The Crazy Ones

By Morning Brew

Business Careers

What's The Crazy Ones about?

Founders, friends and fellow builders Alex Lieberman and Jesse Pujji know what it is to be a founder. The irrational confidence, relentless grind and creative ecstasy needed to build something. In this show, they dole out unfiltered opinions and advice on how to build businesses, and how the current state of the world helps or hurts founders.

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LAST EPISODE

How To Die…With Zero

03.29.2023

Episode 36: Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) brings you a special Wednesday edition of Founder’s Journal to share lessons from Bill Perkins’ Die With Zero. It’s a playbook on how to live life by maximizing enjoyment vs. maximizing wealth. Entrepreneurs can get ...

The Crazy Ones episodes:

03.29.2023 How To Die…With Zero Episode 36: Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) brings you a special Wednesday edition of Founder’s Journal to share lessons from Bill Perkins’ Die With Zero. It’s a playbook on how to live life by maximizing enjoyment vs. maximizing wealth. Entrepreneurs can get ...
03.28.2023 The Business Behind Conferences + Embracing Confrontation Episode 35: Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) and Jesse Pujji (@jspujji) look at the people behind some of the biggest business conferences today. If Alex and Jesse could start their own conference, what kind would it be and how would they start ...
03.23.2023 The Art of Scrappiness Episode 34: Are you spending too much time on things that aren’t really growing your business? Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) shares his take on the pros and cons of being a scrappy entrepreneur. Some of the common pitfalls every entrepreneur faces ...
03.21.2023 Rolex Is A Nonprofit + When To Disrupt Your Own Business Episode 33: Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) and Jesse Pujji (@jspujji) do another round of High, Low, Buffalo to catch up. Jesse shares how he’s been able to disrupt his meetings at Kahani to make them much more efficient and effective. Alex ...
03.16.2023 How To Get Your Initial Customers Episode 32 Founder’s Journal: Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) shares his experience and tips on how to acquire your first group of customers, whether that be 100 or 1000. First, he talks about the early stages of Morning Brew, going from classroom ...
03.13.2023 Silicon Valley Bank: What Happened and Why Episode 31: (Recorded 03/10/23) Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) and Jesse Pujji (@jspujji) react and unpack the news about Silicon Valley Bank and its collapse. Jesse goes into where banks fit in the entire financial ecosystem and how they relate to startups. ...
03.09.2023 How to Not F*ck Up Your Meetings Episode 30: Let’s face it…most meetings suck. Even when they’re set up with all the best intentions, they often end up being a waste of everyone’s time. So what can be done? Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) has 7 important lessons to ...
03.07.2023 The Story of Sam Zemurray is Bananas Episode 29: In this episode, Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) and Jesse Pujji (@jspujji) catch up to talk about Jesse’s tips on unplugging when going on vacation. Then, the guys get into the incredible story of Sam Zemurray, the billionaire that built ...
03.02.2023 Venture Studios 101 w/ Jesse Pujji Episode 28: In this episode, Jesse Pujji (@jspujji) breaks down what a venture studio is, the pros & cons of a venture studio, and examples of successful studios that could be your source of inspiration. Then, Jesse shares what the ...
02.28.2023 How a 26-Year Old With Autism Built a $10 Million Samurai Sword Business Episode 27: In this episode, Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) and Jesse Pujji (@jspujji) are sitting down with Isaac Medeiros. He’s the founder of MiniKatana, a product company that is wildly successful because of its…content? That’s right. MiniKatana goes beyond building products. ...
02.23.2023 How To Deal With Imposter Syndrome Episode 26: It’s ok, you’re not alone. Today, Alex (@businessbarista) tackles the phenomenon that affects even the most prominent leaders today: imposter syndrome. Whether you’re an executive of a multinational corporation or small business owner, we’ve all dealt with it. ...
02.21.2023 Takeaways from Rihanna’s Career & How to Test Your Business Ideas Episode 25: Today, hosts Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) and Jesse Pujji (@jspujji) are discussing how Rihanna built her businesses. From convincing Jay-Z to being a multi-platinum artist to establishing her fashion brand, Fenty Beauty, Rihanna has grown to be one of ...
02.16.2023 My 7 Biggest Lessons From Launching GrowthAssistant Episode 24: In this episode of The Crazy Ones, host Jesse Pujji (@jspujji) is sharing his seven biggest takeaways from launching GrowthAssistant, which celebrated its 2-year anniversary on February 10th. Listen to hear Jesse share some really sage advice on ...
