In this episode Shaan (@ShaanVP) shares why you should ask for that raise and Sam (@theSamParr) pokes holes in the $75K happiness study. They also debate whether it is better to own the entirety of a smaller company or a piece of a bigger one. The two also talk about MMA fights and how you can package that appeal, the future of maps, and a fractional vacation home company. Sam also shares the story around Wayne Huizenga, this week's Billy of the Week. --------- * Want to be featured in a future episode? Drop your question/comment/criticism/love here: https://www.mfmpod.com/p/hotline/ * Support the pod by spreading the word, become a referrer here: https://refer.fm/million * Have you joined our private Facebook group yet? Go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/ourfirstmillion and join thousands of other entrepreneurs and founders scheming up ideas. --------- Show notes: * (1:48) Spending time in the Hamptons * (3:11) The Jake Paul fight * (6:59) The local MMA fight * (11:00) Chasing the sensation of feeling alive * (15:06) The $75K happiness study * (19:50) How Shaan got insights on his teams wellbeing * (24:08) The future of maps * (34:10) Billy of the Week: Wayne Huizenga * (44:48) Pacasso for your next vacation home * (49:48) To own all of a small company or a piece of a big one * (59:40) Ask for a raise today

In this episode Shaan (@ShaanVP) and Sam (@theSamParr) predict what venture capital will look like in the future. Shaan breaks down the different ways someone can win as a VC and also explains how SPACs work. The guys also talk about a company providing dummy data, the allure of a recruiting agency, and we learn about Harold Alfond - this week's billy of the week. --------- * Want to be featured in a future episode? Drop your question/comment/criticism/love here: https://www.mfmpod.com/p/hotline/ * Support the pod by spreading the word, become a referrer here: https://refer.fm/million * Have you joined our private Facebook group yet? Go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/ourfirstmillion and join thousands of other entrepreneurs and founders scheming up ideas. --------- Show notes:  * (3:30) Sam's book of the week * (9:58) Tonic Fake Data * (17:18) Recruiting as a solopreneur * (21:10) Amazon liquidation  * (31:22) Sam's Costco return story * (34:24) Shaan's Halloween costume rule * (37:09) Billy of the week - Harold Alfond * (48:18) Charitable donations * (57:15) The future of venture capital * (63:03) How SPACs work * (70:22) The ways to win as a VC * (74:53) The $200 million dollar graffiti artist

This special episode is a crosspost from the Indie Hackers Podcast with Courtland Allen. Sam and Shaan were interviewed by Courtland a few months ago and they gave a behind-the-scenes look at how they think about building out different income streams as a solo creator. --------- * Follow Indie Hackers: https://www.indiehackers.com/podcasts * Want to be featured in a future episode? Drop your question/comment/criticism/love here: https://www.mfmpod.com/p/hotline/ * Support the pod by spreading the word, become a referrer here: https://refer.fm/million * Have you joined our private Facebook group yet? Go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/ourfirstmillion and join thousands of other entrepreneurs and founders scheming up ideas. --------- Show notes: * (1:05) On Courtland selling to Stripe * (4:30) What makes My First Million special * (12:05) How a founder can succeed after being acquired * (17:49) Shaan's path to solopreneur * (26:19) How you make money with a rolling fund * (32:52) Ideas around astrology and horoscopes * (41:14) The tools in the solo creator toolbox * (43:14) Who is having the most fun doing what they do * (53:35) What are Sam & Shaan's end game? * (1:01:41) How to have it all

In this episode Sam (@theSamParr) and Shaan (@ShaanVP) are joined by Ramit Sethi (@ramit), the founder of I Will Teach You To Be Rich. They start off talking about course businesses and Ramit shares what he's learned running courses for over 15 years. Ramit shares a few ideas for businesses and then the trio talk about different strategies around investing. Shaan shares why his approach is so different from what Ramit recommends, and he breaks down his own asset allocation. At the end Sam & Ramit share their personal money rules. --------- * Follow Ramit on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ramit * Ramit's new podcast: https://iwt.com/podcast * Want to be featured in a future episode? Drop your question/comment/criticism/love here: https://www.mfmpod.com/p/hotline/ * Support the pod by spreading the word, become a referrer here: https://refer.fm/million * Have you joined our private Facebook group yet? Go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/ourfirstmillion and join thousands of other entrepreneurs and founders scheming up ideas. --------- Show notes: * (1:06) Ramit's new podcast * (5:02) An update on Shaan's Power Writing course * (7:07) Ramit's course business * (11:30) Who is Jay Abraham * (16:43) Should MFM get a new name? * (20:14) How long can Ramit run his empire * (24:11) Ramit on trolls * (27:31) The history of courses * (34:12) Ideas around pets * (37:35) Ideas around cosmetics * (39:54) How Ramit would differentiate a product * (43:47) Ramit's money hacks * (46:00) How Shaan approaches investing * (47:00) A little anecdote about camera issues * (47:58) Back to Shaan's investment approach * (50:47) What game are you playing and what risk can you tolerate? * (53:26) What Shaan's goals are with investing * (57:11) Ramit's 10 money rules * (59:35) Sam's money rules * (1:02:09) Taking out loans on your assets * (1:05:33) How Ramit thinks of risk versus rewards * (1:17:10) Ramit on Sam's engagement ring story * (1:21:04) It's not all about the metrics

