Creator Lab - interviews with entrepreneurs and startup founders

Zaid Admani is a creator and part-time Civil Engineer. He creates content on finance and business that is both educational and entertaining. He has built up a following of ~400k people & has generated more than 100 million views across social media.

Subscribe & watch on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/j-he_V_V5nY 

Timestamps: 

• (00:00:00) - Intro
• (00:04:14) - Zaid’s Creator Journey
• (00:21:04) - Zaid’s Civil Engineering Background
• (00:32:04) - Zaid’s Content Style
• (00:43:39) - Creating Viral Content vs. Meaningful Content
• (00:57:12) - Sponsor: LinkedIn Jobs
• (00:58:23) - Balancing Educating and Entertaining
• (01:00:26) - Inside Look at Zaid’s Content Creation Process
• (01:33:33) - Quantity vs Quality
• (01:39:43) - Why TikTok Live
• (01:49:40) - Monetization

Links Mentioned:

• Zaid’s Twitter
• Zaid’s TikTok
• Timm Chiusano’s TikTok
• Descript

Thank you to our sponsors:

Linkedin Jobs - helps you find the candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post a job for free on https://linkedin.com/creator

Suneel Gupta is a writer and entrepreneur. He studies leaders from around the world to discover and share simple, actionable habits that enhance performance and deepen ones state of well-being.

Subscribe & watch on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/kZwbKcnsdbY

Timestamps: 

• (00:00:00) - Intro
• (00:01:49) - Suneel’s Backstory
• (00:03:35) - What is Dharma?
• (00:17:38) - The Arrival Fallacy
• (00:24:44) - The Ambition Paradox?
• (00:32:51) - Sponsor: LinkedIn Jobs
• (00:34:02) - Searching for Meaning
• (00:42:37) - The Importance of Recovery
• (00:46:06) - The 85% Rule
• (00:50:58) - Tools for Finding Dharma
• (01:00:56) - Music Mindset
• (01:04:33) - Staying Connected to your Essence

Links Mentioned

• Suneel's Book - Everyday Dharma
• WSJ Article on One Medical Acquisition of Rise
• Tel Ben-Shahar
• Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning

Thank you to our sponsors:

Linkedin Jobs - helps you find the candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post a job for free on https://linkedin.com/creator

Kallaway is creator with a passion for producing content centered around tech and cult brands. He has generated over 100 million views and amassed a large following across social media.

Subscribe & watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/etQpm_bQJH8

Timestamps:

• (00:00:00) - Intro

• (00:02:22) - Kallaway’s Backstory

• (00:17:07) - Distribution is King

• (00:20:57) - Why Short-Form Video?

• (00:28:56) - Actionable Advice on Creating Content

• (00:44:53) - Sponsor: LinkedIn Jobs
• (00:46:04) - Comedy & Storytelling

• (00:52:41) - Why Writing is the Most Important Skill

• (01:03:33) - Inside Look at Kallaway’s Script Layout

• (01:05:59) - Kallaway’s Equipment

• (01:10:24) - Kallaway’s Editing Process

• (01:32:35) - Psychology of Creating Content

• (01:44:57) - How to go viral

• (01:49:37) - Newsletter Insights

• (01:55:26) - Thoughts on Monetization

• (01:59:52) - Becoming a Full-Time Creator 

Links Mentioned

• Kallaway’s Personal Website

• Kallaway’s Twitter

• Espresso Letter

• TikTok Example 1

• TikTok Example 2

• TikTok Example 3

• Camera

• Lens

• Capture Card

• Microphone

• Recording Software

• Youtube Downloader (Downie)

• Premiere Keyboard Shortcuts 

Thank you to our sponsors:

Linkedin Jobs - helps you find the candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post a job for free on linkedin.com/creator

Subscribe & watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/zJBc0-rsnVo

Timestamps:

