Episodes

E27: Three months ago, I decided to launch the First Class Founders newsletter. Problem is, I had no subscribers, no list, and, essentially, no idea what to do or, even, where to begin! Today, my newsletter has over two thousand subscribers. It has an open rate of 40% and a 10% click-through rate. In case you are wondering, yes, that IS indeed a high number. How did I achieve this? What did I do that was so effective? What's my secret sauce? Get ready to take notes because I plan to reveal al...

E26: Justin Gordon went from training alongside elite athletes such as LaDainian Tomlinson and Drew Brees to working with an amazing community of entrepreneurs and founders as the Director of Marketing and Communication at a VC firm called Vitalize VC. He's also the creator of a popular podcast and newsletter called Just Go Grind. I spoke to Justin about his journey from the world of personal fitness to venture capital and came away with a ton of amazing insights such as the similarities betwee...

E25: Do you currently have a side-hustle that you enjoy building? Or, do you WISH you had a side hustle? How do you make your first million dollars from it? I'm going to tell you exactly that - how to make your first million dollars from your side-hustle. On this episode, we'll cover how to CHOOSE a suitable side-hustle, how to BUILD your side-hustle, and finally, how to MONETIZE your side-hustle. *** TOPICS: What is a Side Hustle? (2:11) Your Unique Life Experiences Are a Goldmine For Infor...

E24: Today, we're talking to Arvid Kahl, the co-founder of FeedbackPanda, a SaaS startup that was acquired by SureSwift Capital. Arvid shares insights about selling his SaaS business, and then more importantly, his current content strategy, which he seems to be slowly building into another successful business venture, this time as a creator. On this episode, we touch upon a wide range of topics such as the shift in the economic mindset that comes with selling a business for a large sum, Arvid's...

E23: Do you already have 50-100 subscribers for your newsletter? Do your subscribers LOVE the content you’ve been putting out? Are your subscribers frequently sharing the content you send in your newsletter? And yet, if the number of subscribers for your newsletter doesn’t seem to be growing the way you thought it would and you just can’t figure out a way to grow your newsletter’s subscriber numbers, then you’ve come to the right episode of the right podcast! This is the second of a two-parter...

E22: Emails. They seem so old-school, right? You have to first write who you are sending them to. Then you write why you're sending them. Then you write what it is all about… So boring! And yet, as of November 2021, Substack had over a million paying subscribers and the top 10 authors on Substack collectively make $20 million per year. If that alone doesn't change your perception of regular ol' email as a powerful business on its own, maybe you should stop right here. Still here? Good. Because I...

E21: Having an audience doesn't necessarily translate into building your business. So how do you find your audience, then nurture them into paying customers? What about enhancing your offers to your existing customers to increase customer lifetime value? Today, we're talking about your your discovery engine, your trust engine, and last but not least, your offer value ladder: what it is, why it's so important, and how you can segment your customers with offers they simply can't refuse. By the en...

E20: In this episode, I talk to Jim James of the UnNoticed Entrepreneur Podcast about the struggles I had during the early days of launching my first business, Urban EDC. I also discuss a mini framework for those who are just starting out that will help you grow right off the bat. Lastly, I share with you the one thing every business needs to increase loyalty with your customer base and succeed over the long haul. And of course, we end this episode with another question from our community about...

E19: Kevon Cheung is the author of Find Joy in Chaos: How to Build Your Twitter Presence So Connections and Opportunities Come Find You. He's widely recognized as a thought leader in finding your voice and making meaningful connections online. Kevon has a unique framework called the PIERS framework, which he uses as a personal identity guideline for developing his online persona. He'll break down this framework which will explain why he uses a broccoli emoji as part of his online identity. *** ...

E18: Today, we are debunking the myth of solopreneurship. Yes, there are a lot of benefits to being a solopreneur. But nobody talks about the downsides of solopreneurship. I'm here today to expose the truth. I know because I was also a solopreneur when I first started my own business back in 2015. But since then, I've scaled up my team and my company has grown with it. By the end of this episode, I'll show you how you can still enjoy the benefits of solopreneurship while removing the roadblocks...

E17: We're talking about a growth strategy that not a lot of creators are taking advantage of to help you grow. I'll tell you what it is and how you can do it effectively to grow your audience and increase your authority at the same time. This is a powerful tactic that I'm using personally in my own e-commerce business to supercharge our growth. By the end of this episode, you'll be well-equipped with a new tool for taking your business to the next level. *** TOPICS: What is Collaboration? (2:...

E16: Most of us know already that personal habits are important in our daily lives. But as a creator, how important are daily habits to master your skills? Having the right habits in place ensures that you're always moving towards accomplishing whatever you want to achieve. I'll reveal the most effective methods to form good habits and break bad ones. These are tried and true tactics that I have tested for myself. *** TOPICS: Importance of Habits (1:32) Everybody has habits. Habits are importan...