In this episode Shaan (@ShaanVP) and Sam (@theSamParr) break down community businesses and different ways you can build a community. They also talk about the law of reciprocity, the ad Sam wrote that competitors have stolen, and the importance of user generated content for digital ads. They end the episode talking about how technology will change construction sites and share a few Instagram accounts worth following. --------- * Want to be featured in a future episode? Drop your question/comment/criticism/love here: https://www.mfmpod.com/p/hotline/ * Support the pod by spreading the word, become a referrer here: https://refer.fm/million * Have you joined our private Facebook group yet? Go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/ourfirstmillion and join thousands of other entrepreneurs and founders scheming up ideas. --------- Show notes: * (1:00) The law of reciprocity * (6:51) What is Friends with Benefits * (12:56) Why communities can be great businesses * (14:58) How big can token backed communities be? * (17:33) Soho House went public * (19:45) Should MFM make a social token? * (22:46) Set your data free * (29:36) Communities of communities can be big businesses * (30:54) User generated content & Sam's great ad copy * (36:45) The hot girl side hustle * (46:33) The future of construction sites * (53:41) Remote arcade games * (57:02) Some accounts to spice up your Instagram feed * (1:00:01) The man behind Telegram

In this episode Sam (@theSamParr) and Shaan (@ShaanVP) discuss alternatives to a 40 Hour Workweek. They start off with Tim Ferriss & his ideas around mini retirements followed by the work ethic & career drive of people outside the US. They then dive into Naval Ravikant and his origin story, his thoughts on work, and his vision for the future of work. They end the episode with a few stories about rattlesnakes and bees. --------- * Want to be featured in a future episode? Drop your question/comment/criticism/love here: https://www.mfmpod.com/p/hotline/ * Support the pod by spreading the word, become a referrer here: https://refer.fm/million * Have you joined our private Facebook group yet? Go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/ourfirstmillion and join thousands of other entrepreneurs and founders scheming up ideas. --------- Show notes: * (1:04) The 40 Hour Workweek * (3:56) The Science of Fear * (7:57) What Shaan learned from The Four Hour Workweek * (11:23) Mini retirements * (13:35) What it's like in other countries * (17:35) Living like a lion or cow * (20:04) Shaan on Naval * (27:05) How to get rich without getting lucky * (29:27) The future of work * (36:51) The history of writing * (41:17) Beware of the rattle snack * (48:05) Bert behind Bert's Bees

In this episode Shaan (@ShaanVP) is joined by startup growth expert Julian Shapiro (@julian). Julian shares the 3 growth trends he noticed successful startups were implementing to grow at astonishing rates. The pair also discuss different publishing schedule approaches and how to write an effective Twitter bio. They end the episode talking about what each of them would do if they were to do something different. --------- * Follow Julian on Twitter: https://twitter.com/julian * Want to be featured in a future episode? Drop your question/comment/criticism/love here: https://www.mfmpod.com/p/hotline/ * Support the pod by spreading the word, become a referrer here: https://refer.fm/million * Have you joined our private Facebook group yet? Go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/ourfirstmillion and join thousands of other entrepreneurs and founders scheming up ideas. --------- Show notes: * (1:03) Julian on Podcasting * (4:45) The 3 cheat codes * (5:44) #1 - Give your customer a no-brainer decision * (6:15) #1A - Give them money (in a sustainable way) * (13:02) #1B - Make it super low friction * (19:48) #2 - Billboarding & naturally encourage sharing * (30:13) #3 - Self-liquidating funnels * (40:58) Why publishing erratically works for some * (45:58) Julian on Twitter bios * (50:44) What Julian would do if he was doing something different * (54:20) What Shaan would do * (57:55) On stand up comedy and what makes a good joke * (1:02:13) What the best storytellers have in common * (1:04:27) Where to find Julian

