Creator Science

Rob Walling is a godfather of the bootstrapped SaaS movement — he's started 6 companies (5 bootstrapped), built and sold Drip for 8 figures, and created the infrastructure behind MicroConf, TinySeed (which has raised nearly $60 million and invested in over 210 SaaS companies), and Startups for the Rest of Us (820+ episodes over 15 years). But here's what surprised me: Rob told me he's more of a creator these days than a software founder. The guy who built and sold an email marketing platform now gets his dopamine from podcasting, writing books, and making YouTube videos. And his experience on both sides gives him a perspective on the vibe coding trend that I think every creator needs to hear. In this episode, we get into the actual mechanics of how Rob runs his business — the team of 11 people, the $100,000-$120,000 monthly payroll, the four brands he wishes were two. We talk about how he eliminated stress from his life through therapy, hiring owner-level thinkers, and handing the project management to someone else entirely. And we have a real conversation about why vibe coding a SaaS product is probably not the opportunity you think it is — even if you have a big audience. This is part 1 of a 2-part episode; part 2 lives on Rob's podcast, Startups for the Rest of Us. → Rob Walling on Twitter/X → Rob Walling's YouTube Channel → Startups for the Rest of Us (Podcast) → MicroConf → TinySeed → Drip (Rob's 8-figure exit) → SavvyCal (co-founded by Derek Reimer) Full transcript and show notes *** TIMESTAMPS (00:24) Introduction — why Rob Walling is a unicorn in the bootstrapped SaaS world (02:40) Mapping the full Rob Walling business ecosystem: podcast, MicroConf, TinySeed, books, YouTube (05:15) How Producer Ron keeps the trains running on time across four brands (06:44) Inside the team of 11: roles, full-time commitment, and why Rob stopped hiring part-time (07:53) The psychology of making your first full-time hire (and Rob's 8-year wait for MicroConf) (09:33) Moving from task-level to project-level to owner-level thinkers (10:27) Four brands, two LLCs — the insurance story behind the split and why Rob wants to consolidate (12:18) Why Rob doesn't want his name on everything (and the legacy question) (14:41) Identity shifts: from SaaS founder to serial entrepreneur to content creator (16:31) The vibe coding reality check: why building SaaS is 10x harder than creating content (19:09) Why SaaS churn makes recurring revenue harder than it looks for creators (21:04) The construction analogy: tool sheds vs. skyscrapers and where vibe coding breaks down (24:53) Data from 234 investments: only 10-15% of successful SaaS companies lack a technical founder (27:00) The bigger opportunity for creators: equity partnerships instead of vibe coding (29:00) 'Build your network, not your audience' — why audiences plateau for SaaS growth (31:53) A week in Rob's life: deep work Mondays, advising Wednesdays, and the 329 TinySeed founders (34:00) How Rob eliminated stress: therapy, delegation, and giving up project management (38:46) Hiring for high-functioning: screening for 'Producer Ron'-level operators (41:21) The positive tension of deadline stress and why containers make you ship (43:09) Post-exit motivation: 6 months of comic books, guitar, and getting bored into purpose *** RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODE → ⁠#291: 48 Hours With Clawdbot: How I’m Using It and Initial Reactions *** ASK CREATOR SCIENCE → Submit your question here *** WHEN YOU'RE READY 📬 Creator Science Newsletter 🚀 Get CreatorHQ (creator operating system) 🧪 Join The Lab (private membership community) 🧞‍♂️ Get a Personalized Offer *** CONNECT 🐦 Connect on Twitter 📸 Connect on Instagram 💼 Connect on LinkedIn 📹 Subscribe on YouTube *** SPONSORS 💼 View all sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike Michalowicz is the author of ⁠Profit First⁠, which is used by hundreds of thousands of companies across the globe to drive profit – Creator Science is one of those companies. Profit First has helped me develop sound financials for my business. He’s also the author of Clockwork, a powerful method to make any business run on automatic, and seven other books as well. With more than 500,000 book sales, all of Mike’s books have the same goal – to help small business owners and eliminate what he calls “entrepreneurial poverty.” Simon Sinek has called Mike “…the top contender for the patron saint of entrepreneurs.” This conversation is divided into halves: The first half explores Mike’s unique model as an author. For each book Mike writes, he partners with a third party to license the frameworks from his books and serve as the done-for-you service provider. This is super uncommon and part of why he’s been so prolific while running a very lean team. So we dig into how that works (and what he’d do differently if he were starting over today). The second half of the conversation is all about writing books. Mike has published nine books since 2008 – including 7 in the last 8 years. So we dig into how he determines what ideas to turn into books and how to write them so quickly. ⁠Full transcript and show notes⁠ Mike's ⁠Website⁠ / ⁠Twitter⁠ / ⁠Instagram⁠ / ⁠YouTube⁠ / ⁠LinkedIn⁠ *** RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODE → ⁠#176: April Dunford – How self-publishing a book exploded her client service business.