Founder's Journal

Episode 12: Today, hosts Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista), Sophia Amoruso (@sophiaamoruso), and Jesse Pujji (@jspujji) brainstorm some brilliant ideas for making extra $$ in the new year, as well as how to come up with your own side hustle concepts. Then, the team gets deep with a discussion on year-end reflection and how they set goals and intentions for the coming year. And finally, we wrap with a fascinating Startup AMA addressing when and how to approach buying a domain.  #TheCrazyOnes #Startups #EntrepreneurListen to The Crazy Ones here: https://link.chtbl.com/OV4W93_WSubscribe to Morning Brew!Sign up for free today: https://bit.ly/morningbrewytFollow The Brew!Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/morningbrew/Twitter - https://twitter.com/MorningBrewTik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@morningbrewFollow Our Hosts!Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista)Sophia Amoruso (@sophiaamoruso)Jesse Pujji (@jspujji)(00:22) - Intro(00:58) - The Rundown(03:12) - How the team defines a side hustle(04:36) - How accurate the portrayal of Sophia’s story is on Netflix’s Girlboss(07:01) - Sophia’s view on side hustles(09:58) - Alex’s side hustle ideas(15:23) - Jesse’s side hustle ideas(18:20) - What many people don’t consider about side hustles(24:08) - How Jesse approaches year-end reflection(27:58) - How Sophia approaches reflecting at the end of the year(30:07) - How Alex approached year-end reflection this year(34:12) - The trick that helps Jesse stick with his New Year’s resolutions(39:14) - Startup AMA: Buying Domain Names(42:03) - How Jesse made 5-figures from selling a domain(43:21) - What went wrong with Sophia’s domain name purchase(45:22) - When it does, and does NOT make sense to spend $$ on buying a domain nameLinks:https://microacquire.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 11: Today, hosts Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista), Sophia Amoruso (@sophiaamoruso), and Jesse Pujji (@jspujji) are talking about the brilliance behind airline rewards programs, and other genius ways that businesses have found to get extra cash out of their partners and customers. Then, the team talks end-of-year planning for your business and how to determine which goals and metrics to work towards in the new year. And finally, the team answers a Startup AMA question addressing the biggest misconceptions around founders. #TheCrazyOnes #Startups #EntrepreneurListen to The Crazy Ones here: https://link.chtbl.com/OV4W93_WSubscribe to Morning Brew!Sign up for free today: https://bit.ly/morningbrewytFollow The Brew!Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/morningbrew/Twitter - https://twitter.com/MorningBrewTik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@morningbrewFollow Our Hosts!Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista)Sophia Amoruso (@sophiaamoruso)Jesse Pujji (@jspujji)(00:28) - Intro(01:12) - The Rundown(01:55) - The genius of airline loyalty programs(02:58) - Blue Chip Stamps - one of the early loyalty programs(07:09) - How airline loyalty programs work to be so profitable(13:40) - How Starbucks profits from its app ordering system(16:17) - Why it’s important as a business builder to think about getting cash earlier in the cycle of a transaction(21:20) - How Jesse goes about end-of-year planning for his business(30:09) - How to think about end-of-year planning in a way that incorporates your personal goals(34:44) - The Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) used at Morning Brew(40:21) - Startup AMA: What are the biggest myths or misconceptions that people have about startup founders?Links: Airline Loyalty Programs: Main Aspects, Types, and a Technological Perspective How Airlines Make Billions From Monetizing Frequent Flyer Programs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 10: The team is back together again! Today, hosts Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista), Sophia Amoruso (@sophiaamoruso), and Jesse Pujji (@jspujji) discuss the marketing brilliance of Spotify Wrapped and all that makes it a mega success, as well as how other companies can try to replicate it. Then, the team dives into selling your business—when, how, and why to do it, what the process is ACTUALLY like, and their biggest takeaways from their own experiences. And finally, we wrap with a game of Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down, in which the team weighs in on some news-related hot takes. #TheCrazyOnes #Startups #EntrepreneurListen to The Crazy Ones here: https://link.chtbl.com/OV4W93_WSubscribe to Morning Brew!Sign up for free today: https://bit.ly/morningbrewytFollow The Brew!Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/morningbrew/Twitter - https://twitter.com/MorningBrewTik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@morningbrewFollow Our Hosts!Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista)Sophia Amoruso (@sophiaamoruso)Jesse Pujji (@jspujji)(00:33) - Intro(01:54) - The Rundown(02:28) - Quick history of Spotify Wrapped(03:03) - Jesse’s Spotify Wrapped(04:50) - Sophia’s Spotify Wrapped(07:20) - Alex’s Spotify Wrapped(08:32) - What makes Spotify Wrapped so successful(12:58) - The rumored origin story of Spotify Wrapped(14:43) - The team brainstorms how to apply the lessons from Spotify Wrapped to your their own businesses(22:27) - Jesse’s experience of the process selling a business(28:37) - Why Alex and Austin decided to sell Morning Brew, and what Alex thinks about the reasons to sell a business(33:06) - Sophia’s experience of selling Girlboss(34:05) - What Sophia potentially could have made on selling Nasty Gal(35:33) - Why it’s okay to sell a business when you’re early in your career(37:45) - The grueling nature of the process of selling your business(42:01) - The one thing Jesse, Sophia, and Alex would do differently if they were re-doing the sales of their business(44:34) - Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down Links: Spotify Wrapped this year Sophia’s top Spotify songs Jesse’s top Spotify song Alex’s top Spotify song Elad Blog - 5 Reasons to Sell Your Startup Justin Kan - The Founder’s Guide To Selling Your Company Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 8: Today, host Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) is solo again for another special episode of The Crazy Ones, this time featuring founder and CEO of 1-800-GOT-JUNK and 02E Brands, Brian Scudamore (@BrianScudamore). Brian bought a used truck and started 1-800-GOT-JUNK in 1989 as a college dropout. Today, 1-800-GOT-JUNK makes $600 million in revenue, and Brian has also created the parent company 02E Brands which brings in an addition $100 million with its other businesses. Listen to hear Brian explain how he grew 1-800-GOT-JUNK from the ground up with a mixture of brilliant publicity tactics and smart hiring, as well as how Brian thinks about his role as a leader as his company grows.#TheCrazyOnes #Startups #EntrepreneurListen to The Crazy Ones here: https://link.chtbl.com/OV4W93_WSubscribe to Morning Brew!Sign up for free today: https://bit.ly/morningbrewytFollow The Brew!Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/morningbrew/Twitter - https://twitter.com/MorningBrewTik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@morningbrewFollow Our Hosts!Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista)Sophia Amoruso (@sophiaamoruso)Jesse Pujji (@jspujji)00:43 - Intro03:12 - How Brian started 1-800-GOT-JUNK05:37 - 02E Brands’ reach and annual revenue06:40 - Brian’s passion and what keeps him motivated10:50 - How Brian got onto the Ellen Degeneres Show14:37 - Brian’s opinion on PR to promote your business16:20 - Brian’s decision to lay off his whole team in 199419:23 - Why Brian places a high importance on hiring for culture fit21:44 - The most important decisions Brian made to allow his business to grow25:54 - How 02E’s brand franchising works29:53 - How Brian determined the price of services for 1-800-GOT-JUNK32:07 - The systems Brian implements so that his ADD doesn’t derail him34:48 - How Brian’s management of the business has changed as the company has grown41:13 - Brian’s transition to being less hands-on with the day-to-day operations as his company grew42:48 - Startup AMA: How do you think about what to do with the cashflow of your business?Links: WTF book BYOB: Build Your Own Business, Be Your Own Boss The E-Myth Revisited Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 8: Today, host Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) is flying solo for a very special episode of The Crazy Ones featuring founder and private equity investor Codie Sanchez (@codie_sanchez). Codie has made millions from buying boring businesses (think laundromats, carwashes, and AirBnBs), and has also amassed an audience of over 3 million followers with her media company, Contrarian Thinking. Listen to hear Codie tell Alex about how to determine which boring businesses are actually worth investing in, how to hire good operators, and the art of deal structuring and negotiation.#TheCrazyOnes #Startups #EntrepreneurListen to The Crazy Ones here: https://link.chtbl.com/OV4W93_WSubscribe to Morning Brew!Sign up for free today: https://bit.ly/morningbrewytFollow The Brew!Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/morningbrew/Twitter - https://twitter.com/MorningBrewTik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@morningbrewFollow Our Hosts!Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista)Sophia Amoruso (@sophiaamoruso)Jesse Pujji (@jspujji)00:44 - Intro01:40 - The Rundown03:13 - How Codie got to where she is today06:08 - The first boring business Codie bought10:30 - What lessons Codie has learned around deal-structuring and negotiation18:09 - The best negotiations Codie has ever done21:45 - What makes a great operator for your boring business23:52 - How Codie scares away a bad hire26:05 - What boring businesses are catching Codie’s eye right now33:22 - Why Codie is fascinated with Reese Witherspoon’s business model36:59 - Why Codie decided to dive deep into content creation46:10 - How Codie’s boring businesses compare with her media business48:15 - What Codie has learned about leadership50:38 - Codie’s hot takes and spiky opinionsLinks: Contrarian Thinking Newsletter Codie Sanchez YouTube Channel Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 7: Today, hosts Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista), Sophia Amoruso (@sophiaamoruso), and Jesse Pujji (@jspujji) recount the wild story of how the digital media company Red Ventures bootstrapped its way to becoming a business with an $11 billion valuation. Then, the crew dives into fundraising—when to do it, how to set your goals, and their best advice for how to raise most successfully. And finally, the crew answers a Startup AMA question around how find the most attractive benefits packages at the best rates as a small company.#TheCrazyOnes #Startups #EntrepreneurListen to The Crazy Ones here: https://link.chtbl.com/OV4W93_WSubscribe to Morning Brew!Sign up for free today: https://bit.ly/morningbrewytFollow The Brew!Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/morningbrew/Twitter - https://twitter.com/MorningBrewTik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@morningbrew00:33 - Intro02:02 - The Rundown03:15 - The story of Ric Elias and Red Ventures08:09 - Ric’s life-changing experience 08:51 - How Red Ventures’ growth started to take off12:10 - Red Ventures’ great work culture13:29 - Jesse’s biggest takeaways from working with Red Ventures15:38 - How Ric Elias spends his time24:16 - Sophia’s experience of fundraising and her biggest lessons learned30:51 - What kind of businesses should raise money vs shouldn’t?36:29 - Sophia’s advice for founders looking to raise capital right now37:05 - Jesse’s advice for founders looking to raise capital right now37:37 - Alex’s advice for founders looking to raise capital right now37:58 - Startup AMA - How do startups get attractive benefits packages at competitive rates before they get a large headcount?Links:  Ric Elias TED Talk  You’ve Never Heard of the Biggest Digital Media Company in America Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 6: Today, hosts Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista), Sophia Amoruso (@sophiaamoruso), and Jesse Pujji (@jspujji) break down the hype behind Generative AI—what is it, how it’s being used right now, and how to think about it as a business builder. Then, the team discusses their personal experiences with using executive coaches and why it is or isn’t worth the money. And finally, we finish the episode with a game of Product Hunt Roulette, where the team picks their favorite new companies featured on Product Hunt, a startup curation site.#TheCrazyOnes #Startups #EntrepreneurListen to The Crazy Ones here: https://link.chtbl.com/OV4W93_WSubscribe to Morning Brew!Sign up for free today: https://bit.ly/morningbrewytFollow The Brew!Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/morningbrew/Twitter - https://twitter.com/MorningBrewTik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@morningbrewFollow Our Hosts!Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista)Sophia Amoruso (@sophiaamoruso)Jesse Pujji (@jspujji)00:00 - Cold Open00:45 - Intro 02:05 - The Rundown02:54 - Why is Generative AI a GOLD RUSH?12:47 - Jasper AI & Copy AI LIVE TESTS16:18 - Takeaways & Ideas from Generative AI22:46 - Is Executive Coaching Worth It?13:35 - Jesse’s on what he’d do as CEO of Twitter17:06 - Sophia on never wanting to be Elon Musk21:29 - Alex on the 6 Steps to turn Twitter around23:17 - How the crew would monetize Twitter26:23 - Lessons for entrepreneurs watchingLinks: Sequoia Capital definition of Generative AI The Timeline of Generative AI Open AI’s $1B Funding From Microsoft Jasper AI’s $1.5B Valuation Product Hunt’s Website Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 5: EMERGENCY POD – Today, hosts Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista), Sophia Amoruso (@sophiaamoruso), and Jesse Pujji (@jspujji) had to spontaneously hop on the mic to talk about Elon’s $44 Billion takeover of the world’s most topical social app, Twitter, and the steps he’s already taken to monetize the company. Then, the crew plays “what would you do as Elon Musk” and give their own ideas into how to turn the Twitter ship around.