• 00:00:00 - Start
• 00:04:26 - What VCs do & how it overlaps with Mario’s experience
• 00:08:00 - Why Be A Generalist vs. Specialist?
• 00:11:32 - Surprising characteristics of “who becomes an entrepreneur”?
• 00:15:52 - Average age of entrepreneurs - fact vs fiction
• 00:17:58 - Emerging Tech (AI, Crypto, Health)
• 00:22:34 - Valuations in 2023
• 00:24:53 - Feelings After FTX & Luna Crash
• 0:33:24 - Web 2.5 Companies
• 00:35:45 - Neo Banks vs Traditional Banks
• 00:37:30 - Fintech Overlap w/ Crypto
• 00:38:33 - ChatGPT vs. Google
• 00:41:55 - Types of searches & AI co-pilots
• 00:44:34 - Hype Cycles: Football vs. Tech
• 00:48:22 - Sponsor Break: Virtual Gurus
• 00:49:25 - Monetizing AI & Google vs. Microsoft
• 00:56:59 - Satya Smashing It At Microsoft
• 01:02:36 - What Running A $15mil Fund Looks Like
• 01:16:19 - Behind The Mind
• 01:17:08 - If you weren’t doing the generalist what would you be doing?
• 01:18:26 - Contrarian Opinions
• 01:23:08 - Subcultures, Reality TV & The Day of Judgement
• 01:26:14 - People That Have Impacted Your Thinking

Links Mentioned

• https://www.generalist.com/briefing/all-the-answers
• https://www.generalist.com/briefing/josh-wolfe
• https://www.generalist.com/briefing/the-casino-and-the-genie

Thank you to our sponsors:

• The Virtual Gurus - if you’re looking for talented remote staff on a budget, book a free consult at thevirtualgurus.com/creator

Subscribe & watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/c1vgzbouoXY

Timestamps:

• (00:00:00) - Intro
• (00:00:24) - Start Of Interview
• (00:06:43) - Selling Companies & Expertise Gap
• (00:15:40) - Expertise Gap in 2023
• (00:20:18) - Selling Company: Strategic vs Financial Buyers
• (00:23:50) - Getting New Clients & Figuring Out Pricing
• (00:39:29) - Sponsor Break: Virtual Gurus
• (00:40:32) - Press, Scaling Beyond Yourself & Dealing With Ego
• (00:56:42) - Best In Class Influencer Marketing
• (01:04:00) - Priorities & Long Term View On Business

Thank you to our sponsors:

• The Virtual Gurus - if you’re looking for talented remote staff on a budget, book a free consult at thevirtualgurus.com/creator

Subscribe & watch on YouTube:https://youtu.be/FNCgWJNR9ok Timestamps:

• (00:00:00) - Intro
• (00:00:24) - Start Of Interview
• (00:01:55) - What Is Tongal?
• (00:04:07) - Types of Content: Branded, Original + Advertising
• (00:07:08) - Scale Of Tongal
• (00:12:14) - Background in Hollywood
• (00:24:57) - The Company Before Tongal
• (00:34:54) - Power of Cold E-mail
• (00:36:53) - Company Origin Story
• (00:41:12) - Sponsor Break: Virtual Gurus
• (00:42:12) - Getting First Few Customers
• (00:46:49) - Finding Product Market Fit
• (00:52:19) - Scaling + Growth Levers
• (01:02:43) - Pricing Model Change
• (01:08:14) - Looking Ahead
• (01:13:35) - How AI Will Impact The Creative Work Force?
• (01:15:44) - Streaming Wars (Netflix, YouTube, HBO, Tiktok)

Thank you to our sponsors:

• The Virtual Gurus - if you’re looking for talented remote staff on a budget, book a free consult at thevirtualgurus.com/creator

Subscribe & watch on YouTube:https://youtu.be/2XHlteP32Sc

Timestamps:

• (00:00:00) - Intro
• (00:00:24) - Start Of Interview
• (00:02:48) - Zapier + AI
• (00:05:56) - No Code + AI
• (00:17:16) - OpenAI vs Google vs Microsoft
• (00:26:32) - AI assistant
• (00:39:20) - Sponsor Break: The Virtual Gurus
• (00:40:21) - OpenAI vs Big Tech
• (00:46:49) - askmybook.com
• (00:54:58) - AI Hype Cycle?
• (01:00:05) - Predictions for 2023
• (01:14:11) - End

Links Mentioned

• https://www.bensbites.co
• https://twitter.com/bentossell

Thank you to our sponsors:

• The Virtual Gurus - if you’re looking for talented remote staff on a budget, book a free consult at thevirtualgurus.com/creator