In this episode Shaan (@ShaanVP) and Sam (@theSamParr) dive into a few industries and talk about the players behind them. They start off talking about car dealerships and the handful of politicians who make major coin through them. They then transition to celebrities and how some have leveraged their name to make even more money. They finish the episode with a few anecdotes on how some people started to accumulate wealth and a snippet on anti-aging and scientific discovery. --------- * Want to be featured in a future episode? Drop your question/comment/criticism/love here: https://www.mfmpod.com/p/hotline/ * Support the pod by spreading the word, become a referrer here: https://refer.fm/million * Have you joined our private Facebook group yet? Go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/ourfirstmillion and join thousands of other entrepreneurs and founders scheming up ideas. --------- Show notes: * (0:59) Intro * (2:47) The Skip Barber racing school * (6:48) Digitizing the gun range * (10:57) The politicians making money with car dealerships * (23:06) The cool growth hack used by Spoonflower * (28:48) Celebrities making bank of their celebrity * (35:26) George Clooney hooking up his friends with $1M cash * (39:51) A feel good story about Shaan's trainer * (41:58) The Bar & Bat Mitzvah hack to wealth * (44:57) A unique twist on Universal Basic Income - the birth dividend * (47:35) Aubrey de Grey and how scientific breakthroughs work

In this episode Gary Vaynerchuk (@garyvee) joins Sam (@theSamParr) and Shaan (@ShaanVP) to give a master class on NFTs. Gary shares his predictions on the future of NFTs and how they'll be (eventually) used by everyone. He also talks about the growth of VaynerX, his love of garage sales, and the launch of VeeFriends & VeeCon. At the end, he shares the biggest lesson he learned from passing on investing in Uber (twice). --------- * Want to be featured in a future episode? Drop your question/comment/criticism/love here: https://www.mfmpod.com/p/hotline/ * Support the pod by spreading the word, become a referrer here: https://refer.fm/million * Have you joined our private Facebook group yet? Go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/ourfirstmillion and join thousands of other entrepreneurs and founders scheming up ideas. --------- Show notes: * (0:58) Intro * (5:14) The headcount growth of VaynerX * (11:44) On Shaan's Clubhouse prediction * (13:39) Gary's conviction to the game * (17:44) Shaan's first foray into NFTs * (19:53) Gary's prediction on the future of NFTs * (23:24) Revisiting the purchase of Michael Jordan's house * (28:03) The story of the Spirits of St. Louis * (29:21) The what, not the how, for NFTs * (32:53) VeeFriends and VeeCon * (39:24) On Gary's master plan to buy and grow existing brands * (43:28) How Gary thinks about creating content * (45:52) Putting wins on the board * (47:28) Missing on Uber

In this episode Shaan (@ShaanVP) is joined by Steph Smith (@stephsmithio) for an idea packed episode. They start off talking about opportunities around spending your FSA dollars and on swag packs. They transition to talk about the role of automation at companies and Steph shares how she would go about automating repetitive parts of her role. The end the episode talking about Steph's new course, approaches to building a company, and Fidelity allowing trading accounts for teenagers. --------- * Want Steph's course? You can find it at https://doingtimeright.com * Want to be featured in a future episode? Drop your question/comment/criticism/love here: https://www.mfmpod.com/p/hotline/ * Support the pod by spreading the word, become a referrer here: https://refer.fm/million * Have you joined our private Facebook group yet? Go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/ourfirstmillion and join thousands of other entrepreneurs and founders scheming up ideas. --------- Show notes: * (1:06) Intro * (2:20) Ideas around spending your FSA dollars * (15:58) Ideas around giving out awesome swag * (21:52) The role of chief automation officer * (27:37) Building a company around automation * (35:03) Giving away free alcohol as marketing * (41:22) How Steph invests her time & money * (43:50) Steph's new course - doingtimeright.com * (47:44) Approaches to building a company * (51:39) Fidelity allowing teenagers on the platform * (56:52) How to find Steph online

In this episode Sam (@theSamParr) and Shaan (@ShaanVP) break down a multi-million dollar opportunity to unbundle Etsy ($24B market cap). Shaan also shares how he would approach it if he were doing it himself. The guys also talk about the multi-billion dollar elevator industry, a training program to become an MMA fighter, and whether tax incentives make Canada an attractive place to run a startup. --------- * Want to be featured in a future episode? Drop your question/comment/criticism/love here: https://www.mfmpod.com/p/hotline/ * Support the pod by spreading the word, become a referrer here: https://refer.fm/million * Have you joined our private Facebook group yet? Go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/ourfirstmillion and join thousands of other entrepreneurs and founders scheming up ideas. --------- Show notes: * (1:10) Intro * (3:30) The elevator industry * (11:08) Unbundling Etsy * (22:43) A crash course to become an MMA fighter * (28:02) Mental Fitness * (39:01) Moving to Canada + SRED credits * (45:53) Reese Witherspoon's massive exit * (51:45) Delta airlines meet Delta variant

