Dot Coms & Hot Moms

In this episode, we discuss the story of an entrepreneur and podcaster who built a huge business in only 3 months after spotting a growing trend on TikTok. We dive into how she created a niche to stand out from the crowd, and we share some business ideas and ways to come up with your own ideas.

Topics include: the fantasy/romance novel market and the Fourth Wing craze, OnlyFans for authors, and unbundling Patreon.

Links

Mae:

Instagram

Threads

Tony:

Instagram

Threads

Fantasy Fangirls

Podcast

Instagram

Steph Hockersmith

Instagram

03:17 - What makes a good generative AI startup idea? We discuss one recent AI startup failure, and one recent case where AI has been able to do something humans haven't done in 60 years. Then, we share some other ideas where AI can be used to improve our lives and one framework for finding good AI startup ideas. We also discuss how to identify features that are likely to help your product grow vs. features that will distract from your core use case.

39:03 - Mae shares the story behind one of the most impressive and viral trends in consumer products: the Stanley Tumbler. Learn how a 100-year-old company reinvented itself and increased revenue from $70 million to $750 million over 3 years.

Links

Mae:

Instagram

Threads

Tony:

Instagram

Threads

Katie Beach:

Instagram

Mae begins with a discussion of Labster, an Augmented Reality startup helping high school and college students run experiments in virtual labs.

Learn all about the Apple Vision Pro, what it can do and how much it will cost when it launches on February 2, 2024.

Prophetic wants to help make you more productive and creative by allowing you to control your dreams. Can they bring this sci-fi concept to reality?

Clicks Technology can turn your iPhone into...a Blackberry?

Links

Mae

https://www.instagram.com/maemosa/

Threads: maemosa

Tony

https://www.instagram.com/tonydotcoms/

Threads: tonydotcoms

Labster

https://www.labster.com/

Apple Vision Pro

https://www.apple.com/apple-vision-pro/

Prophetic

https://propheticai.co/

Clicks Technology

https://www.clicks.tech/

Emily Calandrelli

https://www.instagram.com/thespacegal/

We got brand new podcast cover art for 2024 thanks to a designer on the freelance marketplace Fiverr. Learn all about Fiverr's beginnings and the booming freelance industry in today's episode.

Next, Mae takes us through some of the hottest trends that began in 2023 and are looking to intensify in 2024.

Links

Mae

https://www.instagram.com/maemosa/

Threads: maemosa

Tony

https://www.instagram.com/tonydotcoms/

Threads: tonydotcoms

Fiverr:

https://www.fiverr.com

Jessica Hische:

https://www.instagram.com/jessicahische/

This is our Season 1 Finale! We'll be back with new episodes in early January. Happy Holidays!

Mae got scammed trying to buy a Christmas gift. She tells the story and teaches us some new terms and scams to watch out for.

Forward Health has raised over $657 Million to scale healthcare, and they're doing some really interesting stuff. We discuss their products and services, business model, and vision for the future of healthcare.

Tony & Mae reflect on the first season of Dot Coms & Hot Moms.

Links

Mae

https://www.instagram.com/maemosa/

Threads: maemosa

Tony

https://www.instagram.com/tonydotcoms/

Threads: tonydotcoms

Rosie Okumura

https://www.instagram.com/irlrosie/

Forward Health

https://goforward.com/

Apple has agreed to support the Rich Communication Services messaging protocol beginning in late 2024. We discuss what this means for text messaging between Apple and Android devices, including those tiny pixelated videos and the blue vs. green bubbles.

The Board at OpenAI fired Sam Altman. Then things got even weirder. We discuss everything we know so far and just how wacky this whole situation is.

Mae shares an innovation in the field of athletics where AT&T is working to make football more inclusive in a project with the football team at Gallaudet University.

Links

Mae

https://www.instagram.com/maemosa/

Threads: maemosa

Tony

https://www.instagram.com/tonydotcoms/

Threads: tonydotcoms

Jessica Kellgren-Fozzard

https://instagram.com/jessicaoutofthecloset

(01:24) The rise and fall of Adam Neumann and WeWork, from a $47 Billion valuation in 2019 to declaring bankruptcy on November 6, 2023

(35:15) Mae pitches Tony on a new business idea

(47:28) Hot Mom of the Week

Links

Mae

https://www.instagram.com/maemosa/

Threads: maemosa

Tony

https://www.instagram.com/tonydotcoms/

Threads: tonydotcoms

Emily Ley

https://www.instagram.com/emilyley/

WeWork

https://www.wework.com/

Flow

https://www.flow.life/

This is a very special episode and one that is different from any of our previous shows. We begin with a personal story about Tony's twin brother, Aaron, who died suddenly while serving in the U.S. Army in November 2018. This leads into a discussion about the #1 killer of Americans and all humans, and why more needs to be done on this front. Finally, we conclude with the stories of three veteran founded startups.

Please consider sharing this episode along with the legacy and memory of Aaron Mastrorio so that his story can help inspire others around the world.

Links:

Mae

https://www.instagram.com/maemosa/

Threads: maemosa

Tony

https://www.instagram.com/tonydotcoms/

Threads: tonydotcoms

Pigeonly

https://pigeonly.com/

Combat Flip Flops

https://www.combatflipflops.com/

Goodworld

https://goodworldnow.com/

Melanie Wickersheim

https://www.instagram.com/openheartmel/

American Heart Association

https://www.heart.org/

Tony and Mae discuss the founding story of Barstool Sports, including the initial idea and how it got started. They also detail some of the marketing hacks Barstool used to drive growth, the content, and some of the controversy surrounding the media empire.

Plus, learn about a $12 Billion industry hiding in plain sight.

(3:38) WaterTok. Yes, it's a real thing. Find out the scoop on the hydration container market.

(6:19) Learn all about the Air Up Water Bottle and whether it can trick your brain into staying hydrated.

(19:00) The story of Barstool Sports

(42:27) Penn Entertainment acquisition and how Dave Portnoy bought back Barstool for $1

(47:13) Hot Mom of the Week

Links:

Tonya Spanglo

https://www.instagram.com/takingmylifebackat42/

Mae

https://www.instagram.com/maemosa/

Threads: maemosa

Tony

https://www.instagram.com/tonydotcoms/

Threads: tonydotcoms

Air Up Water Bottle

https://us.air-up.com/

Barstool Sports

https://barstoolsports.com/

In this episode, Mae interviews Tony about his experience getting funded by Y Combinator and being a YC Founder. You'll learn what Y Combinator does, some of the most famous YC companies, and advice for how to get in. You'll also hear Tony's favorite and least favorite parts of the experience, and the most famous person he met while living in San Francisco.

(2:45) What is Y Combinator?

(8:55) YC Application Process

(12:55) How to get into Y Combinator

(27:52) What happens in Y Combinator?

(1:04:58) Hot Mom of the Week

Links:

Bryiana Dyrdek

https://www.instagram.com/bryianadyrdek/

Mae

https://www.instagram.com/maemosa/

Threads: maemosa

Tony

https://www.instagram.com/tonydotcoms/

Threads: tonydotcoms

Y Combinator

https://www.ycombinator.com/

Hacker News

https://news.ycombinator.com/