E15: Sandy is the Founder of Spotted By Humphrey, a dog boutique curating playful dog goods for good dogs. The shop has grown tremendously since its launch in 2018. Sandy and Humphrey were even invited down to Los Angeles for a segment on Shopify's YouTube channel. This was a professional studio set with camera crew, backstage make-up artists, and real actors and actresses on the set. Sandy's secret to growth has been building a strong brand identity. She built an audience over 150k followers ac...

E14: Today, I'm sharing a framework called the 'I / We / They' framework that I developed to help me gain clarity on what I need to work depending on the stage of my business. I wish that someone had taught me this framework 7 years ago when I first became an entrepreneur. *** TOPICS: I / We / They Framework (2:09) There are 3 parts to this framework: Experimental, Operational, and Scaleable, corresponding to I, We, and They respectively. Experimental Phase (2:26) The Experimental phase of you...

E13: I'm taking you on a personal journey of how I moved to the Bay Area 11 years ago with just one suitcase. I had no job and no place to live. So how did I bootstrap my business to where it is today? *** TOPICS: First Side Hustle (2:46) My first side hustle was in freelance writing. I wrote for a popular personal finance blog. I was paid $25 per article. One Way Ticket to San Francisco (8:59) I landed in San Francisco with just 1 suitcase. I slept on the floor in my friend's tiny apartment. ...

E12: The creator economy has exploded. It's more important than ever to build an audience. I've built a simple 5 step framework to help you find, nurture, and grow your audience. By the end of this episode, you will know how to build your audience AND grow a loyal following through engaging content. I'll break down what type of content you need to post for which segment of your audience. *** TOPICS: Find Your Voice (1:31) Find your own unique voice. You don't wanna be just another creator in a ...

E11: Podcasting has seen continued growth year over year and it looks like the growth is here to stay. I'm here to tell you my top 5 reasons for why everybody should consider having a podcast whether that's for your own business or for your own personal brand. *** TOPICS: Podcast Growth Statistics (1:26) Since 2006, there's been a steady rise of Americans who have listened to a podcast in the past. It's grown so much that big media companies are now spending a lot of money to produce podcast-on...

E10: What exactly is luck? Luck is commonly defined as, "success or failure brought on by chance rather than through one's own actions." In other words, luck is a matter of chance. It's the element of unpredictability in life. And it's something that we can't control. Or can we? Some people seem to be luckier than others. Is it possible to create your own luck? The answer is yes. And today, we're building your very own "luck playbook". *** TOPICS: 4 Types of Luck (2:06) There are four types of ...

E9: How do you level up from millionaire to billionaire? We discuss the 5 mindset differences between a millionaire and a billionaire. By the end, you'll have the playbook for jumping from a millionaire to a billionaire. *** TOPICS: Impact Over Money (1:40) Billionaires measure their success in units of impact vs. units of money. They are motivated to hit a certain milestone whether that's feeding a billion people, in the case of motivational speaker Tony Robbins. Or Marc Lore, who is now on a ...

E8: Gather up your to-dos for the week! We'll go over the Eisenhower Matrix, finding your lead domino, timing your tasks, blocking & tackling, and last but not least, we'll discuss how you can multiply your time. Ready? *** TOPICS: Eisenhower Matrix (1:31) The Eisenhower Matrix will help sift through which tasks you're supposed to be working on so that you can make the most out of your day. The core essence of the Eisenhower Matrix is to filter through which tasks are either important or urgent...

E7: How do you create that perfect customer experience? Also, should you ever fire your customers? What about the popular saying "the customer is always right"? Plus, I introduce a simple framework for customer service that will change the way you think about customer experience. *** TOPICS: Who is Your Customer? (1:36) A customer is any person or business that is paying for your product or service. Always ask yourself - Who is your customer? Airbnb's Superstar Experience (2:56) If you want to...

E6: What do Patagonia and Richard Branson have in common? Likewise, how about Amazon and Elon Musk? We'll compare these two companies and two remarkable billionaire entrepreneurs. I'll also discuss strategies on how to differentiate yourself when you're a bootstrapped company by referencing Seth Godin's purple cow concept. Last but not least, we'll introduce and apply the mental model of First Principles Thinking and how you can use it to come up with innovative solutions to complex problems. *...

E5: When does it make sense for you to bootstrap your business? And when should you raise funding? We're talking about the classic question of bootstrapping vs. fundraising. After making this important decision myself, these are the main considerations that you need to know and they may not be what you think. *** TOPICS: Stakeholders Deciding Your Company's Future (1:22) Who are the decision-makers in your business? If you want full control over the future direction of your company, bootstrappi...

E4: Constraints vs. Bottlenecks - what's the difference? Knowing the differences between these two and understanding how each of them can impact your business both positively or negatively depending on how you look at it. *** TOPICS: Bottlenecks vs. Constraints Overview (0:53) Constraints allow you to create boundaries and rules in which you can unleash your creativity. Bottlenecks are found within the boundaries through constraints and they slow down your business. What is a Bottleneck? (1:48...