Internet Empires with Ish Verduzco

Naomi Metzger of Afrochicks, a former Adidas-sponsored triple jump athlete, shares how she transitioned from athletics to crypto content creation after losing her sponsorship. Naomi discusses how she used NFTs to fund her career and how decentralized platforms like Farcaster and Zora enable creators to earn from day one. She also explains her AfroChicks coin and how it allows fans to invest in her growth.Where to Find Naomi: https://zora.co/@afrochickshttps://www.linkedin.com/in/naomi-metzger-147b5012a/https://x.com/AfroChicksNFThttps://share.google/7e5uc4gMl6v6JdEH6Need Help Building Your Empire? Click Below 👇 https://www.internetempires.com/

Tibo discusses how he sold his startups for $8M, emphasizing his approach of shipping one product per week, avoiding VC funding, and focusing on validation. He reflects on his journey with Tweet Hunter and Taplio, and shares his current challenge of growing five apps to $100K in monthly revenue. He stresses that distribution is more important than building in today’s competitive market.Where to Find Tibohttps://www.linkedin.com/in/tibo-the-maker/https://x.com/tibo_maker?lang=enNeed Help Building Your Empire? Click Below 👇 https://www.internetempires.com/

In this episode, Roberto Nickson shares his journey from building apps to becoming a creator and educator with a multi-million dollar media business. He dives into how brand partnerships, content creation, and business strategy helped him scale his career. Plus, we explore how family life, long-term vision, and content formats play into his business growth.Where to Find Robertohttps://www.instagram.com/rpn/?hl=enhttps://x.com/rpnicksonNeed Help Building Your Empire? Click Below 👇 https://www.internetempires.com/

2025 has been the year of distribution as the new moat. This episode is a recap of what we've covered on the show so far. It explores how creators win by owning their audience, building trust, and showing up consistently. You’ll hear stories of small podcasts landing major brand deals, newsletters that scale through reliability, and niche businesses that thrive because of who they reach, not just what they sell. These lessons reveal why distribution beats product every time, and how creators can leverage it to build sustainable businesses.Kevin Espiritu: https://x.com/KevinEspirituhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinespiritu/Justin Moore: https://x.com/justinmooretfamhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/justinnmoore/Brett Dashevsky: https://x.com/brettdash_?lang=enhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/brettdash/Andrew Yeung: https://x.com/andruyeunghttps://www.linkedin.com/in/andyeung/Need Help Building Your Empire? Click Below 👇 https://www.internetempires.com/

Chris Bakke is a 3x founder whose latest startup, Laskie, was acquired by Elon Musk just 90 days after a viral tweet. He’s worked at the intersection of recruiting, SaaS, and media—and even helped build the X Hiring platform from inside Twitter. In this episode, Chris shares the full unfiltered story of building, selling, and walking away.You’ll Learn:How Chris Bakke shares how one viral tweet led to a DM from Elon Musk and the eventual acquisition of his company, Laskie.The Behind the scenes of how he built a $5M ARR business with just 9 employees.What it was like scaling X Hiring inside Twitter, including launching 1M+ job listings in under a year.Chaos and culture clash: working with Tesla and SpaceX engineers inside Twitter HQ.Why Chris ultimately walked away from Elon’s company to reclaim his time and freedom.Tactical gems on startup exits, newsletters, deal-making, and audience building.Lessons from selling 3 companies and why he says: “Most startups don’t need to raise money.”Where to find Chris:https://www.linkedin.com/in/bakk3/https://x.com/chrisjbakke?lang=enhttps://intro.co/ChrisBakke?source=introhttps://www.chrisbakke.com/Need Help Building Your Empire? Click Below 👇 https://www.internetempires.com/