Subscribe & watch on YouTube:https://youtu.be/4PWqRILYz8U

Timestamps:

• (00:00:00) - Intro
• (00:00:07) - Start Of Interview
• (00:01:25) - Who Is Danny Postma
• (00:04:04) - Slowmad Lifestyle
• (00:06:54) - Early Indie Hacking
• (00:15:21) - What Is GPT-3?
• (00:18:18) - Training AI
• (00:24:07) - First-Hand Experience
• (00:25:36) - Use Cases
• (00:28:41) - Should we learn to code to play with AI?
• (00:34:19) - Jasper and copy.ai
• (00:38:07) - What Is Open AI?
• (00:40:05) - Sponsor Break: Shopify
• (00:41:39) - Sponsor Break: Justworks
• (00:42:45) - Will AI Take Over The World?
• (00:45:08) - How AI will replace people
• (00:46:34) - Learning To Code
• (00:50:39) - Use Cases and Generating Ideas
• (00:54:52) - What Happened After Danny Sold Headlime?
• (00:57:28) - AI Business Ideas
• (01:04:55) - Personalized Podcasts
• (01:10:23) - End

LINKS MENTIONED:

• https://twitter.com/dannypostmaa
• https://www.profilepicture.ai/
• https://www.stockai.com/
• https://www.landingfolio.com/

Thank you to our sponsors:

• Shopify: trusted by millions of entrepreneurs to create their online store and more - signup for a free trial at shopify.com/creatorlab
• Justworks: makes it simple to hire and manage remote employees across all 50 states; visit JustWorks.com

Subscribe & watch on YouTube:https://youtu.be/K26L7HwTLcU

Timestamps:

• (00:00:00) - Intro
• (00:01:06) - What Is Shiny?
• (00:03:48) - Hyperfocused On Being Unfocused
• (00:06:14) - Shiny Object Social Club + Shiny Token
• (00:11:09) - Crypto Sentiment & Price Action
• (00:16:10) - Open AI & What's Driving The Growth in AI?
• (00:22:08) - Image, Video, Podcast AI + Generative Art
• (00:27:42) - Jasper - All-in-one Tool + AI Co-Pilots
• (00:37:25) - Sponsor Break: Shopify
• (00:38:35) - Sponsor Break: Justworks
• (00:39:59) - Continuation Of Interview
• (00:53:07) - Will AI Evolve & Be A Threat?
• (01:07:09) - Moving Abroad

Links Mentioned

• https://twitter.com/tomosman
• https://www.shinyobjects.gg/

Thank you to our sponsors:

• Shopify: trusted by millions of entrepreneurs to create their online store and more - signup for a free trial at shopify.com/creatorlab
• Justworks: makes it simple to hire and manage remote employees across all 50 states; visit JustWorks.com

Subscribe & watch on YouTube:https://youtu.be/YbEAIBbQA5E

Timestamps:

• (00:00:00) - Intro
• (00:00:25) - Start Of Interview
• (00:01:56) - How Grubhub Started
• (00:03:26) - Software Developer to Starting Grubhub & Fixer
• (00:05:13) - Seven Deadly Sins
• (00:06:48) - Idea To Reality
• (00:08:45) - The Evolution
• (00:13:26) - Knowing When To Go Full Time
• (00:22:00) - Prioritizing & Managing Time
• (00:25:25) - Repeat Purchases
• (00:26:51) - iPhone & The App Store
• (00:31:03) - Creating A New Business Model
• (00:34:01) - Phone is the Remote Control Of Your Life
• (00:36:30) - Sponsor: Justworks
• (00:37:37) - Full-time Employees vs Contractors
• (00:40:16) - Growth Moments
• (00:42:35) - Seamless & Grubhub Merger & Exit
• (00:52:30) - Bilal's Definition Of Success
• (00:59:10) - Difference Between A Grump & An Entrepreneur
• (01:04:38) - Leaving It All Behind
• (01:09:27) - The Big Bike Trip

 Links Mentioned:

Hangry a Startup Journey: https://amzn.to/3EPudNo

Thank you to our sponsors:

• Justworks - makes it simple to hire and manage remote employees across all 50 states; visit JustWorks.com