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My First Million

Business Brainstorm: Failed Churches, Ozempic Hotline & Klout 2.0 (#492)

Episode 492: Shaan Puri and Sam Parr are back, serving you A+ business ideas to go with your morning cereal.

Shaan PurihostSam Parrhost

Sep 5, 20231h 15mWatch on YouTube

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Chapter summaries

Labor Day “idea episode” setup and why they still do brainstorms
Sam and Shaan frame the episode as a throwback focused on business ideas and opportunities. They joke about the effort of preparing versus reacting to things they found during the week, and they set expectations: a mix of small, doable hustles and bigger but not “moonshot” ideas.
- •Sam says these episodes feel like a “book report” compared with more spontaneous episodes
- •Shaan explains why idea-focused episodes were central early on and why they’re harder to do twice a week
- •They preview a range: some simple income-replacement ideas plus larger-scale opportunities
- •They agree to start with a bigger idea they both find compelling
Klout 2.0: measuring influence and turning it into a business
Sam revisits Klout—its score from 1–100, its brand freebies, and its acquisition—and argues the world still needs an influence-measurement layer. Shaan agrees the score mechanic was powerful but questions the real buyer value and how to price it for brands.
- •Sam describes how Klout used connected social accounts to generate a single influence score and drive brand sampling
- •He recounts Klout’s origin story and shares that Joe Fernandez said they were likely “too early” and that data access is the hard part
- •Shaan likes the simplicity of a single score but doubts brands would pay much for information they can approximate themselves
- •They debate who the real customer is: individuals chasing status vs brands seeking reliable influencer selection
Sidebar: Shaan’s “mid-level manager” burn story and ‘words mean things’
Shaan shares an anecdote from recording with Emmett (founder/CEO of Twitch) where a useful meeting framework gets labeled as best for “mid-level managers,” leaving Shaan embarrassed. The conversation spins into Emmett’s emphasis on precise language and the idea that serious people choose words deliberately.
- •Shaan recounts Emmett’s framework for structuring executive conversations and being told it fits “mid-level managers”
- •They joke about social awkwardness and how comments can derail your focus mid-conversation
- •Shaan explains Emmett’s ‘words mean things’ mindset and how semantic precision can drive better decisions
- •They briefly discuss Emmett’s retirement and interest in writing essays
Dribbble/Behance model applied to video: a portfolio network for editors
Shaan explains how Dribbble and Behance succeeded by becoming an online portfolio and hiring marketplace for designers. He argues video is now a major trend, yet there’s no equivalent place to showcase and hire video editors, thumbnail artists, and video specialists.
- •Shaan describes Dribbble as a specialized “online resume” for designers and references its financial scale as discussed in the episode
- •He argues the shift of entertainment, education, e-commerce, and even podcasts toward video creates massive demand for video talent
- •He identifies the gap: no clear hub to browse portfolios and hire video editors and adjacent roles
- •Sam strongly agrees and links it to broader opportunities in vertical professional networks
LinkedIn-for-X: niche professional networks and ‘digitally under-indexed’ industries
Sam expands the idea into vertical networks, using Doximity as an example of a high-value, niche LinkedIn. They discuss how generic LinkedIn has become spammy, and why smaller, credentialed professional communities could support tighter networks—despite the chicken-and-egg problem.
- •Sam describes Doximity as ‘LinkedIn for doctors’ and highlights how valuable niche professional audiences can be
- •Shaan emphasizes value-per-user and why certain vertical networks can be disproportionately valuable
- •Sam argues LinkedIn inboxes are mostly spam and real networking isn’t happening there
- •They discuss network-effect difficulty and ways early traction could come from existing influencer-professionals on platforms like TikTok
Private elementary schools as a high-profit, asset-heavy local business
Shaan presents a brick-and-mortar business example: a private elementary school in San Francisco with large revenue, profit, and owned real estate assets. He describes tuition levels, waitlists, and donor dynamics as evidence of pricing power and demand.
- •Shaan shares a specific example of a small-enrollment school with college-level tuition and a rigorous admissions process
- •He explains how ownership of prime real estate builds large balance-sheet assets for these schools
- •They discuss how donations can be sizable on top of tuition, including fundraising tied to renovations
- •Shaan frames it as a surprising one-location business with a few hundred ‘customers’ generating outsized economics
“Thatcher Derby”: building a differentiated private school using cheap commercial real estate
Building on the school economics, Shaan proposes an opportunity: acquire discounted office/industrial space and convert it into a private elementary school. He pitches branding tactics (prestigious-sounding names) and a differentiator based on parent complaints about school agendas, positioning a STEM-focused, politics-light alternative.
- •Shaan suggests buying low on vacant commercial real estate and repurposing it into a school
- •He jokes through naming strategies meant to signal prestige and exclusivity
- •He shares feedback from parents: price and ratios aren’t the issue; dissatisfaction is with perceived ideological content
- •He proposes a differentiator: focus tightly on math/science and minimize political/social issue emphasis in curriculum
Sam’s telemarketer days: school fundraising boiler-room tactics
Sam tells a story about being a telemarketer raising donations using scripts, donor history cards, and incentive pay. The story connects back to how schools and institutions leverage social pressure and relationships to raise money.
