Episodes
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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.
Tacklebox Granola00:30 Intro - Testing a Startup Idea Live
03:01 The Three Questions for Any Startup
04:40 Where Magic Comes From
07:44 Smooth Jazz
08:16 Who’s it For + What’ll it Help Them Do?
12:32 The Four Potential Problems
13:52 Problem Selection -
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 imposter syndrome, and we break down why choosing the right TV show might make you a better entrepreneur. Come for the smooth jazz transitions, stay for the actionable startup advice. #MuchAdoAboutStuffing
Tacklebox - "muchadoaboutstuffing"ClaudeHow to Engineer LuckSlow Horses
Timestamps:
00:30 Intro - The Mailbag
02:08 Question One: How to Actually Use AI Right Now
06:00 Electric Vehicle Problem Language
08:52 Question Two: Which Tactic?
14:09 Question Four: Are All The Good Ideas Taken?
19:24 The End - how to help -
Missing episodes?
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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 score 800 (and for those people only). And, Hey Jealousy by the Gin Blossoms, for some reason.
XLR8 DevTackleboxHey JealousyPut Your Ass Where Your Heart Wants To BeTimestamps
00:30 - Listener Child Therapist Idea Email05:42 - XLR8 Dev06:50 - Live in Reality, and Choose Where You Compete10:45 - Categories12:57 - Anti-Marketing17:11 - Put Your Ass Where Your Heart Is19:45 - Bonus - Value First21:00 - The End -
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 DevTacklebox (code Holiday for 50% off month one)Graham Weaver
Timestamps:
00:30 How to get lucky
03:11 Story Time: Getting Press for 3Degrees
11:06 XLR8dev.com
12:32 The Five Types of Luck
15:05 Luck for a Date Planning Service
16:25 Luck Gatekeepers
17:45 Luck Routines and your Luck Budget
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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 Operating System
05:24 Smooth Jazz, with an Offer
06:06 Productize the First Step
09:16 Theory + Process
11:30 Good Customers and Good Dams
13:30 A Writing Startup
17:02 The First Step for the Family Operating System -
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.
XLR8 DevTacklebox WorkshopsThe Midnight LibrarySand and Stones Episode of Idea to StartupDeep WorkClaude - my favorite current AIIdea to Startup Newsletter00:33 Intro - The Always Work and Never Work Lists
04:00 XLR8DEV.com
05:22 The Five Minute List Part 1: Sand and Stones
08:29 Revenge of the Sand - a Founder Story
09:25 Pebbles
12:02 Your Subconscious
13:00 Four Steps to Build Your Five Minute List
17:16 The End - Coworking -
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.
Tacklebox Customer Interview WorkshopGetting God at the Wrong Thing
00:40 The Types of Problems Customers Will Solve
01:00 Manhattan in 2007
05:48 Achievement Incentives
06:30 Be Careful What You’re Getting Good At
07:37 Nat Eliason - Getting Too Good at the Wrong Thing
08:21 Bad Early Decisions James Clear
09:53 Tacklebox
10:54 Problem Archetype 1: Hole Problems
14:23 Baby Quip
17:04 Problem Archetype 2: Teleporter Problems
19:19 Problem Archetype 3: Status Level Jump -
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 and keep momentum.
Tacklebox Customer Interview WorkshopIdea to Startup NewsletterKevin running from the furnace
00:34 Intro
03:30 The Idea: AI for Tutors
07:27 Jazz - Customer Interview Workshop
07:57 Just-In-Time Prep
11:55 Search for Hooks
14:14 The Three Step System
15:40 Forcing Function Examples
18:13 Reinforcing Markers
20:06 The End: Jump in the Ocean -
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.
Tacklebox Workshops
00:33 When Copy Becomes Important
02:40 Why You’re a Bad Writer
05:40 Is This Anything?
06:50 Byldd
07:55 The Big Misunderstanding
10:45 Reverse Architect Copy
13:45 The Attention Pie
15:48 Cold Emails
17:20 Write to One Person -
Today, we're going to talk about one of the best things Brian has learned in 40 years of living. We'll talk through why embracing discomfort is crucial for personal growth and happiness, learn how to generate innovative ideas by adopting a "documentary approach" to life, and find out what Taco Bell has to do with prioritizing your day.
