 different businesses (!) and has a whole lot of wisdom to share in this episode. We chat about the launch of Hims & Hers (and how crazy that time was) but also talk about the lowest moments that he's experienced as a founder. We also talk about the concept of “exposure therapy” and how that applies to being a founder. We also chat about the healthcare system that we currently live within and what it could look like if it was designed around the consumer. We talk about all these things and much more. Enjoy this episode with this brilliant, thoughtful maker. You can email James questions directly at askbelowtheline@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter @ twitter.com/gobelowtheline — “Below the Line with James Beshara" is brought to you by Straight Up Podcasts LLC.

"The most exciting new podcast in the startup world.” - Eric Ries, Founder, and NYTimes bestselling author Get your free Endel subscription: https://code.endel.io/?code=BELOWTHELINE Today's episode is with Ravi Patel, a consummate multi-hyphenate creator, people... He’s a writer, director, actor, and entrepreneur among other things. From starting businesses to his brand new project on HBO max called “Ravi Patel's Pursuit of Happiness”, we cover what he’s learned through it all. We talk about his struggles and even the challenges that he’s dealing with today; literally, today as we chatted. We cover all kinds of things from simplifying life, to being useful to others, to the transactional nature of friendships, to the pursuit of mental fitness, and of course, his project that he just launched. I just finished watching two of the episodes and it is a phenomenal show. Each episode takes place in a different city around the world with someone that he knows and loves. It's a really heartwarming, insightful, and hilarious show. One of the better shows I've seen in the last year or two. It's really that good. So check it out. It's on HBO Max, the new streaming app from dem homies at HBO. So without further ado, let's get into it with Ravi Patel. You can email James questions directly at askbelowtheline@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter @ twitter.com/gobelowtheline — “Below the Line with James Beshara" is brought to you by Straight Up Podcasts LLC..

Get your free Endel subscription: https://code.endel.io/?code=BELOWTHELINE "The most exciting new podcast in the startup world.” - Eric Ries, Founder, and NYTimes bestselling author This plog (podcast+blog post mashup) is called “Ready, Fire, Aim”. Early on my career, I would create really detailed business plans for a company or product launch, months and sometimes years before launching something. And then I went through Y Combinator and learned from Paul Graham that business plans actually show a lack of knowledge of how things work, how startups work, and how relationships with customers work. There's just so much you can’t know until you launch the first version of your idea. Listen to this episode to learn more. You can email James questions directly at askbelowtheline@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter @ twitter.com/gobelowtheline — “Below the Line with James Beshara" is brought to you by Straight Up Podcasts LLC

Get your free Endel subscription: https://code.endel.io/?code=BELOWTHELINE "The most exciting new podcast in the startup world.” - Eric Ries, Founder, and NYTimes bestselling author This plog (podcast+blog post mashup) is called “The Secret to Getting Mentors”. Alright, we are back with another plogging episode and this one is “The Secret to Getting Mentors”. First-time founders and employees would often ask, “How can I get a mentor?” Or they will humbly ask if I can help them with their project or company. I feel very grateful for the mentors that I've had in my life for the last 11 years. Some of the folks have been on the podcast and some of them are too hard to get onto the podcast, but I would not be here without their guidance and their mentorship, especially during low points. So what is the secret in getting mentors? Listen to this episode to learn more. You can email James questions directly at askbelowtheline@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter @ twitter.com/gobelowtheline — “Below the Line with James Beshara" is brought to you by Straight Up Podcasts LLC

"The most exciting new podcast in the startup world.” - Eric Ries, Founder, and NYTimes bestselling author Get your free Endel subscription: https://code.endel.io/?code=BELOWTHELINE Hello listeners and Below The Line fanatics! Today's episode is with Scott Kelley, a restaurateur in a town of 1000 people in the buzzing city of Ennis, Montana. I have always wanted to chat with Scott because he has a hilarious personality, made a huge life move to a small town in Montana after growing up in Dallas, Texas, and because he has owned and operated a handful of different types of restaurant concepts over the last 20 years. We haven’t covered this side of the business on the podcast before, but I knew he would be a great, honest guest to go deep into this kind of “creation”... especially in the era of Covid-19, where restaurants and tourist towns have been greatly impacted (and he sits at the intersection of both). One of the places he and his wife own is called The Gravel Bar, and it sells the best burger in all of Montana — Seriously (and that’s because the burgers are creations of his scientist wife). You can email James questions directly at askbelowtheline@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter @ twitter.com/gobelowtheline — “Below the Line with James Beshara" is brought to you by Straight Up Podcasts LLC.