02.14.2023 The Story of Richard Branson & How to Find Product-Market Fit Episode 23: Today, hosts Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) and Jesse Pujji (@jspujji) are discussing product-market fit: how to find it, what to do when you don’t have it, and just how much you should actually worry about it. Then, Jesse and ...
02.09.2023 How to Crush Investor Updates Episode 22: In this episode of The Crazy Ones, host Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) is walking you through why, when, and how to craft the perfect investor update, complete with advice from some very experienced investors. #TheCrazyOnes #Startups #Entrepreneur Listen to ...
02.07.2023 How One Author Raised $41M on Kickstarter Episode 21: Today, hosts Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) and Jesse Pujji (@jspujji) are getting into all things crowdfunding. Alex has decided to create a Kickstarter campaign for his new business, The Plunge, and is learning a lot in the process—from the ...
02.02.2023 How to Build Your Second Brain (BONUS EPISODE) Episode 20: In this special bonus episode of The Crazy Ones, host Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) is telling you everything you need to know about personal knowledge management. That’s right, Alex is breaking down and summarizing what he’s learned in a ...
01.31.2023 Exclusive: Selling My Company & Making Life-Changing Money Episode 19: Today, hosts Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) and Jesse Pujji (@jspujji) are breaking down the recent sale of Jesse’s first business, Ampush. From building the company in the early days, to making the decision to sell, to the actual negotiations ...
01.26.2023 How to Run a Great Off-Site (BONUS EPISODE) Episode 18: Today, host Jesse Pujji (@jspujji) is bringing you a special bonus episode addressing a frequently asked question—how do you run a great team off-site? Listen to hear Jesse break down the fundamentals of running an impactful off-site with ...
01.24.2023 Jonathan Swanson on Building a Unicorn and Delegating 90% of Your Life Episode 17: Today, hosts Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) and Jesse Pujji (@jspujji) are joined by fellow startup entrepreneur Jonathan Swanson. Jonathan is the co-founder and chairman of Thumbtack—a massive technology leader building the modern home management platform. In this episode, Jonathan ...
01.17.2023 How an Entrepreneur Turns Self-Hate into Love Episode 16: Today, hosts Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) and Jesse Pujji (@jspujji) discuss some of the highly self-critical beliefs Alex has been reflecting on as a founder, and how he’s learned to reframe them for himself. #TheCrazyOnes #Startups #Entrepreneur Listen to ...
01.10.2023 Our 2023 Predictions, from AI to the Creator Economy Episode 15: Today, hosts Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) and Jesse Pujji (@jspujji) are talking about their predictions in the business world for 2023—from generative AI, to content creation, what will happen with Twitter (of course), and so much more. Then, Alex ...
01.03.2023 Co-founders Austin Rief and Alex Lieberman on Building Morning Brew Episode 14: To kick off the new year, host Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) is bringing you a very special episode of The Crazy Ones featuring Morning Brew Co-Founder and CEO Austin Rief (@Austin_Rief) and special guest Sahil Bloom (@SahilBloom). In this ...
12.27.2022 Building a Multimillion Dollar Business…By Yourself Episode 13: Today, hosts Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista), Sophia Amoruso (@sophiaamoruso), and Jesse Pujji (@jspujji) are talking solo-preneurship—aka running a business of one. What are the pros and cons of being a solo-preneur? And what types of businesses is solo-preneurship best ...
12.20.2022 We Give Away 7 Profitable Side Hustle Ideas for 2023 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, ...
12.13.2022 Why Airlines Are Banks, How to Annual Plan for Your Business & The Biggest Myths About Founders 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 ...
12.06.2022 The Genius of Spotify Wrapped and How to Copy It, and How to Sell Your Business for 9 Figures 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 ...
11.29.2022 How the Founder of 1-800-GOT-JUNK Built His $700M Empire 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 ...
11.22.2022 How Codie Sanchez Built a $50 Million Portfolio of Boring Businesses, and the #1 Skill to Learn in a Recession 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 ...
11.15.2022 What You Need to Know Before Raising Capital, and The Billion-Dollar Media Company You’ve Never Heard of 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 ...
11.08.2022 What Generative AI Means for Startups and Are Executive Coaches Worth It? 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, ...
11.03.2022 Can Elon Turn the Twitter Ship Around? 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 ...
11.01.2022 How Did Mr. Beast Build a $1.5 BILLION Empire, the 5 Ways to Brainstorm Business Ideas and How to Hire FAQ 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 ...
10.25.2022 How to & How NOT to do Layoffs, the Tax Tip to save you MILLIONS and is the Gas App Going to Solve Bullying? 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 ...
