Personal IPO

Nick Saraev, AI automation entrepreneur and founder of Maker School who scales high-margin automation businesses. He covers how to get to $10k/month in 90 days, simple high-value automations to sell, using long-form YouTube as a primary funnel, converting viewers to customers, and building community and accountability systems that reduce churn.

This week on Personal IPO we're joined by Shamus Madan. He has built a $1.5M business using LinkedIn as his main growth channel. He helps founders turn LinkedIn into consistent pipeline and revenue. In this episode, he explains how founders should actually be using, how to write the perfect hook, and what most people get wrong. __ Shamus Madan Work with Shamus LinkedIn Twitter Instagram __ Timestamps 00:00 Introducing Shamus Madan 01:54 The biggest mistakes people make on LinkedIn 06:59 How to write a good hook for LinkedIn 12:18 Using images and videos on LinkedIn 14:06 The power of numbers in tactical posts 16:30 The three types of LinkedIn posts 19:13 Utilizing vulnerability in your posts 23:07 Finding ideas for your posts 29:38 The perfect CTA 31:52 Reconstructing a failed LinkedIn post 42:52 What time of day is best to post to LinkedIn 43:07 Writing a LinkedIn post from scratch

In this episode of Personal IPO, Max Sturtevant breaks down how he went from freelancing on Upwork to building a high-margin email marketing agency doing tens of thousands per month — all while still at college. We dive into how he uses simple Instagram and YouTube content to attract clients, why low-effort beats overproduction, and the exact growth and monetization tactics anyone can replicate.__Build your newsletter on beehiiv: https://www.beehiiv.com/__ Max Sturtevant Well CopyYouTubeLinkedInTwitter/XInstagram Nathan MayLinkedIn⁠ Twitter⁠/X __Timestamps 00:00 Making millions of dollars in your early 20s 05:13 Building a business on organic content  14:06 Making $10k/mo on Upwork 18:18 Using Instagram to get hundreds of leads 33:10 Paying $30k for coaching 39:00 Hire great talent and keep margins high 50:00 Creating a culture of winners in your company 57:32 The worst moments of being a founder 01:06:06 Living two lives, founder and frat bro01:12:37 Discovering your passion 01:20:36 Finding of deep obsession within the sadness 

In this conversation with Josh Suggs, founder of the thriving street-interview agency Street Talk, listeners dive into the transformative power of commitment and hustle. Josh shares how his authentic, unscripted content builds trust with consumers, outperforming traditional ads. He discusses the importance of niching down, leveraging social media for rapid growth, and the magic of networking. With insights on equity sharing and the challenges of scaling, Josh inspires others to rethink their paths to success.

Ben Kelly, an acquisition entrepreneur and founder of Acquisition Ace, shares his expertise in buying 'boring' small businesses with minimal upfront capital. He reveals how to leverage SBA loans and deals structured for profitability, making business acquisition accessible for many. Listeners learn about the 'Silver Tsunami' of retiring baby boomers relinquishing their businesses, and the importance of due diligence. With inspiring success stories and actionable insights, Ben illustrates why buying an established business can be more rewarding than starting a new venture.

Matt Epstein is the 23-year-old behind Shown Media, the viral launch agency running 8–10M view product announcements for some of the biggest SaaS brands. In this episode, Matt breaks down how he built a multimillion-dollar agency entirely through his X/Twitter account, engineered massive launch moments, and scaled from 3 to 40 employees in under two years. __ Matt Epstein Twitter/X LinkedIn Shown Media Nathan May⁠LinkedIn⁠ ⁠Twitter/X⁠ __Timestamps 00:00:00 Introducing Matt Epstein 00:02:56 The world of viral product launches 00:05:30 Key philosophies of a viral launch 00:13:06 The art of influencer partnerships 00:21:17 Knowing if a post will hit 00:25:22 The three keys to a viral launch 00:31:05 Building a personal brand 00:40:29 Mistakes made early in business 00:54:14 E-com vs agencies: Which is for you?00:58:03 The mentality of a leader in business 01:09:22 Creating focus and obsession 01:14:40 Learning to value hard work 01:17:26 Business advice from mentors

Daniel Fazio is the founder of Client Ascension and ListKit. He went from making $12K a month at 20 to $1.2 million a month by 28. In this episode, he breaks down the exact offer systems, cold-email strategy, and mindset that built his seven-figure empire.__ Daniel Fazio YouTubeLinkedIn Twitter/X Instagram __Nathan May⁠LinkedIn⁠ ⁠X/Twitter⁠__Timestamps 00:00:00 Introducing Daniel Fazio 00:02:00 Origin story of making 1.2M/mo at 27 years old 00:12:16 Making a course that people love 00:21:47 Creating a value ladder 00:28:28 When to give info and when to sell 00:37:29 Knowing when to kill a project 00:41:36 Niche down and be actionable 00:53:19 The most important level for scaling 00:59:52 The mentality of a young founder 01:07:10 Mastering work/life balance as a founder

This week on Personal IPO, Nathan sits down with Eric Siu — founder of the marketing agency Single Grain, podcast host, and longtime business strategist. In this episode, he breaks down the systems and mindset that turned a struggling $2 agency into a $10M+ business, sharing how focus, content, and AI transformed everything.__Eric SiuYouTubeLinkedIn Instagram Nathan May⁠LinkedIn⁠X/Twitter⁠__Timestamps00:00 Introducing Eric Siu 01:40 Strategy #1: Stay Hands-On with High-Leverage Work 06:12 Strategy #2: Build a Content Flywheel That Compounds 20:31 Strategy #3: Use AI to Systemize Operations27:48 Strategy #4 Create Accountability Through Data 33:27 Strategy #5: Build Leverage Through Community

Tim Huelskamp, co-founder and CEO of 1440 and former private equity professional, built a $20M+ daily newsletter by focusing on product-first retention and disciplined unit economics. He discusses leaving PE to start 1440, mastering newsletter unit economics, early validation and growth tactics, fundraising choices, scaling a lean team, and plans to expand via topic-led content.

Jesse Pujji, founder of Ampush and Gateway X, shares his journey of bootstrapping tech-enabled businesses to multi-million dollar successes. He discusses leveraging early Facebook ad strategies and building robust talent pipelines to drive growth. Jesse emphasizes the value of organic audience building, sharing insights on his viral multi-million-dollar tweet and the mutual intro playbook for networking. He also reflects on his upbringing's influence on his management style, advocating for a trust-based approach and niche specialization in business.