I was offered $200M at 24 and I turned it down

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

Codie Sanchez (@Codie_Sanchez) joins Shaan (@ShaanVP) and Sam (@TheSamParr) for this brainstorm. Codie is all about businesses that cashflowing right away. She talks everything from buying distressed businesses to modular homes to buying real estate for pennies on the dollar. She doesn't shy away from controversial thoughts either: she lays out why angel investing is dumb and why public stock investing is as well. We end the episode with some great stories on "how to collect people" (basically network like a champ) and what financial freedom really means. --------- * 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: * (0:38) The guys recap the Balaji podcast * (5:08) Codie explains what she does and how she got there * (15:03) Owning mailing centers & pack and ships * (21:12) Buying distressed assets for $0 * (23:54) The big ROI on tiny homes * (28:44) Codie's controversial thoughts * (37:16) Buying RE at auction * (43:01) How to collect cool people * (54:15) How Shaan and Codie view financial freedom

28 Apr 20211h 2min

Shaan (@ShaanVP) and Sam (@TheSamParr) are joined by Elaine Zelby (@ezelby) for this brainstorm. Elaine brings the heat with ideas for starting a Saas bundle company (Sam says this is easily a $10m business), creating the "adult manual", the SNOO for adults, subscription running shoes, and a bunch of alternative health business ideas. Not only do they bring ideas, but they also break down how to pull off these businesses. --------- * 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: 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: * (1:35) Introducing Elaine Zelby and Signal Fire * (8:31) Shaan's first unicorn! * (14:15) How Signal Fire finds deals * (25:35) Investing in an Elon Musk idea * (33:12) Startup SaaS bundle is a $10m idea * (41:10) Creating the "adult manual"? * (49:55) The SNOO for adult * (53:25) Subscription running shoes * (56:45) Brainstorming alternative health ideas

26 Apr 20211h 15min

Sam (@theSamParr) is joined by Andrew (@awilkinson) to catch up. They spend the first half of the episode talking about the investments they've each made in 2021. Andrew then dives into a more obscure investment he made: a bakery! He explains it's more for fun than profit. Andrew also drops some great hacks: how he saves time on email and how he networks with billionaires. --------- * 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: 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: * (4:24) The entrepreneur lifestyle and the stress that comes with it * (12:45) Sam and Andrew talk about their recent investments * (45:20) Andrew bought a bakery. Here's what he's doing with it * (53:10) How to make your hometown cool * (55:52) Henry Singleton: better than Warren Buffett * (1:02:28) Andrew's email hack and how he donates * (1:11:25) Why Andrew is the king of networking

23 Apr 20211h 31min

Shaan (@ShaanVP) and Sam (@TheSamParr) dive deep into 75 Hard: what it is, who's behind it, and why it's so successful. From there they talk about a similar business: Beachbody. Beachbody does over $1B in sales, but the way they generate their profits will surprise you. The guys also brainstorm on "HackerNews for X" ideas and how to pull them off. Towards the end, Sam challenges Shaan on why he's running so many businesses and not focusing on just one. --------- * 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: 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: * (2:00) Talking pod growth * (8:20) Shaan's funny story from college * (13:12) "HackerNews for X" * (30:12) What is 75 Hard? * (35:30) How Beachbody became a $1B behemoth * (52:04) Sam challenges Shaan on doing many businesses instead of focusing

21 Apr 20211h 1min