"The most exciting new podcast in the startup world.” - Eric Ries, Founder, and NYTimes bestselling author Get your free Endel subscription: https://code.endel.io/?code=BELOWTHELINE Links from this episode: +How to Read Medical Research Papers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhyCDAi6NKM +Dr. Weil's List of Integrative Health Professionals: https://integrativemedicine.arizona.edu/alumni.html +Kevin Rose' Podcast Interview with Henry Shukman: https://podcast.kevinrose.com/the-mysteriousunsolvable-zen-koans-henry-shukman-associate-zen-master/ +Henry's Book: https://www.amazon.com/One-Blade-Grass-Finding-Memoir-ebook/dp/B07N8ZGFQB Today's episode is with none other than Kevin Rose. Kevin is a phenomenally successful angel investor turned venture capitalist — as well as creator and founder of cult-favorite companies like “Digg” and “Zero”... We talk about everything from health care to mental health, and his journey towards mental peace in the midst of creation. We also touched on the stories that helped shape who he's become, as well as talking about a topic that he rarely ever gets a chance to talk about that has left me thinking about it since the moment he mentioned it to me. It's something that I'm going to be thinking about for a long time, and an articulation of a topic that I had never heard. It's a great episode, and I think you're going to love it. You can email James questions directly at askbelowtheline@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter @ twitter.com/gobelowtheline — “Below the Line with James Beshara" is brought to you by Straight Up Podcasts LLC.

"The most exciting new podcast in the startup world.” - Eric Ries, Founder, and NYTimes bestselling author Favorite product of 2020: Endel — code.endel.io (use the code “belowtheline” for the free trial they have given listeners) This is another plog (podcast / blog post) about encouraging future entrepreneurs to continue creating, and why the impact of creating goes way beyond what you create. I also share why creation is like a science where you continue to experiment with the truth — instead of jobs and roles where you don’t actually have accountability or any confrontation with what the truth actually says about what you’re doing. You can email James questions directly at askbelowtheline@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter @ twitter.com/gobelowtheline — “Below the Line with James Beshara" is brought to you by Straight Up Podcasts LLC

"The most exciting new podcast in the startup world.” - Eric Ries, Founder, and NYTimes bestselling author Endel Link: code.endel.io (use the code “belowtheline” for the audio) This is another plog (podcast / blog post) about giving yourself permission to feel what you are feeling... the good and the bad — And to reach a state where you gain the clarity of thought to know which part of the equation gives you the most leverage to improve your life... changing yourself or changing the world. You can email James questions directly at askbelowtheline@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter @ twitter.com/gobelowtheline — “Below the Line with James Beshara" is brought to you by Straight Up Podcasts LLC

"The most exciting new podcast in the startup world.” - Eric Ries, Founder, and NYTimes bestselling author Today's episode is another deep dive. It's in the world of startup PR. My guest today is Ed Zitron. Ed went from being a journalist to a PR professional within a large firm to start his own firm, EZPR about a decade ago. We got to know each other about nine years ago when he helped me navigate the strange foray into startup PR with my company at the time, Tilt. He was insanely helpful then, and he's even more helpful now with another decade of experience under his belt. This is an episode on a topic that is on so many creators’ minds — but it's something that was a black box for me for many years. What is PR? How do you navigate the world of PR well? How do you get those great articles you read about other companies? How do you get others to help amplify a message that you're trying to bring to the world with your product or your company? We touch on everything that PR is good for, everything that is not good for, and what you can expect to get out of “great PR” (and what you can’t really expect from it). We talk about price ranges that you might pay for a great PR firm, the tactics that can help you get press *without* a PR firm if you are aiming to get press yourself, and also about the topic of “crisis management” which is something that I had never heard a PR professional breakdown as simply as Ed did for me in this episode. It was great to hear insight into something as gnarly and really disorienting as having to manage through a PR crisis —  and do it with a level head as a founder as a creator. As I said, startup PR is a topic that is on many people's minds. It is something that I knew took me a few years to really understand, and I wish I had an episode like this with someone that broke it down for me. You can email James questions directly at askbelowtheline@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter @ twitter.com/gobelowtheline — “Below the Line with James Beshara" is brought to you by Straight Up Podcasts LLC.

"The most exciting new podcast in the startup world.” - Eric Ries, Founder, and NYTimes bestselling author This is another plog (podcast + blog post) about a shift in perspective on how we think and talk about mental health. One that takes us from synonymizing mental health with mental illness, a distinction we already have with physical health and physical illness. Enjoy this shorter episode on a specific topic (one near and dear to me)! You can email James questions directly at askbelowtheline@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter @ twitter.com/gobelowtheline — “Below the Line with James Beshara" is brought to you by Straight Up Podcasts LLC