Idea to Startup
A podcast for people working on startup ideas. We have 15-minute tactical episodes and occasional interviews with people who did the early things exceptionally well. We've helped launch hundreds of startups worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and these are the building blocks. "This is, without a doubt, the best podcast for people trying to build startups out there." "If you aren't listening to this podcast and you're considering building a business (or you're already building one), what are you doing?" "Must listen for first-time entrepreneurs - excellent storyteller."
Episodes
Today, we've got a classic, much-listened to episode on getting your first 1,000 customers. We contrast the approaches of two pizza companies - Push for Pizza and Slice - and see how each company's early growth approach led to their bigger strategy. You also get a much less polished Brian on the mic. My grunge era. Enjoy!
Most founders don't know what their differentiator is. That's a problem. Today, we walk through two paths to help you find a differentiator strong enough to anchor a business. We also help you root out bad differentiators - the ones that'll just waste your time. There's also a story about a Rabbi's wisdom, a founder making decaf coffee, and a poison ivy company I'm obsessed with.
Vacuums are uncomfortable, but they're actually far less risky than the alternative. A No Whisper Ideas post on how to think about, approach, and create vacuums.
Brought to you by Tacklebox.
Today, we're digging into the mailbag to answer some common questions. We hit on how to actually commit to a startup idea when you aren't confident it'll work (featuring the Discipline + Strategy Levers), the most frequent advice I give (feat. Monkeys and Pedestals and Sell the Position), and a question on the startup decision - should you do a thing that'll take 10 years?
00:30 Mailbag
0...
Today is Part 2 of the series introducing the ERP (Early Rep Potential) Rubric. The idea behind ERP is that the best idea for you is the one you can do "full rep" tests on the fastest. We help Erica evaluate the potential of her FODMAP idea, where she's looking to help people identify specific food sensitivities. We score the idea and get clarity on its potential. We also talk a little Jon Hamm.
- Tacklebox (test your startup id...
Today, we're trying something new. We send out the No Whisper Ideas newsletter every Sunday, and today, we posted it here. Maybe you'll like it. It's on Startup Misogis, a way to make a visible, memorable dent in your year.
- Tacklebox
- No Whisper Ideas
- The North Fork Century
- The Ride
- Misogi
- Jesse Itzler
- Proof That You Can Do Hard Things
00:00 Intro - What This Is
01: 34 A 100 Mile Bike RIde
02:22 A Misogi Challenge
04:16 Startup Misog...
Got a notebook full of startup ideas but no clue which one to build first? In this week’s pen-and-paper episode, we walk through the ERP—Early Rep Potential—Rubric, our simple scoring system that shows you which idea you can run the fastest customer “reps” on. We’ll put Erica (a Tacklebox member juggling “easily twenty ideas”) to the test, scoring her two biggest concepts live. Want to follow along? Grab an editable copy of the ERP...
Today, we’re talking about startup identity—why you need one, and how it makes every decision you face way easier. We’ll talk swimming and nervous systems, walk through the Decision Equation, and help our good friend Carl figure out which customer to start with for his AI tool that helps adults learn Spanish. Then we’ll wrap with a simple framework to help you clearly define your startup’s identity. It’s practical, a little weird, ...
We're Back! Today, we'll talk about Extreme Quality - the best way to create contrast for your startup and the antidote to the average stuff most people are pumping out. We’ll unpack the six key components of identifying a high-leverage customer moment, explore how the Car Guy built a wildly successful business by eliminating hassle, and explain how most founders are focusing on the wrong thing. Also, Gladiators and Steve Carmicha...
Today, we'll talk about the four steps I'd take if I needed to start a startup in 2025. We'll also talk about idiots.
We begin by embracing the reality that both founders and customers are irrational. Then, we build out steps and a process to address this. We start with a life audit, increase our Luck Surface Area, tackle the unit economics of working with one customer, and build out a system for accountability. This is a fun episod...
Today is episode two of testing an idea (AI for Parenting) live on the pod. We use a second round of interviews to go deep on the actual problem we're solving for parents, pull inspiration from an AI tool in the dementia care space, and end up with a Wedge product that'll use voice notes to reduce the pain of handoffs. We also hit on one of my favorite tactics - The Pain Text. Hot Frosty is in there, too, because why not.
Today is day one of testing an idea live on the pod. We talk through how to turn a big, broad idea (AI for Parenting) into something actionable, the three questions every startup must answer, and how to balance curiosity with focus. Also, we talk about both my son and trees swaying to Bruno Mars.
00:30 Intro - Testing a Startup Idea Live
03:01 The Three Questions for Any Startup
04:40 Where Magic Comes From
...
A special Thanksgiving mailbag episode answering your biggest questions (plus a holiday deal for the dedicated listeners who aren't too busy with pumpkin pie). We tackle the one thing you should actually be doing with AI right now, why competition is often the best thing that could happen to your startup, and the single most important habit every founder needs to build. Plus, Derek Jeter makes a surprise appearance to ask about imp...
Today, we'll dig in on three approaches that separate how pros and amateurs build businesses. We'll talk through how pros leverage existing infrastructure, how they use anti-marketing to build trust with strangers, and how they don't leave luck and serendipity to chance - they orchestrate it. We'll do this with help from stories about Frank Sinatra, a comedian in an Uber, and a founder starting a GMAT course for people looking to s...
Most founders hope to get lucky. But luck isn't random - it can (and has to be) engineered. Today we'll break down exactly what luck is and how you can reverse engineer it. We'll help you identify Luck Gatekeepers and build your Luck Budget. You'll never think about entrepreneurial luck the same way again.
- PARTNER: XLR8 Dev
- Tacklebox (code Holiday for 50% off month one)
- Graham Weaver
Timestamps:
00:30 How to get lucky
03:11 Stor...
Today we'll dig in on productizing your customer's first step. This is the best path to building a product that generates revenue immediately so that you've got some runway and flexibility to build. We'll walk through a few examples, including a Family Operating System that came in at 3am last Thanksgiving from a listener.
- Tacklebox (50% off with code Holiday)
Timestamps
00:30 The Thanksgiving Startup Idea - The Family Opera...
Today, we dive into the Always Work and Never Work Lists to pull out a method that's immeasurably useful for our founders: The 5-Minute List. A system that helps you turn scattered pockets of time into meaningful work - rebranding "Sand" tasks (from the Sand and Stones framework) to "Pebbles." We leverage AI to break intimidating projects down and minimize transition time to remove all friction.
Today we talk through the three types of problems that deserve a solution. We start off with a few higher level thoughts about problems and startups - specifically around achievement incentives and how some bad early decisions usually can't be salvaged by good decisions later on. Then we talk through Hole Problems, Teleporter Problems, and Status Level Jump Problems.
Today, we talk through the Silk Sheet Problem - how to do something new and hard when your life is fairly... comfortable. We help a listener get started on their idea - an AI tutor's assistant - with three shortcuts to set their life up in a way that makes it easier to start a startup than to not. We talk through Just-In-Time Prep, Forcing Functions, and life design. This episode is meant to be a blueprint for you to take action an...
Today, we talk through how to write compelling copy. We go through a few counterintuitive archetypes you can use to dramatically increase the clarity of your messaging, which will allow you to increase your conversion rate and get more people involved earlier in the process. Copywriting is an idea-testing superpower.
00:33 When Copy Becomes Important
02:40 Why You’re a Bad Writer
05:40 Is This Anything?
06:...
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