⁠ *** ASK CREATOR SCIENCE → ⁠Submit your question here⁠ *** WHEN YOU'RE READY 📬 ⁠Creator Science Newsletter⁠ 🚀 ⁠Get CreatorHQ⁠ (creator operating system) 🧪 ⁠Join The Lab⁠ (private membership community) 🧞‍♂️ ⁠Get a Personalized Offer⁠ *** CONNECT 🐦 ⁠Connect on Twitter⁠ 📸 ⁠Connect on Instagram⁠ 💼 ⁠Connect on LinkedIn⁠ 📹 ⁠Subscribe on YouTube⁠ *** SPONSORS 💼 ⁠View all sponsors and offers⁠ *** SAY THANKS 💜 ⁠Leave a review on Apple Podcasts⁠ 🟢 ⁠Leave a rating on Spotify Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The world is changing faster than ever, and sometimes it feels like the old playbooks just aren't working anymore. In this solo episode, I share 12 opportunities I see for creators in 2026—ideas that range from the practical to the philosophical, from the obvious to the genuinely weird. These aren't predictions. They're possibilities. And you don't need to pursue all of them. But keeping a running list of where opportunity exists can help you find the direction that feels most right for you. Some of these ideas might surprise you. Long-form writing making a comeback? In 2026? But I think there's real evidence for it. Others might feel more intuitive—like the continued importance of community, or the value of live learning as self-paced courses lose their luster. And then there are the weirder ones: effortful art, doing the unscalable, being a "good hang." The through-line? In a world racing toward automation and optimization, the most human things are becoming the most valuable. X's Long-Form Writing Competition Substack jay.blog (Jay's Substack) Jay's Writing on Instagram Good Hang Podcast (Amy Poehler) The Lab Full transcript and show notes *** TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Introduction: Where the opportunities lie in 2026 (01:03) Idea #1: Long-form writing is making a comeback (04:46) Idea #2: Demonstrations and "show don't tell" content (06:37) Idea #3: Verifiable human experiences (why we still watch sports) (08:44) Idea #4: Online community is more important than ever (12:33) Idea #5: Live learning over self-paced courses (15:29) Idea #6: Local media and community building (17:47) Idea #7: AI for normies (niche-specific AI content) (19:41) Idea #8: Effortful art in an AI world (21:54) Idea #9: Being unapologetically yourself (be weirder) (24:29) Idea #10: Doing the unscalable (27:00) Idea #11: Fewer moves, bolder strokes (29:07) Idea #12: Being a good hang (32:03) Recap of all 12 ideas *** RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODE → #292: Chenell Basilio — The state of email in 2026, growing your list without social media, and new predictions. *** ASK CREATOR SCIENCE → Submit your question here *** WHEN YOU'RE READY 📬 Creator Science Newsletter 🚀 Get CreatorHQ (creator operating system) 🧪 Join The Lab (private membership community) 🧞‍♂️ Get a Personalized Offer *** CONNECT 🐦 Connect on Twitter 📸 Connect on Instagram 💼 Connect on LinkedIn 📹 Subscribe on YouTube *** SPONSORS 💼 View all sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week I'm joined by my good friend Chenell Basilio, creator of Growth in Reverse and one of the most thorough newsletter analysts in the space. We spent over an hour diving deep into what's really working in email right now — from the death of newsletter hype to the opportunity hiding in recommendation networks. Chenell shared her framework of "insanely valuable content" (the one thing that matters more than any growth hack), and we got surprisingly honest about using AI to create short-form content from our long-form work. We also tackled the big question: how do you grow an email list if you refuse to use social media? Turns out there are more options than you think — from public homework challenges to old-school guest posting making a comeback. Plus, I introduced a new segment called "Unhinged Questions" where we played kiss, marry, kill with email platforms. Growth in Reverse (Chenell's newsletter) The Dink (pickleball newsletter with great referral program) Lenny's Newsletter (guest posting example) Ship 30 for 30 (public homework example) Tweet 100 (my old challenge that drove email growth) ⁠Full transcript and show notes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Introduction (02:21) Email maturity and the end of newsletter hype (05:16) Why CPC advertising doesn't work for small creators (06:08) Chenell's focus: turning recommendation subscribers into fans (09:01) James Clear had 250K subscribers in 2012 (email inflation is real) (11:20) "It's never been easier to reach someone, harder to sustain a relationship" (12:33) "Insanely valuable content" — the one metric that matters (15:28) The struggle with AI-generated content that performs well (20:11) Short-form repurposing: employee vs. AI debate (24:18) What's no longer working: recommendations (before the reframe) (24:53) YouTube to email is massively underrated (29:25) How to grow without social media (5 strategies) (34:50) Public homework challenges (75 Hard, Tweet 100, Ship 30) (43:31) Unhinged Questions: Kiss, Marry, Kill email platforms (44:44) Operating on hunches without data (45:31) "I hate that I'm not doing deep dives every week" *** RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODE → #147: Chenell Basilio – How the best newsletter operators grow to 50K+ subscribers *** ASK CREATOR SCIENCE ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Submit your question here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** WHEN YOU'RE READY 📬 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Creator Science Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🚀 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get CreatorHQ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (creator operating system) 🧪 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join The Lab⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (private membership community) 🧞‍♂️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get a Personalized Offer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** CONNECT 🐦 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📸 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📹 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe on YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** SPONSORS 💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠View all sponsors⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the last 48-72 hours, I completely fell down the rabbit hole with a new AI tool called Clawdbot (rebranded TODAY to Moltbot). Instead of my planned episode about what's on my mind in January 2026, I decided to share my raw, unfiltered experience setting up this AI assistant that runs 24/7 and integrates with all my tools. This isn't your typical AI chat interface—it's an always-on assistant I can text through Telegram that proactively handles research, automates workflows, and maintains institutional memory of all my content. I'll walk you through exactly how I discovered it, my security-first setup approach using