#113 - From Furniture Store to Water Delivery: The Millions in Boring Businesses

Shaan (@ShaanVP) and Sam (@TheSamParr) talk about an astrology app that has been creating controversy throughout Silicon Valley -- Sanctuary. VCs have come out against the app as pseudoscience, but the guys question their logic. These kinds of apps go into the bucket of "me-businesses" or businesses that tell the user about themselves. So from there, the guys brainstorm on ideas within this framework. The second half of the episode is focused on "personal monopolies" -- the concept of creating a big personal brand and monetizing it. We talk about a few people who have done it successfully and how you can too. --------- * 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: * (5:42) The controversy behind an astrology app * (20:18) Brainstorming "make-it-about-me" businesses * (28:40) Shaan and Sam's "one-night stand" businesses * (38:11) Why you shouldn't overthink your idea * (45:21) Personal monopolies: Michael Buffer, Judge Judy, and Ryan Seacrest * (54:57) Sam's Tim Ferriss story

14 Maj 20211h 3min

Virtual horse racing? That's right Shaan (@ShaanVP) and Sam (@TheSamParr) break down a virtual horse racing company doing millions. The company is so hot right now, Sam even tried investing but wasn't able to. They also talk about a company delivering testosterone right to your doorstep. We've talked about this business before, and Shaan even said it was one of the best ideas we've had on the pod. We also cover BeeRoll (Shaan thinks this can become a 9-figure company), Polymarket, and a bunch of growth tactics at the very end. --------- * 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: * (3:04) The company delivering testosterone to your door * (13:58) Making millions from virtual horses? * (28:38) How BeeRoll is turning regular people into micro-influencers * (43:18) How to bet on anything * (52:23) Updates on the podcast

13 Maj 20211h 10min

Shaan (@ShaanVP) and Sam (@TheSamParr) are joined by Furqan Rydhan (@FurqanR). Furqan was Shaan's CTO at Bebo and previously co-founded AppLovin -- a $20B+ company that recently went public. Shaan and Furqan host a weekly "Cool Sh!t Hour" between themselves to discuss the coolest innovations Furqan's seeing. We basically took that and made it into a podcast. Furqan talks about mind-control hardware, vertical farming, and a lot of interesting crypto projects. He also talks about what it was like starting a multibillion-dollar company and his mindset around making decisions on what projects to work on. --------- * 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: * (5:33) Background on Furqan and his new venture (f.inc) * (7:48) How AppLovin became a $20B+ company * (24:20) The hardware Furqan is bullish on * (35:33) DeFi and borrowing against crypto * (48:38) The opportunities in vertical farming * (59:59) The power of proximity and serendipitous opportunities * (1:13:40) What are DAOs?

12 Maj 20211h 40min

Shaan (@ShaanVP) talks to entrepreneur Moiz Ali (@moizali) on today's episode. Have you ever looked at the back of your deodorant stick and read the ingredients? Aluminum zirconium trichlorohydrex? PPG-14 Butyl Ether? Well, Moiz saw that and created Native, a natural deodorant without all the chemical junk. He built the company from his brother's dining table - doing sales, marketing, operations & customer service as a one-man-show. His hard work paid off, as he sold the company for $100M to Proctor & Gamble just 2.5 years after it launched. Listen in to hear the backstory of how he started using just $1k, how the company almost died (twice), and how he negotiated a $100M sale of the business!  --------- * 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: * 12:40 - How Moiz got his first product made and first few sales * 21:00 - The highs and lows of entrepreneurship * 27:40 - How to iterate quickly with a physical product * 32:55 - Shaan rapid fires questions at Moiz to understand his mindset and business at the time * 46:33 - How Moiz sold Native * 58:30 - Moiz talks about his doubters and how it fueled him