Ish sits down with Car Dealership Guy (CDG) — the anonymous Twitter account turned media mogul of the auto industry. What started as a pseudonymous experiment to blow off steam has evolved into a trusted, fast-scaling content empire serving 50,000+ car dealers and generating millions in sponsorship and service revenue. From bootstrapped marketing stunts to becoming the most trusted voice in auto — this is a masterclass in audience-first building, owning a niche, and turning trust into a business moat.In this episode, you’ll learn:- How CDG went from tweeting car-buying tips to owning one of the most influential media platforms in auto retail- The $1M+ business model behind newsletters, podcasts, live shows, and service partnerships- Why content velocity and quality matter more than ever in the AI era- His exact strategy for turning followers into customers and sponsors- How his small 6-person full-time team runs 14+ content channels- The real advice car buyers need to know before hitting the dealership- How to scale from creator → media company without losing your voice or visionWhere to Find Yossi: https://www.dealershipguy.com/https://www.linkedin.com/company/cardealershipguyhttps://x.com/GuyDealershiphttps://www.youtube.com/@CarDealershipGuyNeed Help Building Your Empire? Click Below 👇 https://www.internetempires.com/

Andrew Yeung is a former Google PM turned event powerhouse who built a $1M+ business by hosting curated IRL experiences. After quitting Google with $0 in income and a visa that required him to earn fast, Andrew went all-in on community-building through tech events, dinners, and conferences.You’ll learn:How Andrew made $400K in just two months post-GoogleThe exact playbook that gets sponsors to pay him to host eventsHow he runs 100+ events a year for 20,000+ people with a lean teamWhy IRL is outperforming digital in the AI ageHis underrated growth channels: Luma, email, and word-of-mouthHow to turn your network and curiosity into a real businessWhere to Find Andrewhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/andyeung/https://www.instagram.com/andrew.today/?hl=enhttps://www.andrewyeung.co/https://x.com/andruyeung?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthorhttps://www.instagram.com/andrewsmixers/?hl=enhttps://www.andrew.today/Need Help Building Your Empire? Click Below 👇 https://www.internetempires.com/

Zach Yadegari, the founder of Cal AI, a groundbreaking app that simplifies calorie tracking with AI technology. Zach shares his journey from a fitness enthusiast to a successful entrepreneur, discussing how Cal AI allows users to track calories by taking pictures of their food. Discover insights into Zach's entrepreneurial path, the app's rapid growth, and his innovative approach to influencer marketing. https://www.calai.app/Where to Find Zachhttps://www.instagram.com/zachyadegari/?hl=enhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/zachyadegari/https://x.com/zach_yadegari?lang=enhttps://zachyadegari.com/Need Help Building Your Empire? Click Below 👇 https://www.internetempires.com/

Justin Moore is a Sponsorship Coach, author, and the founder of Creator Wizard, a school & community that teaches you how to find & negotiate your dream brand partnerships so that you stop leaving thousands on the table. In this episode, you'll hear how Justin Moore helps creators land big sponsorships:Breaks down his frameworks: ROPE, ARC, and DO RuleExplains why psychographic data beats follower countLive walkthrough of how to pitch brands like RampReal-world pricing tips for licensing, exclusivity, and content rightsCreative sponsorship ideas: books, courses, and community grantsWhy most creators don’t need agents — and what to do insteadIn his latest book, "Sponsor Magnet," Justin offers a succinct distillation of his ideas and frameworks for securing successful brand collaborations. Order Now: https://www.sponsormagnet.com/Where to Find JustinNewsletter: https://pages.creatorwizard.com/joinWebsite: https://www.creatorwizard.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/creatorwizardPodcast: https://www.youtube.com/@creatordebatesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/creatorwizard/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@creatorwizard?Twitter: https://twitter.com/justinmooretfamLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinnmoore/Need Help Building Your Empire? Click Below 👇 https://www.internetempires.com/

Brett Dashevsky is a leading voice in the creator economy as the founder of Creator Economy NYC, the industry’s leading network and knowledge hub, connecting thousands of content creators and industry professionals through in-person events and insightful media. Brett Explains: - His transition to becoming a full-time creator- The significance of building a community within the creator economy- Creator monetization strategies- The role of personal branding in establishing credibility - Emerging trends in the creator economy Where to Find Bretthttps://www.linkedin.com/in/brettdash/https://x.com/brettdash_?lang=enhttps://www.instagram.com/brettdash_/?hl=enhttps://mail.creatoreconomynyc.com/Need Help Building Your Empire? Click Below 👇 https://www.internetempires.com/