a virtual private server, the learning curve (spoiler: it took me until 1:30 AM), and the specific ways I'm using it now. From automated guest research and fitness tracking to content ideation from my 300+ podcast transcripts, this tool is changing how I think about AI assistance. But I'm also wrestling with bigger questions about what this means for content creation, human creativity, and where we draw the line on AI-generated work. → Alex Finn video → Learn about Clawdbot → Setup video from Neil Stephenson → Setup video from VelvetShark Full transcript and show notes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Reflecting on Growth and Challenges (05:27) Strong Year-End Revenue Insights (07:37) Signature Product Lab Launch (13:35) Life-Changing Chair Experience (16:23) Christmas Joy and New Nanny (19:32) Video Podcasts Drive Higher Engagement (20:53) Podcast Reflections and Hosting Challenges (26:13) Social Detox and Podcast Focus (29:04) Refining Strategy and Delegation (30:51) Prioritizing Quality Over Schedule (34:02) Exciting Updates and Reflections *** ASK CREATOR SCIENCE → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Submit your question here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** WHEN YOU'RE READY 📬 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Creator Science Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🚀 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get CreatorHQ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (creator operating system) 🧪 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join The Lab⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (private membership community) 🧞‍♂️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get a Personalized Offer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** CONNECT 🐦 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📸 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📹 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe on YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** SPONSORS 💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠View all sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every month inside The Lab, I do what I call a monthly retro. It's short for retrospective. The idea is that, on a regular basis, you look back at what you have just done to learn from it, course-correct, and move forward. So in my monthly retros, I look at the good things that happened, how I performed against my goals, the concerns I currently have, the changes I'm going to make moving forward, and my goals for next month. → Join The Lab → Subscribe to the newsletter → Read my 2025 Year In Review ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Full transcript and show notes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Reflecting on Growth and Challenges (05:27) Strong Year-End Revenue Insights (07:37) Signature Product Lab Launch (13:35) Life-Changing Chair Experience (16:23) Christmas Joy and New Nanny (19:32) Video Podcasts Drive Higher Engagement (20:53) Podcast Reflections and Hosting Challenges (26:13) Social Detox and Podcast Focus (29:04) Refining Strategy and Delegation (30:51) Prioritizing Quality Over Schedule (34:02) Exciting Updates and Reflections *** ASK CREATOR SCIENCE → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Submit your question here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** WHEN YOU'RE READY 📬 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Creator Science Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🚀 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get CreatorHQ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (creator operating system) 🧪 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join The Lab⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (private membership community) 🧞‍♂️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get a Personalized Offer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** CONNECT 🐦 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📸 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📹 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe on YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** SPONSORS 💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠View all sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Paul Millerd is the author of The Pathless Path, which has earned Paul $325,000 in royalties to date. In the process, Paul turned down a publishing offer from Penguin, one of the major publishers in the industry. Then, in December, Paul decided to double down and produce a new version of The Pathless Path, an ultra-premium hardcover book that is just beautiful. So in this episode, we talk about that decision, the dark side of traditional publishing, the book deal Paul WOULD have taken, and when traditional publishing actually makes sense. → Get The New Hardcover Pathless Path ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Full transcript and show notes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Paul's Website / Twitter *** TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Intro (05:53) Why He Self-Published (08:01) Designing Books Beyond the Obvious (13:13) Money Isn't A Reason to Write (16:54) Book's Success and New Opportunities (20:30) Rejecting Penguin (22:00) Redefining Self-Publishing Potential (25:00) Author Rights and Publishing Deals (30:29) Reviving Unpublished Books (31:33) Publishing Challenges and Opportunities (37:11) Write a Book You Love (39:38) Inside The Pathless Path Hardcover (43:02) Overcoming Doubts, Achieving Success (46:23) Inspired by Steel Brothers (48:43) Direct Sales for Higher Margins (53:04) Amazon Book Bundling Limitations *** RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODE → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠#182: Noah Kagan — Behind the scenes of writing (and marketing) Million Dollar Weekend → #163: David Moldawer — Diving deep into book publishing with an industry insider *** ASK CREATOR SCIENCE → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Submit your question here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** WHEN YOU'RE READY 📬 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Creator Science Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🚀 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get CreatorHQ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (creator operating system) 🧪 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join The Lab⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (private membership community) 🧞‍♂️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get a Personalized Offer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** CONNECT 🐦 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📸 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📹 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe on YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** SPONSORS 💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠View all sponsors