10.18.2022 How Spirit Halloween Makes $600M in 2 Months, The Journey of a CEO & Is a Recession Coming? Episode 2: Today, hosts Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista), Sophia Amoruso (@sophiaamoruso), and Jesse Pujji (@jspujji) kick off with a discussion of Jamie Dimon’s recent economic predictions and how a possible recession will impact startup founders. Then, we jump into the aspects ...
10.11.2022 How Liquid Death got a $700 Million Valuation, Making Your Pitch Deck Undeniable & The Hidden Truth of Being a Tech Entrepreneur Episode 1: Welcome to the FIRST EPISODE of The Crazy Ones, hosted by fellow friends, founders, and builders, Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista), Sophia Amoruso (@sophiaamoruso), and Jesse Pujji (@jspujji). Today, we talk about the rise and the insane $700M evaluation of ...
10.04.2022 Introducing The Crazy Ones Announcing the launch of Morning Brew's newest podcast, The Crazy Ones! Hosts Alex Lieberman, Sophia Amoruso, and Jesse Pujji, will be delivering the sharpest insights and unfiltered opinions about the issues affecting founders today, and the information you need to ...
06.27.2022 The Future of Founder’s Journal After more than 300 episodes, Founder’s Journal is taking a little hiatus. We are making some changes to level the show up to create the best possible podcast for business builders. There are really exciting things in the works and ...
06.24.2022 The Power of Leverage (Classic) In this classic episode, I break down the different types of leverage you need to understand to make smart career decisions. Check out full episode transcripts at https://foundersjournal.morningbrew.com to learn more, and if you have any ideas for our show, ...
06.22.2022 Considering The Unexpected (Classic) This week’s miniseries theme is Mental Models. In this episode, I break down why every great entrepreneur, investor, or employee must learn how to become a great second order thinker. Check out full episode transcripts at https://foundersjournal.morningbrew.com to learn more, ...
06.20.2022 Solving Problems and Making Better Decisions (Classic) In this classic episode, I talk about why it is essential to understand the mental model known as Inversion Check out full episode transcripts at https://foundersjournal.morningbrew.com to learn more, and if you have any ideas for our show, email me ...
06.17.2022 Mimetic Theory & Decision Making (Classic) In this classic episode, I talk about why it is essential to understand mimetic theory and how it impacts the choices you make every single day. Check out full episode transcripts at https://foundersjournal.morningbrew.com to learn more, and if you have ...
06.15.2022 The Right Way to Take Time Off In this classic episode, I'm discussing the steps you should take to properly set yourself up at work before taking time off. As mentioned in the episode, check out two of my previous episodes, How to Unplug From Work and ...
06.13.2022 How to Overcome Builder's Block (Classic) In this classic episode, I talk about a concept that I call Builder’s Block, what I do to remedy it, and why I think Builder’s Block is a good thing. Check out full episode transcripts at https://foundersjournal.morningbrew.com to learn more, ...
06.10.2022 The Evolution of an Entrepreneur (Classic) In this classic episode I talk about the skills an entrepreneur must adapt over the life of their business. Check out full episode transcripts at https://foundersjournal.morningbrew.com to learn more, and if you have any ideas for our show, email me ...
06.08.2022 How Entrepreneurs Think (Classic) In this classic episode, I’m talking about the mental toolkit of successful entrepreneurs. If you're interested in learning more about thinking independently, check out my previous episode, Think for Yourself. Check out full episode transcripts at https://foundersjournal.morningbrew.com to learn more, ...
06.06.2022 Creating Startup Ideas (Classic) In this episode, I talk about how to think of startup ideas and cultivating the mindset of a business brainstormer. And if you're interested in hearing more about the formation and growth of Notarize, check out my previous episode, What ...
06.03.2022 Should I Hire My Friend (Classic) In this classic episode, I talk about a concept that I call Builder’s Block, what I do to remedy it, and why I think Builder’s Block is a good thing. Check out full episode transcripts at https://foundersjournal.morningbrew.com to learn more, ...
06.01.2022 Nurturing Your Hires (Classic) In this classic episode, I discuss why companies should maintain relationships with all-star candidates, even if they aren't a fit for a specific role. Check out full episode transcripts at https://foundersjournal.morningbrew.com to learn more, and if you have any ideas ...
05.30.2022 Learning How to Learn (Classic) In this classic episode, I break down a four-step process for efficiently learning about any new topic personally or professionally. Check out full episode transcripts at https://foundersjournal.morningbrew.com to learn more, and if you have any ideas for our show, email ...