In this episode Sam (@theSamParr) and Shaan (@ShaanVP) are joined by solo capitalist Brianne Kimmel (@briannekimmel). They talk about how Bri got started in investing, the pros and cons of her busy schedule, and discuss some of the unicorns she's invested in. They also discuss a cool use of deepfakes, how VCs make money, and whether or not college is worth the price of admission. --------- * Want to be featured in a future episode? Drop your question/comment/criticism/love here: https://www.mfmpod.com/p/hotline/ * Support the pod by spreading the word, become a referrer here: https://refer.fm/million * Have you joined our private Facebook group yet? Go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/ourfirstmillion and join thousands of other entrepreneurs and founders scheming up ideas. --------- Show notes: * (1:00) Intro * (2:25) The Shake Up - a new podcast on the HubSpot Podcast Network * (6:52) GPT-3 and Anthony Bourdain * (11:40) A cool use of deepfakes * (13:31) Meet Brianne Kimmel * (16:14) Bri's crazy schedule * (21:39) How VCs make money * (37:33) Hot spaces Bri sees * (40:54) Is higher education worth it? * (50:31) Winners Bri sees in her portfolio

Do you like these mini episodes? Tweet your feedback to Shaan (@ShaanVP) & get more short stories like this on his newsletter www.shaanpuri.com. --------- * Want to be featured in a future episode? Drop your question/comment/criticism/love here: https://www.mfmpod.com/p/hotline/ * Support the pod by spreading the word, become a referrer here: https://refer.fm/million * Have you joined our private Facebook group yet? Go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/ourfirstmillion and join thousands of other entrepreneurs and founders scheming up ideas.

In this episode Sam (@theSamParr) and Shaan (@ShaanVP) revisit the NCAA rule changes about college athletes making money and Shaan shares his prediction about who the next big sports agent will be. They also talk about buying lotto tickets via an app, the mugshot industry, & how to fight tech and porn addiction. They end the episode with Shaan sharing a Chrome extension idea. --------- * Want to be featured in a future episode? Drop your question/comment/criticism/love here: https://www.mfmpod.com/p/hotline/ * Support the pod by spreading the word, become a referrer here: https://refer.fm/million * Have you joined our private Facebook group yet? Go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/ourfirstmillion and join thousands of other entrepreneurs and founders scheming up ideas. --------- Show notes: * (:53) Intro * (2:24) Buying lottery tickets online * (8:46) Making money around NIL - name, image, likeness * (14:21) The college sports agent * (18:59) The origin story of Scooter Braun * (23:01) Shaan's one regret from college * (24:37) The AngelList scout program * (28:43) The mugshot posting & removal industry * (35:29) An app to fight tech & porn addiction * (39:02) Story sidebar - Earl Nightingale & who's serving who * (42:12) Back to fighting tech addiction * (46:32) An idea for a Chrome extension

In this episode Shaan (@ShaanVP) breaks down all the numbers behind his Power Writing course (course link --> https://hi.switchy.io/5Cir) and gives Sam (@theSamParr) a walkthrough on how short squeezes work. The two of them later discuss the unbundling of YC, on-demand rental companies, and the future of gas stations. --------- * Want to be featured in a future episode? Drop your question/comment/criticism/love here: https://www.mfmpod.com/p/hotline/ * Support the pod by spreading the word, become a referrer here: https://refer.fm/million * Have you joined our private Facebook group yet? Go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/ourfirstmillion and join thousands of other entrepreneurs and founders scheming up ideas. --------- Show notes: * (:47) Intro * (1:49) Sam's bullish on America * (5:52) A beginner's guide to short squeezes * (8:35) The programming language behind Ethereum smart contracts * (16:09) Meet Greg16676935420 * (19:27) The unbundling of YC * (22:37) A breakdown of Shaan's Power Writing course * (32:55) Swimply and other rent-on-demand companies * (43:17) The future of gas stations