A few weeks ago, I came across a post on X from a user named Yoni Smolyar. It said posting a video on Instagram every day for 508 days in a row taught me that I never want to do that again. I realized that I had seen and followed Yoni on Instagram, where he has over 190,000 followers. In the process, Yoni built an iPhone app called Brainrot, which had a $10,000 launch that he credits to his social media presence that he built during this daily Instagram posting challenge. In this conversation, you'll hear Yoni's approach to Instagram, what worked for him, why he ultimately says he wouldn't do it again, and why he believes his ex-audience of 20,000 may be more valuable. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Full transcript and show notes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Yoni's Website / Instagram / Twitter / Brainrot App / YouTube / TikTok *** TIMESTAMPS (00:00) 508 Days of Daily Videos (05:08) Building Habits: A Month In (08:55) From Hesitant Posts to Viral Storytelling (12:35) Documenting My Entrepreneurial Journey (14:07) Speak Your Mind, Hit Record (19:38) Entrepreneurial Journey: Transparency & Growth (21:19) Brainrot: Tackling Phone Overuse (24:42) Overcoming Cringe Through Posting (30:37) Seasons of Steak and Sizzle (32:12) Origins of Social Media Sharing (34:58) Trapped by Public Perception (38:48) Short Form Video's Negative Impact *** RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODE → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠#275: From ignoring short-form video to 3.5 billion views | Pat Flynn’s Pokémon juggernaut (Part 1)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** ASK CREATOR SCIENCE → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Submit your question here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** WHEN YOU'RE READY 📬 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Creator Science Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🚀 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get CreatorHQ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (creator operating system) 🧪 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join The Lab⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (private membership community) 🧞‍♂️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get a Personalized Offer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** CONNECT 🐦 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📸 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📹 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe on YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** SPONSORS 💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠View all sponsors

Today I am sharing an episode between Josh hall and myself. Josh hall is a good friend of mine, a business owner, and a creator here in Columbus, Ohio. His business is all about web design and he has a podcast called Web Design Business with Josh Hall, and I was a recent guest. So this is a conversation with Josh as friends, talking about what I've learned over the last year. Plus as a new father, how that has impacted my work and why it's not all sunshine and rainbows, but definitely a choice I would make 10 times out of 10. Subscribe to Web Design Business with Josh Hall 2024 Year in Review ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Full transcript and show notes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Jay Clouse: Creator Science Insights (06:37) Streamlined Video Content Creation (10:52) Balancing Work, Parenthood, and Time (20:42) Entrepreneurship: Survival and Uncertainty (25:37) Reflecting on Event Insights (28:28) Business Books vs. Viral Posts (34:53) Balancing Timeliness and Evergreen Content (37:59) Struggling with Content Switching (46:17) Balancing Priorities and Podcasts (51:55) Balancing Priorities and Passions (58:36) Low-Priced Offers Drive Sales (01:01:00) Scaling Success with Live Ads (01:06:32) Jay: Creator Science Highlights *** RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODE → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠#270: Being a creator and a parent | Jay-Talking with Jay Acunzo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** ASK CREATOR SCIENCE → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Submit your question here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** WHEN YOU'RE READY 📬 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Creator Science Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🚀 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get CreatorHQ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (creator operating system) 🧪 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join The Lab⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (private membership community) 🧞‍♂️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get a Personalized Offer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** CONNECT 🐦 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📸 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📹 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe on YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** SPONSORS 💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠View all sponsors