Tacklebox WorkshopsThe Daniel Tiger SOP
Timestamps
00:30 Intro - Discomfort Leads to Happiness
01:33 Discomfort is Front-Loaded + The Happiness Equation
07:43 Observation Number One: The Idea Comes Later
09:26 Pivoting Isn’t Linear
12:32 Observation Number Two: Fiction is Way Harder Than a Documentary
15:37 Observation Number Three: Taco Bell Prioritization
17:39 The End: Execute Through Stories -
Today, we'll help you think through a deceptively tough question - are you a freelancer or an entrepreneur? Every decision you make needs to nest neatly below this core decision for your business to work, but tons of founders are either trying to do both simultaneously or think they're one when they're really the other.
TackleboxSeth Godin ConversationKurt VonnegutNo Lunging
We clarify the difference between freelancer and entrepreneur, help you decide which will make you happier, and get you started on the path for whichever you choose.0:30 Why Entrepreneurs are unhappy
01:14 Do you want to be a freelancer or entrepreneur?
04:12 Seth Godin Conversation
04:58 Our definition of a freelancer
07:28 Our definition of entrepreneurs
09:07 Cuban’s Definition of Entrepreneurship
11:24 BYLDD
12:25 The Restaurant Startup
15:15 Rivers and Dams
19:19 No Lunging
22:44 Don’t Pretend
23:10 How do you want to spend your days? -
Today is the last episode in our four-part series helping a doctor test a business idea live on the pod. We follow as they execute their Concierge MVP - teaching productivity skills to fellow physicians. We dive into the process for building a product from scratch (with no code or experience), and talk through how to navigate the fears that'll naturally pop up. Finally, we help the doctor translate the insights they pulled from the CMVP into their next steps on the business.
BylddTackleboxIdea to Startup NewsletterThe Perfect CoupleDavid Allen GTD workbookHow to Design and Teach WorkshopsTimestamps:
00:30 Intro - Email [email protected] your concierge MVP ideas
02:30 - Recap of Episodes 1-3 in the series
05:15 - Part 1: What Do You Need, and What Do You Not Need?
06:25 - Remember Scooby Doo
09:10 - Byldd
10:18 Part 2: Your Product Should Be Tailored, Not New
12:45 Part 3: Customer Journey and Tell the Story
16:30 Part 4: How Many Customers and Should You Discount?
18:00 The Superpower: Optimism
20:08 Part 5: How It Went
23:25 The End: What’s Next? -
In part three of testing a startup idea live on the pod, we dive into the Concierge MVP - a crucial step in validating a startup idea by manually solving your customer's problem. We break down the four key ingredients of a Concierge MVP and follow our doctor friend as he builds one for his productivity idea, highlighting both the process and the fears that come with it.
Episode 1 in the series: The IdeaEpisode 2 in the series: Acquiring CustomersTackleboxIdea to Startup NewsletterOne Person Landing Page
Timestamps:00:30 Intro - The Last 15%
03:41 Episodes 1 + 2 recap
07:02 Smooth Jazz
07:30 The Concierge MVP
08:56 The Four Ingredients of the CMVP
10:17 Ingredient One: Pick Your Frank
13:01 Ingredient Two: Find, and Convince, More Franks
15:30 The Landing Page
16:35 Champions and Risk
18:19 Ingredient Three: The Wedge -
Today is Part 2 of starting a startup live on the pod. We focus on finding and engaging potential customers through Brute Force Customer Acquisition and dig in on value creation using the Delta 4 framework. The entrepreneur we're helping experiences an epiphany about what his doctor customers truly need, challenging his initial assumptions and forcing him to pivot his approach.
TackleboxBylddIdea to Startup NewsletterDelta Four00:30 Intro - Last Week’s Episode
04:18 Brute Force Customer Acquisition + The Five Startup Steps
09:37 The best brute force acquisition I’ve seen
10:49 Doctor Customer Acquisition
12:44 Hunting Delta 4
16:00 The Hunch -
Today, we'll start a startup live on the pod. A listener wrote in with an idea in the shifting healthcare space and we pursue it over the next few episodes. We start from square one, digging into what's actually valuable about the idea with the 90% Wrong Principle, using the Four Question framework to pull out assumptions, and finally judging the viability of early customers with the Committed vs. Interested Test. It's a fun start to a series where we'll build a business in real-time.