Older episodes

The Crazy Ones

What's The Crazy Ones about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The Crazy Ones episodes:

How To Die…With Zero

The Business Behind Conferences + Embracing Confrontation

The Art of Scrappiness

Rolex Is A Nonprofit + When To Disrupt Your Own Business

How To Get Your Initial Customers

Silicon Valley Bank: What Happened and Why

How to Not F*ck Up Your Meetings

The Story of Sam Zemurray is Bananas

Venture Studios 101 w/ Jesse Pujji

How a 26-Year Old With Autism Built a $10 Million Samurai Sword Business

How To Deal With Imposter Syndrome

Takeaways from Rihanna’s Career & How to Test Your Business Ideas

My 7 Biggest Lessons From Launching GrowthAssistant

The Story of Richard Branson & How to Find Product-Market Fit

How to Crush Investor Updates

How One Author Raised $41M on Kickstarter

How to Build Your Second Brain (BONUS EPISODE)

Exclusive: Selling My Company & Making Life-Changing Money

How to Run a Great Off-Site (BONUS EPISODE)

Jonathan Swanson on Building a Unicorn and Delegating 90% of Your Life

How an Entrepreneur Turns Self-Hate into Love

Our 2023 Predictions, from AI to the Creator Economy

Co-founders Austin Rief and Alex Lieberman on Building Morning Brew

Building a Multimillion Dollar Business…By Yourself

We Give Away 7 Profitable Side Hustle Ideas for 2023

Why Airlines Are Banks, How to Annual Plan for Your Business & The Biggest Myths About Founders

The Genius of Spotify Wrapped and How to Copy It, and How to Sell Your Business for 9 Figures

How the Founder of 1-800-GOT-JUNK Built His $700M Empire

How Codie Sanchez Built a $50 Million Portfolio of Boring Businesses, and the #1 Skill to Learn in a Recession

What You Need to Know Before Raising Capital, and The Billion-Dollar Media Company You’ve Never Heard of

What Generative AI Means for Startups and Are Executive Coaches Worth It?

Can Elon Turn the Twitter Ship Around?

How Did Mr. Beast Build a $1.5 BILLION Empire, the 5 Ways to Brainstorm Business Ideas and How to Hire FAQ

How to & How NOT to do Layoffs, the Tax Tip to save you MILLIONS and is the Gas App Going to Solve Bullying?

How Spirit Halloween Makes $600M in 2 Months, The Journey of a CEO & Is a Recession Coming?

How Liquid Death got a $700 Million Valuation, Making Your Pitch Deck Undeniable & The Hidden Truth of Being a Tech Entrepreneur

Introducing The Crazy Ones

The Future of Founder’s Journal

The Power of Leverage (Classic)

Considering The Unexpected (Classic)

Solving Problems and Making Better Decisions (Classic)

Mimetic Theory & Decision Making (Classic)

The Right Way to Take Time Off

How to Overcome Builder's Block (Classic)

The Evolution of an Entrepreneur (Classic)

How Entrepreneurs Think (Classic)

Creating Startup Ideas (Classic)

Should I Hire My Friend (Classic)

Nurturing Your Hires (Classic)

Learning How to Learn (Classic)