In 2020, Ankur Nagpal sold his course platform, Teachable, for around $250 million. But he knew that the sale would come with a giant tax bill. So Ankur became obsessed with the tax code, and he wanted to make it easier for everyone to legally operate within it. That led him to discover Solo 401(k)s. So he built a new company called Carry that helps you legally keep more of what you earn and invest it the way you want. This podcast is for informational purposes, and not intended to be financial advice. Please consult a financial advisor about your specific situation. → Get Ankur's Free Tax Guide → Sign up for Carry ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Full transcript and show notes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Introduction (01:32) Ankur's Crash Course in Tax Law (08:18) Tax Loopholes and Bias (11:02) Solo 401(k) Benefits Explained (14:32) Solo 401(k) Contribution Guidelines (17:46) S-Corp Tax Benefits Explained (20:11) Maximizing QBI Deduction Strategies (23:22) Tax Planning CPA vs Planners (26:29) Solo 401(k) Advantages Explained (31:49) Direct Indexing (32:34) Tax Loss Harvesting Strategy (36:34) Maximizing Retirement Contributions (41:07) Solo 401(k) Tax Planning Deadlines (44:06) Solo 401(k) Setup Guide (46:12) Tax-Saving Strategy Money Markets *** RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODE → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠#280: How to LEGALLY Protect Your Channel (YouTube Lawyer Tyler Chou Explains) *** ASK CREATOR SCIENCE → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Submit your question here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** WHEN YOU'RE READY 📬 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Creator Science Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🚀 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get CreatorHQ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (creator operating system) 🧪 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join The Lab⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (private membership community) 🧞‍♂️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get a Personalized Offer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** CONNECT 🐦 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📸 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📹 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe on YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** SPONSORS 💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠View all sponsors

Before I went on my current podcast guesting hiatus, I sat down with Howie Chan. I met Howie in person earlier this year at Matt McGarry’s Newsletter Marketing Summit. I thought he was fun, friendly, and thoughtful — just like he is in his podcast, Influence Anyone. This podcast is all about applied influence psychology. Each episode, Howie sit downs with experts and practitioners to uncover the hidden psychology that helps you influence yourself (mastering your mindset, habits, and decisions) and get buy-in from others (your team, clients, and audiences.) In this episode, we talk about my recent topic of study: trust. We break down what I’m learning about how trust works, what it looks like to build a trust-first creator business, and why some creators frankly don’t care about that. We also talk about personal branding — Howie dug up a cringe video I made in 2012 — and what I’d do if I were starting over in 2026. Subscribe to Influence Anyone ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Full transcript and show notes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Trust, Branding, and Starting Over (05:39) Sentiment and Expectations Scatterplot (12:01) Declining Trust in Modern Society (19:49) Key Traits of Trustworthiness (24:08) Building Trust Through Consistency (27:37) Trust Over Manipulation (35:18) Think Big, Stay Persistent (40:58) Understand Your Audience Through Interviews (43:37) Understanding Buyer Hesitation (51:06) Pushing for Growth and Goals (55:30) Building Trust to Expand Business (01:00:05) Creating Your Own Path *** ASK CREATOR SCIENCE → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Submit your question here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** WHEN YOU'RE READY 📬 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Creator Science Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🚀 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get CreatorHQ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (creator operating system) 🧪 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join The Lab⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (private membership community) 🧞‍♂️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get a Personalized Offer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** CONNECT 🐦 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📸 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📹 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe on YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** SPONSORS 💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠View all sponsors

Meet Tommy. Tommy has a YouTube channel dedicated to helping Americans retire in France. Tommy’s done an incredible job attracting nearly 30,000 subscribers and 2 million views on his channel, but he needed help dialing in his product offer. Tommy is a member of The Lab, my invitation-only membership community for 6-and-7-figure creators. He scheduled a coaching call with me to work out how he can take his growing audience and design his product offers to both serve that audience and bring in serious revenue. This is that coaching call, where we discuss how his membership, cohort-based courses, and retreats to France all work together. → Join the Signature Product Bootcamp → Join The Lab ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Full transcript and show notes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Tommy's ⁠⁠Website⁠⁠ / ⁠YouTube⁠ *** TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Intro to American to France (06:11) Membership Focus: Retreats or Access? (08:03) Retreats and Membership Marketing Strategy (11:32) Membership Value and Retention (17:18) Time-Bound Experiences & Memberships (20:38) Strategic Event Video Planning (23:04) Ticket Sales Strategies (27:24) How Bootcamps Tie In (28:36) Community Engagement and Membership Disconnect (34:24) Selling Evergreen Memberships (36:22) The Power of Community (40:25) Building Community in New Locations *** RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODE → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠#260: Detailed Breakdown: Our First Offline Event (And What We’ll Do Differently Next Time) → #271: Coaching: Helping a Lab member design their product suite | Hot Seat with John McBride *** ASK CREATOR SCIENCE → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Submit your question here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** WHEN YOU'RE READY 📬 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Creator Science Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🚀 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get CreatorHQ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (creator operating system) 🧪 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join The Lab⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (private membership community) 🧞‍♂️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get a Personalized Offer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** CONNECT 🐦 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📸 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📹 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe on YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** SPONSORS 💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠View all sponsors

Today, I’m launching my first-ever Signature Product Bootcamp: A four-week, live course for developing YOUR signature product (that you can sell with confidence for years). Program Dates: December 4, 2025 — December 29, 2025 Registration closes Dec. 1 at 11:59pm PT. → Enroll Now in the Signature Product Bootcamp → Learn More about the Signature Product Bootcamp → Join The Lab ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Full transcript and show notes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Creator Science: Signature Boot Camp 06:13 Building Mindshare Through Focus 08:25 Product Clarity Bootcamp 13:01 Building Your Signature Offer 14:07 Bootcamp: Plan, Not Build 17:20 Signature Product Bootcamp Info *** ASK CREATOR SCIENCE → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Submit your question here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** WHEN YOU'RE READY 📬 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Creator Science Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🚀 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get CreatorHQ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (creator operating system) 🧪 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join The Lab⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (private membership community) 🧞‍♂️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get a Personalized Offer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** CONNECT 🐦 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📸 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📹 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe on YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** SPONSORS 💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠View all sponsors

David Altizer is the co-creator of Thumbnail Academy and has quickly become one of the most sought-after thumbnail designers around. David’s clients include Kurtis Connor, Jolly, Max Fosh, Hayden Hillier Smith, and now me. David’s thumbnails have earned nearly 350 million views—and in this video, he’ll show you why creating thumbnails is actually easier than you think. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Full transcript and show notes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Hire David Join Thumbnail Academy David's ⁠Website⁠ / ⁠Instagram⁠ / Twitter / YouTube *** TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Intro to David Altizer (05:20) Rule of Thirds Explained (06:26) The Key to Composition (11:07) Special Offer on 1of10 (15:02) Different Styles of Thumbnails (19:39) Clickbait is Good, Actually (22:05) The Key to More Clicks (24:27) Thumbnail Text Strategy (29:44) Learning from Far Side Comics (32:57) Mastering Thumbnails and Outliers (35:41) Working With Thumbnail Designers (45:46) AI's Role in Thumbnail *** RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODE → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠#280: How to LEGALLY Protect Your Channel (YouTube Lawyer Tyler Chou Explains) *** ASK CREATOR SCIENCE → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Submit your question here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** WHEN YOU'RE READY 📬 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Creator Science Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🚀 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get CreatorHQ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (creator operating system) 🧪 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join The Lab⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (private membership community) 🧞‍♂️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get a Personalized Offer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** CONNECT 🐦 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📸 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📹 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe on YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** SPONSORS 💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠View all sponsors

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I interviewed YouTube legends, Colin and Samir. They are the most influential duo in the creator economy. Today, they talk about how to build a channel that stands the test of time. In this episode, you’ll learn the importance of formats in building a strong brand, how to set your channel up for financial success, and we vent about miscellaneous gripes we all have. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Full transcript and show notes⁠⁠⁠⁠ Colin and Samir's ⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ *** TIMESTAMPS (00:00) The Most Influential Duo on YouTube (01:08) What Are Successful YouTubers Doing Right Now (03:47) Relationship Between Consistency and a Strong Brand (12:38) What Consistency Looks Like in the C&S Brand (16:27) Don’t Commercialize Your Passion (18:51) Turning Your Channel Into a Business (25:52) The Future of Monetization (29:41) YouTubers Are Underselling Themselves to Brands (39:02) Merch as a Revenue Driver Vs Brand Loyalty (41:12) Future of Shorts (44:07) What Happens When Thumbnails Become Less Important (46:41) What’s the Deal with Livestreaming (50:23) Venting to Each Other About the World Around Us (55:46) Learn How to Secure High Paying Brand Deals *** RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODE → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠#209: Paddy Galloway – How he makes any niche go viral⁠ → ⁠#164: Jon Youshaei – Ex-YouTube employee shares the best growth advice (that you’ve probably never heard)⁠ *** ASK CREATOR SCIENCE → ⁠⁠⁠⁠Submit your question here⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** WHEN YOU'RE READY 📬 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Creator Science Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🚀 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Get CreatorHQ⁠⁠⁠⁠ (creator operating system) 🧪 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join The Lab⁠⁠⁠⁠ (private membership community) 🧞‍♂️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Get a Personalized Offer⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** CONNECT 🐦 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📸 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ 💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📹 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe on YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** SPONSORS 💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠View all sponsors and offers⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** SAY THANKS 💜 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave a review on Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🟢 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave a rating on Spotify

Tyler Chou spent nearly two decades as an entertainment attorney in Hollywood, with senior roles at Disney, Skydance, BuzzFeed, before starting her own YouTube channel, which brought her into this world of creators. And today, she helps clients like Sam & Colby, Andy Morris, and Jenny Hoyos stay on the right side of the law. Unfortunately, that’s getting harder (and scarier) all the time. But that doesn’t mean you can’t protect yourself. And Tyler is going to show us how you can start doing so – today. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Full transcript and show notes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Tyler's Website / Instagram / LinkedIn / TikTok / YouTube *** TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Meet the Lawyer Saving YouTube Channels (04:35) Music Publishers and Copyright Strikes (09:54) Getting Strikes Removed (13:08) YouTube Strikes and Litigation Process (15:37) How we use 1of10 (20:28) Resolving Copyright Strikes Creatively (21:46) How Creators Misunderstand Fair Use (27:11) Essential Steps for Creator Protection (30:18) Protecting Partnerships from Future Risks (33:15) Protecting YouTube Channel Ownership (37:37) Photo Licensing and Fair Use (41:05) The Upside of Litigation (42:01) Why This Shouldn't Scare You *** RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODE → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠#263: Colin & Samir on the future of their channel and the creator economy *** ASK CREATOR SCIENCE → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Submit your question here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** WHEN YOU'RE READY 📬 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Creator Science Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🚀 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get CreatorHQ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (creator operating system) 🧪 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join The Lab⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (private membership community) 🧞‍♂️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get a Personalized Offer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** CONNECT 🐦 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📸 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📹 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe on YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** SPONSORS 💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠View all sponsors

In today's episode, I am speaking with my dear friend Amanda Goetz. Amanda is my favorite kind of person. She works her butt off, but she's also sensitive and introspective. Her perspective on ambition and how to marry it with family life is baked into her new book, called Toxic Grit, How to Have It All and Actually Love What You Have. Amanda is a two-time founder, four-time CMO, and single mom of three. She inspires over 150,000 people every week through her social insights and weekly newsletter Life's a Game. Previously, Amanda founded House of Wise, the luxury wellness brand giving women permission to make space for better sleep, hotter sex, less stress, and more strength. House of Wise was acquired in 2022, and before that, Amanda spent five years at the Knot Worldwide as Head of Brand Marketing. Learn more about Amanda Order Toxic Grit Amanda's Instagram / Twitter / LinkedIn ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Full transcript and show notes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Amanda's Inspiring Journey & Book 04:35 Embracing Multifaceted Female Identity 06:30 Rediscovering Authentic Self Needs 11:34 Seeking Validation as a Creator 13:29 Life's a Game Newsletter Launch 18:06 Building a Brand for Publishing 22:39 Industry Feedback and Benchmarks 25:12 First Book Needn't Be Best 29:05 Self-Understanding and Growth Process 31:37 Authenticity and Emotional