In this episode Sam (@theSamParr) shares what he's learned from one of his favorite subreddits, FatFIRE. FatFIRE is about the pursuit of financial independence/early retirement with an upper-middle class lifestyle. Do you like these special episodes? Tweet your feedback to Sam (@theSamParr) & let him know what you think. --------- * Want to be featured in a future episode? Drop your question/comment/criticism/love here: https://www.mfmpod.com/p/hotline/ * Support the pod by spreading the word, become a referrer here: https://refer.fm/million * Have you joined our private Facebook group yet? Go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/ourfirstmillion and join thousands of other entrepreneurs and founders scheming up ideas. --------- Show notes: * (1:07) Meet FatFIRE * (6:53) What Sam has learned from FatFIRE * (7:15) 1 - The safety withdrawal rate * (8:36) 2 - Asset backed loans * (10:38) 3 - They keep working after they retire * (11:50) 4 - It's easy to spend a lot of money * (13:05) 5 - But you don't have to * (13:50) 6 - You have a number * (15:04) 7 - On wealth advisors * (16:05) 8 - You don't have to start a business * (18:25) 9 - Live your life * (20:23) A redditor on different levels of wealth --------- Links: https://www.reddit.com/r/fatFIRE/ https://fatfireindex.com/

Do you like these mini episodes? Tweet your feedback to Shaan (@ShaanVP) & get more short stories like this on his newsletter www.shaanpuri.com. --------- * Want to be featured in a future episode? Drop your question/comment/criticism/love here: https://www.mfmpod.com/p/hotline/ * Support the pod by spreading the word, become a referrer here: https://refer.fm/million * Have you joined our private Facebook group yet? Go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/ourfirstmillion and join thousands of other entrepreneurs and founders scheming up ideas.

In this two-part episode, Sam (@theSamParr) and Shaan (@ShaanVP) start off with ideas on building brands around pop culture, discuss the drama around the private space race, and talk about a few business-in-a-box concepts. In the second part they interview Andrew Gazdecki (@agazdecki) from MicroAcquire. They talk about how Andrew raised $3.5M this week, discuss MicroAcquire's role as a market network, and successful niches to build in. --------- * Want to be featured in a future episode? Drop your question/comment/criticism/love here: https://www.mfmpod.com/p/hotline/ * Support the pod by spreading the word, become a referrer here: https://refer.fm/million * Have you joined our private Facebook group yet? Go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/ourfirstmillion and join thousands of other entrepreneurs and founders scheming up ideas. --------- Show notes: * (:49) Intro * (2:41) Building brands around pop culture * (10:59) The private race into space * (21:48) Bill's lemonade stand * (24:57) Service based businesses-in-a-box * (30:34) Meet Andrew Gazdecki * (34:17) The buy & build MBA - Soldstock.io * (37:19) Market networks * (40:04) Andrew's first company * (47:30) What Andrew did after selling his first company * (59:05) Successful niches to build in

In this episode Shaan (@ShaanVP) and Sam (@theSamParr) discuss upcoming trends they are seeing along with old school businesses making hundreds of millions of dollars. Sam also talks about how he wants to grow the podcast, and Shaan shares a new writing goal he has. They end the episode talking about businesses that set of their spidey sense and may be scams. --------- * Want to be featured in a future episode? Drop your question/comment/criticism/love here: https://www.mfmpod.com/p/hotline/ * Support the pod by spreading the word, become a referrer here: https://refer.fm/million * Have you joined our private Facebook group yet? Go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/ourfirstmillion and join thousands of other entrepreneurs and founders scheming up ideas. --------- Show notes: * (:55) Intro * (1:56) Sam's YouTube push * (5:11) Shaan's 30 day writing challenge * (15:33) Trendspotting - Stretching gyms * (25:52) Trendspotting - Semi-permanent tattoos * (32:24) The billion dollar class ring business * (45:49) The Pantone color book * (49:43) The trend makers - WGSN.com * (55:04) Scammy businesses - recovering items from TSA checkpoints

In this episode Sam (@theSamParr) highlights the key question he asked to change a Twitter argument for the better. He also breaks down some of the content he's been consuming recently and shares what he liked about each piece. Do you like these special episodes? Tweet your feedback to Sam (@theSamParr) & let him know what you think. --------- * Want to be featured in a future episode? Drop your question/comment/criticism/love here: https://www.mfmpod.com/p/hotline/ * Support the pod by spreading the word, become a referrer here: https://refer.fm/million * Have you joined our private Facebook group yet? Go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/ourfirstmillion and join thousands of other entrepreneurs and founders scheming up ideas. --------- Show notes: * (:52) Ben Mallah on negotiating * (6:10) Michael Franzese on the Mafia * (10:20) How to reframe an argument * (12:35) The ugly side of Steve McQueen * (15:05) Cities giving incentives to move --------- Links: https://bit.ly/ben-mallah-negotiating https://bit.ly/michael-franzese-mfm https://bit.ly/reframingquestion https://bit.ly/remote-workers-incentives-mfm