10 Maj 20211h 15min

With Endeavor's IPO, Shaan (@ShaanVP) and Sam (@TheSamParr) break down the UFC's numbers and how it got so profitable. Key to the whole thing: Dana White. He bought the UFC for $2m and turned it into a multi-billion empire. The guys also talk about the mental toughness of UFC fighters and how you can take some of these same principals and apply them to your life. They also talk about an interesting concept called no-loss lotteries and a company trying to save you taxes. --------- * 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: * (3:28) How to retain talent * (7:42) The mental toughness of UFC fighters * (15:30) The power of self-talk * (24:20) How the UFC got so profitable * (36:38) How this company will help you save taxes * (41:05) What are no-loss lotteries? --------- Show links: * https://studentloanhero.com/ * https://properlot.com/ * https://www.poconnor.com/ * https://www.fivestonetax.com/ * https://pooltogether.com/ * https://twitter.com/lay2000lbs * https://waitbutwhy.com/2021/04/lanby.html * https://www.thelanby.com/

7 Maj 202154min

Shaan (@ShaanVP) and Sam (@TheSamParr) host Balaji (@balajis) this episode. This is an amazing dive into Balaji's mind. He talks about the current issues with the media and how he's hoping to fix it with crypto and the blockchain. We also get a look at how he views the world, what motivates him, what he's been wrong about as well as the massive shifts he sees happening. --------- * 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: * (0:00) Intro * (2:30) Balaji's background * (7:33) Why Balaji started a newsletter: 1729 * (22:40) The media and its biases * (31:58) Balaji on memes and their importance * (37:45) What the future of media looks like and the role of crypto * (56:26) When did Balaji get into crypto? * (1:01:30) Sam asks Balaji what motivates him * (1:11:50) How the world is changing and becoming more Balaji-like * (1:19:39) What would 21 year-old Balaji work on? * (1:22:46) Why geographical proximity is no longer linked to cultural proximity * (1:26:25) How we can align incentives between tech and everyone else * (1:32:30) Balaji on crypto-social networks * (1:37:30) How Balaji operates day-to-day and "the idea maze" * (1:47:33) The importance of finding the right place to live * (1:57:30) What it's like to talk to Balaji * (2:02:08) What has Balaji been wrong about? * (2:11:00) Science vs. math: getting to the truth * (2:21:10) Balaji asks Sam for newsletter advice * (2:24:40) What are Balaji's guilty pleasures

5 Maj 20212h 38min

Suli Ali is one of the most interesting founders we’ve had on the pod. Suli and his brother Moiz have started and sold $300m worth of companies. They’ve also invested in hundreds of big-name startups, thousands of real estate deals, and much more more. He built small, silly apps. Like a Facebook app survey where you voted “most likely to wear a bunny costume”. Yet...it turned into a huge success. How? When he sold his first company, it was doing $85 million in revenue and $15 million in profit. In this episode, we discuss his journey from making $76k a year at Microsoft to selling his first company for $100,000,000+. --------- * 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: * 8:05 - Shaan predicted this podcast would be successful...he was right! * 9:55 - Suli’s parents encouraged him to start a company...and why that’s important. * 24:25 - Meeting Naval - is he legit? * 27:25 - Getting grilled by Keith Rabois * 41:25 - Listen to Suli’s confidence and how he explains starting stuff and how he deals with downs. * 1:02:25 - Risking his life savings to make his company work (then selling it for $100m).

3 Maj 20211h 23min

Shaan (@ShaanVP) and Sam (@TheSamParr) might have set a record with this episode in terms of ideas! We start with Shaan laying out his case for why a "Barstool for tech and business" would work and how it should be done. Sam pushed back a little bit but admits it's possible. The guys then talk about the booming software course business. Valuations are sky-high for some companies in this sector -- Shaan explains why. The guys also revisit internal media companies (they'll invest if you're doing it). The guys also break down: a NYC tours business pulling in $1m annually, "Manhood as a Service" businesses, and renting chickens! --------- * 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: * (1:58) Podcast growth * (7:34) "Barstool for Tech/Business" * (16:07) Why course software companies are booming * (27:18) Internal newsletters and podcasts * (33:38) Millions being made with city and company tours * (45:05) Manhood as a Service * (50:51) Museum of Ice Cream and Museum Hack * (52:50) Rent the Chicken * (58:44) How Shaan and Sam get things done

30 Apr 20211h 15min