Maturity 37:00 Authenticity and Creative Energy 40:34 Transitioning to Intimacy Mode 42:57 Mastering Co-Parenting Early 45:23 Trusting Publisher's Title Process 49:05 Focus, Strategy, Connection *** RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODE → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠#276: From self-publishing to traditional and becoming a NYT best-seller | Pat Flynn (Part 2) *** ASK CREATOR SCIENCE → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Submit your question here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** WHEN YOU'RE READY 📬 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Creator Science Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🚀 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get CreatorHQ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (creator operating system) 🧪 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join The Lab⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (private membership community) 🧞‍♂️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get a Personalized Offer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** CONNECT 🐦 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📸 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📹 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe on YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** SPONSORS 💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠View all sponsors

Today, I want to take you behind the scenes in The Lab this week. Every month I do a retro where I look at the months that just passed, things that went well, things that didn't go well, things that I'm changing because of that. I wanted to share a version of that here on the channel and on the podcast feed, and hopefully by learning more about what's going on in my head, not only do you feel a little bit seen and understood, but maybe it gives you some insight and unlocks something for you in your own business as well. So in this episode, I'll be looking at the last quarter of the year. I want to look at my business, how it's performing so far, and where we're heading. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Full transcript and show notes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Quarterly Business Review Insights 06:26 Parenting, Priorities, and Adaptation 08:09 Lab and Book Priorities 11:51 Refocusing on Creator Priorities 15:41 Ambition on My Terms 19:40 Writing, Thinking, and Mimetic Desire 21:40 Content Repurposing Across Platforms 25:56 Content & Product Strategy Update 30:29 Lab Membership Updates & Features 31:54 Making the Book a Success 35:44 Balancing the Perfect Title 38:11 Struggling to Do Less *** RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODE → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠#270: Being a creator and a parent | Jay-Talking with Jay Acunzo *** ASK CREATOR SCIENCE → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Submit your question here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** WHEN YOU'RE READY 📬 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Creator Science Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🚀 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get CreatorHQ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (creator operating system) 🧪 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join The Lab⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (private membership community) 🧞‍♂️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get a Personalized Offer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** CONNECT 🐦 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📸 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📹 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe on YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** SPONSORS 💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠View all sponsors

I’ve been a full-time creator for 8 years now and have earned $2,192,000 since 2022. I’ve spent a LOT of time and money experimenting with different ways to make money on the internet, so I’m going to rank them. The best and the worst. I show you 15 different revenue streams and rate them from S to F based on their potential versus the effort required. By the very end of the video, you’ll know which ones are right for you. And at any point, if you agree or disagree, let me know in the comments. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Full transcript and show notes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** TIMESTAMPS (00:32) AdSense (01:36) Sponsorship & Brand Deals (03:30) Content Memberships (04:30) Done-For-You Services (05:27) Royalties (06:28) 1-to-1 Coaching & Consulting (07:38) Affiliates (09:36) User Generated Content (UGC) (10:17) Group Programs (11:25) Digital Products (12:56) Speaking (14:27) Live Events (15:53) Community Memberships *** RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODE → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠#267: When to use low-ticket offers, refund policies, how much I earned in the last 12 months, and my 5-year vision [Ask CS Pt. 1] *** ASK CREATOR SCIENCE → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Submit your question here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** WHEN YOU'RE READY 📬 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Creator Science Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🚀 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get CreatorHQ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (creator operating system) 🧪 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join The Lab⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (private membership community) 🧞‍♂️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get a Personalized Offer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** CONNECT 🐦 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📸 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📹 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe on YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** SPONSORS 💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠View all sponsors