#TheCrazyOnes #Startups #EntrepreneurListen to The Crazy Ones here: https://link.chtbl.com/OV4W93_WSubscribe to Morning Brew!Sign up for free today:  https://bit.ly/morningbrewytFollow The Brew!Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/morningbrew/Twitter - https://twitter.com/MorningBrewTik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@morningbrewFollow Our Hosts!Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista)Sophia Amoruso (@sophiaamoruso)Jesse Pujji (@jspujji)00:00 - Cold Open00:58 - Intro 01:11 - The Rundown01:41 - Chronology of Elon’s story acquiring Twitter06:41 - Elon announcing Twitter Blue10:38 - Elon’s new Twitter Cohort12:37 - Advertisers hinting to pull money out of Twitter13:35 - Jesse’s on what he’d do as CEO of Twitter17:06 - Sophia on never wanting to be Elon Musk21:29 - Alex on the 6 Steps to turn Twitter around23:17 - How the crew would monetize Twitter26:23 - Lessons for entrepreneurs watchingLinks: Elon’s Tweet about “Twitter Blue” Stephen King hating on Elon Advertisers leaving Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 4: Today, hosts Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista), Sophia Amoruso (@sophiaamoruso), and Jesse Pujji (@jspujji) breakdown MrBeast’s $1.5 billion valuation and exactly what factors have allowed MrBeast to be so successful. Then, the team shares their strategies for coming up with ideas for new businesses, and Alex shares his most recent startup pitches. And finally, for Startup AMA we answer a listener question about the best and worst hiring practices.#TheCrazyOnes #Startups #EntrepreneurListen to The Crazy Ones here: https://link.chtbl.com/OV4W93_WSubscribe to Morning Brew!Sign up for free today:  https://bit.ly/morningbrewytFollow The Brew!Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/morningbrew/Twitter - https://twitter.com/MorningBrewTik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@morningbrewFollow Our Hosts!Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista)Sophia Amoruso (@sophiaamoruso)Jesse Pujji (@jspujji)Links: Paul Graham’s How to Get Startup Ideas How to get startup ideas in 10 diagrams Alex’s 7 strategies to brainstorm startup ideas Hiring Decision Template Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 3: Today, hosts Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista), Sophia Amoruso (@sophiaamoruso), and Jesse Pujji (@jspujji) get into the MADNESS of the Gas app - a new social networking platform that has surpassed Instagram, TikTok and Twitter for daily downloads. Then, they get into how to & how NOT to conduct a layoff, whether it’s for one person or a company-wide one. And finally, the trio gets real about the secrets of QSBS and how understanding it can save you MILLIONS.00:01 - Cold Open: Jesse speaking to Zuckerberg about the highschool version of Facebook00:32 - Intro 01:35 - The Rundown02:27 - How the “Gas” app works and how it stays positive03:50 - Sophia on the Founder of Gas being a “master” of testing & iterating05:45 - Alex on Highschoolers being the “best demographic” to build an app for07:40 - Jesse on the difficulty of building consumer businesses07:57 - Jesse’s highschool version of Facebook10:00 - Jesse speaking to Mark Zuckerberg12:44 - Where does the Gas app go from here?13:35 - The “Gas” app’s ‘money printing machine’15:40 - The second & third gen of Social Apps17:50 - The Takeaways from Gas21:48 - The “Hub & Spoke” Model of building your business23:10 - Microsoft & the trend of Tech Industry Layoffs24:32 - Sophia on layoffs needing more clarity & planning28:50 - Jesse on Founders needing to be passionate about people & leadership30:35 - The HORRIBLE Better.com Zoom layoff & reaction34:30 - What is QSBS & how it saves founders MILLIONSLinks: WSJ article on the Gas app Nikita Bier’s tweet on Gas’s success Allegations on China faltering the Gas app’s growth Microsoft lays off 1,000 Chart of all Tech Industry Layoffs since COVID How To Rally A Company Through a Round of Layoffs Netflix on building a “team not a family” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices