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CHAPTERS
- 0:00 – 7:48
Yardstiq: Packaging Software Reviews for Buyers
After Sam reads the plane-meetings idea, Shaan brings up Anand of CB Insights and why second-time founders think about distribution and pricing. They break down Anand's new 90-day-old company Yardstiq, which sells analyst-led interviews with software buyers.
- •Shaan says repeat entrepreneurs think about distribution and pricing, which first-timers often skip
- •Yardstiq interviews software buyers about pricing, competitors, renewal and satisfaction
- •Unlike G2-style review sites, the buyer pays roughly $30-40K a year instead of vendors paying for ads
- •Sam says buyers include investment bankers and companies of about 500 employees making costly software choices
- •Both think it could be as big as CB Insights
- 7:48 – 17:26
Anand's Startup Idea List: Good Ideas and Bad Ones
Shaan reads ideas from Anand's tweeted list, including Tough Mudder for kids, hosted buyer meetings on a plane, win-loss reporting for hiring, and a diaper brand. They also go through his 'bad but sexy' ideas, like personal CRMs and Glassdoor for VCs.
- •Tough Mudder for kids and a Duolingo-style finance app get quick reactions
- •Win-loss reporting for hiring and attrition is called a great idea
- •Shaan reflects that tacking on 'beautifully designed' or 'well done' makes an idea sound smarter, though there's some truth to it
- •Bad-but-sexy ideas include personal CRM, 'what are my friends up to' apps, to-do apps, and Glassdoor for VCs
- 17:26 – 18:47
Subscribe Reminder: The Gentleman's Agreement
Sam uses the honor-system candy bowl analogy to ask listeners to subscribe on YouTube. Shaan adds that 60% of their YouTube views come from non-subscribers.
- •Honor-system analogy for subscribing
- •Subscribing helps the algorithm
- •60% of YouTube views come from non-subscribers
- 18:47 – 26:43
The Guy Mafia: Anonymous Niche Twitter Accounts
Shaan describes the trend of anonymous, niche-branded accounts like Car Dealership Guy and Strip Mall Guy that share industry secrets. He explains how Car Dealership Guy grew quickly and turned trust into a car-buying concierge service, and says he bought a car through him.
- •Accounts like Car Dealership Guy, Mobile Home Park Guy and Franchise Wolf grow fast
- •Car Dealership Guy hit 225K followers in about a year
- •He charges a flat concierge fee to buy cars out of auction rather than monetizing with a newsletter
- •Shaan bought an Escalade through him
- •Sam also trusts these accounts and made a $100K-plus decision on one's advice
- 26:43 – 34:15
Why the Guy Mafia Works and How to Capitalize
Shaan gives reasons the format works: the value is in the name, followers get industry secrets, and the feed is focused. He advises avoiding communities and ad-based newsletters in favor of transactions, proposes a 'Gal Mafia', and floats a social network of verified insiders.
- •The name alone communicates the value
- •People like data and insider secrets, and a focused feed does better
- •Shaan says to head toward transactions or a fund rather than communities
- •Shaan proposes female-branded versions, though Sam notes his audience is 93% male
- •Shaan's long-shot idea is a network of verified industry insiders
- •Sam argues a billion-dollar empire could start on Twitter
- 34:15 – 40:04
Agency Affiliates and Owning Founder Back-Office Services
Sam raises people earning affiliate fees by referring audiences to agencies, which he does with MyBodyTutor. Shaan says he'd rather buy majority stakes in accountants, lawyers and estate planners to build an MFM-style back office. They discuss the vetting risks and why celebrities tend to focus on one or two equity stakes.
- •Sam says people refer high-ticket services and may earn hundreds of thousands a year
- •Twitter is good for link clicks and attributing growth
- •Shaan wants to own back-office firms rather than take affiliate fees
- •Sam says the con is vetting quality, and points to Richard Branson's Virgin as precedent
- •Shaan thinks celebrities do better focusing on one or two categories, citing Skims and Conor McGregor's whiskey
- 40:04 – 42:01
The Katana Store: Sword E-commerce Success
Shaan introduces minikatana.com, a store with 1-2 million monthly visits that he estimates makes $10-20M a year. Sam goes from mocking the idea to wanting to buy a sword.
- •Sells mini katanas about two feet long
- •1-2 million monthly visits
- •Shaan thinks revenue is probably nearer $20M
- •Sam compares the site to the Supreme of swords
- 42:01 – 47:46
The Stranger Things Law: Lean Into Strange Obsessions
Shaan explains his theory that great e-commerce brands find people strangely obsessed with a lifestyle and sell to them. He backs it with a Twitter early-employee story and his friend Tawfeeq, who watched StarCraft streams years before Shaan joined Twitch.
- •Find people unapologetically obsessed with a niche lifestyle
- •A first Twitter product manager learned to lean into weird mass behavior
- •Shaan's college friend watched pro StarCraft players, a precursor to Twitch
- •Other examples: barefoot shoes, buck hunting, ice baths, and a $5M woodworking course
- 47:46 – 50:37
Katana Store's YouTube Growth Engine
Shaan's second takeaway is how the brand uses organic YouTube and TikTok unboxing content to grow. They credit Isaac, who tweets the details, and Shaan calls it 10 out of 10 execution at a 5 out of 10 opportunity.
- •YouTube channel has about two million subscribers
- •Unboxing videos fronted by a female creator
- •Facebook ad budget moved into a full-time creator
- •Isaac's bio says he's scaling a sword brand to nine figures with organic video
- •Shaan finds Twitter cringey and tryhard
- 50:37 – 56:22
What to Do with Rejected Job Applicants
Sam describes his researcher job post that drew about 300 applicants and asks what to do with the roughly 100 decent ones he won't hire. They discuss ideas like a job board, referral fees, and Ryan Hoover's vetted-analyst email, and Shaan raises the signal problem of passing on 'sloppy seconds'. No clear answer emerges before they wrap up.
- •Sam's strict instructions weeded out about half of applicants, and about 25% were legitimate
- •Sam says his first company grouped apartment applicants, so he's asking what to do with these
- •Shaan suggests translating the skills to a common job and building a marketplace
- •Sam suggests companies take referral fees for passing candidates along
- •Shaan explains the signal problem with passing on rejected candidates