90% WrongHow to Live an Asymmetric LifeTackleboxIdea to Startup NewsletterIdea to Startup Bot00:25 Intro - Starting a Startup Idea Live
02:02 The Idea - Healthcare is changing
05:58 Smooth Jazz
06:30 90% Wrong
07:52 Scary and Hard
09:30 Worst First
10:51 The Four Story Questions
15:45 The Two hero’s
18:38 The End: I Hate Both Customers -
Today we'll help you find and choose the right startup idea. We'll use a couple of frameworks to help you evaluate startup ideas you've got and find startup ideas other people miss. We talk through the Hard Startup Myth and The Hassle Premium, two mental models that'll make sure your next idea has legs. We'll also evaluate Tinder for Jobs and learn a lesson from the great Frank Prisinzano.
BylddTackleboxFrank's Crispy Egg video + instagramPersonal MBA
00:27 Intro
01:35 Are All the Good Ideas Taken?
05:15 Byldd
06:22 Tinder for Jobs
11:30 Execution vs Customer Risk
12:30 Specific Knowledge and Leverage
13:04 The Hard Idea Myth + Frank Prisinzano
17:22 The Hassle Premium -
Today, we'll talk through how to identify and pursue the big, consequential ideas - what we'll call Quests. We go through how to identify them, how to wrap our arms around them, and what to do when you (inevitably) feel intimidated. We'll do it with a little help from the 90 Yard Mistake, a ghost kitchen idea, and some chronic pain interviews. Quest (drink).
TackleboxIdea to Startup NewsletterIdea to Startup BotChoose Good Quests
Timestamps:
00:24 Intro - Becoming a Parent
05:21 The Hard Stuff Is Easier
07:50 Smooth Jazz
08:16 How to Identify a Worthy Quest
12:44 The 90 Yard Mistake
19:06 How to Get Started - People & Success
21:40 How to Not Be Intimidated
24:16 Choose Worthy Quests -
Hard problems are the only problems worth your time, but they're not always easy to find. Today, we'll talk about how to root them out. We'll dig in on decisions customers avoid and how to use those decisions to anchor early traction. We'll also talk through one of Brian's favorite current businesses - a guy who buys used cars for you.
BylddTackleboxIdea to Startup NewsletterIdea to Startup Bot
0:27 Intro - Noticing What People Hate
05:00 The Car Problem
07:52 BYLDD
09:15 Solving Hard Problems
13:42 Decision Hunting
15:30 Chronic Pain
18:30 The End - Problem Hunting -
Today, we'll talk about my favorite item from the Always Work List from a few weeks back - the Daniel Tiger SOP. Entrepreneurship requires you to do uncomfortable stuff constantly. This gets overwhelming and leads to founders sticking with the well-worn, safe path. That leads to startups with no differentiator and no reason to exist.
TackleboxIdea to Startup NewsletterIdea to Startup BotAlways Work and Never Work Lists PodEmail [email protected] with sub “always work never work” to get the listsAn SOP for Testing a Startup IdeaDaniel Tiger SongNate Bargatze Dumb Brain
The Daniel Tiger SOP helps you turn intimidating tasks into manageable ones. It lets you travel a unique road, which leads to a unique product. It's as good a technique as I've found.
Timestamps
00:35 Intro - Always Work and Never Work Lists
02:55 The Most Useful Item from the Always Work List
03:55 What Makes People Happy
06:15 Smooth Jazz
06:45 You’ll Never Sprint Again
08:12 Repetitive SOPs and Uncomfortable SOPs
09:30 The Daniel Tiger SOP
11:13 Email Scam Detector Startup
16:30 The End: Our Brains Are Dumb -
Today, we'll help you build a system for creativity. We'll start by defining creativity as an equation to make it more accessible. Then, we'll develop a system that focuses on the inputs of the creativity equation. We talk through the Commonplace Book, Commencement Speeches, a sports writer and the movie Sahara. Then, we get into the weeds on how to set up and implement your own personal creativity system.
TackleboxWeekly Podcast NewsletterThe Great Talks, Lectures, and Speeches of HistoryNotion + Notion Web ClipperReadwiseZapierOgilvy on Advertising0:30 Intro - Creativity
2:00 What if you’re not creative?
2:53 Creativity is Mushing
3:39 Creativity Equation
5:15 Summer Internship
6:28 Bill Simmons
7:48 In on the joke
9:20 College Commencement Speeches
10:07 Kenyon Commencement Speech - Two Fish
11:20 Smooth Jazz
11:52 The System
14:00 The Logistics
15:22 Intake
17:29 Reflection
18:30 Output
19:30 Ogilvy on Advertising - Show more