- •Sam describes calling alumni using prior donation amounts and personal details to push for higher gifts
- •He explains incentives (hourly pay, commission, pizza) and how volume calling generated large donation totals
- •They joke about the ethics and structure, likening it to a boiler room run by a teacher
- •Sam notes how institutions now use peer-to-peer outreach to increase conversion
Alumni venture funds as a play on identity and access
Shaan describes a venture-fund concept that markets itself to alumni of specific schools, using familiar campus references and branding. They discuss how it’s positioned as investing in alumni founders without being officially affiliated, and why it can be an effective fundraising and fee business.
- •Shaan describes a school-themed venture fund brand that targets alumni and invests in alumni startups
- •He notes the approach scales by repeating the template across many universities
- •Sam reacts skeptically to the implied affiliation and branding tactics
- •The discussion detours into Sam’s Belmont experience and lingering resentment about not being allowed to walk at graduation
Rapid-fire idea #1: ‘Yelp for investors’ from YC’s internal reviews
Shaan proposes exporting an internal-style directory that reviews investors, inspired by a product he says YC has for founders. They discuss how hard it is to evaluate investors and other professional vendors, and why a verified-review system could be valuable if it overcomes cold-start challenges.
- •Shaan says YC has an internal investor directory with founder feedback and sees it as a product worth externalizing
- •He proposes a ‘Yelp for investors’ with verified interactions to reduce abuse and misinformation
- •Sam connects it to a broader need: reliable reviews for lawyers, accountants, and other vendors founders hire
- •Shaan suggests early data collection could be brute-forced due to the relatively small investor universe
Rapid-fire idea #2: ‘Teacher’s Pet’—AI lesson plans to disrupt Teachers Pay Teachers
Shaan describes Teachers Pay Teachers as a large marketplace for lesson plans and classroom materials, then proposes using AI to generate those materials on demand. He suggests training on purchased materials and selling a subscription product that creates lesson plans, quizzes, and teaching resources.
- •Shaan explains the Teachers Pay Teachers model and its scale as discussed in the episode
- •He argues AI could ‘crack’ a marketplace advantage by generating comparable content instantly
- •He proposes an AI product teachers prompt for grade-appropriate lesson plans and quizzes
- •He suggests a subscription model targeted directly at teachers
Ozempic on-ramps and off-ramps: a ‘hotline’ lead-gen business and support gaps
Shaan pitches Ozempic as a major wave and brainstorms adjacent businesses that help people start or stop using it. His concrete concept is an old-school phone-based “Ozempic hotline” marketed through traditional channels to provide consultations and drive leads; Sam discusses his view of stopping and the likelihood of weight regain.
- •Shaan frames Ozempic as a large trend and looks for complementary ‘on-ramp’ and ‘off-ramp’ services
- •He proposes a 1-800-style hotline with ads and before/after messaging to simplify eligibility and access questions
- •Sam challenges Shaan on pharma skepticism, and Shaan clarifies he avoids dependence personally but sees the business opportunity
- •Sam describes a study setup he recalls and argues stopping mainly returns appetite and may lead to partial weight regain
Recruiting elite nerds: Mind Sport Olympiad and memory championships as talent funnels
Shaan becomes enthusiastic about “Mind Sport” competitions and argues they’re under-monetized as mere tournaments. He proposes reframing them as recruiting and investment pipelines for high-performing young problem-solvers; Sam adds the World Memory Championships and the missed opportunity to elevate and commercialize it.
- •Shaan describes Mind Sport Olympiad as multi-game competition (chess, poker, strategy games) and sees it as a concentrated talent pool
- •He argues the right business model is recruiting and long-term talent access, not sponsorship-driven prize events
- •Shaan says he likes investing in former competitive gamers because they adapt to new ‘games’ quickly
- •Sam introduces the World Memory Championships and argues it could be packaged and promoted far better
Failed churches: closures, repurposing buildings, and unbundling the ‘church bundle’
Shaan cites declining church attendance and large numbers of closures, then explores business angles: helping churches restructure or sell assets, repurposing buildings, and creating new community models that replace what churches provided. They discuss examples of churches becoming condos, skate parks, or potentially meditation/yoga-style franchises, plus a small service idea to run social media for churches.
- •Shaan references stats about church closures and attendance decline, framing it as a signal for opportunity hunting
- •They discuss the ‘cleanup’ and repurposing side, including developers converting churches into housing or other uses
- •Shaan outlines a small service: done-for-you social media management for churches to promote events and reach locals
- •He applies the ‘unbundle’ concept, listing functions churches provide (community, peace, music, therapy/confession, dating) and suggests building new models that deliver one component 10x better
Wrap-up: picking the winner and the ‘gentleman’s agreement’ to subscribe
They reflect on which ideas felt strongest, with Sam calling the Dribbble-style concept a standout. The episode ends with a call to action: listeners don’t pay money, but they should subscribe as the ‘honor code’ exchange for the ideas.
- •Sam compliments Shaan’s church unbundling segment and highlights the Dribbble-for-video concept as the top idea
- •Shaan jokes about drifting into ‘drunk ideas’ territory but bringing it back to a framework
- •They ask listeners to subscribe on YouTube and podcast apps as repayment for the free ideas
- •They end the episode with a clear sign-off

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